"What?"
Ji Jue blurted out.
It was like a dying man bolting upright from his deathbed.
He stared dumbfounded at Professor Ye, checking to make sure she wasn't joking. Still struggling to believe it, he raised a finger to point at his own face. "Me?!"
*Me fight Sukuna? Are you serious?*
"Yes, you."
Professor Ye nodded, calm and detached as always, leaving absolutely zero room for negotiation or delay.
*You: go eliminate that monk and the monkey, the pig, and the luggage-carrier he keeps. I have a connection in Thailand—the risk is a bit high, but leave today. Six hours round trip, plus two hours to eat, slack off, and sleep. Bring me back an artisan license.*
"Isn't that a bit... you know, too fast?"
Ji Jue wiped away cold sweat. "Teacher, I only started four months ago."
It hadn't even been four full months.
Out of those four months, he had spent at least two and a half goofing off and running wild outside—at best, he was a correspondence student. Of the remaining month and a half, he had spent two weeks lying in a hospital bed.
The time he had actually spent in the workshop, peacefully receiving instruction, was barely over a month.
And that included his initial induction period.
Besides, even if he had slaved away day and night burning the midnight oil in the workshop just to out-grind Ye Chun for four straight months, it was still way too short!
It was simply absurd.
Normally, within the Embers lineage, going from apprentice to artisan in six to ten years was already enough to be hailed as an Embers prodigy, prime artisan material, and exceptionally gifted.
Over the centuries, modern alchemy had gradually evolved, the Ring of Taiyi's internal procedures had shifted, and internal rivalry among artisans—coupled with restrictions deliberately erected by vested interests to hoard privilege—had driven the difficulty of the artisan examination up several times compared to when it first began. It had taken joint denunciations and fierce protests by numerous artisans more than eighty years ago to finally stabilize the difficulty.
Even so, it remained brutally absurd. Between the written exam, the assigned creation, the self-work critique, and the individual evaluation—the four grueling stages—who knew how many flourishing apprentices had hit a brick wall, or how many heads of thick, lush hair had been stressed bald?
Yet even under such circumstances, an endless stream of Embers Chosen still squeezed their heads in, fighting tooth and nail for a spot.
They had no choice.
Unlike the Star Core Association, where any Celestial Chosen of the Eternal Gate was welcomed unconditionally; unlike the Wild Gathering, where you started with just a knife and relied on mob drops for all your gear; and unlike Tianyuan, which could casually hand out official government posts whenever needed...
The internal ecosystem of the Embers lineage was far too harsh and ruthless. It effectively split into only two categories:
Artisans, and useless trash who weren't artisans.
It wasn't merely to climb the social ladder and secure an easy living; countless Chosen toiled day and night just to secure basic human dignity, all to crawl one step higher in the pyramid.
Dragon gates stood one after another. Pass through, and it was "Embers are generous, creation boundless"; fail, and it was "Embers are cruel, unsparing of the mediocre."
Compared to all those apprentices doing full-time undergrad straight through to masters and doctorates, a bastard like Ji Jue was, at best, a night school student.
How the hell was he supposed to compete on the same stage?
"..."
After listening to Ji Jue's whining, Professor Ye fell silent for a long while.
Seeming almost bewildered, she eventually lifted a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose in resignation. "Have you... perhaps made yourself out to be a bit too important?"
"Huh?" Ji Jue was baffled.
Ye Xian asked, "When I said 'artisan,' who exactly were you comparing yourself to?"
"Well, obviously..."
Ji Jue's answer caught in his throat, cutting off abruptly. His eyes went wide.
Who else?
Obviously his teacher standing right before him, the Sages in the Border Realm, the Mohists of centuries past, the Masters in the conference halls, and even the Profound Grandmaster Kanemoto lurking in Quancheng's darkness!
Compared to them, Ji Jue was indeed as tiny as a mote of dust, as humble as an ant.
But beyond them?
Perhaps there were motes even tinier and ants even humbler than himself, but he hadn't spared them a single thought from beginning to end.
For a moment, he was struck dumb.
"The arrogance of Embers," Ye Xian sighed softly, then suddenly sneered. "Are you even worthy?"
Ji Jue had nothing to say.
"I often advise people to take the long view, but hasn't your view gotten just a bit too presumptuous?"
Ye Xian's fingers tapped against the desktop. "As your teacher, I have already determined that your ability is sufficient to meet the requirements of the artisan examination. Your talent already exceeds that of your peers, and your practical execution and creative capability are beyond what even typical artisans can match.
