Chapter 00115: Bloodthirsty Madness
# Bloodthirsty Madness
Chapter 115
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 115: Bloodthirsty Madness
In recent years, Lei Wuye had seldom shown himself to the world, living a life of seclusion in his seaside fishing lodge.
To outsiders, he appeared like an immortal wandering the world, but in truth, his desires for power had not diminished in the slightest.
Even in this picturesque retreat, he continued to control the operations of his various enterprises from afar, issuing commands and making judgments.
It was as if the visible shackles had transformed into invisible reins, tightening around the necks of those hidden in the shadows.
The last time he had made an appearance was months ago at the inauguration ceremony of the new governor.
At that time, Mr. Lei Wuye had been seen shaking hands with the governor, and they appeared to be on friendly terms in front of the cameras.
Yet, just a short while later, the man had found himself in the ICU.
The news was shocking and hard to believe.
Yet, in its absurdity, it began to feel somewhat credible.
What was even stranger was that this life-threatening news seemed to have spread spontaneously! Overnight, everyone was aware—Lei Wuye was on the brink of death.
This sent the situation into a frenzy, causing disturbances and chaos.
Logically speaking, who cared if an old man died? It was no great deal.
After all, in all his years of operating in the dark corners of Cliff City, claiming to have done good deeds was farcical.
He carried many sins; while one might say he wasn’t evil incarnate, he was certainly a man who deserved his fate.
Wen Wen had already waved her hand to call for champagne to celebrate after finishing her edamame.
Good riddance, the old governor deserved it!
She felt as though she could hardly contain her glee.
Even if he didn’t die, there might come a day when Wen Wen could no longer endure and would storm out in a huff, taking out her frustration on the old fellow like he was nothing more than bubble wrap.
However, it was not just him who was facing death.
When a whale falls, all creatures can thrive.
This cycle of life is beautiful, yet few can truly fulfill the blessings of such fortune.
For those metaphorical cancers oozing foulness, once they burst, only filth and decay will be left behind, leaving one to grimace.
This was the reason for the urgent call to the second department.
With the director absent, Minister Tong Shan and the deputy director held the reins—though the deputy director had been away for years, leaving all authority in the hands of Tong Shan.
Essentially, this scion of the Tong family had become the acting director of the security bureau in Cliff City.
After finishing the call, starting tomorrow, Wen Wen would begin running errands, as was customary, to visit all the heads of factions in the North District—reminding them not to cause unnecessary trouble.
If any dirty deeds spilled onto the streets, it would end badly for everyone.
In the Federation’s nineteen great cities, there was naturally a hierarchy, with wealth varying from place to place.
Located in the far south, Cliff City’s local industries were average, but profits from import and export trade supported countless parasites.
Electronics, weapons, luxury goods, and even contraband...
Imagine the many fishing villages along the coastline and hidden docks, each harboring immense profits—a veritable river of flowing gold, stirring desire in many hearts.
When one Lei Wuye fell, another would surely take his place.
But why couldn’t that next Lei Wuye be someone like herself?
As an organization that covered the world’s darkest facets, the complexity and magnitude of the Uncharted Guild are self-evident.
The twelve leaders loomed high above, like dragons summoning clouds, causing the snakes beneath to bow in submission.
Yet how many dared hope to rise like a dragon? The snakes held real power, capable of driving one’s mind into chaos.
To head the Uncharted Guild was to be the genuine local tyrant, the undisputed ruler of the underbelly of Cliff City.
In name, he was there to maintain justice, to prevent conflicts from escalating too far.
After all, the leaders couldn’t always be worrying over whether a street in Cliff City would need a flower shop.
Those who became leaders were either exceptional figures like the White Deer Celestial or the hidden bosses who controlled multiple regions or cities from the shadows.
They could easily bankrupt any small nation with their dominance over shipping routes.
However, once they became leaders, they confronted even greater challenges, forcing them to continue to bear the weight of that position—was it not a hollow title?
Thus, the local managers emerged as practical facilitators.
They acted as the chief executives of the Uncharted Guild’s local department.
Below the guild's leaders, they reigned above countless others within Cliff City.
By cleverly utilizing their power and title, even an unarmed person could subdue a fierce dragon and settle disputes in the murky depths.
Let alone the wealth that had turned into mere numbers, along with an almost infinite authority flowing downward.
