Chapter 467: No Matter How Sweet the Talk, Can It Compare to Sister Bai?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 467: No Matter How Sweet the Talk, Can It Compare to Sister Bai?
After ten minutes of narration, combined with the model construction, analysis, and explanation of the Tree of Wisdom, I successfully finished explaining my structural model for the Fireball Spellbook. However, most of this was based on my personal perspective. If I wanted to, I felt I could have spent several more hours explaining the related derivative spell sequences to the mentors.
But I remembered clearly that this was an interview.
The fact that I could speak for so long on just this one segment made it obvious that the majority of the mentors here supported me taking more time to showcase my personal abilities.
What they held in their hands were, after all, just documents—cold, lifeless words. It could never be as direct as facing a person and hearing them describe the process themselves.
Some mentors had already taken out their phones to search for my papers on the academy system’s academic section.
"From the looks of it, you seem to have quite a deep understanding of the Fireball Spell derivative sequences as well..."
"Wait a moment!" Seeing that those few witches who were deeply invested in spellbook research wanted to continue, a witch looking at her phone interrupted. This was an interview, after all, not a classroom for a student to lecture them on academic insights into spellbook models. "I believe this is already enough to prove Student Yang Yuehan’s academic achievements regarding this paper. Furthermore, I can sense your profound foundation in Runology from your explanation."
"However, I do have one question. Although my research into Runology isn't particularly deep, I can see that your paper focuses heavily on the structure of the spellbook while remaining almost silent on the runes themselves. The spellbook model proposed in the paper is also limited to updating the observable structural model on a macro level, excluding the rune level. May I ask why?"
"Because at that time, I hadn't encountered Runology yet," I said simply.
"You hadn't encountered Runology?" The questioning witch looked surprised. She then checked the publication date of the paper and did some quick mental math. "Based on this timeline, you couldn't have been studying at the Witch Academy for very long back then, could you? Or rather, you shouldn't have been in contact with Transcendent power for long at all. So, how did you manage to co-publish this paper with this witch named Xi Lan?"
The interview process required verifying every student's information. Naturally, she had to ask about things that seemed far-fetched. Even if I had proven I possessed the ability to write such a paper now, "faking" it in the past would still be disgraceful.
"Mentor Xi Lan was my homeroom teacher. I have Innate Spirit Vision," I said briefly.
As soon as I finished speaking, the Transcendent Witches acting as interviewers turned their heads to whisper among themselves. They had naturally heard of Spirit Vision; it was one of the most distinctive talents of the Main World—a heavenly gift that allowed a non-Transcendent body to touch upon True Vision.
The common knowledge materials provided before entering the Main World mentioned it, but they didn't include special cases like Innate Spirit Vision. After all, those common knowledge contracts were limited in length and couldn't record every single detail.
"Is Spirit Vision in the Main World really that terrifying?"
"I'm not sure, but she said Innate Spirit Vision. It might be even more powerful. And... the records show she isn't lying."
"It’s probably analogous to a higher level of True Vision. It really can observe things on the level of Real Time."
"I wonder how many students in the Main World Witch Academy have Innate Spirit Vision. For geniuses with that kind of talent, the academy must have recruitment quotas, right? How many per year?"
"Not sure. I'll ask later."
While these new mentors were making such baseless guesses, the senior mentors nearby simply pressed their hands to their foreheads. What on earth were they talking about? Recruitment quotas? Most people with Innate Spirit Vision were sent to psychiatric hospitals every year; who would "recruit" them?
Xiao Han was special, didn't they understand?
The matter passed quickly. They only needed a justification, and generally, no one would go out of their way to cause trouble over this.
Once that topic ended, the interview was essentially a guaranteed success. My value had been verified; all that remained was to continue raising my worth. If I were merely chasing a Teaching Assistant qualification, I had already over-delivered on the task.
However, it was clear these witches were quite interested in the rest of my information—especially the newly arrived Transcendent Witches. They had seen experience related to Great Spellbook research on a student's profile!
Although the records only noted proficiency in using equipment related to [Transcendent Knowledge] research projects, maintenance methods, and the ability to manually craft core components for said equipment, it didn't stop them from making other associations.
If a mentor hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have known that the personal file in their hands would record such specific details...
I guessed that a large portion of this personal information came from Teacher Ji Niang. Since I hadn't disclosed these things myself, it was obvious who had.
