Chapter 935: The World and the Three Great Rivers
After waiting for a long time, although only a few seconds had passed objectively, Tan Jun and the others felt an anxiousness that seemed to stretch like last year!
Just as they had not yet received a response from the colossal presence before them, they all simultaneously received a pop-up message from “Xiao Gou.”
“The troubles inside the secret realm have mostly been resolved; you don’t need to be afraid.”
As they were drawn to this sudden “rogue pop-up” message and instinctively attempted to respond, another cold voice repeated the same phrase.
“The troubles inside the secret realm have mostly been resolved; you don’t need to be afraid.”
— Word for word.
However, when the king of the Ancient Ice Clan finished this statement, Tan Jun felt a terrifying sense of crushing pressure beyond the usual!
Was this a coincidence?
How could it be!
At that moment, Tan Jun imagined countless possibilities, and none of them included this!
Could this be part of Xiao Gou’s plan… Was the entire Ice Snow Throne secret realm merely a trap laid by Xiao Gou?
But the Ice Snow Throne secret realm was a gift from the academy to the Witch Secret Realm Association. If
Xiao Xi could influence the academy’s decisions, why go to such lengths for conflict?
“You are… Xiao Xi?”
Suppressing a surge of thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her, Tan Ling finally asked this question.
Meanwhile, Shi Ruizhi and Luxien were still shocked by the current pop-up information.
Xiao You herself only had the Knowledge Seed, so her information lagged a beat behind the Great Knowledge Seed.
“Not too dumb; we should leave.” I extended my massive palm towards Tan Ling and her three companions, signaling them to climb on.
“Fate has already arranged everything, and we don’t need to bear this kindness.” I continued.
Tan Ling had already informed me of Ming Xueming and the others’ actions, and even if she hadn’t, I would soon find out about it.
And the arrangement of fate did indeed refer to the group that had gathered all the remaining fragments.
They were entangled by a contract and were digging in the ruins of the laboratory.
For me at this moment, annihilating them was as easy as pie!
After acquiring the “All -1” fragments, I qualified to explore the nature of extraordinary powers.
Because of my one attempt, fate granted me two gifts.
The first was understanding life, learning about the process of life’s birth layer by layer, and even allowing me to “experience” it in person; this was a rare opportunity that could not be sought!
The second was recognizing power, using the Ancient Ice and the Great Ice Snow Throne as a catalyst, allowing me to understand the operational experience of 【Extraordinary Knowledge】 and the chance to grasp its essence.
There was even a little bit more: gathering all the fragments to form a Great Spellbook would inevitably tear apart the Void Rifts!
Moreover, this presented an opportunity for me to understand the Void Rifts!
“Wait! You are Xiao Lian?!”
At this moment, Shi Ruizhi played her role in the team well, voicing the doubts that everyone had but did not dare to ask.
Even though Tan Jun had already asked, they still found it hard to believe.
Especially Luxien!
If the giant before them was Xiao Lian, the one she recognized as Yang Yuelan… what kind of means would it take to… seize the king of the Ancient Ice Clan?
But the truth was that she misunderstood.
This was not a seizure; without the unexpected addition of this consciousness, the Ancient Ice would never have had a chance to see their king.
Knowing how many witches in the laboratory back then meticulously guided the Ancient Ice, using their race as a carrier, alongside a maximum utilization of 【Extraordinary Knowledge】, to create their king.
Did they think they could replicate their past success with this crude ritual?
Impossible!
In the ritual, even fragments of 【Extraordinary Knowledge】 were not dared to be used.
In the beginning, I had transferred this power to that royal high priest through a ritual.
Otherwise, why would I have forcefully changed the ritual midway?
Because I came, the following ritual was already unsuitable for me.
“Your mind is a bit slow.”
I looked down at the four already standing in my palm and then slightly bent my fingers.
They held onto my fingers like a railing to prevent themselves from falling.
—
At this point, Shi Ruizhi asked the question that everyone was curious about but dared not voice.
