Chapter 256 : Chapter 256

Chapter 256: Transcendent Knowledge and the Grand Spellbook

“Aren't you leaving yet? I thought you would be eager to use these resources once you got them.”

Ji Niang asked when she saw I hadn't left yet.

“Mm… I'm not in a hurry with these resources, but before I go, I'd like to ask some questions about spellbooks.”

“Hmm? You're back to the spellbook issue? It's not my place to say, but this kind of jumping back and forth, not focusing on one path, will cause you to suffer in the future.”

“Er… it's just some preliminary work, Teacher Ji Niang. I obtained a spell called Memory Bookshelf, and I want to mod it a bit… Just copying by hand is indeed a bit troublesome…”

“Memory Bookshelf… this kind of non-restricted consumption spellbook… I know about this one. Have you already learned how to use it? The threshold for using this spellbook is quite high.”

“Mm, alright, looks like I'll be busy again. It's rare for you to come ask me for help. Let's go, to the laboratory.”

Ji Niang briefly organized her things. She roughly knew the situation the moment she heard ‘Memory Bookshelf’.

Following Teacher Ji Niang into the laboratory, the place had been empty for several days.

I tidied it up a bit with a Cleaning Spell before starting the official work, but before that, Teacher Ji Niang had other things to tell me.

“Little Han, I still haven't told you what this group I applied for actually does, right?”

“Mm… yes.”

I nodded.

At the time, Teacher Ji Niang said I might not be qualified enough.

After teaching me how to use Spirit Vision to analyze the Fireball spellbook, she left me to my own devices.

After that, the path I took deviated more and more, and Teacher Ji Niang didn't intervene in my actions, but instead organized all the things I had figured out through trial and error…

But since this was a research group founded by a Transcendent Witch, it definitely wasn't for me to play around in, at least not officially.

“At that time, I simply valued your ability, the ability of an Innate Spirit Visionary to reach the Floating World level.”

“Mm.”

I didn't say anything else.

If I didn't have this ability, I wouldn't have my current achievements.

“Although you're not yet a Transcendent, the world has given us a blessing, which is Spirit Vision, allowing you to bypass the prerequisite of being a Transcendent and be the first to see the world under True Time. This ability also has its own definition among Transcendents, and that is True Vision, the True Vision among the True Five Senses.”

“True Five Senses?”

“This is a cultivation technique of life levels. Generally, the starting stage is the Transcendent level, only then does one have the qualifications to touch this cultivation system. But because of your Innate Spirit Vision, you directly leaped to the Floating World level in another way.”

“So if I advance to Transcendent, I will directly step into that so-called Floating World level of True Vision?”

I subconsciously swallowed.

Doesn't that mean I'm way ahead of others?

“Yes, but when you advance to Transcendent, the other four senses of your True Five Senses will also be at the level of a newly entered Transcendent, requiring you to slowly cultivate and improve them.”

“I don't mind that… but, since this is a cultivation technique, does that mean I can… cultivate and improve it now?”

“This is a blessing from the world to you. It's not applicable to the cultivation of the True Five Senses. It can only be improved passively and slowly. Perhaps there are other methods to enhance it, but at least for now, there are no particularly significant ways. However, using it more can indeed accelerate the process.”

“So, Teacher Ji Niang, do you need to borrow my Spirit Vision to do something?”

I wasn't too disappointed with that answer.

Instead, I organized my thoughts and returned to the previous question.

“Yes. I have mastered the True Editing technique. I want to create a brand new prototype spellbook, but I can't do it alone, you understand? The huge gap of the True Five Senses is my biggest obstacle. Of course, my ambition doesn't stop there.”

“Create a prototype spellbook?”

“Yes… or you could say, edit a spellbook. It's more or less the same. Following the materials I've searched for, it's very easy for me to create a spellbook. At most, it would only take a few dozen days. Especially basic consumption spellbooks, I can finish one in about ten days. But that's not what I need. What I want is… a Grand Spellbook!”

“Grand Spellbook?”

Hearing this term, I was a bit stunned.

