Chapter 00238: Surprise and Fright
# Surprise and Fright
Chapter 238
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 238: Surprise and Fright
Tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows there are? Still, it is enough to boil one's brain with cramming and forging again and again, still, there are harsh demands and cruel punishments.
Before, Ji Jue had worried that he wouldn't make it to tomorrow or that he might not be able to hold on, but now, he has gradually begun to get used to this endless torment that seems to have no end.
No, it should be said that he is like a fish in water.
Perhaps Jian Yuan was right.
When Ji Jue no longer conceals his hatred and malice, and even actively releases it, he has already entered the door, gaining control over this skill.
He doesn't even care whether this hatred is directed at others or himself.
If he wants to forge a true Heaven's Edge, how could he fear a double-edged sword cutting himself? On the contrary, the colder and more vicious the gleam, the more he should find comfort in it!
He completely disregards whether Ji Jue is slacking off or wasting time, or even resisting in vain.
After that secret ritual before the furnace, Ji Jue's progress in alchemy began to soar again, practically making him advance while eating and sleeping.
Even sometimes, daydreaming could spark an idea, helping him understand various key points.
And it isn't just about corrupting the creation; even modern alchemy and fluid alchemy, and even the solid alchemy he had just begun to explore, are all advancing together.
The price for this is that all the skills he has learned over the past few days are smoothly integrated into the system and habits Ji Jue is now gradually completing, becoming an inseparable part of him.
He cannot avoid it, cannot escape it, nor deny it.
Everything he teaches is genuine skill, and all he imparts are secrets and essences that many profound craftsmen find hard to grasp.
It is like when a carpenter needs to hammer a nail; as soon as he reaches for the toolbox, he naturally picks up the hammer.
Even if he could abandon the hammer, it would only cause trouble for himself.
Over the decades, the countless creations forged by the craftsmen under Jian Yuan are unimaginable, and just the works produced in the Spring City over the past few days alone must number in the thousands.
All these remnants converge, and the essence they contain manifests and crystallizes under the igniting flames of the old furnace, bringing Ji Jue far beyond just minor changes; more importantly… a transformative blessing!
Under the erosion and oppression of the secret ritual, the blessing from the "First Principle of Spirit" welcomed an unexpected metamorphosis, which fully reinforced Ji Jue's mental resistance against the corrosion of corruption.
Nowadays, he can even interfere with the aberrations and corruptions of the beings forged in the furnace through his own spiritual essence.
Even if it's just a slight difference, at a critical moment, that hair's breadth could determine the success or failure of a creation, making the art of corruptive alchemy even more seamless and adept.
Originally, once someone steps into corruptive alchemy, they progress rapidly.
Now, it feels as if he has installed a jet engine on himself; even just studying a bit can greatly accelerate progress, terrifyingly so.
But what is the price?
When Jian Yuan opened the library's permissions to Ji Jue, he began to delve into other theories and works on corruption included within.
Then, he increasingly felt just how sinister this set of knowledge he had learned was.
It was an experimental version of theory! There wasn't even a single successful example…
After trimming away many irrelevant details, it refocused straight to the essence.
He deleted numerous contents communicating with those of higher rank in corruption, completely avoiding the need to worship a deity like other craftsmen do, praying for blessings.
Instead, it was… taking matters into his own hands.
Not only must he snatch meat from the mouths of corrupted beings, but he must also stuff those beings directly into his mouth! The cost was that, without protection, the probability of failure was infinitely greater than others, and his own potential for corruption was also rapidly increasing.
Including now.
Ji Jue lowered his gaze, looking at his hands, where on his nails there were faint grayish-black marks.
It was as if faces were silently howling, screaming, grotesque or weeping.
Transitioning and shifting, formless.
In the reflection of the mercury mirror, his appearance was almost completely different from before; it wasn't just the ugly scars crisscrossing his body, or the muscle necrosis and wrinkles caused by the brutal stripping of skin.
Once black hair now faintly revealed a pallid color, so mottled.
And between the fallen short strands, his pupils displayed a bizarre hue under the erosion of the ritual and the effects of corruption, different from Jian Yuan's emerald, now a faintly visible scarlet, like unextinguished embers of coal.
With a light sigh, he waved his hand, dispersing the mercury mirror.
