Chapter 449: Reasons and Ideas (Combined)
"Good my foot!"
Viola's anger burned like a tangible flame in her eyes.
She rushed to the Starfall Wizard in an instant, completely ignoring his semi-transparent and ethereal soul state, and slapped him hard on the head.
Although the palm passed through the illusory strands of hair, the intense mental impact and angry intent attached to them were solidly transmitted to the past.
"How could you be alright?! Where is your body?! Where did it go?! What stupid thing did you do?!" Viola's roar echoed in the empty and messy laboratory, making the remaining instruments around her buzz.
"Ouch!"
The Starfall Wizard let out an exaggerated cry of pain. Despite being a soul, he was actually knocked off his balance by the slap. His "person" swayed and fell "thud" from his floating state onto a relatively intact experimental table below.
The ethereal, otherworldly spirit that once seemed untouched by worldly concerns crumbled into pieces in an instant.
She awkwardly "floated" up from the ground, rubbed the non-existent back of her head, and her face showed a mixture of embarrassment and guilt.
"Well... cough cough, I accidentally went too far." Xingzhui's voice was still clear and crisp, but it lacked that ethereal echo and had become more ingratiating with a touch of human warmth.
"In the final stage of activating the plane, the intensity of the spiritual backlash exceeded my most optimistic predictions... The physical body couldn't withstand it and was 'digested' into it as starting fuel and basic structure."
"Thanks to Wizard Clark's timely arrival, he forcibly stabilized my soul core and helped me reconnect with the consciousness of this new plane. Otherwise, I might have really been doomed this time, completely becoming this big, dumb guy's 'built-in intelligent management system' or simply being assimilated."
She floated to Clark's side and struck a pose that suggested she was "protected by the big boss."
Then, turning to Viola and Jemin, he tried to appear more relaxed: "But it's really okay now! Although I'm temporarily without a body, my soul core is intact, my consciousness is clear, and I didn't dissipate on the spot. There are plenty of ways to reshape my body or transform my form of existence later. Moreover, this experience has greatly improved my understanding of 'spirituality,' 'material transformation,' and 'dimensional life forms'! I've turned misfortune into a blessing, finding a path more suited to Level Seven..."
"Shut up!" Viola was so angry that she raised her hand again.
"Viola".
Clark's calm voice rang out, not loud, but like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing Viola's raging anger.
His gaze, hidden beneath his grey robe, swept calmly over Viola: "Your emotional outburst just now agitated it again."
Jemin also noticed something was wrong.
The moment Viola erupted in fury and her mental energy violently trembled, a clear chain reaction occurred throughout the laboratory and even the outside world.
An uneasy tremor ran through the air, like a boulder being thrown into a calm lake.
In the distance, through the broken walls and dome of the laboratory, one could see the outline of the continuous mountain range trembling subtly yet clearly.
A low, indistinct hum came from the ground beneath my feet, as if some enormous being was twitching slightly with unease.
The living dimensional consciousness that had been silently watching this place, regarding Starfall as its "mother" or "creator," was clearly taken aback by Viola's aggressive and furious mental outburst, and felt threatened and uncomfortable.
Viola froze, immediately realizing the potential consequences of her anger.
She abruptly closed her eyes, her chest heaving violently a few times, then took a long breath and slowly exhaled.
When she opened her eyes again, the anger in them had been forcibly suppressed, leaving only suppressed worry and lingering fear.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, her voice a little hoarse.
Clark nodded slightly, his gaze shifting to the mountains and rivers outside the window, still not fully calmed by the fluctuations in consciousness: "It has just been born and is still clumsily learning to control its enormous body and power, making it exceptionally sensitive to external stimuli. This place is not suitable for lingering, much less for heated discussions. Let's leave first."
Neither Viola nor Jemin objected to the falling of the star.
The Starfall Wizard floated to the center of the laboratory, gently placed his hands in mid-air as if sensing something, and then nodded in a certain direction.
Soon, a passage with soft green edges appeared out of thin air from their location, extending straight out beyond the dimensional barrier.
