Chapter 00075: The Locals
# The Locals
Chapter 75
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 75: The Locals
First and foremost, the biggest gain was the progress bar.
On the watch, the symbol for one o'clock had been filled to the brim with a dazzling golden hue, nearly overflowing.
Not just full, but so full it felt like it was about to burst!
Under the fervent efforts of Ji Jue, the progress over just one month had already exceeded seventy percent.
After devouring the experience pack from the furnace in one go, the progress bar had completely exploded.
If it weren't for Ji Jue lacking a matrix and the blessing of Heavens, he would have already advanced in rank by now.
Fortunately, reality wasn't some rigged card game; the excess "experience points" hadn't gone to waste—every insight and change had been thoroughly integrated with Ji Jue's abilities and soul.
There were no rules stating that hitting the maximum of the first rank immediately led to advancing to the second.
In fact, when chosen ones were at lower levels, if they had the choice, they often accumulated as much as possible until their abilities reached a point where they couldn't improve anymore.
Only then would they choose to advance.
Maximizing their own attributes was the goal.
This was something Professor Ye and Sister Wen had reminded him countless times: every advantage and strength gained during the summoning phase would exponentially grow and amplify during the transformation, rebirth, and upgrading stages.
In these times, it was no wonder that wild chosen ones weren't taken seriously by larger organizations.
Lacking guidance, matrix, and various forms of support and theory, sometimes starting too fast on the starting line meant a steep drop-off later on.
When enemies combined mechanisms and stats, the overspent potential of chosen ones often led them to defeat and regret.
However, Ji Jue's current situation… was no longer a matter of insufficient foundation.
Rather, the foundation had been filled to bursting with the furnace's great experience technique and was about to blow up!
It was like having suddenly turned into a three hundred-pound person.
It was hard to even move.
To put it simply, it was as if he had been driving a familiar car, but suddenly the engine had been replaced with that of an aircraft—if one wasn't careful, the mechanical might would surge out of control, leading to an unwieldy situation.
The solution was simple.
Just advancing in rank would suffice.
Yet, the issue returned to the start again...
To advance, he had to seek the matrix first and obtain a blessing; otherwise, who knew what rubbish skill he might randomly acquire if he ended up incorrectly allocating his skill points?
But the matrix [Non-Aggression] remained elusive.
And more crucial than the experience bar's growth were the numerous sensations and records carried within the furnace's essence—memories and experiences derived from the furnace itself.
If the earlier resonance was like a basic introductory class, then the massive records from the essence were solid practical experiences.
Thus...
Fluid Alchemy, completely learned!
His understanding of the Twelve Great Traits had increased manifold, and not only that, he had also made significant progress in the four elements of alchemy: Ascendance, Purification, Essence Transformation, and Harmony.
That was truly the valuable part.
Starting from today, Ji Jue would be recognized as the bona fide inheritor of Fluid Alchemy, a remarkable legacy of ancient alchemy!
If one were to categorize by the beginning of the Catastrophic Era, the Ember lineage’s alchemy had both ancient and modern distinctions.
Compared to the modern alchemy which had been thoroughly standardized and made independent, the craftsmen of ancient times had hardly any rules or requirements.
There wasn't even a dedicated category called alchemy back then.
It was intermingled with entropy formulas, celestial contracts, ether divination, and ascent rituals… All abilities shared among the Twelve Traits were classified under mystical rites.
Craftsmen of that era possessed strong individual characteristics but faced all kinds of problems.
Simply put, their methods were haphazard.
In alchemy, they used human blood, souls, and various strange objects for offerings, employing unthinkable methods that Ji Jue couldn't even imagine…
Don’t question the principles behind it, for no one knew, and it didn’t matter.
According to Professor Ye, early alchemy was akin to a group of people entering an elevator—some laughed heartily, some knelt and begged, while others urinated right there.
As they stumbled upwards together, each believed their actions were the reason for their ascent.
The bewildering part was that when reflecting on it later, no one could remember who had pressed the elevator button…
One might think a few steps backward in the restroom, shout "deep blue", or exclaim "don’t underestimate the young and poor," and somehow everything would fall into place.
Stranger than fiction.
Aside from a rough commonality, the underlying logic was completely different from modern alchemy, with some even being entirely opposed.
However, this didn’t mean there weren’t valuable elements; on the contrary, sometimes, by sacrificing a bit of convenience and universality, the gains achieved surpassed what modern craftsmen could imagine.
In the twilight of the Eternal Empire, before the Catastrophic Era, Fluid Alchemy combined the strengths of both worlds.
By that time, alchemical theory had already aligned closely with modern principles, only lacking integration from a few later sages.
At the same time, it retained the vivid characteristics of classical alchemy.
After discarding the two main elements of Ascendance and Harmony, Fluid Alchemy excelled in the path of Purification, unmatched in the world.
Its unique technique was the integration of the external and essential aspects of objects—thereby, through enhancing the essence, the external strength and functionality could be improved in return.
Even if what emerged from the furnace was merely an ordinary iron blade, if well cared for and nurtured over time, it could grow into a peerless famous sword.
This was only the most basic application.
Under the hand of the sage Mercury, every creation appeared as if born from the heavens, without any marks of chiseling or crafting, possessing an outrageous level of concealment while also accommodating multiple shapes and functions.
