Chapter 556: Prototype of the Seventh Sense of Body Cultivation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 556: Prototype of the Seventh Sense of Body Cultivation
After realizing that arriving early wasn't necessarily a good thing, I followed Jiao Xiaoshuang’s recommendation and headed to a place on the upper floors of the hotel called the Book Gallery.
Just as she had described, there were hardly any people there. However, the rows of towering bookshelves and the accompanying facilities were quite complete. As for the quality of the books... after I performed a simple collection of one shelf's contents, I found it wasn't particularly high. Much of it was similar to what was in the academy library, though the fashion magazines at the front were somewhat novel.
But I hadn't come here to collect those kinds of books.
Moreover, I still had an entire Witch Academy library’s worth of books I hadn't finished. Sister Qiong was also nearing the end of uploading the research data for the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art, so I had much more important material to review.
Once I found a place to sit, Jiao Xiaoshuang asked if I wanted anything to drink.
"Black coffee, light sugar."
"Understood. I'll go get that for you right away."
Watching her walk away, I took out my Book in the Box and flipped through a few blank pages. The Power of Knowledge surged, manifesting the research data for the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art from the Tree of Great Knowledge onto the empty pages.
The characters flickered by rapidly because I was reading fast. To an ordinary person, my reading speed would look like someone flipping through pages for fun, but to me... it was still too slow!
My ability to comprehend and absorb was still too sluggish, which limited my reading speed and prevented me from instantaneously understanding the information within the Tree of Knowledge.
This was a serious problem I had realized as the Tree of Knowledge grew!
Back when it was just the Tree of Knowledge, or even earlier when it was the prototype spell Memory Bookshelf, I hadn't felt this way. It had functioned like an external brain; whatever I thought of, I could recall instantly.
While I could still do something similar now, I had developed a pathetic "Cognitive Barrier" to prevent my cognition from being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. When searching for specific cognitive data—even with the help of the Knowledge Shadow—I had to pause before I could find it. Furthermore, once the information was converted into memory, it felt incredibly alien.
It felt like it didn't belong to me.
There was a very blunt way to solve this: quiet contemplation and constant consolidation of this new knowledge.
Originally, the problem could have been solved that way. However, as the speed of information acquisition grew faster and faster, I found that my pace of learning and comprehension simply couldn't keep up.
Consequently, the amount of "possessed but unknown" information would only increase until it eventually drowned me.
I suppose this is what they call a "happy problem"?
I had actually discussed this with several Witch Sisters, and even mentioned it to Teacher Bai. However... no one had a particularly good solution, and they couldn't even truly grasp the nature of my predicament.
The only bit of inspiration came from a conversation with Sister Qiong, when I asked her a question.
Can a Cognitive Firewall prevent a flood of excessive information even when there is no polluting data?
Sister Qiong’s answer was yes, but that such a firewall was an entirely different matter from one designed to prevent pollution.
I had been treating this method as the breakthrough for my current difficulty and had been attempting to construct such a Cognitive Firewall. But after actual testing, this wishful thinking didn't help improve my cognitive efficiency. It only allowed me to visualize how much longer I could hold out when I actively accepted a massive influx of information—and even then, it served as a distraction.
To truly improve this ability, I had to return to the most primitive state.
The Life Level.
The Life Level truly determined many things, such as the threshold for information absorption. This was why senior students had stronger learning abilities; it wasn't an illusion, but a physical reality.
However, I didn't know of any external means to raise one's Life Level. While having more Mana Sources increased the rate of Witchification, that rate of increase diminished the further one progressed. Even with tens of thousands of Mana Sources, my Witchification rate wasn't that many times faster than students of my own year.
As the saying goes, it's better to rely on oneself than others. I frequently conversed with my Knowledge Shadow.
In truth, this behavior was simply a dialogue with my own inner self. There are many things the heart knows, but the subjective consciousness subconsciously ignores. Making the subjective consciousness realize what it has already figured out is, in itself, a form of progress.
"Teacher Xiao Han, your coffee."
"Thank you," I said as I took the coffee, adding a reminder, "I'll be reading here for a long time and won't be leaving. I might be sitting here until tomorrow. If you have other things to do, you can leave first."
"No need. Senior Sister Xing Anlei told me to stay with you. As long as you are in this hotel, I naturally won't leave. If my presence disturbs your reading, I will keep my distance."
"I don't mind, but you have the right to leave at any time. Alright, I'm going to start reading."
As I finished speaking, I cast a double internal and external Soundproofing Spell over my area.
When I read or pondered problems later, I would be debating with the Knowledge Shadow. I knew what I was doing, but to an outsider, I would look like a fool or a madman.
