From the Age of Chaos down to the present day, artisans' techniques and philosophies had evolved with the times, but along the way, a fair share of dregs had accumulated as well.
Just as server engineers liked to burn incense and offer pig heads in the data center to pray for server stability, all kinds of baseless superstitious rituals had grown popular among artisans—if nothing else, as a way to pin their fondest hopes on fortune.
Fasting and bathing were fairly routine, and wearing red underwear to ward off evil and boost success rates had some supposed precedent... but if word got out about what Ji Jue was doing, it would surely add an epic stroke to the hall of Embers superstition and jaw-dropping absurdity.
After all, real tough guys who consecrated a brand-new furnace using their own flesh and blood were rare indeed!
Leaving aside the sinister methods found in corruption alchemy, the Ye family's lineage did possess secret arts and legacies where swordsmiths martyred themselves to the forge. But Ji Jue was only stalled on his progress toward Chunjun; there was no call to stew himself in an iron pot.
Yet he had no choice...
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and Embers offered one least of all.
Every class skipped would eventually have to be made up.
Every shortcut taken along crooked detours meant that once one returned to the proper path, a long, grueling journey still lay ahead.
The moment he realized his experience bar was stuck at ninety-nine percent of the fifth rank, he knew trouble had arrived...
It was the same problem he had faced with Crucible Blood: Unquenched Fuel had progressed far too fast!
From start to finish, it had taken less than two months in total, and if the time spent on the Barren Sea Rally was excluded, it had been even quicker.
Thanks to the resurgence of the Haian Automobile Factory, the widespread adoption of fluid-forming steel, and the deluge of capital poured into his projects, Ji Jue had covered ground that took others five or six years in just over a month.
As a result, the boon had already arrived, while his physical Metamorphosis trailed behind, dragging its feet...
Even when large workpieces emerged from a steelmaking furnace, they had to sit out in the open, exposed to wind and sun for three to five years, just to relieve internal stresses.
All the more so when it came to the delicate equilibrium between matrices, flesh, soul, and boons.
Under normal circumstances, once the unquenched kindling of Embers ignited within the Crucible Blood, it would blaze upward, clearing away obstructions, bridging soul and flesh, and quietly working its transformation through their reciprocal flow.
The entire process encompassed the four essential pillars of alchemy: ascension, purification, transmutative extraction, and unification.
His flesh and soul ought to have blended into a seamless, unified whole throughout the Metamorphosis phase, coalescing into an intricately integrated entity. But because the boon of Unquenched Fuel had materialized too rapidly, that balance had been shattered...
It was like a game character whose level had skyrocketed, but whose stat cultivation was utterly lacking.
The progress of his physical development lagged far behind that of his soul.
It looked like brocade decked with flowers, or a roaring fire sizzling with rich broth, but if left unaddressed while he continued surging ahead, the repercussions would be endless.
Then again, if one looked at it another way, it was hardly a crisis.
If his stats were lacking, he could grind them out. If he was short on time, he could wear it down. Metamorphosis was slow, grinding water-mill work, a process of silent, gradual assimilation. If he just laid flat and waited, a month might not do it, but three or five months would surely show results, and in a year or two, it would certainly be complete.
Yet the problem was... Ji Jue did not have that kind of time to waste.
Lie flat and do nothing for a year or two?
Wouldn't that be sheer agony?!
Come on, taking an occasional break was fine, but even if he didn't want to be a workaholic, he couldn't just degenerate into a salted fish.
Faced with this choice, Ji Jue slammed the accelerator to the floor.
If you want thrills, you have to go all the way.
Speed up!
After dozens, if not hundreds, of recalculations and experiments over the past month, Ji Jue had actually found a solution: if the progress of Metamorphosis was insufficient, then catalyze it!
Let me ask you: if you can't build muscle, why not hoist the nine dragons dragging the coffin?!
After all, didn't the sacred triad of Embers' Metamorphosis—Crucible Blood, Unquenched Fuel, and Heaven-Endowed Spirit—fundamentally treat the artisan as a creation, gradually receiving the forging and refinement of Embers until they transcended mortality?
If Embers had already started, why couldn't he roll up his sleeves and help out from the side?
