Chapter 385: It’s Over… I’ve Gotten Contaminated!
After having an open-hearted conversation with Guan Qiuling, even I felt my head swelling, as if the side effects of overusing Spirit Vision were flaring up again.
Earlier, I had thought to avoid seeing my roommate as a source of entertainment, after all, we would spend many years together, and ultimately, we would become friends.
But… Guan Qiuling, I had been trying to understand her behavior with an open and inclusive mindset, to guide her, but in the end, I was still heavily shocked by her.
They say there are four things one should never do: help with rotten mud, carve decay wood, flip salted fish, and scald pigs to d*ath.
I haven’t given up on Guan Qiuling; I just believe there is still a fundamental understanding that is worth changing within her already hard-to-look-at worldview. It’s just that, limited by her understanding, I don’t know how to start.
In truth, at first, when I saw the new student class schedule, out of ignorance, I thought the courses were very important. However, when Teacher Ji unhesitatingly exempted me from classes, that was when I first doubted the schedule. As I noticed the gap between myself and those around me widening, my views on the class schedule became increasingly skeptical. It was only when I continued to delve deeper that I realized the schedule was also a part of the academy’s selection system.
Because it perfectly aligns with the path taken by those students who like to follow the rules, it theoretically allows someone to become an ordinary Extraordinary Witch, but that’s all there is to it.
I feel that what new students need to learn most is cognition of the extraordinary world, along with planning for the road ahead—not forcing everyone to silently dive into the extraordinary world, struggling and crawling through it. Moreover… even if they have to explore on their own, the Witch Academy protects its students far too well.
After all, for ordinary people, a human life is limited, but the extraordinary may not be; this is the cognitive difference between extraordinary races and humans.
When lifespan is no longer a concern, then when one awakens in life, it will be a completely new beginning.
But this understanding does not apply to us.
I admit that those who can enter the Witch Academy are all geniuses, the best among geniuses, and many of them naturally understand the paths they have planned for themselves.
But one important point is that this dormitory I live in is all filled with abducted students; it used to be boys. This kind of planning has been shattered, gender has been changed, and the reality we have to accept can easily crush a person.
Don’t be fooled by Guan Qiuling’s seemingly good demeanor; she may be enjoying her time at the Witch Academy, but she was the first to be crushed.
In fact, rather than making Guan Qiuling master power, it would be better for her to grasp a skill. Mastering a skill in the relatively peaceful environment of the Witch Academy is something that will never go out of fashion.
I initially recommended Alchemy as that skill, but Guan Qiuling immediately took to it and expressed a desire to learn it, without even needing me to give reasons or compare with other options, which caught me off guard.
The reason I suggested Guan Qiuling learn Alchemy is that as long as one has money, they can try it. I don’t think Guan Qiuling looks like someone lacking money.
Of course… the main reason is that I wanted to see if Betty needed anyone to accompany her.
Due to Teacher Ji, I might not be able to accompany Betty to try Alchemy for quite some time after this; judging by the look on her face, I also don’t know if Guan Qiuling can get along well with her.
However, one can’t assume anything; if Guan Qiuling has no foundation at all, then she would naturally be of no use to Sister Betty.
After all, Betty was someone I met when I was learning Runes, so I also recommended Guan Qiuling to study Runes to see if she paid attention.
After finally completing the role of life mentor, I said goodbye to Guan Qiuling and headed upstairs.
As I walked up the stairs, I unexpectedly spotted a familiar figure at the corner of the second floor.
“Xiao Han…”
“Uh… did you hear everything?” I looked at Dongli Yiren in front of me, a bit surprised but not showing any awkward expression. Even if she heard what I said to Guan Qiuling, what of it?
Would she scold me for my mental control over Guan Qiuling?
I didn’t think Dongli Yiren would do that.
“Um…”
“It’s impolite to eavesdrop, you know?”
“Sorry…”
“But next time, if you’re not seen, then it won’t count as eavesdropping, don’t you think?”
I didn’t wait for Dongli Yiren to respond and walked straight towards my bedroom. What I wanted wasn’t her answer but simply to let Dongli Yiren think for herself; she already had the answer in her heart.
Everyone has curiosity about the unknown, even if eavesdropping is generally considered impolite.
