Chapter 147: Black Swan

Snap!

Another crisp sound that was hard to hear.

The spiritual quality dissipated again, falling into Ji Jue's hands. His palms were already shaking, breathing violently from excessive force and maintaining stability, because he had held his breath for too long.

This time it was a little more successful than just now, just a little, he touched it, and then, he crushed the spirituality he had shaped.

And after three, four, five, six attempts, the best result was only barely grasping this fragile nature.

Then, that little candle in the wind, with Ji Jue's movement, was completely extinguished.

"Teacher, is this really something that can be done?"

Amidst the violent dizziness, Ji Jue couldn't help but sigh.

In the basic theory of modern alchemy, the world is composed of matter and spirit.

Ascension and Wilderness Ruins are entangled, soul and matter are combined, and the initial Holy Spirit is born. This is the oldest Supreme Goodness, and the two have no distinction between before and after.

Endowing matter with spirit is the true meaning of alchemy.

But at this moment, what Ji Jue wants is to extract the spirit completely from within the matter after endowing matter with spirit. Putting aside the close connection and fit between matter and spirit, not to mention whether Ji Jue's level can reach it, this is what is the difference between extracting a person's soul completely from the body… grass, wait!

When he reacted, Ji Jue was shocked, his expression twitching and couldn't stop.

Indeed, if you use dissociation technique to disintegrate the matrix, break the protection, use alchemy to shackle the blessing, avoid interference, and then use Non-Attack's spiritual quality operation… theoretically speaking, it is indeed possible to drag the other party's soul out.

But in reality?

He swallowed his dry saliva, his body couldn't help but hunch two points, "Can it really be done?"

"Want to try?"

Professor Ye was eager to try, raising her hand slightly, "Interested in experiencing it personally? It's been a long time since I've done this, I'm afraid I'm a bit rusty."

Ji Jue shook his head frantically without hesitation.

Fearing that if he was a little slow, Professor Ye would laugh strangely and say "I've been waiting for you to say this for a long time," and then take a ruthless hand.

It's not that he doesn't trust Professor Ye, it's that as an artisan apprentice who is striding forward on this road, Ji Jue really can't give birth to any trust in the average quality of artisans.

Those who can dig a hole and bury people after killing them and using their ashes are already the good people among artisans, so you can imagine how outrageous the quality level of other artisans is.

But immediately after, he heard Professor Ye's regretful sigh.

"Don't worry."

She said, "I can't do it."

Although she is specialized in spiritual quality, her specialty is not in operation.

Mo Xie's effect is only splitting and repulsion, and cannot extract a person's soul from the body while completely preserving the soul structure.

But this doesn't mean no one can do it.

In fact, some Ascension-type abilities are even better at soul operation. Those who are extremely vicious can drag it out and eat it raw, and cutting it into pieces and slices and shreds is not a problem…

And for a master specialized in spiritual quality, this kind of precision surgery is just a bit of effort, not a problem.

For the near-omnipotent spiritual quality operation of Non-Attack, it is also completely possible.

Even, for Ji Jue now, it is also possible!

Even this possibility is high to the degree of "inevitable."

"Even if extracting other souls is impossible, what about the consciousness and spiritual quality you created yourself?"

Professor Ye reminded, "The biggest difficulty in spiritual stripping is suppressing the instinctual resistance of spirituality. Even in a coma, a complete spirituality will instinctively resist the modification.

And if the spirituality actively cooperates, even at your current stage, you should be able to do it."

Ji Jue was slightly startled. 【14

If the scope were limited to the spirituality created by his own Mechanical Descent, then the value of this skill would also be further reduced... No, that's wrong!

He finally had a sudden realization.

It was not reduced; rather, it should be said that after repeated concessions regarding scope and effect, at this current stage, such a skill was already perfectly suited for Ji Jue!

If he could freely extract and release the spirituality he had bestowed, it would mean that creations previously limited by their materials and unable to improve their abilities could also be more conveniently "replaced."

The spirituality of the Thunder-style lever-action rifle could also be transferred into more convenient carriers.

