Chapter 683: Planning and Cooperation for Self-Generated Mana Techniques
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 683: Planning and Cooperation for Self-Generated Mana Techniques
A brand new day.
After finishing the medicinal porridge Sister Bai had meticulously brewed for me this morning, my body still felt a lingering, restless heat...
However, as a self-awakened Body Cultivator, I could still feel the positive changes Sister Bai mentioned—the kind that were truly beneficial for the physical form.
These changes weren't as simple as me being able to strengthen myself however I pleased just because I had total dominance over my body through self-awakened Body Cultivation and the experience of reincarnation.
Physical strength is an external manifestation of one's Life Level. This explains why many beings with very high Life Levels possess incredible physical stats even if they aren't Body Cultivators.
Life Level is a transformation that occurs from the inside out.
If I were to acquire all the physical data of a powerful being and reincarnate in that form, my existence would still feel "hollow" if my Life Level wasn't high enough.
If I reincarnated as a loli or even a toddler who looked even weaker than I do now, I could still burst forth with potential far exceeding my appearance thanks to a powerful Life Level—though there would always be an "adaptation period."
Regardless, the external image expressed by one's own Life Level and soul essence is what suits a person best.
Changing minor things like hair color, eye color, or skin tone—things that don't touch upon one's fundamental nature—doesn't really matter.
For instance, I simply happen to like white hair and red eyes. I even feel that this "conscious identity" has already been etched into my Life Level. Even if I were to undergo an instinctive resurrection or reincarnation, my appearance likely wouldn't change significantly.
After casting a cooling spell on myself to soothe the heat in my body, I prepared to return to the Expansion Realm to continue my planning.
In truth, calling it "planning" was a bit of a stretch; I actually wanted to continue investigating the unknown "feedback" generated by the Alien Beasts after I used the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art on them. This had given me a very profound understanding of the spell.
Furthermore, it would help me completely assimilate the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art—that Great Spellbook—into my own innate ability. Much like the Tree of Great Knowledge, it would become something others couldn't steal; even if they tried, they could only take the [Transcendent Knowledge] fragments.
However, it was clear that this "propagation experiment" of the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art required a much broader scope before I could understand the underlying cause.
I was also quite curious about what exactly the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art had fed back to me to deepen my "understanding" of the spellbook.
Information?
Didn't seem like it.
Energy?
Definitely not!
Aside from these experiments that required time to yield results, I had plenty of other things I hadn't found the time to do.
Back when I was training in the Expansion Realm, I had thought about further developing my ideas for Crystallization, Reverse Summoning, and the Myriad Methods Bookshelf.
But now, those non-essential concepts had to be pushed back. I had to conduct experiments on Self-Generated Mana!
From a macro perspective, the technique of Self-Generated Mana wasn't strictly necessary. Like the Myriad Methods Bookshelf, it was an idea that should have been relegated to my memo list.
But... the implications of Self-Generated Mana were far too profound.
I don't mean to say that my current influence on the witches isn't deep enough. One must realize that even the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell derived from the Tree of Great Knowledge was enough to make many Transcendent Witches protect me at any cost.
But... from my perspective, these achievements felt a bit... "ambiguous"?
It felt as if I had stumbled into these achievements by accident, leaving me feeling like I was being "kept in the dark" about my own life. It was a truly unpleasant sensation!
Was I incapable of starting with a profound vision, setting a grand goal, and resolhetically executing it until the very end to achieve a predicted outcome?
It seemed... I wasn't.
In the past, I was too humble. My thoughts on many matters were too modest. More importantly... I didn't dare to dream!
I practiced self-negation, subconsciously placing myself in a very low position. It was a form of self-doubt rooted deep within my psyche.
It was only because of my repeated successes that this personality trait was labeled as "humility," "kindness," or "modesty"...
The world doesn't care about "good" or "bad" character traits; it only cares about who has the most persuasive tongue.
When a villain can be hailed as a "grand hero," one should realize that getting the persuasive tongues of the world to speak for you is the most important thing an individual can strive for within a group.
Some things never change; the only thing that changes is how others perceive me.
It was like that conversation Fu Xinglan requested just as I was about to leave the Expansion Realm.
She revealed that players, and even Transcendent Academies and Transcendent Races, wanted to deal with me.
