Scraps

"Seventeen seconds!" "As expected of Big Brother Zhou!" "Impressive!" Ji Jue had just pushed open the door when cheers and applause echoed from the packed lounge. Everyone was huddled in one spot, seemingly playing with something. He immediately drew in a sharp breath. Ever since leaving the workshop, he hadn't seen such dense spiritus fluctuations radiating from so many people. Large and small pieces of alchemical gear—practically several per person. They were positively dripping with finery. Yet at the sound of the unannounced door swinging open, many in the room turned around, sizing up the uninvited guest in utter confusion: *How come someone's only arriving now?* *Who ordered an escort?* "Oh, lively, isn't it?" Ji Jue closed the door behind him and offered a friendly smile. "What's everyone playing?" In the brief silence that followed, he heard a roar of pure shock that froze everyone in place. "JI JUE!!!!" Ji Jue looked up in surprise. He glanced over. Subconsciously, he took a deep breath. Such a familiar feeling, such a heart-stirring call, such a throat-tearing shriek... It was back; it was all back! In this unfamiliar land far from home, with no one to rely on, Ji Jue felt so touched he nearly welled up with tears. It was just like coming home. *I missed you, Old Lou!* Overjoyed, he strode forward, seized Lou Feng's hand, and gave it an energetic shake. "Long time no see, Old Lou! How've you been?" *Like hell you don't know!* "Not good at all." Lou Feng's face turned livid. He instinctively tried to pull away, but the hand clutching his was like an iron vise, impossible to break free of in the moment. It only made him angrier—*Dammit, so what if you have Non-Offensive?!* Though it really was something... "Well, you might not be doing well, but I'm doing great!" Ji Jue declared heartily. "Aren't you happy for me?" Lou Feng almost laughed out of sheer fury. Forgetting the manners and upbringing he had cultivated for twenty years, he squeezed words through gritted teeth. "Go fuck yourself and die!" "I'm so glad to see you too!" Ji Jue's smile didn't waver. Shaking his hand while tossing an arm over his shoulder, he radiated warmth. "Aiya, you've put on quite a bit of weight! Been eating well lately, huh? And your skin's gotten much paler!" Beneath the bewildered and bizarre looks of everyone around them, Lou Feng's composure completely crumbled. Over on the sofa, the young man previously surrounded by apprentices, Zhou Cheng, glanced at the odd spectacle between the two and asked with growing curiosity, "Aren't you going to introduce him?" "Does he even need an introduction?" Lou Feng sneered, pointing at the exceedingly genial face beside him. "Tide Sound Workshop, Ji Jue. Haven't you all heard plenty about him?" In an instant, dead silence fell. It swallowed everyone whole. "Tide Sound?" someone blurted in shock. "Doesn't that mean..." Doesn't that mean what? No one said another word. It was as if they had suddenly been tossed into an icehouse, instinctively flinching. Following that, their expressions shifted as they looked at Ji Jue: wariness, skepticism, shock, contempt... Even undisguised loathing and hostility. In just a few seconds, the sheer emotional range in their eyes was enough to sweep every Oscar at an Academy Awards. Ji Jue was thoroughly amazed. At the same time, he realized he could hardly hold out any hope for his lineage's popularity in the industry. "...Anyone who comes is a friend." Amid the stifling atmosphere, Zhou Cheng forced a smile. "Sit, sit, everyone." Unfortunately, no one offered him a seat; instead, they stared coldly at Ji Jue. Ji Jue didn't care in the slightest. He simply dragged a chair over and sat down, paying no mind to the wave of hostility. Lou Feng, having finally wrenched himself free, glanced at the situation, sensed something was off, and instinctively scooted outward a bit. Then a bit further. "Ah, I've heard so much about you. Who would have thought you were the prized disciple of Tide Sound Workshop?" Zhou Cheng made lukewarm small talk, observing Ji Jue's appearance. Sensing that the spiritus fluctuations on him had not reached Metamorphosis, and recalling Lou Feng's prior mention that he hadn't even been with the workshop for a year, his expression seemed to relax slightly. Taking the initiative, he picked up the object on the table and offered, "Care to give it a try?" Hearing this, the onlookers immediately wore looks of anticipation, waiting for a good show. "Never seen this before. What is it?" Ji Jue took it without hesitation and examined it in his hand, seemingly catching the faint snickers rippling through the crowd. *A country bumpkin is a country bumpkin.* Zhou Cheng said with a genial smile, "Just a little trinket released by the Ring of Taiyi. Something for artisans to practice their skills with, good for passing the time now and then." Ji Jue looked at the Rubik's cube-like creation in his hands, feeling its intricate internal structure and the fragmented spiritus circuits that seemed to constantly shift as it rotated. As he channeled spiritus into it, the cube moved on its own. The internal spiritus circuits pieced together, randomly generating a complex spiritus lock. It was quite an eye-opener for Ji Jue. A gadget like this really was new to him. It was essentially a randomly generated math puzzle; the user needed to solve the internal spiritus lock as fast as possible, guiding the spiritus circuits and filling in the gaps. Running at full capacity now, with four nested layers, it was