Chapter 906: The Witch Academy's Sure-Win Situation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 906: The Witch Academy's Sure-Win Situation
"Emotion... Body Cultivation?" Long said, sounding a bit dazed.
Although she hadn't truly stepped onto this path yet, this was already the second time she had come into contact with this power.
At this moment, she was merely touching the power of this path under my guidance.
Just as the hard threshold for Emotion Body Cultivation is Heart Sense, having Heart Sense doesn't automatically mean one can walk this path. Only by understanding its essence or adapting to this power is one qualified to master it.
Theoretically, a Self-Awakened Body Cultivator should be more adept at handling this kind of power.
However, Muli and Fanny’s development and understanding of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation hadn't reached my level yet. Thus, they couldn't naturally step onto this path and, like Long, required my forced guidance.
"The entry threshold for many systems is actually quite low," I began. "As long as you meet the hard requirements and recognize what it is at its core, the rest comes naturally."
It’s like what I often say: only by experiencing it can you truly know what it feels like. It is an experience that ten thousand words cannot describe.
It’s like the first time you learn to ride a bicycle, fly a broom, or swim... So-called "inability" is often just a lack of that first success.
"Does this count as success?" Long asked, confused. She felt as if she had sensed something, yet also as if she had learned nothing at all.
"That depends on how you interpret it. For now, don't worry about it. Some things cannot be rushed. Perhaps when you sense something by chance later, the experience just now will become the crucial stepping stone that helps you onto this path."
"Alright, I'll do as you say," Long replied helplessly.
She didn't understand the earlier explanation, but she understood that last part. It was like a vital accumulation. She often experienced this feeling—being on the verge of a breakthrough, missing only the final step, where a random, unintentional moment often became the most critical move.
So, she chose to trust the little witch before her.
Of course, she trusted the other's sincerity even more.
"Thank you for your trust. Now, let us proceed to the next step. Soul projection is, after all, just a hurdle before the experiment truly begins."
As I spoke, I began preparing the materials, familiarizing myself with the equipment I had already set up.
Inside the laboratory, Dean Mei was currently a bit bewildered. Could "sincerity" between body cultivators really resolve any conflict?
It wasn't just Dean Mei; the other witches qualified to observe the experiment were also curious.
After all, the conflict just now had escalated to the "Theory of Talent." The friction between the talented and the non-talented wasn't something that could be dropped just because they bumped fists.
Objectively speaking, the debate over the Theory of Talent is a confusion of the concepts of talent and effort. In reality, the two are often irreconcilable.
Regardless of whether one has talent, effort is always the right choice. A talented person who works hard is superior to a talented person who doesn't; the same applies to those without talent. That is the only objective truth.
But such an answer would never satisfy those looking for an argument.
What do you call someone who refuses to stop even after getting the answer?
An unreasonable person, naturally.
Therefore, the conflict between effort and talent is actually just a clash of egos—arrogance pitted against arrogance.
The correct approach is to see through the issue, watch the arrogant bicker from the sidelines, and continue working hard. Because effort is always correct; it doesn't lose its meaning just because talent is absent.
"Alright, you can return to your bodies first, then lie down on the recliners prepared for you. Our next experiment will begin in your soul states," I said.
This was a formal experiment, after all. I couldn't just have them leaning against the lab walls, could I? Besides, preparing a few pieces of equipment was hardly a challenge for the lab.
The three witches had no objections and did as I instructed.
After lying down on the experimental recliners, their souls projected once more. This time was much faster than their previous attempts. Once you've done it once, the second time comes quickly; only Long seemed to find it slightly strenuous.
Of course, there was another possibility.
The Body Cultivation power system, which relies entirely on something other than innate talent, had linked her life essence more tightly to her physical shell. This might be one of the reasons why it was difficult for Long to achieve soul essence detachment.
"What should we do next?"
"Follow me. We're going directly into the Primitive Dream Realm—right there." I pointed to a specific area in the core of the lab. That was the localized zone where a controllable Primitive Dream Realm descended, and it served as the entrance to the Primitive Dream Realm dominated by my domain order.
"We're going straight in?"
