Chapter 00103: above destiny 103
#
Chapter 103
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 103
It felt like the heavens had shifted and the earth trembled.
In a fleeting moment, he felt as though he had transformed into a piece of red-hot metal, tossed beneath a great hammer.
Thunder rumbled fiercely.
The ground shook violently, and the sound of lightning crackled unendingly.
The relentless strikes from his left and right hands flowed like water, sealing the fate of things the moment it all began.
Under the influence of the Dissociation Technique, all enhancements of spiritual essence collapsed entirely; defenses were utterly ineffective.
With a crushing force, a refreshing destruction manifested beneath his hands —
Only after the long-awaited warm-up was finally complete did Professor Ye show compassion, shattering the celestial emblem right in the center of his chest.
Ji Jue fell backward, staring at the sky, gasping violently, with no strength left for any counterattack.
His entire body was covered in contusions and swellings, as if he had been trapped inside a box for two long hours after forgetting to choose big D at voting time.
He no longer had the strength to move.
The spasms and convulsions of his internal organs finally reached his brain, bringing with them an unbearable pain and torment.
In his blurred vision, he seemed to see Professor Ye looking down at him.
“What is this technique?”
Ji Jue managed a bitter smile, “Just something I thought of… by myself.”
“Hmm.”
Professor Ye nodded in approval, “It’s indeed quite thoughtless.”
She bent down, clenched her fist, and aimed at Ji Jue’s heart, then struck down with a powerful blow.
His entire body sprang up with a muffled thud, limbs twitching.
Yet, after being struck, the spasms of his internal organs and the frenzied shaking of his heart surprisingly began to ease.
At least, it felt much better than just moments ago when he was on the verge of collapse, barely hanging on.
In that brief moment of that single blow, Professor Ye had unified his completely out-of-control internal organs, completing a sort of alchemical coordination within his body.
Everything was pieced back together as one.
Such skill!
“My knowledge of pharmaceuticals can only be called passable. You should find an alchemist to take a look later.”
Professor Ye casually materialized a vial from thin air, poured out a pill-like object, and tossed it into his mouth, instructing him to hold it without swallowing.
A cool sensation flowed into his lungs, extinguishing the fiery pain.
Finally, he was barely recovering to a semblance of normality.
Before him, the visage of the ancient man began to glow dimly, gradually repairing his body.
“A-Chun told me you suddenly started reading books on anatomy and surgery some days ago… I suspect this all started the moment you learned about the offensive and defensive aspects of spiritual essence?”
Ye Xian saw right through Ji Jue's trick, shaking her head with a sigh: “Turning your body into a machine? Hey, you really have a way with words.”
That was the hidden secret behind this trick.
In a sense, the human body, composed of internal organs, blood vessels, nerves, muscles, and bones, was a machine in and of itself.
A complicated and refined machine for survival.
What Ji Jue did was forcibly elevate the limits of his physical body through fluid alchemy, connecting with his soul, and with non-offensive techniques, he conducted alchemical operations on himself.
Ultimately, through the enforcing force of mechanical degradation, he transformed his body entirely into a weapon!
Releasing his limits and breaking away from constraints, he operated at overload like an engine.
In the blink of an eye, he grasped strength and speed that was absolutely beyond his realm, even transcending significant stages to step into the realm of transformation.
The effects were astounding.
Yet the consequences were dire…
After all, the body was not machinery.
Or rather, the human body's endurance was far too weak compared to machinery.
The cost of this power was Ji Jue's own life.
Had it not been for Professor Ye observing him closely and intervening in time, he would have already invited Aunt Lu and Ye Chun to the table for a feast.
“Heart, brain, aorta… hormonal chaos, severe muscle strain, fractures, and nerve disorders…” Professor Ye’s fingers swept across the air above Ji Jue, pinpointing problems one by one, “There should be limits to your reckless actions. This sort of tampering only leads to a quick death, with no other benefits.”
“There’s always a process to perfect it.”
Ji Jue forced a smile, “I believe there’s always a chance to achieve it.”
