Chapter 677: What the Domain Prototype Still Lacks
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 677: What the Domain Prototype Still Lacks
When the bell for the College Entrance Exam rang, the most important moment of the year officially commenced.
At that same instant, I drew the entire testing site into the range of my Domain.
This time, however, the phantom of the Tree of Great Knowledge was absent. Even from an external perspective, the Domain remained invisible to the naked eye. Altering the vision of those within would constitute interference with the candidates, so I naturally opted for a non-intrusive approach.
My Domain was simply reorganized into the Five Senses Order to facilitate wide-range perception.
I hadn't yet fully familiarized myself with the act of integrating the five senses into my Domain's order; I had achieved the feat once before, but lacked the time to refine it. Now... proctoring the College Entrance Exam provided a natural opportunity for training.
It was a training exercise that used every candidate in the testing site as a subject. With the visual sense as the primary focus and the other four senses as support, I "monitored" every move of every student.
This was a significant test for me, especially regarding the drain on my mental energy. However, I had to admit that while primitive, it was a highly effective method of training.
Yet... I couldn't shake the feeling that this method of "improvement" was missing something. It felt far too taxing, almost inefficient. Such a sensation usually meant one of two things: either I lacked patience, or the path I was taking yielded half the results for twice the effort.
I leaned toward the latter.
While I wasn't one to obsess over shortcuts, there was no need to endure unnecessary hardship.
As I pondered this, I kept my attention fixed on the entire testing site to prevent cheating. I had already inspected every candidate; none of them were carrying prohibited items. This meant that even if someone intended to cheat, they couldn't conjure a cheat sheet out of thin air. Their only option would be to peek at someone else's paper.
But such behavior was suicidal. With two teachers stationed at the front and back of every room watching the entire time, who would dare?
Furthermore, the teachers at this site were well aware that their chief supervisor wasn't some ordinary student from a Transcendent Academy, but a Teaching Assistant. They had to stay sharp.
This saved me a great deal of trouble, allowing me to devote more energy to contemplating my Domain.
This was the first time I had seriously considered how to improve my Domain—specifically, how to strip away that "Prototype" suffix.
I could have simply asked Sister Bai. Currently, she only possessed Heart Sense. Regarding Time Sense, she seemed to have gained significant insights after accompanying me through the Ley Line timeline regression. I believed it wouldn't be long before she saw results.
Unfortunately, Time Sense cannot be taught; it relies entirely on one's own enlightenment. On the foundation of Heart Sense, for certain types of power, understanding the concept is essentially the same as mastering it.
However, even though Sister Bai currently only possessed Heart Sense, her Heart State Domain—fueled by her Body Cultivation power—did not bear the "Prototype" suffix.
Therefore, neither Time Sense nor the Space Sense I had yet to master were necessary requirements for a Body Cultivation Domain to move beyond the "Prototype" stage.
So, what else could it be?
Perhaps I could make a bold hypothesis and use the process of elimination. For instance: energy.
Once I proposed this first hypothesis, I didn't immediately move on to others, because I realized... the energy theory actually seemed quite plausible!
Consider that even a Domain sequence derivation from a Fire Rain Spellbook can scale from a single point of consumption to a thousand.
What about my Heart State Domain? What was its consumption?
What was the foundation maintaining its existence—the transcendent energy?
It was... the void rifts within the Great Spellbooks!
More accurately, it was the source of "endless energy" that kept the Great Spellbooks "permanent."
However, those void rifts couldn't serve as a free, infinite energy source for my personal use. They served the Great Spellbooks themselves, not me. Those rifts were part of the Great Spellbooks' internal cycle, the guarantee that ensured the effects of the Great Spells remained permanent.
If my Heart State Domain hadn't combined with two Great Spellbooks but rather with something like a Fireball Spellbook, I likely wouldn't have been able to expand the Domain at all. I wouldn't have had the energy to support it.
Thus... energy might truly be the missing component of the Domain.
Specifically, my own mana.
