Chapter 687: A Failed Experiment and a Successful Verification
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 687: A Failed Experiment and a Successful Verification
Although everyone was intensely curious about Yi Rui's current state, they had to suppress their nearly uncontrollable urge to ask out of respect for the experiment, standing off to the side.
Yi Rui understood the gravity of the situation. She knew when to be serious and when to play, and after acclimating to her state, she immediately realized what her task was.
Even so, it could not change the fact that this first attempt was destined for failure.
"This experiment is going to fail. Yi Rui, pay attention—you'll be fully resurrected in a moment," I said to her. There wasn't much regret in my voice; this failure was expected, yet it had already met the experiment's objectives.
I then turned my head toward the others. "Could someone go and prepare some comfortable clothes for Yi Rui?"
"I'll get right on it!"
"I'll set up a one-way visual barrier so our situation here isn't discovered."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," I nodded, then turned my gaze back to Yi Rui.
"It really was a failure..." Yi Rui sent a slightly dejected response to me through a consciousness communication spell. She had tried very hard to control her current body, but she simply couldn't do it.
She knew exactly what she needed to do—it was as simple as pressing a button right in front of her—but without Self-Awakened Body Cultivation, she was like a disabled person who had lost their arms. She understood the mechanics, but she just couldn't make the movements.
"Don't be discouraged. At the very least, I've gathered a lot of good data, including information I overlooked before the experiment. It's all very valuable," I said, comforting her.
For instance, there was the issue of the nature of their Soul Essence. While it seemed that Mimicry Soul Technique could temporarily address it for now, what about other aspects?
I also had a very serious problem of my own that I needed to face.
As Yi Rui's body reshaped itself back to its original form, the experimental platform opened. A group of sisters stepped forward to wrap her in temporary blankets and towels.
After a quick cleanup and getting dressed, Yi Rui walked over.
"Yeah, and next time, it's probably best to take off any unnecessary clothes before the experiment," Yi Rui said, feeling a bit dazed. Her energy was heavily depleted.
The drain was truly massive. It wasn't just the experience of death; it was the fact that she had been pushing herself to the limit trying to achieve something that was impossible for her.
Even if the final result remained unsatisfactory.
"True, I didn't pay enough attention to that," I agreed.
However, mentioning that made me think of something else: Time Sense. If I could master Time Sense like Sister Bai, could damaged clothes be restored and reshaped just like a deceased person?
Time Sense was a process of rewinding and reshaping. This feeling gave me a hint of that same essence within the Resurrection Spell. It felt as though resurrection and body cultivation shared some "common ground."
Once the work was finished and the experimental platform—which had been made a mess by the trial—was tidied up, the others began pulling up the experimental records to start their analysis.
I didn't participate in the analysis. I wasn't on the same level as them; they were doing this to gain a clearer understanding of what I was doing and to strive toward a level where they could actually "help me."
They were learning, whereas I didn't need to waste time understanding concepts I already knew.
But then, Yi Rui walked over.
"This experiment showed me the gap between us. According to that paper, the two experiments we went through were theoretically similar. Yet I failed while you succeeded. I know you have Self-Awakened Body Cultivation, but I have a more terrifying mental power intensity and a higher starting point in terms of witchification... and yet, I couldn't even touch that threshold..."
"Why are you starting a self-reflection session? You're even comparing yourself to me now?" I asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood, though it didn't have much effect.
"In terms of age, I'm your senior. It doesn't feel great for a senior to be led around by the nose by a junior."
"Oh? You actually care about that? After spending this time together, I thought you were the type who wouldn't mind such things," I said, somewhat surprised.
"Really? I don't think I've ever acted that broad-minded. But it's an undeniable fact, and I have a very strong competitive streak."
"Is that so? The last person who told me she had a strong competitive streak..." Unconsciously, I thought of Tan Han, whom I had fought in the Primal Dream.
Theoretically, with her course exemption, she should have been able to come to the Expansion Realm. However, I found that she hadn't. There weren't many records of Tan Han in the entire Expansion Realm; the existing ones only proved she had visited during this period, but she hadn't stayed long-term.
"I bet you've left her so far behind she can't even see your shadow, right? After all... in terms of age, you've only been at the Witch Academy for a year... one year..."
"True, one year is too short. I still have so many things left to do."
"Are you really bragging like that?" Yi Rui couldn't help but let out a laugh at my words—likely a laugh of exasperation.
"Alright, let's not talk about that. It feels like no matter what I say, it sounds like bragging to you all."
