7

In truth, there was no need for that quack Xie Lan. The bastard was obsessed with money through and through. Ji Jue had lain in the hospital room doing nothing at all, shelling out cash hand over fist every day, his heart aching so much he couldn't even sleep soundly. Why would a Celestial Chosen's physical constitution ever need such gentle babying? Especially Ji Jue, who was at the peak of the Metamorphosis tier and had astonishing recuperative power. If it had been an emergency, he wouldn't have even needed the Metamorphosis tier. Under the operation of Embers' spiritus trait—material property interference—he could have just slapped his thigh, forced the bone back into place, fixed it with a muscular splint of enhanced toughness and hardness, severed the neural transmission, and run an entire marathon. The only reason he had stayed bedridden for so long was entirely because Ji Jue... well, had been too clumsy. He kept accidentally breaking his leg whenever he wasn't paying attention, breaking it back and forth over a dozen times. When Professor Ye came to visit, she offered her instructions and guidance: "You're a grown man now. Being so careless won't do. Pay more attention in the future." And the reason he could finally be discharged was also because... breaking his legs was useless now! She couldn't keep him cooped up anymore. Right after breaking and mending over a dozen times, just as he was nearly growing accustomed to life in a wheelchair... yesterday morning, Ji Jue opened his eyes, naturally got out of bed to wash up, and brushed his teeth in front of the mirror. When he raised his hand, he discovered that on his watch, the digit "7" had quietly lit up with a speck of brilliant golden light. —The Regeneration tier! It was a natural breakthrough, overflowing when full, without the slightest hitch. After loafing in the sanatorium for over half a month—eating then sleeping, sleeping then eating—he had naturally leapt over this dragon gate that had stymied who knew how many people, stepping into the Regeneration tier. Regeneration? From this point forward, even without counting his title as a craftsman or anything else, relying solely on the rank of the Regeneration tier, even a blank-slate Celestial Chosen walking outside would be considered one of the few masters and powerhouses. In chaotic regions like the Mid-Continent where might made right, a mere flex of power would have people bowing in homage on the spot. If he ran off to the Thousand Islands, he could occupy a mountain as king and stake out his own turf. Placed in the Wild Gathering, he could at least be a Red Pole enforcer beside a Dragon Head. And with a clean record, if he entered the Security Bureau, after completing department procedures and getting familiar with the work, in a year or two he could assume a pivotal post like Sister Wen's as a district chief. At this moment, it had been eleven months since he became a Celestial Chosen... Although it sounded outrageous, it was actually par for the course. After all, too many absurd things had happened around him; everyone had grown somewhat numb. Even if the news got out that he had reached the Regeneration tier in eleven months, compared to the horror story of forging a Heavenly Work within his one-year probationary period as a craftsman, it wasn't even major news. Previously, the consensus within the Association was that any craftsman who could assemble the Embers three-piece set could already be regarded as a master-in-waiting; all that separated them from that position was time... Yet now, people already felt that some monsters might not even need time anymore. "Oho, impressive." Ji Jue rubbed his chin, leaning close to the mirror to inspect himself thoroughly. He felt the changes arising naturally within this body... In every sense of the word, it was like being reborn. It was not merely flesh and soul, but the wondrous sensation of matrix and blessings melding into one, senses dozens of times sharper, and reaction speeds exaggerated beyond expectation... After material property interference, the enhanced strength was even more ridiculous. Without performing any alchemical operations, purely by hand, he had pinched an indentation into Little Niuma's spare armor plate. Of course, Non-Offensive and Masterwork Nature's enhancements to his hands had played a part as well. As for precision... Put it this way: when settling his bill upon discharge, the Federation currency Ji Jue paid with was printed right in front of that bastard Xie Lan, using an engraving block Ji Jue carved on the spot from the steel pipe of his bedside table! From fine