Ji Jue

"Hey, have you heard? The Association really went all out this time." Lin Ke spoke with animated excitement. "The simulation for the exam was actually Celestial Craft: Myriad Transformations! Word is, just powering it up once burns through hundreds of millions. "And for some reason, the consumption this time was especially astronomical—flat-out ridiculous. My martial uncle in administration told me that after the exam wrapped up, Myriad Transformations had burned through one hundred and sixty thousand portions of Sovereign Virtue essence, plus more than a third of the Association's entire spiritus reserve!" "That absurd?" Frederick asked in shock. "It was only an exam. It couldn't possibly use that much, could it?" "Who knows? They say Myriad Transformations was still running even after the exam ended." Lin Ke shrugged. "Maybe our exam was just incidental, and the Association's directors were using it to calculate some massive project." "With that much expenditure, you could probably simulate a full-scale war between the Federation and the Empire!" "Hard to say." Hu Yun grinned. "If I were a director, I'd fool around and have a blast first!" "By the time you had your fun, Tongxie would be bankrupt!" someone nearby laughed. Once the topic was broached, everyone eagerly began tallying up the Tower of Myriad Transformations' operational costs. As one person chimed in after another, they reached a unanimous consensus: this round had torched the equivalent of an entire small city's total wealth at the very least... "Hey, Ji Jue, what do you think?" Lin Ke noticed Ji Jue looking like he wanted to speak but was holding back. Not wanting to leave him out, he tossed him the conversational baton. Yet to his surprise, Ji Jue's expression froze. It was as if he had just been jolted awake. Quickly, Ji Jue forced an utterly nonchalant smile onto his face. "Beats me." Supplying all his willpower to repress the cold sweat, he added, "It's not like the old fogies up top would mess around blindly, right?" Laughter erupted around them immediately. The louder they laughed, the colder Ji Jue's sweat ran. He was practically trembling. *Fuck, the consumption of Myriad Transformations is that insane?!* *Nobody told me that, damn it!* At the thought of that bastard examiner suddenly popping up one day, grinning ear to ear to whisper, *"Artisan, you wouldn't want others to find out that you were the one who squandered half of that, would you?"*—Ji Jue just wanted to die. *That's not my fault!* *He was the one who cockily told me to go for another round or two...* Yet based on what Ji Jue knew of that wretched examiner, he had a sneaking suspicion the guy would quietly mail him the bill. *I'm screwed.* *If this gets out, will the Association arrest me and make me work until I drop dead?! Worse, if I can't pay it off in my lifetime, my children and grandchildren will have to keep servicing the debt... It'll never end! The Association's 'kindness' can never be repaid!* *Is it too late to walk out the door and defect to the Profound?* *Actually, Kanemoto's looking pretty good to me right now...* *** "That's Ye Xian's apprentice?" In another section designated for artisans, someone looked over curiously. "He seems fairly gentle and polite. Quite a contrast to Ye Xian." "How could a master-disciple lineage be discerned from mere manners and appearance?" remarked an artisan who had watched the exam recordings. "He's a restless one too. I'm afraid he'll be even more outrageous in the future." "Speaking of which... where is Ye Xian?" "She probably didn't come." The artisans gathered for the ceremony glanced around, spotting an empty seat where no one had sat from beginning to end. "She'd skip out at a time like this?" "She most likely doesn't care for this kind of pomp and can't be bothered dealing with the Association." "Her showing up on an occasion like this would probably only turn ugly anyway," someone sneered. "It's better that she stayed away. Whatever happened between the seniors shouldn't embarrass the kid." Amid their brief murmurs, a soft voice spoke. "Excuse me, pardon me, please." A lithe figure slipped through the gap and took the empty seat at the very end. Looking around, he said, "Almost late. It's about to begin, I see." Like a fallen leaf drifting into a river, his arrival went virtually unnoticed, drawing little attention. Someone had arrived, and someone had sat down. Entirely natural. What was there to question? Only the aged artisan sitting beside the empty seat—an old man whose eyes were vertical, slit like a dragon's—suddenly stiffened. Frowning, he turned to look at the newcomer, his confusion instantly transforming into shock. "Huh?" The old man's expression shifted drastically. "Grandmas—" "Shh!" The newcomer smiled slightly, raising a finger to his lips. "The kid's guardian didn't want to show her face in public, so I came to cover her shift. Let's not make a scene and give people something to laugh at." The old man fell silent for a long while before slowly nodding. He said nothing more. He lowered his eyes, looking as though he were merely drowsy. Seeing the old dragon of the Clock Tower adopt such an attitude, the surrounding artisans gradually lowered their voices until the whispers faded completely. In the silence, everything finally began. Ceremonies across the world were mostly identical. Even if there were minor variations, they were broadly the same. In ancient times, an apprentice completing their training had to endure protracted, grueling trials and numerous rites; depending on the tradition, they might even swallow flames, tread on fire, or take oaths sealed with sacrificial blood. Nowadays, however, it had all been streamlined. It resembled a commendation ceremony more than anything else. Even Director-General Delong took time out of his packed schedule to make an appearance, praising all the apprentices as the future pillars of the Embers and encouraging them to achieve great things. The true highlight of the event, however, rested inside the boxes held by the attendants: jade-green gemstone badges that seemed to weep emerald light. They were crafted from a material monopolized by the Association and an exceptional conductor of spiritus—transmuted lapis lazuli. Every single piece was top-grade, weighing well over a hundred grams, entirely free of impurities, and embedded