From Teacher Ji Niang's tone, I could hear her ambition.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much information and was a bit confused, but I knew that Ji Niang wanted to do something big, and that Grand Spellbook was it.

“Yes, I need to borrow your ability. Even if you're not yet a Transcendent, there's still a gulf between a Floating World level Spirit Vision and a Floating World level True Vision. But Floating world is Floating world. It can see things that I can't…”

At this moment, Ji Niang's emotions were a bit stirred by her own words.

Perhaps this was the first time she had revealed her ambition in front of me.

“Sorry… Little Han, I got a little excited just now. You don't understand the significance of a Grand Spellbook, so you'd find it impressive but incomprehensible. I'll control my emotions… It's mainly because this is the first time I've said these words to someone, it's somewhat… embarrassing.”

“Er… I understand…”

I didn't expect Teacher Ji Niang to feel embarrassed too?

How strange.

“It's good that you understand. Let me briefly explain the concept of a Grand Spellbook. Little Han, do you know the difference between a Lesser Spellbook and a Spellbook?”

“I know. The spells within a Lesser Spellbook have no Spell Rituals, while the spells within a Spellbook do.”

I replied.

I did know this bit of common knowledge.

“Then, can you guess what extra thing a Grand Spellbook has compared to a Spellbook?”

Ji Niang smiled at me.

Although it was a question, she didn't leave me time to answer before saying it herself, “It's [Transcendent Knowledge].”

“[Transcendent Knowledge]?”

Upon hearing this answer, my first thought wasn't of theoretical knowledge about Transcendents, but that specific thing, like the one Shop Manager Xia Li wouldn't give away even if it killed her, and… the [Unanalyzed Transcendent Knowledge] in my talent!

“Don't be nervous. I know your talent awakened [Transcendent Knowledge], but I won't snatch yours. I wouldn't do something like that. For my ambition, I have naturally prepared [Transcendent Knowledge] for it. But I must warn you here, the value of Transcendent Knowledge far exceeds your imagination. You must not tell anyone else.”

“But…”

“What are you trying to say? Someone you know possesses [Transcendent Knowledge], is that it? You're referring to Xia Li, right? Of course, she can't hold on to such a thing, but she is part of the Script, a bargaining chip the Witch Academy laid out for the Script. Originally, it should have been Tan Han's… but an anomaly occurred in the Script, plus your actions… it might also be a result of the Script's changes.”

“This is also…”

“Of course, let's not discuss this. You just need to understand that a Grand Spellbook requires [Transcendent Knowledge], and that a Grand Spellbook is also something everyone scrambles for, including me. To be frank, if I could create a Grand Spellbook, I wouldn't be able to protect it either. I would only contribute it to the Witch World's Great Library… This is its value and weight. Do you understand now?”

“I… understand…”

Looking at Teacher Ji Niang's expression, I subconsciously swallowed.

A Grand Spellbook created with [Transcendent Knowledge] is something that even a Transcendent Witch like Teacher Ji Niang can't protect?

What kind of heaven-defying thing is this?

I instantly felt the weight of that [Transcendent Knowledge].

But looking at it this way, [Transcendent Knowledge] that hasn't yet been made into a Grand Spellbook is still far less valuable than a Grand Spellbook.

At least, for the sake of setting up the Script, the Witch Academy could bring this out, and Teacher Ji Niang could possess it, and she didn't even have any greedy thoughts towards mine…

“That's all for the serious matters. Don't worry too much, just don't go around blabbing. Witches who possess [Transcendent Knowledge] and master the True Editing technique all have this kind of ambition, and there are many teams within the Witch Academy experimenting with creating Grand Spellbooks.”

Ji Niang offered some comfort.

After all, this was the Main World, and also a relatively safe world, which was why so many witches dreamed of completing the creation of a Grand Spellbook here.

This naturally included herself.

The Witch Academy was less an academy that recruited humans from the Main World and turned them into witches, and more of a research base.

Because of this, the Witch Academy's faculty of Transcendent Witches was extremely rich.

This was why there was the luxurious phenomenon of a single Transcendent Witch mentoring just a few students in the upper grades.

It was quite normal for some teachers to never teach a single class.