In general, such critical positions would naturally have heirs lined up to take over should anything happen to the leader.
Yet, that old dog Lei Wuye had raised fourteen adopted sons and daughters throughout his life, assigning them various duties and setting them against one another in a cycle of mutual restraint, allowing him to sleep soundly.
After all, within the White Deer way, loyal hounds were numerous, but white-eyed wolves even more so; it was not uncommon for a younger brother to kill off an elder once their own power grew.
He played the game so well that once he let go, no one could hold everything together, and it fell apart, becoming a pile of sand.
Over years of conflict and divisions, they began to view each other as enemies.
Now, even before Lei Wuye drew his last breath, as he lay in ICU, his grand enterprise was already fracturing, on the verge of mutual destruction.
One couldn't help but wonder whether the old face behind the oxygen mask now wore a look of rage or fear.
Before he passed, perhaps everything he cared about would no longer belong to him.
At that moment, the thought of his unseeing expression brought a bizarre blend of amusement and pity to Wen Wen.
But when she thought of the ensuing struggles and all the innocent people who would be caught in the fray, she was unable to resist the urge to rush over and turn the old man to dust.
Look at the mess you made!
“When can I annihilate all this garbage?”
She sighed, her head tilted back as she downed a glass of strong liquor in celebration and lament.
With Lei Wuye's demise, everyone involved would begin to chase after the spoils.
Or rather, that ravenous and insatiable beast, sickened by Lei Wuye’s decay, was now prowling among its many prey for the next sacrificial offering…
The underbelly of Cliff City was bound to spiral into chaos.
“Another storm of carnage has begun,” Wen Wen looked up at the pitch black sky, where clouds overshadowed the moon and stars completely.
“What the hell is this bloody storm…”
The next morning, Ji Jue was faced with a mountain of work, and in his wailing, blackness encroached upon him, even the sun that had just risen in the sky lost its glow.
The world was grim.
According to Professor Ye's instruction, since he had taken the day off, he should use the time to catch up on his studies.
Given Ji Jue’s initiative, there was no need for supervision or scrutiny, but he knew that if he didn’t grind for a day, he’d be found out in two days, and who knew, he might even have to add an extra class in Spirit Quality Defense that evening.
Why suffer the hardships of study when he could face the harsh blows instead?
Ye Chun watched on, having nothing to say about this bizarre student-teacher dynamic.
After all, such a hands-off approach to training apprentices was a rarity throughout the entire craftsman industry.
In a typical workshop, an apprentice lacking talent, money, or ability led a life not much different from that of a typical worker—they clocked in in the morning, worked until evening, and as long as they paid the tuition, they were relegated to shadowing the craftsmen, occasionally receiving lessons when the mood struck.
Or, the exceptionally talented ones often stayed close to their teachers, frequently receiving guidance and mentorship, studying diligently until they emerged as craftsmen, only to later bask in praise and respect.
However, Ji Jue was neither.
If one were to say he was valued, indeed he was valued, for whenever he had a question, Professor Ye had never rejected him, particularly when it came to subjects such as the De-reliquation Techniques.
Yet, if one were to say he wasn’t somewhat neglected, that was true as well.
Once she taught the basics and pointed the way, she would go back to her own projects, leaving him to explore on his own in the workshop and library.
There was no talk of progress or results; he could cause a ruckus or be targeted by snipers, and she wouldn’t care.
Though he may have been a domesticated apprentice, he had somehow cultivated an air of wildness about him.
Both were content in their own worlds, paying little heed to matters outside.
“Your foundation for Ascension is sufficient, and you have your own understanding of purification techniques due to fluid alchemy, which should suffice for now. Further lessons can be added later.”
After reviewing Ji Jue's reading notes, Professor Ye spoke slowly, “The next area to focus on is ‘Convergence’, as this is your true weakness. Other than practicing De-reliquation Techniques during other times, you should first read this material.”
Modern alchemy has four primary elements: Ascension, Convergence, Purification, and Symbiosis.
Ascension refers to imbuing matter with primal essence, like turning stone into gold, aligning its qualities toward the virtuous, thus able to receive blessings.
Purification makes the properties of objects even more refined, filtering out impurities and shielding from disruptions to transition toward pure forms.
Symbiosis is the process of uniting all components, allowing multiple primal essence circuits to merge entirely into one.
