Chapter 507: Sequence Derivation—Great Knowledge Seed
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 507: Sequence Derivation—Great Knowledge Seed
With the Transcendent Academies on break, the world outside had entered its most chaotic period. Incidents triggered by transcendent powers seemed inevitable, given the sheer number of students returning home.
Of course, many Transcendent Academies didn't have "vacations" in the traditional sense. Once parents sent their children off, they might not see or hear from them for years. When the children finally returned, they often seemed like total strangers—sometimes even their physical appearance had completely changed.
Such occurrences had become a societal norm. In a society that encouraged high birth rates, a family rarely had only one child.
Parents were often blinded by the glamorous facade and mystery of transcendent power. Their children became gambling chips, played over and over again. Those who failed to get into an academy would settle into mundane jobs to provide for their parents in their old age; those who succeeded would contribute to society, bringing honor to the family name.
However, enrollment in a Transcendent Academy carried its own risks. The lower the barrier to entry, the higher the danger. This was especially true for "diploma mills" like the Lesser Demon Academy. These schools existed and maintained a steady stream of applicants because educational standards varied wildly across the globe, meaning the "internal scale" by which parents measured success was often set quite low.
To put it bluntly, these parents didn't care about the risks their children faced; they only cared about the glory and benefits that came with being accepted into a Transcendent Academy.
The world was a deformed society that only appeared peaceful on the surface. The world would always warp itself to meet the demands of its supply-and-demand relationships, becoming something unrecognizable in the process.
But none of that mattered to me as I vacationed in the Bobapus Archipelago.
The Witch Academy followed a standard vacation schedule. Even if we didn't have a break or chose not to go back, it wasn't as if the academy lacked housing. As for those boys who had been "spirited away" to the Witch Academy... whether their parents could accept the fact that their sons were now daughters... well, that wasn't my problem either.
I had simply given my roommates a quick greeting, wishing them a happy holiday before leaving them to their own devices. Everyone has their own life and plans; there was no need to force myself into theirs.
I did, however, learn a bit about what they were up to.
After the Joint Exam ended, the academy moved quickly with the departure notices and applications for those wishing to stay on campus.
As of now, Hong Chenyi was the only one in the dormitory group chat who had explicitly stated she was going home.
Dongli Yiren’s situation was unique—she had been brought here against her will, so she likely had many reservations. I wasn't entirely sure about Guan Qiuling’s family situation, but considering they had raised someone as introverted and submissive as her, her status within the family was likely the main reason she chose to stay at school.
Yu Yuetian surprised me the most. As an Ascetic, I expected her to be the most open-minded and free-spirited.
Perhaps she was worried that, as a witch, she would be subjected to a heresy trial if she went home. I was joking, of course. Yu Yuetian didn't offer an explanation; she simply said she wanted to stay at the academy to continue her studies and improve herself.
As for Hong Chenyi... given her boisterous and cheerful personality, her family was likely quite open. After all, her "Sea King" father had raised a "pure love" son who was now a daughter. I wondered what he would think when he saw her.
But all of that could wait until the end of the break.
For the next few days, I stayed in a state of leisure. Most of my time was spent contemplating what else my life held besides the study of the Transcendent.
Is my life from now on nothing but researching the Transcendent?
I had been mulling over this question for days because it concerned how I should plan my future.
But as the days passed, I proved through practice that the question itself was flawed.
It was nothing more than a trap—a doubt one could use at any time to manufacture anxiety.
When I questioned myself, asking if my remaining years would be nothing but research, it was like asking someone who was enjoying their life: Is the rest of your life just going to be this repetitive enjoyment? What if you get bored?
A person who truly knows how to enjoy life would only laugh at such a question. The questioner only sees the current moment of enjoyment and even begins to predict boredom for a future routine they haven't lived yet. But the one enjoying life would simply say, "I have countless ways to enjoy myself. How could I ever get bored?"
The fundamental reason people project anxiety onto others is that they fail to think beyond the limits of their own perception. It’s like an uneducated peasant imagining that the Emperor must use a golden hoe to till the fields.