This time, as an observer, Dongli Yiren could certainly detect the guiding nature of my words, and she would also constantly recall our prior conversation, wondering if it carried any ulterior motives just like this one.
But I didn’t care; I believe that smart people wouldn’t care, and I thought Dongli Yiren would be that smart person.
Returning to my bedroom, I instinctively checked the time. Chatting with Guan Qiuling had indeed taken a lot of time, but I felt it was worthwhile to spend some time understanding someone else’s life.
Otherwise, my life would consist of only my obsession with the extraordinary and Sister Bai; there wouldn’t be anything else.
Locking the door, I threw myself onto the bed, letting the soft mattress support my entire body.
This way of relaxing quickly made me feel a hint of drowsiness; truly, it’s a bed… I just lay down, and it gave me a drowsiness buff.
Perhaps I had indeed expended too much energy.
“Let’s just take a nap.” I softly murmured, almost as if speaking to myself. Before closing my eyes, I took one last look at the compound rune I had stamped in my hand.
This was a compound rune derived from a piece of information within [Extraordinary Knowledge].
The next challenge… should be to dismantle this rune, right?
Once this rune is dismantled, I would understand the deeper underlying runes, which should be what I need to understand at this stage.
Just as I prepared to disperse it for a nap, I noticed that the rune I had imprinted with my mental power had already exhibited signs of detachment from my mental power’s concentration!
“Magic…” I rested one hand on my forehead and caught a glimpse of the rune with my exposed right eye, expressing a mild exclamation before casually dispelling it.
In this nap, I slept soundly, gaining a profound sense of comfort from deep sleep.
But all of this was suddenly interrupted by a nightmarish scene, jolting me awake!
“Hmm! Huh…”
At the moment I opened my eyes, I swiftly inhaled sharply. Upon seeing that familiar ceiling and the flickering rune, I gradually regained my composure. My previous memories flooded back, making me aware of my current situation.
I… Yang Yuelan, had returned to the villa after being sent away by Teacher Ji, and then… I took a nap.
My gaze briefly wandered; something seemed off…
I turned my head toward the window; it was already dark outside. Had I really slept for that long?
Turning my head back, I stared blankly at the glowing rune in front of me.
Wait… a rune?!
Once again, I was stunned by this sudden change, to the point where my breathing instinctively paused.
My gaze was locked onto the rune, and the previously nightmarish scene kept resurfacing in my mind.
An overwhelming surge of emotions erupted uncontrollably: sadness… despair… helplessness… numbness…
A tear fell uncontrollably from the corner of my eye.
“This is not right… too wrong!”
I muttered to myself, my body tensing. I couldn’t possibly uncontrollably shed tears solely due to emotions!
I am… Self-Awakened Body Cultivation.
I reached out my hand and touched the dampness at the corner of my eye; it was not a lie.
In an instant, I calmed down, waved my hand, and again dispelled the rune. I straightened up, feeling the original surge of emotions recede like a tide.
“That rune I just had, strange, didn’t I already disperse it?” My expression darkened a bit; this was beyond my expectations.
An indestructible rune sounded very eerie! Moreover… I seriously suspected that this rune was the culprit behind that strange dream!
But now that I was awake, the memories of the dream were gone, as if I had never experienced them; only that trace of emotion made me clearly feel that this was the source of the anomaly.
Once I had calmed down, I began to reflect. The rune I had stamped using my mental power, without going through the refining process… how could it possibly exist independently?
Or… did this rune inherit some kind of property or power from that mysterious unknown [Extraordinary Knowledge]?
When in doubt, one should seek the truth through practice.
Spirit Vision, activate!
My Spirit Vision swept over the place where I had just erased the rune. There, I saw abnormal informational data; it seemed to reflect the information of that rune.
It… was self-aggregating!
And the source prompting its aggregation… seemed to be connected to me!
There was a connection here that even I couldn’t comprehend, maintaining the operation of the rune.
“It’s over… I’ve gotten contaminated with something dirty…” I murmured, quickly getting up. When in doubt, go find Teacher Ji!
At this moment, I subconsciously looked out the window; it was completely dark outside, but I froze for a second before resolutely reaffirming my determination to find Teacher Ji.
