As the saying goes: thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not bully the young and poor.
Young Master Lou had a temper too.
Even if his ability was a bit worse, his skill a bit worse, his rank a bit worse, his technique a bit worse—even if everything was a bit worse—Ji Jue had shoved the provocation right into his face. How could he swallow this insult?
No hesitation!
*You dog bastard, I've put up with you for far too long!!*
Regrettably, he really should have endured it a little longer...
Within half an hour, amidst the workshop's testing grounds that had been torn to shambles, a completely burned-out Lou Feng collapsed backward onto the floor, coughing up one final wisp of aggrieved white foam.
"Look at you, getting impatient again."
Ji Jue shook his head and sighed, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe away the smudges and bloodstains on his hands. "Young men shouldn't be so hot-headed. See, didn't you end up suffering for it? Still, that Residual Spirit Transformation move was truly impressive! A promising future lies ahead—a promising future indeed!"
Not bad, not bad at all. Holding out for this long was already quite something!
What Ji Jue hadn't expected was that Lou Feng had actually managed a fresh breakthrough in such a short span of time.
He had some real tricks up his sleeve!
Sadly, not quite enough.
From his opponent's grim outlook, blunders galore, and desperate death throes, all the way to delivering his victory speech, Ji Jue had hardly broken a sweat. It wasn't that Young Master Lou was terrible; it was simply that Ji Jue had fought in far too many high-tier matches.
Rank suppression combined with Embers' superior suppression created a ridiculous gap that even a workshop's home-field advantage couldn't erase. On top of that, Ji Jue was the mantle-inheritor meticulously forged by Ye Xian—an in-house PVP god who treated Jingzhen like a basic attack.
Losing to him was honestly nothing to be ashamed of.
Given Ji Jue's current standing, even if word got out, it would only be a badge of honor.
If those Profound colleagues who had suffered brutal beatings knew Lou Feng had held out against Ji Jue for so long, they would surely give him a thumbs-up and praise him as a brave warrior.
Regrettably, Lou Feng understood the logic, but what he refused to accept, he simply refused to accept.
Defiance was defiance.
Compared to the bitter feud between Kanemoto and Heavenly Furnace, who had clashed in three life-and-death struggles, Lou Feng confining his frustration to fists and bickering was already showing immense regard for the bigger picture, enduring personal slights for the common good.
Besides, the work hadn't been neglected, had it?
"Ah, hey, craftsman..."
Ji Jue sighed, picking up his coat hanging over a chair, and waved farewell. "Old Lou, get some proper rest. Don't push yourself too hard; learn to take a break once in a while... Oh, right, don't forget to email me the revised design tonight, okay?"
On the floor, foaming at the mouth, Lou Feng was driven to furious laughter and raised his middle finger.
*Email my ass!*
*Get the fuck out!*
And so, Mr. Ji Jue, Crown of Glory Master of the Association, took time out of his busy schedule to inspect Haian Tech. He spoke highly of Haian Tech's role and contributions, provided cordial guidance to the junior generation, and earned everyone's gratitude and praise with his approachable demeanor.
In the end, the meeting drew to a close amidst a harmonious and joyous atmosphere...
At least, Ji Jue reaped joy, results, and a revised blueprint that landed in his inbox before midnight.
He glanced down, chuckled, and typed a response:
"I think the first version was the best after all."
Unfortunately, the moment he clicked send, an error prompt popped up:
[You have been blocked by the user.]
***
"Ayo, A-Feng!"
A few days later, Lou Yanyue, the wandering delinquent tomboy who had drifted over to Xinquan, poked her head in with shock. She pulled down the oversized sunglasses masking Lou Feng's face, scrutinized his pathetic state, and grinned with bared teeth:
"What happened here? Did someone corner you at the school gates?"
"I, I tripped..."
Lou Feng turned his head away, readjusting his sunglasses and face mask. Unfortunately, the swelling on his face remained bizarrely prominent... All that could be said was that the dog bastard Ji Jue loved to bark as much as he loved to bite, and when he sank his teeth in, it was both savage and venomous.
He hadn't inflicted any irreversible damage or severe trauma; the injuries had cleared up after catching a breath that same day. Yet the bruising and swelling lingered even now, accentuating a pure, unadulterated sensation of misery!
"Tsk, tsk. A grown man like you, how can you be so careless when walking?"
Feigning ignorance while knowing full well what had happened, Lou Yanyue relentlessly rubbed salt into her nephew's wounds, whipping out her phone to chase him around for photos until Lou Feng was on the verge of exploding with mortification before finally stopping.
Before finishing, she even shot Ji Jue a smug tilt of her chin, radiating glee.
