Beckoning, Metamorphosis, Regeneration, Exaltation—in the theoretically most perfect state of the Non-Offensive matrix, gathering all four blessing chains was a dream forever beyond reach in the heart of every Mohist.
Even with such immense versatility and broad adaptability, a low threshold meant that truly accomplishing something placed brutally exacting demands on talent and aptitude. At the same time, it required high affinity and significant attainment with most Supreme Goods.
Hard at first, hard later, and harder still after that—hard to enter, hard to develop, and harder, harder, harder to accomplish anything.
The very first entry blessing alone, Masterwork Nature, was enough to stop countless people dead in their tracks; after all, hardly anyone received the Sovereign Descent of a Supreme Good upon awakening.
Someone gifted to such a ridiculous degree as Ji Jue was the rare exception.
The Regeneration tier was no different.
The Huangxu lineage's Earth Bears and Sea Embraces, the Ascension lineage's Heaven Moves Vigorous, and then the Embers lineage's All Things Self-Transform—not one of them was easy to deal with.
Under the guidance of the Non-Offensive, there was no fixed order among these three blessings. As long as one was in the Regeneration tier, whichever came first was fine; the requirements were very open.
Because you'd find it hard to get your hands on any of them—Earth Bears and Sea Embraces required comprehending the true essence of Huangxu, the magnificence of matter.
Heaven Moves Vigorous required grasping the crystallization of obsession, the purity of Ascension.
And All Things Self-Transform...
Refine, child, refine. In the furnace lies a house of gold; in the furnace lies a jade-like beauty—though in all likelihood, you won't have either.
Even Ji Jue felt a headache coming on.
What Earth Bears and Sea Embraces represented was the vastness and infinity of matter, the magnificence and tolerance of Huangxu—like the stability of the vast earth, the boundless reach of the blue sea.
Its effect was to endlessly enhance the properties of matter itself with the infusion of spiritus—strength, hardness, toughness, rigidity. If one had enough spiritus to squander, this enhancement could even be maintained permanently.
Heaven Moves Vigorous, on the other hand, represented the growth of soul and intellect. Like Primacy of Mind, it was purely passive, yet distinct from it. It could shatter shackles, barriers, and bottlenecks, allowing one's own soul to continuously grow and improve through endless tempering.
Simply put, as long as one possessed this blessing, limits on talent and aptitude ceased to exist. From then on, every bit of effort would guarantee an equal reward!
The blessing of All Things Self-Transform, meanwhile, was rather more complex.
It did not act on a single individual, but was a unique form of control when facing multiple materials. Its effect was to allow all things to transform naturally according to their inherent laws, whether toward creation or ruin.
Evolution, progression, growth, degradation, aging, decaying... all fell within its grasp.
Applied to alchemy, it was like a cheat code: as long as the theory was sound and the materials were tossed in, one simply had to wait for the progress bar to finish. There would be no accidents or flaws whatsoever; it would turn out exactly as intended.
One could even throw in materials outside the recipe, or things with conflicting material properties, and forcibly dictate the result to make them coexist.
And if paired with the Non-Offensive's barehanded transmutation and applied to combat and daily life, it would make one an innate paragon of pouring concrete and demolition. Its range of application was just too vast.
At the same time, this was the one that stirred Ji Jue's heart the most.
Eyes burning, heart pounding, tossing and turning through the night—it was like falling in love, seeing the shadow of All Things Self-Transform in everything.
Wuu wuu wuu, Self-Transform, Self-Transform, my All Things Self-Transform...
Without question, this was Ji Jue's first choice.
Decisively, he sought guidance from his teacher.
All Things Self-Transform: want it, how do I get it?
The answer he received: It's simple, kid, don't worry—all you need are hands!
"Just like Heaven-Endowed Spirit, while it is a blessing, it is also a proof and achievement bestowed by Embers, an honor and a reward."
On the phone, Ye Xian said slowly, "To some degree, All Things Self-Transform represents a naturally occurring alchemical effect. Given your affinity with Embers, you needn't worry. Just push your experience and mastery across the four domains of Elevation, Purification, Essentiation, and Integration to the absolute limit, achieve seamless synthesis, and gain your own unique comprehension. That should just about do it."
"Uh, Teacher..."
On the other end of the line, Ji Jue went numb from head to toe. "You call that simple? Even an ordinary master couldn't pull that off!"
"Something you can obtain merely with time and a bit of hard work, without having to gamble on odds, without having to scour mountains and wander the whole world hunting for some enlightenment, and without spending a lifetime waiting in vain for an opportunity that might never come—if that isn't called simple, what is?"
Ye Xian retorted coolly, "It's not as if I'm asking you to claim the Association's Crown of Glory. Even Kong Qingyan could do it, so why can't you?"
[???]
For the first time in his life, Ji Jue developed deep doubts about his grasp of the Federation tongue: Is this even human speech? Why can't I understand it?
What did she mean, 'even Kong Qingyan could do it'?!
"She secured that blessing before becoming a master. In fact, I was the one who obtained it rather late—only after becoming a master."
That's only because you earned the title of master at an absurdly young age, alright?!
If he wanted to go through standard procedure to earn the master title, he was still short at least three Golden Ribbons! But if he were to bypass the normal channels like his teacher—did she think major breakthroughs that reshaped the entire industry grew like cabbages in one's backyard?!
His revision and adaptation of Purification alchemy had only just begun. To truly complete such an achievement would take an ocean of time and experience!
So in the end, it was still down to the grind.
And not just one domain, but four. What's more, he wasn't grinding for results or achievements, but the fundamental skills that were the hardest to advance...
