Above Destiny

Chapter 686 Hearing a Crowd of Dogs Barking

This is like trying to fill a cup with water and see who overflows first.

The two sides began a rather unusual competition.

Ji Jue adds a little, Hu Jian adds a little, Ji Jue adds a little more, Hu Jian adds a little more... You add a set of transformation techniques, and I'll add an application of solid alchemy.

When Lou Feng passed by, Ji Jue pulled him along and added an application he had figured out from his family tradition to the part about cultivating spiritual qualities.

As a result, they kept adding more and more.

After adding and revising the manuscript seven or eight times, it was sent to the review panel... and then we ran into someone who liked to join in the fun.

The first judge, Egonu, took one look and immediately laughed.

It's so lively! I'll join in too!
The extraction process also incorporated some life science elements...

So the pressure fell on the next member of the judging panel. Looking at the manuscript, he remained silent for a long time. He really didn't want to participate, but he couldn't let others say that he had nothing to do.

So, the others started adding as well.

And so it went, more and more were added, and then, like a crowdfunding campaign, it became unstoppable during the review by the internal experts.

With one hand in each of their hands, and even Yellowbeard being pulled along by Egnu, they added a Northern rune to the purification process.

It was like passing a bomb around.

And so, you with one hand, me with one hand...

Finally, it exploded in Jiang Tongguang's hands.

"Hey, you son of a bitch..."

During the board approval process, Jiang Tongguang chuckled as he looked at the compilation, which was a quarter thicker than before. Glancing at Ji Jue's name on it, he exclaimed, "That kid, he's really good at stirring things up!"

He kicked open the door to the chairman's office and threw the manuscript at Gustav.

"Come on, take a look, Chairman."

Jiang Tongguang sighed jokingly, "The oddball you've been supporting has pulled another big stunt at this crucial moment..."

Gustav remained expressionless, as always.

I flipped through it casually, read it from beginning to end, and simply asked, "Isn't this good?"

"Whether it's good or bad, have you considered the reaction after its release?"

"What kind of reaction can we expect?"

Gustav gave a cold laugh: "It's just that I've taught a bit more, what's the big deal?"

Can it turn the world upside down?
No.

Adding more applications and techniques ultimately doesn't touch the core. At best, it's just a few bits and pieces slipping through the fingers.

Even if it touched upon the flaws and taboos of the centuries-old master-apprentice tradition of craftsmen, so what if it taught more real skills?
If you don't teach it yourself, can you stop others from teaching it?
Can we really stop all the apprentices living in the workshop from spending their own money to buy books and study on their own?

Even if it only touches the shackles, even if it only opens a narrow gap in the shackles of all the apprentices, how can it stop the prisoners from yearning for the scenery outside the gap?
Hu Jian is willing to risk his entire life's reputation and honor to teach more people. As the chairman of the board, how could I possibly hold him back?
"No need to worry about anything else. If anyone in the council has any objections, they can just come and talk to me directly."

Gustav casually signed his name on the list:

"If he wants to teach, let him teach!"

Thus, amidst the council's eerie silence, the eighth edition of "A Summary of the Basic Explorations of the Four Books of Alchemy" was expanded and officially approved.

Publish and distribute!
"I'm sorry, teacher, there's been an emergency at home recently, and I really can't get away."

In the afternoon sunlight, the atmosphere in the quiet office was almost frozen.

The helpless young man handed over his resignation with both hands, bowed his head in regret, and sighed deeply.

"When I was young, there weren't so many things going on."

The teacher frowned: "Can't you try to overcome this? The workshop is at a critical juncture right now. If you leave, we can't hand over the work to someone else, can we?"
Can't we just hold on a little longer?
I was also thinking of mentioning your job title and compensation to you again recently.

Skatener remained silent, head bowed, for a long time before sighing regretfully, "I have let you down. I am truly sorry."

"..."

The craftsman's eyes gradually turned cold. He looked down at the resignation letter, signed his name, and finally chuckled softly, "Go, go. It's good to be young. The workshop will always be your home. Remember to come back when you're done."

"Most definitely."

Skatener nodded gratefully, slowly rose, and left.

After a long while, the craftsman finally emerged from the deathly silent office and looked at the workshop. The apprentices, who were exchanging silent glances, couldn't help but turn grim.

