“If I’m bad at it, then I’ll just practice more!”

...

“Get him out of the palace!”

...

“Trash, I need you to help me train!”

...

“Heh heh heh heh heh! I’m going to practice the Dissociation Technique ten more times, yeah!”

...

For three straight days, the entire workshop was filled with deranged howls, without distinction between day and night. If not for the excellent soundproofing, Ji Jue would have already been kicked out by Professor Ye, or even shot down by Ye Chun before that.

But as the saying went, “The roommate’s mechanical keyboard clicks sounded like heavenly music to the ears, while the sound of flipping pages was as deafening as a renovation site.” Just watching him grind himself to exhaustion with such relentless intensity was already giving a certain slacker surnamed Ye a bit of a nervous breakdown.

She even started having nightmares, seeing some annoying bastard frantically grinding behind her, letting out a creepy “heh heh heh” laugh while drooling as he leaned in to say, “Senior, senior, come to my place tonight. My thesis can do backflips!”

That stupid workaholic! Why don’t you just work yourself to death already! I’ve already booked the best scenic spot at Tianmen Lake for you. Once you turn to ash, you’ll become a new scenic landmark at Tianmen University, called the Workaholic’s End!

On the sofa, Ye Chun kept tossing and turning, not a shred of sleepiness in sight. Having a damn afternoon nap was utterly impossible. The moment she closed her eyes, that study freak’s face would vividly appear right in front of her.

Enraged, Ye Chun thought, Heaven, please, just kill me already. When is this ever going to end?

She helplessly struggled to drag herself up from the sofa and slowly shuffled to the desk, turning back three times with every step. She opened a new folder and a Word document. Staring at the empty page, she quietly started shedding little pearls[1].

Meanwhile, in the workshop, Ji Jue, utterly exhausted, finally withdrew his sinful hands and collapsed back into his chair. He gazed at the ceiling as sleepiness washed over him.

That was probably enough practice for today.

The essence of Dissociation Technique was the use of one’s own spirit matter. As long as it worked, the amount actually didn’t matter. Using the Dissociation Technique he hadn’t even formally mastered on this crude thing could only be described as “mana saving.”

According to the training plan he had set for himself these past few days, he would deplete 64% of his spirit matter each cycle, repeating it three times before ending the day.

Based on the formula given by Professor Ye, and substituting his own total spirit matter capacity and rank, 64% was currently the optimal threshold for Ji Jue.

Above this threshold, spirit matter recovery efficiency was at its highest. With sufficient caloric intake, it could naturally recover in about seven hours. At the same time, it would not cause damage from prolonged spirit matter depletion.

Ji Jue would call this the “golden ratio of grind culture.” As long as he followed this ratio, he could grind to his heart’s content. Then, he could use the remaining time to do practice sets and cram books.

Although he would still get distracted and slack off at first, once he got used to it, it became surprisingly addictive, almost blissful.

On the workbench, the pendant that once looked antique and elegant was already covered in cracks, as if it had been subjected to countless layers of fine scraping. It looked utterly exhausted, barely hanging on to life.

If it could speak, its first words would probably be begging Ji Jue to just give it a quick end. If you want to kill me, just do it cleanly. You just need to nod your head and give me a quick death. You’ve been scraping at me with a knife for three days already. Even the deepest grudge should’ve been settled by now, right?

The devil’s work ball flickered with a dim glow as it scanned the object and said, “Mm, not bad. The spirit matter circuits have basically all been stripped away. There’s nothing messy that can get in the way now. You can start preparing to unseal the blessing.

“I have to say, in all my years of working, I’ve never seen a Dissociation Technique this weak. The persistence and stubbornness of a workaholic is honestly terrifying. If I ever end up offending you in the future, please just offer me a quick end. I really can’t take this kind of suffering.

“Wait, actually, if the target is a Divine Creation, maybe you could even use this method to force them into submission. Trust me, even the tightest-lipped Divine Creation would crack after a week of this! As expected of you. You’ve actually developed a brand-new way to use Dissociation Technique!”

Ji Jue immediately broke down, glaring at the ball as he retorted, “Bullshit, how is it weak? Stop yapping! This is called being cautious and meticulous, got it? Do you even understand what it means to handle something with finesse? Don’t worry, when I handle you in the future, it’ll be clean and decisive. I’m just afraid it’ll be too much for you to handle!”

The devil’s work ball gave a faint chuckle and said nothing more.

After all, the real reason Professor Ye dared to let Ji Jue handle such a delicate job was just how weak he was. If the Dissociation Technique were any stronger, it would never achieve such fine control. If a beginner using Dissociation Technique was like wielding a broad axe, then Ji Jue’s was like a soft brush used in archaeological restoration.

Moreover, for work this delicate, less was better. If Ji Jue had actually mastered the technique and lacked sufficient control, even Professor Ye wouldn’t dare let him do this.

With something this structurally simple, one wrong move would crush the pendant completely, shattering the blessing. There would be nothing left to recover. Scraping it down like this was good enough. More than enough, in fact.

And yet, even with such a clumsy Dissociation Technique, he still had enough spare capacity to oversee the whole structure, precisely confining the effect to just a few spirit matter circuits. That terrifying level of spirit matter control was gradually taking shape right under the devil’s work ball’s watch.

In just four days? Or three?

A total of 1,707 practice sessions, and Ji Jue had already brought the Dissociation Technique to this level. Even with the buffs of Pacifier and Flawless Craft, it was still a bit too outrageous.