So, the Witch Academy's “bad habit” of liking to poach students from other academies was not without a basis in reality.

“Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm telling you this now just to give you a basic understanding, so you know what I'm going to do and what you need to do. Now let's shift the topic to your Memory Bookshelf spellbook.”

“Mm.”

I nodded.

After all, having to accept so many new concepts all at once, I needed to take it slow.

I didn't know why Teacher Ji Niang was telling me so much information that was beyond my current reach so quickly.

Perhaps it was because Teacher Ji Niang also felt that my future stage wasn't limited to just this world.

After my spellbook was opened, I began collaborative research with Teacher Ji Niang.

That's right, it was a collaboration, not top-down guidance.

Teacher Ji Niang possessed a rich and profound theoretical foundation, while I was responsible for the practical application using Spirit Vision.

After all, this spellbook was fundamentally mine and couldn't even completely leave my side, otherwise the spell effects established by this spell and the knowledge base I built on it would collapse and disappear.

My request was simple: to change the recording format of this spellbook, shifting from transcribing by hand to recording by sight.

I originally thought this would be a very simple operation, but the reality was… a spellbook like this had stumped both me and Teacher Ji Niang…

“Don't be anxious… I'll use my permissions to go find more information on this thing somewhere else…”

“Er… Teacher, um, why is it so difficult to just slightly modify the effect…”

“Is it difficult? This is a normal amount of time. You can't expect anyone to be omniscient. Even the Academy Head has to obediently look for information.”

“Perhaps your perspective hasn't changed yet. Witches have long lifespans, and some things are destined to take a very long time. Even for me, creating a prototype Fireball spell using True Editing technique takes over ten days. So you understand the difficulty of derivative spells, right? This is a non-restricted consumption spellbook, which is considered a very advanced spellbook. Just extending its application costs us a great deal…”

“Then Teacher, your Grand Spellbook…”

“That is my ambition. Short-lived species can spend a lifetime pursuing their dreams, while long-lived species can spend an eternity to accomplish one thing.”

“But… I remember the Witch Academy has a graduation every ten years…”

“You won't help your teacher after you graduate?”

“Er… how could I not? Of course I will. I also want to witness the birth of a Grand Spellbook. After all, I… have one too, right…”

“Consider you to have a conscience.”

Teacher Ji Niang shot me a look, then tossed me some materials.

“These are the Rune Rituals that our modding might involve next. Learn them for now. If you don't understand something, ask me later. Don't start without understanding anything.”

“Eh? I'm already getting into rune modding?”

I took the materials.

The runes on them didn't match any of the three hundred basic runes Teacher Ji Niang had given me.

It seemed they were beyond the basic scope.

“Of course. Haven't you already been exposed to runes? It's a good time to learn and practice simultaneously. Later, when we research [Transcendent Knowledge], we will use the same learning model. A Grand Spellbook isn't something that can be achieved overnight. Before we get there, we might create many prototype spells for verification and experimentation. During this period, you will learn many spells and knowledge of Rune Rituals. So, this is the learning process I've arranged for you after your course exemption… If nothing unexpected happens, I'll also be your mentor when you choose one in three years, if you're still willing at that time.”

After speaking, Teacher Ji Niang walked towards her office.

It looked like she was getting serious.

I looked at the Memory Bookshelf spellbook at this moment, also feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I never thought a simple, off-the-cuff idea would turn into this…

It seems… we won't be able to finish today!

And this work did indeed keep us busy until the evening.

Just as I predicted, we couldn't finish today, but Teacher Ji Niang had already found a line of thought.

With this guidance, Teacher Ji Niang predicted it could be completed tomorrow.

It was just a pity that I had to break my promise to take my dorm mates to experience the secret realm today.

Who would have thought the academy would give out rewards today, and because of a single thought, I'd kept myself here until now?

And before leaving, I still had to trade away the items.

After all, I had already received the Spellbook Shelf Spellbook that Teacher Ji Niang was using for the exchange.

I couldn't be a deadbeat, right?

Fortunately, with these resources, Teacher Ji Niang let me choose myself.

