Chapter 715: The Aftermath of "Death"
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 715: The Aftermath of "Death"
After a thorough explanation, I finally gained a rough understanding of what had transpired during that brief period.
While I was being briefed, Dean Mei also explained some of my research into the Great Soul Subject and the ability known as Soul Dream to the other witch sisters.
In truth, every witch touches upon the Great Soul Subject after ascending to the Transcendent level, transforming their life essence into a soul and thereby obtaining a soul blessing.
However, not every witch conducts deep research into the soul. For most, a blessing like Soul Dream is merely an extra layer of insurance. It serves as a means to avoid total death by instinctively retreating into the dream space of one's Soul Dwelling after the physical body perishes.
At present, my utilization of Soul Dream remains at this basic level.
I’ve heard that this blessing creates a dream space under one's absolute domination, similar to a lucid dream. If one’s mastery of the Great Soul Subject is profound enough, that space can perfectly simulate the real world—and the witch becomes the omnipotent god of that world!
While not omniscient, it is a form of pseudo-omnipotence; as long as you can imagine it within the dream, you can make it happen.
However, we didn't dwell on that topic for long.
"So... the Witch Academy is undergoing a massive purge?" I asked, somewhat surprised by Dean Mei’s account.
I hadn't expected that my "death" would result in so many teaching assistants being ousted and so many students being expelled. The only mercy the Witch Academy showed them was letting them keep their lives.
"Of course. Why keep those sorts around?" one of the witch sisters present remarked. She was one of the witches who had dismissed her own assistants.
While a teaching assistant position represents a witch’s favor toward a student, people change. Their abilities, however, do not. Many witches value their assistants primarily for their utility; having someone familiar around to handle chores is convenient, and after spending so much time together, the assistants learn how to please them. Naturally, they are kept around.
It was only now that I realized just how much "filler" there was in the assistant circles. In the end, perhaps the only impressive thing about them was the halos they carried.
"If they’re useful, you keep them. But if they commit a fundamental error and become an eyesore, they have to go~"
The witches used such words to describe the nature of those assistants. However, not every assistant in the Witch Academy was like that. For instance, Yi Rui and her group were quite different. They were the type who never forgot their original intentions and were genuinely held in high regard.
Such assistants weren't just helpers for Transcendent mentors; their bond was closer than the typical mentor-student relationship chosen in the fourth year.
With the conclusion of the joint exam, the semester had also come to an end. This meant the students were heading into a brand-new vacation!
But before the break officially began, the Witch Academy conducted its purge, issuing school-wide announcements. This was likely the most frequent period of notifications in the Academy's history. Expulsions, revocations of assistant status, public lists of names...
I browsed through these announcements on the Academy Network via the Tree of Great Knowledge while Dean Mei spoke. I saw many familiar faces on the lists; I had to admit, their ends were quite pitiable.
However, after searching for a while, I noticed a certain figure was missing from the familiar names.
Where did Liliana go?
Though I hadn't seen much of her during the League Hunting Exam, surely she hadn't been so traumatized by me that she just... disappeared?
But that wasn't a question I needed to ponder deeply.
After this final exam, I had two things to do. One was resuming my research plan on the Perfect Human self-generated mana constitution, which had been forced to a halt by my temporary departure.
The other... well, I had promised Yang Yunhan that I would meet him once the college entrance exam scores were out.
Even now, I hadn't decided whether to bring him into the Witch Academy and change his life forever. The thoughts I’d had before—about letting him experience the hardships within the Academy—were ultimately just thoughts. Now that I had thoroughly moved past those grievances, it all seemed optional.
"By the way, is the score release and application system for the college entrance exams the same as last year?" I asked.
I remembered that back then, vacation started right after the exams. It was a very long break. For many kids, the period before the scores came out was the happiest time of their lives. Once the scores were released, they were at the mercy of fate.
"Roughly the same. Xiao Han, why the sudden interest?" Many of the witches here hadn't followed the recent gossip, so they didn't know what I was planning.