"Then what about Earth Bears and Sea Embraces, and Heaven Moves Vigorous—"
"No idea," Ye Xian said. "I belong neither to Huangxu nor to Ascension. I don't possess either blessing, so I have no experience to share with you. As for a few conjectures, they might contain errors, so I won't voice them and mislead your train of thought."
"It doesn't hurt to share just a little, Teacher!"
"No. What I mean is, I'm not willing to tell you."
Ye Xian flatly and bluntly snuffed out Ji Jue's thought, speaking slowly: "I don't quite understand why you are so anxious and pressed for time, but I must remind you: whether it is alchemy or the achievements of a Celestial Chosen, this is bound to be a long journey. It cannot be accomplished overnight.
"Forcing the heat in an eager rush for results will only produce a pile of scrap.
"Sometimes, taking things step by step is the most efficient and reliable way. Ji Jue, you need to learn to temper yourself and wait.
"Before your Regeneration form is even complete, don't even think about pursuing blessings. Diligently build up your attainments and abilities.
"Or, if you'd like to come back and take classes, that's fine too."
She paused, then added pleasantly, "No need to pick a time. I'm free whenever."
"No, no, no, I'm good, no need!"
Ji Jue shook his head frantically, breaking into a cold sweat. "I love doing independent research, Teacher! Alchemy brings me joy! My absolute favorite thing is biding my time to build up a deep foundation!"
"Let's hope so."
The call disconnected. Ji Jue slumped in his chair, letting out a helpless, heavy sigh.
Though she hadn't said it outright, he could feel his teacher's disappointment and displeasure.
What disappointed Ye Xian was not simply that he was impatient for success. After all, everyone possessed laziness and arrogance; seeking shortcuts was in the nature of living creatures.
As long as one could take a shortcut without tumbling off a cliff and reach the destination, Ye Xian wouldn't mind. In the end, one walked one's own path; any skipped lessons would inevitably have to be made up twofold one day.
Yet when the faint hints of anxiety and restlessness in Ji Jue's heart slipped through to the surface, she had noticed the dangerous signs.
If one could not stay rational and lucid, reining in one's emotions and impulses, then sooner or later cutting corners and taking shortcuts would turn into a habit, an accepted norm—even a source of smug pride. One would reap what they sowed, ultimately courting their own destruction.
As arrogance and hubris grew day by day, the decaying cycle of Stagnant Rot drew ever closer.
The moment you decided to walk along the riverbank, it was already fated: thirty years on the water's surface, thirty years at the riverbed.
Someone like Kanemoto, even without truly receiving the divine essence of Wicked Folly—what difference was there between him and a follower of Stagnant Rot?
When you turned back, unrecognizably altered, to look upon who you once were, how could you ever discern the traces and radiance of the past?
Ji Jue lay back in his chair. After a long silence, he suddenly asked:
"Isis?"
"Sir, I am here."
"Am I really so impatient?"
"I do not know."
Isis replied impassively, "My database contains no records of you exhibiting patient restraint. If anything, seeing you impatient is what appears normal to me.
"In case you were unaware, your humble slave and servant is currently overseeing the workshop, the construction sites, the expansion and maintenance of Xinquan, the financial audits and personnel appointments of Haian Industries, and the package distribution and routing for Courier Logistics—all at the same time. If you truly feel regret and vigilance regarding your own thirst for quick success, how about reducing my workload a bit first?"
"Alright."
Ji Jue nodded decisively and waved a hand. "Add the consideration of reducing your workload into your existing responsibilities. Draw up a feasibility report for me later, and I'll give it serious thought."
"No need for later, Sir. I can give it to you right now, and no report is needed." Isis seemed to smile. "How about using a bullet? I believe it would be suitably simple and direct, resolving all distress and trouble."
"Haha, you're quite humorous." Ji Jue chuckled.
"You as well."
Isis's projection silently dispersed, leaving her master only with one final, frosty eye-roll.
Along with a single bullet.
Bang!
Amid the resounding crack, the bullet flew straight for Ji Jue's forehead. But before it could hit, Ji Jue jerked his head up, raised his right hand, and snapped it through the air.
Instantly, silence fell, without another sound.
The glowing red-hot bullet rolled nimbly between his five fingers like a coin—tossed up, caught, and clenched tight.
The moment his fingers unclasped, it had already turned into a tiny figurine.
Finely detailed and lifelike.
Himself.
Under Ji Jue's gaze, the figurine began to move slowly—standing up, twirling, even leaping, like a living creature... Yet in reality, this was the result of over twenty-four reshapings and reconstructions per second, crudely stacking transmutation cycles to create motion that mimicked life.
When his palm closed and opened once more, the figurine had transformed into a small bird, its mechanisms exquisite, its plumage delicate.
It spread its wings, and right before Ji Jue's eyes, it kicked off with all its might and soared into flight.
It rose into midair.
Only when the phlogiston powder powering it was completely spent did it plummet, falling back into Ji Jue's palm, where it turned into a neat, square steel ingot that he tossed back onto the desk.
The entire process hadn't cost him the slightest effort; it was effortlessly simple.
Barehanded transmutation had become an instinct, as natural as breathing.
After reaching the Regeneration tier, the deep fusion of soul, flesh, and matrix into a unified whole meant barehanded transmutation and spiritus manipulation were hardly even skills anymore. There was no cooldown, no fatigue; even activating them twenty-four hours a day without pause would cost only a modest amount of focus.
"Regeneration form, huh."
Ji Jue sighed softly. He was just as clueless about that, too.
Chapter 470