The moment Lou Feng glimpsed that horrifying silhouette, his mad sprint came to an abrupt halt, almost halting in place with a screech.

The blood drained from his pale face. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to attack Ji Jue, and without hesitation, he leapt and passed right by the barreling fecal suction truck.

But the stench of the oncoming gust nearly made him retch. He rolled awkwardly on the ground, abandoning both rage and pride. He immediately raised his hands and shouted, “Wait—”

Wait for what?

Ji Jue didn’t hesitate.

Like a true trainer, he seized the critical moment and mercilessly issued his command to the little creature. “Squirtle, use Water Gun on it! Squirtle! Squirtle[1]!!”

The fecal suction truck seemed to respond as if it were following the trainer’s command. Its massive frame skidded to a stop mid-drift. Amid the screeching of metal, the thick water pump pipe aimed at Lou Feng’s terrified face.

Outside the arena, Kong Qingyan shot up a hand, trying to stop it, but to no effect. She whirled around, glaring at Ye Xian, who simply stood there.

“What’s the hurry?” Ye Xian asked coldly. “Isn’t the fight still going?”

The terrifying roar of the tide rose from the darkness. In the indescribably eerie rush of sound, something incomprehensibly dreadful surged forth from the thundering pump! As if by fate, a cyan figure leapt into the air, casting a decisive, finishing move toward the tiny opponent on the ground. It released an artifact, Soaring Deathpiercer! Then, it continued to soar above and beyond.

Boom!!!

The monstrous tide poured out, engulfing everything to end the battle. There were no casualties, no destruction, no death. Ji Jue had won without a fight.

He studied the scene in front of him and nodded appreciatively. Unlike the Nanfeng truck that often caused heavy casualties, this truly was a vehicle of peace! It seemed that he had been overthinking before. He would definitely have to use such a convenient tactic more in the future!

But while trucks were easy to find, fecal suction trucks were rare. Their general applicability was limited. He couldn’t possibly bring a truck like this everywhere he went as a backup, right? Bo Ya is common, but Zi Qi is hard to come by[2]. This inspired maneuver would probably remain unmatched forever.

He sighed wistfully, then shuffled a few steps to the side, then a few more, and a few more...

No way, this thing stinks too much!

The move itself was perfect, but the pollution factor was way over the top.

From within that indescribable mass, the vague silhouette seemed to finally realize what had happened and could no longer hold back a piercing scream.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!”

Inside the heavy armor, Lou Feng vomited violently, nearly fainting. But when he raised his hand and saw the dark colors slowly spreading over the high-grade clothing beneath the armor, not to mention the stench in his mouth, he couldn’t contain himself any longer.

This is utter insanity!

Beneath the splattered mud, his eyes were bloodshot. He roared, “You motherfucker! I’m going to kill you!!!”

Ji Jue sighed and shook his head. Lou Feng was truly a cultured person, even his curses were harmless.

He didn’t even bother opening his gun, simply pulling back the sleeve to retract the bullets and pocketing them without even glancing at the figure charging toward him.

“Enough!” Kong Qingyan shouted. “We admit defeat!”

Click!

In an instant, everything, including Ji Jue’s movements, Lou Feng leaping through the air, and the flying mud, froze. The moment Ye Xian stopped intervening, all control fell into Kong Qingyan’s hands. At the snap of a finger, the stagnation of the Ruins Path manifested!

Lou Feng was yanked back, dropped onto the ground. Vast amounts of condensed water vapor fell like a torrential rain, drenching him completely. He struggled to his feet, still red-eyed. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“Teacher, why should I stop? I haven’t lost yet!”

“What a disgrace!” Kong Qingyan didn’t even bother explaining further. If she hadn’t intervened, her student would have probably been finished today!

Only now did Ji Jue wave his hand again, this time toward the high wall of the factory. Behind it, the overloaded one-hundred-ton truck that had been waiting by the roadside finally returned to normal. Under the driver’s control, it sped away like it was fleeing for its life.

Too bad, it hadn’t been of any use.

Kong Qingyan’s narrow eyes landed on Ji Jue, her face twitching as she fought to resist the impulse to strangle him. Finally, she managed to squeeze out some words through gritted teeth. “We’ve seen your abilities, Mr. Ji. We’ll come back another day to learn more. Farewell!”