Why?
There was no "why."
In fact, I should be asking myself: why should I follow their logic and their rhythm?
Do I have to react to their attacks? Do I have to dismantle their conspiracies? Do I have to face those tedious unknowns?
There's no sense in spending every day guarding against a thief!
As long as I am strong enough and valuable enough, countless plots will die in the womb, and their plans will utterly fail.
My energy shouldn't be spent on appearing calm and composed when facing their attacks; it should be spent on the path I believe is right!
If you look for villains, everyone around you becomes a villain. You can never eliminate all the "bad guys."
I just need to play my role well; others will play the remaining parts.
Millian should have taught me that a long time ago.
And this time, my return to the Expansion Realm... was actually to find Yi Rui.
As a teaching assistant with a profound understanding of runeology and spell research, she and her club were outliers within the Witch Academy—or rather, they were exactly the kind of group the Academy hoped to see.
I believed they would be very interested in the field of Self-Generated Mana.
Even if Yi Rui didn't want to participate in the experiment, there were so many people in her circle that someone was bound to be interested. And even in the extreme case that none of them wanted to, I could try finding Millian.
Of course, I wouldn't ask Millian to participate personally, but rather to help me spread the word to see if anyone would volunteer to try it. Even if they were just "giving it a shot," that would be enough for me.
However, I personally felt that Yi Rui and her group wouldn't pass up this opportunity. If the physical talent of Self-Generated Mana was successful, it would provide them with a massive boost.
Not only could this talent enhance the recovery efficiency of a Mana Source, but it could also increase the body's "affinity" for mana to a certain extent.
Furthermore, this ability was a hurdle that one had to clear to promote to a Transcendent Witch. If they had the chance to take half a step forward in advance, they would surely be willing.
Then there was another very enticing benefit: they wouldn't have to worry about using Ley Line Shackles to carry their Mana Sources.
In other words, they could ignore the upper limit of ten thousand Mana Sources!
I had been forced into this path because I had severed my Ley Line Shackles first. If they adopted this method, they could similarly bypass the shackles. After all, severing Ley Line Shackles carried a heavy price—for me, it had cost the heart of an Abyssal Demon.
While their situation might not be as extreme as mine, the cost would certainly be high. It was better to just promote to Transcendent normally and sever them then.
Moreover, as long as they possessed the Self-Generated Mana talent, they could gain early access to Mana Source condensation techniques. I doubted they would refuse such benefits.
If their ambitions lay elsewhere, I wouldn't force them.
After all, they preferred to focus their energy on spell research. Their accumulation in that field was far more terrifying than mine, especially since I had already given them a Great Knowledge Seed.
With these thoughts in mind, I took the teleportation channel from the Academy to Ninglan New City and arrived in the Expansion Realm.
The reason I didn't teleport directly inside was that I wanted to announce my return with a bit of fanfare.
Of course, this "fanfare" was aimed at the intelligence networks of the various clubs and factions.
Research into Self-Generated Mana techniques couldn't be kept secret forever, nor did I intend to keep it secret.
After all, I had originally planned to "collaborate" with Dean Mei on this project. Dropping some "hints" now would give the witches some time to prepare.
Ever since I accidentally tore open a void rift while perfecting a Great Spellbook and was warned to report my actions in advance, I realized there was no need to keep things so tightly under wraps—especially things I didn't intend to hide and even wanted to promote.
This was how one built momentum.
Although I had some confidence in the techniques for shaping the Self-Generated Mana talent, the creation, development, and promotion of a technique required time to mature.
Once this technique was proven, who would be the first "beneficiaries"?
If it were up to me... out of all the chaotic clubs and groups in the Witch Academy, none of them really sat right with me. If I had to pick... I'd definitely choose the "Xiao Han Fan Club," because I had given the resources I'd squeezed from those other clubs to Millian to develop it.
There was no point in thinking, "If the research into Self-Generated Mana fails, all of this is just a pipe dream." So what?
It wasn't like people would mock me.
Besides, what if I succeeded?
If I succeeded but had nowhere to apply it, that would be the true tragedy. That would be the source of genuine self-doubt and self-negation!
When I returned to the massive central plaza of Ninglan New City, I found that my arrival didn't spark as much heated discussion as last time. Or rather, people seemed to find it quite normal.
