Chapter 885: Dream State Soul Essence, Verified by Practice
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 885: Dream State Soul Essence, Verified by Practice
"You talk about such a dangerous thing so nonchalantly. Aren't you afraid of becoming just another body buried in the wind and snow?"
"They’d have to be capable of putting me there first."
"Confidence is a good thing, you know~" I replied casually.
As my actions grew increasingly outrageous, I had started to hold back on advising others to stop. Besides, I didn't think Tan Han was the type to die so easily here.
After all, Tan Han was the "orthodox" choice among the Children of Destiny.
After learning some deeper information from the Academy Dean, I had certainly gained a broader perspective.
The Transcendent Academies didn't actually value the other Children of Destiny; they only valued them as tools to divide Tan Han’s Luck, preventing her from completing the Child of Destiny’s advancement ritual.
It was a method used by the Calamity Witches to locate the World Navel through the medium of Luck.
Suddenly, I felt a flicker of curiosity about how those Transcendent Academies "created" these Children of Destiny. I still remembered the scene where that World Consciousness communicated with me. For some reason, as time passed, that memory was gradually blurring.
It was a pity I didn't have the Tree of Great Knowledge back then. Otherwise... I could have analyzed so many details from that encounter. For instance, how the World Consciousness communicated with me, what the medium was, the conditions for communication, and the true nature of a World Consciousness...
But back then, how could I have thought of such things?
Still, I didn't feel much regret now.
I also took the opportunity to ask Tan Han about a few other matters, such as the issue with the Staff of Absolute Cold, given the dangers of this exploration.
Although the Shopkeeper had nominally given it to Tan Han, Tan Han still felt it was something the Shopkeeper cared about. Many things don't have their connections completely severed just because they are given away.
In the end, however, the Shopkeeper actually wanted Tan Han to take the Staff of Absolute Cold with her.
While the staff was no longer Tan Han’s only trump card, it would undoubtedly provide a massive home-field advantage within that secret realm. The Shopkeeper didn't want Tan Han to suffer a setback in the dreamscape just because she lacked that power.
Moreover, if something really happened to Tan Han in the dream, there was no point in keeping the Staff of Absolute Cold with her anyway.
It was better to let its power be unleashed in Tan Han’s hands. Even if they encountered some truly irresistible force and the staff was left behind in that secret realm, so be it.
After all, it had originally been born there.
"What? Are you interested in this Glacial Throne Secret Realm too?" I asked teasingly when I saw Shi Ruizhi looking over at Tan Han and me with curious eyes.
Actually, Shi Ruizhi was now considered a member of the Baking House, along with her roommate.
The two of them hadn't belonged to any clubs originally, so they didn't have to go through the slow process of resigning from one.
Well, they had joined a club at the very beginning, but they had already quit. The club they initially joined wasn't one of the popular ones, and it had become a constant nuisance in the later stages. As ninth-year Senior Sisters, they were among the most senior students in the academy; they didn't want to be dragged down by club duties at this stage, so they simply left.
I heard the resignation process had been stalled for a long time, but they had plenty of time to wait it out.
"We're definitely interested! That secret realm is a huge topic in the academy right now! But we're just listening..." Fang Zhi explained sheepishly from the side.
"Do you want to go? You can come with me. I still have a fragment to use as a ticket," Tan Han suddenly offered.
Although rumors said the secret realm no longer required tickets, not just anyone was qualified to enter. Having a fragment as a ticket would mean fewer restrictions.
Of course, it would also be more dangerous!
"Me? I think I'll pass... My combat strength is probably still lacking." Shi Ruizhi waved her hands in front of her, declining. She had no combat experience now and might have even lost her combat instincts; going would be too risky.
Besides, she had just overheard the inside information from these two—people actually died in this secret realm!
She didn't want to experience a second death so soon.
"The line between life and death... can really temper a person. If someone wants to grow quickly, braving a dangerous adventure is a good choice~" I said meaningfully.
As I spoke, however, I was thinking of what the Rebel Witch had told me.
That game world, that larger stage... I had to admit, I was curious about what kind of existences the geniuses of other worlds were. What kind of Heavenly Chosen were those who carried the will of an entire world?