But clearly, the mentors were extremely interested in the fact that I had been in contact with [Transcendent Knowledge] research, especially the academic witches. One of the reasons they had come to the Main World was because they heard there was a research base for Great Spellbooks here.
As Transcendent Witches with no resources, no background, and no connections—possessing only their Transcendent life essence and great power—they could only rely on their own hard work to reach higher levels. Seeing a student who already had the qualifications to touch [Transcendent Knowledge] made them feel full of hope.
Time passed quickly. Even though my interview alone had taken nearly an hour, they would have loved to chat longer if not for the many students waiting behind me. However, the topics they wanted to discuss had already exceeded the scope of an interview, and they only restrained themselves under the pressure of several senior witches.
At this moment, the witches looked at the young girl before them with increasing satisfaction. Setting aside the issue of seniority, she was the perfect, full-score TA!
With such a terrifying student, if she could maintain this momentum until she became a Transcendent Witch, she could easily become a powerful witch capable of carrying them to new heights.
The one thing witches never lacked was time. Witches who planned to stay in the Main World long-term lacked it even less; they were willing to witness the rise of a genius amidst the boring life of the academy.
There was her demonstrated understanding of spells and her talent for learning, not to mention the Nightmare spells, Dream Demon spells, and Dream Rewriting Spells she had independently shaped according to her file. These spells had already been compiled into spellbooks by senior Transcendent mentors, and the relevant data could even be found within the Witch Academy. This couldn't be faked.
By the end, many witches expressed their extreme high regard for me in their words, and some even hinted or outright stated their willingness to have me as their TA.
While a TA was ostensibly there to handle chores for a mentor—and sometimes even act as a substitute teacher—if the TA they recruited was a genius, they wouldn't be stingy with their knowledge in mentoring a future sister.
Of course, not every witch favored genius students. To some, whether a student was a genius or a fool, they were all just ants who hadn't yet ascended to become Transcendent Witches; they were treated with equal indifference. However, such witches generally didn't look for TAs.
So, it was clear that no such individuals were among the witches currently picking TAs.
"Yang Yuehan, I feel this interview should be called a mutual exchange. I believe most of the mentors present are very satisfied with you. The final interview stage of the Teaching Assistant test is actually intended to be a two-way communication and a two-way choice between the prospective TA and the mentor."
"For an excellent TA, we are never stingy with our guidance. We will even take her to touch upon things that only those at the Transcendent level are qualified to reach. Therefore, choosing a mentor to follow is a very important matter. This relationship is different from the one when you choose a mentor in your fourth year—I almost forgot you haven't chosen a mentor yet—but I believe you should be able to distinguish the weight of this decision."
"I understand."
I gave a polite smile in response to Mentor Cindy. As a senior mentor among these witches, she had essentially taken it upon herself to host the proceedings of this interview.
"So, now it is time for you to make your choice. As I said, this is a two-way choice. If you wish to know more about any mentor, you may directly ask to communicate with them. Based on your feelings after the exchange, you can make your final decision. Exceptional students deserve special treatment."
As Mentor Cindy finished speaking, the most shocked people were naturally the senior sisters who hadn't interviewed yet, or those who had finished but hadn't given up and left.
Why didn't they get this process?
Why was she being treated so specially?
Though they had the answer in their hearts, knowing the answer didn't stop the resentment.
But after some thought, many senior sisters reached a state of acceptance. Especially those who had already interviewed; remembering the disinterested looks on the mentors' faces when their sessions ended, they didn't have the face to even ask...
"I choose Mentor Bai Yu." Facing the expectant gazes of the mentors, I spoke without a moment's hesitation.
No matter how sweet you make it sound, can it compare to Sister Bai?
I didn't think so.
Besides... as for the promise of touching Transcendent-level things that Mentor Cindy mentioned, haven't I touched enough already?
I’m actually suffering from a bit of indigestion right now. There are too many good things; I need time to digest them, and I need time to settle.
I have my own plans. I saw their expectations for me in their eyes, but aren't those expectations also a kind of shackle?
What they valued was the potential I displayed, but I hadn't revealed my true foundation or my plans for myself. These were things I wouldn't allow others to interfere with; I wouldn't even touch a path where that was a possibility.
Compared to the future they envisioned for me, I preferred to choose my own freedom. The last witch who wanted to teach me something and hoped for me to become something was Teacher Ji Niang, but now Teacher Ji Niang has almost stopped interfering with me... Her ability to let go is what I admire most about her.
