Prescience

Ji Jue was sick. To be fair, it was hardly likely that Ji Jue was sick, but claiming nothing was wrong seemed equally impossible... "Clearly, sir," Isis delivered her sharp critique: "This sort of thing is practically self-evident." "..." Ji Jue sat on the deck of the Prosperity, pinching his chin with a grave expression. Something was wrong—completely and utterly wrong. It wasn't as if he had never had nightmares before. Having one once or twice was fine, but over the past two months, he had suffered the exact same nightmare five or six times. With every recurrence, he plummeted deeper, drawing closer to that wisp of flame... It was like something out of a damn horror movie. He checked his phone. His teacher still hadn't replied. When he asked Ye Chun, the salted fish replied that she hadn't seen Ye Xian in days either, though that was a regular occurrence. Some research had likely reached a critical juncture, leaving her no time to bother with anything outside the workshop. Ji Jue wasn't foolish enough to kick down her door. After all, aside from an occasional dream, there were no other symptoms. But to be safe, he decided to consult some acquaintances first. Stepping straight through the door, he jumped over to Yacheng, hopped onto his Little Niuma, and sped directly toward Beishan District. ...He arrived right at dinner time and was promptly dragged to the table. "Nightmares? Who?" After swishing a mug of beer in her mouth, Wen Wen munched on edamame and glanced sideways at him, completely astounded. "You? Hahahahaha... Are you for real?" "Would I make something like this up?" Ji Jue sighed. "Let me see. Doesn't look like anything's wrong." Wen Wen hooked an arm around Ji Jue's neck, pried his mouth open, and looked down as if inspecting livestock teeth. Curving her slender fingers, she gave his teeth a rap. A crisp ring resonated. The subtle sound and vibrations instantly coursed through his entire body like the booming chime of a great bell, humming endlessly. Under the resonance of Minerva, physical matter sang in harmony. Without requiring any material property interference, Ji Jue felt his bones harden considerably out of thin air. While running her check, she had casually tossed him a buff. Ji Jue's eyes were practically rolling back into his head. He frantically slapped her arm, on the verge of being strangled to death. "Sister Wen, Sister Wen, I can't breathe..." "Looks totally fine to me." Wen Wen finally let go. After a moment of thought, she offered earnest advice: "Those who commit many wrongs are doomed to perish, Ji Jue. Could the heavens be warning you?" Still gasping for breath, Ji Jue couldn't help but laugh. "Would heaven ever be so kind?" "Then... your conscience?" "Sorry, I don't possess such a thing!" Ji Jue shook his head decisively. "And even if I did, it wouldn't be that effective." "..." Rendered speechless, Wen Wen sighed and lifted her mug, chugging beer by the gulp. To think he had once been such a decent young man. How had studying alchemy turned him less and less human with every passing day? The artisan path truly had something sinister about it. The Security Bureau had already received multiple anonymous reports about a bastard outside the city who loved entrapping people, abducting them, and chaining them to sweatshops for illegal labor... Embers really was a blight on humanity! "It's over... a terminal illness." After searching online for quite a while, Xiao An finally looked up from her phone, her face deathly pale. "Brother Ji Jue, what should we do? This disease looks really serious... I—I'll take you back to my family!" Ji Jue felt even more exhausted. Stop looking up every little symptom on search engines! Keep searching, and I'll be in a funeral parlor by tomorrow. "I appreciate the thought, I really do." He quickly waved his hands, placating the panicked Xiao An. Nowadays, whenever the House of An was mentioned, he shuddered, plagued by the constant feeling of being stalked by a wolf. The White Stag was simply far too wild... What if the moment he crossed their threshold, he was beaten to his knees and dragged off to be made a sex slave? For the time being, he was better off not delivering himself to their door. "Hmm, your internal dampness is a bit heavy." Having enjoyed the spectacle, Lao Zhang—the only Vortex branch part-time healer in all of Beishan District—finally took Ji Jue's pulse and delivered his verdict. Ji Jue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm practically a dried husk. Where would dampness even come from?" "That doesn't stop it. Excess fire and yin deficiency, external dampness assailing the skin and muscles... Simply put, mild endocrine disruption and hormonal imbalance. Young man, don't go messing around just because you're young." A Vortex heavyweight was sharp-eyed indeed, easily seeing through what Ji Jue had been up to lately. "Forcing a horse to water might work as a stopgap, but be careful not to push things too far." "Are there any latent risks?" Ji Jue grew anxious. "Countless risks, but they're still within your limits of endurance. Innumerable issues, but leaving them alone will allow them to heal on their own. After all, you have sufficient foundation; you merely added heavy ingredients to hasten the process. Just don't overdo it... Hmm, you're currently in a fairly vigorous growth phase. Looks like you're just about done with the Fifth Tier." Rolling a pair of iron balls in his palm, Lao Zhang remarked leisurely, "You're about to