Chapter 739: The Mana Source Body Cultivation Method Nearing a Breakthrough
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 739: The Mana Source Body Cultivation Method Nearing a Breakthrough
With the final procedures of the application system concluded, the various academies began sending out admission letters to their prospective students.
The annual "war for talent" had only just reached its climax.
However, not everyone was worth the effort of a recruitment war between Transcendent academies. Most people would simply spend a pleasant, uneventful holiday at home before heading to their respective academies according to the scheduled registration dates.
The thrilling, story-filled battles for top-tier freshmen and the dramatic, high-stakes enrollment processes were privileges reserved only for geniuses.
In this environment, the Witch Academy was also making significant moves.
Taking advantage of the break, the academy prepared to renovate certain areas, specifically the open-air arena. This was the largest arena, located closest to the heart of the Witch Academy.
This arena had been the stage for countless displays of passion and grit, bearing witness to many victories, defeats, and even life-and-death struggles. It had hosted a multitude of tournaments.
In the past, however, this open-air arena was used only for internal academy events. Everything had changed since last year; it had begun to integrate with other academies. Thus, the arena held immense commemorative value.
The academy announced that this arena would undergo a massive expansion. It would no longer just be a venue for student competitions, but also the planting site for the very first "Omni-Link Main Network Tree" in the Core World of the Main World!
From then on, the coverage of the "Power Network" would no longer be limited to the Expansion Realm; it would gradually unfold within the Witch Academy itself.
It was important to note that the space occupied by the Witch Academy was an extra-dimensional space isolated by a Curtain Wall. Therefore, the root network of this Omni-Link Main Network Tree would only spread within the academy. The moment one left the academy, the Power Network would disconnect, effectively keeping Transcendent power isolated within the school grounds.
The release of this announcement immediately sparked widespread discussion. Some were delighted, while others were troubled.
What was certain, however, was that the arena was about to undergo an unprecedented revolution: competition between forces of absolute fairness!
Even though the arena had not yet announced a battle mode related to the Power Network, many students believed it wouldn't be long before such an option became available.
The deep waters of the Witch Academy had once been a murky mix of "dragons and fish," but now that the water was being drained, it would be immediately obvious who hadn't been wearing any panties.
Those who had used their spellbooks as a fig leaf to hide their true lack of strength would finally have their real faces revealed before this mirror.
In fact, when the format for the final joint exam's hunting phase was revealed last semester, many had already predicted this trend. However, few expected the Witch Academy to move so quickly.
Furthermore, they were unaware that the iterations of the Power Network were evolving even faster than they could imagine.
* * *
At that moment, I was in the laboratory, listening to the girls gossiping about the Power Network.
It wasn't surprising that they were paying attention. Although they didn't care much for actual combat and rarely visited the arena, they were interested in something else: the preview of the "Spell DIY Mode" on the Power Network.
As a group of scholar-type teaching assistants and students specializing in rune studies, spell analysis, framework construction, and ritual composition, they were naturally drawn to such things.
The spell skills on the Power Network were built on actual spell architectures. One could say it was a platform for modular spell creation, similar to a spellbook! It was a simplified platform that was much easier to pick up than the spellbook derivation platforms.
I had actually conceived of this idea back in the day, though at the time, I was thinking of opening a free spell-creation mode for the people in the Expansion Realm.
But now, with the Omni-Link Main Network Tree laboratory established, the mentors there had taken my immature idea and realized it in a much more refined way!
Moreover, this was exactly the kind of mode the mentors hoped to see.
If students became interested in creating their own spells on the Power Network, it would cultivate the "spell derivation mindset" necessary for them to eventually transition to using spellbooks as a platform!
For preparatory witch students who were not yet Transcendent Witches, the barrier to entry for spellbooks was simply too high.
Only truly talented students could reach that threshold. It even required a certain level of mastery over their Spirit Vision. Spirit Vision was one of the few shortcuts that could help them; otherwise, why were spellbook modifications and derivations so rare?
Was it really because they didn't work hard enough?
It was simply that, compared to those steep requirements, "giving up" often seemed more cost-effective.
