Chapter 375: Holes and Wedges

There was once an opportunity placed before Ye Xian, but she did not cherish it. It was only after it had passed that she realized, the regret was already too late!

Recalling that dog-thing of a teacher of hers at this moment, Ye Xian's fist couldn't help but tighten: You say, why did I only focus on breaking down the door back then, and didn't focus on slapping you?!

This kind of thing is just like an annoying old fart with nothing better to do, squatting on the path to school and teasing a fool for fun.

"Let me tell you a secret, little kid: babies aren't delivered by storks, and they aren't given out for topping up your phone plan; they are born after Mommy and Daddy do the 'sad-joy' thing."

And when the child excitedly runs home to ask Mommy and Daddy what "sad-joy" is, the old fart holding back his malice is already starting to laugh...

Sure enough, this kind of world-class dog-donkey only makes rice more expensive by living!

It's been so many years, why hasn't he died yet?!

If he died, he might at least be able to trick people into shedding two tears; he wouldn't be as annoying as he is alive.

It would be one thing if he just went to be a bricklayer, patching up this shitty world and unclogging its sewers, but he even wants to drag his student's student into the water! Simply shameless!

At this moment, Ye Xian looked coldly at the student before her. Only after failing to detect any trace of being incited did she solemnly warn:

"In the future, stay a little further away from that old thing, Lord Tianlu!"

"Ah? Yes, okay, no problem!"

Ji Jue nodded frantically like he was pounding garlic.

This time, it was absolutely from the heart!

Regret.

Who would have thought? You can guard against everything, but you can't guard against everything. After so long, he was actually still quietly pitted by Lord Tianlu, and almost had his future arranged for him without a sound...

You dog-thing, you really deserve to die a horrible death!

You deserve to be widowed in your old age, abandoned by everyone!

"Also, regarding the things about the locks, don't go blabbering about them outside in the future, and don't go snooping on your own initiative." Ye Xian warned: "It is not yet time for you to understand these things. If you have any ideas, wait until you become a Master before talking about them!"

"Okay, okay, no problem!"

Ji Jue didn't hesitate at all.

It's not like every question is destined to be answered, and besides, you could tell with your heels that this is definitely some kind of life-threatening topic.

The water is so deep; if he accidentally touches something while not knowing whether he's living or dying, he might end up being caught and turned into a star-laborer!

At the current stage, it's better to just develop sneakily.

"... Silence Crystal, forget it, this isn't your problem."

Ye Xian sighed and glanced at the hourglass that had followed her for many years. Seeing that it was about to be scrapped, she had to hurry.

"As for the Sin Demons, just treat them as Sin-Tainted ones that pose a particularly great threat to the present world.

Unlike those who lose their minds and go to worship the Great Sin, in a sense, they are the main force of the Great Sin—Sin-Things capable of operating in the present world.

If I had to say..."

She paused, her expression becoming slightly mocking: "They are actually quite like you."

"..."

Ji Jue was dumbfounded; his whole person felt unwell.

How are they alike!

But thinking of the characteristics Chen Haiqiu told him about, his heart couldn't help but tighten—the smell of sulfur and ash all over his body...

Oh no!

"Rest assured, at most you only have a tiny bit of potential; you're still far off."

? ￠O

After Ye Xian had enjoyed enough of the look of him finally knowing fear, she said slowly: "Just like how there exist Chosen Summonings like you in this world who are favored by the Supreme, how can you be certain—that the Great Sin won't name you?"

Everyone wants good talent and beautiful jade.

Who says evil organizations don't value talent?

The Supreme does not begrudge the personal selection of the Monarch, and even if the Great Sin is far beneath the vortex, it still won't let go of any opportunity.

Just like the attempt Jian Yuan wanted to make on Ji Jue in the past.

If he hadn't been able to escape, he would inevitably have been thrown beneath the vortex for a trip, to participate in the Great Sin's collective interview at the vortex talent market.

It's just that, by the time Ji Jue stood out among countless consumables and received the essence of the Great Sin, who knows what kind of face he would have.

The so-called Sin Demons are existences that are born with an affinity for the Great Sin and, after experiencing the ritual of the Great Sin's arrival, are granted the divine marrow of evil and ignorance.

If the existence of the Chosen is the messenger of the Supreme, then the Sin Demons are the extension of the Great Sin in the human world...

Like an ant hole on a great levee, that is a 【Hole】 that, just by existing, is enough to cause burden, erosion, and destruction to the lock.

And correspondingly...

Ye Xian didn't say the words that followed; she just glanced at the dog-thing before her.

A silent sigh.