"What are you looking at? Are you all so bored?"

He shouted angrily, "Get back to work!"

Suddenly, it became noisy and busy again.

However, the vacant spot is now empty, with one person missing.

In the crowded dormitory, Skatener picked up his suitcase and backpack, took one last look at the crack in the wall, thought for a moment, and then left his bedding behind.

It's too heavy and too cumbersome.

"Here you go."

He sighed with relief and looked at his roommate: "Don't you always complain about how cold it is in winter?"

My roommate, with his disheveled hair, froze for a moment, then put down his bowl, forgetting all about eating, and asked incredulously, "No, you're really gone?"

"What's the point of staying?"

Skatener countered, "I've been working in the workshop for eight years. Eight years. What have I learned besides trivial bits and pieces?"

"..." My roommate remained silent.

“I admit that my talents are limited, so I won’t hold my teacher back.” Skatener gave a self-deprecating laugh: “From now on, I’ll have to fend for myself.”

My roommate hesitated for a moment: "Where...are you planning to go? Are you really going to become a homeless apprentice and do odd jobs at various places?"

"do not know."

Skatener silently lowered his head, looking at the heavy collection of summaries in his arms. After a long while, he sighed softly, "I want to go out and see the world. Even if I don't learn anything, it would be good to see as much as possible."

His roommate remained silent, patted him on the shoulder, took the heavy box from him, and escorted him outside the workshop.

Under the blazing sun, a hint of chill already crept in during early winter.

Finally, the box was placed in Skatener's arms.

"You...you wait for me in the city for two days."

When we hugged goodbye, I heard my roommate's voice: "I'll stay with you."

Skatener paused for a moment and looked at his roommate.

My roommate smiled, turned around, and walked into the workshop.

Two days later, in a crowded, cheap hotel in a small seaside town, Skatener heard a knock on the door and saw a tired young man.

The two looked at each other in silence, saying nothing more.

The young man, who had just put his luggage on the ground and gulped down two bottles of water, sighed: "I've really offended the teacher this time... I really can't keep him here anymore. Have you decided where you're going?"

Skatener thought for a moment, stroking the thick cover of the compilation in his hand, and suggested, "I heard that Master Hu is planning to reopen the Dust and Haze Inheritance... How about we go to Tian Shu to take a look?"

"The boat tickets are a bit expensive."

“I heard they’re hiring on the coast lately, and the pay is pretty good. Chosen Ones even get extra allowances and bonuses,” Skatana suggested. “How about we earn some money first?”

"What are you waiting for?"

The young apprentice grinned, shouldered his luggage, and said, "Let's go!"

Amidst the shimmering waves, the echoes of departure resounded from the harbor.

They disappeared into the crowd and were never seen again.

Despite losing two apprentices, the workshop remained busy. Soon, two more young, inexperienced faces appeared, just like all newcomers, their eyes filled with innocence and longing.

Whether coming or going, we are full of anticipation.

Looking to the future.

Contrary to expectations, there was no public outrage or complaints. The eighth edition of the compilation was a resounding success, with buyers flocking to purchase it.

Even the high price of more than ten points did not dampen the enthusiasm of buyers.

Ten points might not seem like much to a craftsman, but a registered apprentice might not be able to accumulate that many even after a year of hard work... But as word spreads, even those who are still skeptical will pool their points with their companions to buy a set together, or even borrow and circulate it among themselves.

Unfortunately, buying it doesn't mean you'll learn it.

Even if you study it, you may not be able to learn it.

While mediocre students were still struggling to grasp the basics with their eyes reddening, truly gifted apprentices, looking at the supplementary sections that seemed like heavenly scriptures, couldn't help but have their eyes light up, even if they only had a superficial understanding of them.

Even craftsmen, not just apprentices, would find themselves burning the midnight oil and scratching their heads when faced with those complex and seemingly insurmountable supplementary materials.

No way, is this really the basics?
Good news, the old fogies have finally taught me the Burning Technique. Bad news, I can't understand it!
Most buyers who received the book and looked at the author's name and preface on the title page had the same expression as an old man looking at his phone.

Wait, what is this thing?
Among the editorial team members, the second author after Hu Jian's name... wait, who is Ji Jue?!
Is it the one I know?