I will never forget Ji Niang, because she was my first "benefactor" and the witch who completely transformed the trajectory of my life.
"Wait... who did you say you chose?" After a period of silence, Cindy was the first to break the quiet, her tone full of disbelief.
Then, the other witches also recalled the rumors about the relationship between Bai Yu and this student...
But it all felt like a dream. Throughout this entire interview, the mentor named Bai Yu had barely asked a single question, yet the student had chosen her so decisively.
"Xiao Han, don't joke with your future. Do you know which mentor you've chosen?"
"I know you have a friendship with Bai Yu, but there's no need to throw away your talent just to maintain that connection. She is a Body Cultivation Witch! Her teaching specialties are all courses closely related to Body Cultivation. Your talent should be focused on spell-related academic research."
This agitated witch voiced almost everything the others wanted to say, her tone even carrying a hint of interrogation and unquestionable authority.
But it was precisely this interrogative attitude and unquestionable authority that made me feel my choice wasn't wrong. If Transcendents were beyond questioning, then that wasn't the life I wanted.
"I am a Self-Awakened Body Cultivation practitioner." Facing the witches who had stood up in their excitement, I spoke clearly through the gaps in their voices.
When I finished, they fell silent again. It seemed they had also overlooked that inconspicuous detail at the very end of the pile of documents—a record of such a terrifying talent.
The moment the term "Self-Awakened Body Cultivation" was uttered, a flash of confusion crossed the faces of some witches. Body Cultivation was still somewhat niche for witches, let alone the even rarer Self-Awakened variety. They didn't understand what "Self-Awakened Body Cultivation" truly represented.
At this moment, Sister Bai, who had been motionless, finally stood up. She knew she had to act now!
"What is the meaning of this? Do you look down on Body Cultivation? Do you even understand Xiao Han? How dare you claim to be acting for her own good? Do you really think you know her after just an hour of contact?"
"If you understood Xiao Han, then you should acknowledge her talent in other areas! Body Cultivation is a niche choice for a witch to begin with! Just because you value a Self-Awakened Body Cultivation talent..." one witch stood up to argue.
"I suggest that before you speak like that, you go back to the Great Library of the Witch World and ask the Primal Witches what the concept of a Self-Awakened Body Cultivation practitioner is! You think you know Xiao Han? You don't even understand the concept of Innate Spirit Vision, yet you're here making a scene. Do you only see Xiao Han's abilities and talent? What about the price?"
As Bai Yu spoke, many witches fell silent. Those who weren't impulsive or who understood what Self-Awakened Body Cultivation meant chose to simply watch the show.
"I heard you talking earlier about the academy's recruitment quotas for Innate Spirit Vision students. I know you're new to the Main World, so let me educate you on some common sense. The Witch Academy—and almost all Transcendent academies in the Main World—have no such quota for Innate Spirit Vision students. That's because almost all Innate Spirit Vision users in the Main World are in psychiatric hospitals. Only Xiao Han is special. Do you understand now?"
"If Spirit Vision is a blessing bestowed by the Main World, then Innate Spirit Vision is a curse of 'too much of a good thing.'"
"However, the Five Senses training of Body Cultivation can help her adapt to the Real Time perspective brought by Innate Spirit Vision. Once she ascends to become a Transcendent Witch, she will inherit the talent of Spirit Vision, making her True Vision far exceed her other four real senses. For such an extremely lopsided set of senses, besides the Real Five Senses Cultivation system of Body Cultivation, which can help her quickly balance the difference, do you think you have any other way to help Xiao Han?"
As Bai Yu stood her ground and pressed forward, her aura instantly overwhelmed the other witches. The pressure of a Body Cultivation practitioner's Five Senses perception immediately forced them to cool their heads.
If everything was truly as she said, then they had indeed been inconsiderate.
But what surprised them even more was that this Body Cultivation Witch knew Xiao Han so well and their relationship was so close. At the very least, if they put themselves in her shoes, they wouldn't dare to take on so many witches at once.
And so, they backed down at the appropriate time.
They had indeed suffered from their lack of knowledge about the Main World. But watching her take away the student—no, the TA—they favored so much left them feeling quite miserable.
"Fine. Since she's already spoken for... next," Cindy said, also reminding the other witches that this matter was over. Witches didn't hold grudges easily; after all, their lifespans were eternal. If they made an enemy over something trivial, their future days would be exhausting.
Besides... looking at the big picture, this was just one TA. Weren't there plenty more behind her?