What? Was he not a good student?!
Ji Jue stared blankly, feeling an unprecedented shock. *Wait, I'm actually not?*
*That's impossible, isn't it?*
Thinking back carefully: sure, he might have attended spiritus offense and defense classes a little too enthusiastically, stirred up a few too many hornet's nests, caused somewhat oversized trouble, ignored advice a bit too frequently, had a rather embarrassing habit of stressing out a freeloader, dragged home some downright cursed things, made the overall situation a bit too chaotic, and cooked up matters that were somewhat thorny... but wasn't he completely fine the rest of the time?!
Scavenger said nothing, merely looking over at him with a knowing half-smile.
Under her gaze, Ji Jue felt more and more guilty.
In the end, she didn't bring up anything else. Sticking strictly to the matter at hand, she tapped the stack of papers piled on the table and spoke slowly. "To be fair, given your age and the time you've had, producing such an abundance of achievements is truly commendable.
"Even compared against every historical case among the Embers' Chosen, you stand among the most exceptional. You can readily stand shoulder to shoulder with... that 'certain someone' your teacher prefers not to mention. In some respects, you might even have surpassed him."
Ji Jue immediately nodded repeatedly, beaming with delight.
Music to his ears—he loved hearing it, adored hearing it, couldn't get enough of it.
*Hey, how did you know it only took me half a month to pass the Federation civil service exam?*
"...Yet the problem lies right here as well."
Scavenger changed the subject and looked at him. "You have learned too much, too haphazardly, and far too chaotically, Ji Jue. As a result, you have accumulated too much, and your foundation has grown too deep.
"You think too much and desire too much, yet you cannot balance it all, nor can you attain perfection. You change too fast and harbor too heavy a mind, yet you cannot find stability, nor can you settle down. You chase the real and discard the false, yet you have no way to tell them apart, leaving you broad but unable to specialize.
"You are a good student, Ji Jue, but you learn too well—so well that you can copy everything whole without the slightest difficulty."
She let out a soft, rueful sigh. "Yet the gold can never easily be separated from the dross. Almost every virtue and flaw of your lineage is reflected in you."
Quicksilver's Fluid Alchemy, the legacy of the Ye Clan's Nine Forms.
The spiritus transmutations and Dissociation Art taught by Ye Xian; the corrupted transmutations half-shoved down his throat by Kanemoto and half self-taught by Ji Jue; the Blessings bestowed by Embers, and the secret transmissions instilled by Stagnant Rot...
Every single one was a grand, orthodox path. Every single one was a direction hammered out through the blood and sweat of countless artificers before him.
The heart and strength of a single person would be stretched thin even trying to climb just one of those paths. No matter how peerless a prodigy, no matter how exquisite the raw jade, how could anyone wade through two different rivers or scale two different mountains at the exact same time?
It was a miracle he hadn't split into multiple personalities!
Unfortunately, Ji Jue's talent was so preposterous that he had actually pulled it off.
And because he had pulled it off, that was where the problem lay!
Ji Jue pondered for a long time before asking solemnly, "Are you saying that Three-Phase Alchemy isn't enough to resolve my troubles?"
"The Three Phases Circulation is indeed a path, and an unprecedentedly brilliant method at that... By endowing matter and spiritus with the properties of fluid, solid, and gas, cycling them between one another can resolve the vast majority of conflicts and contradictions.
"Much like how a larger wilderness can accommodate diverse species, you used a broader premise and framework to encompass these originally incompatible theories.
"You even went a step further and derived brand-new conclusions from it."
Scavenger sighed wistfully, her tone a mix of admiration and regret. "That is your strength, but it is also your flaw. Pretension is the original sin of every artificer, and reaping what one sows is invariably the outcome."
An artificer's compulsion to tinker and innovate was inevitable, and their stubborn self-assurance could never be stamped out.
For the Ji Jue of today, these issues weren't truly problems yet; they didn't even qualify as troubles, because everything remained well within his capacity to resolve.
Yet so long as Ji Jue drew breath, he would instinctively keep adding bricks and mortar, constantly absorbing everything he could use, relentlessly cramming more extreme tricks into his craft.
Bigger! More! More beautiful! Better!