The two-way soundproofing solved this trouble perfectly. People outside wouldn't hear my muttering, and I wouldn't be disturbed by external noise.
I took a small sip of the coffee and then spoke.
"Continue. And stop telling me I need time. Everyone knows I need time. Don't be a riddler."
"A riddler... You think so too? What a coincidence; that's exactly how others see you."
"Let's not discuss others right now. Let's talk business. You act like you've seen through everything—are you really unwilling to just say it?"
"I told you, the answer is simple. You lack time. Everything stems from the fact that you don't have enough time. You've been in school for too short a period, yet you've learned too much. Your seniority is too shallow, your experience too meager, yet you possess too much. Your ability to comprehend knowledge can't keep up, but your speed of acquiring it is too fast..."
"So, I should calm my heart?" I asked.
"Let me ask you a different question. What do you think receiving information actually is? It's still about looking slowly, practicing, and accepting based on your own cognition. You're too impatient, swallowing dates whole. What's the difference between that and knowledge passing through your brain only to fall right back out? Have you memorized it? Oh... you don't need to memorize. I should ask: have you understood it?"
At that moment, the information on the Book in the Box in my hand came to a sudden halt. I realized I had indeed been reading too fast, to the point where looking back at what I'd just read felt like looking at raw data.
It was a strange feeling. It was as if I had a book in my head that I could pull out and read at any time, but the moment the book closed, I forgot the content. Yet, if someone asked me, I could still open the book and recite the entire text...
"So... who are you performing this 'fake effort' for?" The Knowledge Shadow's words struck my heart without mercy.
"Then what should I do?"
"Read slowly."
"Read slowly?"
"Yes. Do you not know how to read? Take the first paragraph. Read it once, summarize it once, organize it once, extract the key information, and then say it again in your own words. What you're looking at now is the definition Sister Mei originally gave to the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art—the research direction of the project. It's the fundamental tone for the research of the Great Spellbook." The Knowledge Shadow was now like the strictest of teachers, instructing me bit by bit on how to read and how to truly understand a book, rather than just looking at it.
It took me a considerable amount of effort just to understand the opening content written by Dean Mei, as well as the thoughts and logic she was expressing.
In the past, I would have skimmed over these "unimportant" sections that didn't involve the formal content. The information from the Tree of Great Knowledge made me subconsciously feel that it was already part of my memory, but their natures were worlds apart.
I began to adapt to this method of reading, but... the learning efficiency was even lower!
"Don't worry about that. I'm just asking you: is this kind of high-quality reading and learning useful? What are you in such a hurry for? And you said you wouldn't suffer from internal friction—aren't you doing exactly that right now? Why are you afraid of the information piling up? Is the Tree of Great Knowledge just for show?"
"The Tree of Great Knowledge is a Great Spellbook; its Rank is high. But you! That is, me! You are just a student who has been in school for half a year! 'Teaching Assistant' is just a title. All the Witch Sisters look at you differently only because they are watching the rise of a genius. You are only rising, not risen! None of this gives you a buff! It doesn't change the fact that you are just an ordinary person!"
"Recognize the gap between yourself and the Great Spellbook, the assistant position, and your status. Don't get ahead of yourself. You can't even settle down to read a book now!"
Rebuked by the Knowledge Shadow, I hung my head even lower. I knew she was right, and she was fulfilling her duty, guiding me at the most critical moment.
"High-quality reading, huh..."
"If your mind is in a mess, there's another way to solve this unconscious self-attrition once and for all. Consider it a... transitional method."
"What method?" I asked expectantly.
"What is the primary conflict of your current internal friction?"
"The conflict between the ever-growing shared information of the Tree of Great Knowledge and my lagging cognitive learning ability..."
"Correct. We can use the prototype of the Cognitive Firewall you built and combine it with the Sealing Art Sister Natalie taught us. By sealing specific cognitions to influence you, we can create a temporary mental state free of internal friction."
"That... seems feasible!" My eyes suddenly lit up. It was indeed a brilliant line of thought.
However, as the Knowledge Shadow said, it was a transitional method. A seal is just a seal; I would still have to face the root cause of my mental exhaustion eventually.
But I could choose not to face it from the start. Once I became strong enough, I could simply ignore it. It was like the "Sword God of Ten-Mile Slope"—if I can't beat you now, I'll train myself to become more steadfast. Then, my past internal friction would be nothing more than a joke.
It was like forgetting to bring your homework in elementary school; it felt like the sky was falling. But looking back now, it was just a forgotten assignment.
