Chapter 00072: The One with Virtue Takes Residence
# The One with Virtue Takes Residence
Chapter 72
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 72: The One with Virtue Takes Residence
Suddenly, the once silent gigantic furnace transformed into something resembling a monster with tentacles, flames shooting out, pulling in the terrified little motorcycle and swallowing it whole.
The motorcycle was lost from sight, only a series of beeping sounds could be heard through the thick furnace wall.
"Brother Ji, this is bad!" Little An exclaimed in fright, instinctively wanting to shout: "The little motorcycle master has been eaten by the furnace monster!"
Yet, Ji Jue remained composed.
Through the mechanical connection and sensing, he perceived and controlled everything happening within the furnace.
No, it felt as if he was personally in control.
The furnace was flipping the situation, taking charge.
This furnace, which had undergone untold years of refining, filled with blessings and the essence of goodness, was now reversing its power supply, pulling Ji Jue into its control.
It felt as though his hand was being guided, pressing down on the controls, step by step, urging him to remember everything.
[Ruins], [Ascension], [Embers]...
The essence from Ji Jue flowed through the furnace, splitting into nine, triggering a chain reaction under the influence of the three marks of goodness.
After an inexplicable order of fusion, a silver-white illusion appeared, merging completely into the massive frame of the little motorcycle.
Then, an unprecedented loud horn echoed from the furnace, blurred by the heavy barrier.
But in Ji Jue's perception, the form of the little motorcycle seemed to melt away, quickly losing its original shape.
In his shock, he wanted to stop, but the furnace forcefully pulled him, urging him to continue, telling him that what came next was the true focus.
It was as if the large body of the little motorcycle dissolved in an instant, floating against gravity above the flames, and then… thick black smoke and numerous impurities were violently expelled during the turbulent shaking of the essence!
With a snap of his fingers, the vast amount of impurities and chaotic disturbances that had once left even Professor Ye helpless were swiftly filtered out.
There were several rusty bolts long broken, a handful of old worn-out washers, two bent crankshafts, and even half of a hood scraped from some vehicle along with two valves…
As they fell, they were burned to smoke, disappearing without a trace.
Ji Jue was dumbfounded.
He checked daily but had never known that the little motorcycle hid so many random things inside.
Then, the second round of filtering revealed large smoky crystal-like substances, sharp iron pieces like bone spurs, and writhing crimson worms that seemed almost alive…
These were the mutated impurities from the blessings that the little motorcycle had consumed, and even remnants from dragon's blood!
Just like clothes thrown into a dryer after getting wet, the irrelevant materials were swiftly flung away—after breaking the old physical constraints of the material, Ji Jue, through methods he struggled to understand, completely removed all disturbances in an instant!
Among the four essential elements of alchemy, this was the [Purification] that had reached its pinnacle four hundred years ago!
As the liquefied little motorcycle stretched and expanded, reading the properties and remnants of its former state, even Ji Jue, no matter how foolish he was, could guess what the furnace was leading him to practice and comprehend.
It was the unique secret technique of the sacred mercury.
—[Fluid Alchemy]!
Even if Ji Jue couldn’t fully understand eight out of ten things, even if he could only grasp the introductory operations, the furnace unreservedly revealed this transmission unique to the sages!
He forgot to breathe.
He strained to memorize the feel of the operations at this moment, trying to capture more applications, wanting to leave more memories and sensations.
But it was all too fast.
The energy left in the furnace, their time was already running out.
In just over a few seconds, when the furnace's door opened again, a scorching wind rushed out, and through the spreading smoke, a pitch-black motorcycle slowly emerged.
The dazed headlights flickered, still confused about what had happened.
Its form had slightly shrunk, but the waves of essence that surrounded it rose like flames, ready to burst forth at any moment.
Countless essence circuits were etched beneath its shell, with sixteen marks of goodness scattered throughout every critical corner, while the runic sequence guiding the blessing energy spread from the engine to the entire body.
It was completely like being reborn!
Even now, compared to other alchemical products, it appeared as an empty shell—there was nothing left but the original dragon's blood, yet it still allowed Ji Jue after-modifications and additional filling space.
Everything was inscribed using fluid alchemy, meant for Ji Jue to research and reverse-engineer further…
Had it not been for the blessing cage linked to the furnace having been emptied, with no blessings to use, it would likely have filled every slot on the little motorcycle's body with residual blessings from mercury.
But more striking was—after purification, the enormous transformation that awaited!
Ji Jue was momentarily stunned, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Why was it two wheels going in, and three wheels coming out?!
It had transformed from a simple scooter into a three-wheeled vehicle?!
The carrying capacity had significantly increased!
Wait, is this evolution tree normal?
But strangely, the little motorcycle seemed completely unbothered, operating the extra wheels smoothly as if it were born to do so, wiggling excitedly before Ji Jue, beeping continuously.
Fluid alchemy breaks the shackles of materials and forms, bringing external shapes closer to their essence.
It ignores the expansion of material properties, favoring the internal aspects, leading to overly high-quality requirements for the materials themselves, but at the same time, it adjusts the external forms based on the essence of the results, ensuring an absolute quality yield.
Its potential in purification had reached a terrifying level.
The little motorcycle's transformation was simply the dragon's blood digesting the materials Ji Jue had fed it after undergoing purification, exhibiting changes on its own.
[This is fluid alchemy]
The furnace emitted a tired sigh. [If I could leave behind some legacy, perhaps it would bring your lord some comfort.]
“... Thank you.”
Feeling that wondrous insight that had yet to fully dissipate, Ji Jue regained his composure and sighed softly: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
[I never expected there would be a chance to reignite before being destroyed.]
That dim flame quivered, flickering, barely alive. [I am content, need nothing more, but... your lord has strayed too far from the path of embers, leading to such a fate.
