Chapter 602: Ambitions for the Perfection of the Tree of Great Knowledge System
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 602: Ambitions for the Perfection of the Tree of Great Knowledge System
Faced with this sudden crisis, many people found they could no longer sit still.
Upon learning the news, Ninglan Qiuyue took immediate action, preventing the information from spreading further through Ninglan New City. The residents of the city had no desire to relive that old nightmare—the terror of falling asleep and never waking up again.
This was especially true for the two teaching assistants who had personally experienced it.
Had they heard of such a thing last semester, they might have dismissed it as irrelevant. Now, however, the flames were licking at their heels, and there was nowhere left to run.
Driven by fear, they once again sought out the mentor who had resurrected them: Elena Roy.
Mentor Elena was a faculty member stationed in Ninglan New City. Under normal circumstances, she rarely intervened unless something major occurred within the Expansion Realm; otherwise, her duties were confined to resurrecting fallen students within the city.
When the two girls who had fallen into the deep slumber were first brought back, they had given Mentor Elena a brief account of their encounter. Thus, when they approached her again to discuss the matter, a crowd of other teaching assistants gathered, eager to learn the details.
In the circle of teaching assistants, news concerning life and death traveled fast, and everyone had been keeping a close watch on the situation.
"I know what you are facing. It is exactly as you suspected: an overlap between dream and reality," Elena explained directly, seeing the large group that had gathered. "To be precise, this is a normal phenomenon. However, it also signifies that the dream realm is reclaiming the restored Expansion Realm. You are aware that the dream space once shrouded Ninglan New City, correct? Some of you have even lived through it."
As she spoke, Elena’s gaze shifted to Ninglan Qiuyue in the crowd. When a mentor from the Witch Academy offered an explanation, the administration of Ninglan New City naturally wanted as much information as possible, but she was the only student currently qualified to be present.
"Once the dream realm is reclaimed—that is, once it becomes completely interdependent with the Expansion Realm—only then will this be a truly complete world." Of course, the witches would eventually reinforce the boundary between dream and reality as part of the world repair process. After all, one must not forget that the dream realm also possesses ley lines; the relationship between the dream and the world is inextricably linked.
"Mentor Elena, is there no way to stop this? From your tone, you seem to find this phenomenon quite ordinary?"
"It is indeed ordinary. In the end, our Witch Academy will reinforce the boundary between dream and reality, and such incidents will no longer occur," Elena responded meticulously.
"Then... can you reinforce Ninglan New City right now?"
"Let me use an analogy," Elena said. "If you have just poured the concrete for the load-bearing pillars of a building, can I immediately begin the interior design of the suites?"
"That... no..." Hearing the comparison, everyone understood the current predicament.
"Based on what Mentor Elena said, it’s possible to do, but currently unnecessary and a thankless task, right? But what if we are attacked by a Nightmare?"
"Exactly. The Expansion Realm is so vast... we can't always count on being lucky enough to be rescued from those areas. Besides, the number of ordinary students will only increase later on." Another person voiced their concerns.
"Regarding what attacked you previously, I can tell you now: those were not Nightmares. They were dream creatures from the primitive dream realm. If you were truly haunted by a Nightmare, you wouldn't have a single chance of escaping the dream, even if you left the overlap zone or committed suicide."
Elena corrected their misconception. At this stage, dream creatures were essentially "beneficial insects" to the Expansion Realm, helping to accelerate the reclamation of the dream.
The only problem was that dream creatures were difficult to control and nearly impossible to communicate with. Pulling someone into a dream was usually just a game to them; if you were lucky, the next dream creature you encountered might just kick you back into reality.
Compared to the soul essence of humans, the Expansion Realm currently offered much more delicious soul crystals for them to feast upon. It was these large-scale deposits of soul crystals that continuously drew wandering dream creatures into the Expansion Realm.
"Then what should we do? Wait, didn't this happen before? How was it solved back then? The rumors say..."
"The rumors you heard are that Yang Yuehan woke from the dream, gathered the powers of dream and reality to turn the tide and resolve the trouble, and then the mentors arrived to save the day."
