Chapter 115

"I'm just trash, I need to practice more!"

"Kick him out of the palace!"

"Trash, I need you to help me cultivate!"

"Hehehehehe! I need to practice the Disassociation Technique ten more times!!!"

For three consecutive days, the entire workshop was filled with insane, ghostly screaming, regardless of morning, night, or day, anytime and anywhere.

If it weren't for the good soundproofing, Ji Jue might have been kicked out by Professor Ye long ago, or before that, gunned down by Ye Chun.

But how did that saying go?

The sound of a roommate's mechanical keyboard is like celestial music to the ears, the sound of turning pages is like deafening renovation work.

Just watching him grind until he forgot to eat and sleep, a certain salted fish also surnamed Ye had already started to suffer from a nervous breakdown.

She even dreamed that some dog-thing was grinding crazily behind her, laughing weirdly and drooling as it stuck to her: "Senior sister, senior sister, come to my house tonight, my thesis can do backflips~"

Grind away, grind away!

Just grind yourself to death!

I've already reserved the best viewing spot at Tianmen Lake for you. Once you turn to ash, you'll be the new landmark at Tianmen University—The End of the Dog!

Ye Chun tossed and turned on the sofa, unable to brew even a bit of sleepiness. This damn nap was impossible to take.

As soon as she closed her eyes, that grinder's image appeared vividly before her. Oh God, oh Goddess, kill me, when will this life end?

In a state of extreme anger, Ye Chun got angry.

Then, helplessly and struggling in her death throes, she crawled off the sofa, looking back every three steps as she sat in front of the computer, opened a new folder and a WORD document, and looking at the empty page, she quietly started to shed little pearls.

And right there in the workshop, the exhausted Ji Jue finally withdrew his sinful hands, leaned back in his chair, feeling only a drowsy sleepiness.

Today's practice could end about now.

The essence of the Disassociation Technique is the application of one's own spiritual quality. On the premise that it works, the amount isn't actually important. Using an uninitiated Disassociation Technique on such crappy goods can only be called saving mana.

According to the practice plan he set for himself these past few days, consuming sixty-four percent of his own spiritual quality is one cycle, and he ends the day after repeating it three times.

According to the formula given by Professor Ye, after substituting his total spiritual quality and rank, sixty-four percent is the optimal limit for Ji Jue today.

At this limit, the recovery efficiency of spiritual quality reaches its peak. Provided that caloric intake is maintained, it can naturally recover in about seven hours. At the same time, he won't suffer damage from long-term spiritual quality deficiency.

Ji Jue would like to call it the Golden Ratio of the Grinder. As long as he follows this ratio, he can grind to his heart's content. Then use the remaining time... to do practice problems and chew on books.

Although he would still get distracted and slack off at first, let me tell you, once he got used to it, he simply couldn't stop, it was boundless joy.

Now, on the operating table, the pendant that originally looked antique and quite elegant was now covered in cracks, as if it had suffered countless fish-scale shreddings, on its last breath.

If it could really speak, the first thing it would say would probably be to beg Ji Jue to give it a quick end. Killing someone is just a matter of a nod, you've been scraping it with a small knife for three fucking days, even if there was a mountain of hatred and a sea of grudges, it should have been repaid by now, right?

【Hmm, not bad.】

The Ghost Artisan ball's ghostly light flashed, and after scanning it, it said: 【The spiritual quality circuits of the main body have basically all been stripped away. Now that there are no messy things in the way, we can proceed to prepare to unseal the blessing.

I have to say, in all my years of working, this is the first time I've seen such a weak Disassociation Technique... the grinder's perseverance and willpower are truly terrifying.

If I offend you in the future, please give me a quick end, I can't handle this kind of torture.

No, wait, if the target were a Heavenly Artisan... maybe you could make the other party surrender by using this method. Believe me, no matter how tight-lipped a Heavenly Artisan is, after being tormented by you for a week like this, they'll be obedient!

As expected of you, you actually developed a brand-new way to use the Disassociation Technique!】

"Bullshit, where is it weak?"

Ji Jue immediately broke his defense, glaring and scolding: "Don't you go yapping at me! I call this being cautious, okay? Do you understand what it means to handle heavy things as if they were light? Don't worry, when I handle you in the future, it will definitely be crisp and fast, I'm just afraid you won't be able to handle it when it's too big!"

