Chapter 688: The Terrifying Racial Heritage of Transcendent Witches
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 688: The Terrifying Racial Heritage of Transcendent Witches
"Eh? Sister Xiao Han, you're going to start the next experiment so soon?"
The group was still analyzing the current data, with Cen Tan—the girl specializing in biological alchemy—explaining the significance of the fluctuations.
However, seeing that we were already gearing up for another round, several people stepped forward to dissuade us.
"She’s right, Yi Rui. You just experienced death. Doing it twice in such a short time is pushing it, isn't it?"
"Exactly. Even if we must proceed, we should switch participants. How about I go instead?"
On my side, a few others approached with similar concerns.
"Sister Xiao Han, the consumption for the Resurrection Spell must be massive, right? We saw you constantly compressing your mana density earlier; that drain is terrifying. Is it really a good idea to try again so quickly?"
"I have some recovery potions here—the kind that restores mana."
"No need. My reserves of Mana Sources are far greater than you think. Besides, I have the Self-Generated Mana talent. I could perform the previous experiment several more times without any issues." I shook my head, declining their kindness.
"This... alright. If your mana is that abundant... has your number of Mana Sources already hit the cap? If that’s the case... you might be about to break the record for the fastest person to graduate from the Witch Academy based on Mana Source count."
"The cap? Oh, you mean ten thousand?" Hearing this reminded me of something I had forgotten to mention. "I currently have about sixteen thousand Mana Sources."
"Sixteen... thousand? Over sixteen thousand?! How is that possible? Isn't ten thousand the absolute limit?"
Hearing my response, many of them whipped their heads toward me, their eyes filled with utter confusion.
"I forgot to mention it earlier, but the physical talent of Self-Generated Mana can act as a substitute for the Ley Line Shackles to carry Mana Sources. Your limit is ten thousand because the Ley Line Shackles can only support that many. However, the limit for the Self-Generated Mana talent is not ten thousand," I explained carefully.
"What?!"
"Self-Generated Mana actually has that kind of capability?"
These girls essentially belonged to the top-tier circles of the Witch Academy, so they naturally understood what the Ley Line Shackles were. But they had never imagined that the Self-Generated Mana talent would have such an effect!
Regardless, revealing this news only made them more determined to participate in the experiment. After all, they were already on this ship.
Even if I tried to kick them off now, they wouldn't leave!
After a flurry of heated discussion, Yi Rui and I gave the group a general summary of what we had discussed.
We were breaking down the realization of the Self-Generated Mana technique into experimental stages. They had already mentally prepared themselves for a long-term project; now that there were concrete steps, everyone felt more grounded and ready to give it their all.
Those who had previously felt the experiment was a bit too casual or "child's play" no longer felt that way.
As expected, working with a group of "like-minded" people meant there wasn't much room for useless chatter.
And so... the staged experimental project for the derived "Incubation Rebirth" spell officially began.
But before that, Yi Rui and I had to test another hypothesis: the experiment of resurrecting Yi Rui as "me."
This experiment wasn't as complex as the previous one; in fact, it was much simpler. The entire process merely required a substitution of the rebirth target during the reincarnation process.
Moments later, the Yi Rui standing before me had transformed from her previous appearance into someone who looked remarkably like me.
I stared at this person—who wasn't just "similar" but nearly identical—and fell into deep thought.
After converting Yi Rui's physical data into my own, I could feel a powerful sense of dissonance throughout the resurrection process. This process had already deviated from the original concept of resurrection.
"Is this... Xiao Han's body?" Yi Rui spoke, her voice now very close to mine. "This... is this Self-Generated Mana? And... does this count as being a Self-awakened Body Cultivator?"
"Self-Awakened Body Cultivation isn't a physical talent, nor is it something you can possess just by switching bodies," I said, shaking my head to negate the idea. "As for Self-Generated Mana... I am certain this body possesses that talent. Can you feel the surge of mana? Not the kind from Mana Sources, but mana spontaneously born within the body itself."
"Yes, I can feel this mana... Hiss... wait, this mana..." Yi Rui nodded, indicating she could clearly perceive the mana I described, but in the next heartbeat, her expression twisted in pain.
"What's wrong? What happened? What's wrong with the mana?" I rushed forward anxiously to check on her.
The others nearby also hurried over to support the staggering Yi Rui.
"I... I don't know..."
"Let me see." I stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, then used Heart Sense to resonate with the body. Although she wasn't a Body Cultivator and lacked Heart Sense, she possessed a body that was "essentially the same" as mine.