Holy crap, it really is!
Inside the association, those who were initially waiting to see a good show were starting to get restless, flipping through the entire compilation over and over again, finding it hard to understand.

Seriously, buddy, are you crazy?
Just two days ago they were fighting to the death, how come they're suddenly all lovey-dovey today?

It's one thing to slide on your knees, but to actually find a newbie who's only been a craftsman for less than a year to write the preface?!
The world is changing too fast all of a sudden.

Everyone is having a hard time accepting it; they feel like they've missed two episodes and don't know who to ask to catch up.

Despite such doubts, Hu Jian remained calm and did not respond. He submitted his resignation to the association, announced the restart of Dust and Haze, abandoned the position he had painstakingly built over the years, and began packing his bags to leave Tian Shu and return to his hometown.

As for the numerous angry criticisms that came like snowflakes, such as "ambitious," "misleading the youth," and "malicious intentions," he simply sneered and didn't care at all.

As for the resulting lawsuits and apprentices leaving, that's none of my business.

All they do is dangle carrots and empty promises to exploit their apprentices. They're the kind of people who get themselves into trouble over a single reference book. Their barking may be pleasant, but their true colors are just awful.

If you're willing to embarrass yourself, then keep yelling. I'll admit defeat if I even glance at it.

No matter how much they secretly disliked or resisted it, few craftsmen would openly oppose it; in fact, they would have to swallow their pride and say thank you.

This is truly the most valuable compilation published by the association in recent years, and arguably the most valuable in decades.

Not only do they genuinely offer numerous secret techniques and skills, but their lineup is also incredibly impressive.

Even disregarding Hu Jian's previous position, just look at the authors listed in the supplementary content... apart from Ji Jue, they are all masters!

Even Ji Jue, after this incident, everyone understood that this bastard was really not far from becoming a master.

Hu Jian used his reputation and face as a stepping stone for him, not to mention the certification from other participants, and even the secret techniques passed down from theory to practice that were shared without reservation in the supplementary content.

He even brought out fluid alchemy!

And I don't regret it at all, I don't care.

You know, even if you just put together fragmented content, you could cobble it together and use it to write a paper that might get you an A grade. But this paper was just casually thrown into a reference book and made public without even a patent registration or a backdoor!

He really does teach some things!

But since you've actually taught it, then everyone feels a bit embarrassed.

Just as countless craftsmen were working day and night to supplement the compilation and produce some results, Ji Jue threw a new paper into Tian Shu, which really caused a huge uproar.

This time, the judging panel, who had just joined in the fun a few days ago, is completely dumbfounded.

The paper, only a few tens of thousands of words long, felt light in my hand, but the content read like a fantasy novel. From the inside out, from top to bottom, everyone's expression involuntarily scrunched up.

What the hell...

What is the "method of sacrificing quantity to increase quality"?

You're telling me that by doing this and that, you can suddenly and inexplicably upgrade the grade of an object by drastically consuming its quality and durability?

No, is this reasonable?
—And what exactly is this Triadic Alchemy you're talking about?!

From beginning to end, he remained completely open-minded, even explaining the theories and principles clearly in the manuscript, as if afraid that others wouldn't be able to learn it.

But unfortunately... there's no way to prove it.

Because the conditions described by this bastard are so complex and the prerequisites so demanding that no one else can possibly do it!

Without the aid of fluid alchemy, not even the first step could be completed; without Non-Aggression's terrifying control, the furnace would explode before the creation itself.

At the same time, there is no way to disprove it.

All the principles and details are rooted in modern alchemy, perfectly consistent and without any contradictions, so much so that readers can instinctively believe them after reading them.

So, no one could laugh anymore.

I'm not happy anymore.

I'm starting to go bald.

Normally, when faced with such bizarre situations, the review panel would just assume it's nonsense and send it back with a simple "still needs verification." But Ji Jue, that bastard, is no ordinary person.

Not to mention having Ye Xian backing him up, he also has two golden ribbons on his body, not to mention the strong support from Gustav. Even within the council, he would have considerable prestige.

Finally, the review panel even expanded the paper twice and invited relevant experts to review it. As a result, the invited masters also failed to pass the review in silence.

After several furnaces were blown up, the final conclusion was ambiguous.

