Chapter 626: Ideas on the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 626: Ideas on the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art
My conversation with Millian didn't last very long.
Once she confirmed that they couldn't learn the technique to dispel dreams, Millian dropped the subject. She wasn't actually a teaching assistant herself, but rather a member of the Jack-of-all-trades Club.
As for her dyed white hair... she claimed she used to be a member of the Xiao Han Fan Club. After looking into it a bit... well, she really was.
Regarding the surname Baker, she was indeed related to Teaching Assistant Winnie Baker. To be precise, they belonged to the same family, which explained why Winnie had sent her.
However, these little schemes didn't have much of an effect on me. The situation had reversed; now, they were the ones asking me for favors.
I have to say, holding the upper hand in a conversation certainly makes things feel much more relaxed.
Their primary goal in coming here was still to establish a second large-scale sanctuary. But they weren't very well-prepared this time. After all, it had only been a few days, and their main concern was still figuring out how to solve the dream dispersal issue—which was arguably the single greatest obstacle to building a sanctuary.
It was also because of this issue that the Jack-of-all-trades Club's partnership with me to build a second large sanctuary was viewed so poorly by others.
As for the actual construction of the sanctuary, I didn't plan to do it myself. I intended to leave everything to those eighteen people and continue being a hands-off boss. As for whether those eighteen would mess it up...
So what?
Am I their nanny?
Hardly. If they can't grasp an opportunity when it's handed to them, they deserve whatever they get.
Before bringing Millian to speak with the eighteen, I asked her about the progress of the other Transcendent Academies. Since they referred to what I was doing as the "second" large sanctuary, it meant no one else in the expansion realm was currently building a sanctuary of this scale.
But I recalled that people from other academies were supposed to be building them too, right? To establish stable teleportation channels with their respective academies, they had no choice but to do so.
"It's true that the other academies have those plans," Millian explained. "But building a large sanctuary isn't something that happens overnight. Site selection, construction, food sources, refugees—all these issues require consideration. They've actually tried several locations already, but they all ended in failure."
"Failure? Do you mind telling me why?" I asked curiously.
"Of course. It's not exactly classified information. There are many reasons for the failures, mostly a combination of factors. But generally, it relates to the points I just mentioned. At first, they lacked experience and chose poor sites. Then there were the construction issues. Without professional personnel from our Witch Academy to cooperate with them, it's incredibly difficult for them to build a sanctuary with just their own manpower..."
Listening to Millian's account gave me a more direct sense of how difficult building a sanctuary actually was. The examples she gave afterward made it sound like an absolute nightmare of a task.
It seemed my decision to be a hands-off boss was definitely the right one.
"By the way, I heard those Transcendent Academies are currently very interested in your Calamity Shelter. I wonder what your thoughts are on that?"
"Then let them be interested. What does it have to do with me?" I said indifferently.
"This... do you mean that it doesn't matter to you even if they set up teleportation channels to their own academies at the Calamity Shelter?"
"You'd have to ask the seven people at the Calamity Shelter about that," I replied. "I've left all affairs to them. If they think it's profitable and beneficial for future development, they can accept. If they don't want to be associated with other academies, they can refuse. You're asking the wrong person."
"I see. I didn't expect your thinking to be so progressive, Teaching Assistant Xiao Han. Aren't you afraid those seven might destroy the Calamity Shelter? After all, it is your hard work, isn't it?"
"First, let me correct a mistake: the Calamity Shelter is not my 'hard work.' Secondly, regarding your question—so what if they destroy it? They're the ones who would be homeless. Even if they just turn the place into a chaotic mess, they'll be the ones suffering the consequences of their own actions."
"I see..." Millian seemed to have a realization, then continued, "Then... for this second sanctuary, it's the same? Are those eighteen people you mentioned earlier the representatives you've chosen?"
"More or less. So, if you want to discuss specific construction details later, you'll need to talk to them."
After ending that topic, I took Millian to meet the group and handed over the necessary instructions. Of course, I also emphasized a few points they needed to watch out for.
However, one thing did seem to catch Millian and her companions off guard.
"Teaching Assistant Xiao Han, you're teaching them meditation methods? And those... spells?!"