"The only things you lack are rote theoretical knowledge and accumulated experience over time.
"Your skillset leans a bit heavily to one side, but that won't get in your way. Taking home an artisan license may present some difficulty, but it is hardly impossible. What are you dragging your feet for?
"Are you going to remain an apprentice forever just because you can't measure up to me, to the Masters, or to Kanemoto in this lifetime?"
"...It's just a bit sudden," Ji Jue said awkwardly. "I mean, after all, isn't the timeframe a bit short?"
"You brought this on yourself."
Ye Xian stared at him expressionlessly. "Do you know why Lyu Yingyue came to see me today? Aside from the usual mess of business, right before leaving, she suddenly asked me:
"'Is your student, Ji Jue, the Celestial Conscript who appeared in Yacheng a few months ago?'"
Ji Jue tensed up.
"She knows I despise lying, so she didn't bother beating around the bush."
Ye Xian let out a self-deprecating sigh. "I told her you weren't."
"..."
In the silence, Ji Jue opened his mouth to speak several times, yet had no idea what to say.
Ye Xian didn't care to listen either, merely waving a hand.
"Whether she believes it or not, I don't care. As your teacher, I have made my stance clear. She won't make a move on you again. But what about everyone else? Do you think she is the only clever person under the sun?"
Just as Ye Xian said.
Ji Jue had brought this upon himself.
The fallout in Quancheng was too massive, too chaotic. Even if no one knew who was sitting inside the Doomsday Express when it ascended, Ji Jue's track record was still far too dazzling and terrifying.
Ye Xian's student, the sole living inheritor of Fluid Alchemy, recipient of the Church of Chongguang's Medal of Supreme Goodness, a genius apprentice of the Embers lineage.
As an apprentice, he had joined the Yacheng exploration team, followed Tong Shan deep into Quancheng, disguised his identity to pull off tricks right under Kanemoto's nose, rescued Lou Yanyue, and made it out in one piece.
And that was only because Kanemoto had suffered a setback and kept quiet about it, with no one daring to call and ask.
Furthermore, Tong Shan had stepped up ahead of him, taking all the spotlight and scrubbing many records related to Ji Jue from the official report.
Tong Shan might have guessed something, but he would never say a word. Whether Ji Jue was or wasn't, he was a friend to Tong the Vegetable and Tong the Blockhead, and therefore a friend of the Tong family.
That was enough. But what about others? Even with mere suspicions, was there truly no one who would act on them?
One had to understand: even a Celestial Conscript, even someone with a boundless future, was not a living Celestial-Human. Aside from unrealized potential and talent, they were no different from anyone else.
Who could guarantee some lunatic wouldn't think: *Wow, a Celestial Conscript! So amazing, so badass! Let's kill him and see!*
Ascension would want to harvest his soul; the Heart Pivot lineage would want to control his will; Tianyuan would want to use him as a tool; and as for Embers, they could toss his entire body into a crucible for fun... Every inch of him practically screamed "prime raw material."
Of course, the Ji Jue of today was no longer what he had been.
He possessed at least a bare minimum capacity for self-defense.
He could easily step forward to embrace the glory and hype that belonged to him, dive headfirst into the vortex of the storm, and play the role of a dazzling trendsetter.
But the cost?
What would the cost be?
Could everything he currently had—all of his vulnerabilities—withstand the devastation of the storm? Would his strength be enough to deter all the scheming monsters in the dark?
Naturally, he could also bury his head in the sand like an ostrich, steer clear of everything, never show his face, and waste his days away in mediocrity from then on...
Yet if Ji Jue wished to accomplish anything in the future, if he wanted to keep moving forward, he would inevitably draw more and more eyes, provoke more and more enemies and rivals, and arouse ever deeper suspicions.
A single registration form from Ye Xian could no longer guarantee Ji Jue a peaceful life.
Unless...
They found an organization large enough and had them willingly endorse Ji Jue's background, verifying that he had already become a Celestial Chosen a full year ago!
For instance, the world's largest alchemy research, development, and governing institution, the union of all artisans, the unquestioned colossus of the Embers lineage:
—The Ring of Taiyi!
So, how could they make the Ring of Taiyi willingly vouch for Ji Jue?
"I dislike lying. Lying on behalf of others is even more boring and pointless—unless the lie possesses value that satisfies me."
Ye Xian savored his miserable, helpless expression. Only once she had had her fill did she speak slowly: "My apprentice, Ji Jue, can be a senior apprentice who underwent an Autonomous Awakening a year ago and joined my workshop to study alchemy. I have no objection, nor do you need anyone else to believe it.
