Chapter 32

May I ask, what is it like to be an apprentice who messes things up on the first day of work, resulting in all your salary and subsidies for the next four years being deducted?

Before the jinx Ji Jue could hide, he could only say that those who know, know.

It must be said that Professor Ye's workshop is relatively humane; even apprentices have formal salaries and subsidies, and there is even workers' compensation insurance, etc.

Unfortunately, humane treatment is not very applicable when encountering something like Ji Jue, who is relatively "anthropomorphic."

But anyway, he never planned on making any money from the professor; rounding it off, it was just losing something he didn't even know he had in the first place.

At most, he'd go home and shed two little pearls in his dreams.

Just like that, at Professor Ye's request, he demonstrated his ability again using the already scrapped workpiece.

Ever since the Heavenly Mandate summons, after becoming a formal Heavenly Chosen, his abilities had also advanced by leaps and bounds, breaking through his original shackles. He no longer needed to reach out and touch things to issue commands to machines and complete communication.

Targets within ten meters could complete an instantaneous connection without any gap.

Faster and stronger, as well as more mana-consuming.

It's a pity that "when the golden wind and jade dew meet, they surpass countless others in the mortal world"... now that Ji Jue has made a breakthrough, he no longer has the infinite mana supply of Master Lawrence.

Vortex Planting is truly a good thing!

If only he had stopped Wen Wen back then, not to kill so decisively, and left some minced meat to plant a few more Master Lawrences in the ground. Relying on his regenerative ability, grow one, harvest one—wouldn't that allow for mass production of Ectoplasm batteries?

No, just thinking about it is a pity... when will another opponent who is full of treasures like that come along?!

Just as Ji Jue's thoughts were sliding further and further downhill, Professor Ye, who had observed the whole process again, adjusted her glasses and sighed knowingly: "So that's how it is."

Through that pair of glasses capable of seeing through the flow of Ectoplasm, she had already observed the entire process.

On the surface, it should be a control-type ability leaning toward the Heavenly Origin category.

But in essence, it is completely different.

If it were merely controlling machines, then the circulation of Ectoplasm would be too frequent and too massive.

If it were simply giving commands, there shouldn't be such a massive consumption when the object possesses energy. Skilled Heavenly Chosen of the control type can use it dozens or hundreds of times a day; even Heart Pivot Heavenly Chosen only need to say a word when controlling ordinary people.

And Ji Jue... one-fifth of the Ectoplasm flowed out, and less than half returned; most of it was lost.

If it were an ordinary trash Heavenly Chosen, that would be normal.

However, is the Heavenly Mandate summons really only worth this much?

Her brows furrowed.

Something is wrong.

There are always some places that are not quite right...

Ectoplasm does not appear out of thin air, nor does it disappear out of thin air, unless it has already "done work" and transformed. So—Professor Ye suddenly turned back, "You just said you can talk to them, right?"

"Yes, but most of the time, they don't have much to say." Ji Jue replied: "As far as I can see, the ones I've encountered are relatively easy to talk to."

"..."

Out of the silence, Professor Ye suddenly asked: "Is it possible that the one talking isn't them?"

"Huh?"

"Ordinary matter does not possess thought, Ji Jue. Without Ectoplasm, there is no premise for thinking, nor does personality or likes and dislikes exist."

She reached out and knocked on the shell of the workbench. Instantly, the machine broke free from Ji Jue's control and fell silent again:

"Take this machining center for example; I assembled it with my own hands. If I haven't become so senile that my eyes are failing, I shouldn't have overlooked this kind of interference and possibility.

But since it doesn't possess a will..."

She looked back and asked, "Then at the moment you communicated, who exactly was it that was talking to you?"

Ji Jue was completely dumbfounded.

If it's not the machine talking, then who could it be? Could it be... holy shit, wait, could it be himself?

Oh no, have I developed a split personality?!

I've already been discharged from the hospital; I won't have to go back, will I?

That's not right, the doctor said I'm very healthy!

Immediately after, he heard Professor Ye's words.

"If I'm not mistaken, the essence of your ability is to bestow your own Ectoplasm onto other objects and temporarily make them come alive," she said. "As for the dialogue that appears in your mind... it is likely a pseudo-personality temporarily generated after the object's own history, experiences, and sediment combine with the Ectoplasm.

And it will spontaneously generate responses and actively operate according to your instructions."

From her contemplation, she said decisively: "Such an ability, if it could go a step further, might be able to make the machine itself come completely alive, or even change its own structure to run errands for you."

Ji Jue was stunned.

It was completely hitting the nail on the head. Just by watching it once, it was as if she understood it even more deeply than he did. And, without knowing the premise of his older brother's emergency survival protocol, she had already deduced the specific situation of the "Double Qualitative Change" that Ji Jue had only used once.

The moment she thought of this, she reached out, took a spherical object from her pocket, and handed it to Ji Jue.

"Try this."

Upon taking it, the sound was crisp.

The surface of the fist-sized spherical object had complex and gorgeous patterns, exquisitely carved, with nine coin-sized holes on it. Looking inward, one could see a smaller sphere inside, identical to the outside, equally complex and gorgeous, but layered and nested, inward, and further inward, a full nine layers deep!

It is said that in very ancient times, craftsmen would use ivory as material, racking their brains to create such a work of art that seemed like the work of ghosts and gods.

Only in history textbooks had Ji Jue seen such gorgeous handicrafts, but inside it, it unexpectedly contained a fierce and murderous aura that made Ji Jue's heart jump with fear.