"True... but if I remember correctly, the end of this semester is coming up soon, right? Once that's over, you'll have officially spent one year in the Witch Academy. A full year."
"Yeah. Even though I don't need to take the exams... I can't miss this final exam."
"Why? Did you... did you take on a Teaching Assistant commission for the finals? Isn't that just a waste of your time?" Yi Rui asked, surprised.
"Because Teacher Lina did me a favor, and she's willing to trade that favor for my help during the final exams," I explained.
"I see... so you'll be leaving in a few days? What about this self-generated mana experiment you organized for us?" Yi Rui asked worriedly.
"If we have to, we'll just put it on hold for now. Stopping for a few days won't hurt. Besides, I recall your housing rentals here only have a few days left anyway. In a few days, we can return to the more professional environment of the Witch Academy to continue the experiments... Moreover, death isn't something you can experience constantly. You all need to recover, don't you? No one can handle dying several times a day at such high intensity."
"Actually, I plan to produce some results in these next few days, even if it's just a conceptual direction. Then I can use that to see if Dean Mei is interested."
"But a few days isn't nearly enough!" Yi Rui argued.
"Maybe not, but... there are ways to deal with a lack of time."
"You have an idea?" Hearing me say this, Yi Rui's eyes lit up.
"To achieve anything, you need to break it down into stages. Right now, we're just trying things blindly. But it was precisely that attempt just now that made me realize what the next milestone I need to conquer is."
"What is it?"
"It's a derived spell similar to the Metamorphic Incubation that Dean Mei mastered. But as someone who has personally experienced the self-generated mana experiment, I know very well that even Dean Mei's Metamorphic Incubation resurrection isn't the optimal method for shaping self-generated mana. We need a special resurrection spell dedicated specifically to the study of self-generated mana techniques," I said thoughtfully, as if I had made a firm decision.
"You... you're going to derive a brand-new resurrection spell?" Yi Rui's eyes widened in disbelief.
In her mind, resurrection spells were such terrifying magic that even deriving one with a unique effect was something to be profoundly grateful for. And yet, this person wanted to derive a resurrection spell perfectly suited for researching self-generated mana techniques?!
"Is that not allowed?"
"It's not a Sequence Derivation, is it..."
"Resurrection is a very special spell. There aren't many Sequence Derivations applicable to it—you can't exactly expect it to resurrect two of you, can you? Therefore, every resurrection derivative spell capable of playing a decisive role is a non-sequence derivative."
"Like your Reincarnation Rebirth?"
"Something like that. But this has to be done slowly. A derived spell needs a goal, and then you slowly move toward that goal. You can't just use a broad sequence-based mindset to approach it; that method limits you from the start. How can you innovate like that?"
"Thank you for telling me this..." Yi Rui sighed, seemingly having realized something. But some things couldn't be changed just by realizing them.
"Just speaking from the heart." I turned away from the railing and looked at the people busy working. "You just experienced that stage from death to resurrection, right? During the whole experiment, what stage made you feel the most powerless?"
"The most powerless... it was during the reconstruction of the body's foundation. I had absolutely no say in what kind of existence I wanted to become. I suppose that's the difference between me and someone with Self-Awakened Body Cultivation."
"Perhaps. But a more important point is that my exclusive rebirth spell is different from Dean Mei's Metamorphic Incubation. My resurrection spell needs to stay in the intermediate stage for a longer time to provide us with ample room to operate. It's like molting and hatching—it's a process. But my Reincarnation Rebirth doesn't have that process. Or rather, it does... but it's skipped over."
So, from that perspective, resurrection spells don't have many inherent pros or cons; it's just a matter of suitability.
For example, right now, I really needed a slow resurrection method like Metamorphic Incubation. My Reincarnation Rebirth was better suited for combat.
"True. If that stage could be reasonably extended... oh, no wonder you used the Reincarnation Rebirth spell so early back then, yet I still wasn't resurrected. You were deliberately stretching out the time."
"Yes, I was deliberately stretching the time. But doing it that way isn't ideal; it's inconvenient and lacks a suitable 'empty' carrier."
"So the Metamorphic Incubation mentioned in that paper—that hatching process is the intermediate carrier you're looking for, right?" Yi Rui asked.
"Exactly. So, for the next period of time, I need to derive a resurrection spell. I'll tentatively call it... Incubation Rebirth."
"Just like Dean Mei's spell?"