The Ghost Artisan laughed and said nothing more.

After all, the biggest reason Professor Ye dared to let Ji Jue do such delicate work was because... he was too weak.

If the effect of the Disassociation Technique were any stronger, it wouldn't achieve such a subtle effect. If the introductory Disassociation Technique is a broadsword, then the uninitiated one is the brush used in archaeology.

Moreover, this kind of delicate work is all about less is more. If Ji Jue had really mastered the Disassociation Technique, Professor Ye wouldn't have been at ease letting him do this kind of delicate work before his control reached a certain level.

For something with such a simple structure, he would crush it in one go, and the blessing would be shaken to pieces, so what would be the point of recycling it?

Scraping is scraping, it's enough.

Moreover, when the Disassociation Technique was so clumsy, he still had the spare energy to look after the overall situation, accurately confining the effect to a few spiritual quality circuits... this terrifying spiritual quality control was gradually taking shape right under the Ghost Artisan ball's nose.

Four days?

Or three days?

A total of 1,707 practice sessions had already mastered the Disassociation Technique to this extent. Even with the blessings of Non-Attack and Natural Skill, it was... too exaggerated!

Just three or four months ago, he was still just an ordinary grinder, and in between, he ran into a Rift Realm and messed around until he couldn't even remember where his home was. As a result, he had already walked the entire path that other apprentices might take five or six years to complete.

With the already solidified imagination and thinking of a Heavenly Artisan, the Ghost Artisan couldn't imagine what kind of monster Ye Xian was trying to catalyze?

But... none of my business!

Anyway, it's just the master's order, it's just a ball that watches the fun.

These days, there's more and more to look forward to~

By the time Ji Jue came out of the workshop, dizzy, and returned to the living room, it was already afternoon again.

He looked left and right, and after discovering that the professor wasn't there, he breathed a sigh of relief, tiptoeing as he wanted to sneak toward the kitchen and the freezer, but after taking two steps, he suddenly reacted.

Today is not like the past!

His confidence immediately surged, he turned around, walked toward the sofa with a swagger, leaned into the spot the senior sister liked most, smiled evilly, and shouted:

"Ye Chun!"

Hurried footsteps came from the study, a familiar face with a forced sweet smile, "I'm here, what can I do for you."

"I'm tired."

Ji Jue spread his arms without hesitation, resting them on the armrest.

Ye Chun immediately leaned forward, enthusiastically kneading his shoulders.

After kneading twice, Ji Jue couldn't help but frown; it wasn't even close to the massage at Old Zhang's place, but there was no help for it, just make do, conditions were limited.

He said: "I'm thirsty."

Immediately, an iced cola was brought over, "Please drink."

"What is this?" Ji Jue saw the words on it and was immediately furious, "Sugar-free? Even a dog wouldn't drink this! Don't try to fool me with this kind of crap... forget it, bring the potato chips!"

The sound of teeth grinding rang out.

Ye Chun moved step by step toward the snack cart, pushed it in front of Ji Jue, and let him choose. Then that finger swept back and forth repeatedly, landing on the last bag of her favorite Braised Beef Brisket flavor that Ye Chun had specifically saved!

"Forget it, something lighter, I'll just eat this."

Ye Chun, eyes splitting with rage.

You surnamed Ji, you fucking...

Ji Jue ate her potato chips, sat on her sofa, watched her TV, and looked up without hesitation: "Steamed bun? Don't you support the device?"

"No, no."

Ye Chun tried hard to maintain a smiling expression, "Being chosen by you is this crappy potato chip's blessing."

"Is that so, then its blessing is truly great."

Ji Jue chewed with a crunch, crossed his legs, and enjoyed this hard-won wonderful experience: "I say Little Ye, how is the thesis coming along?"

"Thanks to you, the first draft is already finished."

"Oh, you see, young people are still too impulsive, don't be in a hurry, you still need to polish it more." Ji Jue shook his head and sighed: "Slow work produces fine products."

Amidst the frantic twitching and spasming of the corner of her eye, Ye Chun gritted her teeth and replied: "You... are right."

"Alright, I'm hungry."

Ji Jue waved his hand and said indifferently: "You, go fry two dishes for me, use less oil and salt."