But some had guessed.
"Xiao Han, are you worried about that brother of yours?"
"What? Xiao Han has a brother?" This time, it was the uninformed witches' turn to be shocked.
Witches habitually connected the dots. Their surprise stemmed from a simple logic: if Xiao Han was such a genius, wouldn't her brother be similar? At the very least, he should be a minor genius, right?
After all, in the common perception of the Transcendent world, bloodlines were a powerful link. Transcendent bloodlines, talents, and aptitudes were often inherited. Even among siblings, if one child was a genius, the other wouldn't be far behind.
"Xiao Han, do you want to kidnap your brother into the Witch Academy? I think being sisters would be wonderful!"
"Xiao Han used to be a boy, too, right? Doesn't that mean your brother has great potential to become a witch?"
"Alright, why are you all getting so excited? Didn't you follow the news about Xiao Han that was leaked on the Academy Network a while ago?" A witch who knew the truth stepped in to restrain them before the conversation got any more ridiculous.
"That was leaked on the Academy Network? What happened?"
"Xiao Han and that brother aren't blood-related. How should I put it? It was the fault of Xiao Han's adoptive parents."
"Eh?"
The witches' curiosity was piqued. Although the witch who knew the story looked like it was a sensitive topic for Xiao Han, curiosity about the unknown was part of a witch's nature. They quickly filtered the Academy Network and used Great Knowledge Seeds to summarize the events.
After reading, the witches sighed in sympathy.
"It's okay, Xiao Han~ It's all in the past..."
"Mhm, mhm... Is it just me, or did Xiao Han go too easy on those two pieces of trash?"
"I agree. People like that should be sent into the Soul Essence Cycle to be remade."
"Alright, sisters," I quickly interjected to explain. "I didn't bring this up for sympathy. Besides, I've already handled it. I'm just conflicted about whether to 'kidnap' this brother into the Witch Academy."
"Just do it~ Disobedient brothers should be dealt with firmly. He'll be much more obedient once he's a sister."
"Since he's not blood-related... is it really necessary? Is he that important to you, Xiao Han?"
"Don't hesitate, Xiao Han," Dean Mei said, her voice carrying a tone of finality as she stepped forward. "Since you promised to meet him, then go. Many decisions can't be made in the moment. If this question is bothering you, it means it's a knot in your heart. Just don't let yourself have regrets."
"I understand," I nodded.
"By the way, Xiao Han, do you want us to leak word that you have such a brother? We don't need to explain much. I suspect other academies would be more than willing to go mad trying to poach him just because of that connection."
"Huh?" I looked at the Dean in confusion, unsure of what she was getting at.
"Xiao Han, rumors are currently spreading through the Witch Academy that you've fallen. It's even more prevalent in other academies. I think you need a special occasion to reappear before everyone."
"Oh! At the moment everyone is fighting over Xiao Han's brother, Xiao Han makes a grand entrance and crushes them all!" The witches, sensing an opportunity for amusement, caught on instantly.
"This... isn't this a bit too..." I looked at Dean Mei. I hadn't realized she could be so mischievous!
"Don't you like it, Xiao Han?"
"It's not that. It's just... hearing such a suggestion from you, Sister Mei... it's a bit..."
"Incredible?"
"Something like that. But... it's not a bad idea." Seeing the other witch sisters looking eager, I didn't really oppose the plan. In fact, I was starting to feel a bit of anticipation myself.
Yang Yunhan would just have to suffer a little when the time came.
With the decision made, Dean Mei’s clone prepared to depart. She had to attend to her duties as Dean; after all, with such massive movements within the Academy in such a short time, she needed to oversee the big picture.
"There are still a few days before the college entrance exam scores are released and the application website opens. Of course, it will also take a few days for the news about your brother to spread. Xiao Han, what do you plan to do in the meantime?"
"I heard earlier that you were researching self-awakening Body Cultivation. Is that true?" one of the nearby witch sisters chimed in.
