Blessing and Technique

"Understood it now?" Professor Ye asked with a beaming smile. "I think I understand a bit." Ji Jue pondered for a moment before venturing tentatively, "The trait of the Moxie matrix... is it 'isolation' or 'repulsion'?" It was neither the telekinesis of Tianyuan nor a magnetic field. Instead, by adjusting material properties, it induced an effect between designated substances akin to electrical insulation. It severed all communication and interference, preventing any reaction from occurring. Under this effect, even if strong acid and strong base were poured into the same cup, they would remain as distinct as the Jing and Wei Rivers. As long as Ji Jue's spiritus alterations could not keep up with the professor's countermeasures, Non-Offensive would never take effect. Taking this special effect one step further, it could even render the two entirely incompatible, forcing them to actively repel each other. With just a bit of reflection, one could sense its limitless applications. If applied to metallurgy and crafting, one could not only freely strip away impurities from materials, but also ensure they remained completely unmixed until a designated moment, granting total control over the progress of any reaction... "Clever." Professor Ye nodded in approval. Teaching him was truly effortless; a single hint was all he needed. From just an instant of contact and analysis, he had already deduced most of Moxie's properties. For a student like this, a proper reward was in order. She praised him warmly, "Clever kids get the bitter pill." *Smack!* In that instant, the world spun once more! Like a sodden rag, Ji Jue was effortlessly hoisted, swung through the air, and slammed flat against the floor. Dazed and dizzy, he couldn't get back up. Only then did Professor Ye's voice drift down to him. "The blessing you received should have come from Embers." Though framed as a guess, her tone was absolute. "If I'm not mistaken, it's 'Masterwork Nature,' isn't it?" Amid coughs and ragged breaths, Ji Jue gave a feeble nod. Crafting speeds that answered nearly at thought, alongside such an absurd efficiency in adjusting material properties—no other possibility existed. From the moment he received this blessing, his hands had effectively been blessed by heaven. Strength, reflex speed, stability, precision, and all manner of unfathomably intricate techniques... so long as something was theoretically achievable by human hands, a Celestial Chosen who possessed this blessing could master it with just a bit of practice! In short, this blessing could be regarded as the pinnacle of a craftsman's hands. Given enough time to practice, mastery was guaranteed; once mastered, error was impossible. Even if Ji Jue were dropped at the docks right now without preparation to slit purses, given a single morning to adapt, he would become a legendary thief king renowned across the waterfront within a month. If the traits of Non-Offensive endowed a craftsman's hands with infinite possibilities, then this blessing allowed the craftsman to unlock their hands' potential and efficiency at maximum speed. It not only accelerated Non-Offensive's operations to the highest degree, but also raised his lower limit to heights ordinary people could never hope to attain. Even machinery was subject to the master machine effect, but a Celestial Chosen was not. As the Chosen grew and their blessings underwent metamorphosis, the power granted by this gift would only grow increasingly terrifying. With tools in hand, a Chosen was a lathe in their own right; with Non-Offensive, Ji Jue didn't even need a lathe. In a sense, he could already be viewed as a universal fabrication engine! Even if stranded on a deserted island, given two months, he could hoist his sails and set out to sea in a ship he built entirely by himself. Unfortunately, Ji Jue had been a Celestial Chosen for far too short a time. His experience and ability as a craftsman had barely crossed the threshold, leaving him unable to effortlessly draw out the qualitative leap born from combining this blessing with Non-Offensive. In Professor Ye's view: *You suck—get back to practicing!