Therefore, my anxiety—asking what I would do if my future was nothing but research—was merely a doubt of my own abilities and a lingering sense of displacement.
Since no one can predict the future, manufacturing "void anxiety" for oneself is undeniably foolish.
How could my future life be limited to the dry process of research?
Would my research not yield results?
Would I not feel a sense of accomplishment upon succeeding?
Would my perception not expand as I improved myself?
And once my perception expanded, how could I possibly be bored?
This anxiety was entirely born from a lack of self-confidence.
But... I am a genius!
That was a conclusion I had already proven to myself before.
However, people change. One can lose self-confidence through both comfort and setback. My failed attempts to use the Leaves of Knowledge to carry the Ley Line Information spellbook had been a constant blow to my ego.
I knew I shouldn't feel this way. I knew that failure is the mother of success and that such setbacks are normal. I shouldn't deny the fact that I am a genius.
But understanding a concept is one thing; embodying it is another. In that moment, I realized just how far I was from the true spiritual realm of the "Unity of Knowledge and Action." It was a distance that even the Spellbook of Unity of Knowledge and Action could not bridge.
I recognized that the spellbook was merely a crude imitation of the concept, not a crutch I should rely on. It was meant to be an inspiration, nothing more.
Yet, identifying the problem is a massive step toward success. I only needed to take one more step forward to reach my goal.
After all these days, I finally understood. The catalyst for this realization was...
Right now, I held an illusory seed in my hand, holding it up against the sun. The smile spreading across my lips was brighter than the sunlight itself!
This was success!
It was the major turning point that allowed me to escape that pointless internal friction.
I was right—I am a genius.
My life would never be just "research," because I would also have "success"!
This was a breakthrough in self-worth, the fulfillment of self-achievement!
And then there was Sister Bai. She was the source of my personal happiness.
With all that, did I really need to ask if my life was only research?
No. I only felt pity for my past self, who had wallowed in self-doubt amidst setbacks and mundanity.
I recalled what Teacher Ji Niang had told me: the lifespan of a Transcendent Witch is eternal, and any research project takes a long time. Being able to endure loneliness is the most critical trait!
In this moment, the lessons Teacher Ji Niang had imparted seemed to form a closed loop. I had personally experienced what "enduring loneliness" actually meant. It wasn't just the cold word "loneliness"; it was self-doubt, sinking into a cycle of constant failure, and losing oneself in the mundane. The weight it carried was far more profound than the word suggested.
Perhaps my previous successes had come too easily, so this issue had never surfaced.
But now, I was researching [Transcendent Knowledge]—Great Spellbooks. Difficulty was the norm. In the Witch Academy, researching a Great Spellbook could easily take a century. Compared to that, what did I have to complain about?
Only now could I look difficulty in the eye and say: Failure is common! The mundane is daily life!
Because I had succeeded!
Therefore, I would not be defeated by failure.
This event would become an anchor in my life, a benchmark for my confidence that would influence my future.
I now had a reason to comfort myself, to recognize that being a genius was an unchangeable fact. Long periods of failure or lack of progress weren't due to my incompetence, but the nature of the problem itself.
Looking back... I had been a bit too fragile. But realizing one's fragility is the beginning of becoming strong.
"Knowledge Seed, heh..."
I toyed with the illusory seed. This was something I had developed over the past few days by experimenting with a specific trait of [Transcendent Knowledge]. Using the Tree of Knowledge as a medium, information as nourishment, and energy as the supply, I had completed the cultivation of the first Knowledge Seed.
The birth of the Knowledge Seed signaled that the Tree of Knowledge’s utilization of [Transcendent Knowledge] had evolved. It was no longer just a "container" for [Transcendent Knowledge], but a tool to wield it!
This specific [Transcendent Knowledge] originated from a vital component of the transcendent item, Tears of the Mad Plant. My research and the revelations I received were all related to the botanical domain.
The concept of the Tree of Great Knowledge had abstracted the botanical concepts within the [Transcendent Knowledge], yet it still managed to carry them. This proved its immense inclusivity and served as its own interpretation of plant life.
