Chapter 00100: Cultivation
# Cultivation
Chapter 100
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 100: Cultivation
"Ah? Who?"
Ji Jue blinked, taking a moment to realize who the other was referring to.
He then patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, I keep my promises. If there's a missing arm or leg, there's nothing I can do about that, but as long as the money is in, I won't go back on my word!"
"No need to be nervous. If something happens during the Rift exploration and I need to act decisively, there's no hesitation necessary. It's just a pampered young master; whether he lives or dies doesn’t matter. I just want to remind you that a body can be quite useful, so don't waste it."
Professor Ye shook his head with amazement.
"Compared to that, it’s your talent for kidnapping and extortion that has really surprised me, more than my role as a teacher. The path of the embers has really held you back."
It wasn’t that he was dissatisfied with Ji Jue.
After all, in the earlier years, when something did go wrong, Ye Xian acted much more decisively than Ji Jue, and he was ruthless with his words.
If someone truly had the audacity to offend, chances to leave a complete corpse for extraction of blessings were rare.
Moreover, was it not her instruction to give Kong Qingyan a good slap?
However, Ji Jue's methods truly were most peculiar, each step completely out of the ordinary.
He left for a short trip and returned with a formation, blessings, and even nearly emptied out all of his collections of mercury.
Had he gone out for an archaeological expedition or was it a demolition job? Had he stumbled upon a Rift clearance sale and rode back with a tricycle loaded with goods?
She felt she needed a moment to accept this, to think carefully: had she erred in the direction of his cultivation? Perhaps this student of hers had a greater talent for killing and arson than craftsmanship…
But then, she heard Ji Jue's puffing voice.
"And there's also... liquid alchemy."
Ji Jue rubbed his small hands together and shyly confessed, "I accidentally learned it all."
"…"
Professor Ye fell silent once more, looking at him for a long while, seemingly doubting her ears.
"What did you just say?"
"Liquid alchemy, the thing mercury is best at, the pinnacle of classical alchemy, a transformative art, the ultimate purveyor. I learned it."
Ji Jue nodded confidently, showing no reluctance: "Although due to my personal limitations, my current applications are still quite limited. But, I will hasten to organize the core concepts, foundational theories, and advanced content in the next few days."
With that, he directly reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle of transformation mercury he had been practicing with, shaping a small cow out of it on the table.
The lifelike little tricycle twisted and bumped around, making sounds.
This was undeniable proof.
From the unique spirit quality circuits and structures of the ancient classical period, one could clearly discern the distinctive aura.
One glance confirmed it; mercury's true inheritance!
"…"
After a long silence, she took a deep breath, as if finally accepting this bizarre reality.
She removed her glasses and rubbed her sore nose.
Deep breath.
"What else should I know?"
Professor Ye sighed lightly, putting her glasses back on.
"Speak freely, don’t worry. I can take it."
"Uh, it seems there’s a bit... too much?"
Ji Jue hesitated before replying, "Mainly, I came into contact with the history of the ink masters during the collapse of the Heavenly Pillar four hundred years ago and, by chance, learned liquid alchemy. After that, somehow, I seemed to blow up the mercury workshop, and the Rift is gone... the remains of the mercury burned to ashes. In the chaos, I also stumbled upon a sword, named... the Blade of Reform? But afterward, it disappeared somehow."
"Oh, and there's this..."
He then reached into another pocket and pulled out a little metallic bird, curled up and asleep, gently placing it on the table.
The bird stirred slightly as it sensed his finger, rubbed its eyes, and then continued snoozing.
During this messy report, Ye Xian had detected several key terms, but was still captivated by the little ball of a bird.
She subconsciously asked, "What is this?"
"Uh, it seems to be the last remnant of mercury?" Ji Jue wasn't completely sure, "Um, probably... not too far off…"
Considering his teacher's cardiovascular endurance, he ultimately dared not mention that this might be mercury's beloved pet.
Yet, watching Ye Xian’s face change, he regretted not picking up some heart pills on the way.
Should he cushion his words first, to give her a moment to brace herself? He dug out the poorly-structured "ghost worker ball" from his pocket, "Brother Ball, care to add something?"
The "Brother Ball" remained silent, showing no signs of response, not even a stir.
Brother! You really are my brother!
Please don't say a word!
The ghost ball shivered, afraid to talk.
It felt as though, in a peaceful afternoon, dozens of screenshots suddenly popped up in a cozy gaming group—newcomers just entered and drew several cards, unsure if they were good or not, could someone help them check?
That was enough; it was already quite sufficient.
Many experts weren’t even as good as you!
Don’t show off any further!
If you keep showing off...
Smack!
The ghost worker ball fell right into Professor Ye's hands.
The internal reports began to manifest from within, detailing everything from Ji Jue entering the Rift up to the first ringing of the Blade of Reform.
In the lengthy silence, Ye Xian remained quiet, for a long moment, finally letting out a soft sigh: "Truly, this is unexpected."
Initially, she had only tossed out the travel frog, hoping it would bring back a postcard.
She never expected this creature to bring back the entire tourist attraction.
From the stone lions at the door to the dogs within the scenic area, not a single thing was left behind!
He was definitely the demolition king of the Rift.
In addition, the collapse of the Heavenly Pillar, the remnants of the Empire, the tales of the ink masters, the mercury workshop, the explosion of the Rift, and of course... the Blade of Reform!
