Chapter 283: The Smile Never Fades

An aura of blessings emanated from that pitch-black long mace. Those blessings were none other than Ascension’s Spirit-Source Circulation and Ember’s Matter-Spirit Catalysis!

At first, everyone had assumed that Ji Jue had exchanged for those blessings as part of some carefully calculated plan to target Andrei, who was in second place. What they had failed to consider was that Ji Jue was a generous man. He would never single out one person. He treated everyone equally and targeted all of them!

The technique Ye Xian had originally developed using the matrices of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye as its foundation was absurdly powerful and terrifying. With it, Ji Jue had managed to recreate the technique’s true essence using nothing more than Pacifier’s versatility and his understanding of its principles.

But there was one thing no one had expected. Even after being stripped of both the matrix and his abilities, Ji Jue could still reproduce a fraction of that technique. Even his replica could perform the Dissociation Technique simply by wielding a specialized tool!

First, Spirit-Source Circulation enhanced the quality of his spirit matter and his control over it. Then Ember’s Matter-Spirit Catalysis intensified the conflict between physical matter and spirit matter, converting it into violent oscillations and driving that destructive force straight into the target’s core!

The two complemented each other perfectly. The instant the long mace struck, a vast surge of spirit matter vibrations penetrated Surtr from every direction. They hit where the defenses were weakest and drove straight into the heart of the structure. Like a precisely placed demolition charge, the mace shattered Surtr’s construct completely from the inside out!

No. Even that was still not enough. Spirit-Source Circulation and Matter-Spirit Catalysis were merely tools used to achieve the effect. The amount of spirit matter vibration that could be transmitted into a target was ultimately limited. So rather than sheer destructive power, this technique demanded absolute precision and insight above all else.

Surtr was alive, and his structure was constantly changing. His spirit matter circulated without pause, while his blessings overlapped and interfered with one another. Even if a theoretical weak point existed, it would appear for only an instant before vanishing in the next.

That was why, before anything else, Ji Jue needed absolute insight into and control over the enemy’s internal structure. Amid the chaos of battle, he had to remain perfectly calm, constantly thinking and analyzing. He had to observe and sense as much as he could. Only then could he pinpoint one of the few fixed patterns hidden within the violent circulation of spirit matter. And from there, he could create the perfect opening and, at the crucial moment, land the finishing blow with a single strike!

That was why he needed Ex-Wife and Stepmother to interfere and wreak havoc. He had even gone so far as to harass the enemy with words, provoking Frederick into attacking relentlessly so that he could gather more information. He had even been willing to completely sacrifice his vital armor as bait.

Both sides had been pushed to the edge of a cliff with no way back. And just before the armored figure was completely reduced to charcoal by the inferno, the outcome was decided!

Everything had gone according to plan. Every last detail had remained under Ji Jue’s observation. Every strategy his replica was carrying out now had already been decided before the battle even began.

The two hosts judged that even the feat of recreating the Dissociation Technique seemed pale and insignificant compared to the level of control Ji Jue had shown in accounting for every possible turn the battle could take.

Before the fight could truly begin, everything was already over.

Now, amid the rapidly cooling ruins of the barrier, Ji Jue’s replica advanced one step at a time. It had long since been torn apart by the flames and destruction, yet with liquid mercury constantly repairing and holding it together, it still moved with complete ease. Every step was exactly the same length as the last.

A pitch-black shadow fell across Frederick’s face. At the very last moment, the Son of Northwind raised his eyes without the slightest fear and stared at the opponent before him, as though trying to engrave that face into his memory. There were no words, no mockery, not even the slightest trace of emotion.

This was clearly nothing more than an unconscious replica, yet that expression—so calm it was almost lifeless—made him feel that perhaps this was the true nature hidden beneath the disguise.

“So I was fooled…” He let out a soft sigh. His face twitched, almost as if he were laughing at himself.

Andrei might be an antisocial freak who can’t even be bothered to talk, but you’re the one who’s truly cold as stone!