reach the Sixth, aren't you?" Ji Jue nodded. A subtle, reserved smirk crept onto his lips. A sudden hush fell over the dining table. He was already closing in on the Sixth Tier. Tong Hua, who had been stealthily wolfing down food while they talked, froze in sheer disbelief. From a blank slate to the Sixth Tier—how long had it taken him? A year? No, had it even been a full year?! Eight months at the absolute most! In such a short time, he had ground his way through Embers, the most troublesome path of all, all the way to completing Metamorphosis. He was practically at Regeneration! Where the hell did this monster come from?! Instinctively, everyone turned their eyes toward Wen Wen. In the quiet, Wen Wen flicked her cigarette ash, thoroughly baffled. "What?" She looked around in confusion, then patted Ji Jue on the shoulder to console him. "Don't feel bad. It might be a bit slow, but it's still fairly normal, right?" "..." Ji Jue fell silent as well. Slow? Amidst the bizarre quiet, everyone reflexively looked up at Tong Hua—the lowest-ranked person at the table... In an instant, Tong Hua fell to pieces, trembling with cold indignation. What was wrong with this world? Didn't they understand that the Path of Aether took time to accumulate and flourish? Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! Do not look down on a poor maiden! Wait, I'm not poor—my family has piles of cash! Seeing Tong Hua's train of thought derail into another dimension entirely, Ji Jue coughed twice to change the subject. "Sister Wen, how long did it take you?" "Can't remember." Rubbing an edamame pod, Wen Wen reflected for a moment and sighed. "Life wasn't great back then. I drank too much and picked fights every day. I remember a bunch of shameless bastards tried to jump me, so I slaughtered them all. I was battered and broken, half-dead myself, so I ran out into the wilderness, dug a hole, buried myself, and slept for a week. When I opened my eyes, I had somehow reached the Regeneration rank. If I calculate the time... maybe five or six months?" "..." Amidst numb silence, Wen Wen waved casually and patted Ji Jue's shoulder. "Keep at it, kid. You're still a bit short." Everyone was utterly speechless. How could that possibly be the same?! You're on the Desolate Ruins path! Desolate Ruins relies purely on innate talent and innate nature. It operates on the principle that gold and iron remain indestructible and form on their own, and fine jade reveals its glow in the dark of night... Thirty percent effort, seventy percent destiny. As long as your talent is high enough, it's an express train all the way. It's completely different from Embers! Embers requires examinations, rankings, and concrete results! They belonged to entirely different realms. And now... two monsters! Tong Hua felt the food in her mouth lose all its flavor. She wanted nothing more than to shed little tears... What sins had she committed in a past life to be queued up in ranked matches with these wall-hackers? Still, since everyone else had already examined him, she reached out toward Ji Jue as well. —Eye of Aether! Come on, let me take a look-see! "..." Tong Hua's expression twitched, her face stiffening instantly. "What is it?" Ji Jue asked, puzzled. "Naked... Wait, no, nothing." Tong Hua suddenly coughed, bowed her head, and downed half a bottle of beer in great gulps. Her gaze wandered erratically. "I didn't spot any curses or anomalies. Still, for something like this, why don't you go ask Grandpa?" "That makes sense!" Ji Jue slammed a fist into his palm. He had already planned to pay a visit this afternoon to seek guidance and thank the Tong family's Old Patriarch for his past care. Handling both at once was perfect. That afternoon, Ji Jue arrived for tea carrying two free-range chickens he had grabbed from Mother Lu. As it turned out, the Old Patriarch wasn't home. "He went out a while ago," Tong Ting, who received him, brewed gongfu tea and told him with a smile, "Before leaving, though, he instructed me to entertain a young fellow named Ji if he dropped by. Come, have a taste. Make yourself at home—no need to be formal." "He could even predict that?" Ji Jue was astonished. To sense even the exact time he would visit—was the Path of Aether truly that incredible? "It's not that exaggerated; don't overthink it." Tong Ting shook his head. "The Path of Aether doesn't manifest on the surface. To outsiders, there is too much unknown. Whenever an effect surfaces, people tend to exaggerate through word of mouth until it sounds like we're omniscient. With so much trouble in the world, how could anyone see everything clearly? Most of the time, it's like looking at flowers through a fog—always separated by a veil. At most, having seen so much, one develops a certain intuition. That's all occasional sudden inspiration really is. Still..." He paused, glancing at the gift Ji Jue had brought, and remarked with genuine amusement, "This is the very first time someone has come to my house bearing two chickens." The Tong family commanded vast enterprises and prestige. Over the years, an endless stream of visitors had come seeking favors, piling up mountains of gifts during holidays. Extravagant presents and lavish surprises were common occurrences. Yet someone as straightforward as Ji Jue was rare indeed. *I know your household doesn't lack anything, but I genuinely like these chickens, so I brought them for you to try.