Chapter 368: All of Tan Han’s Spellbooks?
“Huh?”
At this moment, Tan Han was also somewhat surprised. She unexpectedly ran into a classmate who had also submitted their exam early and left the examination room. Mainly, that silver-white long hair was truly too eye-catching.
However, after pondering for a moment, she realized the other person was also a candidate for the monthly exam, which meant they were a new student from the same cohort. Yet, she seemed to have never seen this person before.
With such a noticeable hair color, she should have remembered after seeing it once, but she had no impression at all.
Moreover… Tan Han noticed that the other person had been looking at her since the beginning, and she subconsciously nodded in return with a smile.
She was preparing to approach and see if they could become friends, as having more friends didn’t seem like a bad thing to her.
At this moment, from my direction, I saw Tan Han walking towards me, and I was slightly surprised.
Did Tan Han recognize me?
Tan Han should not have seen me in this form before, but I also had no intention of leaving just yet, until Tan Han reached me.
“Hello, classmate. I’m Tan Han. Is it convenient for us to get to know each other?”
“Of course it’s convenient. After all, you’ve come over, right?” I retracted my arm that was resting on the railing and could tell from Tan Han’s earlier words that she hadn’t recognized me, which was quite interesting.
This feeling of knowing each other while one party did not recognize me was indeed fun and even made me think of teasing her a little.
However, that idea only lingered in my mind for a second before I discarded it.
After all, she was Tan Han.
“Are you a new student as well? I feel like I haven’t seen you before. Could you tell me your name? I think we…”
“I’m Yang Yuelan, Tan Han. You didn’t recognize me, did you?” I directly interrupted Tan Han, getting straight to the point.
Then, I focused my gaze on Tan Han’s eyes until I saw a hint of confusion transform into shock and finally become disbelief before I satisfactorily pulled back my gaze.
“Xiao… Xiao Han?!”
“Yes, is there a problem?” I looked at her with a slight smile and asked again.
“You… I… remember that students are not allowed to use spells or disguises during the monthly exam, and your appearance doesn’t match your student ID. How did you get into the examination room?”
“Of course, I just walked in.”
I extended my right hand, and with flexible finger movements, a student ID appeared as if by magic. My original card had already expired; this was a new ID I had issued reflecting my current appearance.
Tan Han instinctively took the student ID, staring blankly at the neatly posed white-haired girl on the ID and the striking name “Yang Yuelan.” She had to admit that the girl in front of her was indeed the Xiao Han she knew.
“How… how did you turn into this form?” Tan Han returned the student ID but still asked, “Is this the backlash brought about by breaking the Fortune Seed?”
“If the backlash of the Fortune Seed turned me into this form, I could wake up laughing from a dream, but there are indeed other costs involved.”
At this point, I instinctively touched the collar around my neck. This suppressed catastrophe curse was the price I had to bear after breaking away from the script.
“Then what is this…” Tan Han heard the meaning behind my words and began to understand that Xiao Han must have done other things she was unaware of.
“My goal is far more than just breaking a Fortune Seed; what’s more, the appearance of the Fortune Seed is merely an interlude for me. Otherwise, why would I go through so much effort at that time? I achieved other things. As for my original body… how should I put it? It’s no longer usable? It should be discarded? Can’t keep up with my pace? In short, it has transformed into my current appearance. I should clarify that I like white hair purely because I find it nice, and there are no other reasons.”
“That… really is quite a unique preference…” Tan Han was momentarily at a loss for how to respond to my explanation. Did she just receive too much information at once?
“Could you tell me what you accomplished?” Tan Han’s tone turned more urgent as she sensed an increasing panic of growing distance between us.
“It’s not something I cannot disclose. I severed the Earth Vein Shackles in advance. If you don’t understand the concept of Earth Vein Shackles, once you advance to extraordinary witch status, a teacher will explain it to you.”
“What are Earth Vein Shackles?”
“You can ask your teacher. To be honest, I only have a shallow understanding of it myself.” I glanced at the time on my phone; it was getting late. “I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first.”
“Wait!”
“Is there something else?” I turned to look at Tan Han, who had called me.
“That… spellbook.”
“What spellbook?” I asked in confusion; why was Tan Han bringing this up?
“I promised I would give you all my spellbooks.”
