Chapter 644: Cultivation Plans for the Semester
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 644: Cultivation Plans for the Semester
After fulfilling those first five contracts I had signed, I began to map out my own agenda.
Take, for instance, the mutant beast I encountered earlier. It didn't have a specific name; back in the day, Ninglan New City didn't explore very far, so there were few records or definitions for the beasts in the distance.
However, obtaining physical data on these mutant beasts proved much more difficult than I had anticipated. Even if the creature belonged to a common race with ordinary bloodlines, the "mutations" introduced a sudden, chaotic diversity that was hard to track.
I also began to understand why Ninglan New City had been such a magnet for mutant beast invasions and sieges.
It was because of the Ley Line Breaches.
When these creatures die, their soul essence returns to the Ley Line cycle. Though they don't understand the concepts of Ley Lines or soul essence, a primal drive rooted in biological instinct compels them toward these spots.
Should I consider it a stroke of luck that the Ley Line Breaches in the Expansion Realm are so peculiar?
The only breach large enough to shelter the last embers of humanity was at Ninglan New City. Other places in the Expansion Realm have minor fractures where Ley Lines converge, but they cannot produce a miracle like Ninglan New City; they serve only as the final graveyards for mutant beasts.
From that mutant beast’s "memories," I learned about their migratory routes. These beasts always pass through certain fixed locations. Those are the places where mutant beasts—whether dying of old age or other causes—instinctively go to draw their final breaths.
This information is far from worthless. At the very least, it suggests that such locations are prime candidates for fostering new "Ley Line Convergence Points."
And what are such places good for?
Planting trees, of course!
Specifically, the Omni-Link Main Network Trees.
One location in those memories overlapped with a place I had already visited: the so-called Second Large-Scale Shelter. Just look at how lush the Omni-Link Main Network Tree grows there, and how far its root network extends!
And right now...
A certain mutant beast was also embarking on its final journey home.
I could sense the clone I had made of that beast. What drove it now was a resurrected physical instinct, while its behavioral guidelines were governed by my own subconscious as the dominant thought.
Perhaps I had overcomplicated things from the start. What is the purpose of a clone? Do I need it to fight for me? Does it have to be exactly like me? Does it have to be under my absolute, manual control?
This mutant beast clone gave me the answer.
Not necessarily.
The beast's current behavioral instincts, daily habits, and racial traits were all derived from the physical memory granted by Reincarnation, but every subjective principle it followed was guided by me.
It had died once and lived again. It was no longer itself, but was gradually becoming a puppet influenced by my will. Yet, it was alive—its subjective consciousness even believed it was still itself, and that everything it did was born of its own instinct. It had simply become "smarter," breaking away from its former, confused self. To its own mind, its strange new behaviors were simply the result of shedding its past ignorance.
It was a strange sensation.
Could this even be called a Clone Skill?
I had never actually created a "Clone Spell." The spells I used were Reincarnation, the Great Knowledge Seed, the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell, and so on. My other techniques—Mimicry Soul, Consciousness Mimicry, Soul Essence Shaping, Instinct Induction—weren't even systematic skills. I was simply using the tools at my disposal to achieve the desired result.
It seemed so simple, to the point where I felt I was almost triffling with Life and Death.
If it worked for mutant beasts, then... what about humans?
There are many people in this world who deserve to die, and just as many who deserve to be saved. This method could allow me to experience the lives of those dwelling within these ruins from many different perspectives.
And what about dream creatures?
With the Dream Overlap returning, the tide is irreversible. Everyone will eventually be shrouded by the dream, returning to a state of calm as the dream soothes every anxious sleeper at night.
Before the dream returned, the people of Ninglan New City didn't seem to talk about it...
Thus, dream creatures will likely be "neighbors" to the Expansion Realm for a long time to come.
Mutant beasts, humans, dream creatures... it seemed I truly had many experiments I had yet to put into practice. In the past, I always thought too much and did too little. Now, I have ample time and energy to personally experience perspectives I never had before.
Experiencing different perspectives... actually, I’ve been doing that since the day I enrolled. Going from a boy to a girl was a very novel experience, though there’s been no going back since then.
