Chapter 742: Only Through Success Can One Examine the Meaning of Failure
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 742: Only Through Success Can One Examine the Meaning of Failure
The celebration lasted a long time, stretching nearly until dawn, so we had no choice but to arrange for everyone to stay at the hotel nearby.
It was a good thing I’d declared the next day a holiday. Otherwise, given the state they were in, hardly any of them would have been able to crawl out of bed on time the next morning.
It seemed the pressure had simply been too high.
After all, they were the type to use their own bodies as experimental subjects every other week. Most people wouldn't have that kind of nerve.
After settling them in for the night, I followed Sister Bai back home. Since I had the day off, even I felt a bit sluggish. However, I didn't let myself go quite as much as they did; at most, I engaged in an in-depth exchange with Sister Bai on the bed regarding the wondrous uses of flexible fingers.
* * *
The next day.
After completing my sessions of the Witch Meditation Method, the Enlightenment Meditation Art, and the Realm Heart Enlightenment, another beautiful day began.
It was currently late morning, approaching noon.
This was unavoidable. We had gone to sleep late, I’d spent some time lounging in bed after waking up, and then I’d performed my three routine cultivation methods. Even with a minimum of thirty minutes for each, that was over an hour and a half right there.
After eating the special breakfast Sister Bai had prepared for me, I prepared to head out.
"Bye, Sister Bai! I won't be back for lunch~" I said, turning back to smile at her as I opened the door.
"Xiao Han, you still need to make sure you eat regularly," Sister Bai advised, though she didn't press the issue. Bai Yu knew that with Xiao Han’s teleportation spells, coming back to eat wasn't actually a problem. If he wasn't coming back, he was either ordering delivery or... he was just too busy to eat.
"I know, I know~ I'm heading to the lab now. You can come over if you're free, Sister Bai, though there probably won't be many people there today," I said.
After saying goodbye to Sister Bai, I arrived at my laboratory once again.
Although Mentor Belica and the others had also been invited to the celebration, it was clear that yesterday's meal hadn't slowed the research progress of the Transcendent Witches.
As soon as I arrived, I saw their busy figures gathered in the area specifically partitioned for them. After greeting them to let them know I was there, I headed over to our experimental zone.
"Oh? Yi Rui? I didn't expect to see you in the lab. I thought I said today was a holiday." I looked at the figure inside the room.
It gave me the illusion of trying to sneak in some extra work, only to find that someone else was already on the grind.
"But aren't you here as well?" Yi Rui countered with a smile.
"Ah, well... I am the head of the project, after all~" I scratched my head and laughed. "With such a major experimental success, I naturally had to come back to double-check the records and the process."
And that was indeed what I was thinking.
Cen Tan's success was certainly worth celebrating, as it opened up the future prospects for the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method.
But success was just success. It was only Cen Tan's individual success. We had to rely on her experience to find the secrets and patterns that would allow others to succeed as well.
Of course, that was the worst-case scenario. If things went perfectly, the method would prove to be universal.
"Is that so? But if you're just organizing data, it might not be that useful, right? Actually, I came here today mainly to try it myself. I want to see if I can succeed, to provide more consistent data so that everyone else can succeed later."
"I'll assist you, then," I said, nodding in acknowledgment of Yi Rui's persistence.
Whether it would work or not required constant practice to find the answer. I had originally thought we wouldn't start experiments again until tomorrow, which is why I’d planned to spend today fully digesting the theoretical side so I wouldn't waste time thinking tomorrow.
But Yi Rui's appearance immediately moved several of my pre-conceived plans forward.
"Thank you. It's an honor to have you personally assist me, Xiao Han," Yi Rui said with a smile.
She looked at me, then at the clones following behind me.
In Yi Rui's eyes, Xiao Han alone was practically an entire research team!
However, she wasn't discouraged. They were a team too, weren't they?
Yi Rui and I tidied up the lab a bit, then began the preparations for the experiment, as well as setting up protective measures for any potential emergencies.
I picked up the "Experimental Incubation Rebirth Spellbook" that was being held nearby... No, it didn't go by that name anymore.
"Witchified Remolding Metamorphic Art... what do you think of that name?" Yi Rui asked.
The name had been brainstormed by everyone yesterday, fueled by the alcohol, the atmosphere, and the emotions of the moment.
