Chapter 13: The Star Trail Anchor and Qieluo’s Observation

I reached out a hand, gently caressing the paths of the stars as they advanced around me.

“Is this spiritual energy? In my lucid dream, my subconscious is drawing stars to orbit around my body…”

‘This is certainly the kind of scenario I would fantasize about.’

How, then, should I condense it?

I recalled a star simulation model I had seen before. Since the orbits were invisible, I decided to condense them into visible star trails.

For some unknown reason, as soon as this thought took root, an overwhelming fatigue washed over me. Even within the lucid dream, my vision began to blur.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw a delicate, slender ring floating around my body. The stars, which had previously orbited freely, now moved along this very ring.

“This… could this be spiritual energy condensed into a thread?”

‘I felt its tangible quality. Surely, these delicate star trails could be considered threads?’

Once more, a wave of drowsiness prompted me to close my eyes. Yet, upon reopening them, I found myself staring at the natural wooden surface of a desk.

My meditation had ended?

Had I succeeded?

Involuntarily, the image of that star trail resurfaced in my mind.

It seemed I had forged a subtle connection with that star trail, a link akin to an anchoring point within that vast starry expanse. I even felt that by following this anchor, I could enter meditation much faster!

I cautiously glanced at the other students in the class. Each of them had their eyes closed, meditating with profound concentration.

Some students strained so intensely that their facial muscles contorted into grotesque expressions.

The sight left me utterly speechless.

It was clear they hadn’t absorbed a single word of the teacher’s instructions.

After a moment to compose myself in my seat, a profound drowsiness still clung to me, yet I forced myself to stay awake. Heaven knew what fate awaited me if I fell asleep during Qieluo’s class; perhaps I’d be the next experimental subject.

It was a pity, however, that the two individuals by the podium remained standing there, motionless, even now.

With this anchoring point established in the meditation space, a surge of excitement coursed through me. So, condensing spiritual energy into a thread had this kind of effect?

It dramatically boosted the efficiency of meditation!

This anchoring seemed to do more than just allow me to enter meditation quickly. I even felt capable of guiding that star trail, the very symbol of spiritual energy, out into the physical world!

This ought to be feasible. After all, wasn’t it mentioned earlier that spiritual energy needed to resonate with the Witch’s Heart?

While I yearned to try it now, I had no idea what kind of commotion a resonance might cause. Thus, I dared not attempt it.

I idly toyed with the Witch’s Heart. I had to admit, this crystal-like artifact felt remarkably good to the touch.

Carefully, I put it away.

Though I wouldn’t resonate with the Witch’s Heart just yet, perhaps I could try to guide spiritual energy externally?

I would attempt the resonance with the Witch’s Heart later tonight, once I was back in the dormitory.

So, I closed my eyes once more, testing the difficulty of meditation again. If I had to rely solely on myself to enter meditation, success in my current state would be utterly impossible.

However, with the anchor to the star trail, it felt as though I possessed a map in a labyrinth. Though still challenging, hope was now firmly in my grasp.

“Come… let me see what you look like in reality.”

I grasped the star trail, then exited meditation once more. Opening my eyes, I looked down at my hands.

My hands were empty, yet I wasn’t alarmed. I could distinctly feel something being guided forth by me.

The process was slow, but I was not failing.

“It’s coming!” I murmured to myself.

That spiritual energy was being drawn out!

Even though my hands remained empty, I was certain I hadn’t failed. I knew, without a doubt, that something was there; I simply couldn’t perceive it.

In meditation, I must have borrowed the authority of the lucid dream, allowing me to perceive spiritual energy as the star trail. But this was reality, and I no longer possessed that lucid dream authority.

That authority truly seemed formidable. Condensing spiritual energy had been achieved with just a thought, though it had exacted a considerable toll, explaining my profound exhaustion.

“You can’t see it.”

The sudden voice startled me!

Even the spiritual energy in my hand dissipated uncontrollably. Only then did I notice Qieluo standing before me.

‘I’m done for!’ I thought instinctively.

“Spiritual energy inherently possesses no physical form. Unless one reaches the transcendent realm, it cannot be seen in the material world.”

As if sensing I hadn’t heard her, Qieluo reiterated her explanation.

Teacher Qieluo’s voice echoed in my ears. Instinctively, I glanced around, checking if any eyes were directed my way.

Yet, everyone else seemed oblivious, not a single stir.

“Condensing spiritual energy into a thread—what a truly enviable talent. I look forward to your resonance with the Witch’s Heart. For now, I grant you permission to sleep during my class.”

Qieluo’s hand gently stroked the top of my head. “Deep slumber.”

I felt the wave of weariness return, and before I could even process her words, it utterly consumed me.

Watching me drift off to sleep, a smile she could no longer suppress finally curved her lips. She hadn’t even realized that her class harbored such a meditation genius!

How could this not delight her? As a homeroom teacher, who wouldn’t be pleased when a genius emerged from their students?

A genius could elevate the entire class’s potential, secure more resources for them, and even benefit her directly. Furthermore, such a talent would, without a doubt, become a powerful witch in the future—a valuable connection!

As a transcendent race, witches possessed remarkably long lifespans, so much so that other transcendent races even referred to them as ‘immortal beings’!

Thus, they were quite fond of investing.

To this day, witches had almost never experienced natural death; even the very first Primeval Witch was still alive. With such lifespans, as long as they didn’t actively court disaster, they could theoretically live forever.

Regrettably, it was precisely this characteristic that made witches a race prone to recklessness.

Compounded by the extremely low fertility of transcendent races, the fact that witches hadn’t yet gone extinct was primarily due to the Primeval Witch’s intervention in the witch world. Following that was the Witch Academy, which converted a large number of individuals to replenish the witch population.

Subsequently, Qieluo set up a deep sleep awakening service. After all, as the class neared its end, she still needed to announce something very important.

Furthermore, her earlier communication had been a private mental transmission, primarily to avoid disturbing others. There were still a few geniuses in the class, and it wouldn’t do to discourage them with this.

Time flew by.

The incense had burned down, and its scent was rapidly dissipating.

At that moment, I slowly opened my eyes, a lingering haze still clouding my gaze.

However, this deep sleep had been remarkably efficient. Upon waking, I felt refreshed, though I hadn’t quite returned to full alertness.

Catching sight of the drool on the desktop, I hastily wiped it away with my hand. How utterly disgusting!

My gaze swiftly darted to Qieluo. This was all Teacher Qieluo’s doing!

But as I looked back, I met her faintly smiling gaze, which startled me into quickly averting my eyes.

Seeing that I was awake, Qieluo clapped her hands and, incidentally, turned off the music. “Alright, this meditation class is almost over! Everyone open your eyes—no more sleeping!”

With Teacher Qieluo’s bellow, everyone snapped to attention.