*See that?*
*Do you even know how to properly tease Lou Feng?*
*It takes someone like me!*
"Alright, let's get down to business. We're all tight homies here, so don't be shy."
She plopped onto Lou Feng's chair, swinging her legs and holding the tea respectfully served by her nephew, and asked Ji Jue point-blank, "Who are we killing?"
"It's not about killing anyone. I just broke through to Exaltation recently and wanted to temper my Encircled Realm. It just so happens I'm lacking a suitable sparring partner."
Ji Jue proposed, "How about we spar a bit?"
Lou Yanyue's eyes lit up, and without a second thought:
"Let's go!"
*Boom—*
Before the word even finished fading—heedless of the venue, the location, or even whether Ji Jue was ready.
She struck immediately!
Amidst bursting flashes of lightning, the petite figure tore through the air without warning. Grinning ferociously in midair, she drove an elbow straight toward Ji Jue's forehead!
"Watch out!"
Lou Feng's eyes went wide as he yelled, growing anxious as he watched his aunt about to repeat his own blunder.
In the very next instant, the bursting lightning vanished without a trace.
Ji Jue raised one hand, blocking Lou Yanyue's elbow strike, while his other hand reached out just as it had against Lou Feng, clenching into a fist.
The vanished lightning reappeared atop his fist like a torrential flood.
A deafening roar erupted.
Lou Yanyue exploded, dissipating into shapeless fire, only to recombine behind Ji Jue. Boundless lightning and blaze gathered at her fingertips, erupting once more.
Before Ji Jue's fist could land, she had preemptively transmuted her body. Causing his strike to hit empty air, she then reconverged all the scattered light and heat to detonate anew.
This time, Ji Jue skidded back dozens of meters, his feet dragging two scorched trails across the floor.
Across his hands, wisps of residual lightning coiled between his ten fingers like living things, darting continuously, only to be shackled by the Encircled Realm and casually annihilated into nothingness.
"Hoo—"
Ji Jue exhaled a long breath, venting the searing heat from his lungs, tasting the faint, coppery tang of iron in his mouth and nose.
Even though he had blocked the physical impact, he hadn't fully negated the elemental damage.
His defense had been breached after all!
"Nice one! Auntie is a badass!"
Lou Feng was instantly overjoyed, pumping his fist in encouragement. "Keep it up! Beat him to death!"
"Hear that, Ji Jue?"
Lou Yanyue grinned. "Don't blame me for being ruthless. This is the sole wish of my poor nephew who's been bullied ever since he was a kid. As his aunt, I'll just have to get serious."
To this, Ji Jue merely raised a hand and asked curiously, "Then—who exactly was the one bullying this poor nephew of yours since childhood?"
"None of your business!"
Lou Yanyue rolled her neck with a series of pops and cracked her knuckles, marching toward Ji Jue step by step.
With every step she took, the flames billowing off her grew more violent. By the end, her entire figure was engulfed in surging firelight, transforming into a blazing silhouette as the shimmering phantom outline of wings emerged against the glow.
She directly unleashed the enhancement of her Regeneration form.
Boundless light and heat on the brink of explosion were maintained at the critical point of reaction, like a mountain stacked with dynamite, ready to blow at a touch.
Bifang!
"Come on, let's fight our fill!"
Lou Yanyue was already pumped.
Ever since returning from the Seven Cities, she hadn't had a single decent fight. In all this time, her bones had begun to itch, and yet here was Ji Jue, delivering himself right to her doorstep.
Fearing he might back down in intimidation, she hadn't even opened with her signature Bright as the Sun and Stars. Otherwise, pulling back distance to bombard him endlessly with raw damage, no matter how tough Ji Jue was, pouring it on for half an hour would surely reduce him to warm ashes.
*An Encircled Realm I haven't seen before—let's test its flavor first!*
Laughing wildly, the blazing Lou Yanyue lunged right at him, swinging her fist down—*Taste my Haizhou Explosive Fist!*
The fist swathed in endless brilliant light was an imperceptible blur. Now, with the extreme excitation of her spiritus transmutation, genuine destruction was wrapped around that single punch. A terrifying blast yield sufficient to blow the entirety of Haian Tech to smithereens detonated at point-blank range, crashing directly into the steel hand.
With a thunderous crash, Ji Jue's Regeneration form finally manifested. Half his body burned crimson, his five fingers cracked and nearly melted, yet the brilliant light forcibly collapsed into a single point actually shattered once more into a torrent before that blocking palm, roaring out to either side of him.
Amidst Lou Feng's shrieks, it rampaged through his workshop.
Yet Ji Jue remained utterly immovable.
Like a reef standing firm amidst raging tides.