The Chosen who are loved and favored by the Supreme, those who can maintain the lock between the vortex and the present world, are called 【Wedges】.

But that kind of realm and position is too far from the current Ji Jue.

And it doesn't need to have anything to do with him.

As long as she exists for one more day, it is impossible to let her student step onto the path envisioned by Lord Tianlu—having spent a lifetime patching and tossing about, isn't that enough?

Must he drag down his successors and leave disaster for his 'descendants'?

Even if one is shameless, there should be a limit.

Go die early!

Tick!

In the Silence Hourglass, the last grain of sand dissipated without a trace. As the hourglass returned to silence, the invisible power that had shrouded the entire study disappeared instantly.

The faint sound of sea tides and the chirping of birds came from outside the window.

【Silence】 ended.

Ye Xian lowered her head and looked at the hourglass on the table, a flash of regret in her eyes.

Having used it for so many years, she hadn't expected it to be damaged today.

"Forget it, it can be considered making the best use of everything."

She sighed, picked it up, and threw it to Ji Jue.

This kind of consumable cannot be recast; once the internal blessing is exhausted, it has no more effect, so she might as well make use of the waste.

Ji Jue didn't stand on ceremony; he took the hourglass, cast a Disintegration Art, and fed it to the Mechanical God.

His eyes lit up, and he let out an "Oh-hoo."

As expected of a creation collected by a teacher, it's too pure!

Ninety-nine percent purity, a rare item!

It's a pity that the progress number on his wristwatch remained tiny; it just jumped forward by 0.1 percent, as if giving him a little face.

A drop in the bucket.

Ever since the Undying Ember was completely finished, the progress had become pitifully slow. All the forging and attempts over such a long time hadn't made much progress.

On the contrary, the Haizhou wilderness cleanup had accidentally given Ji Jue five percent progress...

He scratched his head bald, but he couldn't figure out what was going on.

After a final check, his gaze fell on the blessing of the Command Axis.

Incomprehensible.

Did you kid lead the embers here?

All along, as a passive, the Command Axis had only silently shone and heated, providing effects during large-scale mobilization and cluster integration, connecting all creations into a whole.

It's just that he didn't know why, in its judgment, Coastal Industry and the Xinquan settlement had actually become part of its own subordinates and creations...

All of them were incorporated into the whole with Ji Jue as the axis.

The even more wrong-headed part was... in the eyes of the embers, this could actually count as Heavenly Craft!

No, big brother, are you okay?!

"The path of reform is also a part of the embers, it's just that very few people want to try in this regard anymore."

Ye Xian slowly explained: "In today's world, with all parties restraining and entangling each other, and mutual attrition, wanting to do things in a down-to-earth manner is the hardest thing.

Besides, with the harshness of the embers, if you want to be recognized, you must at least turn Coastal Industry into a scale not inferior to Haichao Military Industry, becoming the industrial core of Haizhou, or build Xinquan into a city like Jiangcheng or Chuancheng.

Do you think you can manage that in your lifetime?"

A few short sentences extinguished the eager thought in Ji Jue's heart.

The birth of Haichao Military Industry was the result of the cooperation of all the cities in Haizhou, everyone working together to cut their own flesh and uniting to plot for the future.

First there was Tao Gong running around to connect things, then there was Lu Yingyue's meticulous scheming; only then did they barely succeed. But even now, their footing is still not stable; it's just the beginning. If they really want to stabilize the situation, who knows how many more times they'll have to tear into people later.

And on the other side, Xinquan—from a settlement to a town, it sounds simple, but if you think about it carefully, it's unrealistic.

The track is too niche, and the pond is too shallow to raise any big crocodiles. Even if he pushed Xinquan to dominate the entire Haizhou wilderness, the scale would still be limited.

If there really were any fat meat, how would it ever be his turn?

By comparison, it's better to return to the artisan's old profession—think carefully about how to truly produce a piece of Heavenly Craft!

Heavenly Craft!

That is Heavenly Craft!

Just as the status of an artisan is precious to an apprentice, the significance of forging Heavenly Craft to an artisan is self-evident.

From the perspective of status in the academic world—an apprentice without an artisan license is like wilderness trash-picker without an ID card; they fall outside the scope of human rights, the kind that doesn't even have the right to bark when kicked.

Only by becoming an artisan can one have the qualification to sit at the table and eat.

And with the experience, resume, and successful example of Heavenly Craft forging, the gold content is different from the past.

Even a top-tier student like Ji Jue, who swept his entire class, cannot compare.