Is it already night?
Teacher Ji said she would be in the laboratory all day.
Subsequently, I consumed some magic power; a teleportation passage appeared in front of me. I stepped through, and in the next moment, I arrived near the teleportation landmark statue where Teacher Ji had brought me before.
Then, I showed my permissions at the front desk and hurriedly rushed to Teacher Ji’s place, encountering several Witch Mentors who greeted me along the way, which I dealt with briefly.
Seeing my worried expression, they didn’t pester me too much.
Arriving at the door of Teacher Ji’s laboratory, I pushed the large door open and immediately saw Teacher Ji’s surprised expression, seemingly taken aback by my arrival at this hour.
Teacher Ji seemed unable to believe it, rubbing her eyes and checking the time, confirming that it should indeed be night.
“Xiao Han? What brings you here? Didn’t you say you should be sleeping at this hour?”
“Teacher Ji! I can’t sleep now!” I closed the laboratory door with a click, finally feeling relieved upon seeing Teacher Ji.
“Can’t sleep? Even though you’ve been putting a lot of energy into [Extraordinary Knowledge] these past few days, I still have to tell you that today you still cannot touch or observe the essence of [Extraordinary Knowledge].”
“No, Teacher Ji, that’s not it! I… I’ve gotten contaminated with something dirty!” I organized my thoughts as I spoke.
“Something dirty? Just erase it, right?” Teacher Ji said with a strange expression.
“It’s not that kind of dirty thing; it’s… that kind…”
“Don’t rush, take your time. What happened?” At this moment, Teacher Ji noticed my odd behavior and quickly took it seriously. She waved and pulled over a chair, signaling me to sit down and explain slowly.
“Uh… Teacher Ji, do you remember the rune I stamped from [Extraordinary Knowledge] before I left?”
“Of course, reckless behavior; if something happens, it’s entirely your fault.” Teacher Ji said irritably.
“I’m sorry, Teacher Ji, I really deserve it… that rune, it’s now entangled with me!” I spoke, my tone infused with urgency.
Had it not been for noticing that it was not causing me any substantial harm so far, only establishing a strange connection with me, I might have been more anxious. After all, the unknown is terrifying.
“The rune is entangled with you?” Teacher Ji raised an eyebrow at my description, a hint of curiosity creeping into her expression. “Tell me, how did it get entangled with you? Can your Spirit Vision not reveal the reason behind it?”
“It’s… this rune, even without my mental power autonomously aggregating, it is gradually self-aggregating in front of me. Moreover… it seems this rune is also causing me to have nightmares, but I can’t remember the content of the nightmares, only the intense emotions left upon waking, which even surpassed my self-awareness and control over my body and emotions, making me shed tears!”
“Autonomous aggregation? There’s a hint of…” Teacher Ji nodded, seemingly unconcerned, but then her gaze fell back on me. “So what did your Spirit Vision see?”
“Spirit Vision… I don’t know; the data feedback from Spirit Vision tells me that I have established a connection with this rune that I cannot comprehend; that’s all…”
“A connection with the rune… Hmm, it feels somewhat fateful…”
“Fateful? But haven’t I already detached from the script?” I asked.
“You’ve certainly detached from the script; I only said it seemed that way. It’s not necessarily a bad thing; after all, in the extraordinary world, you will encounter many inexplicable things, and you may spend your entire life unable to figure out the reasons for them. Besides, the culprit of all this should be [Extraordinary Knowledge].”
“Yes, could it be that the portion of [Extraordinary Knowledge] I stamped has transcribed the rune ritual, inheriting some characteristics or powers from [Extraordinary Knowledge]?” I posed the question cautiously.
“Perhaps. This time, consider it a lesson for you. You gather that rune; let’s set aside our original plans and deal with this first,” Teacher Ji said helplessly.
“I’m sorry… troubling you, Teacher Ji…” I lowered my head; this time I truly recognized my mistake; it was a genuine attempt at repentance…
I took a big stumble in the pursuit of the extraordinary.
This made me realize my insignificance in the extraordinary world.
The extraordinary world is not a place where I can thrive solely by relying on Spirit Vision.
“Knowing your mistake is good; hurry up now,” Teacher Ji said with satisfaction.