details to texture, it was identical to the genuine article, and he had even rubbed in counterfeit-proof watermarks on the spot. The sole flaw was... it was printed on toilet paper. Xie Lan's expression at the time had been magnificent. He had initially wanted to berate Ji Jue for freeloading without paying, but Ji Jue had simply taken the bill—with its doubled room charges, medical fees that looked like payback for murdering his entire clan, a daily nursing fee of nine thousand seven hundred, and nutrition fees ample enough to brew soup from Xie Lan's scooped-out conscience—and settled every single line item with him. Where would Embers have money left to sit overnight? Even fleecing a fat cat shouldn't be done like this! "How about I call some people from Beishan District over to run a safety inspection on you? Doctor, you wouldn't want the things you've been secretly researching to be discovered by the Security Bureau, would you?" Regardless, if they found anything, he'd be dealt with severely; if they didn't, it was even simpler—Ji Jue could just frame him on the spot! After a hearty contest of moral character, Ji Jue once again led Embers to win the crown of conscience among the Twelve Highest Excellences! And then, he was kicked right out of the sanatorium by the furious quack. Fortunately, perhaps feeling that the lesson had been taught, upon learning Ji Jue had broken through to Regeneration, Professor Ye surprisingly didn't pull out some marvelous little gadget capable of breaking legs even in the Regeneration tier. Instead, she merely glanced at Ji Jue's grinning, sycophantic face, warned him to put his mind toward proper business, and tossed over a batch of her old research notes on the Nine Models, telling him to go annoy people somewhere else. She was exhausted. Leaving him in the workshop meant he would only bark like a dog every day, pick on that salted fish on the sofa, and spike her blood pressure whenever she wasn't paying attention... Being a teacher was so annoying—why didn't he just hurry up and uphold their lineage's fine tradition by getting himself expelled! And so, having just been discharged, before Ji Jue could even wait for Senior Sister to come home to flaunt his progress of reaching Regeneration within a year, he was kicked out the door by his teacher. Yet he was too lazy to go work; either way, there wasn't a single place that couldn't function without him. Xinquan's expansion and management were completely in Isis's hands, requiring none of his meddling. Haian's production only required him to set the targets and direction and toss them to Yan Jian. The operations of Courier Logistics were watched over by Gou Er, who had turned over a new leaf and was eagerly flexing his muscles to live out a second life. Shipyard matters had Chen Yubo, while orders for the Mid-Continent and the Thousand Islands had an endless stream of good workers eagerly signing up in the underground workshop. After the initial flurry of chaos, everything had gotten on track, leaving hardly anything that required Ji Jue personally. Aside from researching the Nine Models in his own workshop, the rest felt like a strategy management game: once the decisions were made, you just clicked "Next Turn" and called it a day. As for the rest... All the nets and bait that needed to be cast had already been cast. There was no movement for the moment, and rushing would only startle the snake in the grass. He simply gave himself a long vacation. Taking Mother Lu, Lao San, and Lao Yao along, he went up to Tianmen to see Lu Ling. To join in the fun. The school, which normally maintained strict entry and exit controls, had its main gates thrown wide open today, bustling with noise and crowds coming and going. A banner for the Southeast Collegiate League Autumn Athletic Meet fluttered in the wind. Under the blazing sun, long queues formed before milk tea shops. Aside from vendors lining both sides, people who had slipped past security pushed carts inside, hawking beverages and ice cream. It was rare to see it so lively. "Whew, whew, whew—fast, huh? Isn't this fast!" Having reached the Regeneration tier, Ji Jue rarely got to show off his physical prowess. Hoisting the third sister and Lao Yao up, one in each hand, he walked as if flying on foot, jogging and sprinting ahead, taking the two little ones on a long sprint along the lakeside. "Fast, so fast!" Clinging to his arm, the third sister giggled. "Even faster than Eldest Brother!" Completely unaware that her black-hearted Second Brother had already secretly recorded it, intending to rub it right in Lu Feng's face later... Meanwhile, foodie