Until, in the end, everything he created grew too vast for him to control, too multitudinous for him to tend to, so dazzling it blinded him, and so wondrous he could never bring himself to let it go.
And finally, when he had exhausted every resource and could not take another step forward, when he had poured out everything and still failed to shatter his shackles, the moment of decline at the zenith would arrive.
At that time, everything he had built would shatter completely in a cataclysm of turbulence and loss of control!
In a sense, he and Non-Offensive were an absolute match made in heaven.
*With ten fingers and two hands, remake the myriad phenomena of the world.*
So long as Ji Jue lived, he would instinctively reshape everything he possessed, forcing it all onto the tracks he had laid down. Yet two hands and ten fingers ultimately had their limits.
This was not an uncommon flaw.
In fact, it wasn't rare at all; cases of craftsmen unwittingly spinning cocoons only to trap themselves were far too common—so common that many artificers took it for granted and couldn't care less.
Even more people realized their own limitations and the bottlenecks of their talent early on, never having the luxury of reaching such heights in the first place.
Limited ability meant no fancy tricks.
Yet when that drive was amplified infinitely by Ji Jue's own gifts, talent, obsession, and mastery, what emerged was an utter, terrifying disaster.
"Your problem has never been theoretical; it lies within yourself."
The old woman sighed, looking at him with deep compassion. "Your lineage... thrives on obsession, yet it just as easily ruins itself on obsession.
"Sometimes, you don't even understand how terrifying the things you cling to truly are, or how distant the place you chase after really is.
"Heavenly Hearth's obsession lies in change, yet he cannot change; Kanemoto's obsession lies in completeness, yet he cannot be complete; Ye Xian's obsession lies in truth, yet she cannot attain truth.
"And you—you are obsessed with having, yet bewildered by lacking."
Within those cloudy pupils shone a radiance that saw through all things and looked down from above, reflecting Ji Jue's face. Like an artificer passing judgment upon the construct before her, she told him with absolute certainty:
"What you fear and what you seek have always been entangled.
"If you are not allowed to hold everything you possess in your own grasp, you fall into terrified confusion, living in perpetual dread. Yet if you cannot truly experience your own fear and grasp your own nothingness, you will never be whole, and the direction you pursue will never be sound.
"And yet, the Ji Jue of today was built upon what he has. When you truly lose everything you possess and are left with nothing at all, what will remain of you?"
Ji Jue fell silent, bowing his head.
He had no retort, nothing left to say.
Only after a long silence did he let out a self-deprecating sigh. "I always get the feeling... that I'm really a troublesome piece of work..."
Scavenger shook her head and said placidly, "Not troublesome. Trouble is only what you bring upon yourself. If you can let it go and look past it, then naturally, it won't be trouble anymore."
Ji Jue lifted his head and pleaded solemnly, "Can even the Grandmaster not point out the way for me?"
"How could Scavenger's having and Scavenger's lacking ever be your having and lacking?" the old woman countered. "This is your own problem. You must see it clearly and seek the answer yourself."
Ji Jue fell silent again. After a long while, he sighed and asked, "What if I can't see it clearly? What if I can't figure it out?"
"Then it doesn't matter either."
Scavenger's reply left Ji Jue frozen in place, utterly incredulous.
"What of it?"
Scavenger calmly sipped her tea. "Must a problem always be solved? Leaving it alone is a solution in itself. Is this really the only trouble you've got?
"Besides, I never said it had to be done this way."
"Huh?"
Ji Jue was stunned, words failing him.
"It doesn't matter if you can't see clearly. These days, who can? Even Heavenly Hearth has things he can't see through or figure out."
The old woman laughed. "If you could truly think through and understand everything, you'd be better off walking the path of Transmutation. And if you could disregard everything, uncaring and with a heart of stone, wouldn't the path of the Desolate Ruins be far broader?"
She paused, looking at Ji Jue, and let out a gentle chuckle.
Her gaze held not just pity and sympathy, but an approval Ji Jue couldn't quite fathom—even a touch of... recognition?
"You see, artificers are such awkward, pitiable creatures. Wandering between spirit and matter, yet unable to find a home in either.
"We pretentiously chase after change, yet like rowing a boat against the current, failing to advance means slipping backward. One problem is solved only for more to appear; one trouble is settled only for more troubles to follow.
