Chapter 00252: Second Transformation
# Second Transformation
Chapter 252
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 252: Second Transformation
After hastily washing his face, Ji Jue stepped out and headed to Professor Ye's workshop.
The distance was short, but before the small car could really kick up speed, it came to a sudden stop, the two headlights glaring at him with a hint of grievance.
Of late, he hadn’t called it “little darling” anymore.
Spending too long parked in the basement, it must have picked up the scent of other vehicles.
Now that he finally had the chance to drive, it was over before it even began, leaving Ji Jue with a face full of impatience.
So, was love really destined to end?
He slapped the hood of the car, as if signaling it to stop acting up.
He had just upgraded its suspension the other day, and now it was already longing for new nitrous lights? Each night, it seemed to be glued to the internet, and if he didn’t put a stop to that, it might just end up hailing a ride! He would cut off the internet in the garage if need be.
After climbing up the steps and pushing the door open, he saw Ye Chun sitting lazily in the kitchen, sipping milk tea while basking in the sun, looking very much like a free-range pet.
She always looked this way after finishing up her thesis…
Ji Jue threw her a glance, silently asking what was up.
Ye Chun returned the look, annoyed, “You’re the one in trouble! Hurry up and hand over the rice rolls you're carrying, or I’ll tell Auntie to blow wind your way and save your life!”
Unfortunately, the two of them shared no tacit understanding beyond the mutual bickering.
They exchanged glances for a while, but neither could glean anything from the other.
Then, a helpless sigh came from the study.
“Have you two finished glaring at each other?”
Footsteps followed.
A visitor had just exited the study, an older woman who seemed ageless.
Her warm smile radiated a sense of familial kinship.
“Ji Jue?” she looked over with curiosity.
Ji Jue was immediately caught off guard, abandoning the childish game of who would look away first with Ye Chun.
He straightened up, nodded solemnly, “Hello.”
“It’s the first time we’re meeting after all this time.”
The visitor chuckled and extended her hand, introducing herself, “Lu Yingyue.”
“Uh…”
Ji Jue froze for a moment.
He hadn’t expected a director of the Safety Bureau to suddenly appear in his teacher’s study, someone who now oversees all anomalies in Haizhou.
He hurriedly reached out, “Director.”
“Just a temporary position.”
Lu Yingyue shook her head with a smile, looking him over twice, nodding, “Indeed, quite remarkable. Secretary Tong and Xiao Wen painted a rather conservative picture.”
“You flatter me.” Ji Jue hung his head low, offering a modest smile like any respectful younger person.
He quietly observed the teacher’s attitude, finding it difficult to gauge what this big shot was truly after.
“Then I won’t disturb you further.” She turned to bid farewell.
Unfortunately, no one bothered to say "take care," and Professor Ye remained stoic as always: “You shouldn’t have disturbed us either.”
“That's not acceptable.”
Lu Yingyue smiled again, “One relies on friends when going out. Friends like you are best cherished.”
With that, she nodded once more and left.
“What’s this about…” Ji Jue asked.
“Just some chaotic matters, which vaguely relate to you.”
Professor Ye shot him a deep look, as if resigned to the unpredictable nature of her household and the trouble that seemed to sprout whenever she turned her back, not having monitored them for even a day, yet problems arose nonetheless.
“Me?”
Ji Jue felt confused, recalling something, “Yesterday’s first…”
Professor Ye raised a hand, signaling him to stop.
Best not to bring up such nonsensical matters in front of Ye Chun.
“Elder Tao has passed, the situation in Quancheng has settled, but the troubles in Haizhou are growing more frequent. With Lu Yingyue grasping the temporary director position tightly, a storm in Yaicheng is unavoidable.”
She turned back, entering the study, “The Safety Bureau might have caught wind of it, but they probably don’t know who’s pulling the strings. Whether or not it’s traceable will be a headache. You did well; it's best to have fewer troubles at this juncture. Looks like Lu Yingyue owes me again.”
Ji Jue lowered his head, realizing he hadn’t caused any trouble, and let out a sigh of relief, complimenting, “It’s all thanks to the teacher’s guidance.”
“…”
Professor Ye looked at him, her expression growing increasingly numb—was this the sort of teaching she had done? Just thinking about how having someone like Ji Jue in the future would tarnish her reputation in academia made her stomach twist uncomfortably…
Interacting with the likes of him only led to a bad mindset.
She couldn’t be bothered to tiptoe around anymore and asked directly, “How’s your health?”
“Um, generally okay, but the aftereffects are a bit cumbersome. I still can’t exert full strength when running.”
The overexertion from Quancheng had indeed been too severe.
Moreover, with the calls to evolution and transformation underway, his body was constantly changing.
The damage from the injuries triggered stimulants that actually accelerated the entire process, meaning he still couldn’t be considered fully recovered.
The calling period was about completing and enhancing one’s capabilities, while during the transformation phase, the chosen one’s soul and body would again enter a stage of evolution, progressing further toward the supreme goodness.
Each stage was unique, impacting body and soul in various ways.
It was clear that the non-attack leaned more toward soul enhancement.