Seeding and reproduction are the instincts of life, and plants are no exception.
The object in my hand wasn't just a Knowledge Seed; rather, it was the first true Sequence Derivation Spell of the Tree of Great Knowledge spell sequence.
It should be called the "Knowledge Seed Spell." Unlike the Tree of Great Knowledge, which targeted the self, the Knowledge Seed was an external release type. The seed in my hand wasn't a detached fragment like a Leaf of Knowledge; it was a permanent "Great Spell Effect" that inherited the properties of the Great Spellbook.
However, casting this spell didn't just consume mana from my mana source; it also required the information-based "nourishment" from the Tree of Great Knowledge.
I preferred to call the casting process "breeding."
This was the first time I had encountered a spell with such a long lead-up, making the process feel as slow and deliberate as actual plant breeding.
While this was much more troublesome and time-consuming than simply splitting off a Leaf of Knowledge, it didn't damage the Great Spellbook. Splitting leaves a few times was fine, but doing it repeatedly would eventually deplete the spellbook's foundation.
Furthermore, this derivation could be further optimized. With practice, it would eventually become a standard tool in my arsenal. Such progress just required time—a very, very long time.
Of course, the success of the Great Knowledge Seed also meant another possibility: hosting the Ley Line Information Identification Art!
In my plan, the Great Knowledge Seed was a far better "vessel" for the identification art than the Leaf of Knowledge.
The spell effect of the Great Knowledge Seed was nothing short of heaven-defying. It functioned much like the relationship between the Omni-Link Main Network Tree and its sub-plants in that small world.
Once the Great Knowledge Seed was released, it would slowly grow into a "Tree of Knowledge." This tree would certainly not be able to rival my original Tree of Knowledge.
My Tree of Knowledge was the Great Spellbook itself, carrying the [Transcendent Knowledge], whereas these trees grown from the seeds were merely a spell effect of that Great Spellbook.
However, I expected its utility to completely outclass the "Memory Bookshelf" I had acquired previously. Moreover... these cultivated Trees of Knowledge could better host the Knowledge Shadow and the Ley Line Information Identification Art. Those two additions alone would likely drive many people mad with desire.
For now, this was still theoretical, but I was confident the actual results wouldn't deviate much. I needed to test it, refine it, and I even wanted to be able to dominate the information gathered by these Trees of Knowledge.
But people wouldn't just work for me for free, and they would be suspicious.
The only person I could think of... was probably Sister Bai.
But I had to get her consent. If she refused, I wouldn't force anything on her.
At worst, I could use the Fool's Dream spirits for testing.
They were willing to follow me and give their all, so they would surely be willing to learn for me. After all, everything they needed to learn at this stage, I had already mastered. It wasn't exploitation; it was a mutually beneficial test.
In truth, I didn't need to agonize over these details. I believed that if I explained everything to the Fool's Dream spirits, they would agree. There was no "debt" involved; it was only natural.
Still... if Sister Bai was willing, that would be ideal. With her cooperation, the process would be far more efficient than using the spirits. That was a simple fact.
"Sister Bai... Sister Bai... hehe... can I ask you for a favor?" I sidled up to her, speaking in a low, slightly wheedling tone.
"Hmm?"
Sister Bai opened her eyes. That single "hmm" carried a hint of confusion. She had been practicing the True Perception of her Body Cultivation; she knew that only by becoming stronger could she protect those she cared about.
"Um... Sister Bai? What does 'hmm' mean? Is that a yes?"
"Of course it's a yes. But why don't you tell me what you want first? You sound a bit guilty," Sister Bai said with a smile.
"Well... I want you to help me test something. Is that okay? I really couldn't think of anyone else who could help me... please?" I immediately shifted into full-on spoiled mode, shaking her forearm gently.
"You have to tell me what it is before I can cooperate, right?" Sister Bai seemed a bit dazed by my sudden display of affection, but she still pressed for an answer.
"So that means you've agreed? Then I'll tell you," I said excitedly, lowering my voice. "It's the Great Knowledge Seed. But Sister Bai, you should listen to the potential risks before you fully commit."