"Until there is nowhere left to advance, or nowhere left to retreat."
Enjoying the sight of Ji Jue's bewilderment, Scavenger's smile grew increasingly cheerful. She reached out and, like an elder, tapped his head.
"So, do not force yourself to change, nor should you fear or reject it, Ji Jue. Whether it is having or lacking, both are part of your deep-rooted nature, the keys that constitute your very existence.
"They are also questions you must face your entire life, and answers you must spend a lifetime seeking."
She said, "I promise you, no matter what the final outcome is, whether the question has an answer or not, you will accomplish something great, just as you hope."
Ji Jue remained silent.
He looked at her.
Those aged eyes were still warm and gentle, like an elder offering guidance to a youth, a senior giving assurance to a junior, or a teacher bestowing recognition and expectation upon an inquiring student.
And so, Ji Jue bowed his head deeply.
He could say nothing more.
After that, Scavenger spoke no further of artificers. Instead, as if they were having an afternoon tea party, she began chatting about other things.
She might have seemed frail and old, but the old woman's mindset was remarkably youthful. She was even quite interested in the new off-road vehicle just launched by Haian Industry, bluntly telling him to hurry up and gift her one when he had the chance—secretly, though, so no one else found out.
Whenever she was bored, she planned to take it out for a spin.
It wasn't until a chime sounded that Ji Jue realized he was lounging back in an armchair on the other side of the room, completely relaxed, holding a half-eaten pastry in his hand.
"The young folks in the Association always make a fuss over nothing. I'm a Grandmaster, at the very least; I'm hardly so frail that exchanging a few words will tire me out."
Scavenger stood and walked Ji Jue to the door, still advising and reminding him, "Don't rush. Take your time with the realm of Exaltation.
"Once your painstaking grinding has reached this stage, it isn't any trouble at all. A week at the shortest, a month at the longest, and you ought to have it done."
"Understood, understood."
Ji Jue nodded repeatedly. In his hands, he was carrying two bags of pastries the old woman had personally baked; he hadn't dared accept them, but the Grandmaster had insisted.
As they walked out together, Jiang Tongguang was not shy in the least, swiping a box to go with his drinks.
"How was the harvest?"
"A lot of trouble, and a whole lot of problems," Ji Jue said after pondering for a long while, sighing. "Yet somehow, I feel much more settled. A lot more grounded."
He paused, looking at Jiang Tongguang—at the fresh clothes he had just changed into, and the faint scent of blood lingering on him. "Were you... off busy with something?"
"Just stepped onto the field for a round to warm up."
Jiang Tongguang smiled faintly, his grin turning increasingly cheerful. Outside the window came cheers and shouts echoing from Tianshu.
The blood-stained old Captain dragged his sharp harpoon, walking back at an unhurried pace.
Amid the distant rumbling, the Pillar of Ruin shuddered once more, visibly sinking a notch!
Like a receding iceberg.
Yet its increasingly razor-sharp silhouette gave Ji Jue a persistent sense of unease, as if something were silently brewing within.
Then, he felt something being pressed into his hand.
It was... a mask.
An Absolute Sentence squad mask!
"You know the rules."
Jiang Tongguang's smile vanished in an instant. "Someone will take you to the Association's workshop shortly. If you need anything, ring the bell to summon someone. Whatever you ask for, there won't be a word of objection.
"Read all the materials and cover identities given to you. Memorize them thoroughly, get all your preparations in order, and be ready to set out at a moment's notice."
In that momentary pause, Ji Jue nodded, realization dawning on him.
Immediately afterward, a door materialized out of thin air before his eyes, swallowing them whole.
Inside the Hall of Quietude, deathly silence still reigned, so still that even breathing could be heard with utter clarity.
Its originally expansive, empty interior had expanded once more, grown so magnificently colossal that it resembled an entire sports stadium, making it hard to tell reality from illusion.
Within the Hall of Quietude, doors stood erect out of nothingness, completely silent, revealing not a sound from behind them.
In truth, the entire spatial expanse of Tianshu was under the Association's dominion and control. At this moment, it had merely connected several workshops from lower sequences into the Hall of Quietude's jurisdiction on a temporary basis.