"Yes, very direct. Just like before, your souls leave your bodies. This step is about environmental adaptation. After all, the Primitive Dream Realm is where the Dream Domain truly comes into play."
"You can experience it for yourselves. The Primitive Dream Realm is inherently dangerous. Even for witches walking the path of the Great Soul Subject, exploring it is fraught with peril. Feel it for a moment, then tell me what the dangers of the Primitive Dream Realm are."
"Mental pressure," Long spoke up first.
She had experienced her physical body approaching the Primitive Dream Realm before. Though she hadn't succeeded, she had felt that sensation of the soul being compressed, nearly forced to sink into the Primitive Dream Realm.
"Correct, mental pressure. If you compare the Primitive Dream Realm to an ocean, then this deep-level mental pressure is like intense water pressure. But that isn't the only danger. People or witches entering the Primitive Dream Realm for the first time often overlook many risks, and those overlooked risks are the most lethal."
I recalled when I first entered the Primitive Dream Realm back in the Expansion Realm. That shielding of cognition makes a person involuntarily immerse themselves in the dream world, causing them to forget things—their goals, specific memories, the way back, and even... who they are!
The more you forget, the closer you get to becoming "lost."
You might appear to be standing in the same spot, but you have already sunk into a deeper layer of the dream, having forgotten your own identity.
"Aside from mental pressure, there are other dangers in the Primitive Dream Realm, such as... dream creatures. They instinctively weave dreams to pull you in. Or, you might stumble into an absurd world shaped by information fragments. These are all hazards."
"Are there really dream creatures in the Primitive Dream Realm?"
"There are, but they're mostly gone from this area of the lab," I explained.
To maintain the stability of this experimental Primitive Dream Realm zone, my Dream Domain order had already acted as a deterrent, scaring the dream creatures away.
Furthermore... some had been captured by me for experiments regarding Dream State Soul Essence.
"If you want to see them, I don't mind letting one out for you to play with." My Constant Dream Laboratory had plenty of "captive" dream creatures, mainly used for collecting nightmares and researching the conversion of dream creatures into soul essence.
"Are you talking about those Fool's Dream? Come to think of it, we didn't see those little cuties when we arrived this time," Muli remarked.
"The Fool's Dream... they are a very special type of dream creature. They shouldn't be lumped in with ordinary ones. Of course, you can consider this a personal whim of mine. Right now, they are undergoing a very important experiment."
"You're using those Fool's Dream for experiments?"
"......You could say that." I paused for a moment, then nodded.
I didn't want to defend myself by saying I was doing it so the Fool's Dream could become true life. No matter how much I said, nothing would be as persuasive as the moment I succeeded.
The topic ended there.
They also felt that now was not the time for play. They needed to familiarize themselves with their power within the Primitive Dream Realm and adapt to its environment.
The soul essences of the three witches made the Primitive Dream Realm area in the lab feel quite cramped. However, expanding the size of the Primitive Dream Realm would require a larger dream overlap buffer zone.
That would affect other experimental teams in the Experimental Zone.
The previous expansion of the Primitive Dream Realm had required the Dean herself to step in and coordinate. One either had to be careful of the effects of dream overlap or move the lab's location, but not every team or piece of equipment could be moved easily.
Some eccentric experimental teams even performed luck rituals and other strange methods; they were impossible to coordinate with. Many teams had become somewhat obsessive due to their experiments, relying heavily on metaphysics or even superstitions—it was a common sight.
If you asked them about it, they’d give you a whole lecture on occultism. Even the Dean couldn't do anything about them.
So, these three would just have to endure the cramped space.
Actually, I could have taken them directly into the deeper layers of the Primitive Dream Realm for practice, but the Dean still felt it was too dangerous. Out of caution, that plan was scrapped.
After all, the last time I took Sister Bai into the deep Primitive Dream Realm, it caused a dream overlap that swept through half the Witch Academy, and that was even with me doing my best to suppress the backlash.
So, for the sake of avoiding unnecessary accidents, I compromised. After all... I wasn't the one who was uncomfortable; it was these three Body Cultivation witches.