And so, as he watched the long mace slowly rise, he closed his eyes and proudly lifted his chin.

Crack!

Something shattered.

From the pain and disappointment of defeat, an inexplicable sense of relief rose in the Son of Northwind’s heart. Facing death with complete composure, he smiled. Look on the bright side, Fred. At least it wasn’t Ex-Wife… As long as it wasn’t Ex-Wife!

Unfortunately, he had celebrated far too soon.

Not long afterward, Frederick saw the recording of events and watched his own replica suffer a crushing defeat at Ji Jue’s hands. It happened even faster than he had expected. Even after his replica ultimately transformed into Surtr, Lord of Flames, it still failed to turn the situation around.

Ji Jue had not activated the workshop’s assistance even once during the fight. By relying entirely on his own control and observation, he completed the analysis even faster than the replica had. And the instant his opponent transformed into Surtr, Ji Jue had seized the crucial opening.

Once again, all it took was one casual strike. The flames dispersed before they could even begin to burn. All that remained was Frederick’s replica, grievously burned by the backlash, barely clinging to life on the ground.

“Strictly speaking, it isn’t actually the Dissociation Technique,” Ji Jue explained calmly to the enemy before him, showing no concern whatsoever about revealing his methods. “Its greatest flaw is that it simply isn’t precise enough. Without Pacifier and Flawless Craft, the Dissociation Technique can’t be properly executed.”

No. If anything, he was doing it on purpose. He wanted his opponents to remain constantly on edge, treating him as a deadly threat and living every moment under the terror of being defeated in an instant.

“So although I used the theories and formulas of the Dissociation Technique during the observation, analysis, and calculation stages, I couldn’t completely dismantle and shatter my opponent’s spirit circuits during the final destructive phase. So I had no choice but to approach it from another angle.

“The goal was to make the opponent’s spirit matter structure collapse anyway. If I couldn’t destroy it directly, then why not completely scramble the original structure and reconstruct it into a chaotic configuration that worked in the exact opposite way? If that caused massive short circuits and conflicts throughout the entire system at the same time, wouldn’t that achieve the same result?”

Just like that, in the most casual tone imaginable, he turned a theoretical possibility so absurd it sounded like pure fantasy into reality, as though it had been the most natural thing in the world.

“Come to think of it, I really should thank the Association for giving me this opportunity. It forced me to go over everything I’d learned from the ground up, and only then was I able to take things a step further. So, for now, I suppose I’ll treat this as my graduation project.”

At last, Ji Jue raised the long mace in his hand. As spirit matter flowed across it, the inscriptions along the weapon lit up, revealing the name its craftsman had given it. The name perfectly captured what it could do—shattering a target’s spirit matter structure and triggering chaos and conflict—in the most vivid and straightforward way possible.

He had named it Glitch[1]!

Crack!

The replica shattered into pieces.

From the encroaching darkness came one final murmur. “Come to think of it, would Segfault[2] have been a better name?”

Along the bone-chilling wind that seemed to blow straight out of the underworld, every trace of a smile vanished from the faces of Frederick and every contestant watching. Even the hosts and judges were speechless.

The thought that they could one day die to some inexplicable monstrosity called Glitch left everyone wondering whether Ex-Wife was actually preferable. At the very least, dying to Ex-Wife would have had a certain tragic grandeur to it!

“As expected of Ye Xian’s student.” Jiang Tongguang’s face twitched. In the end, he had nothing else to say and merely looked toward Gustav. “I think we can end the exam here.”

The moment that ridiculous Glitch weapon appeared in Ji Jue’s hands, the outcome was already decided. The only question was how long the others could hold out before losing to him. If his opponents had been veteran craftsmen or masters with years of experience, people utterly confident in their skills and whose creations were as stable as mountains, then naturally they would not have feared something like Ji Jue’s Dissociation Technique, or whatever this Glitch was.

