Chapter 729: Origin

【NAME: MUSCULAR FOOT (DIVINE, FLESH)】

【APPEARANCE: A human right foot sculpture, muscles smooth and joints clearly defined, resembling marble】

【ABILITY: DIVINE AURA, FLESHY MUSCULARITY】

【COST: The body becomes as heavy as marble, slightly reducing movement speed】

【FILE: The Art Heir Li Ang, combining two secret arts of the Cleanup Bureau, forged this unique anomaly using a fragment of the right toe of the Bai Yan Holy Spirit, allowing the user's right foot to become as muscular as a temple god's statue while slightly increasing movement speed】

【EVALUATION: The most worthless divine artifact in history, without exception】

【CONTAMINATION VALUE: 0. (MAX CONTAMINATION 49)】

«...

The effect slightly increases movement speed, but the cost slightly reduces it? I accelerate by slowing down?

After touching the marble right foot floating in the pot, even though he had prepared himself for creating a useless anomaly, Li Ang still fell into silence.

This situation... somehow feels oddly familiar...

After patting the cufflink in his pocket, he pulled out the 【SHARP EGG】 forged before the Golden Bull Pavilion, and seeing its evaluation—"The Most Worthless Demon Artifact in History"—Li Ang's mouth twitched violently.

Maybe I should just give up—I really don't seem to have any talent for this...

Is that it?

Seeing Li Ang stop stirring the greenish "broth" in the pot, the third-generation director snatched the ladle, fished out the marble right foot, and immediately sucked in a sharp breath.

"You... this is what you forged using Holy Spirit-grade materials?"

Hearing this, Li Ang's face flushed red, and he nodded shamefully...

"Mm..."

"No no no! This can't be right!"

After waving the pure white marble foot around, pouring his strength into it and withdrawing it, repeatedly attempting to activate it several times, the third-generation director stared blankly:

"This must be wrong! At least it's Holy Spirit-grade material... how could it possibly..."

"Psst... you! You're the one who can touch an anomaly and instantly know its function—what did you feel after touching it? What's its actual ability?"

"This artifact slightly increases movement speed, but because it makes the body heavier, it also slightly reduces speed..."

"And then?"

"And then... uh... it makes the right foot look a bit more attractive."

"I can see all that—what's the core ability?"

"Uh... that's it."

"..."

"This is impossible!!!"

After repeatedly testing the 【MUSCULAR FOOT】 and confirming it truly had no other ability besides making the right foot look like a perfect divine body, the third-generation director sank down beside the pot and began tearing at his hair in agony.

Damn it! This was Holy Spirit-grade material! Holy Spirit! Even if you just threw the material into the pot and did nothing, you wouldn't end up with this garbage! How the hell did you manage this?

"Fine! Make another one for me!"

After thinking long and hard without understanding how Li Ang did it, the square-headed old man with bloodshot eyes leapt to his feet, rummaged through the material pile, pulled out two items, and threw them into the large iron pot, growling:

"Hurry up and forge! Let me see how you did it!"

【NAME: DEMONIC ROSTER (CORRUPTED, RECORD)】

【APPEARANCE: A leather scroll bearing vivid crimson grotesque patterns, emitting a faint sulfurous odor; placing a hand upon it occasionally reveals the furious roars of great demons】

【ABILITY: DEMONIC NAME, NAME RECORDING】

【COST: May be startled by sudden roars】【FILE: The Art Heir Li Ang, combining two secret arts of the Cleanup Bureau, forged this unique anomaly using powdered Hell Red Stone and a small, toughest patch of skin from the back of the Spell-Scarred Demon】

After writing one's name upon it, the demon soul sealed within awakens and personally translates the user's name into demonic script, granting the user a fashionable demonic name】

【EVALUATION: This anomaly has surpassed Li Ang's debut creation, the 【SHARP EGG】, becoming the most worthless demon artifact in history, without exception】

【CONTAMINATION VALUE: 0. (MAX CONTAMINATION 42)】

«...

With a trembling right hand, he wrote his name upon it. Seeing the demonic scroll change nothing beyond translating his name into demonic script, the third-generation director of the Cleanup Bureau felt the world spin, then whirled around to glare at Li Ang, eyes wild with fury:

"Where's the Red Stone? Where's the Red Stone?"

"I put in two materials! Why is there only the Spell-Scarred Demon's skin? Where are the Red Stone powder?"

"Uh... those Red Stone powders you put in should be on the back of this thing."

Taking the 【DEMONIC ROSTER】 from the trembling hands of the square-headed old man, flipping it over, and pointing to the vivid crimson grotesque patterns, Li Ang said apologetically:

"There—these stained red areas are the Red Stone powder."

"..."

Stained... red areas?

Hell Red Stone crystals, mined from the deepest reaches of the Lotus Hell, yield at most twenty kilograms per mountain—and you turned them into mere dye?!

"Maybe... we should call it a day?"

Watching the third-generation director stand frozen, clutching the 【DEMONIC ROSTER】, motionless as a statue, even ceasing to breathe, Li Ang could no longer bear to torment the poor old man and spoke up:

"Third Director, I've only just begun learning the forging arts—I'm barely at the entry level. Using your materials now would be a terrible waste. Perhaps…"

"No! This isn't about waste or whether you're at the entry level! It's about trash! Incredible trash!"

Hearing Li Ang's words, the third-generation director lifted his head slowly, staring at Li Ang as if he were a monster, speaking nearly word by word:

"With the materials I gave you, even a pig standing in your place, dipping its trotter into the pot and stirring twice, couldn't produce something this worthless!

Damn it! Did the Golden Bull of this generation really guide you? Are you lying to me?"

"No no, the Golden Bull truly did guide me... oh wait!"

Recalling the learning scene, Li Ang spoke with a strange expression:

"She showed me a piece of past history—how past Cleanup Bureau elders learned the Golden Bull's arts. My forging art was learned from those people."

Learned from past people? So the Golden Bull of this generation didn't teach him directly, but showed him a memory projection from a former Golden Bull?

The third-generation director frowned in confusion, then asked with clear disgust:

"Whose memory did you watch? Who taught you this shit-tier forging art? The sixth-generation Golden Bull—the worst one?"

"Uh... no, I watched the memory of the third-generation Golden Bull."

The third-generation's memory?

Hearing this, the square-headed old man instinctively frowned.

The third-generation Golden Bull's skill was decent—though not as good as mine, he was still among the upper-middle of all Golden Bulls. How could he possibly have taught this?

I remember when I studied the arts with him, he always stood behind me, copying me. He wasn't as good as me, but he picked up about eighty to ninety percent of what I learned...

Wait—copying me?!

"..."

"..."

"..."

Watching Li Ang, whose eyes darted away, unable to meet his gaze, the square-headed old man suddenly realized—he raised a trembling hand and pointed shakily at his own nose, lips quivering:

"Me?"

"Mm."

(End of Chapter)