Crack!

The sound of joints rubbing rang out.

Ye Chun's little hands almost crushed the handle of the cart, and just as she was seriously considering whether to crack Ji Jue's head open, she suddenly heard a weak coughing sound again, again, again, again, again.

"Cough, cough, cough, the hidden injury from a few days ago, it still hasn't healed."

Ji Jue sighed, stroking his chest and sighing: "It's fine, don't worry, after all, such is the world. Poor me, a concubine-born apprentice, actually suffered the jealousy and persecution of a legitimate senior sister because I worked too hard.

In the originally simple outsourcing task, not only was I locked onto by a sniper rifle, but I was left with a hidden injury, dying in depression.

When I closed my eyes, I found myself reborn to the day before that. I swear, in this life, I will live for myself and will never be slaughtered by others again.

Come to the workshop tonight, V me 50, listen to my revenge plan, and then look at my new thesis proposal..."

Hard! Hard!

The fist was completely hard!

You've taken enough advantage of me, you dog-thing!

Ever since he came back that night, he started acting, and he hasn't stopped since!

Sitting on my sofa, watching my TV, eating my potato chips, disliking my cola, laughing at my thesis, and wanting to write a new thesis proposal... this hatred is irreconcilable!

In this rage, Ye Chun's fighting spirit increased, surged, and exploded, and she even suddenly mastered a fist technique called "Strong Hand Cracks Skull" without a teacher.

Looking at Ji Jue's head right now, she just wanted to open his skull to see if it was as black inside as his heart!

Ji Jue looked at her with an innocent, pitiful expression.

In his wide-open eyes, a layer of mist had covered them at some point.

Like tears.

You fucking...

"..."

Ye Chun closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Before her teeth were completely shattered, she turned stiffly and walked toward the kitchen.

It wasn't because of a soft heart or a guilty conscience; after so many days, the original guilt had long been persecuted away by this dog-thing. She just knew that if she threw one punch, this grandson Ji Jue would definitely lie on the ground and howl like a dog for a long time...

Forget it, forget it, Ye Chun, endure, endure a little longer.

He will eventually have some dirt fall into her hands!

At that time, she, Ye Zezhichun, will definitely repay him a thousand times over!

Slap!

A bowl of steaming pre-made noodles was slapped onto the table in front of Ji Jue, the dead-eyed noodles still floating on the oily, broken soup. A mountain-like pile of chili peppers was heaped up, dyeing the soup color into a scarlet as red as Ji Jue's blood.

"Eat, this is my flesh, drink, this is my blood."

Ye Chun's pupils were pitch-black, without any warmth: "If you dare to miss a single bite today, you won't live to see tomorrow!"

Just this?

Ji Jue couldn't help but sneer habitually, even wanting to tell her: Add an egg for daddy!

But looking at those murderous eyes, he finally didn't dare to speak.

He obediently picked up his chopsticks.

Buried his head and ate the noodles.

His movements couldn't help but pause.

Oh my, I still overestimated the senior sister's cooking skills, after boiling for so long, why is it still undercooked...

Should have ordered takeout.

Just like that, he helplessly ate the entire bowl of noodles.

Mere chili peppers? A joke!

In Shuzhou, this would be considered medium spicy at most.

However, the joke seemed to have gone too far, the senior sister was about to lose control and beat someone up.

But it doesn't matter, I'll dare to do it again next time!

Having been manipulated and persecuted by Ye Chun for so many years, it's rare to have a chance to get back at her, so how could Ji Jue not seize the opportunity? Otherwise, when she denies it in a few days, all that will be left for him is cucumber-flavored potato chips!

Ji Jue crossed his legs, and before the senior sister could counterattack, he fully enjoyed this short-lived happiness and sweetness:

"These days, there's more and more to look forward to."

Before this, Ji Jue had once asked Professor Ye when his Disassociation Technique would be considered truly initiated?

The answer he got was that there's no need to be constrained by single-handed implementation. If one can perform it with both hands in an instant without preparation, completing the spiritual destruction of the target, then it's considered initiated.

Immediately after, Ji Jue asked with a sharp tongue: "Then when is it considered completely mastered?"

Thus, he saw Professor Ye's smile, so meaningful, just like the final mercy given to students before assigning homework: "After you've finished dismantling all the scrap in the warehouse, it should be about right..."

