Chapter 185: Scrap

"Seventeen seconds!"

"As expected of Brother Zhou!"

"Impressive!"

Just as Ji Jue pushed open the door, he saw cheers and applause erupting from the lounge, which was packed with people.

Everyone was crowded around a single spot, as if playing with something.

He immediately gasped; he hadn't seen such dense spiritual quality fluctuations since leaving the workshop. They were radiating from every single person, and almost everyone was wearing several pieces of alchemical equipment of varying sizes.

It could be described as dripping with jewels and treasures.

However, following the sound of the door being pushed open without a knock, the many people in the room turned their heads to look, sizing up the uninvited guest with suspicion: How come someone is only arriving now?

Who called the escort?

"Oh, it's quite lively in here."

Ji Jue closed the door behind him and smiled in a friendly manner: "What is everyone playing?"

In the brief silence that followed, he heard a roar of shock that left everyone frozen in place.

"Ji Jue!!!!"

Ji Jue looked up in astonishment.

He looked over.

He subconsciously took a deep breath.

This familiar feeling, this heart-refreshing call, and the heart-wrenching shout...

They're back, they're all back!

In this strange land, far from home and without a single soul to rely on, Ji Jue felt so touched he was almost moved to tears, as if he had returned home.

I missed you, Prison Tower!

Overjoyed, he strode forward, grabbed Lou Feng's hand, and shook it vigorously.

"Long time no see, Old Lou, how have you been?"

The hell do you think!

"Not good at all."

Lou Feng's face turned livid, and he subconsciously tried to break free, but the hand gripping his was like an iron clamp, impossible to shake off, which only made him more furious—damn it, just because you have Non-Aggression doesn't mean you're all that!

Although, it really was impressive...

"Even if you aren't good, I'm doing great!"

Ji Jue said loudly: "Aren't you happy for me?"

Lou Feng was almost laughed to anger, unable to maintain the poise and quality he'd cultivated for twenty years, and squeezed out through gritted teeth: "Go to hell, you bastard!"

"I'm also very happy to see you!"

Ji Jue smiled as usual, shaking his hand and draping an arm over his shoulder, full of enthusiasm: "My, you've put on so much weight, you've been eating well lately, and you've gotten much fairer!"

Under the astonished and strange gazes of those around them, Lou Feng could no longer keep his composure.

And on the sofa, the young man Zhou Cheng, who had just been surrounded by many apprentices, glanced at the strange scene between the two, becoming even more curious: "No introductions?"

"Is an introduction even necessary?"

Lou Feng sneered, pointing at the incredibly kind face beside him, "Tide Sound Workshop, Ji Jue, haven't you all heard of his great name?"

In an instant, a sudden, dead silence fell.

It swallowed everyone whole.

"Tide Sound?"

Someone gasped in shock, "Doesn't that mean..."

Doesn't mean what?

No one spoke again.

It was as if they had suddenly been thrown into an ice cellar, and they subconsciously shrank back for a moment.

Immediately after, when they looked at Ji Jue, their expressions shifted slightly: wariness, doubt, shock, contempt...

And even undisguised hatred and resistance.

In just a few seconds, the richness of their expressions was enough to sweep an entire year's worth of Oscars, which truly left Ji Jue in awe. At the same time, he realized he really couldn't hold out much hope for how popular his lineage was in the industry.

"... Everyone's a friend once they're here."

From the stifling atmosphere, Zhou Cheng managed to squeeze out a smile, "Sit, everyone sit."

Unfortunately, no one offered a seat; instead, they glanced at Ji Jue coldly.

Ji Jue didn't care at all, dragging a chair over to sit, completely indifferent to the resistance. Lou Feng finally broke free, glanced at the situation, felt something was wrong, and instinctively moved a bit further away.

Then moved a bit further.

"Hey, long heard of your name, didn't expect you to be a high-ranking student of Tide Sound Workshop."

＿????? ＿￠o

Zhou Cheng chatted idly, scrutinizing Ji Jue's appearance. After noticing the spiritual quality fluctuations on him that hadn't reached the Metamorphosis Rank, and recalling Lou Feng saying he had joined the workshop less than a year ago, his expression seemed to relax for a moment.

He took the initiative to pick up the object on the table and invited him:

"Want to try?"

Upon hearing this, the people around them immediately showed expressions of wanting to watch a good show.

"Never seen this, what is it?"

Ji Jue took it without a care, examining it in his hand, seemingly hearing the sneers coming from the crowd.

A country bumpkin is just a country bumpkin.

Zhou Cheng said with a smile: "Just some little things released by the Ring of Taiyi, toys for artisans to practice with, good for occasional amusement."

Ji Jue looked at the Rubik's Cube-like creation in his hand, feeling the intricate structure inside, and even the intermittent spiritual quality circuits that seemed to change constantly with every rotation.

After inputting spiritual quality, the cube began to move on its own, the internal spiritual quality circuits piecing together to randomly generate a complex spiritual quality lock.

It actually opened Ji Jue's eyes.

He really hadn't seen this kind of little toy before.