If he could have the actual performance and resume of Heavenly Craft before the Rebirth Rank, plus the gold content of the Ember Three-Piece Set, from then on, Ji Jue would be considered a ruthless character in the Association who is invincible below Masters and can trade one-for-one above Masters!

Hmm, setting aside academics, he would also be considered to have entered the skill selection range of his teacher, gaining the qualification to be beaten to death by Ye Xian writing a random paper.

And the opportunity was right in front of Ji Jue.

Chunjun!

All materials were ready, all blessings were prepared, all theories and techniques had been mastered; only the furnace remained to be opened.

"Okay, the train of thought is fine."

After looking at the manuscript and plan Ji Jue brought, Ye Xian nodded: "Go prepare.

After bathing and fasting for the next week, and waiting for your spiritual quality reserves to be ready, you can begin."

"Ah?"

Ji Jue was sluggish, "So fast?"

"Since everything is ready, why delay?"

Ye Xian glanced at him and asked in confusion: "When I was young, I could basically start when I had sixty percent preparation. Do you intend to lie flat and wait until you have one hundred percent certainty before you're willing to move?"

"This..."

Ji Jue was sweating profusely: "I'm just afraid of something going wrong and wasting the refining."

"If you waste the refining, refine it again. If the materials and blessings are gone, go find more. If you fail, wipe away your tears, climb up, and start over.

Do I still need to teach you this principle?"

Ye Xian lifted her gaze from the paper and glanced over: "I've read your manuscript. There's no problem with the understanding and ideas. Follow the steps; even if you don't succeed, it won't be beyond saving. What else is there to worry about?"

"Cough cough, I mean, Teacher, would you..."

Ji Jue rubbed his little hands, observing her expression, and asked tentatively: "Give some pointers?"

After all, this is the first time a newbie like him is handling Heavenly Craft. If he blows it up, it's one thing to lose all his previous efforts, but he's afraid he won't even know how he blew it up.

Having a teacher watching from the side, at the very least, they could point out problems as they arise, and if the student is unable to handle it, they could lend a hand.

"No."

Ye Xian refused indifferently, closed the manuscript in her hand, and pushed it back toward Ji Jue: "Since you have become an artisan, you must walk your own path.

If you want to borrow the workshop and lack any materials, I don't care, but don't expect that there will always be someone to check for leaks and fill gaps for you."

Upon hearing this, Ji Jue had nothing to say.

Disappointment is always inevitable, but as Ye Xian said, the teacher has already led him through the door; can she really look after him for a lifetime?

It's just that, he was still a bit guilty...

Then, he heard Ye Xian's slow voice: "The second year after Jian Yuan entered the door, at nineteen, he achieved his first piece of Heavenly Craft in his life, and since then has forged countless swords...

If one day you still intend to cross hands with that old thing, at the very least, you shouldn't be left too far behind in the records, right?

Of course, if you intend to admit defeat, then..."

Bang!

"No problem, Teacher!"

Before he could react, Ji Jue had already instinctively stood up, slapped the table, and fired on all cylinders.

Weak? What's weak?

Jian Yuan can touch it, so why can't I?!

"Teacher, rest assured, a mere old dog, can't I easily take him down?"

After saying that, he no longer pestered or acted shamelessly. Ji Jue decisively rolled up his sleeves, grabbed the manuscript, went out the door, went home, and headed straight for the workshop.

He left with a gust of wind!

In the living room, Ye Chun, who was still happily watching variety shows, was stunned.

After a long time, she finally reacted.

He left?

Hell, he didn't come to show off to me this time? My Supreme Medal was already out, and my counter-attack moves were all prepared; I was just about to have a human-dog war!

While shocked, she couldn't help but poke her head and look toward the study: "Auntie, what kind of chicken blood did you inject into him again?"

Ye Xian didn't answer; she just calmly picked up her teacup.

Shaking her head, she sighed with emotion.

"His history is really not good."

Perhaps this is a drawback of coming from a science and engineering background?

In the end, he is still too young and has no time to make up for his other shortcomings.

If Ji Jue had studied history enough and paid enough attention, he would definitely have discovered that when Jian Yuan was nineteen, he hadn't even apprenticed yet; he was still splashing around in the Thousand Islands!

The one who truly achieved Heavenly Craft in the second year of entering the door... was precisely his senior brother, the mortal enemy he hated and resented for a lifetime...

The contemporary Grandmaster, Lord Tianlu!

Oh my, I remember that until the year I broke out of the door, the old thing was still secretly proud and often used this to show off.

I wonder what kind of expression he will have after receiving the news?

Ye Xian took a sip of tea and looked at the drizzling rain outside the window.

I'm really looking forward to it. ===== CHAPTER 376 =====