Through my Heart Sense perception, I became certain that the problem wasn't with the body, but with her Life Essence!
This body was "assimilating" Yi Rui's soul essence!
Seeing this phenomenon, my first reaction was... I was right!
The body is a derivation of the Life Essence, and the reincarnation spell reverses the order of this "derivation" in a higher-dimensional way.
Therefore, this derived body was back-reacting and influencing the "foundation" of the result—her soul essence!
This body was mine; it was a body derived from my soul. Thus, this assimilation based on Self-Generated Mana was attempting to turn "Yi Rui" into "me" in a terrifyingly crude and violent manner!
At the very least, it was turning her into me by overwriting her self-perception...
Before the others could react, I immediately destroyed Yi Rui's body and used the reincarnation spell to resurrect her back into her original form.
I didn't know if this assimilation would be reversible if it continued, but I didn't want to touch that domain—at least, I didn't want to perform such irresponsible tests on them.
Once Yi Rui recovered, I walked silently to her side. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect the experiment to turn out like this."
"Why did you change me back so suddenly?" Having adapted, Yi Rui seemed fine, even asking the question curiously.
"Because the logic was flawed. If we continued, you would have completely turned into me, becoming a puppet overwritten by my body's perception," I explained to the group in a heavy tone. "The experiment just proved that Self-Generated Mana cannot be transferred. It is likely tied to each individual's Life Essence, and every person is unique. We underestimated the difficulty of its generation."
"So that's how it is?" Yi Rui gave a bitter smile. Recalling the moment just now, she felt as though she had indeed been influenced by a foreign consciousness, nearly identifying herself as another person... It was a truly frightening experience!
"Yes. I'm sorry, this experiment was my suggestion..."
"But it wasn't without gains, was it? At least we have a direction. Self-Generated Mana is related to one's Life Essence... Plus, when I asked if Self-Awakened Body Cultivation was a physical talent and you said no, then Self-Awakened Body Cultivation must also be a capability of the Life Essence, right?" Yi Rui cast aside her lingering fear and immediately entered a professional analytical state.
"Mhm... putting it that way doesn't seem to be a problem." I nodded in agreement.
If Self-Awakened Body Cultivation is a manifestation of the Life Essence, and the body is a derived product of that essence, then the practice of Body Cultivation is, in essence, the cultivation of the Life Essence itself.
Training the Five Senses is training the perceptual channels of the Life Essence. Training the muscles and the physical frame is likewise training and utilizing the derivations of the Life Essence...
Therefore... back when I first formed Self-Generated Mana, I hadn't thought so deeply, yet I still completed the shaping of it. This means that absolute dominance over the body can also influence the Life Essence!
Yi Rui had proven this to me with her actual experience! The Life Essence derives the body, and the body exerts a reverse influence on the Life Essence.
So... I only needed to understand which specific change in the Life Essence corresponded to Self-Generated Mana. Then, the technique for modifying the Life Essence would be the technique for acquiring Self-Generated Mana!
Wait... if the answer was that simple, could this problem have really troubled the entire Witch race for so long?
As the foundation for several sub-topics under the Great Witch Subject, there was no way they wouldn't take it seriously!
So... either my idea was impossible to implement, or there was an even deeper reason involved.
It couldn't be that they simply "didn't think of it"...
I looked back at every step of that experiment in Ninglan New City... but the more I reminisced, the more confused I became!
During that experiment, before I perceived the result of "a thread of mana," I hadn't felt the process that formed that result.
I was merely the discoverer of the result, not the master of the technique!
The gap between those two was immense.
"Xiao Han, what's wrong?" Yi Rui walked over.
Despite the experimental accident, her status as a senior student and her inherent Immortality allowed her to recover quickly—not to mention the presence of alchemists with various potions as a safety net.
At this moment, everyone truly wanted to contribute to the experiment.
As the absolute leader of this project, if I didn't make the next move, they, as the "potential test subjects," could only stand by and watch.
"Sorry... wait a moment. Let me think this through. I'm straightening some things out." I held up a hand, signaling for them not to disturb me.
Yi Rui understood and stopped talking, even cautioning the others to remain silent. She quietly set up a silencing spell around me, allowing the girls nearby to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Sister Yi Rui, what's happening with Sister Xiao Han?"
"Xiao Han is thinking. Don't disturb her. If she figures it out, it will be a massive boost to our experiment," Yi Rui said.