* This relaxed, open-hearted attitude—like a neighbor dropping in for a chat—suited the Tong family's tastes far better. Besides, their relationship had long passed the point of standing on ceremony. Even setting aside Tong Shan and Tong Hua, Ji Jue had likely been under the Tong family's watchful eye from the day he became a Celestial Chosen. Faced with a Celestial Conscription unseen in decades, they hadn't coerced or controlled him, nor had they forcefully absorbed him. Instead, they had quietly smoothed over many loose ends, keeping a tight lid on things so not a whisper leaked out. From the moment that old dog Lawrence died through the artisan assessment, countless pieces of news had been swept into obscure corners. A comprehensive effort of sentiment control, suppressing publicity, and managing trending topics had helped Ji Jue navigate his most vulnerable developmental period. This continued until Ji Jue chose to flip the table, carving a bloody path through the Desert Sea Rally to make a stunning debut and lay down his foundation. Today's Ji Jue was no longer a helpless novice. Across the underworld and official circles, from the Security Bureau and the Wild Gathering to the Ring of Taiyi, which of them wasn't his backer? There was no need for the Tong family to paint legs on a snake. To the Tong family, helping out hadn't been an ordeal. Providing charcoal in a snowstorm or flowers on brocade was merely a casual gesture. Even if Ji Jue hadn't known the dunce and the vegetable, never interacting with the Tong family at all, he would have naturally realized the goodwill over time. More importantly, he had never let anyone down. Trust was mutual, as were affection and hospitality. With this karmic bond, there was no need for distance; they were truly no different from old neighbors and friends. After hearing about Ji Jue's condition from Tong Hua, Tong Ting naturally didn't refuse. Having asked for Ji Jue's consent, he dispensed with pleasantries and looked directly at him. Ji Jue could feel Tong Ting's gaze sweeping inside and outside his soul, though it did not probe outward. Some Aether Chosen prided themselves on omniscience, eager to dig up every dark secret down to eight generations of someone's ancestors in a single glance. Such people tended to draw hatred, invite disgust, and even bring about their own demise. Tong Ting was here to help, not make enemies, so he refrained from prying. At most, it was like running a CT scan. Then, an awkward silence settled over the room. "Ummm..." "What is it?" Ji Jue grew tense, instinctively uneasy. "No, nothing." After taking a sip of tea, Tong Ting spoke with a peculiar expression: "Your body is very healthy. Yes, extraordinarily healthy. Your mental state is wonderful—truly wonderful. While your destiny is difficult to discern, there are definitely no traces of tampering. Your consciousness is stable with no signs of alteration, and your soul and blessings are entirely normal. No issues whatsoever." He patted Ji Jue's shoulder and sighed. "Rest assured, with so much... cough... on you, theoretically, no curse could ever be more vicious than you." What sinister menace was there to fear? Right now, the most sinister thing in all of Haizhou was you! If the Evil Transmutation Cult ran into you, they'd probably kowtow twice! Against such a freak, even leaving aside whether the Heart Pivot's taint could take hold, if anyone were reckless enough to curse Ji Jue, they would likely suffer an immediate backlash and be carried out in a stretcher. "However, the condition you described sounds somewhat like a Sudden Premonition from the Aether branch..." Tong Ting pondered for a moment, then asked curiously, "Have you been researching Ascension or Aether blessings lately?" Ji Jue froze. Understanding finally dawned on him. Transcendent Vision, Sudden Premonition, Ascendance to Truth... These were all blessings in Chunjun's sequence! The blessing of Ascendance to Truth was far too rare; no one had taken up the requests he had posted across various channels. But he did possess the equally rare Sudden Premonition, having acquired it long ago! It was an item he had retrieved from the Quicksilver Workshop, personally curated by the Sage! Lately, aside from working on Chunjun prototypes, he had spent considerable time studying and sensing it. Thinking back, it was true—after deciding to begin his study of Chunjun, the dreams had grown more frequent. The deeper his research went, the more often the nightmare occurred! "Then we can be certain," Tong Ting remarked with feeling. "Perhaps your talent in the Aether path is quite decent as well. Or maybe it's a sort of 'prescience' born from blending your accomplishments with the Ascension path." He paused, then asked, "You know about déjà vu, right? In daily life, people often feel that a certain scene or scent is intimately familiar, yet they cannot clearly explain where the sensation comes from..." Curiosity seized Ji Jue. "Could those all be intuitive foreknowledge?" "Ah, the vast majority are mere illusions. But among an infinitesimal few, people truly receive premonitions—much like Sudden Premonition, or the Ascension path's Sacred Prescience." Tong Ting spoke slowly: "It's quite possible that what you are experiencing is a prophetic dream concerning yourself. "However, fate is complex and ever-shifting; the future is never set in stone. Generally speaking, prophetic dreams are vague and indistinct, rarely repeating over and over." After a long pause, he finally offered advice that left Ji Jue flabbergasted: "Observe how things unfold."