As its creator, I cannot bear to see the workshop perish.]
It hesitated but ultimately chose not to say more, only offering a self-deprecating smile: [If there is another chance... please extend your mercy upon us again.]
With that, the flame extinguished silently.
It was gone without a trace.
Only a phantom-like sigh echoed in the wind.
Old times, farewell to everyone.
Right before Ji Jue’s eyes, the furnace trembled slightly, collapsing into dust, starry glimmers flickering, soaring, gathering.
They fell into Ji Jue's grasp.
Having witnessed the final offering of the furnace, Ji Jue felt no longer the earlier joy and excitement.
In fact, there was no time to mourn.
Ignoring the hunger and urgency coming from his soul, Ji Jue struggled to absorb it, carefully gathering the energies to ensure they would not be lost.
He leaped into action, swiftly jumping onto the motorcycle, ensuring Little An was properly seated, and then began to race forward!
For if they didn’t run now, it truly would be too late!
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Intense friction sounds exploded from the air, like the outer hull of a submarine rapidly bursting in a vast abyss.
The countdown from the ghost craft was nearing its end, and the faint glow that had sustained them in the abandoned workshop was rapidly fading…
[11—10—9—8—]
With the countdown from the ghost craft, the little motorcycle surged over the uneven steps, instantly speeding above two hundred yards, even more exaggerated than before.
It followed the inner tower of the clock tower, spiraling down!
In just a matter of moments, they landed on the ground, leaving three deep black tire marks behind.
The ghost craft reformed in Ji Jue’s hands, a wisp of light flew out landing on the portal they had entered, instantly engulfing them and sealing it again.
And at that moment, the entire clock tower erupted with a sound never heard before.
Heavenly thunder shook!
A flash suddenly fell from the sky, piercing into the clock tower.
The purification order from the defense array brought forth penalties far greater than fire and lightning.
The plaza shook, fissures spreading from the clock tower, countless bricks and stones failing.
And under the siege of the returning knights, that giant, riddled with wounds yet still fighting valiantly, suddenly paused, half-kneeling on the ground.
No longer capable of moving.
In that moment, everyone was slightly stunned, and then grew increasingly vigilant, watching for any odd signs, prepared against ambush.
And it was precisely this glance that allowed Lou Feng to spot that figure in the distance which made his temperature rise in an instant.
“—Ji Jue!!!”
Not far from the plaza, that infuriating guy had somehow snuck in here!
And upon being discovered, he still wanted to turn and flee?!
“I can’t believe this…”
On the back of the little motorcycle, Ji Jue, ready to flee, froze mid-action, turning slowly to force a tight smile: “Oh, isn’t this Brother Lou? What a coincidence.”
All the returning knights raised their spears in unison, pointing them directly at Ji Jue’s face.
“Looks like Mr. Ji has a keen sense of smell,” Lou Feng said coldly, “Running in so close without a plan, you wouldn’t be here to take advantage of the chaos, would you?”
“That’s impossible, absolutely impossible!”
Ji Jue shook his head vigorously, loudly countering.
How could he want to take advantage of the chaos? He had already finished everything! Thanks to you taking all the aggro, Brother Lou!
Filled with joy and gratitude, he fought against the urge to laugh out loud, looking at Lou Feng without the previous awkwardness he had felt.
The more he looked, the fonder he became, the more satisfied he felt.
It was like looking at a beloved adopted son.
It radiated a kindness that made Lou Feng’s skin crawl.
He took a step back: “Capture him—”
“Brother Lou, wait!”
Ji Jue raised his hand, shouting with wide eyes: “As the saying goes, treasures of heaven and earth belong to those with virtue! How could I, with my tiny flickering light, dare to compete for glory with Brother Lou? In the past, I lacked discernment. How could I make the same mistake again?”
“Brother Ji…”
Little An, confused, reached out and tugged at his clothes, wanting to tell him that he was stepping on her foot, but was interrupted by Ji Jue waving his hand. “Stop talking!”
“We’re leaving!”
Ji Jue squeezed out the words through clenched teeth, as if restraining the emotions and cries that wanted to burst forth, gritting his teeth, “This workshop, I’ll leave to Brother Lou!”
With that, he kicked the little motorcycle.
The little motorcycle backed up a bit, retreated further, then quickly dashed away, turning to run far away.
And then, it disappeared without a trace.
“Did they run?”
Even Si Lan found it hard to believe, looking up at the sky where a shooting star rose, instantly overlooking most of the town, confirming that Ji Jue and the others had already fled far away.
They had all prepared themselves for another hard fight.
But Ji Jue didn’t even dare to probe, avoiding any contact with them at all?
“Hmph!”
Lou Feng coldly snorted.
Several times, he had wanted to order the returning knights to take Ji Jue down at once.
But considering everyone had just battled fiercely, and that Master Ye still possibly had more tricks up his sleeve, he ultimately chose a more cautious approach.
Since Ji Jue had tactfully retreated, he couldn’t keep pressing.
But suddenly, he looked towards the direction Ji Jue had fled, and his heart sank: Wait, how did he know this was a workshop…
Lou Feng suddenly turned around, staring at the gaping clock tower.
His eyes widened.
No longer able to adhere to his previous steady method of dealing, he charged straight in.
And there, he saw… the familiar tire marks etched in the ashes, which felt like branding his heart, making it seize cold.
Panting as he climbed the stairs, he finally reached the half-open broken door, and the desolation, which remained only in ashes, made him unable to help but collapse for a moment.
Echoing through the split skies was an indescribable scream of rage!
Such, a heart-wrenching pain.
“—Ji Jue!!!!”
Ah, the end of the month is here, asking for a monthly ticket~
(End of Chapter)