The group looked at one another. They all knew that Yang Yuehan was not among them.
"How did she do it?" someone finally couldn't help but ask. Everyone was curious about how she had managed it.
How she had managed to become a "Lucid One" on her own.
"She collaborated with the scholars of extraordinary research in Ninglan New City to create a spell—a Dream Demon Spell. I heard it was created by studying dream demons. We'll call it that for now; since Xiao Han chose the name, we should respect it," Elena said, recalling the details.
"This spell can forcibly awaken those dragged into a dream, and it can also forcibly drag a dream demon from the dream into reality to be attacked. However, dream demons are very unique existences. You cannot drag ordinary dream creatures out because they lack the same reality foundation as dream demons. Nevertheless, this spell can help you break free from the little tricks those dream creatures play on you."
"Create... a spell? How did she do that?" Hearing Elena's account, the teaching assistants still felt it was like a fairy tale. A freshman... how could she possibly?
"I don't know. Perhaps that is what it means to be a genius? I heard that back then, Xiao Han had already mastered nearly all the basic runes of Runology, and even had some understanding of extended and composite runes. That is the foundation for manually casting spells. So, this isn't some fabrication. The spells Xiao Han created were so impressive that Transcendent Witches volunteered to help turn them into spellbooks for free."
The crowd fell into a sudden silence. Runology... for many, their knowledge of it ended at having heard the name.
Some teaching assistants who studied potions, alchemy, or pharmacy had learned bits and pieces of Runology as a supplement.
But... to deliberately study Runology? Were they not afraid of their hair falling out?
How did a freshman have the patience to learn such a thing?
Was alchemy not wondrous enough? Was pharmacy not profitable enough?
Almost everyone who could become a teaching assistant was a genius. From the moment they entered the academy, they began planning their extraordinary careers. They thought of alchemy, pharmacy, ritual arrays—anything but Runology.
The primary reason it was dismissed was that it didn't make money—or rather, it was hard to monetize—and it didn't immediately increase one's strength. Coupled with the misleading "life experience" of some mentors, even students who realized the importance of Runology usually chose to wait until after becoming Transcendent Witches to study it.
But now, with a point of comparison, the gap was glaringly obvious.
Those with weaker wills or a tendency toward vanity began planning their schedules to include Runology. Those with stronger wills, who cared little for competition, stuck to their original plans. They knew that a Transcendent Witch had an eternally long lifespan; the final outcome would not be determined by temporary gains or losses in strength.
"Mentor Elena, do you know if the spellbook for that spell is still available? Or perhaps a spellbook with a similar effect? We need at least some means to ensure we aren't trapped in a dream," one of them asked.
"That spellbook was only circulated among us mentors when it was first created. To recreate it now would take too long; there isn't enough time," Elena said, shaking her head.
The crowd sighed in disappointment.
"But this is the Expansion Realm. Why are you sighing? Have you become so dependent on spellbooks that you've gone soft? Haven't you noticed the changes in the power of your spells? Here, the foundation for manually casting spells exists. I can teach you how to cast the Dream Demon Spell from scratch."
Seeing their dejected state, Elena’s tone sharpened, and her increased volume snapped everyone back to attention.
"Really? Casting from scratch?"
Reminded of this, many realized the truth. Many of the teaching assistants had heard of the Great Weakening Spell incident.
Some had even tried manually casting spells upon arriving in Ninglan New City and succeeded, though the power paled in comparison to using a corresponding spellbook.
"I can teach you how to manually cast the Dream Demon Spell, but I have one condition—or rather, a long-term mission. The mission is this: once a large number of students enter Ninglan New City or go out to explore, you must provide timely rescue if they are pulled into dreams by dream creatures in overlap zones. You will also need to conduct regular patrols in those zones to prevent accidents. The reward for this mission is instruction in the Dream Demon Spell. As long as you are willing to learn, I will teach you until you master it."
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Omni-Link Main Network Tree.
After my continuous refinements, the Omni-Link Main Network Tree had finally... withered to death in my hands.
The dried branches and falling leaves made the area look as though it had entered a late autumn.