Even time itself was under their control.
Ji Jue didn't even know how long he had stayed in the workshop provided by the Association.
A few days? Or a few weeks? What was happening on the outside?
He almost suspected that the Association had forgotten him, or even... that this might be an Association plot, an excuse to imprison him.
No one answered his questions. His only means of communicating with the outside world was ticking off materials on the manifest provided by the Association, after which the materials would be delivered into the workshop.
In the sunless gloom, only the flames of the Crucible leaped and rose.
All he could do was pick up the dossiers, records, archives, and everything else he needed to know from the table, engraving every bit of information into his instincts and marrow.
With patient, grinding effort, he advanced the completion of his Regeneration form, making every preparation.
Until a knock at the door finally sounded.
Jiang Tongguang's face appeared from outside.
"How long has it been?"
"Not long. Barely a day."
In his hand, he held an hourglass covered in cracks, its sands nearly run out. "This is the final bit of time the Association could buy for all of you.
"Are you all set?"
"Yeah."
Ji Jue nodded and put his mask back on. Following behind Jiang Tongguang, he stepped into the Hall of Quietude once more and heard his warning:
"Watch yourself. Don't misfire."
The moment he looked up, his hair stood on end and his whole body stiffened.
He nearly had a stress response.
"...Holy shit?"
Right in front of him, twelve figures stood silently in the hall. Tall, short, fat, lean—each was different, but the one thing they shared was the aura of Stagnant Rot constantly rising from their bodies, so pure and completely unmasked.
Even the air bent beneath that invisible aura, refracting a faint iridescent shimmer. The floorboards underfoot cracked, revealing living veins of flesh and blood.
At that moment, they turned their heads in unison, looking toward them.
They saw Jiang Tongguang.
And behind him... that figure cloaked entirely in pitch-black flames.
Ferocious and violent.
Merely breathing seemed to freeze the entire Hall of Quietude solid. The air burned like charcoal embers, and invisible flames leaped and surged from his body as though intent on burning the entire world to ash.
In spiritual vision, all creation was reduced to dust, everything engulfed in fire, wailing in futility.
The instant that sky-blotting darkness came rushing at them, their breaths stopped involuntarily.
A subconscious shiver ran down their spines.
*There's an expert on this level?!*
"First time dressing up as the Profound. If there's anything off, remember to give me a heads-up, all right?"
Ji Jue asked for Jiang Tongguang's input, only to receive a look of boundless complexity.
"Just remember to dial it back a bit and not go too wild," Jiang Tongguang sighed. "Everyone here is infiltrating the Profound to assassinate a Grand Artificer, not to replace him, okay?"
For a moment, Ji Jue was speechless. In silence, he joined the ranks of the team.
Like a genuine wild wolf poking its head around among a pack of huskies.
Brimming with curiosity.
Looking at this one, sniffing that one.
*What a coincidence, bro. You dabble in...*
Too bad the Absolute Sentence squad's mask was so terribly in the way. Otherwise, shouldn't they exchange phone numbers, add each other as friends, and share some cutting-edge experience?
"The plan is here, detailed down to every single part. Memorize it within three minutes, then get ready."
Before donning his mask, Jiang Tongguang handed different sheets of paper into everyone's hands, telling them bluntly, "Each of you has your own mission and target. Do not inquire about others' missions, and do not trust anyone other than yourself.
"So long as you complete your mission, the Association will hold nothing else against you. Beyond that, I hope that even if you die, you die on the way to executing your mission—preferably without leaving a single bone behind. Understood?"
No one replied. The crowd remained silent, listening quietly.
There was no need to state their stances. From the moment they nodded who knew how long ago, all of this had already been set in stone. All that remained was to stake their lives and deliver this presumptuous strike. Nothing more.
"When do we begin the operation?"
Ji Jue asked one last question.
"Don't worry, soon."
Jiang Tongguang gave one final sigh and donned his mask. "Someone will create the opportunity for us."
In that instant, outside Tianshu, a thunderous boom resounded.
Amid the grand, resonant tolling of bells, the aged artificer leaned upon his cane, stepping forward one stride at a time into the Border Realm—toward a battlefield that belonged to him alone.
Chapter 810