Curiosity about the unknown made me want to go and see for myself. But before that, I had to finish the tasks at hand. I knew how to prioritize.
"But it's also very dangerous, right?"
"Fair enough~ I won't force you," I said with a smile, dropping the subject.
I couldn't exactly force someone who had just "died" not long ago to go adventuring again, could I?
"Being able to recognize your own strength and act within your means is also a form of wisdom. If you change your mind halfway, you can look for me... actually, look for Tan Han. I'm not going there."
"You should say that even if you did go, they wouldn't dare let you in," Tan Han teased from the side.
"True~"
I let out a light laugh. But speaking of which, I really should sell that Heart of the Cold Wave I was still holding onto soon.
Yet, I was still hesitating because I felt the time wasn't quite right.
Selling it now would only make it a ticket. If I waited until they were nearing the final result and were just one short, its value might increase even further.
In any case, I didn't think they could take it from me by force. If they actually tried... it would be a good chance to re-establish my authority.
Come to think of it, when was the last time I used my strength to establish authority?
The memory was a bit fuzzy. I don't usually make a conscious effort to remember such trivial things. Looking back, it felt strangely embarrassing.
After all, that was just "noob stomping."
"Um... I wanted to ask... if a student really dies in that secret realm, does the academy truly not care at all?" Shi Ruizhi asked weakly.
"That the academy won't care is, of course, just our guess~" I said half-jokingly, though even as a guess, it was basically the reality. "If the matter is blown out of proportion, the academy might step in. For example... if all the important figures died in the secret realm, that's a situation no one wants to see."
"So they will care, right?"
"Asking in such detail... do you actually want to go in your heart? If you can't make up your mind, I can help you."
"Actually, I do want to go, a little..."
"Hey, hey! Ruizhi! Wake up! Don't be so impulsive on a whim!" Fang Zhi hurriedly interjected. She couldn't just watch her best friend go to her death. How could ordinary students like them get involved in something so dangerous?
"It's fine~ Life is about doing things others might not understand. Only then can you say you lived without regrets."
* * *
The Laboratory.
After shifting my focus back, I continued with my own work. As for whether Shi Ruizhi could truly overcome her own hurdle and give it a try, I no longer cared.
Everyone has their own path. Some are smooth, some are rocky, and even hiding away until the very end is a valid choice. There was no need to force anything.
However, my intuition told me that Shi Ruizhi would choose to go. It was a form of precognitive perception stemming from my Heart Sense.
After all, Heart Sense was also known as... the Sixth Sense. In the common tongue, the Sixth Sense was used to refer to those inexplicable intuitive abilities.
To some extent... Heart Sense was exactly that.
Currently, I was conducting a large-scale purification experiment on Dream State Soul Essence in the lab.
Since the Purification Method was the only one verified to be successful so far, half of the current experimental capacity was dedicated to this method to ensure a sufficient output of pure Dream State Soul Essence. The other half consisted of the purification methods I had previously paused.
After all, Dream State Soul Essence had not yet moved beyond the scope of laboratory preparation. If I could achieve large-scale industrial production, I wouldn't even bother trying new methods right now.
In the intervals between testing these methods, I had been working with Yu Yun to understand the characteristics of Dream State Souls.
Defining the concept of race and inscribing bloodline information upon the essence of life... all of this required me to grope my way through the dark. No one could help me or provide experience regarding Dream State Soul Essence.
Naturally, the commotion caused by my experiments attracted the attention of some surrounding witches.
"Xiao Han, refining Nightmares on such a large scale... have you completed the theoretical purification of Dream State Soul Essence?" a witch suddenly asked.
Although the term "Dream State Soul Essence" hadn't spread through the academic world yet, most of the witches here knew the term because that was exactly what I was working on.
As the absolute core of the Primitive Dream Realm setup in this lab, they naturally paid close attention to my experiments.
After all, witnessing the birth of a brand-new concept and seeing it theoretically verified was enough for them to brag about, even if they weren't directly involved!