As for that now... best not to mention it.
* * *
After locating the migratory herd of mutant beasts, I teleported directly to the coordinates provided by my clone. Using a simple Optical Camouflage Spell to hide my form, I cast the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art on them.
The drain from the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art was significant, especially when targeting so many subjects. Fortunately, I had the welcoming gift from Sister Belica. That storage card contained several thousand mana sources. Combined with my previous holdings, my total count of mana sources had reached just over fifteen thousand.
The Optical Camouflage Spellbook and other basic spells were also part of that gift. Besides mana sources and spellbooks, the storage card held Orichalcum, the common currency of the Witch Academy.
I truly hadn't expected Sister Belica’s "welcoming gift" to be so precious.
Though the spellbooks were all small or basic ones, they were all rare finds. For instance, the Optical Camouflage was part of a set that included Scent Erasure, Noise Reduction, Line-of-Sight Severance, and more. While these might be cheap in the Great Library of the Witch Academy, I suspected these particular copies were handmade by Sister Belica herself. After all, she is the mentor currently teaching Sister Bai the Real Editing Technology!
With my self-generated mana recovering rapidly, I finally finished my work.
"I wonder what kind of changes will be triggered in the Expansion Realm by a herd of mutant beasts endowed with wisdom?" I murmured to myself from a distance.
A moment later, I vanished. Having one clone within that herd was enough.
As for the rest of my time... I planned to map out a journey through the Expansion Realm. Back when this realm was still a small world, I had attempted a world tour, though it was cut short for various reasons.
This journey wouldn't be like the previous one—I wasn't just going to sightsee and admire the scenery. I was going to witness, to feel, to cultivate, and to plant trees along the way.
I wanted to witness the brilliance of humanity sparked by disaster and feel the bonds between people under the weight of calamity.
To feel with one's own senses—this, too, is cultivation. The cultivation of a Body Cultivator.
Furthermore, the clone linked via Heart Sense could provide me with different sensations. By relying on Heart Sense to constantly understand and perceive the joys, sorrows, anger, and hatred expressed by others...
The reason I came up with this idea for a journey was also thanks to that mutant beast clone. It gave me an epiphany regarding the perfection of my own domain order!
What is my domain?
It is a prototype Heart State Domain evolved from the Sixth Sense, Heart Sense, based on the Body Cultivation system.
Yes, a prototype. I haven't perfected it yet.
Previously, I tried integrating the prototype of the Seventh Sense, Time Sense, into the domain order, and the results were excellent. I also tried integrating the effects of two spellbooks into the order, making the Power of Knowledge one of the domain's manifestations—and its primary manifestation at that.
This proved how deeply I had researched the Power of Knowledge generated by the two Great Spellbooks. Not to mention the Omni-Link Main Network Trees under the Tree of Great Knowledge system; these are all extensions of my domain order.
But what about my Body Cultivation? The very foundation of my domain?
What about the sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch of my Body Cultivation?
Those are perceptions too—the Five Senses. Why can't they be integrated into the domain's order?
If, within my domain, every point where the order is restructured is a place my senses can reach... then I would be a pseudo-omniscient god presiding over that domain! Any slight disturbance, as long as it doesn't exceed the limits of my Five Senses, would be detected by me—to say nothing of my Heart Sense and Time Sense.
The clone gave me this epiphany. It allowed my perception to reach places my main body had never been. The way to realize and perfect this idea is through the Sixth Sense, Heart Sense.
The Mindscape formed by Heart Sense is also the prototype of a domain. Therefore... the domain must be able to transmit the Five Senses through some kind of "medium."
What is that medium?
My first thought was... the Power of Knowledge. If every fragment of the Power of Knowledge acted as my "eyes and ears," the implications would be terrifying. It seems I still underestimated the potential of my domain.
The main issue is that my domain is still just a "prototype." I don't know how to break past that threshold, and the Witch sisters have all tacitly avoided the subject. Perhaps... I simply haven't met the hard requirements yet.
Whether the Witch sisters are protecting me or they simply believe I can't do it yet, I will continue to surprise them by creating miracle after miracle. Even if they say nothing, isn't it more satisfying to reach the truth through my own strength?