This is a "safe passage" that the living plane's consciousness actively opened for them under the guidance of the falling star.
Before leaving, the Starfall Wizard floated to a broken gap at the edge of the laboratory, bent down, and gently pressed his semi-transparent palm onto the exposed rocky ground below.
Her expression was gentle and apologetic as she murmured a few words that were difficult to hear.
As if understanding her whispers, a deep, resonant rumble came from the depths of the earth beneath her feet.
The roar wasn't violent; instead, it carried a sense of affection and soothing, like a giant beast making a gurgling sound in its throat to indicate "I understand."
The subtle tremors that had arisen across the entire plane due to Viola's rage gradually subsided with this roar.
"Be good, we'll be right back." Starfall said softly one last time, then turned and followed Clark, Viola, and Jemin into the green passage.
The interior of the passageway is radiant with light and filled with gentle life energy.
As they approached, the dimensional barrier gently parted to the sides like a living film of water, forming a regular circular exit that "sent" them out.
Returning to the chaotic void of hues, looking back, the green plane still floats silently.
However, the "frizzy" wriggling on the surface of its barrier has subsided considerably, with only occasional tiny energy ripples spreading out, like a giant baby that has just finished crying and is still sobbing.
Viola opened the protective shield, including the soul-state Starfall within it, and together with Jemin, they floated in the void.
Soon, the four returned to the warship.
The warship has restored its stable ecological cycle system. The air inside the cabin is fresh and the light is soft, which contrasts sharply with the chaotic void outside.
Clark, Viola, Jemin, and Starfall in his spirit form sat around in a simple lounge, the atmosphere no longer tense as before.
The core of the Starfall Wizard's experience has been briefly described before: the activation experiment was successful, but his physical body was "digested" by the plane, while his soul was stabilized and rescued by Clark in time.
The focus naturally shifted to Professor Clark.
Clark remained expressionless and calm, picking up the hot drink brought by the construct, and simply said, "I didn't do anything special. I located the laboratory, detected the internal energy anomalies and the rapid weakening of the Starfall Soul signal, broke through the barrier to enter, severed the link at the critical point when she was about to be assimilated, and brought her out. That's all."
He spoke of it casually, as if he were simply retrieving an item he had mistakenly left at his neighbor's house.
But all three understood that in that environment of activated dimensions and chaotic rejection of nascent ideas, precise positioning, violent breakthroughs, and safe rescues required unimaginable strength, judgment, and absolute control over risks at every step.
Clark paused, glancing at Viola and Jemin, before continuing, "After rescuing Starfall and learning the specifics of this plane's activation, I realized that while my intrusion was necessary, the timing and method were the worst possible stimulus for that nascent consciousness—like a powerful stranger suddenly barging into a nursery and taking away its vaguely identified 'mother'."
He looked at Viola and gave her a rare, clear affirmation: "Fortunately, Viola, you maintained enough calm and restraint on the outside and did not rashly launch a destructive attack due to the plane's stress response. The adjustment of the restraint strategy was also quite timely."
"Otherwise, even if I can bring out the fallen star amidst internal and external troubles, this nascent plane consciousness may completely collapse under extreme fear and attack, or descend into uncontrollable rage, with an unpredictable outcome."
When Viola heard her mentor's praise, she was first taken aback, then a rare, unnatural blush appeared on her face, her eyes began to wander around, and her fingers unconsciously twisted together.
Clark, being the person he was, saw right through her guilty conscience.
His eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly beneath his gray robe, a knowing glint in his eyes, before he turned his gaze to Jemin, who remained composed sitting beside Viola.
“I see.” Clark’s voice remained calm, but there was a clear hint of approval in it. “It was Jemin who persisted, determined that the plane’s consciousness meant no harm, but was just startled, and persuaded you to change your strategy, right?”
Jemin bowed slightly: "The student only provided a perspective; the final decision and the meticulous execution depended entirely on the senior student."
"Well done." Clark nodded; those three simple words represented his highest praise.
"That's right!" The Starfall Wizard immediately floated to Jemin's side, patted Jemin's shoulder with his semi-transparent hand, and had a proud expression on his face.