Speaking of mana, after I completed my Self-Awakened Body Cultivation, I conducted physical experiments on the Witchification process with Dean Mei. Ultimately, I gained the Witch racial talent: "Self-Generated Mana."
This talent is a "physical instinct" that naturally accelerates a Witch's mana recovery, similar to a passive mana regeneration talent in a game. More importantly, it is a path toward condensing one's own Mana Sources and achieving self-improvement.
When I was researching physical Self-Generated Mana with the Dean, I had looked into the construction techniques for Mana Sources. I needed that physical talent; otherwise, having severed my Main World Ley Line Shackles, I wouldn't have been able to carry a Mana Source.
I attempted to use my fifteen thousand-plus Mana Sources to fill the "energy void" of the Domain.
Once I realized the lack of energy support, the Domain looked like a giant, withered tree. It only expanded because it was built upon the permanent framework of the two Great Spellbooks, not because I could power it myself.
But I wasn't sure if it was just an illusion—when I tried to "merge" the Mana Sources with the Domain, I felt two rather unsettling sensations.
The first was that my current fifteen thousand Mana Sources were a mere drop in the bucket—completely insufficient to achieve an energy self-cycle for the Domain. The second was a sense of rejection... as if the Domain were pushing the Mana Sources away, treating them like "foreign objects."
I had felt something similar with the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art. I hadn't fully mastered that art, so the Power of Knowledge within my Domain order found it extremely difficult to develop the traits of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art.
Only during that one attempt to resonate with the dream—when I deduced a completely new piece of knowledge—did I realize that the enlightenment trait of the art still existed, though it was incredibly hard to tap into.
The Tree of Great Knowledge was different. I controlled it completely; it was a part of my ability. Even if someone stole it, they would only be taking that specific [Transcendent Knowledge] Fragment, not the tree itself.
Therefore, the Domain I currently wielded was essentially framed and structured upon Heart Sense, but its energy source and characteristics were derived from the Tree of Great Knowledge. Otherwise, why would the "Power of Knowledge" order within the Domain be such a perfect match for the tree?
Even back then, I had mistakenly assumed the Power of Knowledge was simply the product of combining the two Great Spellbooks.
Now... I think I understand. If I want my Domain to use my current Mana Sources to replace the original energy source, I have to overcome two hurdles.
The first is the quantity of Mana Sources. Though I can't be certain, I suspect a complete Domain requires far more than ten or twenty thousand!
The second is the issue of ownership. Like spellbooks, they have never been truly mastered by me to the point of becoming part of my being. They remain external objects. The fact that Mana Sources can be traded is proof enough that they are, to some extent, external. They don't quite mesh with a power like a Domain, which is supposed to be internally mastered.
This leads to another question.
Does a Witch's mana consist of two parts: Mana Sources that have been completely transformed into her own power, and independent Mana Sources that can be traded at will?
But... would that even be meaningful?
At this thought, I shook my head, my vision clearing. I suddenly realized I was overthinking things. To wonder if something is meaningful before I've even achieved it is a dangerous mindset.
Since I want to perfect my Domain, I need Mana Sources that are entirely under my dominion. Regardless of whether it's "meaningful," the act of doing it is meaningful in itself.
After all... I am curious to see if non-tradeable Mana Sources, like non-tradeable spellbooks, produce different effects.
I've never liked relying on external objects. Just like when I first encountered spellbooks, I felt that things that didn't truly belong to me weren't worth including in my long-term life plans. I defined them more as "tools" that provided assistance, rather than abilities I truly commanded.
Having cleared my head, I set the matter aside. Once the College Entrance Exam was over, I would seek out knowledge regarding Mana Source condensation techniques and see if I could find a way to internalize them.
Currently, my Tree of Great Knowledge didn't contain much information on this. Even though my Great Knowledge Seeds had reached many Transcendent Mentors, they didn't share everything. They wouldn't share knowledge that was too shallow or common sense, nor would they share things that were too private or sensitive.
And what I lacked most was precisely this "common sense" knowledge.
I continued to wander through the testing site.