The essence and spirit he absorbed had left his body slightly weakened.
However, this didn’t affect Ji Jue too much.
With the assistance of fluid alchemy and mercury, he was now able to maintain the powered exoskeleton's support practically twenty-four hours a day.
Even running a full marathon felt like lounging on the couch.
After getting used to it, it was quite pleasant.
What had once troubled him—heavy physical labor—was now trivial with the help of mercury.
Even the walking stick he carried wasn’t just a standard piece of furniture.
It was made from two completely different mercury blessings—gold-iron quality and ultimate toughness.
With them in hand, he didn't even need a toolbox.
Now, with a glance, Ye Xian could sense the hidden spiritual fluctuations emanating from Ji Jue.
Threads of mercury coursed beneath his jacket and clothing, a complex web ready to transform at any moment into powered exoskeletons or other tools.
The two seemingly half-finished products that would be hard for anyone else to control transformed effortlessly in Ji Jue's hands, like a miracle.
“The Control Axis?”
She inquired, understanding at once, “Have you gotten the hang of it so quickly?”
“For now, I’ve just grasped the basics. There’s still immense potential to be mined.”
Even at this stage, Ji Jue didn’t dare claim full mastery over this blessing.
Much like exceptional skill and the essence of spirit, it merely provided a new direction and possibility; how to wield it was entirely up to him.
The upper limit was high, but the lower limit was also low.
For any chosen one, its existence was a crucial hub and node.
Just like Ji Jue’s previous two blessings, this one could not offer any offensive or defensive capabilities.
Yet due to its unique nature, Ji Jue had experienced a fundamental transformation.
The effect of the Control Axis was quite straightforward: exactly as the name suggested, it aimed to transform oneself into the core within its domain.
It could elevate one’s control abilities, including over oneself.
Still, the enhancement range remained limited; it could not achieve the terrifying control powers of blessings like “Golden Laws,” “Life and Death,” “Control of Fate,” and so forth, nor interfere with anything not belonging to oneself.
The only area it could influence was one’s own.
What it emphasized wasn’t ‘control’ but rather the ‘core’!
The effect was simple: to tightly connect oneself with everything that belonged to them and regard it all as an indivisible whole.
This would allow for the flow of any spiritual energy, blessings, or even matrix effects within the overall scope!
Regardless of whether the objects were living or dead, whole or incomplete.
In other words…
Ji Jue could manifest all passive effects of non-attack's barehanded refinement, the precision manipulation granted by exceptional skill, and even the spiritual intelligence augmentation brought by the essence of spirit upon any creation he controlled.
Just like now.
As Ji Jue extended his hand to point at the ancient clock in the corner.
Mechanical Invocation, go!
In an instant, a crisp sound of friction echoed from within the clock, countless gears grinding and rotating, levers moving, the outer shell splitting and reconfiguring.
The straight clock suddenly toppled, and just before hitting the ground, two limbs that resembled beasts extended from the split outer casing, propping up against the floor.
The metal casing collapsed, enclosing the intricate skeleton within, the previously heavy pendulum winding out like a long tail.
The meticulously crafted mosaic glass pieces transformed into complex patterns, covering the body.
The brass clock lifted its head, its mouth opening, revealing sharp teeth within.
In the blink of an eye, the heavy clock became a living brass cheetah, gracefully prowling around indoors, nimbly sitting beside Ji Jue, enjoying his touch, its eyes blissfully closing in contentment.
The gem-like eyes reflected the sunlight streaming in through the window, casting radiant beams all around.
What was once an inanimate object had now turned into a living being.
From Ji Jue’s hands.
This was the second transformation brought forth by the Mechanical Invocation after experiencing the triple blessings of the calling phase!
No longer reliant on emergency survival protocols, he could achieve all this solely through his abilities and alchemy, using only a tiny bit more spiritual essence than before!
Even though he was already prepared for it, witnessing it again left Ye Xian silent.
She removed her glasses and sighed quietly.
As a teacher, she was acutely aware of what was happening, arguably even more than Ji Jue himself.
The phenomenon of blessings interfering or influencing each other did exist.
Just as there were incompatible forces like the essence of spirit and the essence of material, or gold quality and ultimate toughness, there were also special combinations that complemented each other and could lead to qualitative changes.
For instance, the notorious trio of blessings – “Blood Drinking,” “Fierce Combat,” and “Hard Shattering.” When these three blessings were combined, the lower one’s health, the stronger the destructive power became; the stronger the destructive power grew, the more they could suck blood… Those who have used them praised them highly, while those who have been on the receiving end cursed them.
Taking it one step further, combining with other blessings could even create chained effects like “Frenzied Hunt,” where blood lock frenzy would lead to a relentless battle until someone was defeated.
Be they human or spirit, everyone would take a few hits.
The quality of a judgment matrix depended on the targeted and locked blessings, and even the number of blessings forming the chain.
Just like her possession of “Moye”; it only had two blessing chains, maximizing the effects of separation and repulsion, which was average at best.
“Ganjang” was similar.
Ah, quite ordinary, as long as you maintain the current mindset and view them separately…
(End of Chapter)