Echoes of Victory and Defeat

Ji Jue extended his fingers and tightened his grip once more on the empty air, as if taking hold of an invisible hilt. Instantly, the Construct of Ten Thousand Hands high in the heavens shifted again. Countless palms contracted, overlapped, and vanished, leaving only a single hand suspended high in the sky. Yet at the same time, an ever-deepening peace and calm settled in his heart. To him as he was now, ten thousand hands were utterly useless. No matter how many transformations they possessed, they were merely an encumbrance. For true creation and destruction, a single hand was enough! As that hand slowly lifted toward the sky, its five fingers splayed open. The world plummeted into darkness. Every trace of light was blotted out. Immediately after, an indistinct, faint afterglow appeared between the five fingers. Set against it, the originally savage and bizarre quicksilver vortex also became nimble and fluid. It was as if it had been granted a soul. It had come alive! Within this blade of afterglow alone, an unprecedented true essence flowed and shifted in infinite variations. In the end, this sliver of afterglow flared like a blazing sun, illuminating all of creation. Toward the earth, it slashed down! One obelisk after another shook violently as spiritus intertwined. A fierce radiance that could devolve all creations soared into the air, howling forward, only to shatter into sparks and dissipate without a trace beneath the slash of the afterglow! The blade pushed forward with unstoppable momentum, extending onward. Descending from the heavens! The toll of a bell rang out once more. Across the earth, obelisks suddenly overloaded and collapsed. When this seemingly plain strike fell, yet another deep fissure split the sanctuary open. Pillars cracked and crumbled; walls caved in. Yet all at once, an imposing projection resembling a clock tower manifested from within. Atop the giant bell, the solemn silhouette of some colossal beast appeared for a fraction of a second, crouching savagely. Giant wings unfurled from its back, and beneath the nearly transparent wings, shadows rose like a tidal surge, colliding head-on with the sword of afterglow! "Holy shit—" Outside the simulation, before the floating light, Jiang Tongguang had only just looked up when he blurted out in sheer shock, "The Sage's true marrow and the relics of dragon blood?!" *Where the hell did this drag me?* *Is this damn thing even an artisan examination anymore?!* Could someone please tell him why, after he merely stepped out to buy a pack of cigarettes, the whole vibe had turned into this insane spectacle by the time he got back?! Jiang Tongguang grabbed Gustav, looking utterly incredulous. "What kind of heavy stuff did they inject into this? How can it be this cracked?" The Sage laid down the origin of all things, the beginning of time; the Dragon forged the finality of the world, the close of time. If the Twelve Virtues were a tapestry woven through the threads of time, then the Sage and the Dragon were the vital structures at the tapestry's beginning and end. One was the origin, the other the conclusion. Both were magnificent manifestations above Celestial-Humans—terrifying existences capable of annotating the mortal realm and writing cosmogonies and eschatologies. And now, how could traces of such lofty, distant entities possibly surface in what was supposed to be a neighborhood youth exhibition match? Even if, compared to the true Sage and Dragon, this was barely a wisp of aura representing less than one part in a hundred quadrillion... What existed was real; what did not was not. True essence was true essence. No matter how crude, clumsy, or trivial it seemed compared to that transcendent essence, it still... carried a trace of that imprint! "Young people these days are getting scarier by the minute." Jiang Tongguang couldn't smile anymore. It was one thing for the new waves of the Yangtze to push the old waves forward, but the new wave had barely kicked up a little froth, and he, the old wave, was already feeling a chill. How was this an apprentice duel? It was practically two lineages of the Sage and the Dragon clashing across the void! Even if only for a fleeting instant! "I'm afraid it'll be hard to see something this absurd again for decades to come, won't it?" Now that Gustav's initiative had been taken over and supported by Master Tianlu, in a sense, it had already received the endorsement and recognition of a Grandmaster. Furthermore, this year had produced so many brilliant prodigies—dazzling to the point of being beyond all dispute. From now on, this format would likely become standard practice in the artisan examinations. Even so, in the decades or century ahead, could such a ridiculous situation ever occur again? "Well?" Jiang Tongguang looked at Gustav. "As the