Chapter 601: Attempting Derived Techniques of the Tree of Great Knowledge
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 601: Attempting Derived Techniques of the Tree of Great Knowledge
The crowd retreated because of a single sentence; no one dared offend a warning issued by one of absolute strength.
And the anomaly mentioned in that warning arrived precisely half an hour later.
Invisible power erupted from that figure, as if enveloping heaven and earth.
Whether it was the sky or the ground, everything seemed to shed the foundations of material space. If one stared closely at any surrounding object, it was as if countless tiny formulas were calculating how matter should move and how fluids should form irregular vortices.
The rules of material space yielded to order. The moment the framework of that order was perfected, the domain truly revealed its terror. At the instant of the domain's expansion, even the laws of matter had to temporarily step aside.
Everything converged within the mindscape. A giant tree, even more magnificent than the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, stood tall upon the earth.
Knowledge's radiance flowed through every branch. It was linked to the soil formed by [Transcendent Knowledge] and interpreted the language of the void. It floated upon the sea of the mindscape, hooked to the reflection of the Tree of Wisdom's shadow, generating the only manifestation of order in this place: Power of Knowledge.
The terrifying phenomenon pierced through the mist obscuring the horizon. Even from the distant Ninglan New City, the anomaly was clearly visible.
At this moment, I began to gradually assimilate the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, incorporating that primitive rune into the system of Power of Knowledge.
The process was incredibly slow because the root system generated by the Omni-Link Main Network Tree spanned the entire world. Even if the world were to collapse and reorganize, its roots would link up once more. The life of a plant is far more resilient than humans imagine.
In that instant, I sensed the vast root network and... the locations of other Omni-Link Main Network Trees.
That vast, unsearchable depth made me realize exactly what kind of feat I was attempting.
This was the crystallization of a civilization's technology. Even if they hadn't developed to a point that made me tremble, their foundation was already terrifyingly profound.
This reminded me of a conversation I once had with the Academy Dean. Is a civilization's development of [Transcendent Knowledge] equivalent to the continuous refinement of a Great Spellbook after its initial creation?
Perhaps the answer back then had been somewhat ambiguous.
But now... I had a new answer, or rather, a revelation.
The upper limit of the Tree of Great Knowledge is by no means restricted to this!
The recent perfection of the Tree of Great Knowledge had exhausted my accumulated inspiration and action points.
But at this moment, a new revelation guided my gaze toward a brand-new direction. I looked toward a massive silhouette; I didn't know what it represented, but I knew I had gained something—a sense of confidence.
An absolute confidence that the Tree of Great Knowledge was far more than what it currently was!
As the upper limit of my cognition expanded, countless inspirations erupted like a rising tide, only to fall back like crashing waves.
I couldn't realize every idea in a single instant, but I could filter out the impractical ones.
After all, ideas must have a foundation. An idea without a foundation is nothing more than a delusion—a daydream for the unrealistic.
I seized the one thought I most wanted to put into practice.
As that spark of insight flashed, I planted it into the petri dish of my expectations, waiting for it to bear fruit.
The Omni-Link Main Network Tree was the most suitable "petri dish." It would serve as the perfect vessel, turning this tree entirely into my achievement.
Boundless Power of Knowledge flowed through the Omni-Link Main Network Tree. The order it carried was assimilating the tree into a nursery, which would gestate my inspiration and bring it into this world.
Now.
I stood atop the canopy. Power of Knowledge had filled the veins of every leaf. The entire tree seemed like a luminous vessel, shining with the brilliance of my inspiration.
I was gestating a creation to be brought under the system of my Tree of Great Knowledge—the Omni-Link Main Network Tree Seed.
It wasn't a sequence derivation of the Tree of Great Knowledge itself; it was a derivation completed by combining an external framework with the Tree of Great Knowledge, much like my "Wisdom Shadow," "Ley Line Identification Art," and "Qi Observation Art."
This didn't even need to be classified as a spell, but rather a technique derived from spells.
A technique could be disseminated and taught; it was far more precious than a spell.
As for whether others could learn or master it, that would depend on their own ability.
