Chapter 360: Witch Physique
“It should be here, no doubt about it. I didn’t expect this.”
Sister Bai accompanied me to the place where the Academy Head had previously arranged to meet with me.
This was a reception room within Ninglan Township Fort, but before I entered the room, I sensed something was different.
I gently pushed open the door to the Dream World and looked at the empty reception room inside; I knew my approach was incorrect.
The space here was overlapped with another layer, somewhat resembling the design of Store Manager Xiao Jin’s small treasury, but entering felt a bit like the enchanting Street of Elegance I stumbled upon previously.
After I closed the door, it was unexpectedly pushed open from the inside.
“You’re here.”
A figure stepped out from within, greeting me warmly—it was a tutor from the academy whom I did not recognize.
My gaze instinctively turned inside; this was no longer a reception room but a fully equipped laboratory!
“Hello, Tutor.” I instinctively spoke to this unfamiliar Extraordinary Witch.
“No problem, no problem, come on in; we’ve been waiting for you～” The tutor had no airs about her and eagerly urged me to step inside.
“Wait, Tutor…” At that moment, Bai Yu, who was beside me, quickly spoke up after noticing the tutor pulling Xiao Han along.
“Oh? Is there someone still here? Normally, not everyone has the right to enter this place, you know?” The tutor seemed surprised that there were still students around who hadn’t left Ninglan New City, as regulations should have sent all students back days ago.
“Um… okay, can I wait outside then? Just in this reception room.”
“That’s up to you.”
“Uh, Tutor, is it possible for you to make an exception? Sister Bai is my…” I glanced around and requested, after all, I found the place massive; if Sister Bai could accompany me…
“Your what? Your good friend? Since it’s Xiao Han’s request, I can certainly make an exception.”
“Eh?”
I looked at this tutor, surprised that my casual hopefulness had led to agreement.
What about your principles?
Wasn’t it you who just mentioned that it’s generally not allowed?
But these are minor matters. For the witches, it truly is like that. Just as I wanted to say something else, a figure suddenly appeared behind me, her hand lightly resting on my shoulder, disregarding the boundary between reality and the dream.
“Xiao Han, you’re here. Let’s go; don’t delay the time.”
“Okay.”
Hearing the Academy Head’s voice, I nodded in response.
“I don’t want you to act irrationally. Just watch from the side; you… hmm, you’re also a prospective witch now, so you should understand the importance of the situation.”
The witch who had opened the door earlier approached Bai Yu, warning her in a voice only she could hear. It was a necessary precaution, as she knew the magnitude of what they were about to undertake. There could be no room for error.
If this attempt succeeded, they would witness a feat that could be recorded in the Grand Library of the Witch World!
It might further develop the “Witch Transformation” process, making it easier for other races to transform into witches. After all, while Self-Awakened Body Cultivation was rare, when viewed on the scale of the entire Void, the number was not insignificant.
“Xiao Han, relax. This attempt is just between you and me; the others are only responsible for observing and recording. The most important part is your cooperation.”
“Uh-huh.”
I nodded obediently, my gaze shifting to the Extraordinary Witches around, finally landing on Sister Bai standing quietly at the edge.
I didn’t expect all these witches came to observe; seeing so many almost startled me, and I thought I’d be dissected for research.
As the preparations were completed, the Academy Head waved her hand, and the area designated for me and her was enveloped by a spell effect, causing everything outside to become blurred.
“What is this?”
“I’m afraid it might be uncomfortable for you with so many eyes watching, so I used a spell to isolate you. Don’t worry; it won’t hinder their ability to conduct experimental recordings outside. I mainly want you not to be distracted by their actions during the crucial moment.”
“So it’s one-way glass?”
“Exactly, inspired by one-way glass as a minor spell. Quite practical, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.” I nodded in agreement.
In a way, technology can also be viewed as a form of magic, capable of achieving things that most people couldn’t even imagine.
“So, now for the first step, let’s remove the Earth Vein Shackles.” Once I was prepared, the Academy Head decisively delved into the subject.
In that moment, I saw her extend her hand, and the Earth Vein Shackles anchored to my soul trembled.
“Can you see the Earth Vein Shackles now? You didn’t pay much attention before; how did you manage to do that? Relying on spirit vision at the Floating World level?”
“Um… yes, but earlier I couldn’t see even with Floating World spirit vision. Wait a sec, Academy Head, if Floating World vision couldn’t see it, can you see it…?”