He felt the sharp pains radiating from his hands, as the non-offensive matrix spiraled and flickered, the vibrant light gradually dimming, as if it had gathered dust, making him so fatigued.
Yet still, he persistently removed the many corrupting influences invading his hands, again and again, not allowing himself to indulge in the path of corruption.
"Don't worry."
Ji Jue moved his ten fingers, whispering silently.
Glories or crimes of the non-offensive flow, all are achieved by himself.
Whether through the inheritance of fluid alchemy or the many gifts that would follow, the expectations that the Sage Mercury has poured into him are plentiful; how could he be foolish enough to deny the life he has persevered in due to a fleeting dream?
Boom!
An ear-piercing wail suddenly erupted.
The furnace trembled violently, as if an invisible person was crazily crashing within, pounding the furnace door, shouting, howling, begging for mercy.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone there?! Help me, save me..."
That despairing voice cried out: "Let me out, I beg you, I beg you, is anyone there? Ah ah ah ah..."
The plea and cry abruptly stopped, replaced by manic laughter, even hysterical curses and wails.
Thick, viscous blood began to overflow from behind the furnace door, surging and then dissipating without a trace.
In the flames' glow, the sounds of screams and roars gradually faded away.
In the end, along with the opening of the furnace door, the last sobs disappeared without a trace.
As Ji Jue beckoned, a howling sound sliced through the air.
A dagger suddenly flew out from the furnace, landing in his hand, buzzing as a strange, piercing wail coursed through it, making all the metal around tremble.
The eardrums hurt.
The viscous scarlet dripped continuously from the blade of the dagger, never ceasing, but again fading without a trace.
"Is it out?"
Jian Yuan appeared behind him without him noticing, looking down at him: "It seems there's been some progress."
"Just a piece of junk."
Ji Jue gripped it in his hand, waved it a couple of times, then turned back to glance at Jian Yuan, glancing at the dagger in his hand, shaking his head regretfully: "Too much pursuit of sharpness and destruction; before it can injure others, it might harm itself first, rendering it useless."
"That also depends on the target, doesn't it?"
Jian Yuan reached out, clasped the sharp blade in Ji Jue's hand, carelessly picked it up, cutting his palm, admiring how his blood mutated and hardened, even coming to life as it clawed toward the palm of his hand like a monster.
Sadly, after making a cut, under the backlash of the matrix and aura, the dagger shattered.
And the mutated blood seemed to encounter a more terrifying monster, quickly dissipating.
In the end, the wound healed, as if it had never existed.
"Indeed, still a bit lacking."
Jian Yuan tossed the fragments aside, looking back at the empty furnace: "What's left in the furnace?"
"Um..."
Ji Jue pondered for a moment, shrugged slightly: "Just some trivial little things. Does the Master have an interest?"
"Wasting so many materials, you ought to let me see what went wrong?" Jian Yuan smiled mockingly: "Of course, if you're planning to prepare some surprises for me, I can pretend I don't know."
Ji Jue casually waved his hand, and amidst the ashes and scraps in the furnace, a wisp of scarlet light emerged, rising and falling into Jian Yuan's hand.
"This is... a blessed creation?"
Jian Yuan raised an eyebrow, instinctively evaluating and identifying it, only to discover that with Ji Jue's current level, he could find no flaws at all.
Even the complexity of its construction surpassed that of ordinary craftsmen, even carrying encryption.
He wasn't willing to suppress Ji Jue with the standards of a master; thus, during the brief moment of identification, he could only discern that the blessing derived from the Heart Pivot, combining it with the materials Ji Jue had extracted.
In his palm lay a scarlet skull.
Only the size of a fist, seemingly sculpted from blood jade, without any signs of tools, smooth and flawless.
All catalyzed aberrations and corruptions were sealed within, showing no signs or indications of loss of control.
Perfect.
"What trick have you played this time?"
Having dueled wits with Ji Jue for so long, he had long since become accustomed to Ji Jue's occasional resistance and sudden attacks, not taking it to heart, even seeming to enjoy it.
He had even actively infused his own spiritual essence into it to awaken the creation.
"Not at all, not at all."
Ji Jue waved his hand with a smile, but just as he finished speaking, he discovered that at some point, his own spiritual essence was also being drawn in by Jian Yuan, guiding into the skull.
Then, the skull grinned:
"Hehe, you' re dead."
(End of Chapter)