After all, for him now, the last thing to worry about was precise operations and control.
If others struggled with the complexity of the human body, then for Ji Jue, who possessed both non-offensive techniques and fluid alchemy, though a bit challenging, it was not insurmountable.
He needed to focus on bolstering the endurance of his cardiovascular system and be mindful of the regulation of his nerves and lymphatic system.
The protection of his brain had to be prioritized first.
He began to mentally list out the problems and organize the next steps and experiments.
“You still haven’t recognized your biggest problem, have you…”
Ye Xian casually grabbed the collar at the back of his neck, lifting him up and stepping through the rising stairs, eventually tossing him back onto the sofa in the living room before leisurely asking, “Do you know where you went wrong this time?”
“Uh…”
Ji Jue hesitated, tentatively suggesting, “Trying to kill myself?”
Indeed, in various senses, some people simply didn’t understand the consequences, so they didn’t die by not engaging, while some were entirely oblivious from the start and pushed toward death.
Just like Ji Jue.
Ye Xian scoffed, “You know you were wrong, but you’d still dare to do it again next time, right?”
“Next time… cough cough, we’ll talk about that later…”
Ji Jue obediently lowered his head, ultimately choosing to speak honestly.
Sufficiently honest, and that was good.
Ye Xian nodded slowly, appreciating those stubborn kinds of individuals most.
She declared, “From now on, increase your study hours on the offensive and defensive aspects of spiritual essence by two hours each day.”
Instantly, Ji Jue’s eyes nearly popped out in fear: “Isn’t that… unnecessary?”
“No, it is necessary. Very necessary.”
Professor Ye glanced at his hands, “At the very least, wait until you can fully control non-offensive techniques before we discuss further. Do you think wise sages roll up their sleeves only to reveal two covered arms?” It was simply bothersome to look at.
“Ah, well…”
Ji Jue hesitated, feeling that Professor Ye’s disdain wasn’t merely about those markings, as it seemed she also held a grudge against non-offensive techniques.
However, he didn’t dare continue asking such potentially fatal questions.
He quickly switched the topic, “Do I need to learn about boxing too?”
“Not necessary.” Professor Ye shook her head, “It's not like we lack firearms. Learning just a little about necessary handling for convenience is enough. If it has really come to the point where you need to engage in close-quarters fights, then you might as well prepare to die.”
“But…”
Ji Jue pondered for a moment, posing a confused question: “What if there are times when guns can’t be of any use?”
After all, high-level chosen ones being able to withstand bullets had basically become standard practice.
The lethality pushed by gunpowder was ultimately limited.
Facing an opponent like Young Master Lou, who was completely covered in shields, one would have to face defeat.
“Conflict will never truly end.”
Professor Ye gave him a meaningful glance, “If the opponent's defenses are too strong, then figure out a way to create a more powerful gun, or try to become an academic chosen one, learning to get along peacefully, and avoiding conflict… which one will you choose?”
Without hesitation, Ji Jue answered decisively, “Of course, the latter!”
Thus, Professor Ye nodded in satisfaction.
“An excellent student you are.”
Indeed, he had made the same choice she would have made.
While whether a gun could be created was up for discussion, at least she didn’t have to worry about him pretending to learn.
“What’s next? Any thoughts?”
She casually asked, “When do you want to start classes? Besides the Dissociation Technique, there’s still a whole slew of courses waiting for you, Ji Jue. Don’t think that your graduate studies will be leisurely.”
“Uh…”
Just days ago he was risking his life in the Rift, and now upon returning to Cliff City, he had to become a diligent student attending class every day—it felt quite disconnected.
Yet, for Ji Jue, it was rather enjoyable.
Learning! His mind was filled with thoughts of study! Learning brings me joy!
“However, before that, I have something in mind and would like your guidance…”
After catching his breath, he wearily opened his bag, pulling out a notebook.
After flipping through it for a lengthy while, he finally found his haphazard notes, along with hand-drawn blueprints.