"In a way. It's currently in the laboratory purification stage," I said, looking up at the witch.
The witch before me was named Doreen—full name Doreen Clemence. She was a semi-permanent resident witch in this dream laboratory.
She also had her own lab in the Experimental Zone, but it wasn't hers alone; it belonged to a team. She was responsible for collecting real experimental data for the team, essentially acting as a lab technician.
So, when she was free, she liked to come here and exchange ideas with other witches to broaden her horizons.
"Really?! Dream State Soul Essence actually exists? Can I see it!" Upon receiving my confirmation, Doreen spoke in shock.
"Um... it's been used up. It's currently in Yu Yun," I said, pointing to Yu Yun, who was helping nearby.
"Used... used up?! What? You didn't leave any at all? That was Dream State Soul Essence!" Doreen was experiencing a mental earthquake, unable to believe her ears.
It was as if something that was purely theoretical a second ago was nonchalantly announced as completed, only to then be told it was already gone. The emotional rollercoaster was making her head spin!
"Did you do comparative experiments with regular Soul Essence? What are the characteristics of Dream State Soul Essence? Impurities—are there still impurities from the purified Nightmares? Do you want me to help with these experiments? I'll do anything..."
"Uh... I kept some as specimens, but as for experiments... that probably won't be necessary?" I looked at the agitated Doreen, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
As expected, my thought process was completely different from these professional Academic Witches.
My thought was: once a breakthrough is made, move to the next step. Their thought was: do experiments, collect data—and was the step after that writing a thesis?
"What was successful?"
"I think I heard some keywords. What did Xiao Han do now?"
By now, more witches had heard Doreen's voice and crowded around to see what the fuss was about.
"Xiao Han successfully prepared pure Nightmares—the so-called Dream State Soul Essence!" Doreen didn't hesitate to tell the curious witches, her tone carrying a hint of resentment that said, How could you not tell us something so important?
"What? Xiao Han, you succeeded? Where is it?"
"For real? Has it been verified as Soul Essence?"
"Just curious, can Dream State Soul Essence give birth to dream life?"
Immediately, the surrounding witches began firing off questions they wanted answered.
You couldn't blame them for being so excited; this matter was simply too shocking!
"Alright, quiet! I can't answer so many questions at once!" I used the Dream Domain Order to force my voice into every witch's ear, making them settle down.
If this continued, I wouldn't even be able to finish my experiment.
"First, let me clarify: I have indeed completed the purification of the first batch of Nightmares. As for whether purified Nightmares are theoretically 'Dream State Soul Essence,' I cannot provide a theoretical verification. However, I have conducted experiments with the help of a Fool's Dream. This special pure Nightmare matches the composition of life within the Primitive Dream Realm, and..."
"And what?" some of the more impatient witches asked immediately.
"And it possesses the same characteristic as Soul Essence—it can be sublimated into a Dream State Soul."
As soon as I finished speaking, the witches around me fell silent. It was as if they had heard something impossible.
Yet another concept: "Dream State Soul"!
They hadn't even seen Dream State Soul Essence yet, and Xiao Han had already completed the sublimation of a Dream State Soul?!
"I understand you might find it hard to believe, but the Fool's Dream can prove it for me." I picked up Yu Yun, who was currently in her Dream State Soul form, and addressed all the witches.
"Her name is Yu Yun, the Fool's Dream who cooperated with me in the experiment. Her current state is that of an initial Dream State Soul. Also... there is a specimen of Dream State Soul Essence I left in the Constant Dream Laboratory. How about I take you all to see it?"
I glanced at the experiment I was running; I still had some time, so I could satisfy their curiosity.
After all, these Senior Sister witches had brought me many benefits and favors lately. It was only right to give back a little.
Moreover, they had synchronized a lot of experimental data regarding the Primitive Dream Realm to the Great Knowledge Seed, giving me a much deeper theoretical understanding of the Primitive Dream Realm. They deserved this.
One had to realize that this theory and experimental data weren't available in the academy library. Even if I wanted to learn it, I would have had to conduct the experiments myself. Their actions had saved me a great deal of energy, so I naturally needed to show my gratitude.