"Speaking of which, my mom also studied here back in the day, and she told about several secret and interesting places in the Academy," Carter reminisced about his childhood.
"For example, in a corner of the northern forest, there's a not-so-tall cliff with a slanted crevice beneath it, a great place to take shelter from the rain and hide. On the edge of the Lycoris Forest to the west, there is a marsh where, on the full moon nights of August and September, you can pick special orchids."
"I've even heard several similar legends; it feels like the Academy is full of secrets."
"Many of them are true, like that ti they said if you gathered seven different colored mushrooms from around the Academy, you could make an Illusionary Color Potion that strengthens the will. After that, one could easily see through any Illusion Technique," Immy shared what she knew.
"I searched for a long ti and finally collected all seven mushrooms at the end of last year. After experinting about a dozen tis, I found the right mixture and made the Illusionary Color Potion as recorded."
"Ah, so it's actually true? I saw that recipe book in the library too but thought it was sothing a senior had recorded as a prank."
"It's real because the faction I study includes a lot of knowledge about herbal and secret dicine. Theoretically speaking, that recipe is actually very plausible," Immy nodded.
"That makes sense, the Oak Witch line has a lot of traditions related to trees and herbs," the others nodded in agreent.
Hearing their discussion, Tilan thought of sothing and then spoke up.
"Do you all divide into factions based on different Witches? But when I enrolled, I seed to hear more about 'Puppeteer Faction,' 'Transformation Faction,' 'Ritual Faction,' and the like."
"That's right, you can divide it that way too because there are many Witch branches and people sotis can't rember all of them, so they roughly categorize based on the characteristics. This thod of classification is also quite rational. For example, the 'Puppeteer Faction' mainly deals with Magic Artifacts related to chanical Combat Puppets and incorporates a lot of knowledge about chanical physics and energy, and so on."
"Immy specializes in the Oak Witch line, which requires special powder, tools, and pre-prepared Magic Artifacts for many of its Secret Techniques, so it's categorized under the 'Ritual Faction'."
"Sha Lin studies the Blood Moon Witch line of Secret Techniques. Most of the traditions in this line are related to oneself, like the Boiling Blood Secret Technique, Moonlight Divine Speed, Venom of Blood Marrow, etc. Only a few require ritual tools, so they're roughly classified under the 'Transformation Faction'."
"The courses within the sa faction are very similar and everyone is quite familiar and clear about them, so people generally refer to it by these nas."
"Sha Lin has learned a lot of Physical Techniques and combat-related courses, which make her strong when combined with the Blood Moon Witch line of Secret Techniques she studies. However, Immy learns more about courses related to herbalism, Enchantnt, and Alchemy, so in close combat, she would easily be at a disadvantage against Sha Lin."
Along the way, as they grew more familiar with each other, everyone briefed Tilan and l on the situation within the Tri-Phase Moon Academy.
Currently, within the 'Witch Sect,' besides the mainstream heritage of the thirteen Great Witches, there are also more than fifty other Witches' legacies. This is the result of the Witch Sect's relentless efforts over the centuries to collect, excavate, improve, and optimize."
While this approach seems extensive, it inevitably leads to so distractions. No wonder the Witch Sect was later defeated by the Silver Candle Saintess Faction, the young girl thought to herself.
An average-ability Witch having mastered the heritage of one Witch is already challenging enough, and it is difficult to also study the legacies of other Witches. The experience within the faction cannot be transmitted to everyone but only to the heirs of one's own line, which would naturally result in less efficient improvent and transmission of Secret Techniques compared to the dedicated focus of the Transcendent Faction.
It seems the decline of the 'Witch Sect' is not without reason. It's a wonder they rose to prominence in the first place. Or perhaps, it is the term 'Witch' itself that has gathered too many legends and fantasies, attracting countless geniuses and transcendent individuals willing to devote themselves tirelessly to its growth.
However, the 'Witch Sect' also has its advantages. The number of legacies it possesses is sothing other Factions cannot compare with. Many of these Secret Techniques are unique, hard to find substitutes for in the outside world, and possess a surprising special allure.
Many of these Secret Techniques were created by those Witches active in the world of their day, innovated according to their own powers. It's like looking at the source code and redesigning extraordinary abilities suitable for ordinary people to execute based on that. Although in terms of presentation, the techniques might not seem perfect due to the limitations of the era of the Witches, so of these Secret Techniques' design principles are closer to the concept of true abilities.
Transcendent abilities are essentially conceptualizations materialized due to the interference of the mind with matter, and Witches themselves are the manifestation of certain concepts. No outsider could understand better than a Witch how to realize and operate the powers they command; it's almost an instinct."
At night, Tilan and Immy, along with five others, ate grilled fish by a small river in the forest. There was a single cabin that served as the restaurant with no other buildings within a kiloter radius, offering a tranquility so profound, one could hear the murmur of the stream outside the wooden cabin.
Apart from their group, there were a few other students, but not many overall. Occasionally when they spoke, one could hear the lonely calls of birds from the forest.
"...Hey, you're asking which Witch line I am studying?" Carter, holding a grilled fish in one hand and a beer in the other, appeared slightly tipsy.
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