I had to admit, proctoring was incredibly boring. I couldn't do anything else; because of the Witch Contract, I had to ensure the efficiency of my supervision. During this time, as long as it didn't interfere with the proctoring, I could try to do things I liked, but anything more eccentric would be restricted by the contract. No wonder everyone called proctoring a thankless job.
I could have used Time Sense to speed up this tedious process, but I didn't want to waste the time.
Actually... I was also curious about the operating mechanism of the ritual that harnessed the College Entrance Exam Luck across the entire Main World.
However, I could only observe; I didn't dare interfere. The Luck techniques involved were far too complex. Likely the handiwork of a Luck Alchemist.
I could feel a massive amount of Luck gathering at this testing site. This was unowned Luck belonging to the Main World. Through my Qi Observation Art, I could see even more data.
My testing site was just one node in a worldwide ritual. Furthermore, the ritual was actually conducted by time zone.
"So much Luck... if the players saw this, wouldn't they be tempted?"
I looked up at the Luck swirling above the site, feeling a mix of sentimentality and anticipation. I wondered if any players here would be arrogant enough to try and harvest it or cause a disturbance.
This made me think of my Player clone. I had used a reincarnation spell to give her a new appearance; no player would recognize her original self. Because she was still learning the language, she was currently maintaining only minimal communication with those listed as friends on her account.
In the short term, she wouldn't be able to infiltrate the player community to gather more intelligence.
But one thing was certain: the news that I—the "Calamity Witch"—had appeared here had already spread. I guessed the player I had possessed had leaked it.
However, I hadn't heard whether they were choosing to stay away for self-preservation or gathering in this area to give me a "surprise."
If I had a choice, I hoped for the latter.
After all, the Domain I expanded didn't just cover a single classroom. Back in the Expansion Realm, I could have easily covered the entirety of Ninglan New City.
Yet, up until now, I hadn't detected a single player within my Domain. It was quite disappointing. Otherwise, I would have shown them what it meant to die without even knowing how, and then had their characters serve me.
* * *
Time passed quickly. As the first subject, the Common Language, came to an end, the first student to finish early appeared. He cheered as he walked out, shouting "Buff [Class Name]!" to the eager reporters outside. His tone was a mix of half-embarrassment, half-fervor, a bit of "amusement seeker" energy, and eighty percent pure, hot-blooded passion.
This was perhaps the age when most ordinary people in the Main World were at their peak intelligence, passion, and spirit.
But... the College Entrance Exam wasn't over. For students who didn't aim for a Transcendent Academy, their College Entrance Exam was essentially finished. The subsequent subjects and scores had little to do with general technical colleges. The "screws" that kept the Main World running only needed basic communication skills. It was for this reason that the College Entrance Exam subjects were so lopsided.
However, this situation likely wouldn't last much longer. Perhaps after the reset of the world order, the replanning of education, and the reform of the College Entrance Exam... only then would ordinary people be able to look forward to a brand-new world.
Unfortunately... I wouldn't have the chance to enjoy such a world. But... I might experience it as a participant and a driving force. Thinking of it that way gave me a small sense of satisfaction.
The next few days of the College Entrance Exam proceeded smoothly without any incidents.
The players I had been expecting never arrived. I had originally thought that since they didn't know the College Entrance Exam was closely linked to Luck, they would react quickly by the second day. But it seemed I had overthought it.
It wasn't just my site; all the other testing sites were the same.
Furthermore, the impact of the players' presence in the Main World seemed to be weakening. All signs suggested they were gradually withdrawing from the Main World.
It couldn't be that they really knew nothing before, and only started retreating because of the intel I leaked to that woman? That seemed unlikely.
There had to be a deeper reason. They couldn't really be planning something big, could they?
After quietly tucking that suspicion away in my heart, I felt the constraints of the Witch Contract for this College Entrance Exam commission vanish. I knew it was time to leave.
Just as I was about to depart, a figure ran into my line of sight, looking rather flustered.
"Don't you have anything to say to me!"
"Hmm... no. Just live your life. I'll come find you the day the results are released." I spared Yang Yunhan a brief, cool glance before my figure vanished on the spot, leaving not a single trace behind.