Such a rich haul and explosive experiences, even when Ye Xian explored so many Rifts and ruins years ago, he never encountered such an extravagant spectacle.
It was absurdly incredible.
Yet, this kind of absurdity somehow felt real.
However...
After completely disregarding her safety education, he had done every imaginable reckless act and even dared to mess with something as dangerous as the Blade of Reform… After doing that, miraculously, he didn’t turn to ashes but returned in one piece, all lively and spirited, as if nothing had happened and proudly displaying the result of his recklessness to his teacher.
What a spectacle...
She chuckled softly, shaking her head helplessly.
"… Ji Jue."
Professor Ye took off her glasses.
Carefully folded the frames and placed them on the table: "Such a good harvest, congratulations."
"Oh no, no, it's all thanks to your good guidance, Teacher!"
Before Ji Jue could finish his habitual humility, he suddenly saw Ye Chun on the sofa leap up as if his rear was on fire, banging his head, "I... I just remembered, I haven't hung my socks to dry! Oh no, how could I forget..."
Muttering, he dashed away like oil on his feet!
Instinctively, Ji Jue felt an unsettling premonition.
"Speaking of guidance..."
Finally pulled from her thoughts and gazing out the window, Professor Ye turned back.
Beneath the sunlight, a glint of rusty light shimmered in her dark eyes.
Suddenly, she smiled warmly.
"Thinking carefully, as a teacher, apart from introducing modern alchemy, I actually haven’t taught you the critically important spirit quality offense and defense, which indeed is a failure on my part. This is not good at all."
She said: "It just so happens that I have the time today; let me guide you."
What to do when a child is disobedient and always wants to touch the electric switch?
Do not fear; just give them a good lesson.
She firmly believed that after receiving a little love from her, any bad habit could be corrected.
If one lesson wasn’t enough, then a few more would do the trick.
As for the trivial discomfort brought by being interrupted by her own student, what was that? A minor annoyance… she truly didn’t mind at all.
As Ji Jue stood there dazed, he had no time to react before everything before him suddenly changed.
The chair beneath him vanished without a trace.
Not just the chair; the entire living room also vanished in an instant.
In a moment of bewilderment, he found himself in an unfamiliar space, as the walls spun and slid back, revealing a vast expanse illuminated by welcoming lights, slowly revealing a floor that surfaced from the darkness.
Flickers of light danced through the air, and the settled dust vanished in an instant.
The ceiling, walls, and floor seemed alive, constantly shifting.
In the blink of an eye, they transformed into a wide area suitable for running freely.
Was this... underground?
Ji Jue instinctively touched the ground, only for his fingers to feel faint sparks leaping.
The massive structures forming all of this did not respond to the mechanical echo and calls but instead moved away, as though resentful—Hey kid, who are you with? Step back a bit; don’t let your blood spill on me, that’s such a pain to clean up!
Ah, then...
Was the local gang this unwelcoming?
Turning around, he saw Professor Ye not far away.
As always, her hands were behind her back.
However, on her typically indifferent face, a peculiar smile emerged, sending chills down Ji Jue’s spine, filled with three points of calm, three points of helplessness, three points of indulgence, and thirty-one points of please don't die too quickly—over the years, he had only seen such an expression when Lu Ma called Lu Feng to grab rolling pins, brooms, or mops from the kitchen.
At such moments, he understood that someone was about to be in trouble.
So who was the unfortunate soul this time?
Oh me? Well then, no problem.
No, wait, that’s a huge problem!
Ji Jue was already drenched in sweat, while Professor Ye simply summoned a pair of oddly-shaped handcuffs from thin air and fastened them to her right wrist.
Then, she turned a knob to its lowest setting, instantly revealing an invisible shackle that heavily constricted around her body.
"Don't worry, to ensure the teaching results, I will suppress my abilities and spirit quality to the starting phase of invoking. Think of it as a baseline test. You need not worry; just let loose as you wish."
Faced with such a favorable arrangement, Ji Jue hesitated, feeling ungrateful.
When you discover Tyson is the referee, you might as well pray the one walking toward you isn’t Tyro too.
You must realize that the Ember path, entirely relying on skill and experience, has veterans sweeping aside newcomers without breaking a sweat.
It's like everyone plays the same game; some find themselves locked up right from the start while others run freely through schools, some can give a boost to their partners in flight.
Then, there are others who, despite easily reaching high ranks every season, will still get whooped by professionals.
Among contestants who clash fiercely to reach the top, barely obtaining the ticket toward the strongest gives you no guarantee…
There’s always someone stronger.
For the Ember path, even a slight lead can leave an indelible and terrifying impression on an opponent's heart.
Since Ji Jue started his journey, notable battles on the level of the Blade of Reform were scarce; the most high-end match he'd witnessed was just giving support while Wenwen dealt with Lawrence.
Now he actually had to engage in a teaching match with Professor Ye?
Me?
Are you serious?
But shock and dread washed over him, and yet he couldn’t help but feel an unusual curiosity and excitement, taking a deep breath almost uncontrollably.
No longer hesitating.
He declared, "Then please guide me well!"
As he quickly set aside unnecessary thoughts, Ye Xian raised her brows slightly.
Just as she started to nod, preparing to speak a bit, she was met with a rush of wind.
Ji Jue surged forward, swift as lightning!
In just a snap of the fingers, he closed the distance of several meters, almost within reach.
—Without any hesitation, he launched a sneak attack!
(End of Chapter)