Ji Jue swallowed his saliva, estimated the terrifying scale of the scrap, and dared not think further.

Just as he had experienced and seen, aside from the arrogance, coldness, and contempt carved into her bones, Professor Ye didn't bother to communicate with ordinary things, nor did she care about the opinions of fools, and at the same time, she would absolutely not tolerate mistakes, whether they were someone else's or her own.

Nor would she allow any flaws to appear on her creations.

Not even a tiny bit!

Even if the creation in the furnace occasionally showed unexpected positive changes, as long as it didn't meet the requirements and structure of her initial design, the result would be ruthless destruction after the blessing was removed.

Extreme perfectionism and control, combined with this transcendent talent, resulted in the world's youngest master and a reputation that was both praised and criticized in the academic world.

From design to completion, a piece of work must go through at least a dozen steps and more than ten repetitions, or endless rework until she is satisfied.

Behind one finished product are hundreds of experimental pieces and waste.

Ultimately, what is gathered is the shocking and terrifying scale in the warehouse. Just as she has climbed to this day on the Path of Embers, the mountain of the defeated piled up beneath her feet.

Even knowing that those are all sweet and delicious food, Ji Jue couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle. Such an exaggerated quantity, would it kill someone to eat it?

"The road is long."

Ji Jue sighed in distress and joy, and a crisp sound suddenly came to his ears.

Pop!

A glimmer of light quietly rose from the cracked pendant; it was the last outer spiritual quality circuit that had been destroyed.

Ji Jue finally let out a long breath and took a deep breath.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

【Very good, just the final step left.】 The Ghost Artisan's voice sounded from his consciousness, 【Stop for a moment, rest for a while, and calm your spiritual quality and mindset.】

"Finally..."

Ji Jue sighed, his numb hands lifted, and he rubbed his eye sockets.

The torture was finally coming to an end, he had never been this tired...

It's too hard on the eyes!

If the previous Disassociation Technique practice could be considered learning the teacher's high-level design ideas from the perspective of destruction and deepening his understanding through repeated attempts, then for the past few days, Ji Jue felt like he was doing a collection of wrong answers picked up from a trash can, the kind where you have to hold your nose and finish it, not letting a single place go.

In this unbelievable, appetite-killing operation, he fully realized the diversity of artisans. That mistakes could be so creative is truly outrageous!

Do we really have to draw this fucking circuit today? Your hands are shaking like this, why don't you go to the hospital and check it out?

And various spiritual qualities of qualitative change are mixed together, purification is just a formality, and extraction is perfunctory and sloppy.

Also, how did you manage this harmony? How did you get the six-layer structure to go its own way, conflicting and clashing with each other, making the usage burden more than double, and the effect cut to this pathetic state?

Is your teacher's big slap not effective?

And with this, you actually have the nerve to install a backdoor?!!!

Where's your face? Where's your face!!

【Remember to be light, even lighter, be careful, it should be like cutting open a liver during surgery】

The Ghost Artisan repeated the key points for the fifth time without getting tired: 【Don't hesitate, do it in one go and remove all four parts at the same time, otherwise, it will leave behind pollution and impurities, interfering with the next reshaping.】

"I know, I know, stop talking!"

Ji Jue had no time to care about its nagging, focusing all his attention.

In his slowly lifting hands, the familiar low humming sound gradually became high-pitched—the vibration and stillness of spiritual quality flowed freely between his hands, already without any obstruction.

The target is the final core part of the pendant.

Four different spiritual quality circuits, linked by the mark of Supreme Good, the Desolate Ruins enhanced the physical properties, and the Ascension blocked the spiritual quality, thereby fixing the blessing in the iron and stone.

A classic double-lock structure that is completely copied without any highlights.

The disadvantage is that it has no changes and is too rigid.

The advantage is, it's terrifyingly sturdy and stable!

With Ji Jue's attainments, wanting to disintegrate four different circuits at different frequencies and intensities at the same time is simply wishful thinking. But it doesn't matter, as long as it's fast enough, as long as it's fast enough, the fragments won't have time to contaminate the blessing.

As long as it's fast enough, then...

Perfect enough!