It wasn't that the name was particularly sophisticated, but it was what we had settled on after a long discussion.
Actually, the suffix was the first thing we decided.
The spell we had derived had actually moved beyond the scope of a Resurrection Spell. It was no longer necessarily for the dead, but for the living.
Turning a living person into a different form—how could you call that a Resurrection Spell?
So, we defined the suffix as "Metamorphic Art."
It was a method that used special techniques, much like an insect's metamorphosis, to interfere with the essence of life and thoroughly remodel a person's "constitution."
However, this remodeling had its limits. It couldn't become a direct channel for altering the essence of life in one step; otherwise, I could have used this method to directly structure self-generated mana onto the soul essence itself.
But this was, in the end, just a spell.
Permanently interfering with the essence of life to affect a person's constitution was its limit. To go any further... only a Great Spellbook with eternal spell effects could likely achieve that.
As for the prefix, "Witchified" was taken from the technique used during the first Witchification of a Mana Source to remold the body.
And that was a crucial link.
The consumption required to cast this spell wasn't just mana, but a Mana Source!
We had currently successfully broken the limit of a single mana source. This meant that the caster not only had to maintain the mana cost of the spell but also had to consume an additional Mana Source. However, that level of consumption was nothing to me now.
After all, I had already mastered the technique for condensing Mana Sources.
Furthermore, this "consumption" was essentially a form of usage; we hadn't reached the point of actually destroying the Mana Source yet.
The "Witchified Remolding Metamorphic Art" simply used a Mana Source as a casting material. Even if it failed, the Mana Source would still exist.
And if it succeeded, the Mana Source would establish an initial relationship with the recipient. The Mana Source would simply be linked to the self in a different way.
After briefly reflecting on the birth of the name, Yi Rui and I had nearly finished all the pre-experimental preparations.
Both Yi Rui and I picked up a spellbook. Every experiment was essentially a process of autonomous casting. The people on the outside were responsible for recording the data and communicating the subject's condition via the [Transcendent Knowledge] Fragments and the Great Knowledge Sharing Spell.
Since we had plenty of spellbooks now, I took one as well, just in case of an accident.
Once I incorporated the spellbook into my internal Myriad Methods Bookshelf, I fully felt the "bloated" nature of this Metamorphic Art.
After this experiment with Yi Rui succeeded, it seemed that streamlining these five spellbooks would be a top priority.
This bloated state even slightly hindered my ability to bring out the spellbook's full effects; I would have to be very careful even when using it.
But it was only a slight hindrance. I’d used all sorts of spellbooks before. I had derived bloated spellbooks myself and had blown up plenty of them, so I knew exactly where a spellbook's limits lay.
Soon, after Yi Rui lay down in the experimental pod, her attempt began.
I studied Cen Tan's successful case while analyzing what the key points of success were, all while monitoring Yi Rui's experimental progress.
My clones kept a constant eye on the data from the pod. They would report any anomalies immediately, and if an emergency occurred, they would terminate the experiment instantly.
After all, if the experiment failed, it would result in a total bodily collapse and death at the level of life essence, requiring a Resurrection Spell to remold the body.
But if the experiment was terminated, she would only need emergency medical treatment to recover. There was no need to experience the pain of bodily death.
As a surge of mana enveloped Yi Rui's shell, the most important remodeling process of the entire experiment began. At this stage, it was best to have no external interference; if possible, it was best to let her make the adjustments herself.
I waited, having my clones monitor Yi Rui's status at all times.
Meanwhile, I used this time to test the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method.
Cen Tan's success meant that her body had undergone a metamorphosis—one that allowed it to link directly with a Mana Source. However, this change wasn't yet enough to allow her body to carry the Mana Source itself.
But I could do it.
Therefore, there were no barriers for me to practice the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method, other than potential fundamental errors in the guiding philosophy of the technique.
However, after trying the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method, I quickly discovered a problem: it lacked a method or form for widespread dissemination.
Any ordinary Body Cultivator who didn't rely on Self-Awakened could only reach the realm of Body Cultivation through Body Arts.
Therefore, using a Mana Source to build the foundation was far from enough. It still lacked a type of Body Art that could be used to constantly cultivate and utilize it.