No, what if he didn't transfer it?

What if he kept it directly in his own soul?!

Imagine this: no practice needed, no training required; he would only need to bestow intelligence upon an object, extract it, and contain it within his own soul. He could instantly transform into a sharpshooter who never misses within three kilometers, a swordsman or blade-wielder without an equal within ten paces, or a martial artist who could hold off an entire nation at close quarters...

This was a technique capable of causing a qualitative leap in the ability of Mechanical Descent!

But the prerequisite was that he must be able to do it himself...

Just thinking about this, he was already filled with fighting spirit, his eyes shining like 100-watt light bulbs, gleaming brightly in the workshop!

Then, he heard Professor Ye's words.

"When you can freely extract and transfer the artificial intelligence of Mechanical Descent creations, then your spiritual quality operation can be considered to have entered the introductory stage."

Professor Ye said slowly: "Next, you can try to conduct lessons on alchemical composition purely using spiritual quality."

【?】

Ji Jue was stunned again:???

Meow meow meow?

Teacher, do you want to take a look at what you are saying?

Just extracting the complete spirituality composed by Mechanical Descent was already as difficult as ascending to heaven for Ji Jue, and to perform alchemical composition purely with spiritual quality without a carrier, finally resulting in a creation that could exist independently...

This could no longer be described as a fantasy.

"Are you serious, Teacher?"

Professor Ye did not answer, but walked in front, heading deeper into the workshop, casually waving her hand to signal him to follow.

Amidst the shifting and flipping of the corridor, another workshop, vast enough to be suffocating, appeared before Ji Jue again. It was not that he hadn't been here before, but every time he came here, he gained a brand-new understanding.

Every time, he could more deeply experience the terrifying changes filling every inch of the air and the torrent of spiritual quality operating beneath the matter like the stars...

But this time, what was placed on the operating table was no longer an unfinished work or some bizarre creation.

It was a...

Pink diamond-encrusted cat carrier?!

Ji Jue rubbed his eyes, confirming again that he hadn't seen wrong, and even recognized that this broken bag was the one Chen Yubo and Tong Hua had fought to order before!

And beneath the cat carrier, a small outline was constantly squirming, struggling, and finally squeezed a round head out from the bag's opening.

It looked at Ji Jue and opened its mouth.

Suddenly, it let out a "meow"!

"A-Fu?"

Ji Jue reached out subconsciously, rubbed its little head, lifted it up, examined it carefully, and confirmed again and again that this was indeed the cat belonging to that guy Chen Yubo; he had even fed it canned food!

"Why are you here?"

A-Fu's claws popped out, clutching Ji Jue's collar tightly and refusing to let go, meowing pitifully with tears in its eyes.

"It was sent over this morning. As a result, Chen Xingzhou's younger brother was like he was dying of anxiety, calling Ye Chun every hour asking for his cat; it was annoying as hell.

It just so happens that when you go back today, take it to him, so he doesn't come running to the workshop shouting and screaming again."

Professor Ye waved her hand in disgust, and the cat hair floating in the air instantly shrank into a ball and was thrown directly back into the bag, ensuring it was spotless.

Immediately after, a hint of a smile seemed to appear in the cold and indifferent expression Ji Jue had long been accustomed to.

"Speaking of which, didn't you want to see an alchemical creation composed of pure spiritual quality?"

And so, in that instant, Ji Jue saw it.

Right in his hands, that blue cat, which had been struggling to escape, suddenly stiffened for a moment.

In the silence, it was as if some shackle had been opened.

And under the illumination of the lights, in Ji Jue's hands, A-Fu's shadow suddenly expanded, like it was being inflated, expanding crazily. Thousands of strands of shadow were constantly squirming and spreading, forming various shifting outlines.

In the end, as the lights went out one by one, the pitch-black shadow completely detached from A-Fu's shadow, further enveloping the entire workshop and turning into a terrifying wing-shaped outline that seemed to cover the sky and sun.

Just like that, it spread its wings nonchalantly, revealing a terrifying appearance that was difficult for the naked eye to fathom.