In that instant, beneath Ji Jue's hands, an unprecedentedly piercing, high-pitched screech erupted—the spiritual quality vibration suppressed at an extremely fine scale was like a sharp blade, ignoring the Ghost Artisan ball's shocked shouting and warning, and slashed down!

"Break for me!"

Beneath his overlapping hands and crossed fingers, that tiny blade of disassociation sped along at a terrifying speed comparable to lightning.

It was like the blade of a crazily rotating shredder, stirring and swirling, shrinking inward layer by layer.

Causing all the runes and circuits it touched to shatter, scraping deep cracks out of the mark of Supreme Good. All the fragments were then completely drawn away by the spiritual quality operation of Non-Attack.

Like a sharp knife scraping across the eye membrane, leaving only a cold touch, without damaging the core by even a hair!

In just a split second, amidst the sound of the pendant collapsing, it broke through the final simple cage!

Pop!

The sound of shattering was so crisp.

A dreamlike flowing light rose from between Ji Jue's hands. The Ghost Artisan, who had been prepared, didn't have time to complain about Ji Jue's rough operation. A ghostly blue light appeared, and in the void, a brand-new shackle structure was constructed again, locking that wisp of flowing light once more and drawing it away!

"Mission accomplished!"

Ji Jue cheered in celebration, looking at the fragments of light rising from the shattered pendant, and subconsciously reached out to grab a handful out of habit...

But the moment he realized what kind of goods he had grabbed, it was already too late.

The instinct of the Mechanical Descent ability completed the capture and absorption of the essence of Supreme Good, and then, unprecedentedly, it rioted!

Instantly, it repelled and spat it out!

Even, faintly, with some grief and indignation.

You eat everything? You're really hungry, aren't you!

A tangible disgust and anger emerged from Ji Jue's heart, filling his reason, making him almost unable to hold back a scream: Shit, there's shit!

And, there's poison in the shit!!!

When the process of casting in the furnace appeared as a hallucination before his eyes, and the creator began to show off her "unique skills" triumphantly, Ji Jue could no longer suppress the nausea.

"Yue!!!"

Forget it, forget it, must forget it quickly, otherwise this shadow will never be erased for a lifetime!

But aside from the disgust and nausea, as he recalled the feeling just now, he couldn't help but fall into a daze—in the previous instant, when he reached out his hand, besides that essence full of dross, it seemed, perhaps, maybe, he had grabbed something else?

It's just that the touch was too weak, as if trying to hold onto flowing water in vain, and soon, under the gravity of the Ghost Artisan, it slipped from his fingertips.

Was that... a blessing?

In that instant, he fell into a stupor, looking blankly at his own hands.

Spiritual quality is the fountain of the soul's outflow, using it to exercise the power of Supreme Good, creating miracles and destruction, and using human hands to interfere and control it is also within the theoretical possibilities.

But a blessing is the glorious crystal that sprouts and grows from Supreme Good amidst the flow of all things in the world... how can one touch it with one's own hands?

Or rather, was it just a hallucination born of surprise?

He couldn't judge.

But his gaze couldn't help but fall on the watch that had been silent for many days. If the creation of Non-Attack controls spiritual quality to create infinity, what does this power that can even freely extract Sin-Tainted change represent?

The watch was silent, as always.

The hands moved calmly forward, never stopping.

Under the afternoon sunset, in the deepest part of the workshop's basement, in front of the massive furnace, the flames flickered, and the fire that had lasted for six years was still rising, never extinguished.

【Observation system repeated self-check complete, no errors found】

The Heavenly Artisan, having shed its simulated personality, reported in a calm voice: 【Temporary administrator Ji Jue, while dealing with the target, self-taught a high-level application without a teacher, it should be a fluke.

Besides that, there is one more important thing—Ji Jue grabbed the blessing of Supreme Good, with his own hands, even if only for an instant.】

Ye Xian looked up coldly: "The Path of Non-Attack relies on hands, it's not strange to be able to touch a blessing."

【This does not match the records in the database, should it be corrected?】

"No need. Command 977, erase this record, destroy it completely, no backups or restoration possibilities allowed."

【As you command, execution complete】

Thus, the room returned to silence.

After a long time, Ye Xian turned and left.

The lights went out.

In the darkness, only the seemingly eternal flames flowed silently.