This process would take a long time. Just as when the Seed of Wisdom was first born, it had drained too much of my energy.
What I was attempting now wasn't a sequence of the Tree of Great Knowledge, so it might take even longer.
The commotion caused by the domain's expansion covered a vast area.
People who were originally under the shelter of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree couldn't even escape the reach of my domain. Further away, in Ninglan New City, those standing on the city walls could see the distant phenomenon.
The teaching assistants who had chosen to head out also looked up. Upon seeing the silhouette of the giant tree, they instinctively shuddered, as if foreseeing that great power being turned against them.
However, as preparatory witches, their nature wouldn't change just because of fear.
They were curious. They wondered what that person—whom they had already categorized as "untouchable"—was doing, or what she had discovered.
Seeing others gain something and then trying to mimic or learn from it is the nature of the greedy. They would cling to the beautiful fantasy that they might achieve the same, wasting more time witnessing someone else's success.
Meanwhile, more uninformed ordinary people, driven by their inner curiosity and desire, headed toward this place to witness a miracle they had never seen before.
"What a coincidence~ You're here too?"
At the upper boundary of the domain, several figures riding brooms appeared. As time passed, more and more teaching assistants arrived at Ninglan New City.
The same reasons had brought them together at this moment.
"A coincidence indeed. I didn't expect you to be so free that you'd come all this way just for a look."
"Aren't you the same?"
"I was just nearby."
"Coincidentally, so was I."
After a brief and hollow exchange, everything seemed to settle into a calm. The source of it all, that figure in the distance, gave them none of the answers they hoped for.
They could only use their own means to observe and speculate on what she was doing and what the meaning of it all was.
It wasn't until they admitted they truly didn't understand her actions that they exchanged knowing glances.
From beginning to end, none of them entertained the thought of stepping into that domain.
The battle where she had first established her prestige let them know that if they entered that domain, they likely wouldn't even have the right to flee—especially now, with her power extended to its limit.
"What exactly is Yang Yuehan doing?"
"No idea. If I understood, I wouldn't be chatting with you."
"She's researching that tree. Perhaps... her power is related to trees, which is why she's interested in the transcendent flora of this world."
"If that's the answer, aren't we just wasting our time here?"
"Yes, we're all wasting our time."
As they spoke, I sensed a slight abnormality.
While assimilating the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, I discovered something inside it.
A Transcendent Origin Crystal.
One of the World Three Source Elements.
However... this irregular Transcendent Origin Crystal was currently lodged inside the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, and its state was extremely unstable.
It could erupt at any moment due to its instability.
As for the consequences of such an eruption... the transcendent energy mining areas covering entire regions were the result of such events.
This was practically a time bomb!
And it was a major trouble that wasn't easy to handle. After all, this wasn't some spell; it was pure transcendent energy. No one knew exactly how far its energy level would drop from its high-energy state the moment it erupted.
If I used a spell to restrict it, the energy fluctuations of the spell would also have a chance of triggering a series of uncontrollable dangers. The level of danger was such that it might even tear through my domain's order in an instant. After all, something like a Transcendent Origin Crystal operated on the principle of overwhelming brute force; its danger lay in the energy itself.
Unless... I could seal it.
With that thought, I took out my Book in the Weapon Box.
The Book in the Weapon Box was the perfect vessel for a seal. In the name of sealing, it could store weapons, spellbooks, and even released spells. Naturally, it could also seal pure energy like a Transcendent Origin Crystal.
Without hesitation, I directly sealed the unstable object into the Book in the Weapon Box.
Rune chains generated by the Sealing Art surged from the book. The power of the seal wrapped around the Transcendent Origin Crystal, slowly drawing it inside.
When the energy of the crystal was completely severed from the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, I felt the tree wither slightly.
The reason the Omni-Link Main Network Tree had undergone such a terrifying mutation in such a short time was undoubtedly linked to this accidental Transcendent Origin Crystal.
However, this didn't have much impact on my current progress. After all, this Omni-Link Main Network Tree was about to become a discarded husk. The newborn seed would break through its original shackles, inheriting everything and using its original power to surpass its limits.
