Bring on the Tech!

Skilled artisans were easy to come by in this world, but fine materials were rare. With such a piece of flawless jade in hand, who wouldn't want to strive for perfection and give it their all? Ji Jue was no different, harboring exceedingly high hopes—from the very beginning, his goal had been pure spiritus refinement, modeling his efforts after spiritus constructs like his teacher Ye Xian's Omen Series! Regrettably, after toiling for most of the night, far from completing it, he hadn't even found the starting line. The precision and control demanded by pure spiritus refinement were simply terrifying. Even though Ye Xian had never hidden her craft, answered every question, and laid out all the relevant theories and methods right before Ji Jue's eyes, it remained completely beyond reach. It was even harder than mastering the entry level of the Nine Forms of the Treatise on Xiang Swords! This was the unique mastery and attainment of Ye Xian as a master artisan, an accomplishment that no amount of shortcuts or bypassed hurdles could bring within easy reach. Even with a cheating ability like Deus Ex Machina at his disposal, Ji Jue still felt a despairing sensation that he couldn't copy it even with the answers laid out in front of him. A craftsman's so-called innate talent was merely the beginning of the long road of Embers. As long as a single breath remained, this stumbling, arduous trek of suffering knew no end. No matter how dazzling the glory and pride felt at the outset, it was merely that Embers had not yet exhausted its generosity, nor revealed its cruelty. "What a pity." Deep in thought, Ji Jue couldn't hold back a wistful sigh, his expression laced with regret. Time waited for no man, and every second counted. Yet at such a critical juncture, he still had to go fetch those wild materials in person. Couldn't they be a little more considerate, buy their own tickets to Yacheng, prep themselves, and jump right into the furnace? "Fine timber and flawless jade really are too scarce..." For reasons unknown, An Ning, who was playing with her little mouse beside him, suddenly stiffened, feeling a chill race up her spine. When she warily turned around and glanced about, all she saw was the smile on Ji Jue's face. Gentle and warm, as always. "Let's go." Ji Jue looked up, gazing at the raging torrent amidst the dark expanse of heaven and earth. "Our guests are still waiting outside. In weather this awful, we shouldn't keep everyone waiting too long..." And so, amid the pitch-black gale and torrential rain, Little Niuma waded through the rushing torrents of the riverbed, slowly advancing once more. *** "Fuck." Under the same tempestuous rain, a man looked up, staring at the sudden flash of lightning streaking across the sky. The unrelenting downpour beat down, running down his face and trickling past the collar beneath his raincoat, leaving him chilled to the bone. Those who could still stay inside the vehicles were anxiously smoking cigarettes. Outside, the figures scattered along the mountain slopes could only lie prone in the mud. Cursing and swearing crackled continuously over the radio. "Old Huang, you motherfucker, is your intel actually reliable or not?!" someone asked irritably. "In conditions like this, we might all end up dead before we even catch sight of the guy." "That's how it was sold on the Wild Gathering—tenfold refund for fake intel! If we don't catch them, we just go home and split the payout, so it won't be a wasted trip anyway. What the hell are you panicking about?" Through the static and the roaring downpour came a fed-up curse: "Whatever the Wild Gathering says goes? What, is the Wild Gathering your daddy?" "Zhao, fuck your mother!" A voice on the other end erupted in fury. "When we bought the intel, you wouldn't cough up a single damn cent, but when it was time to move out, you shamelessly clung to us! Now you're bitching that the intel's wrong? Why don't you go bitch at your own fucking mother?!" Instantly, the channel was flooded with noise—roars of laughter, instigations, sarcastic jabs, and irritable curses resounded without end. Until a coarse voice cut through the clamor. "Shut the fuck up!" A bearded man in the lead vehicle spoke, a jade-green light gleaming in his eyes. "Whoever chirps again, I'll waste them first!" In an instant, silenced under the leader's suppression, the entire channel went dead. Everyone swallowed hard. None of the men scattered outside dared to complain anymore, silently enduring the rain. In the distance, mud raged through