Chapter 382 : Chapter 382

Chapter 382: Research on [Transcendent Knowledge]

Days passed one after another.

Every day, I methodically proceeded with my meditation and Body Forging.

For the remaining time, I completely dedicated myself to Teacher Ji Niang's lab, beginning to learn the usage and instructions of the various instruments.

I hadn't started hands-on research of [Transcendent Knowledge] yet.

According to Teacher Ji Niang, after mastering the use and instructions of these instruments, I would need to study a large amount of reference literature, as this required sufficient knowledge reserve.

Those documents... just looking at them was truly astonishing.

I felt like a soldier who had arrived on the battlefield, only for the commanding officer, Teacher Ji Niang, to forbid me from fighting the enemy and instead make me practice my aim by shooting at wooden targets on the field.

"Little Han, help me test this out. Complete the rune, and see what the effect is."

"What is this?"

I looked up and pushed up my glasses.

Because I had been reading books and literature for days, I had put on the pair of anti-eye-fatigue glasses Teacher Ji Niang gave me earlier.

At this moment, Teacher Ji Niang pushed a module, carried by the Earth Vein system, towards me.

"I can tell you must be tired of reading all those documents. Here's a small problem. Let's see if you can keep up with my pace."

"Is that right?"

A hint of surprise flashed in my eyes.

Although I hadn't reached the point of being completely tired of reading, as Teacher Ji Niang described, why would I refuse a chance to have some fun?

I took the Earth Vein module, which was essentially a light screen condensed by Earth Vein Energy, carrying a solidified rune combination.

"Teacher Ji Niang, what's the deal with these runes?"

I asked curiously.

"What? Are you stumped? Can't proceed?"

Ji Niang paused her work and turned to look at me.

"No, it's a bit simple. After integration, it only has the effect of a simple space-stirring, it can't even be considered a spell."

In Ji Niang's eyes, I seemed to have seamlessly integrated all the runes together.

Then, a brand-new combined rune floated on my hand.

"I'm curious... Teacher Ji Niang, is this task a part of [Transcendent Knowledge]?"

"Of course."

A hint of surprise flashed in Ji Niang's eyes.

She put down her work and came straight to me.

She examined the new combined rune on my hand, surprised by my speed.

"These are runes that have been transcribed in blocks from [Transcendent Knowledge]. We need to constantly test them. The testing method is to summarize the effects of these runes, practically by exhaustive enumeration, and meticulously record everything. This will serve as reference information when we reach the stage of integrating [Transcendent Knowledge]. Therefore, there can't be a single mistake in this process, or the subsequent troubleshooting will be the most terrifying disaster."

"Huh? You're using... this method to understand [Transcendent Knowledge]?"

I found it a bit incredible.

"Yes. The more primitive the method, the more efficient and less prone to error it is. For witches with eternal longevity, this is the most cost-effective approach."

Teacher Ji Niang carefully explained to me.

It was evident that she truly wanted to teach me to become her right-hand person.

Therefore, she didn't mind telling me more.

"Then, does that mean [Transcendent Knowledge] is actually composed of runes? And if it's stationary, does it count as a spell itself?"

I asked curiously.

"Perhaps. But using the concept of 'spell' to describe it is a bit narrow. After all, the current concept of a spell hasn't yet encompassed all the transcendent methods mastered by all races, so it's very limiting. As for your question about whether [Transcendent Knowledge] is composed of runes, I can only tell you: I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Yes, I don't know. We can only interpret [Transcendent Knowledge] through the means of runes, but it's highly likely to be composed of runes, because runes are the language or writing of the Void. The Void is like a giant book, writing its story using runes. [Transcendent Knowledge] is rumored to be a lost power of the Void, written by the runes."

"To use a visual analogy, if [Transcendent Knowledge] is a life form, then runes are like its genes. What we are doing now is sequencing the [Transcendent Knowledge], trying to grasp the fundamental power of [Transcendent Knowledge]. This is like how a tech-side civilization sequences its own genes and explores its own genes as an untapped treasure. Oh, sorry, do you know the terms tech-side, gene sequencing, and so on?"

"Mhm, I know a little."

I nodded slightly.

Actually, these concepts weren't widely known in this world, and the suppression of technological development due to the intervention of the Transcendent was terrifying.

Even if Teacher Ji Niang asked how I knew, I could just say I read it in a novel.

"Good that you know. Actually, compared to the analogy of genes, runes relate to [Transcendent Knowledge] more like the concept of a meme. If you're interested, you can research the relevant information yourself, because the formation or existence of [Transcendent Knowledge] is also contingent on a specific environment."