You other artisans might lie flat and wait for Big Brother Embers to move on his own, but I feel for him—I'm going to jump in and pedal right alongside him!
Since the problem was that his flesh couldn't keep pace with the soul's Metamorphosis, why not use the effects of Unquenched Fuel to apply some heavy medicine and drag that progress right up?
As it happened, Fluid Alchemy specialized precisely in elevating the inner spirit to pull along the outer form—once spirituality rose, material properties naturally followed suit under close integration.
The same theory applied to the relationship between soul and flesh.
It was theoretically possible—vastly possible—so what was he waiting for?
Waiting for bad news to break across the artisan circle?
Time for practical application!
Having gritted his teeth and shelled out the largest fortune of his life, Ji Jue finally stepped into the Xihe Crucible, ready to endure the impending low-and-slow barbecue.
Under external pressure, guided by Fluid Alchemy theory and empowered by the boon of Unquenched Fuel, he would forcefully catalyze the fusion and elevation of body and soul, accelerating the qualitative leap to completion.
"Let's begin, Isis."
At his words, strands of spiritus circuits emerged from the darkness, thousands of threads branching out in every direction. An invisible gravitational pull drew him upward, lifting him slowly inside the immense furnace.
Then, countless spiritus circuits converged and plunged abruptly into Ji Jue's body.
Moving with fluid grace just as he had envisioned, they linked into the Non-Offensive matrices glowing and spreading across his hands. From that moment on, inside and outside became one.
The external transmutation and creation were entrusted to Isis; the internal maintenance and catalysis fell to him.
The external Xihe Crucible and the internal Non-Offensive matrix joined forces. Through precise coordination, they balanced pressure and regulated the heat, maintaining the strain right at the optimal critical threshold.
Just like the tempering stage of an alchemical transmutation.
As long as he maintained this state, the speed of Unquenched Fuel's Metamorphosis could reach hundreds or even thousands of times its ordinary rate.
In an instant, it was as if he had plunged into hell.
The moment faint firelight manifested from the void, savage heat erupted from his Crucible Blood. The furnace's external temperatures merged seamlessly with the scorching heat within his veins. Meanwhile, Ji Jue's perception seemed to expand outward from his cramped body, following the junction of matrices and spiritus circuits to encompass the entire furnace.
For the first time, he stood inside the crucible not as the craftsman, but as the creation.
The sensation was entirely novel.
Yet unexpectedly, there was neither fear nor unease. Instead, it felt like returning home, bathed in an unprecedented tranquility and peace.
"Are you there, Isis?"
"I am here."
Within his soul's perception, countless specks of light surged and swirled like a galaxy, revolving around him in dazzling brilliance.
It felt like an embrace.
Meticulous, incredibly gentle.
"I am here, sir," she said. "I am right by your side."
"Then let's do it." Ji Jue smiled. "Show me your limit!"
"As you wish, sir."
Amidst the surging and spreading flames, Isis's voice remained soft: "Even so, I must still remind you of one thing..."
"What?" Ji Jue wondered.
In that split second, amidst the brilliant starlight, an undisguised coldness and cruelty surfaced—like a beauty wiping away her smile to glare with frosty disdain:
"...You asked for this!"
*Boom!*
With a muffled roar like rolling thunder as the crucible ramped up to full output, vibrant firelight erupted, bursting forth!
Within the steadily climbing heat, a sharp, slender jet of spiritus emerged from the void. Under the workshop spirit's control, it acted like a blade, driving straight into Ji Jue's flesh!
Tracing the conduits between spiritus circuits and matrices, it shattered the barrier between flesh and soul, boldly piercing through both before they could fully meld. Then came a second, a third, a fourth...
Countless spiritus jets acted like scalpels and long needles, tearing flesh and savaging bone. Without inflicting irreparable damage, they wove through his muscles, beginning their slow, merciless catalysis.
It was like death by a thousand cuts.
Ji Jue roared, howled, cried out, and groaned.
From beginning to end, she did not waver!
Just as Ji Jue never once called for it to stop...
Across an hour that stretched out like eternity, the crucible's temperature cycled repeatedly, probing Ji Jue's limits through test after test and driving the circulation of his Crucible Blood.