I also noticed that, aside from the indigenous residents, the only people in Ninglan New City seemed to be students from the Witch Academy. Students from other Transcendent Academies were almost nowhere to be seen—not entirely absent, but extremely rare.
On second thought, this made sense.
The Transcendent Academies, led by the Three Top Academies, had all established their own shelters within the Expansion Realm. There was no need for them to loiter in the Witch Academy's "starting city."
The students from other academies seen here were likely just representatives for various collaborations.
Even though I didn't attract much attention, the passersby still whispered about me.
With my enhanced Body Cultivation hearing, I could easily catch their hushed conversations.
"Hey, hey... isn't that Sister Xiao Han?"
"Which one? That one... I don't know. Could it be a high-quality impersonator?"
"I heard there are tons of Xiao Han impersonators popping up all over the Expansion Realm. Look, she's not even carrying The Persuader. This one probably isn't the real deal either."
Nearby, another pair of best friends was also gossiping.
"Hey, did you hear? Sister Xiao Han actually went to the outside world to proctor the College Entrance Exams."
"Who spread that? How come I didn't know?"
"The Academy Network! I heard the Discipline Squad was even deployed. Xiao Han didn't just go out to proctor; she went to handle some issues with her biological family."
"Huh? She didn't blow up her family home, did she? I heard rumors before that her family situation was pretty bad..."
"What do you mean 'heard'? It's a confirmed fact! It was terrible! Apparently, she wasn't even their biological child!"
"Not biological? I remember during the exchange competition last semester, Xiao Han's ex-girlfriend said something like that too... So it was true?"
"Was it? I don't remember."
"What are you two talking about? Xiao Han gossip? Count me in! I've got some inside info too!"
"What inside info?" both girls asked simultaneously.
"Xiao Han actually has a brother! He's also not biological! And I heard he just happened to take the College Entrance Exams this year... Sister Xiao Han is planning to abduct him into the Witch Academy!"
"What? For real?"
"Your inside info is a bit too wild, isn't it? Don't go spreading nonsense! It'll be bad if the fanatics from the Xiao Han Fan Club hear you."
Listening to those girls gossip... my brow furrowed.
I knew girls' gossip could get ridiculous, but this... this was truly absurd!
And how did this news spread so fast in the Witch Academy?
And on the Academy Network, no less!
I instinctively pulled up my knowledge screen and opened the Academy Network. I realized I hadn't checked the trending topics in quite a while.
After scrolling for just a bit, I saw numerous posts about me or related to me.
Although I could use Ley Line Identification Art to trace the source and see who had started the rumors, I gave up on the idea after a moment's thought. There was no point.
I couldn't exactly cast a Silencing Spell on everyone who talked about me.
Ignoring that little interlude, I prepared to find Yi Rui and her group.
I headed toward the place where we had parted last time, but as expected, they weren't there. Using Ley Line Identification Art, I learned that they had left a long time ago.
Just as I was pondering how to find them, three people appeared behind me.
I turned around to look at them. I didn't recognize them, but after an appraisal, I understood: they were members of the Intelligence Group within my Fan Club.
"Teacher Xiao Han, we came as soon as you arrived in Ninglan New City. We hope we aren't disturbing you. We are..."
"I know you're members of the Fan Club's Intelligence Group. No need for introductions. Is there something you need?" I asked.
"We are your dedicated intelligence team, here to serve you, Teacher Xiao Han. If you don't need us, we can leave immediately. Whenever you need anything, you can contact us directly; our Great Knowledge Seeds are always linked to yours."
"Alright." I glanced at them, respecting their professional dedication.
The Witch Academy was truly full of talent; even though they were all students, their roles were so complex... But that was the Witch Academy for you, wasn't it?
"You don't need to follow me. Next time I return, there's no need to send someone over specifically. If I need anything, I'll just contact you via the Great Knowledge Seed," I said, waving them off.
"Understood. We are on standby at your command."
After watching them leave, I departed as well.
At first, I had thought about asking them to investigate Yi Rui's current location... I must have slipped into a bit of a mental rut.
If I didn't know where they were... why didn't I just contact them directly?
I had given them Great Knowledge Seeds. I could just reach out. Asking an intelligence group to track them down would have been quite rude.