Chapter 855: Returning to Reality and the Troubles to Face
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 855: Returning to Reality and the Troubles to Face
"Xiao Han! You're finally back!" Bai Yu was the first to sense that familiar soul fluctuation and rushed forward.
In this Main World, nothing was more important to her than Xiao Han.
Following Bai Yu’s lead, the other witches also realized what was happening. It had been quite a while since Xiao Han had lost contact, and none of them knew exactly what she had been up to. Her sudden, unannounced awakening took them all by surprise.
Under Sister Bai’s anxious calling, I slowly opened my eyes.
Right now, my body felt foreign, and my level of control over my limbs had dropped significantly. It felt as though I were severely injured, where even the act of opening my eyes was an ordeal.
"Ugh... okay... Sister Bai... if you keep shaking me, I’m going to fall apart..."
The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was the Sister Bai I had been longing for, which immediately put me in a wonderful mood.
"Sorry, Xiao Han, I just got too excited... You were out of contact for so long, I was truly afraid something had happened to you." Sister Bai subconsciously wiped away a stray tear from the corner of her eye, speaking with deep emotion.
"I’m fine, see? It was just a little hiccup. The time order in the dream world is different from reality, so I didn't manage the transition perfectly." I tried to push myself up with one hand, but it was still a struggle. Nevertheless, I managed to sit up; after all, my physical strength was still there.
I pulled Sister Bai into a hug, letting her release her pent-up emotions while I gently used my Emotion Body Cultivation to guide and vent her feelings.
Suppressing emotions for too long isn't good for the body. Even though Sister Bai was a Transcendent, I didn't want these unhappy feelings to cloud her heart.
Seeing this "heartwarming" scene, the other two witches stopped awkwardly in their tracks. If they went any further, they’d be nothing but third wheels.
The more self-aware of the two took a half-step back. "Um... I’m going to find Dean Mei. Why don't you stay here and keep watch?"
"Bestie, I’m coming with you!"
Seeing the other witch about to ditch her and leave her to watch the PDA, she grabbed her friend, made up a random excuse, and bolted. She had no desire to stay and be a third wheel!
"Hehe~" I watched the two witches flee and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle. "Sister Bai, is that enough?"
"Not even close! Xiao Han, what you did this time scared me half to death! How could this be enough? And you didn't even give me a heads-up when you were coming back!" Sister Bai complained, which was rare for her, but it was more of a soft protest driven by her emotions.
She had always tried to be understanding of Xiao Han, even to the point of ignoring her own feelings, but she was entitled to her own emotions too. She felt that Xiao Han had been... far too reckless this time!
"I’m sorry, Sister Bai... it was all an accident! Look, I didn't even have time to contact you because I was in such a rush to come back and see you!"
I lowered my posture and began to admit my faults.
Even though I knew everything I did was logical within my own perspective, I really had neglected Sister Bai for a long time... Perhaps... this was just me being spoiled by her favoritism?
Back in the Soul Dream, even I hadn't realized that the perception of time would warp so drastically under the blooming of the Seed of Fool's Dream. By the time I processed the information sent by the Tree of Great Knowledge, so much time had passed. That was why I had rushed back so desperately.
After all... I didn't need to be in the Primitive Dream Realm for the next steps. They could be done in reality, so I chose to return immediately.
"Hmph~ Excuses!"
"This time it’s definitely not an excuse!" I bit my lower lip and offered a weak defense.
Though... the "force majeure" that caused all this was indeed my own doing.
"However... I forgive you."
"Really!"
"Of course." Sister Bai smiled, and having not seen her for so long, I was momentarily dazed. It was the kind of smile that made one naturally drop all defenses.
"But you’re going to have a lot of trouble to deal with next!" Sister Bai’s tone suddenly shifted, becoming serious. "I won't press you on the rest, and I won't force you to tell me why you lost contact, but one thing is very serious: you dismantled the Great Spellbook the Dean gave you, didn't you? If you can't give Dean Mei a reasonable explanation, you should know that even she has a temper."
"Ugh... I definitely had a reason!" I argued quickly.
"I know you have your own ideas, Xiao Han, and I will do my best to understand you." Sister Bai’s voice softened as she tried to comfort me, but then she began to explain the reality of the situation. "But... no matter how grand your ideals or concepts are, if you can't produce actual results, no one will validate your words—no matter how brilliant they sound."
"Mm... I understand..." I nodded obediently, not talking back.
Even without Sister Bai telling me this, I understood the gravity of the problem. When I decided to do it, I was well aware of the pros and cons, and I made the choice I believed was right.
But others aren't me... and they won't necessarily understand me. That was the challenge I had to face.
Especially since the person I had to face was Dean Mei!
Dean Mei had given me the Great Wisdom Enlightenment Art as an investment. After accepting that "investment," I had turned around and dismantled it. To an investor, that feels like throwing money down a drain.
Moreover, my relationship with the Dean was no longer just about interests and investment; it was the kind of bond where one move affects the whole.
However... that wasn't a problem I had to face this very second. Perhaps feeling the topic was too heavy, Sister Bai and I tacitly stopped mentioning it.
I lay back down, as my whole body felt uncomfortable.
"Sister Bai... did you do something weird to my body... Why does everything feel so off?"
I struggled to lift my arm and poked Sister Bai. Even if she didn't say it, I could sense that my body had undergone repair and restructuring.
I was a Self-Awakened Body Cultivator! Once the Soul Essence returns to the shell, the soul's control over the body is incredibly minute.