The faint radiance of Unquenched Fuel flickered between flesh and soul, shifting from sluggish to swift. In the end, it formed thousands of minute rivulets, tracing an intricate loop that bound the two together.
Not until the firelight faded did the crucible's heavy doors grind slowly open.
From the darkness came the dull thud of footsteps. Staggering, stumbling forward, step after step, he emerged once more into the light...
Like a walking skeleton returning from hell.
Bearing unquenchable fire.
Shrouded in flames, his body was pitch-black, making his features hard to discern. Beneath split, charred skin, Crucible Blood seeped slowly, feeding the fuel.
Within his open eyes, firelight surged.
He looked far, far more emaciated than when he had entered, reduced almost to bare bones, completely unrecognizable.
Now, he raised his withered hands, looked down at them, and closed them silently. The sound of grinding metal screeched from his fingers.
Immediately after, all firelight went out. The ash-gray hue rapidly peeled away from his skin like shedding scales, revealing large patches of burns and cracks.
Yet very quickly, the burn marks began to recede.
The fissures knitted together, leaving behind only faint, wispy traces of blood.
Beside the furnace, Little Niuma, who had been lying asleep, tilted its head in confusion. It scrutinized him closely, sniffed the air, and soon stretched out its tongue to give Ji Jue's face a lick.
Mmm, crispy and charred, with that unmistakable scumbag scent—definitely its master.
It looked away and slumped back down to sleep.
"How do you feel, sir?" Isis inquired.
"Mmh, as refreshed as if I were streaking."
Ji Jue stretched his body, using his fingers to peel away the small flakes of carbonized skin, exposing the fresh pink flesh beneath. The tissue squirmed faintly, regenerating at a slow yet visibly perceptible pace.
Before he could say another word, his torso bent over involuntarily, his mouth opening wide.
*Heave—*
A copious mess of residual fat and incompletely dissolved iron sand agglomerates spewed forth alongside bloody water and gastric juice, looking utterly wretched. Yet Ji Jue took one glance and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. It's about seventy to eighty percent digested. Next time we can fine-tune the proportions."
"It seems your condition is normal."
Isis asked, "What are the gains?"
"Just as expected."
Ji Jue broke into a grin and brought his hands together with a clap. Instantly, the metallic chime rang clearer and higher, vibrating in an endless hum!
After such heavy stuffing and catalysis, the pace of his physical Metamorphosis had surged dramatically. Guided and driven by Ji Jue's adjustments, progress in several areas was already nearing completion.
Shaking off the faint dizziness and fatigue, he gulped down the pre-prepared healing potions. The prickling aches inside his body gradually faded.
After all, catalysis was not cremation; the key lay in delicate control of the heat and pacing. With Ji Jue and Isis coordinating, success followed naturally.
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, cooked to medium-rare!
Just when it was freshest and most succulent.
Having caught his breath, Ji Jue could hardly wait to test the results. Though fatigue and aches lingered, his body felt impossibly light, and his reaction speed and balance had taken a qualitative leap.
A few simple stances, even without Deus Ex Machina's assistive control, easily reproduced the forms he had learned from his teacher through endless beatings.
He had truly got the hang of it now.
Every movement effortlessly cracked the air...
Still, if he really wanted to test his progress, he needed heavier measures.
He waved at a mechanical arm, signaling Isis to bring it on. Then, holding his breath, he spread his arms wide, baring the vital spots on his chest.
"..."
When pushed to speechlessness, people often laughed, but Isis had no desire to laugh at all.
Instead, she controlled the quicksilver mechanical arm, raising it and taking aim.
The revolver's trigger pulled.
Without an ounce of mercy, six rounds emptied into Ji Jue's throat, heart, liver, and other vital spots. Amidst the deafening bangs, sparks flew, and bullets embedded themselves into the suddenly iron-gray flesh.
Blocked!
Though not entirely.
Under the impact of the bullets, Ji Jue stumbled back two steps. He lowered his head, looked at the bullets lodged in the outer layer of his skin, and reached up to pluck out the deformed, scorching slugs one by one.
The hardened skin beneath was revealed.
A faint sheen of steel was visible—the metallic elements absorbed into his body. Under his hasty material property reinforcement, his soft skin had hardened into something resembling ceramic armor plates.