fairly challenging. And more covertly, a Sovereign Virtue insignia was gathered inside. If one failed to solve it within a set time, it would likely set off a commotion, resulting in game over. "Then I'll give it a shot, huh?" Ji Jue gave an honest, simple smile, looked down, and began twisting the object in his hands. Amid the clicking sounds, however, the internal spiritus circuits connected only to break apart again, failing to take shape. In the end, he sighed helplessly. "It's way too complex. How could anyone solve this?" Under everyone's expectant gazes, he played along and lamented, "You guys aren't messing with me, are you?" Instantly, unrestrained laughter erupted around him. "It really is a bit tough. Must be a matter of skill, I suppose." Zhou Cheng chuckled teasingly, reaching out to take it back. Right in front of Ji Jue, he began solving it, his movements swift and practiced, truly impressive. Only, as he worked on it, the smile on his face gradually froze. It wouldn't unlock. Completely stuck. No matter how he tried or calculated, something was always off. It was completely different from before—the lock inside seemed to shift in bewildering complexity, as if it had come alive. By the time he broke into a sweat, racking his brains until he finally solved the outermost layer, he discovered to his horror that there were fucking six more layers inside! "What's wrong?" Ji Jue inquired curiously, full of anticipation. "What does it look like once it's solved? Could you let me see? Is it really a skill issue?" "..." Zhou Cheng's face twitched. "No way, no way, no way?" Ji Jue gasped in shock. "Don't tell me you can't solve it either? Is it really that hard?" BANG! Suddenly, a loud explosion erupted from Zhou Cheng's hands without warning, making everyone's hearts skip a beat, before plumes of thick smoke began billowing from the seams. Zhou Cheng let out a cry of pain and instinctively dropped it. Only then did everyone see that the cube was glowing red-hot. Then, right before his eyes, Ji Jue reached out and picked up the cube. Paying no mind to heat that rivaled a furnace, he casually twisted it left and right. Amid the radiating heat, the mechanism shuddered. All the scrambled spiritus circuits reconnected through the turns, completely flawless. Seven layers of spiritus locks, solved in an instant. A soft, lustrous glow lit up from his fingertips, shimmering. "I'm guessing it was supposed to go like this?" Ji Jue smiled as he looked around. "Excuse me, did I do it right?" Zhou Cheng's expression twitched violently. He said nothing. The looks from the crowd grew increasingly bizarre. *That little bastard came all the way here just to show off, didn't he?!* Ji Jue had no interest in explaining whether this was his first time playing. At the end of the day, it was just a toy. Now, he could roughly understand why Professor Ye had never brought something like this out for him—it was far too childish. Nobody past preschool should be touching it. And whether to Deus Ex Machina or a try-hard bastard like Ji Jue who practiced to death... it posed zero difficulty whatsoever! Spiritus knots of this kindergarten-level difficulty hadn't even qualified as textbook material or exam problems back when Ji Jue was just starting out with the Dissociation Art. *Wait, thinking about it like that, what kind of hell difficulty have I been living through every single day?!* Ji Jue suddenly felt that at his age, he had borne far too much pressure and homework that no apprentice should ever have to shoulder. *These guys couldn't possibly be living every day like a vacation, playing easy games, could they?* There was truly no harm without comparison. Observing the relaxed vibe clinging to everyone present, Ji Jue felt a sudden burst of sour jealousy, like he'd swallowed a lemon. But since no one was bothering to hide it anymore, he had no reason to act like a gentleman either. "What's the matter, everyone?" Ji Jue leaned back brazenly against the chair and asked curiously, "Why isn't anyone talking? Is it because you don't like it? What other tricks do you have? Disciplinary beatings, hazing rituals... why not serve them all up together?" He could hardly wait. "Just a game, everyone was only joking." Zhou Cheng's expression stiffened for a moment before he forced another laugh. "Consider it a way to get acquainted. Who knows, we might look out for each other in the future." "Fucking pathetic!" Behind him, a woman watching coldly had already lost her patience. "Why waste so many words on him?" She shot Ji Jue a glance, making no attempt to conceal her disgust. "These days, any stray dog thinks finding a workshop qualifies them to be an artisan..." "Right back at you," Ji Jue yawned, completely unfazed. "Could it be that he relies on that face?" The fat man beside her sneered. "Maybe he works as a kept boy." "And you? Relying on your ass?" Ji Jue asked with a smile. "A tight butt counts as a virtue too, no need to be shy... After all, looking at that face of yours, it's hard to find any other redeeming qualities." "You little grandson, don't fucking push your luck!" The fat man's face flushed crimson. "Look at yourself—where did a big-tailed maggot like you crawl out from?!" "Excuse me, who are you?" Ji Jue asked lackadaisically. "Before picking a fight, please announce your name." "I—" "Forget it. Petty scoundrels shouldn't pollute my ears with their names." Ji Jue waved a dismissive hand, ignoring the furious and cold faces around him. "I have no interest in dealing with people uglier than me." Locker room hazing, was it? He had seen way too much of it growing up. Only... why did people always assume that a kid with no backing had to be an easy pushover? *Great! Let's push him around and milk some emotional satisfaction from his tears!