For example, with crystals like the Earth Vein Memory, Teacher Ji Niang knew I could see the information in the memories with my Spirit Vision, so she tacitly approved of my cherry-picking.

Only a fool wouldn't keep the good stuff for themselves.

Only things you can't use should be traded away.

This was not the time for camaraderie among classmates.

The reward Ji Niang brought for the class was, most importantly, an incentive, not a gift.

If you want truly good things, you have to fight for them yourself when the academy provides a stage to showcase your abilities.

Those were Teacher Ji Niang's exact words.

There were many such stages to showcase oneself, for example, the monthly theoretical assessments, unscheduled tests, small-scale competitions that required registration, or even joining a very powerful club and participating in its activities—that was also a skill in itself.

If a person's mind was closed off, they had no skills, and loved to complain, then such a person was not worthy of sympathy.

“You've divided these Earth Vein Memories into many portions. What are you…”

“This largest portion is for the exchange. This small portion is for Tu Xingyue from our class. She's the Vice Class President managing the class in my stead. I owe her quite a bit. And this portion is for my dorm mates.”

“Hehe, they're really blessed to be your dorm mates.”

“Can't be helped. There aren't many good things among the Earth Vein Memories. If there were really good things, I wouldn't be this generous. A thousand pieces… a full thousand pieces, and I only found three memories that are useful to me right now. It truly lives up to its reputation as a blind box. The earth vein really does remember everything, huh?”

I grumbled.

“Oh? Your standards are so high now? Only three you find valuable?”

Ji Niang asked with a smile.

“But that's not unexpected. After all, this is in line with the level of rewards a newcomer gets for the first time. It's because you've obtained too many good things before that you look down on these. However, the value of these Earth Vein Memories, according to the academy's definition of a High Consumption Spellbook's value, is still not enough.”

“That's why I'm looking at the rewards from other academies… By the way, don't these things come with a label telling me how to use them?”

“The one in your hand is a high-concentration Blood Essence Crystal from the Blood Clan Academy. Using it will greatly enhance the activity of Blood Qi in your body and increase your affinity for Blood Qi. It will also destructively strengthen your body. I suggest you don't use it.”

“Eh?”

I looked at the translucent blood-red crystal in the small bottle and instantly pulled away.

“What? You don't want this? Actually, if you don't want it for this reason, then you probably won't want any of the good things from other academies. Because you're not of their race, you naturally can't use these things perfectly, just like they don't dare to use our Magic Power Sources. Perhaps you can keep it. You still have many other things to trade. Those are things you definitely won't be able to use.”

“True… I should have thought of that. Although I won't use it, that doesn't diminish its value…”

“Pick things that are large in quantity and cheap. After all, our class has many people. If your contribution is too small, it'll be gone in no time. I think this fruit is quite good. Large quantity, limited effect. It's what those muscle-heads from the Beast Academy like to eat. It can repair muscle damage and fatigue to a certain extent. Although it can increase strength to some extent, that's on the premise of adding more muscle. Do you want it?”

“Er… no, no… I don't want a body full of toned muscles…”

I waved my hands and chose the second large-quantity, cheap item.

With Teacher Ji Niang's help, I finally cleared out all the items for the equivalent exchange, and I also got a general understanding of all the things I obtained.

If I had to describe it, it was a huge pit!

Those academies never intended for other academies to benefit from the very beginning.

But from the academy's perspective, the so-called rewards were just incentives to keep the Script moving forward.

But for us students, these rewards were everything the competition was about.

“Alright, you've wasted enough of my time. You should go back now.”

Teacher Ji Niang shook her head and told me to leave.

“Mm… right, I'm curious. Since most of the things they gave me are useless, what happens when other academies get our Witch Academy's Magic Power Sources? What about the spellbooks?”

“What do you mean, what happens? Why are you curious about this? You should inquire less about things that don't concern you. But if you're really that curious, I don't mind telling you. They got the Magic Power Sources, so just let them use them.”

“But I remember that after using a Magic Power Source…”

“They'll become a Reserve Witch. You know this, don't you? If they don't use it, we'll help them use it.”

Teacher Ji Niang replied with a smile, and then shooed me away.