It was equivalent to a randomly generated mathematical puzzle; the user needed to solve the internal spiritual quality lock in the fastest time possible, guiding the spiritual quality circuits to fill in the gaps.

With full operation, the four-layer nested structure was quite difficult.

And more secretly, there was the Benevolence Badge gathered inside.

If it couldn't be solved within a certain amount of time, it would probably cause a scene, and the game would be lost.

"Then I'll give it a try."

Ji Jue gave a simple, honest smile, lowered his head, and began twisting the object in his hands. However, amidst the click-clack sounds, the internal spiritual quality circuits connected and disconnected, always failing to take shape.

Finally, he sighed helplessly.

"It's too complex, how could anyone solve this?"

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, he added with a sigh: "You aren't messing with me, are you?"

Immediately, irrepressible laughter erupted.

"It is indeed a bit difficult, perhaps it's a matter of skill level."

Zhou Cheng gave a playful smile, reached out to take it, and began to dismantle it right in front of Ji Jue, his movements fast and skillful, which was truly breathtaking.

However, as he solved it, his smile gradually stiffened on his face.

He couldn't solve it.

Completely, couldn't solve it.

No matter how he tried or calculated, there was always a problem somewhere, and it was completely different from before; the internal lock seemed to be constantly changing in complexity, as if it had come alive.

It wasn't until he was sweating profusely and finally managed to solve the outermost layer after much effort that he realized, damn it, there were six more layers inside!

"What's wrong?"

Ji Jue asked curiously, full of expectation: "What does it look like after it's solved? Can you let me see? Is it really a matter of skill level?"

"..." Zhou Cheng's expression twitched.

"No way, no way, no way?"

Ji Jue said in shock: "You can't solve it either? Is it that hard?"

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from Zhou Cheng's hands, without any warning, making everyone's hearts jump, and then they saw thick smoke rising from the gaps.

Zhou Cheng let out a cry of pain and subconsciously let go.

Only then did they see that the cube had already burned red-hot.

Then, right in front of him, Ji Jue reached out, picked up the cube, not caring about the heat comparable to a furnace, and twisted it left and right with ease.

In the diffusing heat, the mechanism suddenly shook, and all the chaotic spiritual quality circuits reconnected during the rotation, perfect and flawless.

The seven-fold spiritual quality lock was solved all at once.

A brilliant light shone from his fingertips, flickering.

"I guess, it should be like this, right?"

Ji Jue smiled and looked around, "May I ask, did I do it right?"

Zhou Cheng's expression twitched repeatedly.

He didn't speak.

The gazes of the people around them became increasingly subtle.

You dog, you came here just to show off, didn't you?!

Ji Jue had no interest in explaining to them whether it was his first time playing.

It was just a toy, after all.

Now, he could probably understand why Professor Ye hadn't taken this out for him—it was too childish; once you left preschool, you shouldn't touch it.

And, whether it was for the Mechanical God or for a dog like Ji Jue who worked himself to death... it simply had no difficulty at all!

This kind of kindergarten-level spiritual quality lock knot had long since failed to even touch the edges of his textbooks and practice exams back when he first started learning Dissection.

No, wait, thinking about it this way, what kind of hellish difficulty am I living through every day?!

Ji Jue suddenly felt that at his age, he was bearing too much pressure and homework that an apprentice shouldn't have to bear. You guys, don't you live like you're on vacation every day, playing games easily?

It can only be said that without comparison, there is no harm.

Ji Jue scrutinized the sense of relaxation on everyone's bodies and suddenly felt a lemon-like envy.

But since everyone wasn't hiding it anymore, he didn't need to act like a gentleman either.

"What's going on? Everyone?"

Ji Jue leaned back in his chair and asked curiously: "Why aren't you talking? Is it because you don't like it? Any other tricks, intimidation, power plays... feel free to bring them all on."

He couldn't wait any longer.

"It's just a game, everyone's joking." Zhou Cheng's expression stiffened for a moment, and he forced a smile: "We're all just getting to know each other, maybe we can look out for each other in the future."

"Damn, that's boring!"

Behind him, the woman who had been watching coldly had already lost patience, "Why are you wasting so much breath on him?"

She glanced at Ji Jue, not hiding her disgust at all: "It's really something these days, any Tom, Dick, or Harry thinks they can become an artisan just by finding a workshop..."

"Likewise."

Ji Jue yawned, not caring at all.

"Could it be that you're relying on that face?"

The fatty next to her sneered, "Maybe he's a boy toy."

"And you? Relying on your ass?"

Ji Jue asked with a smile, "A tight ass counts as an advantage, no need to be shy... After all, with your esteemed appearance, it's hard for me to find any other advantages on you."

"Grandson, don't you dare look for death!"

The fatty's face flushed red, "Don't look at where you came from, you big-tailed maggot!"

"Sorry, who are you?" Ji Jue said with little interest, "Before looking for trouble, please announce your name."

"I..."

"Forget it, you're just a bunch of flies and dogs, better not say it and pollute my ears."