* If Professor Ye had a setup like this, she could easily defeat her current self without using other alchemical items in under ten moves. Spiritus of the Embers path inherently possessed the alchemical operation of adjusting material properties when reinforcing the self. Applying it inward was far simpler and faster than applying it to external objects. Through specialized spiritus circuits, a Sovereign Virtue insignia could be constructed to grant targeted enhancements to one's spiritus. Yet the Sovereign Virtue insignia was equally dependent on each craftsman's depth of understanding of Sovereign Virtue. Meanwhile, Non-Offensive's ability to manifest these effects outside a workshop pushed this convenience to an appalling degree. On top of that foundation, applying Fluid Alchemy to oneself—an art that allowed material properties to align simultaneously whenever the essence was elevated—meant that as the soul grew stronger, the physical body strengthened alongside it. A triple stack! Moving this fast was only natural. In fact, if he weren't this fast, Professor Ye might as well have found a rope and told Ji Jue to hang himself. *Account bricked; start over. Living like this is just an embarrassment anyway.* As for Masterwork Nature... After a brief pause, Professor Ye understood completely. It truly was the blessing best suited for Non-Offensive, and the most crucial one. If every matrix represented a unique combination of blessings, then Masterwork Nature was unequivocally the core piece of Non-Offensive's skill set. Even across the entire Embers lineage, those who could obtain such an exceptional blessing during their first advancement could be counted on one hand. If the first blessing secured in the Calling stage was Masterwork Nature, then according to the optimal path, the blessing indicated by the second matrix should be the Ascension path's 'Primacy of Mind,' followed by the Tianyuan path's 'Sovereign Axis' for the third, and then in the subsequent Metamorphosis stage... ...Wait, something was wrong! Something felt increasingly off! Ye Xian suddenly felt a headache coming on. After washing her hands of the business for so many years, was she really going to end up spending her own money and sparing no expense just to cultivate a Juzi for those Mohists? If she had known, she wouldn't have set her hopes so high and would have just made do by tossing Ganjiang to him. That would have severed those people's lingering hopes for good. They had already cut ties and parted ways, so why keep stringing things along? Yet would that have been enough? She looked down at Ji Jue as he struggled to climb back up from the ground, unable to suppress a long sigh. Even if she arranged everything, would this bastard really spend his entire life peacefully as a craftsman untroubled by the world? Forget it. Look at that obstinate, unrepentant face... In the days to come, she would probably have plenty more headaches to endure. "Teacher, I'm ready." Panting, Ji Jue stood straight once more. "Quite the backbone, aren't you?" Ye Xian's mocking tone was as sharp as ever. "I thought you'd take the chance to lie flat, play dead, and never move again." "Actually... there's one more move, but it's still just a concept. I wanted to ask for your evaluation." Ji Jue wiped away the trickling nosebleed and offered a sheepish smile. "I just don't know if it's suitable." That look in his eyes... As expected, beating him a few more times was the right call. Ye Xian said nothing more, merely crooking her fingers in a placid beckoning gesture. "Come on, then." In that instant, a low, thrumming sound abruptly erupted within the quiet underground chamber. Like distant drums. That was... a heartbeat! Ji Jue's pupils flashed crimson in a flash, countless blood vessels bursting across the whites of his eyes, spreading from the center outward. Dark purple lines surfaced across his face like a spiderweb. The nosebleed that had briefly ceased began to flow once more, thick and unstoppable. His body temperature soared rapidly, crossing forty degrees Celsius with every sign of climbing even higher. His limbs flushed an alarming shade of red, looking like boiled shrimp. Yet beneath the crimson flush, layer upon layer of spiritus circuits formed and extended, radiating throughout his entire body. Over forty Sovereign Virtue insignias emerged across his vitals and joints. Desolate Ruins reinforced his bones, White Stag bolstered his muscles, Swarm amplified his destructive power, Tianyuan coordinated their synergy, and Ascension preserved his sanity... Amid the raging torrent of spiritus, the intricate framework materialized in an instant. And then, in the very next breath... Ji Jue vanished from where he stood. Amid the roar of thunder, he came howling forward! As if transformed in an instant into a speeding motorcycle, a sheer velocity rivaling a motorized vehicle burst forth from his lean physique. In the span of a finger snap, he crossed a distance of twenty-six meters amid a shrieking gale. His pressed fingers formed a blade, thrusting straight ahead! Whether called a thrusting palm, a spear hand, a horizontal fist, or an ox stance... in that split second of motion, one could discern the embryonic forms of countless techniques, yet here they surfaced as naturally as flowing water. Using the purest mechanics as a foundation, he pushed this power of his to the absolute limit, unleashing it toward his foe in raw destruction! All paths of combat originated from this. Now, a whistling strike comparable to cold iron rushed toward her face, lifting Professor Ye's hair and revealing the slight curve forming at the corner of her lips. Finally, she could get a little serious... *Boom!