Just three or four months ago, he had still been an ordinary workaholic. He had even run off into a rift realm so far that he forgot where home was. But now, he had already walked down a path that other apprentices would need five or six years to complete.

With its imagination and mindset already rigidly fixed as a divine creation, the devil’s work ball simply could not imagine what kind of monster Ye Xian was trying to train.

But what did that have to do with it? It was just following the master’s orders and was nothing more than a little ball watching the fun unfold.

Life was getting more and more promising!

***

When Ji Jue finally stumbled out of the workshop and returned to the living room, it was already afternoon again.

He looked around and, seeing that the professor wasn’t there, let out a sigh of relief. He tiptoed toward the kitchen and fridge, but after a few steps, he suddenly realized something.

Things were different.

His confidence surged instantly. He turned around and walked with an utterly unrestrained swagger toward the sofa before he sat down at the spot Ye Chun usually favored. He flashed a devilish smile as he called out loudly, “Ye Chun!”

Hasty footsteps came from the study. The familiar face appeared with a forcibly sweet smile. “I’m here. What do you need?”

“I’m tired.” Ji Jue leaned back without ceremony, stretching his arms over the armrests.

Ye Chun immediately leaned in and started massaging his shoulders with enthusiasm. After just a couple of presses, Ji Jue couldn’t help but frown. It was not even close to Mr. Zhang’s professional massage, but there was no helping it. He’d just have to make do with her limited skills.

“I’m thirsty,” he said.

Immediately, she handed over a chilled cola. “Here you go.”

“What is this?” Ji Jue glanced at the label and exploded in anger. “Zero sugar? Not even dogs drink this! Don’t try to fool me with this garbage. Forget it, hand over the chips!”

He heard the distinct sound of grinding teeth. Ye Chun slowly shuffled toward the snack cart, pushing it in front of Ji Jue and letting him choose freely. His finger kept sweeping back and forth until it finally landed on the last remaining bag she had specially saved for herself, her favorite braised beef brisket flavor chips.

“Forget it. I want something light. I’ll have this.”

Ye Chun’s eyes nearly split open in rage.

Ji, you bastard... fucking jerk...

Ji Jue sat there eating her chips, occupying her sofa, and watching her TV. He casually looked up. “What? You got a problem?”

Ye Chun forced a smile with all her strength. “No, no. It’s an honor for that lousy bag of chips to be chosen by you.”

“Is that so? Then it’s got quite the blessing.” Ji Jue crunched loudly as he crossed his legs, thoroughly enjoying this hard-earned comfort. “Hey, Ye Chun, how’s your thesis going?”

“Thanks to you, I’m already done with the first draft.”

“Ah, see? Young people are too impatient. Don’t rush. You still need more training.” Ji Jue shook his head in a seasoned tone. “Slow work makes fine craftsmanship.”

The edge of Ye Chun’s eye twitched uncontrollably as she gritted her teeth. “You’re... right.”

“Alright, I’m hungry.” Ji Jue waved his hand casually. “You, go cook me two dishes. Don’t use too much oil or salt.”

Click.

Ye Chun’s small hands gripped the cart handle so hard it looked like she would crush it. She was seriously considering whether she should just crack Ji Jue’s skull open right there.

Then, once again, she heard a weak cough.

“Ahem... those old injuries from a few days ago, they still haven’t healed.” Ji Jue sighed, clutching his chest dramatically. “It’s fine, don’t worry. This is the world we live in. A poor, humble apprentice like me ended up being targeted and oppressed by a privileged senior just because I worked a little too hard.

“In a simple outsourced job, I was not only locked onto by a sniper, but also left with hidden injuries. I was destined to live a life of misery and decline. And then, when I closed my eyes, I found myself reborn the day before it all began. I swore that, in this life, I would live for myself and never again be at the mercy of others. Come to the workshop tonight, V me 50[2], listen to my revenge plan, and then take a look at my new thesis proposal...”

Ye Chun’s fists were clenched hard, really hard!

You cheap bastard, have you not taken enough advantage of me already?!

Ever since the night he came back, he’d been acting like this, and he hadn’t stopped since! He’d sit on her sofa, watch her TV, eat her chips, criticise her cola, mock her thesis, and now he was even planning to write a new thesis proposal “from scratch” while performing his act of suffering.

I’ll never forget this grudge!

In her rising fury, Ye Chun’s fighting spirit surged, multiplied, and exploded. In that moment, she somehow, without any teaching, picked up a move called “Skull Splitting Strike.” Looking at Ji Jue’s head, she just wanted to pry open his skull and see whether it was as black as his heart.

Ji Jue was looking at her with an innocent, pitiful expression. Those wide eyes somehow had a faint layer of water gathering over them, as if they were filled with tears.

This fucker...

Ye Chun closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Before her teeth could completely grind themselves to dust, she stiffly turned around and walked into the kitchen. Not because she had softened her heart or felt any guilt. After so many days, whatever original remorse she had was long gone, destroyed by this bastard’s torment.

She simply knew that if she actually threw a punch, Ji Jue would absolutely lie on the ground and howl like a dog for a long time.

Forget it. Forget it, Ye Chun. Just endure it, just a little longer. I’ll eventually find his weak spot.

And when that time came, Ye Chun would repay it a thousandfold!

1. Have already explained this in a ref note but will explain again to refresh your memory, 小珍珠 “little pearls” refers to teardrops in Chinese. ☜

2. “V me 50” is an internet slang phrase that originated from KFC’s “Crazy Thursday” promotion. It basically means “send me 50 yuan via WeChat (VX).” ☜