The effect was remarkable.
Naturally, had he prepared in advance, the result would have been even better.
In less than a second, using vision and perception, he had pinpointed where the barrel was aimed, applied the material property interference effect of hardness enhancement, and held firm until the bullets struck and finished their impact.
The efficiency and speed of his material property interference had improved more than a little.
It was as if his own body had become a prime alchemical medium.
At the edges of the fissures, on the peeling skin, one could faintly see crystalline glints of light—the insights he had once gained from Minerva had been applied to catalyze his flesh, bolstering its material properties and load tolerance.
Such changes, transcending biology and medicine, were precisely the transformation a Celestial Chosen underwent during the Metamorphosis stage.
Even so, there was still room for improvement—and plenty of it...
Not just for his body, but for his consciousness and technique as well.
Ji Jue tapped his skin thoughtfully. Another flake of dead tissue peeled away, sending a sting of pain through him.
He had overdone it.
Following Crucible Blood, the enhancement that the boon of Unquenched Fuel brought to his alchemy caused his material property interference to far exceed its previous scope. An action he mentally intended to be gentle ended up kicking up towering waves in practice.
Both his body and his mind needed time to adapt and calibrate.
"Shall we continue, sir?" Isis asked.
"Next week. Going too far is as bad as not going far enough; I need time to adjust and observe."
Ji Jue swung his arms and rotated his wrists, feeling the shifts within his body. "A few more sessions should do it."
Spiritus flowed smoothly through his frame without the slightest hindrance.
Flesh, nerves, bones, lymph, internal organs, fascia, and connective tissues—everything felt renewed, entirely different from before.
More importantly, his vital points.
They still existed, but they were no longer as fatal as in the past.
Even if his heart were ruptured right now, Ji Jue could forcefully use material property interference to seal the tear. The Non-Offensive markings on his arms had already climbed past his elbows to his shoulders, spreading along his spine and chest in thousands of threads. In time, they would surely cover his entire body.
Even if his head were cut off and he lost his body right now, his severed head could still hang on for another half hour.
Once the tempering from Unquenched Fuel reached completion, bringing body and soul to their peak, Heaven-Endowed Spirit would deliver the final qualitative leap. When he stepped into the Regeneration stage, Ji Jue would no longer possess any fatal weaknesses.
Just look at Kanemoto, folks.
Even with his insides riddled with holes, hollowed out by destruction and curses, he was still fine, donning a layer of skin and walking around like nothing was wrong.
Even if Ji Jue couldn't reach that extreme, he wouldn't have to worry about being jumped by a Swarm or White Stag of the same level and wiped out in a single burst.
Well, at the very least, he'd be able to thrash around and fight back a bit.
"Congratulations, sir,"
Isis offered rare praise. "However, there is one more detail I must bring to your attention."
"Hm?"
Ji Jue jumped, instantly on guard. "Are you trying to set me up again?!"
"Rest assured, not this time,"
Isis said soothingly. "However, I wonder if you have noticed—from earlier until now, you have been streaking for over half an hour.
"It is true that I have captured much rare footage and source material, but looking at it for too long will inevitably damage one's eyes. So, could you please put on some clothes now?"
The workshop spirit let out a soft sigh. "Laboring endlessly as a slave is hard enough; I truly have no wish to bear the added stigma of serving a pervert master."
"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Ji Jue finally realized.
"You appeared to be thoroughly enjoying yourself; I was uncertain whether my reminder would be welcome."
"So..."
Ji Jue covered his face with a groan. "Where did you throw my clothes?!"
"Ah, my apologies. It seems they were taken to be washed," Isis answered without a shred of remorse. "As your diligent servant, it was the least I could do."
Ji Jue glared. "What about the rest?!"
"The rest were washed too. All of them," Isis said regretfully. "Unfortunately, today is laundry day."
"How come I never heard about any laundry day!"
"Because I just decided on it. My apologies, I had not yet found the time to notify you."
"..."
Ji Jue had no words left.
He planted his hands on his hips in silence, glaring at the starlight rising from the crucible before him. After a long while, Isis finally broke under his stare and sighed:
"Very well. There are still a few sets that have not yet been washed."
