Chapter 274: Enlightenment of Wisdom, Worthlessness and the Value of Meditation Technique
Luxien’s arrival had no impact on me.
As soon as she got here, she began to busy herself, seemingly looking for a breakthrough related to the Fool Village Secret Realm and its associated tasks.
Meanwhile, I was still here, leisurely practicing my meditation technique with Sister Bai. If I got bored, I could always play with the Fool Dream here as a nice way to relax.
The skills mastered by Fool Dream that I had learned from previous materials, such as planting, potions, etc., indeed existed.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many extraordinary plants here, nor the mixed juice “Fool Dream Drink,” which utilized extraordinary techniques.
These are special techniques different from those at the Witch Academy, but they don’t prevent me from mastering them.
Moreover, I would specifically collect the seeds from here, especially those fruits needed for the Fool Dream Drink, and I already gathered some.
The taste of Fool Dream Drink was indeed fantastic, and its effects were quite impressive, temporarily enhancing affinity and granting a “vision” to see energy flow, making it one of the important means to gain insights initially.
As time went on, that is, today, not only did Luxien arrive here, but other guests also came to the Fool Village, turning this desolate secret realm bustling with activity.
This anomaly made me wonder what was happening in the outside academies.
Was the news about the Fool Village Secret Realm spreading again?
This wasn’t good news for me, but when I saw the “Fortune Seeds” inside these new students, I felt relieved.
Well, the script has begun to interfere here; although it was somewhat reluctant, its intervention indicated that the value of this place was higher than I had anticipated.
Furthermore… the script was not invincible. I had also outperformed many of the Children of Fortune in the last exchange competition, and besides, this was merely internal competition within the Witch Academy.
Among the newcomers, some I didn’t recognize, while others looked familiar, though some were not Children of Fortune.
But this was enough to indicate that the Witch Academy was bolder than I had expected.
Were they trying to snatch the Children of Fortune from those smaller academies?
Some students even still carried characteristics from their original academies, with the new students from the Beast Academy being particularly obvious.
The banquet began as scheduled.
Perhaps because so many people had suddenly arrived, this banquet was more splendid than the last one I attended.
But it was fine; I didn’t mind, and I even hoped they would make it even more grand. The bigger the banquet ceremony, the clearer the insights gained.
At the banquet, I simply held my Fool Dream Drink and quietly observed whether there were any new insights while shifting my focus to Fool Dream itself.
Even then, a few individuals who arrived at the Fool Village Secret Realm approached me, subtly expressing their desire for collaboration.
I did not outright refuse, but I also did not divulge information to them. Once I realized this was the script at work, I had given up on the idea of actively sharing information with them.
Of course, I still provided some basic hints.
“You should try the distinctive Fool Dream Drink here; its taste is quite good. I plan to collect some seeds from these fruits to take back to the academy and try planting them,” I said with a smile, lifting my cup to them.
“If you don’t want to say anything, then don’t. Also… take this strange-tasting juice that causes hallucinations away from me.”
“Do as you wish. It has nothing to do with me if you don’t drink juice.” I shook my head, no longer focusing on her, and turned to the one beside me who was sharing the Fool Dream Drink.
They seemed too anxious to me. If they really wanted to get information, perhaps the memories compiled into stories in the village head’s room could provide a lot of useful material. However, Fool Lake would not voluntarily mention these.
But Fool Lake did agree to show me these stories. After borrowing them, I understood what Fool Lake meant by saying I shouldn’t feel bored.
Fool Dream didn’t employ any descriptive techniques; they simply stated things plainly, and many processes were repeated continuously.
After flipping through some, I gave up and borrowed a few symbolic stories to pass the time.
This banquet yielded some new insights, although I still did not know what these insights suggested. Perhaps only by truly reaching that level would I understand what it meant.
The next day, more new guests came to the Fool Village Secret Realm, and among them, I finally recognized a familiar figure—Tan Han.
Since the Children of Fortune had gathered here, how could Tan Han, the largest among them, miss this?
However, when I met Tan Han, we only chatted a little before parting ways.
After all, from another perspective, each “guest” that entered here was in a competitive relationship, but they had all understood the significance of the Fool Village Secret Realm and the associated task of enlightenment.
They knew this task had been dragging on for over a hundred years.
Although they might be well aware they might not be able to solve it, they still had to present the bravado of a young bull not fearing the tiger.
Tan Han’s arrival brought another banquet, which proved quite rewarding, while I continued my meditation practice in the remaining time.
I believed they would start to value the practice of meditation after several fruitless efforts, but before reaching that understanding, they still needed to experience some hardship.
“Yang Yuelan, did you spend this time in this secret realm?” Tan Han couldn’t help but ask when we crossed paths again.