"I know that."

I nodded.

Just like the Grand Spellbook I currently possessed, it was once a product of the Fool's Dream Clan.

When this [Transcendent Knowledge] was expressed as a spell, it gained the ability to put the Fool's Dreams on the path to becoming true life.

Therefore, the best way to understand [Transcendent Knowledge] is to gain revelation from a more macroscopic perspective through its original "birth" environment.

"You know? Oh, that must be the Academy Head's doing."

"Mhm."

I nodded, but we both tacitly avoided dwelling on that subject.

From this moment on, I officially became a member of the [Transcendent Knowledge] research team, but I still had to read those documents and literature.

These were the fundamentals.

Naturally, I also had to read the rune-related materials, or I wouldn't even be qualified to participate in the [Transcendent Knowledge] research.

"This whole series of effects seems to be related to stirring space. Is this portion of [Transcendent Knowledge] likely related to space?"

I asked curiously, looking at the rune interpretation, which was nearly identical to the previous one.

"Perhaps. But we can't jump to conclusions like that. Also, don't have preconceived notions. Right now, we need to approach it objectively through experimentation, or it's easy to get stuck in a dead end," Teacher Ji Niang said.

"That does seem to be the truth."

I nodded, but then, something else came to mind.

It seemed the key phrase "get stuck in a dead end" from Teacher Ji Niang had stimulated me.

The next moment, a figure appeared beside me.

"Oho Your Chief Dead End Inspector is online. Your best frenemy, your other self, who only appears when you think of me when you're stuck in a dead end, makes a dazzling debut."

"I'm telling you, why are you getting more and more outrageous now?"

I muttered quietly.

"I'm not the outrageous one; it's your own heart. Don't you get it? I can see you totally don't get it."

"Little Han, what are you muttering about?"

At this moment, Ji Niang naturally noticed my anomaly.

However, the Illusory Clone spell effect meant this clone wasn't physically real, so even the Transcendent Witch Teacher Ji Niang didn't know exactly what was happening to me.

She only knew I had used an unknown spell.

"Oh, it's an Illusory Clone. I used the Illusory Clone," I quickly explained.

"Illusory Clone? You're using this... Oh, I see."

Teacher Ji Niang quickly realized.

"That's certainly a good method. Don't worry, share the effect with me."

"Eh? Is that wise? My subconscious Illusory Clone isn't entirely under my subjective control, and she's a bit noisy."

"It's fine."

"Did you hear that? She said it's fine! Let me meet her. I want to see what a tiny Teacher Ji Niang can do to me," the Illusory Clone immediately started heckling.

"Um... judging by your expression, what did she say now?"

"Um... things that Teacher Ji Niang probably shouldn't hear..."

"It seems your subconscious is very active. It's fine, I won't blame you. Subconscious ideas are, to some extent, a very good way to correct errors. Compared to the trouble it brings, it's irrelevant."

"Well... alright then."

Runes flashed in my hand.

Then, the Illusory Clone's figure appeared in front of Teacher Ji Niang.

"Hello, Teacher Ji Niang. It's truly an honor to see you here. Do you need my help with anything? I'm much better at communication than my original body, oh."

"You..."

I looked at the Illusory Clone in shock.

Didn't she just heckle Teacher Ji Niang as "tiny"?

Was she backing down now?

"The Illusory Clone reflects the truest self to some extent, Little Han. Perhaps you should reflect on why you've become like this."

"Yes..."

I lowered my head, being lectured by Teacher Ji Niang.

As for reflecting?

Would someone with a rebellious nature like me reflect on this?

I didn't want to become anyone, not even the me in my subconscious.

I only wanted to become myself, even if I was just silent.

Besides... I was only silent towards some people because I had simply lost the interest in putting on an act with them.

When I decided to change, the me at that time would always have a better excuse to refute the me of the present.

So, there was no need for me to worry about this dilemma.

Having thought this through, I continued with the task at hand.

...

This kind of routine seemed to have become the normal state of my life.

I often wondered if this was the life I was striving for and hoping for.

But Teacher Ji Niang told me that my worry was typical of the "short-lived species" mindset.

Precisely because of the limited lifespan of short-lived species, they constantly evaluate whether something is "worth it."

The limitation of lifespan gives the time of life an extremely high value in my heart.

Therefore, short-lived species instinctively resist complicated, lengthy, and predictably repetitive tasks because their subconscious feels this is a waste of life—that life shouldn't be like this.

Their attention instinctively shifts to the idea of enjoying life.

For witches with extremely long lifespans, this was merely a change in lifestyle, and they wouldn't have such concerns.