"Little Jemin is reliable in crucial moments! He's calm and sharp, much better than that reckless guy who only knows how to follow orders and almost sent my 'child' and all of us flying!"
"Who are you calling a reckless guy?! Starfall, you soulless egg with only a soul left!" Viola instantly exploded.
The guilt and embarrassment she felt earlier vanished completely. She sprang up from her seat and lunged at Xingzhui's soul with bared teeth and claws:
"Do you know how many military merits I spent on this mess of yours?! Do you know how desperate I was when I saw the binding array about to collapse?! I went to great lengths and lived in constant fear, and in your eyes I'm just a reckless fool?!"
As Xingzhui nimbly dodged, he retorted with a grin, "Hey, can't I even speak the truth? If it weren't for Little Jemin stopping me, someone's annihilation beam would have already blasted over here! Reckless! Just reckless!"
The two (or rather, one person and one soul) actually started chasing and fighting in the lounge.
Jemin remained seated, seemingly oblivious to the antics of the two female students, calmly accepting Professor Clark's praise and taking a sip of his drink.
Jemin felt that the praise he received was well-deserved, after all, it was all the result of his hard work and effort.
That's enough.
Clark's calm voice rang out, not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority.
Viola and Xingzhui, who were "wrestling" at the same time, froze and quickly separated. Viola straightened her mage robe, and Xingzhui adjusted her soul light effect to pretend that she had also straightened up. Then the two obediently sat back in their original positions.
Viola took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down and steer the conversation back on track. She looked at Xingzhui, her expression turning serious again: "Alright, stop fooling around. Xingzhui, what's your current situation? What are your specific plans for the future?"
When it came to serious matters, Xingzhui also put away his joking expression, and an excited light appeared on his soul form's face: "My theory has been perfectly verified! Activating the plane and pushing the spiritual laws to the path of creating life is feasible! Although I lost my body this time, my soul was not only undamaged with the help of Wizard Clark, but also gained a deeper understanding of the spiritual essence and material transformation because it underwent a complete 'fusion-stripping' process! This is definitely the key opportunity for me to advance to the seventh level!"
She became more and more excited as she spoke: "As long as my new body is fully developed, I will be able to be resurrected in full condition! At that time, I am confident that I can attempt to break through the seventh level barrier in one or two thousand years at most!"
Advancing to level seven is a leap that countless level six wizards dream of.
The fact that Xingzhui was able to see a clearer path after such an "accident" and give a relatively optimistic time estimate of "one or two thousand years" is enough to show how much she gained from this experience.
However, that's not what Viola asked.
“I’m not asking about your path to advancement.” Viola shook her head, her gaze sharp as she looked at Starfall, or perhaps through the walls of the warship to the green plane outside. “I’m asking about… ‘it’. This living plane, what do you plan to do with it? Is it your creation now? Your property? Or a… independent, newly formed intelligent life form?”
The problem gets straight to the heart of the matter.
The excitement on the Starfall Wizard's face subsided slightly. She remained silent for a moment, and the light of her soul body rippled slightly, revealing her inner thoughts and struggles.
She glanced at Viola, then at Jemin, and finally her gaze settled on Clark, who had been listening quietly the whole time.
A few seconds later, she seemed to have made up her mind. She raised her head, her eyes becoming unusually firm, and said, word by word:
“I intend to make ‘it’... also a wizard.”
"What?!"
Even with his calm and collected nature, Jieming couldn't help but gasp and stare in astonishment at Xingzhui.
Viola's eyes widened, as if she hadn't heard clearly.
To make a living dimension... a wizard?!
The idea was so astonishing that the two were speechless for a moment.
The wizard's power lies in his knowledge.
The key lies in understanding the laws that allow one to unleash the destructive power or effect of a single unit of energy or element by tens, thousands, or even hundreds of millions of times.
This is a qualitative leap, a crushing victory of wisdom over brute force.
The terror of the living dimension lies in its unparalleled "quantity".
The total energy, material basis, and breadth of laws controlled by a living plane are beyond the reach of any single individual below level nine.