However, saying those words to Sister Bai while I was weak, powerless, and blushing... it was very easy to misunderstand. Luckily, it seemed only the two of us were here.
"What nonsense are you talking about! How could I do something like that to your body!" Sister Bai immediately defended herself.
"Wait, what? I just meant my body feels like it was reconstructed... the fit is off..."
I slowly used my 500,000 Reincarnations and my Self-Awakened Body Cultivation's absolute control to adjust my physical form.
While I admitted the external appearance and internal structure were nearly identical to the original, there was a strong sense of "dissonance" at the level where the soul and body meet.
After some adjustments, I felt myself gradually recovering. My soul's dominance over the body rose, and my sensory channels began to interface with my physical senses...
It was a tedious process, and I was likely the only one capable of doing it to this degree.
"Oh... that..." Sister Bai quickly realized she had misinterpreted my words and looked away, shifting the topic. "That’s actually your own fault, Xiao Han! Who told you to dismantle the Great Spellbook and cause a Void Rift riot? Your body was completely torn apart. If I didn't know your body's structure so well, I might not have been able to save you!"
"Is that so? But I can still feel the dissonance between my soul and body~ Does Sister Bai still not know my structure well enough? Should we go for a deeper 'understanding' tonight..."
Cough, cough! Ahem...
Just as I was about to invite Sister Bai to a one-on-one duel in bed tonight, a misplaced cough broke the silence.
Both Sister Bai and I froze instantly.
"Dean, why are you here so soon?" Sister Bai stood up immediately, breaking the awkwardness.
"I heard Xiao Han had woken up. As the Dean, it’s only natural for me to come visit," Mei Lind said, pretending she hadn't heard a thing.
Transcendent beings can tear through space to deliver messages very quickly. Mei Lind had rushed over the moment those two witches informed her. Seeing Xiao Han and Bai Yu like that, she hadn't wanted to interrupt—she wasn't a witch without emotional intelligence.
But... if things had gone any further, she felt it might have turned into a "Breeding Project" session...
She didn't know how long she’d have to wait outside if that happened, and "peeping" like that would damage her reputation as Dean. So, she gave a light cough and entered.
"Hello, Sister Mei~"
I climbed down from the medical table. Having finished syncing with my body, my legs were much more functional, though I still felt a bit of discomfort—mostly from staying in the Primitive Dream Realm for too long.
"Xiao Han, you finally decided to return to reality? How are you? Feeling okay?" Mei Lind stepped forward, asking with a half-joking tone.
"Uh... I’m alright..."
"So... is your business finished? If you're done, it would be better to return to the Witch Academy sooner rather than later."
"Well... while things are far from finished, I can continue them back at the academy," I said.
The tasks I needed to perform in the Primitive Dream Realm were essentially complete. The Fool's Dream I needed to settle there was now housed within my Soul Dream. I had to admit, while things had deviated slightly from my expectations, they had generally gone very smoothly.
"That’s perfect then. Returning to the academy early will save me some worry. The Expansion Realm is quite restless right now; too many Transcendents from other academies have gathered here," Mei Lind sighed.
The rescue mission in the Primitive Dream Realm was a long-term process. As time passed, it had shifted from "finding survivors" to "recovering bodies." In the context of the Primitive Dream Realm, that meant finding their soul essence and consciousness.
But given the current progress, after those people's consciousnesses were hit by my Wisdom Withering, they had gradually lost their ability to resist the dream. Even Transcendent-level lifeforms couldn't withstand being devoured by such terrifying dream creatures.
Consequently, they could only recover soul fragments. They couldn't even identify who was who through the memory data within the life essence.
Needless to say, this outcome was absolutely unacceptable to the other Transcendent academies. Especially after seeing the witches "rescued" by the Witch Academy—who were perfectly fine, save for some mental issues—the contrast only made the sting deeper.
However, the promotion of the Fourth Life Interpretation of the Great Soul Subject was still moving slowly.
"Eh? Sister Mei, the rescue operation isn't over yet? Those guys haven't given up?" I asked curiously.
"Naturally not."
"Since there are so many Transcendents from other academies in the Expansion Realm, do you need me to..." I trailed off. I didn't need to finish the sentence for the meaning to be clear.
"Better not." Mei Lind shook her head, stopping the idea. What the Witch Academy needed now was stable development and breakthroughs in key technologies to achieve a decisive victory.
Doing something now would be like shouting that the Witch Academy was the problem. It would expose a trump card like Xiao Han and would be equivalent to flipping the table entirely!
"I was just joking~" I laughed, letting the topic go.
If the Dean actually wanted to do that, I would have been the one to object! I couldn't exactly replicate a Calamity of the Primitive Dream Realm again.
While my understanding of the Primitive Dream Realm had grown and I roughly understood the principles, without the accumulation of time, the right tools, and the perfect alignment of circumstances, I couldn't pull off something on that scale again. At most, I could use my Domain Order to trigger a localized dream calamity.
The previous event was a stroke of luck, and I hadn't even fully analyzed the mechanics of that disaster yet. I couldn't leave everything to luck a second time.
I only knew that if I used the resonance of the Domain Order, I might be able to achieve something of a similar scale. But in the end, I hadn't actually practiced it.
And so, Sister Bai, Dean Mei, the other witch sisters, and I returned to the Witch Academy, chatting and laughing. Throughout the journey, no one mentioned the deconstruction of the Great Spellbook.
But I knew very well that the more they avoided it now, the more serious it was. Once we reached Dean Mei’s office, the real reckoning would begin.