with the Association's crest and insignia. As a material, it could be socketed into any creation or work to enhance stability and spiritus affinity—an icing on the cake, versatile and efficacious in every application. More importantly, artisans affixed it to their everyday creations as a mark of identity. Data registration had been completed well beforehand. The moment that lapis lazuli badge was pinned to an apprentice's collar, the world gained one more artisan. And what was the price? The price was an assortment of baseline fees totaling one hundred and ninety-four thousand six hundred yuan each year... Six hundred covered processing and membership dues, four thousand was the manufacturing cost of the physical authenticator for accessing the Association's internal network, and the remaining hundred and ninety thousand was the price of basic access permissions. With those permissions in hand, one could legitimately access the Association's patent repository and freely utilize publicly listed patents and techniques. It even contained countless ancient lineages, lost arts, fragmented treatises, and public lectures and instruction from grandmasters. As long as you paid. Throwing money at the problem could solve over ninety percent of issues, and the rest just required throwing more. The wool, after all, came from the sheep's back. The Association's immense wealth was built upon harvesting one crop of premium artisan leeks after another. The sheer scale of resources generated by artisans and registered workshops across the globe meant that siphoning off even the slightest fraction yielded an astronomical sum. At the thought, Ji Jue felt a sudden urge to use his artisan status to transfer to an administrative post. Unfortunately, setting aside whether that had any future, his teacher would almost certainly hang him up and beat him to death. Under the gaze of the crowd, after everyone else had finished the proceedings, Ji Jue finally stepped onto the elevated stage, walking beneath the spotlights step by step. For some reason, an unexpected tension seized him. He found it hard to breathe. Jiang Tongguang beamed warmly, giving his shoulder an affectionate pat. "Good work, young man. I have high hopes for you." *With you around, kid, there'll be no shortage of bloodbaths to watch in the future!* Beside him, Gustav looked at the young man, his solemn expression shifting subtly, as though he wanted to say something. Yet in the end, he said nothing. There was no need to gild the lily. The honor was here, forged by the young man's own hands; his nature was resolute, beyond anyone else's interference. What could he possibly say? From here on out, success or failure rested firmly in Ji Jue's own hands. The road to the future was already beneath his feet. All Gustav hoped for was that this young man would walk far and long down this path. And so, he stepped aside for him once more. Willingly and wholeheartedly. Finally, Delong pinned the badge onto Ji Jue's chest. After patting his shoulder encouragingly, Delong looked toward the nearby podium and smiled. "Care to say a few words?" "May I?" Ji Jue was startled. "You are the chief of this year's class. Why on earth wouldn't you be allowed?" Delong gently nudged him forward. In an instant, the entire hall fell dead silent. In that profound silence, Ji Jue looked down at the figures and faces below, meeting the gaze of every pair of eyes fixed upon him. He hesitated for a fleeting moment. It felt singularly unreal. Unlike those life-and-death struggles and slaughters, and despite Lou Feng's repeated reminders and the Association's elaborate arrangements, he had struggled to feel a sense of reality about everything before him. It felt as though he had accidentally dozed off in class. A momentary daze, and by the time he came to, everything had changed. Just a few months ago, he had been nothing more than a university student grinding himself and his peers into dust every day. Yet a few months later, he was an entirely different person. After crossing such a long road and such a vast distance, he had arrived here—several years ahead of schedule—holding an artisan's badge in his hand. He had even become the chief of this class... Before this, he had grown accustomed to cold stares and disdainful expressions, striding forward with his head held high without caring in the least. Yet at the moment he truly reached his destination, looking back at what lay behind him still filled him with disbelief. Amid that lingering bewilderment, he raised his head—and at the very back of the hall, he caught sight of a figure standing with crossed arms. She had arrived at some unknown moment. Cool and detached as ever, calm and disdainful of everything, looking down upon the world. So familiar. No joy or pride showed on her face. She simply looked at him in silence, nothing more. Yet that gaze made Ji Jue feel as though he had returned to the open air, like a fish returning to water. The unease and disorientation vanished without a trace, leaving him once more on solid ground. And so, the youth took a deep breath and stepped forward as a matter of course. Facing those unfamiliar faces, solemn and earnest, he spoke to tell them: "Hello, everyone. I am Ji Jue." He said, "An artisan of Tide Sound Workshop, Ji Jue." There was no need for superfluous elaboration or lengthy introductions, nor did he need a string of titles and accolades. This was the person standing before them at this moment—nothing more, nothing less. A smile touched his face. He took a step back, bowed slightly, and offered his final respects. Amid brief shock and confusion, applause rang out from the crowd. Someone smiled softly, raising their hands to clap. After a momentary pause, the sound rippled outward like waves, washing over the entire hall. From far away came the resounding chime of a bell. Beneath a blazing sun and a clear sky, atop the highest point of Tianshu, the ancient clock tower sounded the lingering chime of passing time, drifting outward to envelop all. Amid that tolling bell, the once lonely, tormented youth raised his head, gazing up at a sliver of sunlight filtering through the dome's stained-glass window. Subconsciously, he reached out his hand. Staring at his palm illuminated by the sun, his fingers curled inward. He clenched his fist. From this day forth, he was an Embers artisan: Ji Jue.