As battered as he looked, under the efficient restoration of the Three-Phase Circulation, it didn't even count as breaking the skin. At least fifty percent of the force invested in that punch had turned into rolling shockwaves, venting entirely into the surroundings in vain.
And the remaining fifty percent...
The rhythmic thumping of a heartbeat sounded. The Zhanlu spirit essence shrieked in excitement, devouring the snack delivered straight to its maw. Purple lightning and black flames surfaced from Ji Jue's other hand, shooting forth and abruptly blasting a gaping, through-and-through hole through Lou Yanyue's body.
Countless viscous flames like molten lava contracted inward, gathering, yet for a moment they couldn't even patch the hole, unable to thoroughly purge the residual thunderfire clinging to the wound.
Countering entropy with entropy!
"Interesting!"
Lou Yanyue gasped softly in realization, her eyes fixing upon Ji Jue's hands. "It's the 'hands', isn't it? What an absurd Encircled Realm—even more bizarre than what the old man described."
"It's just putting on airs, fierce outside but weak within,"
Ji Jue smiled mildly, his focus locked onto the opponent before him. "Please do show mercy."
"Sure, sure! Absolutely!"
Lou Yanyue laughed excitedly. "If you want to surrender, you can do so anytime."
*If you still have the chance to open your mouth, that is...*
In that instant, the Bifang Form manifested, and the blazing light of Bright as the Sun and Stars descended from the heavens.
Lou Yanyue went all out!
***
Deafening explosions echoed in a continuous din.
Neatly masking the sound of cracking melon seeds.
"Seriously, the Lou family is a scholarly lineage after all, with ascents through generations. How did this generation produce such a battle fanatic?"
Looking like he was out for a leisurely stroll, Tong Yuan nibbled on dried fruit and spat out the shell. "If you ask me, Senior Lou, there's definitely something wrong with your family's upbringing."
"Bah, the kid is still young. Doesn't this show youthful vigor? No matter what, isn't it better than your family's kids turning into little old men by age three?"
Sharing the dried fruit beside him, Lou Suwen didn't care in the slightest. "Just tell me: is she lively or not?!
"Look at that move! Heh, it carries thirty percent of my youthful flair! Back in the day, I used this very move to cleave Wu Ajiu from Beicheng to death—so exhilarating!"
"Right, now I know where the problem lies."
Tong Yuan shook his head, speechless.
No wonder all the Lou family's rebellious phase had congregated entirely onto Lou Yanyue. The roots were crooked to begin with!
Still, her temperament and disposition walking the Entropy lineage were truly a match made in heaven.
An Exaltation in her teens, a genuine candidate for Celestial-Human—the kind of supreme fortune born of smoke rising from ancestral graves had actually landed on this old bastard Lou Suwen!
Looking at the other side, however...
The two old onlookers eating their snacks fell silent.
"It really is the inheritance of a Sage."
Tong Yuan sighed softly. "A Mohist."
"Aye, a Mohist,"
Lou Suwen nodded. "A pure one."
Not just pure—Lou Suwen had simply never seen anyone as pure as Ji Jue...
Even several centuries ago, before the Chosen of Embers referred to themselves as craftsmen, Mohists like Ji Jue were exceedingly rare.
Seeing Ji Jue falling back step by step under the fierce onslaught, struggling with every move, Lou Suwen showed no gloating. Instead, a pained expression surfaced, unable to conceal his envy:
"You really struck gold, didn't you."
How on earth did an ultra-rare jewel—one that couldn't be pulled even after draining the gacha pool—sprout from the soil of your Yacheng!
Could Yacheng's feng shui truly be so nurturing?
My Lou family's ancestral graves aren't situated poorly either!
"The Tong family has always conducted business by offering convenience to others. It's just a bit of neighborly goodwill between folks. What do you mean by 'striking gold'?"
Even as he said it, the old man's grin had stretched almost behind his neck.
How satisfying!
Doesn't this just show how keen our eye was?!
From registration to the angel round, Series A, Series B... I had a stake in every single investment round. Now that the product was a runaway hit, its market valuation soaring like a rocket in multiples—what was wrong with making a little profit alongside it?
In less than two short years, from a blank-slate Chosen who had possessed nothing to a pivotal pillar of Haizhou today, from a laborer to a partner—Tong Yuan had never in his life invested in a project with such absurd gains and rapid returns!
To say he wasn't thrilled would be an outright lie!
What was more, if it were some cold-hearted, insatiably greedy fellow, that would be one thing, but Ji Jue genuinely acknowledged these past favors and angel investments.
Forget the Tong family; even the Lou family, with whom he'd once clashed, was brought along whenever good opportunities arose!
Never mind earning more or less; the man was truly one of their own!
Capability, craft, finesse, and vision—inside and out, top to bottom, he was practically beyond reproach.