However, with the intervention of the Power Network, this paradigm would slowly change. No one could guarantee the change would be entirely positive, but the witches could only keep trial-and-error testing and making corrections.
Under these circumstances, this trend was beneficial for Yi Rui and her group. It was the way of the future. Naturally, the girls in the lab were following these developments closely.
I, however, knew even more about the Omni-Link Main Network Tree.
For instance... the Power Network of the Omni-Link Main Network Tree in the Witch Academy was still structured upon my domain order.
But because I had "died" once, many witches realized something: it was far too risky to have something so important structured solely upon my power.
It wasn't that they were wishing for my death, but rather that I hadn't yet ascended to Transcendent status and was being targeted by several Transcendent races. It was simply too dangerous.
And... even if I did become a Transcendent, it didn't mean I was immortal. Therefore, the Power Network's model could not rely on a single source.
However, through the cooperation between the Omni-Link Main Network Tree laboratory and my clones, the issue with the Power Network had largely been resolved.
After all, the foundational architecture of the Power Network—the "Omni-Link Main Network Tree"—was a derivative technique of a Great Spellbook. Not only were the effects of a Great Spellbook permanent, but the products of its derivative techniques were also unaffected by the continued existence of the Great Spellbook itself.
The only issue was that the architecture of the Power Network was built upon the order of my domain.
This was its bottom-layer framework. Changing it would be difficult, and without the order of my "Power of Knowledge," other domain orders would find it hard to fit the Power Network's model.
But there were always more solutions than problems. If a standard domain order wouldn't work, they would try other viable ones. With so many Transcendent Witches in the academy, there were bound to be some who had reached the Saint Realm and could provide a compatible order.
The final conclusion was that while a replacement could be found, the original Power Network framework would need to be restructured after the switch.
Essentially, some existing spells and skills would need to be recalibrated to adapt to the new Power Network order.
While this result was somewhat less than ideal, it served as a safety net. This was the significance of mastering a technique: you might not use it, but you had to have it.
Ultimately, I wasn't dead yet, was I?
Many witches felt that dwelling too much on this issue was akin to cursing me to die, so they tacitly stopped mentioning it.
Mastering the "Power Network Order Replacement Technique" was simply an answer to that "what if." Now that the answer existed, the focus shifted to ensuring that "what if" never happened.
Some techniques are destined from their inception to be things people pray they never have to use. Just like this one.
* * *
I was currently at the laboratory.
I was actually in the middle of practicing my body arts. Over the past few days, I had completed the resonance for the martial rune of the offensive technique "Sky Opening Break," but that was only one-ninth of the way there.
Combining this martial rune with the one from the Ritual War Dance, I had developed some of my own insights into Body Cultivation, though I was still largely in the dark.
My presence at the lab was for the periodic reception of Yi Rui and the others' experimental reports.
Although I had confidently handed the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method over to them, it didn't mean I wasn't curious about their progress and ideas.
After all, the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method represented so much—including the body modification techniques for the First Witchification and the derivation of the Incubation Rebirth spellbook.
According to their current progress, the Incubation Rebirth spellbook had been constantly integrated with other techniques, evolving into something entirely different in their hands.
One could barely even see the framework of the original Incubation Rebirth spell anymore.
To put it another way, it had evolved into a Resurrection Spell of a completely different derivative system; they just hadn't changed the name yet.
They were waiting. They were waiting for the first Mana Source to successfully prove the "Mana Source Body Cultivation Method" before officially renaming this derived Resurrection Spellbook.
They would then begin a series of streamlining processes.
Even I could see that through constant experimentation and derivation, the spellbook's structure had become bloated. It no longer possessed the streamlined architecture and rune rituals of a perfect spellbook.
If this continued, the spellbook would eventually break. The fact that it hadn't collapsed despite being modified to such an extent was a testament to Yi Rui and the others' profound mastery of spell derivation.
"Sister Xiao Han~ Sister Xiao Han~ How is it? Our results are pretty good, right?" At that moment, a girl leaned in and handed over a Shared Rune. It was a supplementary file recording their experimental data and a detailed explanation of their recent achievements.