the riverbed, and boulders crashed and tumbled with rumbling roars. In the silence, the leader turned his head coldly, looking at the trembling subordinate beside him. "Old Huang, you're sure there's nothing wrong with the intel?" "No problem at all, absolutely no problem!" Old Huang gave his firm guarantee. "Besides the intel, I planted people at the checkpoint to confirm their direction after departing... The local guides confirmed it too. In this area around Goutui Mountain and Jijiao Mountain, the only passable route is right down below!" All preparations were complete, and every trap and explosive had been laid. With the flash floods raging, if the contestant from Haian wanted to push forward, the only usable path was the one right beneath their feet. They could comfortably bide their time, waiting for the prey to walk right into the trap. Waiting by the stump for the hare! Yet the problem was... As the minutes ticked by, the 'stumps' were drenched again and again by the rain, but not a single hare was in sight! Where the hell was the hare?! Inside the dead-silent vehicle, under the suspicious glares of those around him, Old Huang's face gradually turned pale, and he swallowed dryly. Until a voice filled with pleasant surprise crackled through the radio. "Shh—" Crawling in the crevice between the boulders and the driving rain, a scout on the ground was suddenly overjoyed, sniffing at a scent that grew clearer in the gale. "I smell it already!" Old Huang finally let out a long breath of relief. With the oppressive silence broken, broad smiles returned to everyone's faces. The leader slapped Old Huang hard on the shoulder, giving him prime credit. The sounds of rounds being chambered and blades sliding from scabbards rang out continuously. The hand clutching the detonator flipped off the safety. Silently grinning, they waited. Watching with bated breath! *BOOM!!!* In the stillness, an earth-shattering clap of thunder erupted from the firmament, lightning slashing across to momentarily outline the chaotic landscape among the peaks. And above the mountain ridge behind them, a bizarre shadow descended from the sky! Another flash of lightning streaked past, illuminating its sharp contours. One could still vaguely discern the silhouette of what had once been an off-road vehicle, but now, on its chassis, the wheels were gone, replaced by thick, razor-sharp mechanical limbs. Like an iron spider, its angular lines looked ferocious and menacing! With nothing more than an effortless build-up of power, the massive, heavy frame leaped from the mountainside, vaulting across dozens, even a hundred meters, hopping nimbly between the mountain ridges. Since the road was flooded, why not just walk on legs? Ornamental things like tires existed purely for Ji Jue's driving experience and the competition rules. If the organizing committee were willing to relax their standards a bit, never mind walking mechanical limbs, Ji Jue would have strapped a jet engine onto Little Niuma! Why fuss over so much? It had a steering wheel, seats, tires, and could shift gears—wasn't that a car?! "Whoa, there really are people down there?" An Ning poked her head out curiously. From their vantage point looking down, even through the dense curtain of rain, every arrangement and trace remained fully exposed, clear as day. "Brother Ji Jue, how did you know?" Even for a Hunter, perception was heavily blunted in such weather amid all the noise and chaos. From the moment they set out, separated by dozens of kilometers in this complex terrain and climate where spiritus ran chaotic, even an Aether adept would likely struggle to see this far, wouldn't they? Not only that, but along the way, Ji Jue had frequently reacted before she even caught a trace of anything. This inevitably dealt a blow to the bodyguard's pride. To this, Ji Jue merely offered a faint smile. "Through technology, of course." "Technology my ass!" An Ning rolled her eyes. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen Ji Jue launch drones; they crashed before flying even dozens of meters. With clouds this thick that even satellites couldn't pierce, where would any technology come from? One could only say that An Ning had too little gaming experience. Had she played a few more ranked matches, she would know that in certain contexts, 'technology' definitely didn't just mean technology... Seeing Ji Jue keep her in suspense again, An Ning grew annoyed and glared back at him. He was too wicked—she was going on strike! *If you don't spill, I'm not working!