“Naturally.”
“You are practicing meditation?”
“Yes.”
I could clearly sense that Tan Han was encountering some dilemmas, attempting to find a breakthrough through me, but she was much more reserved than before. Even in our conversation, she only indirectly asked questions. She wouldn’t have spoken to me like this in the past.
What I said also revealed the importance of meditation. Even if it wasn’t focused on solving the task, spending a long time on it was still worthwhile.
But their impatience made it hard for them to recognize this.
As they arrived, the number of Fool Dreams attacked by Nightmares also increased.
I participated in the ceremony for the return of Fool Dreams to the ancestral land as they shed their shells, welcoming the birth of new Fool Dreams as well.
In this regard, although I acted as sad or joyful as those Fool Dreams, I was essentially just an emotionless recorder.
The insights I gained from here, I termed “Insights of Life and d*ath,” because they differed from other insights. As for their use… I was still unclear.
Days went by, until Sister Bai reached the bottleneck in her advanced meditation technique. At this point, the advanced meditation technique had reached its limit.
“Sister Bai, how do you feel after perfecting the advanced meditation technique? Or do you have any insights?” I asked curiously.
“Insights… I just feel like everything seems to have come to an end. Unlike the stagnation after completing the beginner or intermediate meditation practices, this time it feels like I abruptly hit a wall. However, if this feeling counts as enlightenment, then the advanced meditation technique is indeed the last step,” Bai Yu described to me truthfully.
“The last step…”
This aligned closely with my predictions. After reaching advanced meditation, the runes had become very compact with no room for enhancement, only room for horizontal development, but at this moment, broadening the meditation technique held no significance.
So something must have gone wrong. Even though my meditation wasn’t fully cultivated, my thoughts and ideas were more active, and I quickly shifted my focus to the meditation spellbook itself.
Is there really such a strange spellbook for meditation in this world?
A spellbook that only works once, used up and then discarded, doesn’t fit the definition of what a spellbook is. Moreover, the “advancement” of the spellbooks I understood showed that any spellbook in anyone’s hands would exhibit entirely different power or effects.
If I define the effect of the meditation spellbook as enhancing thought and enlightening wisdom, then this should be its spell effect rather than a permanent enhancement of oneself.
But is there something that can be continuously improved through practice?
Of course, there is, but it wouldn’t be a spellbook.
Practicing a spellbook enhances the spellbook itself, meaning the advancement of the spellbook, rather than the enhancement of the user.
This concept needs clarification. Is there really something that can be practiced where the user improves instead?
Yes… for example, body techniques that I haven’t managed to touch yet.
What are body techniques?
They are a form of combat skill.
So either meditation is a skill disguised as a spellbook, or it truly is a spellbook but is missing an essential component, a defining aspect that categorizes it as a spellbook.
A concept that considers enhancing thought and enlightening wisdom as spell effects.
At this moment, I had gained some understanding. Meditation was still missing something crucial, which could not be remedied merely by tinkering with the internal structure or runes of the spellbook.
Even exhausting all methods until the end of my life, it wouldn’t undergo a qualitative change.
Having realized this, I no longer felt confused. At this moment, I had only one thought in my mind: to cultivate meditation and reach its so-called end to directly experience the insights brought by its completion.
Sister Bai’s description was ultimately someone else’s perspective. Only by personally experiencing it would I understand what meditation truly lacked.
“Yang Yuelan…”
Just as I was about to continue with my thoughts, a voice interrupted my plans.
“Uh… Luxien, is there something you need from me?” I looked at the girl in front of me, who, from the first day I met her in Fool Village, appeared somewhat exhausted and haggard now.
“Have you just been idly wandering and meditating here these days?! Don’t you have any awareness of being the new student ranked first in the competition!” She looked furious, as if emotions suppressed for a long time finally erupted in front of the right person.
“So what should I do?” I was somewhat baffled by her sudden outburst and replied casually.
“That’s certainly better than doing nothing at all. You’ve fallen, Yang Yuelan! I can’t understand how I lost to you back then; now I understand—you’re just someone who relies on spellbooks to show off!”
“Please vent your emotions elsewhere; don’t do it here. You frightened these Fool Dreams. If you’ve been driven to collapse by the task, what does it have to do with me?”
“What does it have to do with you…? Do you even know how bad your reputation is outside the academy?! I feel ashamed to have lost to you!”
At this moment, I comforted the nearby Fool Dreams, while Luxien’s behavior similarly attracted the attention of others.
“Constantly talking about how I’ve embarrassed you, making it seem as if you live for my sake. How can you be so sure I aren’t putting in effort? Do you dismiss my achievements with just a few words?”
“Then what have you worked hard on? Practicing that meditation? That thing is nothing but a waste of time, and it doesn’t even enhance mental power as well as the Witch Meditation Method.”