One could say that it was Mercury who elevated Fluid Alchemy to its current heights.
What Ji Jue had managed to grasp were merely a few foundational circuits and structural ideas she had pioneered, still leagues away from true masters like Professor Ye.
But even so, it was enough.
“Ha ha ha ha, from today onward, please call me—Octopus Hero!!!”
In the moving workshop of the Ghost Weaver Ball, Ji Jue excitedly spread his arms in front of the furnace; then, four mercury limbs processed through alchemy extended from his back.
Like a deep-sea monster.
They dangled, squirming and floating in the air with a feeble energy.
It didn’t seem like strong arms but rather looked more like tentacles... squirming and squirming~
This was Ji Jue's first achievement after learning Fluid Alchemy!
A sewing needle found at a glance, garbage.
Little An reached out and poked at one, snapping it in half, which fell to the ground, flailing about like a dying fish, wriggling back to Ji Jue's back.
“So weak.”
The innocent child bluntly critiqued, which incited a flustered Ji Jue to retort about how even ugly things could be cute, that being able to grow this long was impressive, and that endurance was what truly mattered; a lively atmosphere ensued.
Good news, he had learned it; bad news, there was still a long way to go before it could be applied formally.
Fluid Alchemy naturally had its unique strengths in handling liquid types.
For instance, the name mercury stemmed from its exquisite application of liquid mercury.
Ji Jue naturally tried to imitate.
Unfortunately, with his current rookie control and skills, he was utterly incapable of supporting such complex tools at work; it was merely for show.
Instead, when he merged four limbs into one, it became much more agile, at least capable of helping him pick up tools or carry a bag.
In simple terms, it was a toy.
The true application and results lay in another pile of things he had casually made… in the box on his backpack, densely packed with bullets.
The bullet heads were all perforated and encapsulated with specially treated mercury.
They were pre-engraved with the emblems of Ember and the various great traits to enhance their durability and destructive power.
At the same time, based on circumstances, the heads could be exchanged for those of other special materials from the great traits, allowing for different applications.
Through Fluid Alchemy, the entire bullet was strengthened and enhanced.
With mercury as the carrier, there was no need to have Little An charge them temporarily; they could be completed with the Matrix of Sword Sound in advance and stored away.
When needed, they could be triggered at any time.
This maximally addressed Ji Jue’s current lack of attack power, making it easier to deal with enemies in tough shells.
Just this maneuver ensured that Ji Jue's trip was not in vain.
But what about the matrix?
[Non-Aggression].
Professor Ye, your guidance isn’t working; how many times has this version changed?
Since entering the Rift Realm, he had gathered a large number of clues, almost reaching the truth behind the collapse of the Celestial Pillar and the fall of the Eternal Empire.
Yet there wasn't even a trace of [Non-Aggression] in sight.
Was he really stuck at this level?
Contemplating that he might return empty-handed or end up unable to escape and live out his life in this Rift Realm made Ji Jue’s scalp tingle.
But just as he was deep in thought, the Ghost Weaver Ball suddenly spoke.
[Don't dawdle, kid.]
It said: [Someone's coming!]
In the void, light outlined the scene outside—right outside the makeshift safe house they were in, several shadowy figures were peeking curiously in their direction.
With cautious glances, they were holding heavy, massive weaponry, resembling some sort of firearm, yet unlike anything known outside.
What stood out the most were their faces… Each bore signs of mutation and disfigurement, akin to beasts or bodily deformities, and at the forefront…
Was the "local" that Ji Jue had previously let go.
For a moment, Ji Jue was slightly taken aback.
Was this the aftermath of not eradicating the roots?
But just as both of them were on alert, the middle-aged man hesitated for quite a long time, unexpectedly leaving his companions, approaching this way, circumnavigating the ruins, unable to find the workshop's entrance, as if the courage he had gathered had dissipated.
He sat down on the ground.
It was as if he was waiting for them to show up.
Little An stood up with his cane, but Ji Jue pressed him down.
“Maybe they’re not here to fight,” he said. “I’ll go take a look.”
After preparing his defenses, he opened the door.
It was as if, out of thin air, the middle-aged man was startled, and even the distant figures seemed to recoil in fear, raising their weapons with trepidation.
“What brings you here?”
Ji Jue curiously observed the man: “I don’t think I’ve held any local television duties? How come the TV fees are coming here?”
“…”
The mutated man hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Outsider, please follow me.”
He said: “The prophet wants to see you.”
This time, it was Ji Jue’s turn to fall silent.
Setting aside the invitation, just the term "prophet" brought him an inexplicable sense of unease and wariness.
He turned to meet Little An’s focused gaze behind the door.
Slowly, he shook his head.
“Sorry, I've been a bit busy lately, don’t have the time to join your vibrant local group activities…” he said. “Let’s skip the meeting.”
The man was taken aback for a moment, his voice escalating, a mix of human and some insect-like sound, as if in a hurry.
After a while, Ji Jue finally discerned what he was saying.
“The prophet said she knows where [Non-Aggression] is.”
“…”
Ji Jue froze in place.
After a long time, he turned back to glance at Little An, contemplating in silence for what felt like an eternity before letting out a soundless sigh.
“Lead the way.”
(The End of This Chapter)