They suddenly realized that Shi Ruizhi seemed somewhat naturally daft… but having such a companion sometimes indeed felt… quite good?
“Oh, it was due to a small experimental failure that it turned out like this.”
“Then… can you go back?”
“Go back? I hesitated as I looked at Shi Ruizhi and the others. “You misunderstood; you can understand my form as a clone, just like the moon, my main body is just fine over in the experiment zone.”
“A clone! Wow… What kind of experimental failure could result in such a terrifying method? I remember you weren’t supposed to enter this secret realm, right?”
“Not being in one place doesn’t mean you can’t influence what happens there.”
“Then… doesn’t that mean you’re like a puppet master controlling everything from the shadows?” Shi Ruizhi became more and more excited with her questions, as if she had taken part in this behind-the-scenes planning herself.
“Exactly, so you all should keep quiet and not let anything slip, understood?”
“Oh oh! Understood! Then… what about the academy? If you do this, won’t the academy pursue accountability?”
“The academy… Heh… The academy head is right next to my main body, so it’s not a big deal.” I used the most straightforward persuasion method, thoroughly dispelling their doubts and worries.
I must say, this was the first time they saw the gulf between them.
It was as if there was a layer of fog that could never be seen through between them.
At this moment, Shi Ruizhi, under Tan Ling’s hint, struggled to rein in her curiosity.
Feeling that if she continued to ask, Shi Ruizhi would really dare to ask anything, but if Xiao Di made any careless remarks, they might not necessarily dare to listen!
Thus, after Shi Ruizhi quieted down, Tan Ling spoke up for her.
“Miss, you just dealt with those people. So, what are we going to do next?”
“Next? Of course, we go to the laboratory ruins; isn’t there a great gift from the All-purpose Workshop waiting for us?” I said matter-of-factly.
“There… Fine, it’s definitely a great gift, so Xiao Di, you plan to gather all the fragments to form the Great Spellbook, right?”
“Why? It’s interesting and also a rather marvelous experience.” I replied cheerfully.
Though I had turned the king of the Ancient Ice into my clone because of this incident, it did not mean I would inherit everything; I had always remembered what I wanted.
If one were to ask: understanding 【Extraordinary Knowledge】 and obtaining a piece of extraordinary knowledge, which would I prefer,
I’d definitely choose the former.
I wasn’t lacking in 【Extraordinary Knowledge】; the game world was still waiting for me to harvest.
Inside my main body, there was still a portion of Principal Mei’s 【Extraordinary Knowledge】 that I had yet to utilize.
Although this was nominally Principal Mei’s, it did not mean that I could acknowledge
the fact that it existed on me now.
As I gradually resonated with this power through the clone, I began to understand this “Great Ice Snow Throne” quite deeply.
Its existence was akin to the extraordinary item “Tear of the Wild Plant” held by Qiu Ruxin in the previous news world, with strong fortune intervening; hence, it couldn’t possibly belong to me.
Moreover, it was far more complex than the “naturally formed” Tear of the Wild Plant; it was also connected to the resonance of the Ancient Ice bloodline and the concept of nationality, effectively making an entire race part of this Great Spellbook, along with the support and connection of all its people’s faith.
Thus, I saw it clearly— even if I acknowledged this clone, it was merely a tool that could wreak havoc in the world; it was not an unconstrained power I solely controlled.
However, as a temporary handy tool or a bargaining chip later, it was certainly sufficient.
And it was at this moment within the secret realm that I made my next decision.
In the Primordial Dream Laboratory.
“You mean to say you have now become the king of the Ancient Ice Clan? Is that true?”
“Yes, at least for now, I think this is a unique opportunity. Limited by the mimicry of my clone’s soul skills, this clone still cannot become a true life form, but I have enough confidence that with the soul drawing technique, I can…”
“Alright, alright, no need to elaborate.” Mei Linde quickly intervened, not wanting to reveal all of Xiao Han’s trump cards.