But just as it had once burst through the barrier that concealed it, a new seed was now springing to life within its original trunk.
The vitality of life pressed outward from within the withered main trunk. Piercing creaks and groans echoed as the eruption of life proved unstoppable, eventually shattering the original shell completely.
As the branches collapsed, only the stump of its former self remained.
The splintering, ancient wood fell outward, crushing countless surrounding plants.
In that moment, the titan finally fell. But even in death, its collapsing husk was enough to crush the vegetation around it.
And there, upon the old stump, a new green leaf unfurled. It twisted its stem, stretching away from the pressure of its former shell.
In this moment, it attained true freedom!
It would grow vigorously. No one would ever again impose an artificial Plant Network architecture upon it, nor would anyone force its growth to step aside for the sake of service.
Because now, it was the "natural Plant Network"!
Integrating the Tree of Great Knowledge system into the newborn Omni-Link Main Network Tree, inheriting the old name and architecture—this became its new mission and its freedom.
It was as if it had been born to grow and strengthen for this very purpose, rather than having its growth stunted to force a fit.
This was... total domestication.
To use a somewhat flawed analogy, it was the difference between a pet trained by humans and a creature that was a pet by its very nature.
But the gap for the newborn Omni-Link Main Network Tree was far more exaggerated than that.
The moment I succeeded, several witches watching from the invisible spaces departed immediately.
Such is the nature of technical success: once you break through the threshold, no one can undo the result.
The witches who remained were those truly interested in the craft.
The transcendents from other academies mostly left with waning interest. They knew they no longer had a chance, and staying was pointless. Those who stayed were mostly the stubborn ones, wanting to witness exactly what this thing was with their own eyes.
At the center of everyone's attention—where I stood.
I knew exactly what I had created. Simply put, it was a "Seed of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree," a spell technique generated by combining the technologies used to cultivate the tree.
The function of this derivative technique was singular: to cultivate an entirely new Omni-Link Main Network Tree.
It was that simple.
However, the core of the technique lay in its essence: it was a "carrier."
Much like the Seed of Wisdom, it was a carrier that allowed others to utilize the Great Spellbook known as the "Tree of Great Knowledge."
As for how to use it, that depended on the owner's skill.
Those who didn't know how would only be able to use it as a memory bookshelf. Those who did could access many functions within the system: Wisdom Shadows, Ley Line Identification Art, Qi Observation, and more.
And the Omni-Link Main Network Tree?
It carried the "New Plant Network."
The Plant Network was a concept of mine, a vital component intended to replace the "Academy Network" function within my Tree of Great Knowledge.
After all, the Academy Network was ultimately something external to my Tree of Great Knowledge system. Although mature interface technologies existed, they were just that—interfaces.
I wanted to completely perfect the Tree of Great Knowledge, and for that, it had to have its own "network"!
Perhaps such a network could not be spread across the Witch Academy or even the Main World Core World, but this brand-new Expansion Realm was the perfect testing ground!
This Plant Network was a prototype for an interconnected network between Great Knowledge Seeds. This network could also serve as the medium for my "Great Knowledge Sharing Spell."
Thus, the newborn Omni-Link Main Network Tree was a method of application I had planned to complement the Great Knowledge Seed.
It had many other uses as well. For instance, it could bear fruit, though these fruits and seeds would not grow into independent Omni-Link Main Network Trees, but rather something else entirely.
However, until those seeds were actually born, I couldn't say for certain what their function would be...
Gradually, I withdrew my domain. The phantom of the Tree of Great Knowledge faded, leaving only the Omni-Link Main Network Tree growing visibly before my eyes.
True to the ambition embedded in its name, the Omni-Link Main Network Tree would inevitably link this entire Expansion Realm.
Perhaps... it might even link worlds across the void?
That goal seemed a bit unrealistic for now. Even as the creator of these techniques, I had yet to step out of this world into the external void.
So... that was merely a beautiful fantasy reflecting my ambition, something to keep in my heart to motivate myself.
As for the work at hand... only by taking one steady step at a time can one improve. Aiming too high too fast only leads to a painful fall.