My anxiety was simply because what I was doing was counter-intuitive and counter-instinctual.

Although Teacher Ji Niang didn't offer any excellent solution, she suggested that with more experience and acceptance of this viewpoint, this kind of annoyance would gradually disappear.

Of course, there was one more point... I hadn't seen Big Sis Bai for many days!

Big Sis Bai advanced to Transcendent, but with the recommendation letter from the Academy Head, she should theoretically return without wasting too much time.

However, I hadn't received a call from Big Sis Bai.

Every night when I returned, I would check my phone, but there was no activity.

I also asked Teacher Ji Niang, but she wasn't in a position to give me an answer, as she wasn't responsible for that aspect.

"It's fine. The fact that she hasn't returned means she still has things to do. You have to consider your Big Sis Bai too, don't you? She can't just register there and immediately return. The Main World wouldn't accept a witch who just advanced to Transcendent to come back to the Main World. It's pointless, even with a recommendation letter."

"So... Big Sis Bai is studying at the Witch World now?"

"Something like that. According to what you said, the Witch World's Great Library has the most comprehensive information on Body Cultivation and Physical Arts. Since she wants to become a Main World mentor, she needs to be sufficiently outstanding in at least one area."

"I see..."

"Yes, the recommendation letter the Academy Head gave her only lowers the threshold. Now, she needs to prove her qualifications."

"Then... theoretically, Big Sis Bai's fastest return would be..."

"A few months at the fastest, maybe a few years at the slowest. The price she pays for this is that her strength will stagnate for a long time, as learning techniques is very time-consuming. I heard you say she's also going to learn True Editing technology?"

"Mhm, I think so."

"Then don't worry. Learning True Editing technology will take years at a minimum. Her fastest way would be to make some achievements in Physical Arts. After all, a large portion of the witches here at Witch Academy are scholars, and very few teach Physical Arts. This could be a way for her to carve out a niche. Once she obtains the Main World entry qualification, she can freely enter and exit the Main World."

"Oh..."

Having received this answer from Teacher Ji Niang, I felt reassured.

I had originally thought "a little time" meant a few days.

It turned out to be so long?

After regaining my composure, I quickly plunged back into the research of [Transcendent Knowledge].

I have to say, the research on [Transcendent Knowledge] had been going on for many days.

If this were a Spellbook, I would have been able to craft its derivative spells by hand just from all the handling.

But the [Transcendent Knowledge] remained completely still.

By percentage, we hadn't even progressed to 1%.

However, the initial "pioneering" stage was naturally arduous.

Once enough test results were collected, they could be input into the Earth Vein System to assist with testing.

It was a classic example of "no pain, no gain."

Moreover... according to Teacher Ji Niang's plan, this laboratory wouldn't only have her and me in the future... Oh no, two witches.

I, a Prospective Witch, barely count as a witch.

Since the exploration of [Transcendent Knowledge] was a massive project, something I had witnessed firsthand these days, the best way to improve efficiency was to increase the manpower.

But a problem was currently looming: according to Teacher Ji Niang, she didn't have much influence within the Witch Academy's witch-scholar circles, nor did she have any impressive achievements to show.

Furthermore, she wasn't a pure witch-scholar.

The only thing she had to offer was this portion of [Transcendent Knowledge].

However, if she were to invite other witches based on this, the primary control would likely no longer be in her hands.

This didn't align with her expectations, as she truly wanted to create the Grand Spellbook herself, rather than just participate as an ordinary witch.

She wanted to lead!

"It's okay... Teacher Ji Niang, [Transcendent Knowledge] is yours, so you naturally lead. I'm not afraid of anything. If it's slow, it's slow. I'm not in a hurry, am I?"

"That's true... I'm mainly worried about you, constantly having your sharp edges worn away by time during the long, repetitive process. If my progress drags you down, you can leave my lab on your own."

"What are you saying, Teacher Ji Niang? Dragging me down? How could that happen? If I have the capability, I'd naturally want to solve this [Transcendent Knowledge] with you right away, not think you're a burden and leave."

"However... Teacher Ji Niang, do you really think so highly of me? To believe that I might eventually consider you a burden?"

"Of course... I was the one who brought you into Witch Academy, and I've witnessed your exponential progress. How could I not understand you?"

"Alright... but now is not the time for sentimentality. Where is my assignment for today? Or... should I go get it myself from the [Transcendent Knowledge]?"

I asked.

"Go get it yourself. If you truly can't, just tell me. Your Spirit Vision is ultimately just a talent, not a means fully controlled by you. Safety first."