“Huh?” That sentence sounded familiar. I think I did say something like that, but I was almost forgetting. “I said that in jest.”
“But I was serious.”
Tan Han’s declaration completely halted me in my tracks. That serious but earnest tone made my head ache.
“Do you not understand what you just implied?”
I looked seriously into Tan Han’s eyes, her crimson gaze now seemed cold, but she stubbornly met my gaze.
“I understand perfectly what this means.”
“Then you’ll find yourself with nothing.”
“Trading everything for a chance to throw away those burdens is worthwhile for me,” Tan Han said seriously.
Such determination left me somewhat shocked.
After all, if I were to throw away all my spellbooks, I would definitely be unwilling. One cannot expect a hoarding mouse to toss away everything it has stored unless… there’s something worth doing.
For instance… using all my spellbooks to exchange for Sister Bai, but there’s nothing else I can think of.
“You must think this through. Without your spellbooks, you won’t even be able to maintain the achievements you’ve currently acquired.”
“Those are all insubstantial. You also have many spellbooks, but aren’t your specialties still those shaping spells? Since I’ve said this, I’ve prepared to start over. I will rely on my own efforts to acquire spellbooks.”
“Do as you wish. You can stir things up however you like.” I waved my hand, and without saying anything more, I chose to turn and leave. After all, I felt that regardless of what identity I had while communicating with Tan Han, we would ultimately reach this unhappy conclusion?
Perhaps that was the absence of common topics.
Maybe I never regarded Tan Han as someone of my kind from the very beginning, whether in my previous life or now. Someone as brilliant as Tan Han was simply a being with no intersection with me.
And now, all of this was likely facilitated by the script.
“Wait, Xiao Han! Wait!”
Tan Han wanted to say something else but found that I had already turned to leave. Just as she prepared to chase after me, a space portal appeared in front of me, and the next moment, my figure vanished into it.
When Tan Han caught up, she found herself reaching for nothing.
“Do you really think I’m that naive in your eyes?”
At this moment, Tan Han lowered her head, supporting herself on her knees, a fleeting glimpse of dejection crossing her gaze, but her resolve would not waver because of such trivial matters.
Ultimately, she straightened up; she knew this was still the examination area, and she could not cause further disturbances, so she had no choice but to leave reluctantly.
At that moment, on the street near the Witch Academy Library, a teleportation passage appeared, and my figure stepped out from it.
Teleportation spells are incredibly convenient. As long as a spell marking has been reserved in advance, one can teleport directly.
Actually, teleportation spells can target anywhere within visual range directly, but for places that are not visible, specific markings are needed to locate the spatial coordinates to ensure safe arrival.
A couple of days ago, while relaxing, I had strolled around the academy, leaving my teleportation markings in numerous places.
It wasn’t until I had this thought that I noticed many areas of the Witch Academy had such teleportation markings, most left by senior students who mastered teleportation spells.
Moreover, many locations also had public teleportation landmarks, which were built using alchemical methods, equipped with the ability to interact with any teleportation spell markings.
I had previously overlooked this, and it was only now, having mastered the teleportation spell, that I realized.
However, I suspect this is a preventive measure against certain places in the academy getting filled with teleportation spell markings.
Although these markings might not affect passersby and are often invisible, that’s exactly why accidents are likely to occur. After all, no one wants to mind their own business on the road and suddenly bump into a stranger teleported from a spell.
You might say such a collision could be a wonderful encounter?
That would depend on the circumstances.
Thus, the academy established such things as “public teleportation landmarks.”
But the only thing that perplexes me is that since the academy deliberately built such a thing, why not put up an instruction manual or something?
I looked back at the large sculpture in front of the library, which was actually the teleportation landmark at the Witch Academy Library entrance. At that moment, I had thought it was simply a decorative item. I was curious as to why such a decorative sculpture still had traces and fluctuations of extraordinary rituals and energy.
Now I discovered it was for this reason.
After understanding all this, I felt that the Witch Academy truly resembled a large-scale game.
Earlier, when I just entered the academy, I referred to places I had never been to as “opening the map.” I didn’t expect that this time I had actually opened a map; let alone, this map even had teleportation anchor points.
However… only those who mastered teleportation spells could unlock it. I must say the usage threshold is quite high.