Just looking at the notes was far from coherent; they were filled with a craftsman’s characteristics.
It seemed he had scribbled on the paper for ages, hammering away in different directions, creating a disjointed mess of terms and numerical calculations.
It was more chaotic than a doctor's prescription; at least that professional could understand what was written.
Yet, despite the chaos being an inconvenience for the eyes, for Professor Ye, it sufficed to understand what he was writing.
That was a design drawing.
Although parts remained unverified and existed only as concepts, purely from a feasibility standpoint, it was not particularly difficult to realize.
“Hmm?”
Her fingers tapped against her knee, subconsciously lifting her teacup to sip, she adjusted her glasses, pulling a pen out of her pocket.
After a moment of reflection, she began to mark up the notes directly.
Under her pen, soon an entire set of lightweight powered assist frameworks, electromagnetic muscle bundles, and cushioning joint combinations began to take shape on the paper.
Numerous data needing calculation and verification were bypassed altogether, directly yielding results.
“There are no issues with stability, quite standard. Designs like these, with many mature examples, best avoid recklessly adding on without thought; moderation is key.”
Her pen moved rapidly.
Besides the mechanical design, she added references for alchemical processing, concluding with, “Having taken a trip to the Rift, I initially thought your mindset would soar high, yet it seems you’ve remained rather grounded.”
“Ah, thank you, Teacher!”
Ji Jue held his notebook, beaming with joy.
Professor Ye did not drastically modify his design but instead sustained the original thought process while making slight supplements.
This transformed the feasibility and practicality of the entire design dramatically, nearly skipping the lengthy trial-and-error testing phase and allowing it to be treated as a finished product for production.
Moreover, she went further to provide suggestions for further simplification on what was originally lightweight, even advising on replacing certain module functions with Ji Jue’s own alchemical creations.
“Overall, it’s an idea, but it’s still rather crude and lazy—”
The professor asked in conclusion, “Why did you only design for the legs and not a complete set?”
“Because it’s unnecessary.”
Ji Jue smiled, “The friend who needs this only has trouble with his right leg. It’s really inconvenient for him to always be on crutches, so I thought since I have this ability, I’d first make him a more convenient tool.”
“…”
Professor Ye fell silent.
From her silence, she looked at her student before her, and a long time passed, as if silently sighing to herself—in self-derision.
“Teacher?” Ji Jue was puzzled.
“It’s nothing.”
She slowly stood up, saying: “Let’s go. The furnace is currently free; you can use it. However, during the practical phase, don’t expect me to help you out. Have you thought carefully about what materials to use?”
“Since it’s for everyday use, there’s no need for expensive materials or overly complicated treatments.” Ji Jue responded fluently, “Use composite aluminum and tungsten alloy for basic materials, and then use alchemy to correct the remaining requirements for toughness and strength.”
“What about the joints?”
“I’ll use the template from the planetary gear application I submitted to you this morning, made compact after modifications.”
“Have you considered the braking issues? It wasn’t included in the design.”
“I’m thinking of trying to use entropic magnetic guidance to replace it; I’m not sure how realistic that is.”
“That’s indeed a good idea, but it’s quite challenging for an apprentice. If you want to test it, I won’t force you.” Professor Ye sighed, clearly feeling impressed: “You seem to have considered much.”
“Hmm, I’ve been thinking about this whenever I have free time these past few days.”
“Then give it a try; take what you need from the warehouse. But don’t think you can fool me with garbage for the very first product you designed yourself.” Professor Ye instructed intently, “If you hit a wall, then just go back and learn the basics properly.”
“Okay.”
Ji Jue nodded, staring at the glowing furnace before him, unable to suppress his smile.
Since becoming a craftsman’s apprentice, it was his first real creation in alchemy.
It had finally begun!
In the last two days, with being outside, there hadn’t been much time to write.
Today, after a long day, I finally made it home.
Tomorrow, I won’t dare to procrastinate again.
I’ll strive to write and push to update more!
Thank you, everyone.
Thank you, thank you!
(End of Chapter)