The Witch Hunter System

Chapter 1133: Ode of Pain and Joy

After leaving the class registration region, True God Galevyr took Vaan to the Grand Library of Sound at his request. There, he immediately brushed up on his lacking knowledge of the art of sound, divine flute, and soul resonance.

Ding!

<You have learned [Music for Dummies]>

<You have learned [Introduction to Sound Arts]>

<You have learned [Intermediate-level Sound Arts Study]>

<You have learned [Expert-level Sound Arts Study]>

<You have learned [The Resonance Codex]>

<You have learned [Principles of Harmonic Mastery]>

<You have learned [The Beginner’s Guide to Sonic Cultivation]>

<You have learned [Manual of Vibrational Control]>

<You have learned [The Breath of Melody: Intro to Flute Arts]>

...

A continuous stream of information was absorbed as Vaan spread his divine consciousness to envelop the various records stored on the shelves of the Grand Library of Sound.

Considering it was the second time True God Galevyr witnessed such a scene, the impact was not as exaggerated. Even so, he still couldn’t help but exclaim with envy, knowing Vaan was absorbing thousands of books at a time.

Such learning speed and knowledge retention were truly beyond extraordinary.

Even other True Sages were not so capable, yet such learning speed and memory retention also seemed so fitting for True Sages.

Thinking of this, True God Galevyr suspected Vaan was unique even among True Sages.

However, the Myriad Sea God Palace didn’t have any other True Sage for comparison; it only had knowledge of them.

As such, True God Galevyr couldn’t confirm his suspicion.

...

Thanks to Vaan’s True Sage status and the new permission granted by the True God-level overseer of the Grand Hall of Sound, Vaan didn’t just access the Outer Palace-level library.

He also visited the Inner Palace and Core Palace libraries, deepening his understanding of sound arts and music to a profound level and steadily surpassing his predecessors in the field with each leap in knowledge.

It didn’t take long for him to master the theoretical aspect of sound arts and music, becoming a maestro of sound.

Even without practical experience, his understanding of the sound arts and music surpassed even some True Divinity-level figures who mainstreamed this field as their path of cultivation. Unfortunately, theoretically understanding alone did not progress his goals.

Once Vaan finished scouring every library in the Grand Hall of Sound, he toured the practical regions, listening to the sound arts and music practiced by other disciples, whether they be beginners, experts, or even masters.

’Indeed, the beauty of sound is one way to resonate with the soul. However, the effects and satisfaction gained from listening to others play music are limited compared to playing the music pieces ourselves,’ Vaan contemplated. 𐍂𝘼ℕọ𝐁Ɛŝ

Although he felt the benefits, he realized the disparity between listening and playing.

After all, the soul wasn’t just delicate, it was also unique to each person. Anyone could appreciate or even relate to good music, drawing out their emotions with its powerful, impactful story.

However, the same music wouldn’t affect everyone equally.

Those with similar life experiences to the story hidden in the music would feel it more strongly than others. Still, no matter how strong such feelings were, they were ultimately relatable rather than exact replicas.

Stories told by others were not the same as telling one’s own stories.

As such, even if music played by others could affect Vaan greatly, it would never touch his soul on the deepest level.

Since soul resonance was an important introduction to Soul Master Cultivation, naturally, he should aim for the strongest soul resonance!

How could he settle for mediocrity?

To begin with, Soul Master Cultivation was very mysterious and difficult. Great progress would not be achieved if approached with half-heartedness.

’Tempo and rhythm... by controlling these two aspects, the same music can feel entirely different, not just to the audience but even more so for the musician,’ Vaan mused.

However, to create a song piece that could resonate with his soul on the deepest level, simply controlling the tempo and rhythm of an existing good song was not enough; he had to create his own.

’What kind of song will give me the greatest impact?’ Vaan pondered.

After a period of contemplation, he figured it would be the kind of song that could reflect his entire life’s journey—not just his current life, but his previous lives combined. The myriad feelings he experienced through them all condensed into a single song.

What did he feel throughout all his past lives?

Considering how long he lived as Varuna, he had pretty much experienced every emotion.

But if he was asked which emotion was most prominent, it should be the one felt during the solitary journey into nothingness, after which came the despairing cycle of reincarnation and suffering.

’Loneliness, despair, pain, depression, and hardship... A lonely journey through despair in search of new hope, only to be followed by an endless sea of despair, pain, and suffering... a sad song that emphasizes these raw emotions should be the most impactful to me...’