It was even above that "Twilight" he had once seen in Lawrence's hands!

"Is this a... Devil's Work Ball?"

He held it in his hand, examining it carefully, and subconsciously input a bit of Ectoplasm, trying to feel its material, when his vision suddenly went black.

In his fleeting perception, his Ectoplasm feedback unexpectedly showed countless branches, complex Ectoplasm pathways that looked like integrated chips, and even hundreds or thousands of rune imprints whose complexity far exceeded his understanding...

If the fist-sized Devil's Work Ball were unfolded and laid flat, it would probably be enough to cover the entire massive factory area, and even extend into the sea.

And just when Ji Jue's ability acted upon it, it felt like a bottomless pit. The Devil's Work Ball was absorbing Ji Jue's Ectoplasm like a whale, devouring it crazily, but other than that... it didn't give a single signal!

Even if Ji Jue completely squeezed out his Ectoplasm and was about to collapse on the spot, all he heard was a satisfied voice: [Thanks, brother, I'm good now.]

From then on, it was completely unresponsive.

The attitude was just shitty!

Ji Jue's eyes were about to pop out: Don't be good, suck it back for me!

Unfortunately, the Devil's Work Ball no longer had any response.

It even actively broke away from Ji Jue's palm, as if pulled by invisible cables, returning to Professor Ye's hand, spinning around, slowly enlarging, showing Ji Jue the complex and terrifying structure that was dizzying, tame as a loyal dog.

"See that? Learn a lesson after getting burned; don't just stick yourself onto everything you touch."

Professor Ye said slowly: "Some objects themselves have their own spirituality and can automatically identify friend or foe and permissions. In this situation, unless your ability is strong enough to completely overwrite the other party's underlying circuits and instructions, they will not respond to your requests.

However, when you can make alchemical items in the future and become a formal craftsman, you should know how to modify the underlying instructions."

She paused slightly, revealing a smile that contained a subtle malice: "Even making it turn against its original owner on the spot is not out of the question."

Imagine, when an opponent confidently takes out their trump card treasure and activates it at all costs, only to find their weapon has become the enemy's limb.

For any enemy, that would probably be a nightmare, right?

Especially for Ember Heavenly Chosen who are immersed in this path, such an ability is completely the killer and nemesis of alchemical items! No matter what kind of weapon or equipment they encounter, it won't have any effect on Ji Jue, as if they were naked.

And, it's not just that...

Until now, after successive shocks, Professor Ye felt a certain realization once again...

About the horror of the Heavenly Mandate summons!

It is not a gap in talent, nor a difference in courage, but a difference in essence!

Any apprentice in a workshop could probably recite in their sleep that the essence of alchemy is to bestow a soul upon matter, to bestow miracles upon mundane objects, and to bestow transcendent skills upon good materials.

Refining gold from iron and stone, fusing Supreme Good from Ectoplasm, all the way to reaching the realm of infinite phenomena!

But can the basic ability of a single Heavenly Chosen actually cover all four elements of alchemy—Ascension, Transmutation, Purification, and Harmony—entirely?

It is truly too bizarre.

What's even more outrageous is that while Ji Jue has inexplicably learned the later things, he has absolutely no foundation in the earlier ones.

It's like a castle in the air—no, this is a living hanging garden... an ability that has no foundation at all, relying on Ji Jue himself, has been forcibly elevated to an unreasonable height?!

An eighty-year-old illiterate grandmother teaching you the mysteries of nuclear fusion, an old farmer at the entrance of the village farming in a way that secretly matches the jump parameters of a curvature engine—it's just punk and rebellious.

She has never seen such an outrageous situation in her life.

She even suspected more than once that she had fallen into the illusions of a Mirror or the bewilderment of a Heart Pivot.

Difficult, weird, bizarre.

But... it's too interesting!

From her contemplation, her smile gradually became dangerous and crazy.

Supreme Good · Ember, the domain it governs is creation, change, and innovation... there isn't a single Heavenly Chosen who truly steps onto this path who isn't a technical maniac with a head full of research.

If a monstrosity or aberration jumps out on the road, they can't help but want to dissect it to figure it out.

Now, such bizarre material has actually been delivered to her doorstep?

Her hands are already starting to itch.

Purely in terms of research value, the Heavenly Mandate summoner is truly full of treasures.

He himself has an amazing affinity with the corresponding Supreme Good, not to mention that Ji Jue resonates with nine Supreme Goods directly; the scope of application is truly too wide.

Blood and bone marrow can be extracted to formulate potions, bones and flesh can be crushed or processed for cultivation, the soul can be sliced and cast into heavenly works, and even Ectoplasm can be extracted in a steady stream to promote material fusion.

From head to toe, even his abilities possess near-infinite possibilities!

It's a pity that what she excels at is engineering and purification; if she were a craftsman specializing in living spirits, wouldn't she have already thrown this kid into the furnace?

That straight, unblinking gaze made Ji Jue's hair stand on end.

He suddenly had the urge to call the police, subconsciously moving back a little, trembling with fear.

"Get ready, Ji Jue."

Under the pale light, Professor Ye slowly revealed a "kind" smile: "Starting tomorrow, your graduate courses will begin early."

Recommending a book by an old friend: "Thirty and Established, I Became a Top Stream in Chinese Entertainment"

What can a star who has achieved nothing at thirty do?

Livestreaming to sell goods?

Changing careers?

In a state of confusion about the future, Zhang Chengsheng welcomed his own system.

Newbie gift package: Song "Missing a Wasted Name."

From then on, the entertainment industry gained a top stream who renovates old communities.