* "Fine, fine..." Ji Jue sighed and told her bluntly, "Because along this route, quite a few of those people were hired with money I spent." "...Huh?!" An Ning froze, totally dumbfounded, suddenly feeling as though her brain couldn't process what she was hearing. "Because opportunities like this are rare. It's not every day so many suckers spend money hyping things up and stirring up an uproar across the city. With such a great chance, why wouldn't I take the opportunity to step on the gas?" Ji Jue said nonchalantly. "Besides, with Chen Xingzhou acting as guarantor, no matter how high the bounty on the Wild Gathering is set, the advance payment only requires a tenth. "On top of that, by using a few patent collaterals through Yongji Bank and the Church of Chongguang, I could repeatedly take out loans and leverage a massive sum of cash. As long as I pay it back on time, it even boosts my credit rating. Why wouldn't I do it?" "..." The corner of An Ning's eye twitched violently. "So you took out loans up to your neck, spent a fortune, just to put a bounty on yourself?! Wait, how high is the interest? Can you even pay it back?" "I've already paid back most of it, though." Ji Jue spread his hands. "Don't forget, I can sell my own intel, and since it's authentic, I can sell multiple copies at once—including this one, which I sold last night under the alias of a mechanic. "In addition, before the race started, I placed bets on the standings of those four factions on the Wild Gathering's gambling sites..." Ji Jue pulled out a calculator and crunched the numbers right then and there. Adding it all up: "See? This way, more than half of the advance funds have already been recovered, so it hardly cost a thing. Furthermore, by leaking intel, I can keep a large portion of the ambushes firmly within my control. "While purely from a financial standpoint, factoring in interest and liquidity turnover, it's still a net loss, once you factor in the materials delivering themselves right to my doorstep, this round is a total windfall, okay?! It's practically an all-you-can-eat buffet of free materials—if I can't finish them, I can even doggy-bag them!" At this point, he paused and earnestly admonished her, "So—" "So?" An Ning asked blankly. "Starting from scratch isn't easy. Budgets are tight, and building a business is hard." Ji Jue sighed. "To some degree, the folks down there can all be considered fixed assets for my future workshop. So when you get down to business later, make sure not to smash them up too badly. Try to leave intact corpses, understand?" "..." In the silence, An Ning took a deep breath, looking at Ji Jue with an exceptionally strange gaze. *No wonder the Evil Transmutation Cult got wiped out—turns out it was just because you weren't in it!* She sighed and cautioned him, "Brother Ji Jue, try not to walk at night anytime soon." "Why?" "Because I'm afraid people will hunt you down like a wolf, of course!" The girl shook her head, glared at him, and promptly vaulted out the window like a phantom, landing lightly on the hood of the vehicle and gazing downward through the driving rain. Time to get to work. And before that... "First, let's say hello." Ji Jue raised his hand toward the crowd below and took a deep breath. In an instant, inside Little Niuma's cabin, within the fluid spiritus cage disguised as a fuel tank, the solidified quicksilver abruptly surged, emitting a boiling, agitated sound. The motley spiritus collected along the journey converged from within, flowing into the vivid, lustrous gem on the ring upon his middle finger. Countless shimmering phantom lights flickered across the facets of the gem, swirling past. Under the artisan's catalysis, a magnificent, bewitching radiance rose from within, like irreconcilable feuds and deep-seated hatred, igniting the light of suffering. The instant the spiritus accumulated to its limit, it met the most thorough detonation. Having undergone the taint of corruption alchemy and the refinement of Fluid Alchemy, the spiritus and malice accumulated within the blessing surged like an ocean tide, poised to burst forth. In the snap of a finger, a bizarre phantom rose from the projection of the ring face—beneath a veil of crimson gauze, the grotesque phantom of a rotting corpse opened its eyes, looking down upon all, parting its jaws, and letting out a resounding shriek! Instantly, what spewed from the mouth of the artificial evil spirit was a roaring torrent of wailing that surpassed even the mountain floods and tsunamis, raging forward with devastating fury!!!!