Convergence, on the other hand, refers to the emergence of new states when multiple materials and blessings interact and transform.
Simply put, as the card players like to say, it means ‘fusion.’
But fusing two items is not always straightforward; the timing, weight, environment, magnetic fields, and even one’s fortune… all can lead to vastly different outcomes.
Even though modern alchemy had long established numerous stable formulas that continued to grow and evolve through exploration, it was still far from sufficient.
Memorization only went so far; every craftsman needed unique insights and sensations throughout this process.
Through extensive practice and experimentation, one could accumulate knowledge and let instincts guide them on the timing and methods required.
At the same time… this was also the most costly part, by far.
Though Ascension is easy to begin, advancing it is painfully tough.
The steps to Purification are tedious, requiring extreme caution, while Symbiosis demands complete control over everything.
Each of these aspects posed their own challenges: once achieved, one could repeat the process without worry, but if one failed, they’d receive a few slaps to the face, making it memorable for future attempts.
Yet, Convergence was a cruel cycle that brought despair to apprentices—without money to buy materials to practice, they couldn’t learn, which led to errors, and once they made mistakes, materials were wasted, meaning even less money to buy more.
Recalling this, Ji Jue, being a seasoned broke rookie, felt a pang of hair loss.
He clutched the over one million in his pocket, desperately wishing for that unscrupulous Chen Yubo to hurry up and send him the rest of his payment.
“Don’t worry about the money,”
Professor Ye sipped her tea and slid a black card across the table to Ji Jue. “It looks like your work wasn’t in vain last night. Someone has resolved it for you.”
The elegant black card gleamed under the light, with its golden code shining brightly, illuminating Ji Jue’s eyes.
It exuded a wealthy aura, causing an instinctual sense of nobility to rise.
Leaving paupers in awe.
“Oh my…,”
Ji Jue’s heart skipped a beat, struggling to restrain himself from cursing in front of his professor, hastily changing the topic. “What’s this card? I’ve never seen it before! Who gave it?”
“Chen Xingzhou sent someone to deliver it this morning. Normally, the two brothers hardly interact, not even sending a single messenger, yet here he is, seemingly quite concerned about his brother’s well-being,”
Ye scoffed. “I merely mentioned you were a novice apprentice, and that guy immediately knew to bring some favor.”
“This card is a membership exclusive to high-end clients of the Tianping Trading Association. He likely scrambled to acquire it last night, and now its name and information have already been transferred to you.”
“There should be about twenty million in there. If you find it troublesome, feel free to withdraw it and transfer it into your own account; with this money, you won’t need to worry about expenses for at least half a year.”
What the hell!
Ji Jue could no longer contain his inner foul language, staring in shock.
Was this how the big shots behaved? Twenty million—just like that? Was gratitude this extravagant?
Tenfold the final payment?!
And…
“Half a year?”
He stared blankly at his professor, hesitating—wasn’t the cost of alchemy burning through money a bit too fast?!
Twenty million divided by one hundred eighty amounts to nearly 111,111 per day.
Though this figure was painful enough to bring any single dog to despair, when translated into cash multiplied by days, it was enough to turn any lonely dog into a diamond bachelor, a patron of Black Spade Q’s productions, or a legendary figure dominating nightlife.
Over one hundred thousand a day?!
He thought he could live on such a sum without breaking a sweat!
What kind of alchemy was this that consumed so much money?
“Don’t blame alchemy for your pace,”
Ye shot him a glance, her voice scolding. “In just over two months, most other apprentices haven’t even completed their basics. Who else still has the time to blend ancient techniques into their modern practices?”
“If you want it to last, that’s fine too; ten or eight years will be enough. If you can tough it out, you might even become a certified craftsman by thirty, at which point people will praise your youthful prowess.”
“Chen Xingzhou probably had this in mind too; in eight or nine years, you’ll become a craftsman with his money, making things much easier and convenient.”
Ji Jue couldn’t help but smile nervously, reluctant to respond.
He could only sigh; this was the way of the embers, where one could grow stronger through investment, even adding progress along the way.
Yet, he had thought the wealthy merely burned money frivolously, but didn’t expect even a single token of gratitude could manifest such splendor.
Though one could suspect the ulterior motives behind this, no contract had ever been signed!
Not even a word of agreement was exchanged.
Relationships were formed through mutual exchanges; once forged, they existed between people.