It might work, it might not.

Although the principle is correct, the reality is still the same.

In short, you know...

Let's not call this alchemy, let's just call it magic!
So, with no other option, the judging panel also began to feel numb.

Over the years, we've all been evaluating groundbreaking achievements at the S level, and we've seen plenty of bizarre and alarmist things, but we've stumbled in front of this one.

It can't even be disproven.

There's no other way, so let's keep going up.

The review panel was stunned, then the council was stunned, then Gustav was stunned, but Gustav was also stunned. After staring at it for a long time, he signed it and continued to push it up...

It was thrown right up to the grandmaster.

Of the three grandmasters, the Heavenly Furnace is still recovering from its injury, the Plow Maker remains secluded and busy with his own things, and has not replied to any messages. Only the scavenger old lady, who has recently made an occasional appearance, glanced at them during her recovery.

Then I laughed.

It is said that he has not laughed this happily in the past few years.

He only said two sentences from beginning to end.

The first sentence expresses a sense of awe and shock at the young people's chaotic ideas and bizarre thinking—'Very interesting, but it's better not to have them.'

The second sentence affirms the achievements of the paper.

She said, 'It works; all you need are hands.'

It means that if you're not a grandmaster, only Ji Jue's hands in the whole world can do it.

Thus, with the Grandmaster's affirmation and endorsement, the association witnessed an unprecedented spectacle for the first time in hundreds of years: a paper that no one but the author could replicate or reproduce, and which even those with slightly lower levels of understanding could not comprehend, was awarded an A+ for the first time ever!

Meanwhile, Triad Alchemy was registered and licensed within the association without any theoretical basis whatsoever...

It's not even the end of the year yet!
In other words... another gold ribbon that's practically a done deal!
Just like in a horror story, after becoming a craftsman, he obtained the three gold ribbons that were the key to becoming a master craftsman in less than a year!
It's practically a done deal.

What's even more terrifying is that when everyone started to look back, they discovered that... out of the ten gold ribbons this year, Ji Jue almost single-handedly won four of them!
Countless artisans who had been queuing up to gain experience were now on the verge of tears.

Even so, I still want to thank Mr. Ji...

Anyone who uses their brain to think for a moment will realize that he truly showed mercy.

Don't forget, regardless of what kind of magic the Triad Alchemy is, the Fluid Alchemy is still in this bastard's hands!
Just look at the quality of Ji Jue's papers; it's impossible to say that they weren't adapted and revised for modernization.

The reason he's holding back from issuing it can only mean one thing... he's still waiting to become a master so he can snatch the lifetime achievement crown!

As is widely known, just as the gold ribbon is the threshold for becoming a master, the presence or absence of the crown is also a hard standard for competing for a board seat...

All I can say is that this is something you can't think about too much; the more you think about it, the more terrifying it becomes, and the more you ponder it, the less you can live your life!

Back then, Ye Xian slaughtered his way to the Master level after his debut, which was already terrifying. Everyone only had a few years to catch their breath.

But now, another Ji Jue has appeared, who bites and barks like a dog, to the point that those who personally experienced the Ye Xian era are starting to lose their composure.

Come on, brother, stop using your supernatural powers!

How long has it been?
"How long has it been?"

In the afternoon sun, Tianlu, who was "bedridden," slumped in a rocking chair, shaking his head, gesturing with the hole in his forehead, sighing deeply, and expressing his disappointment:

"They're young after all; their progress is a bit slow."

"..."

Beside him, Old Man Qi Tan, who was knitting a doll with his head down, suddenly clenched his fist. In silence, he turned back to look at him—"Why didn't Bai Xiao's shot kill you?"
No, if you're really that bored, why don't you just slit your throat and hang yourself to make everyone laugh!

After reviewing Ji Jue's paper, Tianlu leisurely picked up the phone and skillfully dialed a number.

After a long busy signal, the call ended.

The call was not connected.

Undeterred, he kept redialing, only to be hung up again, and then redialing once more...

Until the other end, it's incredibly annoying!

The call was finally connected.

"Hey, Yuan, have you eaten?"

Tianlu grinned, ignoring the sinister malice on the other end, and casually asked, "Has things gotten a bit out of hand at your workplace lately?"

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(End of this chapter)