"No, it can't be the same. Dean Mei's resurrection spell also doesn't fit the experiment we're doing; it's just coincidentally suitable to a certain extent. What I want to create is something perfectly tailored to our experiment. We need to set aside the advantage of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation, so we have to make up for it elsewhere. Only then can we see a glimmer of hope for success." I shook my head, correcting Yi Rui.
"That's going to be very difficult," Yi Rui tried to advise me.
"I have a plan."
"Alright, I believe you." Hearing my words, Yi Rui immediately changed her mind again.
Unconsciously, she realized she had developed such trust in the Xiao Han before her! It was to the point where her past professional experience was being overshadowed by this emotional perception.
One had to remember that they were a club brought together specifically to research runes, spells, and spell derivation!
How could they not know how difficult spell derivation was?
"So, next, we're going to work together to complete a spell called Incubation Rebirth... right?"
"Correcting you again: it's a spell tentatively named Incubation Rebirth. Incubation Rebirth isn't our destination; it's our new starting point."
"I see..." Yi Rui fell into deep thought again. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she snapped her head up. "Xiao Han, what do you think would happen if you used Reincarnation Rebirth to resurrect another 'you'? Have you ever tried it?"
"Yes, I've tried. But it was just a shell."
"Were the vital signs normal? Did it have independent consciousness?" Yi Rui pressed.
"You're separating the concepts of the soul and Soul Essence from the concept of the body. But in essence, they are an inseparable whole. If I previously thought of resurrection as just creating a shell and guiding a soul to be reborn within it, I've now realized that my old way of thinking was fundamentally wrong. Essentially, a rebirth spell relies on the essence of the soul to reshape the body."
"I can't create a body out of thin air using a standard resurrection spell unless there's a consciousness, Soul Essence, or soul to act as a medium. However, my Reincarnation Rebirth can rely on all the information of a 'life concept' to reborn a creature. But such an existence would require me to reshape a soul—which is where my Mimicry Soul Technique comes in. And even then, the one resurrected wouldn't be that person anymore, but a brand-new individual. It couldn't even truly be called life."
"I'm sorry... I didn't realize the content involved in resurrection spells was so complex..." Yi Rui said apologetically.
Yi Rui heard the words I said clearly, but she didn't truly understand them. It wasn't a matter of her comprehension ability; it was a lack of cognitive foundation. She couldn't use the information I provided for self-study or self-understanding, so she couldn't grasp it.
"No, your idea actually gave me a brand-new line of thought. You've probably heard the rumors about people seeing me in various places throughout the Expansion Realm, right?"
"Yes. What does that have to do with this? Don't tell me... you!" At this point, Yi Rui suddenly hit upon a terrifying guess!
"Yes, exactly. The 'me' seen in those rumors was indeed me, but they were all my clones. It's a type of Clone Technique I shaped by integrating the Reincarnation Rebirth spell with many other skills. Those clones... they also possess the physical talent of self-generated mana. But they are still me, not individuals separate from me. Do you understand?"
"You... you mean!" Yi Rui's eyes went wide. There was simply too much information packed into those sentences!
Setting aside the issue of having so many clones, if even clones could possess the ability of self-generated mana, then...
"I want to try resurrecting you all as me to see if you can inherit this physical talent."
"Is... is that even possible?!"
"According to the theories I currently hold, the probability is that it won't work. I reached that conclusion easily before, but it hasn't been verified. However... since we're in the experimental phase, I feel it's necessary to try. Only by trying different things can we gain different insights."
Of course, my main goal was to see if it was feasible at all. Swapping body and soul was theoretically possible, but it would surely have "downsides" that I didn't yet understand.
I knew very well that those clones had self-generated mana because the template used by their Mimicry Soul Technique was my own soul.
If it were them... then their soul information would be "incompatible" with that physique. Or rather, it wasn't just a matter of incompatibility, but something that couldn't be done from the very root—at least, not with a standard resurrection spell.
But... the Reincarnation Rebirth spell... might just be able to do it.
At this point, I realized more than ever why a terrifying resurrection derivative spell would be so highly regarded.
Especially a famous one like "Reincarnation Rebirth."
The only pity was that my current spellbook was still a crude version that only I could use in conjunction with my special skills.
A resurrection spell should be more like a standard Prototype Spell. More powerful and effective resurrection spells are built upon that foundation, adding more techniques to refine them and constantly extending the concept of "resurrection." This was the fundamental philosophy of resurrection derivation.
Perhaps this attempt might uncover the relationship between the body and the essence of life within the concept of resurrection.
And before it was proven, I made a bold guess...
The body is simply an "extension" of the essence of life!