"But we'll talk about that later. The Sealing Art Natalie provided doesn't involve sealing consciousness or memory, so we probably can't practice it yet~"
"Then why did you even bring it up!"
"I'm just providing a line of thought! And a practical one at that! Now read your book. Read it seriously, read it with high quality! Don't waste my good intentions..."
"What good intentions..." I muttered, but I continued reading according to her method.
Perhaps because the Knowledge Shadow's suggestion gave me a way to deal with the internal friction, I found that I wasn't in such a hurry anymore.
As expected... the root of internal friction is the lack of a solution. Now that I had found a way—even if it couldn't be implemented yet—the mental load had lightened significantly.
Truly... consciousness is a wondrous thing.
Time trickled by, and I gradually deepened my understanding of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art.
From the logic of the project's inception to the research methodology, I still hadn't touched upon the actual research content. I was still deep in thought regarding the logic and framework. I could feel that this was a collision of inspiration with Dean Mei that transcended space and time—a spiritual communication that surpassed my current cognition.
This was also an expansion of my thinking, and this was what it truly meant to "gain experience."
It wasn't until I had thoroughly understood these preliminary concepts written by Dean Mei that I put down the book and slowly closed my eyes.
I felt as though I had been reading for a very long time. Based on my current reading speed and an unconscious comparison, I felt as if a day and a night had passed...
Then, I closed the book. I felt everything around me shatter, returning to normal. The Soundproofing Spell around me dissipated.
I stood up and walked a few steps; my body didn't feel numb from sitting for so long.
Coming to the window, I watched the setting sun. With a final, stubborn streak of evening glow, it was about to sink between the distant skyscrapers.
"Hmm... according to the time, tomorrow will be... wait?"
I subconsciously checked the time on the Ley Line records. This preview was supposed to last two days, so today should have been the evening of the second day. Tomorrow, after another half-day, the auction would begin.
But I looked at the date recorded alongside it...
"Half a day? How has only half a day passed?" I took out my phone and looked at the date. It really had only been half a day!
Today was still the first day I had arrived at this hotel!
But... how was that possible?
I knew how grueling reading could be. How could a day and a night of reading only take half a day...
It was impossible!
I had read so seriously, working to understand the content, and my efficiency had been so slow. Yet I had absorbed so much. Even by simple calculation, how could half a day be enough?
"I told you, what you lack is time. The root of everything is just your lack of time. You simply hadn't found the right method of learning. When you study seriously, even time will come looking for you."
"What is going on!" I turned my head to look at the Knowledge Shadow. This time, I truly didn't know what was happening. This wasn't an illusion—absolutely not!
I felt as if I had grasped a sliver of opportunity. It was as if... just as I finished reading, something had shattered.
"Since you don't know, then remain ignorant for now. It's better for you this way. You only need to know that in the Transcendent world, anything is possible. If you believe you can do it, then you can. However... being able to do it and blind wishing are two different things. Read your books well; time will find you."
"Time... will find me... No, you still haven't said anything. What's there to hide? Can I even keep a secret from myself?"
"Yes, I cannot say. Because this is something you must realize and understand for yourself. This is a... metamorphosis of life and earnestness from the inside out. Like a bird breaking its shell—if it's broken from the outside, you are nothing but a dying premature chick. Only by breaking the shell yourself do you deserve the power and potential to grow."
The Knowledge Shadow seemed indifferent. "I am your subconscious. The subconscious is essentially impossible to describe with language. Many things cannot be perfectly translated into words. Language is merely an imperfect expression of your inner thoughts, more of an emotional release. You can do it. I know what it is, so you should know what it is too!"
"I... I think I understand..." I looked at the Book in the Box in my hand, then looked out the window. The last sliver of the soft sunset was about to vanish.
But at that moment, that final light seemed to be frozen... I could still feel the sunset slowly fading, but it had slowed down...
It was as if the entire world had been put into slow-motion playback for the sake of my thoughts...
"Yes. This is the power you should master. It is time to say what it is. When you define it... that is when you truly touch it..."
"Speak... take it slow... grasp that sliver of opportunity! Don't miss..." The Knowledge Shadow was guiding me bit by bit, but she seemed to realize she was getting impatient and quickly shut her mouth.
What she wanted to say was not to miss this chance. If I missed it, I might not find such a perfect state again!
I could feel myself undergoing a transformation. Even speaking became difficult.
But I still heard clearly what the Knowledge Shadow said.
Define it!
And then... dominate it!
"Time flows, yet the senses do not stall."
"This is... the power of Body Cultivation, isn't it... I think I understand. This is the... prototype of the Body Cultivation Seventh Sense: Time Sense?"