Even if a wizard can amplify the power of the energy he controls, he often finds himself powerless when faced with the sheer size of an entire plane.
Therefore, living beings can often challenge high-level wizards even if they are of a higher level.
So, if an being that already possesses a "plane-level" scale, and also masters the wizard's knowledge of "multiplying" power...
Just as Jemin sketched the possibility in his mind, he felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but gasp again!
What would that mean?
An existence capable of efficiently converting, compressing, unleashing, and combining the power of the "entire plane" under its control, much like a wizard manipulating magic.
To be honest, Jemin felt that his system combination was already cheating enough.
However, the power of heaven and earth that ordinary cultivators can mobilize is far too weak compared to the "heaven and earth" itself.
Viola had clearly imagined the same terrifying scenario. She and Jemin exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and a hint of... indescribable unease in each other's eyes.
"Is this really possible?" Jemin suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked the most crucial question.
This is not just a technical issue; it also involves the nature of dimensional consciousness, learning ability, and compatibility with the wizarding knowledge system.
This time, it was Clark's mentor who answered him.
“It can be done.” Clark’s voice remained steady, as if stating a theorem that had already been verified. “This new plane consciousness has reached the prerequisite standards for systematically learning wizarding knowledge in terms of its intelligence, logical understanding, and capacity to process complex information.”
"It even has a natural advantage in some aspects, such as the intuitive perception of its own constituent laws and the macroscopic energy dispatch."
He paused, his gaze deep beneath his grey robe: "The key now is not technical feasibility, but rule-permission. We need to confirm whether the Star Ring Federation, or even the higher-level Star Orbit Arbitration Tribunal, will allow a special existence like a 'living plane' to sign the Contract."
Jemin immediately understood what Clark meant.
Every wizard needs to sign a contract before embarking on their formal learning journey.
The core of the contract is not actually harsh: it mainly involves protecting the confidential knowledge of the wizarding civilization and not betraying the overall interests of the civilization.
Apart from that, there are not many mandatory restrictions, giving wizards a great deal of freedom to explore.
In fact, the wizarding civilization is not xenophobic.
Historically, there have been many exceptionally intelligent foreigners who, after undergoing rigorous screening and signing contracts, were also absorbed into the ranks of wizards.
In order to learn and use wizarding knowledge more effectively, these foreign tribes would often undergo certain physical modifications to make themselves more similar to the human form of wizarding civilization.
Occasionally, some exceptional geniuses from certain races are accepted in their original form.
From the perspective of rules and core principles, theoretically, any form of intelligent life could become a wizard, provided that the conditions of "high intelligence," "voluntary signing of a contract," and "compliance with basic terms" are met.
So, a living plane... doesn't seem to have been explicitly excluded either?
Clark's affirmation gave Starfall Wizard's idea a strong boost.
Excitement shone in the eyes of the three of them, including Jemin.
Xingzhui was especially excited, as if she could see the incredibly bright future of her "child".
"Since it's theoretically feasible, let's take action!" The Starfall Wizard stood up decisively, his soul radiating an eager glow. "I'll now formally submit an application to the relevant civilization acceptance management department of the Star Ring Federation through the magic network!"
Her efficiency and decisiveness remained as strong as ever.
Watching her departing figure, Clark calmly continued drinking his hot beverage, while Viola and Jemin exchanged silent glances.
(This is the only chapter today, combining two parts.)
After researching various sources, it can be basically confirmed that the author's phone has a hardware problem and can only wait for repair.
The problem is that I'm currently studying abroad and can't take the course.
So I can only retrieve the data inside when I return to China.
As for why I don't go back to China... flights have been reduced, and tickets have long been sold out; you simply can't buy them.
We can only hope that more flights will be added after the New Year.
Also, I recommend a book.
"Who told him to get involved in art!"
Urban rebirth novel with multiple female protagonists and a harem, focusing on the professionalization of art and involving novel business routes such as commissioned works and art promotion. New readers are welcome to add it to their collections and follow along.
(End of this chapter)
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