Standing in front of the library, I faced the strange gazes of passing senior students.
There was a reason I came here to avoid Tan Han—because of the spellbooks on the Memory Shelf, I read very quickly. I was accumulating my foundation in a very special way.
I wasn’t worried that I wouldn’t understand the content I was reading; after all, my adaptability is no joke. Even if I wasn’t familiar with the content I read, once I accumulated to a certain extent, I would begin practical exercises, gradually integrating this knowledge—the process requires patience and cannot be rushed.
Recently, all the books I borrowed were related to runes.
However, unlike the previous rune books I had read, which felt like dictionaries, allowing me to understand a large number of runes, preventing me from being at a loss when encountering unfamiliar characters.
Now, the books I had were in-depth analyses of specific runes. One book might explain only two or three runes, and some runes required two or three books to elaborate on their depths.
I admit that the content in these books is quite dull, devoid of any interesting aspects, but the unity of knowledge and practice allows me to master my emotions and be the master of my own feelings. The boredom, monotony, and tedium I felt while reading were similarly reflective of this.
I can say that I have now constructed my own learning loop.
Although I understand this might not be the most efficient way to learn, those who comprehend and master more effective learning methods don’t even need to go through the complications I do.
However, there’s no need for sideways comparison, as comparisons with others are endless. After all, there are always those better than you; if you invest countless efforts into competing in this regard, you will never achieve your true goals. If you only see the competition, that’s not what I want.
Once I entered the library, I returned the books I had finished reading and then borrowed new ones.
Among these books was one titled “Body Cultivation Introductory: Detailed Explanation of Basic Ritual Combat Dance,” which was necessary for learning to use the body refining alchemical ring.
I had memorized all the content, including the accompanying illustrations and explanations. While reading it, I had also attempted to practice a bit; each movement proved to be easy for me, who had full control over my body.
However, this combat dance was somewhat troublesome to practice, as it required a considerable amount of space, which couldn’t be easily done at the villa.
In fact, rather than calling it a combat dance, I felt this movement leaned more towards a ritual. If the actions were more exaggerated, it could feel a bit like performing a shamanistic dance.
Fortunately, this world doesn’t have such a concept. People who want to practice body techniques might just find the ritual combat dance movements a bit strange, but now these movements have already been categorized as a form of cultivation, which wouldn’t draw weird looks from others.
After returning those books, I borrowed more books related to runes, and I also got an alchemy book as a little diversion.
Having completed these tasks, I left the library efficiently, with a clear goal and minimal time spent.
I planned to take advantage of the current time to put together a few outfits because today was exam day, so the clothes I was wearing were not very eye-catching.
Sister Bai was leaving in the next couple of days; tonight might be her last night at the academy.
After spending a little, I managed to acquire several high-quality outfits for myself.
After leaving Witch Plaza, I had completely changed into a new outfit.
The white strapless skirt extended to my thighs, and a semi-transparent shawl made my fair shoulders appear subtly enchanting, overall exuding a slightly intellectual sexiness.
The tightened straps accentuated my figure, while the gradually transparent skirt concealed my legs, making them faintly visible.
My fair legs extended to delicate feet perched in a pair of cool high heels.
Perhaps due to being unaccustomed to heels, the ones I chose were relatively shorter, but the crisp sound of the heels on the ground certainly felt captivating.
“I wonder how Sister Bai is doing. She has been busy for several days… She should have some free time now, right?”
I spoke to myself, then pulled out my phone and navigated to Sister Bai’s number.
As the call connected, I once again heard Sister Bai’s voice, which felt like a “long-awaited” moment.
“Xiao Han, why are you contacting me all of a sudden? Did something happen?”
“No, just checking in on how you’re doing with your progress. Are you almost finished?”
“Yes, almost done. Wait, I remember you had a monthly exam, right?”
“It’s already late; the exam wrapped up a long time ago. Today was the final exam.”
“How do you think you did, Xiao Han?”
“Fairly so-so, Sister Bai. How about I come find you now? Where are you?”
“Are you coming over now?”
“Isn’t that allowed?” I asked in a slightly wronged tone.
“Of course it is! Since we’re at the end of things, I will send you the location.”
“Okay~ I’m coming to see you right away~”