"Indeed. It feels like success isn't far off," I said, surprised by the information presented.
If they continued at this pace, it wouldn't be long before they broke through the first stage of the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method: completing active Body Cultivation using a single Mana Source.
Currently, we had roughly categorized the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method into five stages. The first stage was the breakthrough from zero to one, which was the most critical. Once the first was completed, there could be a second, a third, even a tenth...
Our stage divisions followed a tenfold increase in quantity. This wasn't the final result, but a temporary one for the current phase.
Because we had set the upper limit at ten thousand Mana Sources, this division only reached the fifth stage.
By the fifth stage, one would need to complete the fundamental architecture for self-generated mana.
Thus, the pressure had now shifted to me.
They could see hope now; all that remained was to follow the steps to reach success.
As for me... I was still in the "understanding" phase, unable to see the finish line. Or rather, even if I saw the possibility of success, it was perhaps a "hope" that only I could see, while they could only choose to "believe" in me.
"That's right~ Sister Xiao Han, can you come to the lab in a few days? We want you to witness this historic moment with us!"
"Sure, I'll be there," I nodded, not wanting to dampen their spirits.
Although I knew success was inevitable, this project had consumed a vast amount of their energy. What they were doing now was far more complex than the projects they would normally handle under their own mentors.
A milestone success naturally deserved a grand sense of ceremony to celebrate.
I had to admit, looking at these experimental records, I could feel their way of thinking, and it sparked some unique ideas when clashing with my own thoughts.
Carrying the experimental data, I bid them a brief farewell and left under their reluctant gazes.
Though they wanted to prove themselves, having a leader always provided a sense of security. However, they were rational and knew I was under a lot of pressure, so they didn't try to make me stay too long.
But... after leaving the experimental zone, I didn't immediately head to the body cultivation room to continue my martial arts attempts.
Instead, I chose to go to the teleportation hall that led to the Expansion Realm.
After the Witch Academy issued the order to fulfill the contracts and hand over control to the forces in the Expansion Realm, this place had become deserted. At the very least, the number of people coming and going had dwindled significantly.
Some people had hoped to make one last profit during the final days of the holiday, but clearly, their hopes had been dashed.
The people in the Expansion Realm weren't fools. There were many people there, and the number of people sent by the Transcendent academies was ultimately limited.
Once the locals learned of the decisions made by the "upper management" of the Transcendent academies, they began to play their own cards.
After all, the academies had established interest groups there, cultivating merchants or, rather, exploitative capitalists. Their profit-driven nature meant they wouldn't consider the debt of gratitude for rebuilding their civilization.
Even if the students wanted to keep meddling, how could they? If the locals just dragged their feet, the students only had a few months of vacation left.
The civilization in the Expansion Realm was broken, but its knowledge hadn't been lost. Their collapse and reconstruction had only lasted a semester. Among those who could rise again in such a climate, who didn't have a bit of courage and ambition?
Of course, the main factor was the intervention of the City Lord of Ninglan New City.
Ninglan Qiuyue.
This girl, who was both a City Lord and a student of the Witch Academy, had gradually completed her metamorphosis in "obscurity" this semester.
However, I hadn't come to the teleportation hall to go to the Expansion Realm for business.
I was here... to welcome my clones.
Those clones spread across the Expansion Realm, all bearing my appearance—their mission was over.
I didn't intend to leave them in the Expansion Realm. I would only leave behind the beast-type clones and those who didn't share my face. Those clones would gradually influence the development of the Expansion Realm until it matched my expectations.
As for these clones who looked exactly like me... when they gathered in Ninglan Plaza, they formed a striking and beautiful sight that startled many onlookers.
Now, these clones were returning to the Witch Academy in an orderly line.
As for how to arrange them...
The academy could accept strange creatures from the Witch Secret Realms wandering around, and even a Spirit of Fool's Dream could find a job at a witch cat cafe.
With so many extra clones that looked exactly like me, there was no reason they wouldn't be allowed.