* The ceiling and the earth shook violently. Countless fragments of spiritus light rose like dust, spreading outward before dimming into nothingness. Yet Ji Jue's thrust was brought to an abrupt halt beneath Professor Ye's clamp. Just as before, she seized his wrist, redirecting his momentum to flip him over and slam him toward the earth. Yet midair, Ji Jue showed no trace of imbalance. His free hand swept outward, slicing toward her neck, forcing her to defend in the space of a single breath. The instant Professor Ye let go, he used the collision between them and his remaining momentum to spring backward, rolling until he landed on all fours. It looked unspeakably awkward, yet it was terrifyingly stable. Unfortunately, she gave him no chance to press the attack. This time, Professor Ye finally took a step forward. In an instant, she was inches away, her five fingers splaying as she pressed her palm toward his head with casual grace. Yet she struck empty air. Ji Jue, already on the ground, sprang up violently—inverted, his hands braced against the floor, his hips snapping as his legs swept around in a rotary kick. What was this? Where did this breakdancing come from? Professor Ye nearly laughed out loud. What a chaotic mess! *Thud!* Against his unreserved kick, her resting-arm block was actually forced open. In terms of sheer raw power, Ji Jue at this moment had surpassed her spiritus reinforcement... but at what cost? What was the price? Tumbling and leaping, Ji Jue landed on his feet once more. The blood dripping from his nose and mouth scattered in the wind, yet he showed no hesitation and paid it no heed. It was as if the blow Professor Ye had landed square on his abdomen just now were nothing more than an illusion; even the spasms and cramping of his internal organs were utterly ignored. Once again, a savage assault. Deep marks appeared across the ground, nearly stamped into footprints beneath his strides. Heavy thuds rang out in rapid succession as his punches pressed relentlessly against Professor Ye's movements, unhindered even by the rhythm of his breathing, unbroken and unending. Without a single pause! The power behind every punch was so steady it seemed mathematically constant. Every movement mirrored the stances of the military close-quarters combat taught by Lu Feng, devoid of the slightest distortion, standard as a textbook. Under this tempestuous barrage, had someone other than Professor Ye stood here—a target or a punching bag—they would have been obliterated long ago. Even a steel piling would have been battered beyond recognition. In the span of a finger snap, he had transformed from a craftsman inept at hand-to-hand combat into a destructive machine! Ye Xian truly wanted to see what other surprises Ji Jue could pull off. Unfortunately— If this went on any longer, it would become dangerous. *Smack!* The moment the swing of Ji Jue's hook was deflected by Ye Xian's elbow strike, her hand, concealed beneath her elbow, darted out through the motion. Her Three Yin Fingers thrust forth, striking dead center on the Desolate Ruins insignia on Ji Jue's upper arm, instantly dissociating and shattering it. Her sweeping fingers slid down his arm, grazing past the insignias of White Stag and Swarm, causing them to dissipate without resistance as the entire network of spiritus circuits was wiped clean. Ji Jue's right arm could no longer be lifted. Swelling red at a pace visible to the naked eye, it hung limp. Next came the left arm. The instant he lost the strength in both arms, Ji Jue instinctively raised a knee, only to be checked by the downward press of the professor's palm. Amid a moment of stunned shock, he realized he had long since... left his guard wide open. It was over. The moment that thought surfaced, he heard Professor Ye take a deep breath. Her hands snapped back to the centerline, clenching into fists aimed squarely at Ji Jue right before her. And then... Came the thoroughly tempered chain punches! The storm of devastation manifested right at that moment!