But for the contestants here, it was practically an attack from a higher dimension. There was simply no way to defend against it.

Gustav, however, remained unmoved. Or rather, he was as merciless as ever. “The exam is not over yet.”

Even if the final result was a crushing defeat, that too was part of the exam. Pain and setbacks were things every craftsman had to endure. Did they really think they would never lose again once they walked out of here?

If a defeat like this was enough to break them so thoroughly that they could never get back on their feet, then all it proved was that they had never been cut out for this in the first place. It was better for them to find out now than spend the rest of their lives struggling in vain.

Gustav flicked his fingers and continued manipulating the simulation within the Myriad Transformations Tower, pushing it forward. Suddenly, he frowned. The Myriad Transformations Tower did not respond to his commands or control at all!

No, more accurately, the towering structure was now shaking violently and operating at full force, having completely broken free of his control. It no longer obeyed any of his commands or inputs!

Streams of light surged from the ground, racing along the tower’s damaged structure. In a matter of moments, the amount of spirit matter they drew in was enough to trigger emergency alarms across all of Starpivot Isle.

But before the alarms could even sound properly, they were silenced.

The earth trembled fiercely as torrents of spirit matter surged into pillars of light. The tower continued extending upward without end, piercing through layer after layer of white clouds and stretching into the distant heights of the sky, far beyond what the naked eye could see.

In an instant, it broke through every imposed limit and specification. The Divine Creation, Myriad Transformations, had suddenly unfolded its complete form!

Jiang Tongguang stared in shock. “What the hell is going on? Gus, what are you doing?! At this rate of consumption, that old geezer Delon is going to come charging over here any minute!”

“Don’t worry. He won’t.” After his initial shock, Gustav’s face twitched, and a bitter smile seemed to cross his face.

Jiang Tongguang stared at him. “This is way beyond ‘using a little too much spirit matter,’ man. Even turning off your phone isn’t going to save you now!”

“No. What I mean is, coming after me won’t do any good.”

For the first time ever, Gustav wore an expression Jiang Tongguang knew all too well. He was completely unbothered. He spread his hands slightly and simply smiled, as though none of this had anything to do with him. Or, translated more accurately, it said, I’m done. Do whatever you want.

“About two minutes ago, Myriad Transformations stopped responding to my commands,” Gustav said. “My access privileges were revoked. Someone has taken control of the tower.”

“What the hell?” Jiang Tongguang’s thoughts raced as his expression turned grave.

If this was some internal power struggle within the Association, why would the other council members resort to something so extreme and reckless? It was far too crude, and there was no point to it! Even if they sacrificed the Association’s reputation and standing, got every examinee killed, and pinned the blame on Gustav, all they would accomplish was making themselves enemies of the entire world.

Besides, even the authority of the other council members could not override Gustav’s. All council members held equal status. In the entire Association—no, in the entire world—aside from Delon, who had yet to step down, the only people who could possess higher authorization were…

Realization struck him, and he blurted out in shock, “A grandmaster?!”

Amid the shimmering light and swirling colors, an intricate emblem appeared before the two men. It was the emblem of the grandmaster of the present era, Divine Furnace!

1. “锟斤拷” is a type of garbled text that can appear when converting between the GBK and Unicode character sets. When certain Unicode characters cannot be represented correctly, they may be replaced with the special placeholder character U+FFFD, known as the “REPLACEMENT CHARACTER.”

It wouldn’t make sense to translate it literally, so I picked “Glitch,” which sounds like an actual weapon name, but still carries the “corrupted text / encoding error” feel behind 锟斤拷.

2. “烫烫烫” is a classic form of garbled text that appears when a program uses uninitialized stack memory, usually due to bugs such as uninitialized variables or out-of-bounds array access. It literally means “hot hot hot” which wouldn’t make much sense in English, hence I chose to localize the programming joke in a way that still makes sense in English. Segfault refers to a runtime error that happens when a program tries to access a memory area it is not allowed to use.