Ji Jue waved his hand indifferently, ignoring those angry or cold faces, "I have no interest in dealing with people uglier than me."

Locker room bullying, is it?

He had seen too much of it growing up.

It's just... why does everyone always think that a child with no family or connections must be a soft persimmon that's easy to bully?

Great, let's hurry up and squeeze him, let's extract some emotional value from his tears!

Unfortunately, those who thought this way never succeeded even once.

"To be honest, I don't really understand."

Ji Jue sighed lightly, rubbing his chin, and asked curiously: "We're meeting for the first time, why is there such great malice toward a newcomer?"

No one responded.

In the cold and disgusted silence, there were only a few sneers.

Ji Jue didn't expect them to grant him an explanation, but he could find one himself.

"I suppose there must be some reasons."

He raised his hand, his fingertips sweeping past each face, and suddenly realized with a sigh, "Could it be because all of your workshops or elders have been hammered by my teacher?"

In an instant, the expressions of everyone in the entire lounge became even uglier.

Including Zhou Cheng, who had been forcing a smile to maintain his composure.

Gritting his teeth.

"... Is it because your pride-and-joy theories were refuted as worthless? Or because your painstaking creations were treated as trash? Or perhaps, you're just losers who aren't even worth naming?

Hmm, could it be, all of the above?"

Ji Jue nodded, laughing happily: "It's okay, it's normal for a loser dog to bark and bully a child. I can understand you, the master has troubles, the disciple serves!"

He paused, and finally sighed with regret: "After all, your elders probably wouldn't even dare to let out a fart if they saw my teacher, right?"

Bang!

Across the table, Zhou Cheng could no longer suppress his anger, slammed his fist on the table, and spiritual quality fluctuations erupted: "Ji, you'd better watch your mouth!"

"Hmm? Did I say something bad?"

Ji Jue asked in confusion, "No need to overreact, after all, in my eyes, everyone sitting here doesn't even count as raw material at best... Do you watch your tone when talking to scrap?"

"Sure enough, the old thing surnamed Ye raises nothing but mad dogs."

Behind Zhou Cheng, the furious woman was trembling with rage, squeezing out through gritted teeth: "A bastard is just lacking discipline!"

Boom!

Everyone's vision blurred.

As if a silver light flashed...

And then, they heard two overlapping loud noises; in the diffusing gale, that woman had disappeared, along with the fatty who had been flapping his lips next to her.

They flew out backward and slammed into the wall.

Sunk in!

Amidst the wailing, shrill screams rang out.

Crimson blood gushed out.

In the falling dust, sticky blood sprayed from her face, and amidst the terrified screams, a gaping tear spread toward the sides of her lips, flesh and blood rolling outward.

"Tsk..."

Ji Jue lowered his eyes, looking at the silver light hanging from his fingertips; the silver light was like a thread, with a fishhook-like end, hanging a small piece of flesh and blood.

His brow immediately furrowed.

It was fresh out of the oven, after all, with no time to adapt to the control, and as a result, it lacked flexibility in the finer details.

He had originally intended to cut the whole tongue off...

"Ji Jue!!!"

o￠o

Zhou Cheng turned his head in astonishment, and the moment he realized what happened, he was furious: "You dare to make a move here?!"

"I think, at this point, there's no need for more nonsense."

Ji Jue slowly stood up, hooked his fingers, and the mercury in the toolbox surged, flowing out, overflowing with radiance.

He looked around the dead-silent room and finally asked: "Before we finish the process and start, I'll ask one more time, is anyone else planning to quit?"

In the brief dead silence, the sound of swallowing could be heard faintly.

Many people who couldn't be bothered to get involved took two steps back, or simply pushed the door open and left, not knowing if they didn't want to cause trouble or were in a hurry to report and ask for help.

But it didn't matter.

Ji Jue looked at the dozen or so opponents remaining in the room who were united in hatred, and nodded with satisfaction.

How did Professor Ye put it?

He looked at Zhou Cheng, who was within reach.

Suddenly, he smiled.

Zhou Cheng didn't have time to react, even wanting to open his mouth to say something, to throw out a few harsh words.

But in an instant, Ji Jue had already charged forward, without any warning. From the multiplied speed of the Transcendent Vision, his cold face rapidly enlarged in the diffusing pupils, covering everything.

Without a second thought, he swung his hand!

Slap!

Amidst the crisp sound of a slap, the sound of a jawbone shattering rang out simultaneously.

Zhou Cheng's vision went black, he staggered and almost fell, but immediately after, his collar was grabbed by Ji Jue and he was thrown out without mercy, slamming like a meteorite into the belly of the still-wailing fatty, making the fatty's eyes almost pop out of their sockets, and he fainted completely.

Then, amidst the flying dust, Zhou Cheng heard the sudden voice from not far away.

"... Remembered it, 'Endure humiliation to bear a heavy burden, endure for the sake of the public'!"

Ji Jue smiled warmly, assuring them: "Don't worry, next, I will definitely teach you this principle." ===== CHAPTER 186 =====