After Lyu Yingyue, the representative leader of the next generation capable of earning the universal endorsement of all two Central Cities and four satellite cities in Haizhou was probably only this young man before them.
"Looking at things now, rebuilding Quancheng might not be out of reach after all," Lou Suwen sighed softly. "In my lifetime, I might truly live to see Haizhou restored to its former glory."
"The past cannot be held, and the future is hard to predict. Each generation has its own ideas. You old fogies may want to restore the old order, but the youngsters might just think something new is better."
Tong Yuan fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "Too many things belong to the past. People must always look forward."
Lou Suwen rolled his eyes. "Could you Aether folks please speak coherently? Say something a human can actually understand."
"My apologies, force of habit,"
Tong Yuan chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Seeing too much yet unable to see clearly, hearing too much yet unable to hear distinctly. Once it becomes a habit, one grows fearful and apprehensive, walking on thin ice, always frightening oneself. In the end, one speaks with cautious restraint—either treating words like gold, or rambling in riddles.
"It amounts to nothing more than being unable to articulate the glimpses caught or explain the whispers heard.
"To the point of overthinking yet lacking resolve, mistaking shadows for bows.
"The so-called affliction of Aether is nothing more than this."
"So after all this rambling, can you give me a straight answer?"
Lou Suwen urged impatiently. "I'm already this old; time is precious.
"Every day lived is one fewer left. Who knows when I might suddenly drop dead? Why can't you say something auspicious?"
"...Senior Lou, calculating your natural lifespan, it's likely longer than mine. What's your rush?"
Looking senile and frail, Tong Yuan glanced at the senior beside him who looked like a youth, nearly rendered speechless. "Let's focus on the present first."
He said, "Let's watch for now."
***
The workshop shuddered violently.
Under the watchful eyes of the two Celestial-Humans hidden in the void, Ji Jue flew backward, spinning seven thousand two hundred degrees through the air before slamming onto the ground with a loud *splat*.
His entire body billowed smoke and sparked lightning, convulsing in spasms.
He was practically falling apart.
This was precisely what overestimating one's strength looked like.
Using the Entropy lineage for a stress test and using Lou Yanyue to practice defensive skills—getting overwhelmed by pure damage output was only natural. Ordinary Desolate Ruins wouldn't dare pull off something so reckless.
No matter how strong Non-Offensive was, it was still only two hands. Under the premise of Ji Jue strictly defending, Lou Yanyue had pulled back distance and had a blast bombing him!
"How about that, Ji Jue? What do you think of this move?"
Lou Yanyue planted her hands on her hips and laughed boisterously. "Compared to Wen Wen, who is stronger?"
*Seriously, you're just fixated on her, aren't you?*
Ji Jue couldn't help but sigh. "Can't you compare yourself to someone else? Weren't you having a great time sparring with Brother Shan earlier?"
"Nope!"
Lou Yanyue shook her head, demanding, "Be quick about it, spit it out! Otherwise, you're in for a beating!"
"Does that even need asking? Sister Wen, of course!"
Ji Jue answered without a second thought.
Lou Yanyue's expression instantly turned dangerous, her eye twitching for a moment.
"...Kid, you really don't know how to talk, do you?"
"Setting aside whether I know how to talk, matters of principle cannot be shaken. Even though you're undeniably strong and super loyal, homie, and I'd back you against anyone else, still..."
Ji Jue held his head high and answered resolutely:
"—Sister Wen is the best!"
"Ye?!"
Hiding in the dark enjoying the drama, Lou Suwen was shocked, his eyes lighting up. "This kid is pretty damn brave!"
Now the fun was starting!
*Crack!*
It sounded like the sound of teeth grinding to splinters.
In the corner, Lou Feng instinctively took two steps back, pulling his defensive rampart before his chest. Carefully poking his head out, what he saw was lightning flooding the workshop's dome like an ocean tide.
*Holy shit!*
Amidst unending thunderous booms, the blazing Lou Yanyue ascended into the sky. Across her darkened visage, a radiant smile gradually spread, overflowing with murderous anticipation.
"Careful now, Ji Jue. Make sure you hold out."
She gave a 'friendly' reminder: "If you want to change your mind, you can do so anytime."
A lie! It was too late to change his mind now!
*BOOM!!!*
Amidst the resonant echoes of majestic bells and great chimes, the phantoms of the Five Towers and Twelve Cities manifested above the sea of lightning as the Encircled Realm was thrown wide open!
The delinquent spitfire was completely enraged!
*Today, I'll take your dog legs, Ji Jue, to prove the name of Lou Yanyue, invincible under heaven, yeeaaagh!!!*
Chapter 839