Chapter 729: Going to Divide the Loot... No, to Collect Mental Damages
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 729: Going to Divide the Loot... No, to Collect Mental Damages
Once people were scrambling to take the lead, everything else naturally became much more convenient.
For the next few days, we remained in this state of constant busyness. Most of our time was actually spent guiding the new students through the registration procedures and such.
If we encountered those with particularly strong resistance, it was actually easier—we’d just knock them out with a Sleep Spell combo, toss them into their dorms, and leave a message with the basic information. That was usually enough.
However, as my movements became more frequent, my figure began to appear in the eyes of more people.
After all, "abducting" people wasn't always a guaranteed success; sometimes, we had to snatch them right out of the hands of other academies.
As of now, the application period hadn't ended yet and would continue for several more days. In fact, the peak of the recruitment war would only truly begin once the various academies' support information was released.
But the students being snatched at this stage... were all high-quality candidates already scouted and reserved by other academies.
Yet, compared to those students, the other academies were clearly more concerned about... whether I was dead or alive.
A person who had supposedly died in the past was now standing vividly before them, competing for freshmen.
This was clearly not right!
The ones who were truly losing their minds upon learning I was alive and well were the high-level transcendents of the various transcendent academies.
They had already prepared to put the whole incident behind them. During this period, they had actively cooperated to minimize the impact, paying compensation, offering apologies, making concessions, and basically playing the submissive role... and this was the result?
How could they not have a total meltdown?!
The benefits had been given, everything had been handed over, and now you’re telling us that person didn't even die? Then what was the point of all that eager compensation?
Upon hearing the news, the various academies clamored for an explanation. After all, they would normally be heartbroken to part with such compensation!
Now that these resources had been given away for nothing, no one was willing to let it go.
But Witches... once something landed in their hands, those people had no right to ask for it back. No matter how much they kicked and screamed, it was useless.
If they wanted to talk logic... they didn't have a leg to stand on in the first place.
So, they were forced to swallow this bitter pill. At most, they would just "red-line" with rage and jump around for a while.
Causing trouble for yourself only to be played by others and then throwing a tantrum—if that isn't the definition of a clown, what is?
However, this level of inter-academy maneuvering had nothing to do with me for the moment.
As Yi Rui and the others gathered enough data, we gained some insights and formed hypotheses regarding the "First Witchification" trait of the Mana Sources.
The value didn't lie in the technique itself, but in the inspiration it could provide us.
We weren't planning to follow the old path of Witchified Body Cultivation, but rather a completely new one. We needed to draw references, certainly, but we couldn't just copy it blindly.
* * *
Inside the laboratory.
I held the experimental plan for the current Mana Source Body Cultivation method, watching the girls who were currently testing it.
They were using the Incubation Rebirth Spell as a foundation to attempt a synchronization with a Mana Source.
Mentor Belica and the others had produced five Incubation Rebirth Spellbooks for us, which meant we could conduct five experiments simultaneously.
The current Incubation Rebirth Spellbooks had already integrated the inspiration gained from the Mana Sources, along with the insights I had obtained from the Self-Awakened Body Cultivation Totem—an Original Rune Ritual framework expressed through runes.
It was already on the verge of a non-standard Sequence Derivation. One could clearly see that the effect of this Resurrection Spell was beginning to show a distinct path of divergence from my own Reincarnation.
This "incubation" wasn't a biological incubation of flesh, nor was it like the flesh-incubation of Abyssal Demons.
Combined with the concept of First Witchification from the Mana Source, the current incubation was trending toward a Spell Light Cocoon.
It was a sustained "resurrection state."
In this state, it was possible to intervene at the level of a life's essence.
Namely, the Soul Essence.
The Soul and Soul Essence are both the essence of life; one is a metamorphosed form, while the other is the original form birthed by the world.
Being able to intervene in the essence of life meant that the Mana Source Body Cultivation method was basically halfway to success.