“And that’s the difference between us. A collapsed mindset can choose to retreat, but don’t go crazy in front of me.” I said this without reservation, turning away and signaling Sister Bai not to take action.
Eventually, Luxien seemed to be intimidated by Bai Yu’s murderous gaze and left.
“Should I teach her a lesson?” Bai Yu asked at this moment.
“No need, just consider it an interlude in our boring lives. It seems a lot of people have opinions about my behavior.” I shook my head, glancing toward those who were intentionally watching the show.
“How will you respond to their confusion, then?” Bai Yu smiled as she asked, knowing that such matters wouldn’t affect me. She was just angry that the girl spoke to Xiao Han in such a tone.
“I have no obligation to explain the meaning of my behavior to them. Some people believe strength can solve all troubles; if they hold this idea, why didn’t they enroll in the Beast Academy back then?”
After Luxien had finished her outburst and calmed down, she seemed to realize she was being used by others, recalling those who had approached her earlier, stirring her emotions and targeting her, ultimately leading to her exploitation. This feeling of powerlessness indeed left her feeling worse.
However, she did not regret being used as a pawn because she genuinely wanted to voice her grievances.
She wasn’t called by Teacher Ji but had been tricked by those who were also brought to the Witch Academy.
She came to understand that the top-ranked Yang Yuelan of the Witch Academy abandoned the theoretical monthly exam to focus on this task, and since this secret realm was so vital, the desire to get a share was the main motivation for most of them to come here.
But after wasting so many days here, they realized their mistake. This place was entirely different from what they had anticipated. Coupled with their efforts and the disparity with Yang Yuelan, Luxien was pushed out like this.
Luxien was very self-aware. She had been used in the Wizard Academy just as she was here. She knew she could not compete with those people and understood that this realm couldn’t be navigated solely by strength. After all, even the spellbooks had been replaced, so… she prepared to leave. Wasting time here was the biggest mistake she felt she made.
However, after sending Luxien away, it wasn’t long before I welcomed another guest.
Tan Han.
“Actually, I’m quite curious why you all came here. This isn’t a place you should be in. Following blindly, Tan Han, this isn’t your style.”
“It was Teacher Lina who mentioned it. Initially, I was just curious and planned to come see what you encountered.”
“And then? You’ve seen, but you’ve still squandered so many days here. What have you gained?” I asked with a smile.
“The meditation technique, it’s very important, right?” Tan Han posed this seemingly off-topic question.
“Indeed, very important.” I nodded, though the gap between meditation and the beginner meditation technique was vast, it could still inspire thought, enlighten wisdom, and develop thinking.
Unfortunately, Fool Dreams couldn’t use this spellbook for wisdom enlightenment; it wasn’t a shortcut.
Fool Dreams need external forces for change, and their own efforts were also being shouldered by Fool Lake.
Had she tried using meditation before?
She had in the past, but it had always failed.
It was precisely due to continuous failures, accompanied by repeated attempts, that she now had the method to co-exist and cycle with Nightmares. These were stories recorded by Fool Lake, but the reality was that she had suffered more than the stories depicted. She had already tried this for over a hundred years.
“Very important… so isn’t that enough?” Tan Han shook her head. “I can feel it’s different from the Witch Meditation Method, and… I believe in the judgment of fate.”
“Fate…”
I didn’t say anything more. She possessed the “spiritual eyes,” and what she saw as “fate” seemed to be a predetermined script—a convergence of fortune.
However, I was somewhat surprised that Tan Han could be so open-minded. She didn’t seem as eager as those others to complete this so-called task.
“In fact, I was just too tense before; now I’m relaxing a bit. I really like the atmosphere here. Instead, our arrival seems to have disrupted things, and… also brought Nightmares. Nightmares seem to be part of the task prompts, right?”
“Yes, if there’s nothing else, please leave. I need to meditate.”
“Thank you, I indeed need to go. In a few days, once I finish reading the books I brought, I will probably leave.”
“Alright.”
I nodded, not expressing any further opinions.
Tan Han’s final statement seemed to indicate she had no intention of competing with me; this was an unequal competition.
Tan Han naturally would not engage in it, as knowingly pursuing the impossible would be foolish.
She was aware that she came here per Lina’s guidance, primarily to see how far she had progressed compared to her only rival at the Witch Academy, Yang Yuelan.
Moreover, it was also to consolidate the theoretical knowledge she had learned recently. Actually, she still had thoughts of battling Xiao Han once more, but due to the secret realm’s unique mechanisms, that idea could only be abandoned.
Now, I returned to my normal and leisurely time, waiting for my advanced meditation technique to reach perfection and acquire the final “insight.”