pioneer, how does it feel?" "I don't know." Gustav remained silent for a long time before speaking slowly. "I'm just wondering if I could have reached such a level back when I was an apprentice..." Jiang Tongguang paused, then looked over. "And what's the answer?" Gustav remained silent, offering no reply. He merely gazed quietly at the clash and struggle between heaven and earth within the floating light. After a long while, he let out a soundless sigh. "A very long time ago, my teacher told me: deep down, everyone has an image of who they yearn to be. In their daydreams, everyone thinks they'll become that person as long as they work hard..." "Reality is different," he said softly. "Because reality has no need for fantasies." Nor did fantasies exist. No matter how one beautified, sugarcoated, or dressed it up, the world was ultimately cruel. Like Sisyphus's futile climb day after day, a struggle of rising and falling in the mire. Only when suffering and setbacks rolled over someone like boulders could they glimpse their true outline amid the grinding friction. Only under sufficient pressure could a person learn whether their fundamental nature was stubborn stone or fine jade. That was why tempering was always needed, self-reflection was always needed, setbacks were always needed— "A person's shape is forged by the world." "When despair crushes and fells a man, arrogance and self-satisfaction vanish without a trace. Only when plunging into the abyss, finding it nearly impossible to rise again, does a person realize: true talent is the ability to create possibilities out of the impossible." Gustav raised a finger and touched the floating light. "...And the world is forged by talent such as that." All these years, he had disdained innate talent and slack discipline, adhering strictly to rules and ironclad principles, precisely because he understood that he was not that kind of person. Now, witnessing this scene, he didn't know whether he should feel bitter or overjoyed. Even if the existence of such people was the greatest slight and denial of ordinary men like him, he still wanted to raise his head and look up at those silhouettes soaring across the heavens. Even if the gap was unimaginably vast, he still wanted, with foolish bravado, to catch up! "It's truly wonderful." Gustav let out a soft laugh. "Isn't it?" Jiang Tongguang spoke no more. He only watched in silence alongside him, fixing his eyes on the final changes within the floating light. In that fierce struggle, the true essence of the Sage and the Dragon appeared for only an instant, after which a dizzying array of diverse techniques and workshops revealed themselves. In the violent collision, quicksilver fell like rain, and fierce radiance surged toward the celestial vault. In the end, accompanied by horrific expenditure, the moment both sides were driven to the edge of the precipice, the finale of this duel finally arrived. "Sorry about this, Old Lou." High in the heavens, Ji Jue turned back to look at his teammate behind him, whose breath was faint and spiritus dried up. "I'm afraid I won't be able to look after you for what comes next." Lou Feng rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, only to see this scoundrel Ji Jue raise a hand toward him. A flick of the finger. "As compensation, I'll leave you the best viewing seat in the house." *Snap!* "Wait—" Before he could even get the word out, Lou Feng was sent flying backward. Wrapped and enveloped in silver light, he shot out of the macro-construct, traversing a vast distance as he plummeted toward the earth. "Ji, you motherf—" Between choking and coughing, Lou Feng's furious curse echoed through the sky. Immediately after, the quicksilver shifted, expanding into an enormous parachute that caught him. Swept out of the gale, he drifted down toward the surface of the sea. And before his eyes, a heaven-shaking roar erupted! Boundless dark clouds scattered in panic in all directions. High in the firmament, infinite silver brilliance flowed for the last time, contracting and shifting into a magnificent structure resembling an inverted pyramid, with five sharp corners and razor-straight edges. From afar, it aimed directly at the fractured earth—and at the battered sanctuary. Like a meteor's heavenly wrath. It plunged! A tempest rose, pale shockwaves wrapping around the quicksilver tower, trimming the glowing red hull with a white border—breathtakingly splendid. Just like that, turning everything he possessed into a weapon. Hurling it down upon the enemy! The sound of shattering rang out incessantly. In the void, layers of barriers rapidly appeared and collapsed. As Ji Jue fell, dragon scales rippled across the ground and rose, only to quickly dissipate beneath the impact of the sharp tower tip. That was the technique that had played out countless times in Lou