The process was very slow, but I was willing to spend the time waiting.
Now that the Transcendent Origin Crystal was sealed within the Book in the Weapon Box, I used the time to consolidate my knowledge, continuously studying the information within the Tree of Great Knowledge that I had yet to master.
Only knowledge I truly mastered could be manifested by the order of my Power of Knowledge. If the Tree of Great Knowledge was a foundation I understood instinctively, then the knowledge I actively learned and mastered was the weapon I held in my hand.
Arming myself with knowledge was no joke in my case.
Under my control, the Omni-Link Main Network Tree generated a seat facing the center. I sat upon it, reading the knowledge within the Book in the Weapon Box while waiting for the "incubation" of the technique.
In places unreachable by the students, many Transcendent Witches were also paying attention. Most were curious—curious about what Xiao Han was up to now.
Transcendent Witches were very idle. If they didn't want to do anything, a witch naturally had vast amounts of time to squander.
They would become interested in curious things, then observe and study the other person's train of thought to see if there was anything they could borrow for themselves.
So many witches had come here simply because of another rumor.
This rumor had come from Dean Bev Alanna.
After all, she had been the one to lead the witches who first reached that small world through void exploration, and she was the first witch to witness the birth of a Great Spellbook.
Thus, they were very curious about what kind of revelation could allow a little witch with zero experience in creating Great Spellbooks to achieve such a feat.
Even if the creation of Great Spellbooks didn't share many specifics, many underlying concepts were universal.
Furthermore, Xiao Han had already shared the Tree of Great Knowledge in a near-public format. Everyone was effectively a "half-holder." Why wouldn't they be particularly concerned about how Xiao Han was doing?
Moreover, the abilities Xiao Han had derived using the Great Spellbook as a core were simply too terrifying, especially the recent Great Knowledge Sharing Spell...
If she managed to tinker out some more derived spells or techniques now, that would be truly wonderful!
Because of this, the witches were bound to come and witness this grand occasion. They weren't just here to watch, but to protect—to prevent those from other academies from making a reckless move. Even if they wouldn't actually kill Xiao Han, interrupting her rhythm or experiment was strictly forbidden.
Those old fogies already knew Xiao Han possessed two Great Spellbooks, and their hostility toward her was growing more severe. The witches naturally had to be on guard.
Time flowed faster and faster; a day passed just like that.
I sat atop the Omni-Link Main Network Tree, quietly reading and waiting without a hint of impatience.
So much so that the teaching assistants watching nearby had long since left. Ninglan New City had also received intelligence on the situation and stopped paying close attention.
But not a single Transcendent Witch had left, as if they were waiting for a result to be born.
However... over in Ninglan New City, the atmosphere had become oppressive due to another matter.
The dream that had once brought calamity to Ninglan New City by overlapping with reality had returned at this critical juncture!
The two teaching assistants who were the first to encounter this accident soon met with rescuers.
After all, the transcendent energy mining area they were in was public information registered by Ninglan New City. As more teaching assistants entered the city, more people naturally headed there.
Even so, their rescue was fraught with difficulties.
The "Death-Awakening Method" they had first proposed failed; they continued to "respawn" within the dream after trying it. Even shocks, fainting, and other methods were useless.
It seemed that none of these methods could allow them to break free from the dream and return to reality. It wasn't until they met reinforcements and explained the severity of the situation that they were forced to join the rescue effort.
Through this, they learned that normal people entering the area where reality and dream overlapped wouldn't be uncontrollably pulled into the dream. Only those attacked and dragged in by that nightmare-like entity would be trapped.
Ultimately, they tried moving the bodies of the two victims out of that special overlapping space. Only after dying again did their consciousnesses show signs of waking.
It wasn't until they were brought to the mentor stationed at Ninglan New City and the mentor intervened that they finally escaped the dream.
But this didn't bring them any relief. They discovered that the area where the dream and reality overlapped was slowly expanding, and they were powerless to stop it!
That crystal mine was the closest one to Ninglan New City. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the city was enveloped once again!
When this intelligence was placed on Ninglan Qiuyue's desk, her already exhausted spirit suffered yet another blow.