"Then... what should we do now?"
"Go back to studying the Academy Dean's thesis. We should at least reach a level where we can actually be of help to her," Yi Rui commanded.
Yi Rui held significant influence among the group, and at her word, everyone immediately complied.
Meanwhile, I sank my mind into my consciousness, relying on Self-Awakened Body Cultivation to perceive the Self-Generated Mana. If the theory was correct—that both were "uses" or "expressions" of the Life Essence—then the two were likely... no, definitely related!
And what was the bond connecting them?
The ritual. Back then, when I was just a hair's breadth away, I had followed a "feeling" derived from the Mana Source construction technique and realized a certain ritual.
At the time, I didn't understand what that ritual represented, but I knew it had unveiled the mystery of Self-Generated Mana for me.
I decided to re-enact that process in my mind. I did this to observe what I had missed from my current perspective.
I still remembered that ritual—countless composite runes unfolding to build the framework.
I also utilized the reincarnation spell to detach myself from my original shell, making the experience more direct and closer to the original scene.
In that moment, I felt as if something bloomed from the depths of my soul. A mysterious thought allowed me to clearly perceive... what Self-Awakened Body Cultivation truly was.
I had intended to investigate Self-Generated Mana, yet I perceived Self-Awakened Body Cultivation instead. But I quickly understood why... because Self-Awakened Body Cultivation was my pathway to perceiving Self-Generated Mana!
I had never so directly witnessed this manifestation of power upon the Life Essence. I even saw the Mana Sources anchored upon my Life Essence, built atop the foundation of Self-Generated Mana.
Yes! The Mana Sources... they weren't in my physical body; they were structured upon the Life Essence of my soul!
And these Mana Sources "displayed" the existence of Self-Generated Mana in a unique way.
After all, Mana Sources aren't physical entities. I knew they were closely related to Self-Generated Mana, but I had never truly paid attention to this before...
However, the relationship between Self-Generated Mana and Self-Awakened Body Cultivation left me baffled.
Theoretically, if Self-Generated Mana was created because of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation, then it should be structured on top of it. I could verify the link between them, yet if I set aside the Body Cultivation... the Self-Generated Mana could still exist independently!
This relationship was like... a Prototype Spell and its derived spells. The derived spell is built upon the prototype, yet it can exist on its own.
As expected... Self-Generated Mana is related to Body Cultivation!
But if Self-Generated Mana is essentially linked to Body Cultivation... Witches don't exactly look like they follow the path of Body Cultivators... So...
Witchification!
The concept suddenly flashed into my mind. "Witchification" itself seemed to be an alternative derivation of the Body Cultivation path belonging specifically to Witches!
Just as different races have different paths of Body Cultivation, Witches have their own!
This explained why powerful Witches didn't have weak physical constitutions or strength.
It was just that this "Witchification Body Cultivation" path was built upon the foundation of the Witch transformation. It leaned toward racial conversion; once the conversion was complete, it focused on the natural formation of Self-Generated Mana after ascending to the Transcendent level, with physical strength being the final, minor enhancement.
In this moment, I felt as if I had glimpsed the profound heritage hidden beneath the Witch race and its academic subjects!
Even if a Witch was a complete slacker, as long as she became a Witch, she would be a terrifying combatant—even if she was a fool who walked the path of Body Cultivation without knowing it, used spellbooks without understanding them, and utilized Mana Sources without knowing how to cultivate.
Because this Witch system... it forcibly dragged the "lower limit" of a Witch up to such an incredible height!
If I were any other Transcendent race... and I learned this truth, I would have to exclaim: "The Transcendent Witches... are truly terrifying!"
Having realized this, I felt my entire being relax. Once the concept was clear, everything else could be understood by following this established framework.
For instance, how to generate Self-Generated Mana... while I didn't fully understand the "how" yet, I now had a clear line of thought. I was no longer groping in the dark.
But as I pondered the technique for generating mana, my attention was drawn to a certain "thing." This thing was peculiar; it seemed related to both Self-Awakened Body Cultivation and Self-Generated Mana—these two abilities derived from the Life Essence.
It was strange. It felt as if the combination of the two had "birthed" it, yet it wasn't a rune.
I returned to my own body, then reached out, attempting to construct its "form" using runes. But there was no effect. There was no feedback, no resonance, none of the usual effects of a rune...
Wait!
No feedback?
Resembles a rune?
No effect at all?!