Feng's nightmares. "—The Dissociation Art?!" Across the earth, the obelisks collapsed and vanished one after another, dragging along the ley lines themselves to dry up and scatter completely. Meanwhile, the falling quicksilver tower was steadily consumed and contracted through repeated collisions. Amid this fierce clash, the operation, shifts, and spiritus composition of the opponent's sanctuary had long since become crystal-clear in Ji Jue's mind, stripped of every secret. All that remained now was to reach out and seize victory in his own grasp! The terrifying spectacle of heaven and earth colliding appeared before Lou Feng's eyes, filling his vision. He even forgot to breathe, ignoring the howling wind blasting his face, staring with wide, obstinate eyes. He watched every shift within the clash, unblinking. The sanctuary on the ground rapidly crumbled under the distant impact, while the slowly descending quicksilver tower dwindled swiftly under the interference of devolution and Constancy. In the end, the intact sanctuary and the battered tower collided in one place! Or rather, it was merely the gentlest touch! And with it, iron and stone were annihilated alike! "..." Within the sanctuary that was turning to ash, the artisan seated upon the stone statue's pedestal looked up, gazing at the falling tower, his lips parting slightly. It seemed as though he wanted to say something, yet having remained silent for so long, he didn't know what to say. Victory and defeat were decided; there was nothing left to say. He had mobilized the power of numerous workshops, held a decisive advantage, held nothing back in displaying all his abilities and skills, and fought the enemy with everything he had. Yet the result was total defeat. Faced with such a crushing outcome, he should have felt humiliation and rage, yet it had been so thoroughly exhilarating. He even felt an unprecedented delight and joy from the bottom of his heart. "...Congratulations." At that final moment, Andrei waved in easy farewell. The corner of his mouth seemed to curve upward slightly. As if even a stone could smile. He closed his eyes, calmly accepting the end. Fierce light rose, swallowing everything... "Is it over?" Jiang Tongguang sighed with lingering fascination. Right now, aside from wistfulness and wonder, his mind was entirely consumed with thoughts of how to trick the kid Ji Jue into coming back so they could play an even more thrilling round. "It's over." Gustav's pen paused for an instant on the page, filling in that indisputable name in the blank space at the very top of the rankings—the ultimate victor. [Ji Jue]. Yet as he lifted the tip of the pen, he felt a long-absent pang of melancholy from the bottom of his heart. It was easy to foresee that once the results of this examination were announced, it would stir up an unexpected uproar, wouldn't it? The successors of behemoths like the Clock Tower, Dragon Heart, Tongxie, and Qichuan had actually lost to an obscure apprentice. When the time came, some clowns would surely jump out to make waves, claiming he had conducted his duties unfairly. He couldn't care less. If anyone had objections, they were welcome to come to the council and say it to his face. Well, provided they could survive Ye Xian's targeted retaliation first. As for the certain traces on this apprentice showing that he had likely been studying alchemy for no more than half a year... what did that have to do with him? If you said a year, then a year it was; he didn't care. After thinking for a moment, Gustav waved his hand, completely wiping away and deleting all those minute traces from the exported event records. He ignored Jiang Tongguang's hesitant expression. "Let's go. It's time to report the results to the directors." "Uh..." Jiang Tongguang hesitated for a second and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure it's over, Old Gu?" "What else?" Gustav countered. Jiang Tongguang fell silent for a moment, then pointed at the completely blackened projections and floating lights, and then at the tower beneath their feet. "Then why... why hasn't Myriad Transformations... stopped yet?" "..." At that, Gustav fell silent too. After a long while of the two staring at each other, he reached out and patted Jiang Tongguang's shoulder. "I still preferred how you were before, when you didn't care about anything," he advised sincerely. "Don't go around asking questions that have nothing to do with work." With that, Jiang Tongguang was struck speechless too. In the silence, the two raised their heads and stared at the towering light piercing straight into the clouds. The Tower of Myriad Transformations was still operating, with even greater intensity than before. Logged-in Users: [1] Someone waved a hand lightly, dismissing a negligible application. It wasn't over yet. He said, "Continue."