So, I have a basic plan: travel, cultivate my Five Senses, and find a way to integrate them into my domain.
Additionally, during my travels, I will digest the rune knowledge I obtained from Sister Belica and the others, and try my hand at Totem knowledge.
Learning runology requires constant practice. My method of practice will be the continuous study and derivation of the spellbooks I currently possess. There is no better way to learn how to apply runes than by researching spellbooks.
This journey will also include research into three specific spellbooks: the Reverse Summoning Spell, the Crystallization Spell, and the Spellbook Shelf Spellbook.
The Reverse Summoning Spell has immense potential. Based on the research materials Teacher Ji Niang gave me, I can develop many derivative uses. For example, as I told Millian—she can point her business card at an enemy, and I’ll deliver a strike for her. That’s a derivative of Reverse Summoning. The spell wouldn't summon me, but rather one of my attacks. This is the core of my "over-the-horizon strike" concept. I’ve had this idea since the Fool's Dream first appeared in my Dream Sea.
I value the Crystallization Spell because it can actually turn soul essence into soul crystals! And what is the most abundant thing in the Expansion Realm? Crystal energy transcendent materials. It’s a natural testing ground. I value its potential, not to mention it was a gift from Dean Bev Alanna.
As for the Spellbook Shelf Spellbook, that goes without saying. I’ve already planned to incorporate it into the Tree of Great Knowledge system as the "Myriad Methods Bookshelf"!
These are my plans for this semester. I did tell Sister Agnes that I wanted to settle down in the Expansion Realm and truly study, but I never said I’d be stuck in one place reading books.
"Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles." The teachings of my past life still guide my learning.
But before that, I have a few things to handle. For instance, Yi Rui and her group whom I brought along. While they don't need me to micromanage their trip to Ninglan New City, I should still look in on them.
Then there’s Sofiri, whom Dongli Yiren mentioned. I have to meet her eventually. Besides, I have a massive amount of seeds from the Seed Vault that need cultivating. I don't have the time to do it myself. I could use clones, but I don't think it's necessary.
Professional matters should be left to professionals.
Furthermore, I’ve had Ninglan New City implement Plant Technology. They need a large number of experts in that field to develop the city. Those talents will have to be found among the refugees. Most of them have already entered the Calamity Shelters. I’ll have to check the "talent market" later. After all, now that they are no longer just "refugees," they need to work to earn their keep, don't they?
In a way, this is creating jobs for the people in the Calamity Shelters.
With the seeds I’ve acquired and those found by others, I expect Plant Technology to flourish quickly. Moreover, the root network of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree already covers all of Ninglan New City. This means the infrastructure for networking and ley energy transmission is already in place without needing major renovations. This is definitely a boon for the modernization of Ninglan New City.
They might not understand my good intentions in the short term... Thinking of this, I strangely felt like I might be the greatest philanthropist in the entire Expansion Realm.
That’s quite nice, actually~
But am I a good person by nature? If you asked the people at the Witch Academy, their evaluation probably wouldn't be very high.
* * *
Returning to Ninglan New City, I intended to contact Dongli Yiren first and set a time to see Sofiri, whom I hadn't seen in ages. Then I’d check on Yi Rui and the others. I was actually quite curious about their research and derivation of spells. Everyone has their own cognitive biases; perhaps communicating with them would be very beneficial.
However, just as I returned, I ran into a group of people.
"Teaching Assistant Xiao Han, thank you for your hard work this time."
"Hmm? Who are you?" I looked at them with a cold gaze. "People from the Jack-of-all-trades Club. I don't have much interest in you. Stop constantly swapping out the people sent to contact me."
"We... we just wanted to offer a token of our appreciation. Thank you for fulfilling the contract and helping us so quickly..."
"Take it back. I don't need it. Just fulfill your obligations according to the contract," I said, waving them off. Even though I knew the package contained a high-quality, large soul crystal, it didn't tempt me. "I have things to do. If there’s an emergency, have Millian come find me. That shouldn't be hard for the Jack-of-all-trades Club."