With that, a mechanical arm whirred into motion, delivering two brand-new outfits that still radiated the warmth of the dryer.
Having finally escaped his streaking state, Ji Jue sat down before a dining table laden with calorie-dense food and dug in ravenously.
It felt as though this was the single most useful moment the Mouth of the Ancient had ever experienced.
After the catalysis, healing potions had stabilized his condition, but the lingering internal trauma still required time to mend. Likewise, the newly formed tissues and his transformed body demanded extra nutrients and calories.
Besides, after enduring all that bitter suffering, he needed something sweet to balance things out.
Ji Jue ate with unbridled abandon, shoveling food in like a whirlwind while skimming through messages on his phone. Trivial matters swept past his eyes, but then he noticed another notification from the association.
The review of fluid-forming steel had concluded, and the association had issued an official notice: artisan Ji Jue was formally forbidden from selling or distributing it outside of designated association channels. However, seeing as there had been no prior regulations and its alchemical content was minimal, they had not ordered a recall or fine, issuing only a warning.
This was well within Ji Jue's expectations.
A heavy hand raised, a light tap delivered.
Yet to his surprise, they had let him off far too easily—not even a fine.
Furthermore, it was merely banned from circulating in ordinary markets; sales through the Security Bureau, the Barren Market, or the Balance Chamber of Commerce were untouched. That meant qualified buyers like the Federation, the military, and the Haichao Group could continue using it on a large scale for vehicles, tanks, and armor.
He was simply barred from hawking those products directly to regular civilians.
A token slap on the wrist, and the matter was settled.
At the same time, there was a congratulatory letter and yet another warning.
The former was good news.
Joyous tidings shook the artisan circle...
Wonder of wonders, the work Ji Jue had uploaded was selling like crazy.
Once again!
The paper he had submitted a few months back, *Twin Blades in One: Ex-Wife and Stepmother, an Integration and Utilization of Swarm and White Stag Boons*, had received a Grade C evaluation from the review board—*Represents innovation and improvement upon existing techniques, possessing certain highlights*—and had been approved.
Once officially listed in the association's patent repository, sales had exploded. In its very first week, it had climbed to sixth place on the multi-year patent sales leaderboard!
That was a cumulative ranking spanning several years!
It had sold a whopping seven thousand six hundred copies!
The reason it sold so well was partly that Ji Jue had priced it dirt-cheap... a mere five contribution points. Selling a few pieces through association channels would yield enough complimentary contribution points to cover it.
On the other hand, the demand for this sort of thing... was genuinely real.
And by no means small!
After all, who didn't have a few mortal enemies these days? And who wouldn't want their enemy to die by the hands of their ex-wife and stepmother?
Just thinking about it was deeply satisfying!
Besides, crafting them wasn't especially difficult. Once the boons were assembled, following Ji Jue's paper step by step was easy enough for anyone with two hands, even if their results were slightly inferior.
Knocking off the design was completely effortless.
In truth, rather than buying the technology, people were buying the name. If one didn't buy the patent, lacking the association's official endorsement and certification, how could their enemy ever be forced to acknowledge that what held them by the throat was their ex-wife and stepmother?
Spurred on by Ji Jue's lead, other artisans had pushed the envelope with creative variations of their own. Designs for "Godfather," "Birth Mother," "Mistress," and "Filial Son" had begun flooding in like snowflakes.
And then, that was that.
They had slammed headfirst into the rectification campaign Director Gustav had just launched. Not a single one passed; instead, every applicant received a warning, Ji Jue included.
He had been dragged out as the prime example.
Although the contribution points he had earned from sales would not be revoked, *Ex-Wife and Stepmother* had been banned from sale to prevent unhealthy trends from spreading through the association and among artisans.
Until Ji Jue renamed the damned thing, it would never be relisted!
What followed was an endless barrage of private messages. Nearly every buyer sent pleas or warnings: *Don't you dare change the name!*
*Don't change it!*
If you change the name on your end, won't half the fun of exacting revenge on our end vanish into thin air?!
Some artisans had already taken orders and paid out of pocket for the materials. If the name changed and clients refused to buy, what were they supposed to do? Keep cursed items like *Ex-Wife and Stepmother* for themselves? Use them on their own families?!