"Use Heart Sense to perceive information, use your five senses to interface with the dream..." I instructed as they listened.
Professional terms and the meanings of the specific terms I had defined had all been annotated in the theoretical materials provided earlier. If they didn't understand, it meant they hadn't read carefully—but clearly, their memory was quite good.
One must understand that typically, a Great Knowledge Seed that hasn't been deconstructed through dreamification cannot function within a dream.
Right now, in the dream, they could feel that their power still existed, but they simply couldn't use it. This was because the foundation for reality-based spells to manifest and take effect did not exist within the dream.
The fact that they could memorize all the theoretical knowledge I had given them was indeed beyond my expectations.
And I had to admit... they really were more talented than Sister Bai.
Even though they weren't on a path related to the Great Soul Subject, their understanding and cognition of Body Cultivation and Heart Sense far surpassed hers.
The only advantage Sister Bai currently had over them was... Time Sense.
Time Sense granted Sister Bai the ability to dominate herself—to govern the self on a level of pure understanding. Thus, on the starting path, Sister Bai had an extra layer of "Dominance" order compared to them.
Regardless, these were all "traits" manifested by the order after it was shaped.
But the most important thing in the Dream Domain was to shape an order of self-control; only then could one utilize the traits of that order.
I understood perfectly what the Dean wanted them to master. She wanted them to grasp Dream Order so they could trigger a clash between the chaotic order of the Primitive Dream Realm and their individual orders, thereby inducing a Dreamscape Calamity—a secondary disaster that could affect reality.
As for the traits of the order, those were mostly tools for developing and utilizing the Primitive Dream Realm itself.
While these couldn't be used in direct combat or provide raw combat power, they were a stage that had to be passed to develop the Primitive Dream Realm.
It was like the derivation of E=mc²; the formula itself doesn't kill anyone, but an atomic bomb does.
Experiments in the Dream Domain were a long process, but no matter how long it took, there were always those willing to wait.
If these three witches completed their Dream Domains—even if they were just rudimentary orders a level below Bai Yu's—it would prove the validity of this path!
At that point, the Witch Academy would possess five strategic-level witches.
And how would this move be used?
As a surprise strike to defeat the enemy in one blow, of course!
The moment the World Navel was found would be the day a Dreamscape Calamity descended upon the entire Core World!
And the other Transcendent academies would be powerless to stop it! Even if they tried to go down fighting, the Great Weakening Spell would buy enough time for this move to finish them.
One could say that from this moment on, the witches already held the winning chips; they were only missing one key piece of information before they could play their hand openly.
In Mei Lind's eyes, since I mastered this ability, the prototype of this plan had formed in her mind. When Sister Bai succeeded, the plan was partially complete. If these three also succeeded entirely, she would have nothing left to fear!
She!
Mei Lind!
Had never fought a war with such an overwhelming abundance of resources!
Indeed, crushing an opponent with superior methods was far better than a thousand years of plotting and probing.
There was never a moment where she felt her past sacrifice of the Great Spellbook was more worth it than now. At the very least, the "peace" bought by that gamble a thousand years ago had become the final insurance for their plan at this stage.
"Bai Yu, I didn't expect you to come over as well." Mei Lind's clone was somewhat surprised to see Bai Yu enter silently.
"Isn't it only natural for me to come? It seems I'm late; Xiao Han's experiment has already started."
"You could be considered the senior to those three in the Dream Domain now, couldn't you? Do you have any pointers for them later?" Mei Lind asked teasingly.
"I think I'll refrain from showing off," Bai Yu said, looking at the three witches. Their talent made even her feel a twinge of envy, but it also strengthened her resolve to quicken her own pace.
"I have completed the architecture of my Dream Order, but I still haven't formed a complete domain. They are different... with the help of Self-Awakened Body Cultivation, once they reach my level, they will quickly surpass me."
"You don't really need to put yourself down like that, do you?"
"No, I'm just learning from Xiao Han to stay humble. I recognize my shortcomings fully, but I don't get bogged down in comparing myself to others, nor do I forget my own strengths."
"Tsk~ Xiao Han has really corrupted you, hasn't she? Still... that way of thinking does seem quite interesting."