We only needed to use Incubation Rebirth to rewrite or evolve a person's life essence, transforming their external physical body into a constitution compatible with a Mana Source. Once that was done, the Mana Source Body Cultivation method would have cleared its first major hurdle.
However, this adaptation still couldn't reach the level of Self-Generated Mana, where the body itself carries the Mana Source.
It still relied on Ley Line Shackles to facilitate the bearing, so the upper limit of ten thousand Mana Sources could not yet be eliminated.
The final goal of this Incubation Rebirth modification was... to construct a complete channel of connection between the Mana Source and one's own life essence.
Then, using that connection with the Mana Source as a base, and adding the Original Rune Ritual I had parsed from the Self-Generated Mana talent...
Only then could a person's life essence be modified into a state of Self-Generated Mana.
So, essentially, it was about finding a way to subtly influence the life essence. Through these external, controllable means, we would architecture Self-Generated Mana onto the life essence itself. Then, this capability built into the life essence would reflect back onto the physical body's talents.
Self-Generated Mana is a constitution—a talented physique that births mana.
But its root is the "life essence," which is a capability of the "Soul Essence." Therefore, if you want to possess it, changing the body is just treating the symptoms; modifying the life essence is the cure.
And the capability of Self-Generated Mana is built upon Self-Awakened Body Cultivation. Its source is Body Cultivation, so a brand-new Body Cultivation model is the foundation for birthing Self-Generated Mana.
At least for now, I haven't found a second path. Even if I did, I wouldn't try it. I won't attempt anything else until I succeed on the path of Body Cultivation; focusing on one thing is the shortcut to success.
Once laid out like this, everything became very clear, and the tasks became simple.
As for why no Transcendent Witch had achieved this?
It was because the most critical step—finding the method of its birth from within Self-Generated Mana—was something no Witch could currently do.
To achieve this, those Transcendent Witches would need to discard the Self-Generated Mana they "automatically" obtained upon ascending to Transcendent status and rely on their own ability to birth the Self-Generated Mana talent again. If they couldn't do that, they couldn't understand how it was born.
Another reason I was better suited to study it than any other Witch was... I still had the Totem!
This wasn't just a Totem for Self-Generated Mana; it was a composite Totem of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation and Self-Generated Mana.
With a complete system of "Root" and "Architecture," who was better suited to study it than me?
I could confidently say that, aside from those Great Witches—the Truth Witches who originally created Self-Generated Mana—there was basically no one else.
Just as I was about to write down new inspirations and ideas for the derivative works of the Incubation Rebirth Spellbook based on the current experimental stage, my Tree of Great Knowledge received a message. I was forced to stop what I was doing.
As a spell projection manifested, Dean Mei's communication image appeared in the lab.
Following the commotion on my end, many people cast curious glances, but upon seeing the Dean's figure, they instinctively stopped what they were doing.
After all... this was the Dean!
"Sister Mei, is something the matter?"
"Oh~ still in the lab?"
Dean Mei looked around. From her perspective, she could see my surroundings. I could see hers too, but since I was in the lab, I had set the display to only show the caller and a small portion of the surrounding reality—about the size of a person, following my movements.
"Have you achieved any results?"
"Ah~ as for results, not yet. This isn't like the previous research; the difficulty has taken quite a leap."
"As expected. But there's no need to rush," Dean Mei comforted. She knew very well that the current research was indeed a massive jump compared to before.
Previously, the hardest thing Xiao Han researched was a Great Spellbook. If you gave a Witch a few hundred or a thousand years, they could probably figure that out. What Xiao Han was working on now was a field that no Witch had ever managed to crack. The jump was indeed significant...
"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry. You won't get results if you can't keep your cool."
"I'm glad you can maintain that mindset," Dean Mei said with a smile.
She was actually afraid Xiao Han would say he already had results. If Xiao Han produced results that quickly... then the Witches in the Experimental Zone might as well stop working on their own projects and just become Xiao Han's assistants. That would be a much more promising career path!