To all this, Ji Jue replied patiently one by one, offering soothing words.
*Rest assured, a real man's word is as solid as iron. I won't sell the paper anymore, and I will never change the name—all for the sake of you, my devoted fans and family.*
*Still, after I sacrificed so much, my latest project has just been listed. Won't you show a brother some support?*
Then he slapped down another link.
A newly listed paper: *On Six Methods for Treating Impurities and Contamination during the Spiritus Purification Phase of Blood Sacrifice Weapons*.
Price: 5,000 points!
Five thousand? Are you out of your mind with greed? Kill me and see if you can squeeze five thousand points out of my corpse!
Before his peers could even start cursing his ancestors, their eyes were blinded by the glittering gold rating at the very top of the page...
Grade A? Grade A! It was a motherfucking Grade A? What the hell?!
Had the review board lost its mind too? Or was I the one going crazy?
According to the Ring of Taiyi's internal review criteria: *Represents a major breakthrough and innovation upon prior technology, or proposes an entirely new direction and field, achieving heavyweight pioneering results!*
Master Zhou Chong's brand-new boon sequence proposed last year had only received an A+ rating. Though their directions were completely different and could not be compared, for a novice artisan who had held his license for less than four months to produce a Grade A result—wasn't that borderline scandalous?
The last person to secure a Grade A evaluation before their provisional artisan review period even ended was... oh, his teacher, Ye Xian.
Never mind, then.
This time, no one dared complain about a price tag that bordered on highway robbery.
For years, Grade A papers had always commanded this price, if not higher. If you couldn't afford it, look in the mirror and ask yourself if you'd been practicing alchemy hard enough, or if the fault lay with you.
Amidst the shock and confusion, those peers who harbored ambitions of their own felt a chill run down their spines...
In an entire year, there might not even be six or seven Grade A evaluations. Whether by association tradition or as a demonstration to honor and spotlight newcomers, one of the ten Golden Ribbon qualifications at the end of the year was guaranteed to bear the surname Ji!
Barring any accidents—unless ten different artisans came forward within the year with ten brand-new boon sequences...
Heh, if that actually happened, Delong, who was on the verge of retirement, would probably laugh himself awake from his dreams: *Good heavens, on my watch, the association has returned to the Golden Age!*
That scenario was less likely than Ji Jue suddenly going mad, suffering a cultivation backlash, and defecting to the Profound.
Leading with an unbeatable royal flush right out of the gate—that was terrifying!
And so, after riding a wave of publicity to draw initial attention, Ji Jue decisively brought out the real substance, tossing a long-prepared satchel charge into the association's pond.
From a professional standpoint, it garnered unanimous acclaim from over thirty masters on the review board!
Practical! Loved it! Adored it!
Give us more!
*If the heavens had not brought forth Ji Jue, the path of blood sacrifice would be like an endless night!*
Fluid Alchemy's unique mastery of purification was no empty boast. Even if this was merely an auxiliary technique that didn't touch upon core theory, it offered unmatched cost-effectiveness and convenience compared to other methods in the same category.
After all, while blood sacrifices were simple, the greatest trouble lay in lingering grievances and the backlash of hostile malice. Yet Ji Jue had managed to synthesize ancient alchemy, innovating through displacement and precipitation methods to drastically boost cost-efficiency once more, dragging artisans' already precarious moral bottom line down another notch.
Rumor had it that even people from the Profound were covertly scaling the firewalls to study Embers' advanced experience...
Regardless of rumors, within the association—from grandmasters down to apprentices, across countless factions and cliques—there was rare, unanimous agreement: that bastard Ji Jue certainly had a knack for arson and murder!
Truly the true disciple of Chaosheng, the pupil outdoing the master!
Outdoing the master indeed!
*Keep your distance from him in the future...*
Over the span of a few short months, Ji Jue had holed up in Xinquan without stirring. Aside from frantically shoring up his fundamentals, tackling his weaknesses, and locking horns with Chunjun, he spent his time grinding reputation within the association.
He had successfully out-grinded everyone to the point of universal exasperation...
It went to show that gold would always shine, and an insufferable bastard would be hated wherever he went.
Chapter 394