Vaan figured after summarizing his past lives.

However, despite finding the direction, he found it surprisingly difficult to progress beyond this point and create a song. Perhaps he was not good at expressing himself and exposing his vulnerability.

Considering his talents, he was more than capable of creating a song. Yet he was stumped at this very step, not because of inability but because of subconscious resistance.

’This is unexpected...’ Vaan frowned deeply.

After pondering for a while, he realized the issue was rather simple and primitive. The so-called subconscious resistance was just his biological response as a man.

Men were biologically and naturally built to provide, protect, and procreate.

In patriarchal societies, men were expected to be masculine and strong, capable of enduring hardship and tolerating pain, sweating blood rather than shedding tears. As a result, most men generally keep all of their pain bottled up inside, not easily exposing their weak side to others.

After all, doing so might not receive sympathy from others but might even attract their criticism, especially in a world that predominantly followed the laws of the jungle, and where weakness was considered the original sin.

Although such masculine qualities were no longer expected in the matriarchal society of the witch kingdoms, Vaan inherently followed the traditional values of men.

It had nothing to do with whether men or women were superior.

He simply and truly believed, on a fundamental level, that both men and women each had their own roles to fulfill, and that each role should be respected, not discredited and challenged.

As such, with traditional values of men rooted in his being, Vaan found himself somewhat resistant to exposing his vulnerable side, even if it was only through a mere song.

However, such a step was necessary to progress in Soul Master Cultivation.

’To share the feelings and story of Varuna, Vanitas, Vaan, and myriads of other reincarnations through a single song, revealing their vulnerable side... Hehe, this is actually not difficult to do,’ Vaan suddenly chuckled in thought.

This subconscious resistance was just a trial of the heart. It could either be big or small, depending on how the person viewed it, and in his eyes, it was a small matter.

After all, he had never cared about the opinions of others.

What did they have to do with him?

So what if they criticized him?

For all of the steadfast men in the world who have endured hardship in order to provide and protect their families, he had nothing but respect for them. However, he also wanted to tell them that it was okay to show their weak side and draw support from others.

Did it make them less of a man when they cry during tough times?

Absolutely not.

As long as they are fulfilling their roles as men, they would be doing right by themselves and their families. The opinions and criticisms of others would not change who they were and simply did not matter.

They are not weak men; they are strong men!

’Accepting and embracing our flaws is not a sign of weakness but the mark of true courage.’

’So what if others could understand the pain, loneliness, and despair through my song? Whether they sympathize with me or criticize me, it will not change who I am or what I believe in.’

’Mere words will not wound a strong heart,’ Vaan smiled.

It was rather ridiculous that he would even feel some subconscious resistance over this matter. His situation was far more extraordinary than other men.

How could another human not feel pain, loneliness, and despair if they had gone through the same experience?

He was not an emotionless robot, and neither were the other true men.

Being capable of these emotions under such extraordinary circumstances was proof of his humanity!

It was normal to feel pain, loneliness, and despair in tough times.

After Vaan completely reflected on the state of his own heart, the melodies and lyrics of his unborn song naturally flowed through his mind like river water, steadily bringing it to completion.

In his mind, he already had a name for this unprecedented song piece — Ode of Pain and Joy.

The compilation of all his lives wasn’t just all about pain, loneliness, and despair. There was also hope for the future. After all, his current life was not as tragic as his past reincarnations, thanks to his brother’s support.

However, as the Ode of Pain and Joy became more complete in Vaan’s mind, he realized that the song’s value would extend far beyond its original purpose.

It wasn’t just a song to help him achieve the deepest level of soul resonance; it was also a song of reflection and healing for others who were fortunate enough to hear it, strengthening their Sacred Will.

Vaan immediately made a mental note to gift this song to the Pangean Humans as a contribution toward humanity.

Whether it was the past or the inevitable future, they were bound to face incredible hardship. He hoped this song would help them recover from all the scars on their hearts, allowing them to continue braving forward with conviction in whatever path they take and against whatever difficulties they face.

’I hope that through this song, all the true men and women in the world can also heal from all of the pain they do not speak about,’ Vaan sincerely thought.

With the birth of the Ode of Pain and Joy, although this song cannot erase the hardship of its listeners, it can eliminate their suffering.

Hardship is inevitable, but suffering is optional.