"All that matters... is that those arrogant fools at the Ring of Taiyi buy it."
With that, she placed her hand upon a form and slowly slid it forward.
It landed right before Ji Jue's eyes.
*Ring of Taiyi Alchemical Craft Professional Qualification Examination Application Form*
"The artisan examination is held once every three years. The registration deadline for this session is this Friday, and exams start next week.
"Before this, the universally recognized record for the fastest transition from introductory apprentice to acquiring a professional qualification was five months. To this day, no one has broken it.
"In other words, as long as you pass the qualification exam, your nearly year-long track record as an apprentice on my registration form will be recognized.
"When that time comes, what would you—having awakened on your own a year ago—have to do with a Celestial Conscription that occurred six months later?"
"Holy shit?"
Ji Jue was dumbfounded. Understanding dawned at last, yet he remained in disbelief. "You can do that?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't you be able to?"
"Wait, that's not right, Teacher!"
Ji Jue suddenly caught the flaw. "You just said the fastest record was five months! I haven't even hit four months!"
During the brief silence, Ye Xian's expression turned noticeably complicated. After a long pause, she sighed softly. "Actually, the fastest record was one month."
"What?!"
"One month," Ye Xian said. "Because the fellow who set the record took a leave of absence right after becoming an apprentice to take the Empire's civil service exam. He spent over three months failing the exam before remembering his leave was up, whereupon he turned around and started studying alchemy...
"According to him, the artisan examination was far simpler than nonsensical nonsense like civil service exams. Anyone with a brain could pass on their first try."
Ji Jue was silent, completely struck speechless.
A chill ran from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. After a long while, he asked hoarsely:
"...Who the hell is that ridiculous?"
"Just a hypocritical old bastard with a head full of absurd ideas and a love for putting on airs."
Ye Xian let out a cold scoff. "Others always think him an all-powerful prodigy and revere him as the foremost of the three contemporary Grandmasters. Well, you've probably heard his Sovereign Virtue title... [Tianlu]."
Tianlu.
Just two simple syllables. Ordinary folk had never heard of it, but what artisan could hear those two syllables without jumping out of their chair?
The three contemporary Grandmasters:
Carrion Eater, Plowsmith, Tianlu.
Their titles varied, each derived from their distinct styles and traits. They were not bestowed by men, but were Sovereign Virtue titles granted by the Embers when they reached the pinnacle of craft.
Over the past millennium, every generation of Grandmasters had been the same. Becoming a Grandmaster did not depend on disciples or popular acclaim, but on recognition from the Embers.
Yet among them, there was one single exception.
Only the Sovereign Virtue title of Tianlu was passed down through the generations.
Its meaning was straightforward, clear, and stark in just four words:
Embers' absolute strongest.
The pinnacle of creation among worldly Embers, a creator favored by Heaven's Mandate, a being towering above all artisans.
Undisputed number one beneath the heavens!
In the silence, Ji Jue said nothing more. He couldn't make a sound; he didn't even breathe.
It was as if he had quietly shattered...
For the first time in his life, he finally experienced the feeling of being compared to "that other kid"... Wait, no, this wasn't someone else's kid, this was someone else's supreme ancestor!
Tiger-parenting was one thing, but you can't use an off-the-charts freak like that to push me, Teacher!
Are you serious?
Aside from crushing someone to death, what motivational effect could this possibly have?!
"Don't worry, Ji Jue, I believe in you."
Professor Ye reached out, patted his shoulder, and spoke with earnest gravity: "I especially believe in your knack for breaking rules, defying reason, and courting disaster.
"Seeing as you've survived this long, you must have some latent potential in you.
"It's just a license. Nothing to it."
"I'll be looking forward to that day."
Rarer still, a smile appeared on her face, warm and genial. "If that old bastard ever finds out his record was broken like this, his expression will surely be quite entertaining, won't it?"
"..."
Ji Jue shivered in terror, not daring to utter another word.
And so, the matter was settled.
Drifting out of the study like a walking corpse, he lay on the couch wailing and lamenting for a good long while before reluctantly dragging himself up under Ye Chun's urging, wiping away his tears, and shuffling his feet out the door to submit the registration form at the association office in Yacheng.
Twenty minutes later, he sat in an exquisitely decorated, elegant office, waiting for a reply.
Behind the desk, the official in glasses held the application form. After a long period of contemplation, she shook her head regretfully.
"I'm sorry. According to regulations..."
She said, "You can't."
Chapter 252