Lao Yao's eyes had already lit up. "Second Brother, ice cream!" "Bought!" Ji Jue said without hesitation. "Second Brother, little cakes!" "Bought!" Ji Jue nodded decisively. "Second Brother, pretty older sister!" Ji Jue blurted out, "Bou—wait, you can't buy that!" The passing schoolgirls traveling in a group glanced at them, seemingly amused, and even stuffed some snacks into the two little ones' hands. Even after they had walked far away, Lao Yao was still staring straight after them. Drool was practically dripping from his chin. Ji Jue swatted Lao Yao's head in annoyance. At such a tender age, he wasn't learning any good habits; having barely stepped foot onto a university campus, before he could absorb even a whiff of academic atmosphere, his soul had already been hooked away by pretty older sisters with long legs in black tights! "Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating! You're already chubby as anything and you're still eating, completely inconsiderate of others." Mother Lu smilingly pinched Lao Yao and the third sister's cheeks, then used a wet wipe to dab the sweat from Ji Jue's face. "You've been carrying them for so long—put them down quickly. Look how sunburned you're getting." "Ah, Quancheng was way sunnier than this. It's fine." Carrying the two little ones, Ji Jue merely lifted his chin, letting Mother Lu do as she pleased. "Still won't do. How big are they now, and they still can't walk on their own?" After wiping him off, Mother Lu pulled the kids down, one in each hand. "You were only just discharged—do your legs still hurt?" Ji Jue sighed. "I've eaten the free-range chickens at home into extinction, and wolfed down hundreds of jin of hairy fig root. Nourished like this, how could they possibly still hurt?" "Still won't do. Rest more—look how exhausted you are!" "Haven't I put on weight already?" "Not fat, just well-built. You're still weak down in your bones, you need more nourishment!" Mother Lu declared resolutely. "Third Great-Uncle raises several hundred birds over at his place. I'll go get a batch." Ji Jue opened his mouth, then closed it, helpless. There was no talking her out of it. No matter how much he said, once the soup was brewed, all he could do was obediently open his mouth and drink. Some people couldn't even drink it if they wanted to... right, Brother Feng? Pity Brother Feng wasn't here. No matter—he could brag to him about it later. Humming a tune, Ji Jue held the hands of the two little ones and walked into the venue with Mother Lu. As one of the Federation's Big Five, Tianmen still commanded some prestige. Inside the colossal sports arena, the air conditioning was blasting at full throttle; after growing accustomed to the sweltering heat outside, stepping in actually made one shiver from the cold. On the surrounding stands, university students shouted slogans with passionate fervor, cheering for their respective schools. Waves of cheers rose and fell one after another. Standing in their midst, Ji Jue actually felt his blood pumping. "Where's Second Sister? Hasn't Second Sister come out yet?" Lao Yao craned his neck, full of curiosity. "Still got a while. How could it be that fast?" Ji Jue pressed down Lao Yao, who was attempting to climb onto a seat, and feeling that wasn't safe enough, simply scooped him up into his arms, right alongside the third sister in Mother Lu's arms. Having bought two bags of snacks in advance, pacifying them with a bag each, they finally behaved much better. Surveying the sea of people all around, it was completely beyond expectation. He hadn't anticipated that a mere collegiate athletic meet would draw so many attendees. Back when he was still at university, he had come to watch the spectacle as well. The previous meet couldn't be called shabby, but it was hardly this respectable or splendid. Even the stadium had been renovated, the entire HVAC system replaced with pleasant, cool breezes, free iced water provided, and even the campus shuttle carts had received fresh paint and newer models. Far too lavish. Given the school's stingy habit of farting under the covers just to keep the smell to themselves, this was truly rare. Who knew which sucker they had squeezed dry, or how much foolish money had been squandered... At the thought, Ji Jue sipped his free iced water, let out a mocking chuckle, and finally looked up. And right there, amidst stirring music, in the most prominent position at the center of the arena, a sponsor's banner slowly rose... —[Haian Industries: Creating a New Future for Haizhou]. Fuck! My money!!! Ji Jue froze on the spot. The sucker was actually me?!