Ji Jue stood stiffly in place, not daring to move, and even the cat in his hands dared not move or struggle anymore, trembling uncontrollably.

He could hear no sound, see no shape.

But in the invisible air, it was as if something lowered its eyes, leisurely examining the tiny existence before it, leaning in close to examine it carefully.

Just the gaze alone was enough to make Ji Jue break out in a cold sweat.

Not to mention the terrifying spiritual quality fluctuations that felt like a monstrous wave in his perception.

Something was there, right before his eyes!

It bared its fangs and grinned.

It exhaled a breath that made his soul tremble.

Until a crisp snapping sound rang out from Professor Ye's fingertips.

The vast shadow that had enveloped the entire workshop shrank again, merged into Professor Ye's shadow, and disappeared.

Leaving only Ji Jue standing in place, already drenched in cold sweat and unable to control himself.

"Teacher, what... was that?"

"Consider it the first work I created after becoming a Master; I probably finished it when I was twenty-seven."

Professor Ye snapped her fingers, playing a game with the monster eager to try from within the shadow. As her finger flicked, the shadow seemed to knock on its forehead, making it curl up submissively and return to its place.

"At that time, my desire for fame and fortune was intense, and I cared too much about the opinions and evaluations of others. With even the slightest achievement, I couldn't wait to show it off before others, thinking that as long as there were enough actual results, it would be enough to make the incompetent see the gap between us... Now that I look back, it was truly shallow and naive.

After registering it in the Association, it was tentatively given a Heavenly Artisan rating. Later, as time passed, this line of creations was passed around and came to be called the 'Omen Sequence.'

Among them, its code name is 【Black Swan】."

Along with her words, the Black Swan in the shadow spread its wings as if proud, dancing gracefully, vigorous and gorgeous.

Just like every sudden disaster that arrives unexpectedly.

Breathtaking.

Ji Jue almost forgot to breathe.

From the silence, he suddenly heard Professor Ye's question: "Ji Jue, one day, will you be able to create something like this?"

"I don't know."

Ji Jue shook his head instinctively.

The future was too far away; he couldn't see it, nor could he dare to assert it.

But Professor Ye seemed not to have heard, asking again: "One day, will you be able to create a work even better than this?"

Ji Jue fell silent, and after thinking for a long time, he sighed with shame.

"I don't know."

After a slight pause, in this brief silence, he suddenly felt a courage from who knows where—no, calling it arrogance would be more appropriate.

Ignorant of the height of the sky and the depth of the earth, like a clown.

But he couldn't help but want to say it out loud.

He said, "I want to try."

"..."

For a moment, Professor Ye seemed to be distracted, silent for a long time.

It was as if the scene from thirty years ago had suddenly reappeared.

When the teacher asked like that back then, it seemed he had answered the same way... No, no need to beautify it; unlike the naturally introverted Ji Jue, with his own arrogant appearance at the time, he should have been even more wild and presumptuous, right?

But what was the teacher thinking at the time?

For so many years, Ye Xian had never been able to know, but at this moment, hearing her student's answer, she couldn't help but feel happy.

It was like a refreshing breeze blowing from afar during a long journey.

The path of embers was too rugged and too far away.

Exhausting one's life, yet unable to see the end.

It was almost as if it were eternal.

Whenever she saw the figures chasing from behind, she would feel great comfort and expectation... Was the teacher of that year the same as she is now?

It is a pity that no matter how hard she tries, she cannot be a kind elder who is good at praising and encouraging. Besides, having the idea of wanting to be mentioned in the same breath as the teacher so early...

Such a stupid student really needs to be properly knocked down a peg!

"With your current self, it's still too early."

Amidst the long-lost happiness, Ye Xian poured two buckets of cold water without hesitation, "For such an exaggerated dream, wait until you pass the Artisan license exam before talking about it."

Just like that, she smiled, put her hands behind her back, and turned to leave.

Leaving only the final words echoing in the air.

"However, the fighting spirit is commendable..."