But a Body Art wasn't just an idea you could create on a whim.
Every Body Art was like a spell for a magic practitioner.
A spell required runes, rituals, frameworks, and guiding theories. What about a Body Art?
It was much the same.
It wasn't just about throwing some punches and putting together a few combos.
One could tell from the fact that completing a Body Art allowed one to resonate with a Martial Rune: Body Arts also had strict frameworks. One even evolved Martial Runes within the body; the moves of the Body Art were the "rituals" of the technique.
Runes, rituals, and frameworks—they all existed.
So, what about the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method?
In what way should the Body Arts under this system be created?
It was important to note that the primary purpose of this Body Art wasn't to kill enemies, but to shape self-generated mana. It was like the "Ritual War Dance" I had practiced at the beginning; its boost to combat power wasn't high, but it was a more obvious way to rapidly improve physical fitness.
The Ritual War Dance also gave me a new line of thought. A Body Art could perhaps use alchemy equipment to achieve certain effects. The Ritual War Dance required something like a Body-Refining Ring to show significant results.
So, what about the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method?
Perhaps my thinking didn't need to be so restricted. Alchemy items, potions, or even magic potions—all these techniques seemed viable.
Time passed minute by minute.
Waiting in the laboratory was a very long process.
During this stage, I had already used my self-generated mana to simulate the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method up to ten thousand Mana Sources.
The entire process was very smooth. Ten thousand was their theoretical limit, but for Yi Rui and the others who didn't have self-generated mana yet, this would likely be a very long road. The purpose of my run-through was simply to prove one thing: this path was viable.
However, while practicing the Mana Source Body Cultivation Method, I discovered something else.
I had gained a bit of inspiration for the Body Arts under this system.
Could the Mana Sources also be harnessed by these Body Arts, becoming a means of attack?
That would be an innate advantage!
Don't forget that among the nine branches of the Body Cultivation Secret Classic, there was one specifically for utilizing transcendent energy.
Although I’d said it was somewhat similar to Body Cultivation Internal Energy, its essence was the mastery of transcendent energy.
And a Mana Source was itself a form of transcendent energy!
Furthermore, it was the highest energy level of transcendent energy that a living being in the Void could master. It was hard to imagine how devastating an attack using this energy in a Body Art would be!
Wait... since a Mana Source could "Witchify" non-transcendent life forms, wouldn't that mean this Body Art... would be a one-hit kill every time?
But that seemed like a bit of a waste.
It seemed that after I went back, I could try practicing the "Sky-Breaking Strength" from the Body Cultivation Secret Classic to see exactly how it utilized transcendent energy.
Perhaps it could serve as a reference and inspiration for my Mana Source Body Art.
While I was lost in thought, Yi Rui's long metamorphosis finally came to an end.
The progress had been smooth. I had originally thought Cen Tan's success might have been due to some unique trait of hers, but it now seemed that this method of remodeling the essence of life was nearly universal.
After all... they were all ordinary people who hadn't yet ascended to the Transcendent level, and they were all life forms based on soul essence.
There might be individual differences, but the impact wasn't significant.
When there were no successful cases, success was the most important thing. But now that we had a second success, our goal had changed.
We began to seek failure.
And there was only one reason to seek failure... to identify the boundaries of failure.
What we wanted to create was a universal technique, one that could be promoted. We didn't just want success; we needed to test many more things.
"Congratulations, you succeeded too." I looked at Yi Rui as she rose from the experimental pod. She looked a bit weak, so I picked up a specially made laboratory-grade recovery potion and handed it to her.
"Thank you..."
Yi Rui rested for a good while before taking the potion and drinking it in one gulp.
"I guess... this counts as a success, right?"
"Yes, you succeeded. You're the second one," I said, acknowledging the fact. "But this is only the beginning of our research into self-generated mana."
"I understand... Next, we should explore higher levels..."
"No, first we build a solid foundation. After all, things that are destined to succeed only require a dispassionate investment of time. What we need to do now is channel our initial passion and energy into the basics. For the third experiment, let's start looking for how to fail."
"How to... fail?" Yi Rui was stunned for a moment, but then she seemed to understand. "Yes, you're right, Xiao Han. We really should explore failure now... Only from the perspective of success does failure become meaningful!"