“I can’t see it either, which is one of the reasons why the Earth Vein Shackles must be severed by oneself. It would be especially troublesome to ask someone else for help; Earth Vein Shackles are an abstract concept formed from the Earth Vein and can only be sensed by yourself,” the Academy Head explained to me.
“I see… So you can help me, wouldn’t that be amazing?”
“Not more than you. Just now you said you could see; what do you mean by not being able to before?”
“Oh, before I used my fortune and spirit vision through the spellbook and Magic Source to locate the Earth Vein Shackles, then I arrived at an unfamiliar place, and upon seeing the Earth Vein River…”
“You know about the Earth Vein River? You even saw it?” At that moment, the Academy Head paused in her actions, astonished.
“Ah? It’s really called the Earth Vein River?”
“Yes, it is indeed called the Earth Vein River. And then?” The Academy Head restrained her emotions, continuing to ask.
“Then I touched a tributary pointing towards me, and afterward, I received feedback about the Earth Vein River’s information. Ultimately, I was able to see the information feedback regarding the Earth Vein Shackles within my body, which meant I used spirit vision to see the Earth Vein Shackles.”
“Receiving information feedback… Is that how you understand spirit vision?”
“Isn’t it?” I curiously asked; could spirit vision have other functions?
“There’s nothing wrong with that; it’s quite good. Everyone has the freedom to understand the world in their own way. Since you can see the Earth Vein Shackles, please cooperate with me a bit, so I won’t have to work so hard.”
“Alright.”
I nodded in agreement, surprised that even the Academy Head had things she couldn’t do. Indeed, this world felt like a massive makeshift stage… Perhaps aside from her role as the Academy Head, she also resembles Teacher Ji, an ordinary Extraordinary Witch?
Of course, these thoughts were merely idle musings; the cooperation had to be executed well.
With my cooperation, the Academy Head indeed progressed rapidly, but it wasn’t completed in an instant.
After all, Earth Vein Shackles are an abstract concept. While I could “see,” it didn’t mean that merely pointing it out would allow the Academy Head to grasp it right away. Instead, it required a gradual process based on my descriptions to sense and locate the source.
“I found it.”
After a while of busy work, the Academy Head finally proclaimed, then with a sudden outburst of energy, countless familiar and unfamiliar runes began to flow at that moment. Suddenly, a vibrant, pulsating red heart appeared in her hand, surrounded by innumerable runes. When I looked again, the Academy Head’s hands were empty, and the Earth Vein Shackles shattered with a bang.
In that moment, I felt something in my mind break, and an unprecedented sensation permeated my consciousness.
It was a feeling like I had consumed mint—refreshing… but before I could savor it for too long, an overwhelming sense of oppression rushed in.
“Ah… What! What is this?!”
At that moment, I felt as if I had suddenly plunged into water; a powerful repulsion was wildly squeezing my soul.
“It’s okay; this is just the rejection force from the world’s consciousness towards outsiders.” At that moment, the Academy Head firmly pressed me down, and instantly, the repulsion receded like a tide.
“This… this rejection force is terrifying?”
Recalling the earlier sensation, it felt as though I had plunged deep into the sea, that suffocating and powerless feeling, combined with the immense external pressure that frantically pressed against my existence…
“It’s fine; I’m here. This rejection force will cease once it realizes it can’t expel you from the Main World, turning into a curse of misfortune.”
“Eh? So soon?!”
“Yes, and even dispelling purification spells will have no effect.”
“This… this curse is so harsh? No spell can work?”
“It’s ineffective. You can purge or purify, but the next moment, this curse will target you again. If you employ such methods too often, you might even attract special attention from the world’s consciousness, and the curse of misfortune will become even more dreadful. As long as you remain in this world, this curse will not disappear.”
“Okay… okay…” I also dismissed the thought of employing these methods, realizing it was akin to drinking poison to quench thirst.
After all, gaining freedom also requires bearing some cost; I understood this point.
“By the way, Academy Head, didn’t you say that severing the Earth Vein Shackles would require paying a cost equal to or even exceeding my own? Why was it… so easy…”
“What do you think the power I used to sever your Earth Vein Shackles just now was? It was an elaborate ritual conceived to tackle the severance of Earth Vein Shackles. You can understand it as a Sacrifice Ceremony, where the thing sacrificed represents the cost you must pay, and the recipient of the sacrifice is the world’s consciousness.”
