Chapter 245.1: Gift Part 1

No matter where one went, hospital room ceilings all seemed to look exactly the same, without exception.

It was as though the ceiling panels everywhere had been made by the same company. There was no variation, no sense of aesthetics whatsoever. It was just the same monotonous design, dull enough to make anyone despair. The smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, while the sour bitterness of medicine still clung to his mouth.

An IV catheter remained in his wrist. The machines in the corner beeped steadily. His entire body hurt like hell, and he could barely move.

More importantly, the afternoon sun was shining straight into his face, bright and scorching. It was way too hot!

Nurse? Where’s the nurse? Can someone please close the curtains?

Unfortunately, there was no nurse, no kind, gentle young woman hovering over him and taking care of his every need. Instead, there was only a familiar figure sitting beside the bed, with the familiar thermos and devil’s work ball resting nearby as she calmly read the newspaper.

Ji Jue stared at her in surprise. “Professor?”

“Mm?” Ye Xian looked over, then simply nodded in understanding. “You’re awake?”

“Mm.” Ji Jue’s voice was hoarse. “Is there any water? I’m really thirsty.”

“It’s on the table. Pour it yourself. If you can’t, press the call button.”

There was not a trace of warmth in her response. She was as cold and indifferent as ever, which actually made Ji Jue breathe a sigh of relief. If Professor Ye suddenly started speaking gently and fussing over him with tender care, that was when he would start wondering whether he had fallen under some illusion.

But even moving his fingers slightly sent a piercing pain through him. And it was not just his body, his soul hurt too.

He picked up the glass with trembling hands and spilled half its contents before he could even get it anywhere near his mouth.

“Matrix overload. It’s normal. You’ll be fine after you rest for a while.”

Ye Xian glanced at his miserable state and flicked a finger. A straw formed from air dropped into the glass, sparing him from splashing the rest of the water all over his face.

After struggling for what felt like forever, Ji Jue finally managed to take a sip. Only then did he notice the rich fragrance of flowers filling the air. He looked around and finally saw the mountain of bouquets and fruit baskets piled throughout the temporary ward.

Their gold-embossed ribbons bore all sorts of names. There were some from Tong Shan and Tong Ting, as well as Ji Liu, Ji Xue, and Xu Guan. Others came from the Cliff City Security Bureau and the Tide City Security Bureau. One was from Lou Feng, and judging by the handwriting, he clearly wasn’t happy about sending it. Another was from Lou Yanyue. Her fruit basket was enormous, almost big enough to fit Ji Jue inside.

Then there was one with no sender’s name. It was the smallest and cheapest basket of the lot, and two of the fruits inside had already gone bad. The card only read, ‘Get well soon and pay me back.’ That had to be Tom.

Fine, you bastard. You want the rest of your money? Dream on. You can beg on your knees first!

There was even one labeled, ‘From Everyone in the Recycling and Processing Department.’

Those guys still remember me?

There were more names Ji Jue had never heard before, along with people he had only met once in passing. There were so many that it was honestly a little frightening.

“Uh... isn’t this a bit much?”

“We already cleared out more than half of it. The fruit shops at the outpost have nearly sold out these past few days. The shop owners are probably thanking you in their dreams,” Ye Xian said. “The Tong family and the Lou family both owe you an enormous favor. The Security Bureaus of Cliff City and Tide City have both issued commendations in your name. Even the Association’s specialists have nothing but praise for you. If you weren’t still an apprentice, they probably would’ve awarded you a Gold Badge already.

“That’s the one good thing about making a name for yourself. From now on, when you go out into the world, no one will think of you as someone’s apprentice anymore. They’ll remember your name.”

Ji Jue didn’t reply. After a long while, he offered a self-deprecating smile and turned to look at his teacher. Ye Xian had lowered her gaze back to the newspaper, as calm and indifferent as ever, showing no reaction at all.

Eventually, Ji Jue finally worked up the courage to ask, “Professor Ye, don’t you have anything you want to ask me?”

At that, the pair of eyes looked up from the newspaper with an arched eyebrow. She had a contemptuous gaze, as though she were looking at an idiot.

“Students ask questions. Teachers answer them. Since when does a teacher go asking a student for explanations? A student is a student, and a teacher is a teacher. You signed the contract, so just behave yourself and work like a proper drudge. Stop filling your head with pointless nonsense,” Professor Ye told him coldly.

“Huh?” Ji Jue stared at her blankly.

“And if I were you, I’d watch my back whenever I go out at night from now on.” Ye Xian looked away, adding in a mocking tone, “That old bastard Jian Yuan is incredibly petty. No matter how carefree he acted when he left, I doubt he’s stopped thinking about the fine piece of material that slipped through his fingers. Of course, if your heart truly lies with the Depths, I won’t force you to stay. I can expel you tomorrow.”

“No! Please, absolutely not!” Ji Jue frantically waved his hands, only to grimace as the movement sent pain through his body. “Professor Ye, I’ve learned my lesson! I really have!”

“I certainly hope so.” Ye Xian sneered, as cold and indifferent as ever.

The hospital room fell silent.

Ji Jue closed his eyes and sensed his weakened soul, as well as the dim glow of his matrix. He had never been in such a frail state before. It really felt as though he were barely clinging to life.

Yet even in that weakness, the light circulating through his matrix seemed more resilient than ever. Its structure had grown increasingly complex, almost as though it were alive. It had already spread from his hands along his arms and was on the verge of reaching his shoulders.

And within his soul, beside the blessings of Flawless Craft and Spirit Primacy, a brand-new outline had appeared. Shrouded in a halo of light, it connected seamlessly with his matrix as though they had always been one.

At once, every strand of spirit matter fell neatly into order. Every subtle change within his body became perfectly clear to him, even the beat of his heart, the pulse in his veins, the flow of his blood, the firing of his nerves. It was as if all of it had fallen completely under his control. He had become the sovereign of his own body.

This was the Axis of Dominion, a blessing of Origin!

At some point, this generous blessing from Origin had simply appeared within Ji Jue’s soul. It had shown up without so much as a greeting, not even bothering to ask whether he wanted it. It had simply been shoved into him whether he liked it or not.

Mr. Origin was really playing fast and loose with the rules here!

Now, the three blessings linked together, guided by the matrix into an entirely new structure. Ji Jue’s soul and body seemed to have stepped onto a whole new level, and everything felt fundamentally different.

After four and a half months in the Resonance Realm—a period that had not been particularly long—Ji Jue had entered the Metamorphosis Realm at a terrifying pace, practically as if he had been launched there on a rocket.

Unfortunately, for the time being, he had neither the energy to examine the changes to Deus Ex Machina, nor the time to test the effects of his new blessing.

When he thought back to the chaos in Spring City, and to the countless mechanical monsters he had created with his own hands, Ji Jue couldn’t help but sigh. Jian Yuan’s words surfaced in his mind once again. In the end, the thing he was best at really was creating hell. What was he supposed to make of that?

Ji Jue flashed a mocking smile. “Professor Ye, maybe I really am kind of a bad person.”

“I don’t believe that.” Ye Xian turned a page of the newspaper, then casually looked up at him, still wearing the same contemptuous look of someone looking at an idiot. “How could a craftsman ever misjudge her own material?”

At that, Ji Jue smiled. He closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep, free of worry at last.