Chen Xingzhou’s generosity was certainly gracious, but Ji Jue had not exacted this without a reason either, nor would he have been entitled to such benefits without Ye’s connections.
He hadn’t been foolish enough to take out the card and propose, “How about you take half?” Doing so would only earn him a scornful glance from his teacher.
He would just have to work harder to pick up the pace.
Little did he know that he was already advancing rapidly in modern alchemy, igniting the passion within him anew.
If not for the professor's presence, he might have laughed wildly at the sky, thinking:
I've got the guts, and I’ve got the resources!
With unwavering focus on both, who in this world could match my dedication?!
However, soon his gaze was drawn to the trinket next to the card.
“What’s this?”
“Your trophy, sent over by Chen Xingzhou’s people after cleaning up the scene.”
“It looks like an alchemical artifact?”
Ji Jue picked it up for a closer look and indeed confirmed it was.
However, holding it in his hand, he could feel the traces of blessed energy within it—a vague essence drifting upward, indicative of ascension.
He became even more cautious.
Typically, the blessings of ascension affected the soul and consciousness; using it carelessly could easily lead to trouble in one’s mind.
Moreover, regarding the craftsmanship…
How should he put it? It seemed ornate and flashy, clearly crafted with great skill, far surpassing his own talent.
Yet after witnessing the seamless beauty of mercury works and the exemplary thoroughness of the professor's creations during his studies in modern alchemy, he could only conclude: it was about the same.
In fact, it felt like……
“Is there a flaw?” he asked, uncertain.
“It seems your taste has improved,”
Ye replied, rare praises given.
She then critiqued swiftly, “No need to be polite; for materials and blessings like this, to produce such an outcome is trash, plain and simple. To have melted blessings down into such a pathetic product shows a complete lack of talent. It’s no wonder that craftsman dared not mark their emblem on it. If ever exposed, they’ll become a joke for the rest of their life.”
The materials were fine, and the blessings credible.
Only the craftsmanship—utterly atrocious!
Ascension was merely for appearances; Convergence replicated formulas poorly; Purification varied significantly, and Symbiosis was chaotic.
Nothing could be worse than this.
One could guess that the blessings inside likely foresaw their fate—if they had any sense, they would have leaped off the sinkhole instead of rotten alongside it.
Regarding the particular blessing, Ye had already reviewed it with them.
Named “Transcendental Insight,” it bestowed the user enhanced perception and accelerated thinking, effectively slowing time.
It was not terribly common, yet not extraordinarily rare either, as numerous other blessings shared its effects.
For instance, White Deer’s “Lightning Reflex,” the Ruins’ “Unity of Self,” or even the legendary blessing of the Eternal Gate, “Time Stream.”
In fact, similar blessings to “Heavenly Craftsmanship” existed as well.
Many possessed “Scavenger’s Grasp,” while White Deer offered “Spirit’s Finger,” and Ruins had “Miraculous Restoration”—though while one focused on brutal destruction, another emphasized subtlety, and another directly granted healing, none compared with the terrifying versatility and growth potential of Heavenly Craftsmanship.
“Alright, enough of your viewing. It’s just a worthless trinket,”
Ye interrupted Ji Jue's musings, her voice resonating with an echo of dread from the depths of a nightmare. “Since this has come into your possession, let’s assign you an exercise—”
No, please!
Ji Jue’s expression shifted dramatically, instinctively wanting to discard it.
Couldn’t he just say he didn’t want it?!
How could an assignment just be added at will?!
“From now on, in your De-reliquation practice, change the object to this,”
Ye lifted her teacup, showing no mercy. “What you must do is dismantle it, stripping away the chaotic circuits and material pollution while preserving the internal blessings as much as possible. The ghost craftsmen will remain in the workshop to assist you in extracting the blessings intact.”
“Uh…”
Ji Jue hesitated to ask, “Is there a time requirement?”
“Take as long as you need; fast or slow doesn’t matter.”
The professor gave him one last look before delivering another stimulation that made Ji Jue borderline insane: “I think when the blessing is extracted, it should be near time to begin.”
She said coolly, “You will truly experience your first creation in alchemy.”
“…”
In that silence, Ye Chun despairingly closed her eyes.
Yet Ji Jue’s eyes sparkled, as if ignited by bloodlust…
At that moment—
—The Fiendish Dog had become wild, complete!
(End of Chapter)