“So… that was already completed? That just now…”
“Was the heart of a Demon Lord,” the Academy Head explained.
“Ah? A Demon Lord? A heart?!”
“Yes, a warm-hearted demon generously sponsored it for you; you really hit the jackpot. You must understand that your body is no longer present; it’s just the essence of your soul. Even so, severing the Earth Vein Shackles consumed the power source of an entire Extraordinary Demon. This is a deal that no one would undertake lightly.”
“Ah… I see.”
I didn’t expect the Academy Head to use the heart of an Extraordinary being! It’s a power source, trading with Extraordinary beings and the world’s consciousness for a mere ordinary person—a truly losing deal.
Moreover, the Academy Head even mentioned it was a generous donation from a warm-hearted demon… I can’t believe that!
Speaking of which, the ones that attacked us were demons, right? Did the Academy Head storm into their lair?
No, no, no, that was the Abyss World; the Academy Head shouldn’t have been reckless enough to go alone…
“Alright, don’t think too much. You’re worth much more than an Extraordinary Demon. Next, we’ll begin reshaping your body, and you know what level we need to achieve.”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded, indicating that I understood.
Reshaping the body is technically quite simple, but what we wanted was not just a mere reshaping. We aimed for something unprecedented: an Extraordinary Witch possessing the inherent talent of self-generated magic power!
As long as there is a physical inherent talent that matches the nature of magic power, the Magic Source would have the capability to be supported.
To achieve this goal, we needed to introduce another concept: “physique.”
There are many kinds of physique, or rather, as long as it’s a race, they can name their physique after that race.
The most famous would likely be the elemental physique of elemental beings.
It sounds a bit like a transformation spell, so the concept of physique intersects with transformation spells; however, you can’t say that physique is a spell, for that would not make sense. Even the proud Spell Master wouldn’t acknowledge such a notion.
The key distinction between physique and transformation spells lies in their duration; a permanent change to the body qualifies as physique, while a temporary alteration is a spell effect. Most transformation spells actually evolve from physique.
However, there is an exception. Given the vastness of the world, when you try to define or set boundaries for something, you need to delineate its applicable scope. After all, within spells, there exists an entity that doesn’t follow anyone’s reasoning—”Grand Spells.”
Spells with permanent effects exist precisely because of the existence of Grand Spells, naturally leading to Grand Transformation Spells, like the Catgirl Transformation Spell to become a big catgirl.
Regardless of whether such a spell has any utility, the question remains: Does it exist?
If it exists, it needs to be taken into consideration.
Thus, Grand Spells are generally excluded from the list of castable spells; as long as the incorrect ones are eliminated, the remaining ones are the correct ones. It’s that simple.
At this moment, the physique I need is a Witch Physique. I have interacted with the Witch Physique before—the “Witch Transformation Progress” brought forth by the Magic Source is indeed a transformation of physique. The Academy Head’s proposal revolves around constructing the Witch Physique centered on the Magic Source, retroactively deriving it through the method of the Witch Physique giving rise to the Magic Source.
Essentially, it’s about accelerating the process of Witch Transformation through the power of my Self-Awakened Body Cultivation in a short time.
However, this is merely a change in physique, not a change in life level. Therefore, even if I gain the Witch Physique and self-generated magic, it doesn’t mean I have already become an Extraordinary Witch.
At best, it can be regarded as a special state—”Prospective Witch.” Generally, a Prospective Witch refers to a student who is about to be promoted to an Extraordinary Witch.
You could say that what the Academy Head and I are doing now is compressing the entire process that those seniors who take more than a decade to graduate have gone through into a single experiment.
“Ready? Now I’m going to start explaining the details of what we need to collaborate on,” the Academy Head said, holding my Magic Sources in her hand.
“Yes, I’m ready.” I nodded.
“By the way, make sure to keep this Spellbook titled ‘Memory Shelf’ handy. When I severed the Earth Vein Shackles, I made a point to ensure it didn’t become detached from you. If the effect generated by this spellbook becomes detached from the user, the Memory Shelf you constructed will collapse instantly.”
“Ah… right! Thank you, Academy Head!” I quickly realized, immediately expressing my gratitude, almost causing my earlier efforts to go to waste!
“No problem. After all, the content I’ll discuss next could waste a lot of my time if you didn’t have the Memory Shelf Spellbook. You know that knowledge isn’t something you can learn just by going through it once, but the Memory Shelf Spellbook can help you remember it in one go.”