"Is there a problem?"
"While I know it's everyone's right to do as they please, I really must say... this might be a terrible decision."
"Are you afraid of them having power, or are you afraid of them holding it?" I asked back with a smile.
"Is there a difference? Well... it's your decision, so I won't comment further. But I sincerely suggest you don't continue with this."
Millian sighed and didn't press the matter.
In truth, before entering the expansion realm, many people had a tacit agreement not to spread transcendent power. Doing so was simply asking for trouble.
After all, a group of defenseless refugees and a group of refugees wielding transcendent power were two entirely different concepts. When one holds a sharp blade, the urge to kill naturally arises. When people can't even fill their bellies, what do you think they'll use their transcendent power for?
Naturally, everyone wanted to minimize the number of unstable factors.
I simply smiled and didn't respond, letting them continue their discussion with the group. As for why Millian said that in front of them... Heh, she was probably trying to boost my favorability. For these people, loyalty only comes through comparison.
Millian wanted to cast herself as the "villain" in their eyes, while I was the "hero" teaching them transcendent power.
But if you ask me, I didn't care at all.
The fruits of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree were different from my sequence-derived [Transcendent Knowledge] Fragments. Once a Great Knowledge Seed took root and sprouted in someone else's sea of consciousness, I had no power to take it back—much like a plant has no control over the seeds it produces once they've sprouted elsewhere.
But the Omni-Link Main Network Tree was different. It was merely a modification technique under my Great Knowledge Seed derivation system. The important part was the technique, not the tree itself.
Therefore, I had absolute dominance over the Omni-Link Main Network Tree. Furthermore, with the power of knowledge and the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell integrated into it, I had the right to instantly revoke anyone's game qualification.
Without game qualification, they would have no way to cast spells or use skills. All they would have left would be the muscle memory of their physical movements. They would even lose the ability to use mental power to interfere with ley energy granted by the fruits.
So, I wasn't afraid of them turning that power against me. Even if they truly possessed that power, I still wouldn't be afraid.
Once my part was done, I returned to my spot.
Back in the root cavern, a certain fellow was still loitering around.
"Look at you, why are you so playful? I was right there, and you still dared to make a move on those guys?"
I scolded the dream creature that was currently wandering about. However, I didn't use a consciousness communication spell this time, so it was just a simple venting of my own emotions.
The dream creature clearly didn't understand, yet it still looked incredibly aggrieved. Several smaller dream creatures around it vanished instantly, leaving it alone to put on a timely, pitiful display.
I looked at it and eventually gave up. I really wasn't good at dealing with these things. Still, when I was bored, just watching them be active helped ease my heavy mood.
"If only you could be a bit smarter... maybe we could communicate without obstacles using consciousness communication spells," I said with a sigh.
A dream creature was just a dream creature. Even with consciousness communication spells, effective communication was impossible...
Thinking of this, I suddenly realized something...
Should I try using the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art on them?
They weren't Fool's Dream spirits, after all; they didn't have those mandatory prerequisites. And as I decoded the research data on the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art, I gained a more detailed understanding of this Great Spellbook's direct effects.
It allowed creatures lacking wisdom to possess a seed of intellect, teaching them how to think and distinguish right from wrong.
Because of this, the effect of this great spell was less pronounced on beings that already possessed wisdom; it acted more as "enlightenment" than "wisdom."
Recalling the Fool's Dream spirits from back then compared to now, I had witnessed their transformation with my own eyes. At the very least, the Fool's Dream spirits were living well in the Witch Academy now, which proved that the enlightenment of wisdom was very effective for them, even if the effect was gradual.
But ever since I used the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art on the Fool's Dream spirits, I hadn't used it much. One of the few times I did... was on Sister Bai. How should I put that?
The results were remarkable?
Perhaps I should try it on different targets to truly understand it. And wasn't the dream creature in front of me a perfect target?
Once the old way of thinking was broken, my mind became active! If it could be used on dream creatures, then... what about those variant beasts?
While it felt a bit wrong to think that way, I had to admit... it was an option.
"Stand still! Don't move~ I'm going to give you a buff." I stood up abruptly, staring at the dream creature with a mischievous smile spreading across my face.