After all, there were still many witches listening; one after another, they were skilled gossipers. Even if they promised not to spill anything, what if one of them let something slip?
“So what do you intend to do next?”
“Next, of course, is to gather all the fragments and try to piece together a Great Spell to play with.” I said, quite naturally.
“Hah? Play? Are you sure you mean play?”
“Yep, I’ve obtained a lot of leftover data from the laboratory through Tan Qiang and the others. The fragments are merely an unconventional state of this Great Spellbook; it’s not like the Great Spellbook was really destroyed— it just needs to be pieced together, so anyone can do it?”
“Is this not the Xiao Han I know? Xiao Han’s reliable nature is surprisingly bold? At this moment, some witches were whispering, gathering around their friends to quietly ask.
The girl has the capital to be bold~ I feel like this kind of lady is very straightforward, and communication becomes much more comfortable!”
“I like this kind of lady too.”
While these witches were gossiping, the topic between me and the academy heads had already jumped to another level.
“Principal, with such a sudden turn of events, why are you not speeding up the Qi Observation Technique observations? Up until now, I only have a vague understanding of the Qi Observation Technique’s functions. As for how to lock in the world’s veins through the Qi Observation Technique, I am still not quite clear. Is this not a good opportunity?”
“Useless, at least not yet.” Principal Mei shook her head with a hint of helplessness.
In fact, to observe the adjustments to the Qi Observation Technique Instruments, at this stage, it had nearly completed and was about to succeed.
“Not yet the right moment.”
“So what is considered the right moment?” I posed my confused question.
Previously, the academy heads used the Ancient Ice and Great Ice Snow Throne as mediums to try to lock in the world’s veins.
Given the same opportunity now, and with the Qi Observation Technique Instruments that were not available back then, there should at least be some value in trying, right?
“Do you still remember what I told you about the world’s veins and what they relate to?”
“What do they relate to? Uh… that’s quite broad… What specifically should I ask about?” I questioned.
“Let me ask this way: have you learned about the three great rivers of the void?” Mei Linde was no longer in a hurry at this point; after dispersing the gossiping witches, she began to explain to me.
“I know this.” I had encountered the earth vein river during my previous research on earth veins and later learned in detail about the three great rivers of the void for some reasons. It seemed that I understood them through the Fortune Alchemist.
“In that case… the world’s veins are related to the earth vein river, right? Sister Mei, what are you trying to ask me?”
“Yes, the world’s veins are related to the earth vein river. So let me ask you, can you guess the entire complete world system and which sources it was born from?”
“Uh… I remember you told me a metaphor, that the world is the fruit of the void and earth vein’s knot, so… the world is the product of the earth vein?”
“You got one-third of it right.” Mei Linde smiled and then began to explain: “The source of the world comes from the three great rivers of the void; it’s not just one, but all of them. Can you understand what I mean by that?”
“Three… three great rivers? All of them?!”
“Correct! So let me explain a bit.” Mei Linde paused and continued: “First, there is the most fundamental River of Time. Of course, the River of Time flows not time itself, nor is time a specific concept; more importantly, it is not a characteristic that a certain power can control. With your sense of time, you should understand better than I do.”
“So, how do you understand the concept of time?”
“Well, time is irreversible, nor can it be objectively controlled; it can only be a deconstructed, utilized, and deepened concept of understanding.”
“Very profound, a bit confusing; however, the River of Time is a specific concept used to measure the real depth of light. The existence of real time allows everyone to recognize the concept of ‘extraordinary’ to completely delineate the boundary between real time and the visible world.”
“And real time, the so-called River of Time, is the cradle of the world’s birth, and also the foundation upon which the world can be born.”
“Then comes the Earth Vein River, which constructs the framework of the world’s operations within real time.”
“What about the River of Cause and Effect?” I asked.
I had learned about this from the Fortune Alchemist; because the river was the most mysterious, it could not be observed or understood; only its tributaries could be observed, namely the so-called “Fortune River.”