"So, Sister Mei, why did you contact me? Or has the fact that I'm exposed as being alive caused some major incident again?" I asked worriedly. If I was causing trouble, that wouldn't be good.
But then again, I wasn't the mastermind behind this... Dean Mei and the others were involved too.
"Those are all trivial matters, Xiao Han, don't worry. Just treat it like listening to dogs barking," Dean Mei said dismissively. Those so-called protests were meaningless. All truth was written upon absolute strength, and if absolute strength was combined with being in the right, being "unforgiving" was the least they could do.
"That's good then. I don't really like the current atmosphere on the Academy Network, so I don't pay much attention to the trending topics. Besides, I have a lot of real work to do."
"Just keep your own pace. But contacting you so suddenly—I'm not interrupting, am I? Do you have some free time?"
"Of course I do!" I said.
Unless it was a very critical moment—like when I was perfecting the spellbooks back then—I was available at any time.
If I truly didn't have time, you literally wouldn't be able to reach me by any means. That wasn't an exaggeration.
I wasn't afraid of having my inspiration interrupted because I had the Tree of Great Knowledge. The synchronization of memory and knowledge allowed me to quickly re-enter that state. Furthermore, the power of Body Cultivation allowed me to enter an optimal physical state at any time, such as "Unity of Knowledge and Action" or "Mind Like Still Water." I used to have a "Unity of Knowledge and Action" spellbook, but it had been derived and nearly integrated into my Body Cultivation instincts.
However, when it came to inspiration, it was naturally best if it wasn't interrupted. That state of spontaneous inspiration flowing from one's self and consciousness was far more perfect than any state achieved through self-regulation.
"Just curious, Sister Mei, what is this about?"
"To come and collect the benefits I extorted from the other academies, of course," Dean Mei said with a laugh.
"Oh! Dividing the loot!" I understood instantly.
"Dividing the loot sounds so unpleasant! This is the compensation they offered; it's your mental damages!" Dean Mei corrected. "Come to my office for a bit. The items are quite nice, but I'll keep you in suspense for now."
"Eh? Alright then..."
I didn't press further. Everyone understood the concept of not flaunting wealth. Although everyone in the lab was a friend, no one wanted things to get awkward because of some treasures.
After all, when the stakes are high enough, there are always people who will do anything.
After hanging up with Dean Mei, many people in the lab came over. This was the first time they had seen this side of the Dean; it was quite an eye-opener.
"Um, you all saw that, so I'll have to excuse myself for a moment. Please keep an eye on the Incubation Rebirth experiments. Contact me immediately if anything goes wrong." I quickly handed over my current tasks. "Also, regarding the derivative paths for the Incubation Rebirth Spellbook, I've put forward some ideas. You can take a look or give them a try."
"Don't worry, Sister Xiao Han~ we've got it covered~"
"Yeah, yeah, Sister Xiao Han, go quickly and get your mental damages~"
"I'm off then~" I said goodbye to everyone with a smile and then left.
Once I was gone, the girls in the lab finally started the conversation they hadn't felt comfortable having earlier.
"Wow... I knew it. This was definitely a trap set by the Dean. I guessed right!"
"Obviously~ how could Sister Xiao Han die so easily? But looking back, the Dean's acting was really on point."
"I didn't expect Dean Mei to be so close to Sister Xiao Han. If I ran into the Dean, I wouldn't even dare to speak."
"See~ that's the difference! When you speak, it's 'Her Excellency the Dean,' but Sister Xiao Han calls her 'Sister Mei'! You need to be a bit more charming, okay?"
After a bit of gossip and chatting to liven the mood, they dove back into their research.
They weren't the type to forget where they were. In a laboratory setting, serious work came first. Moreover, their mentors were also here conducting their own projects and research; being too idle would lead to a lecture.
"Give me a copy of the annotations Xiao Han left."
"I want one too."
"Forget it, I'll go print a few copies for everyone."
"Wait... can't you just upload them to the Great Knowledge Seed and share them with us?"
"Oh, right! Sorry... I've lost my head..."