"Eh? You heard about that too?" I looked at the remaining sisters in surprise. I didn't recall making that public. Was it Yi Rui and the others? I thought they had only informed their own mentors.
"Of course. I heard it from Belica. She and I are good friends. I heard you two derived a brand-new spell from the Resurrection Spell?"
"It's not exactly a complete derived spell yet."
"Alright, alright~ No need to be modest, Xiao Han. Belica told me they've already started creating the spellbook for that Resurrection derivative. I wonder if they've finished."
"Wait, that fast?"
I was stunned. I hadn't expected Mentor Belica to be so efficient. I knew spellbook creation was tedious; even a simple Fireball spellbook could take days. If they had been working on a Resurrection derivative for ten days or two weeks, that would be normal.
"Of course. Don't underestimate Belica. She's an expert in Real Editing Technology. I actually learned it from her."
"I see. In that case, I was just about to head over and check on things." I didn't know if the news of "my death" had reached Yi Rui and the others. If they thought I was actually dead and the team had disbanded, that would be a disaster.
I bid farewell to Sister Bai and left the villa.
Naturally, I left via teleportation. I didn't want to go parading through the Witch Academy just yet; I might actually scare someone. Besides, Dean Mei had mentioned she was currently visiting other academies to settle scores and squeeze out some benefits. If word leaked here, it would make things difficult for her.
So, I would respect the "fact" that I was currently dead.
* * *
When I materialized in the laboratory Sister Mei had prepared for me, I was immediately met with an authentication prompt.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that this laboratory area didn't allow direct teleportation. Even if you had been inside once and left a teleportation mark, it wouldn't work. The only way in was through identity verification; otherwise, you would be rejected by the space itself.
I recalled the gossip I’d heard when I first came here with Yi Rui—about a senior sister who tried to force her way in and ended up trapped in a Space Maze for an entire week. It was likely something like that.
Fortunately, my credentials were still valid. I had to thank Dean Mei for not going "full method" and deleting my identity.
As soon as I entered, I drew the attention of almost everyone in the room. I happened to lock eyes with them.
"Oh, what a coincidence. You're all here," I said, greeting them with a bit of surprise. I hadn't expected them to be here at this hour. Had they moved in?
"See? I told you Xiao Han was fine. Don't listen to those rumors outside. How could Xiao Han possibly die?" Mentor Belica’s voice broke the silence.
She was the one Yi Rui followed. At the moment, she wasn't the only one there; several other witch mentors were present as well.
"Hi? Sister Belica is here too?" Out of habit, I greeted them casually.
"Sister Xiao Han! Is it really you?"
"Waaa... thank goodness! We thought you really died in the Expansion Realm! The whole Academy Network is going crazy saying you're dead..."
"Alright, alright, I'm fine, aren't I? Don't listen to their nonsense. Rumors about me are always flying around the network. Why do you listen to them?" I quickly comforted the girls who had lunged at me in their excitement.
Yi Rui walked over as well. She looked at me with a clear expression of relief. When she had heard that Xiao Han had been assassinated by a multi-school coalition in the Expansion Realm and that even the Resurrection Spell couldn't bring her back... she felt like her world was ending!
"Xiao Han, welcome back. You've certainly made the headlines again," Yi Rui said. Unlike the others, she didn't have a long speech; her many thoughts were condensed into a single teasing remark.
"Aiya~ Just a bunch of troublemakers looking for a fight. It's all settled now," I said with a smile. Then, I playfully pushed away the girls who were clinging to me as if they were at a funeral. "That's enough, you guys. You're overacting~ Are those real tears? Where are you hiding the eye drops?"
"Wuuu... I'm just expressing my excitement! I really couldn't imagine... if this project lost Sister Xiao Han, we'd just be useless..."
"Don't worry~ You're not useless. How could you be useless?" I comforted them with a grin. "You're very important."
"Really, Sister Xiao Han...?"
"Yes~ You're very important lab rats!"
"That feels even more useless!"
"Hey, don't underestimate the contribution lab rats make to science!"