The dream creature, oblivious to my intentions, just stood there in a daze, its illusory body shifting constantly.
I slammed a Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art directly onto it!
But the spell effect passed right through.
"Huh?"
I hesitated for a moment before realizing: it was a dream creature. It had no vessel or anchor in reality. Back then, the Fool's Dream spirits had reality vessels created by the Academy Dean through metamorphic incubation to serve as anchors for their consciousness.
It seemed I had been a bit too idealistic...
I sat back down.
I couldn't exactly cast the spell on it within a dream... a dream spell's effect like that would be as good as nothing, utterly meaningless.
However, categorizing everything in a dream as meaningless was perhaps too absolute. After all, there were meaningful existences within dreams.
For example... dream creatures.
Meaning is something bestowed by people.
That being the case, I suddenly thought of something I had tried before—something I had done to the Fool's Dream spirits.
Soul Mimicry!
A hypothesis for giving dream creatures meaning in reality!
Back then, I had put in constant effort to allow the Fool's Dream spirits' consciousnesses to enter my Dream Sea. Every time their consciousness entered, it would shatter, but after trying "Soul Mimicry," the time it took for them to shatter was at least delayed.
This proved my line of thinking was at least viable; I just hadn't been able to push the technique further at the time. The "Soul Mimicry" performed on the Fool's Dream spirits was actually a derivation based on the effects of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art.
It was just that the technique wasn't very mature.
But now, after touching upon the truth of the soul, I had obtained the Soul Dream.
According to the common knowledge the Witch sisters had shared with me, this was a dream space formed by the dream authority within the soul—a dwelling place for one's own soul.
Although I didn't have much information, I knew the Soul Dream had unified my Sea of Consciousness and my Dream Sea. Perhaps I should try again to see if the Fool's Dream spirits could enter my Soul Dream.
If they could, it would be a brand-new breakthrough.
No sooner thought than done!
Driven by inspiration, I slightly adjusted my state and then looked at the still "carefree" dream creature.
Forget it, the Fool's Dream spirits are the priority.
Closing my eyes, I used the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell to transmit my thoughts to them, using the Great Knowledge Seeds they carried as a medium. Since I wanted to conduct a test, I naturally needed their cooperation.
I entered the Soul Dream. The dreamscape here was massive, but its boundaries weren't a void like the Sea of Consciousness; instead, they were filled with a sky full of stars!
The Soul Dream I inhabited was as dreamlike as a sea of stars. The dual tree structure formed by the Tree of Great Knowledge and the Tree of Great Wisdom Enlightenment floated above this celestial sea.
I could feel the difference in the Soul Dream. Compared to a simple Sea of Consciousness or Dream Sea, everything here was closer to a dream, yet it possessed the absolute dominance of the Sea of Consciousness!
I waited for a moment, eventually standing upon the roots of the Tree of Great Wisdom Enlightenment. I felt the faint, ethereal connection between myself and the Fool's Dream spirits.
In the next moment, a figure used the Tree of Great Wisdom Enlightenment as an anchor and a guide, tearing through the dream to enter this place.
"Sister Xiao Han! I'm here~"
"Yu Yun, I've got you~" I caught the petite figure, my eyes full of pleasant surprise.
I didn't expect Yu Yun to be the fastest again.
"Sister Xiao Han~" Another figure appeared.
"Yulan, you're here too."
"Mhm! Ugh... was Yu Yun first again? I need to work harder..."
"It's okay~" I comforted Yulan, patting her small head.
"This time... how long will I last..."
"Haven't you noticed? You haven't dissipated yet."
"Eh? Really? It seems like it!" Yu Yun only realized it after the fact. Usually, when she tried, she was the first to arrive and therefore the first to have her consciousness shatter and leave.
"So... Sister Xiao Han! Did you succeed!" Yulan asked eagerly.
At that moment, the third arrival, Yu Guo, appeared. Yu Guo's talent was only average among the three Fool's Dream spirits I had chosen. Usually, she arrived only after the first two had already shattered. This was the first time she had seen everyone gathered together.
"No... the attempt at Soul Mimicry didn't succeed. But now, we have a brand-new breakthrough."