* Sadly for them, anyone who thought that way had never succeeded once. "Honestly, I don't really understand," Ji Jue sighed softly, pinching his chin as he asked curiously. "This is clearly our first time meeting, so why such intense malice toward a newcomer?" No one responded. Amid the cold, disgusted silence, only a few sneers sounded. Ji Jue didn't expect them to grant him an explanation, but he could find one himself. "I suppose there must be a reason." He lifted a hand, his fingertip sweeping across face after face, before he gasped in sudden enlightenment. "Could it be that every single one of your workshops or elders was beaten bloody by my teacher?" In an instant, the faces of everyone in the lounge darkened even further. That included Zhou Cheng, who had been straining to keep up a gracious facade with a forced smile. Teeth were gnashed. "...Were the theories you took pride in dismantled until they were worthless? Were the works you poured your hearts into tossed aside as trash? Or perhaps, you're simply defeated losers not even worthy of being remembered by name? Hmm, couldn't be all of the above, could it?" Ji Jue nodded and chuckled gleefully. "It's fine. It's only natural for beaten dogs to bark and bully kids. I understand completely—'When the master has troubles, the disciple bears the toil,' right?" He paused, letting out a final, pitying sigh. "After all, when your family elders see my teacher, they probably don't even dare to fart, do they?" BANG! Across the table, Zhou Cheng could no longer contain his fury. He slammed a fist onto the table, spiritus surging. "You bastard Ji, you'd better watch your fucking mouth!" "Hm? Did I say something out of line?" Ji Jue asked back in feigned innocence. "No need to overreact. After all, from where I'm standing, everyone here doesn't even qualify as raw materials... Would you mind your tone when talking to scraps?" "As expected, that old hag Ye only breeds mad dogs," behind Zhou Cheng, the enraged woman shook all over with anger, hissing through gritted teeth, "A bastard wild child just needs to be taught discipline!" BOOM! Everything blurred before everyone's eyes. A flash of silver light seemed to flicker... And only then came the sound of two overlapping deafening crashes. In the gusting blast of wind, the woman had vanished, along with the loud-mouthed fat man beside her. Flying backward, they slammed into the wall. Sinking deep into it! Amid groans of pain, a piercing shriek rang out. Crimson sprayed. Amid the drifting dust, thick blood sprayed from her face. Amid terrified screams, gaping lacerations tore open toward both sides of her lips, flesh peeling back. "Tsk..." Ji Jue lowered his gaze to the thread of silver light dangling from his fingertip. The silver light was like a line, barbed like a fishhook at the end, catching a small piece of torn flesh. His brow furrowed at once. In the end, it was fresh out of the furnace, with no time to adapt to its control. As a result, it lacked finesse in the finer details. He had originally intended to slice out her entire tongue... "JI JUE!!!" Zhou Cheng turned back in stunned disbelief, flying into a thunderous rage the moment he realized what had happened. "You dare get violent in here?!" "At this point, I don't think there's any need for further chatter." Ji Jue slowly pushed himself to his feet. With a crook of his finger, the quicksilver in his toolbox surged, pouring out in a torrent of brilliant radiance. He swept his gaze across the dead-silent room, asking one last question: "Before I finish the formalities and start beating you, let me ask just in case: does anyone else plan to back out?" In the brief, suffocating silence, the faint sound of gulping could be heard. Quite a few who couldn't be bothered to get involved backed away a couple steps, or simply pushed the door open and left, whether because they didn't want trouble or were rushing off to report and call for backup. But none of that mattered. Ji Jue looked at the dozen or so opponents still remaining in the room, united in shared outrage, and nodded in satisfaction. *How did Professor Ye put it again?* He looked at Zhou Cheng, right in front of him. Suddenly, he broke into a radiant smile. Zhou Cheng had no time to react, still trying to open his mouth to bark a few threats. Yet in an instant, Ji Jue lunged forward without the slightest warning. At the multiplied speed of Transcendent Vision, a cold face expanded rapidly within dilating pupils, blotting out everything. Without a second thought, he swung his hand! SMACK! Amid the crisp slap, the sound of a shattering jawbone cracked simultaneously. Zhou Cheng's vision went black. He stumbled, nearly collapsing, but in the next instant, Ji Jue seized his collar and hurled him mercilessly. Like a meteor, he slammed into the wailing fat man's gut, hitting him so hard the fat man's eyes nearly popped from their sockets before he blacked out completely. And then, amid the swirling dust, Zhou Cheng heard a voice filled with sudden realization from not far away. "...I remember now. 'Endure humiliation to shoulder heavy burdens; exercise mutual forbearance for the public good'!" Ji Jue offered a gentle, warm smile, reassuring them, "Don't worry. Next up, I will definitely teach you all that lesson."