“Eh? You’re leaving already?” Ji Jue raised a brow in mock confusion, politely trying to retain them. “Not staying a bit longer? Come on, Master, let’s have a meal together. Since you’re here, at least let’s take a picture!”

Alas, no matter how hospitably he invited them, the guests didn’t turn back. One could only say, no wonder Lou Feng was the son of a wealthy family and a master, every step he took exuded dignity and charisma, full of vigor and presence. With Ji Jue’s help, he was able to shine, show his true skill, and in the end, achieve what he sought and return satisfied. Surely he had no regrets?

Ji Jue basked in the satisfaction of doing a good deed, unable to pull himself away. Then he noticed Professor Ye’s sidelong, familiar glance.

His tail immediately dropped without him realizing it. Ji Jue rubbed his small hands together and forced out the same obsequious, flattering smile a sycophant would wear, before stepping forward and asking, “Professor, how was it?”

“How was what? You dawdled the whole time and only put in half effort at the end... You don’t think I enjoy watching kids fight, do you?” Ye Xian waved dismissively, finally pointing toward the collapsed factory wall and the chaos left behind. “You made this mess, so clean it up yourself.”

“Ah, this...”

Ji Jue froze, his expression twitching uncontrollably. He looked at the fecal suction truck. The truck seemed to be staring back at him.

And the surrounding devastation... Well, let’s just say the smell alone was enough to speak for itself.

Thinking of having to clean this up, he suddenly felt a little suicidal.

Sure enough, this kind of forbidden move is never a good idea! It offends Heaven’s order and brings harm to both others and oneself!

“What are you standing there for?” Ye Chun, passing by, lightly kicked him and shot him a glance. If Ji Jue guessed correctly, she was signaling him to follow. “Auntie’s in a good mood. She’s just teasing you.”

“Huh?”

Ji Jue froze again. Mainly because “Professor in a good mood” and “Professor is teasing” were both things that, frankly, seemed highly unlikely.

Then he saw it, a scene that seemed to rewind time itself.

Around the collapsed wall, dust that had been fluttering and falling now hung suspended in the air. The stones on the ground, freed from gravity, slowly rose, and the bricks that had been flying through the air now hovered once more.

As the fecal suction truck slowly backed up, the dirt and debris on the ground contracted, retreating into the massive water tank. Then, as if obeying a command, they returned to their original positions.

The wall reassembled, the filth disappeared. Everything restored itself at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even the people outside, peeking over the wall, seemed affected. They stiffly retreated like puppets back to their original spots, as if waking from a dream. Something had happened, but they couldn’t recall clearly.

In just a few finger-snaps, all traces of the fight had been erased.

Ji Jue couldn’t figure out the exact principles behind it, he could only vaguely recognize the powers of the traces left by the Supreme Benevolence emblem. The one that erased memories was the Heart Core, the one that controlled machinery was the Origin, and the one that guided everything back to its original place was the all-recording Aether.

And the thing that truly restored everything to its original state was the Supreme Benevolence: Eternal Gate, a power Ji Jue, up until now, could only barely understand. He couldn’t use it or gain experience with it at all.

This mysterious Supreme Benevolence, which governed time and space, had once appeared in a fleeting instant when Ji Jue was chosen during the Fate Summoning. Since then, it had shown no further favor or closeness; it was cold and elusive.

Ji Jue didn’t even know why he could grasp the emblem’s structure, even after nineteen years of surviving in this world.

Through that subtle transformation just now, the massive factory, originally shrouded in a veil, revealed a fraction of its true form. Countless spirit circuits, radiating outward from the workshop building, sprawled like a gigantic network.

Inside the workshop, the craftsman was the supreme ruler, but here, everything was under Professor Ye’s control. Even the air...

“Is this... Master Kong’s doing?” Ji Jue murmured, instinctively following, but his steps faltered slightly.

Wait, if that were the case, how did the fecal suction truck smash through the wall so easily?

Something didn’t add up. The factory area didn’t have many people, there were barely any vehicles, and very few operating factories or institutions. Apart from a few abandoned construction sites occasionally visited by people, the area was basically deserted wasteland. So why the sudden municipal maintenance today?

And how convenient that a sewage truck just happened to be parked next to the factory, its pump running constantly, chugging away as if afraid Ji Jue wouldn’t notice?

He didn’t dare speak nor ask. His feet just unconsciously walked down the alley, leaving Ye Chun even more puzzled, wondering what he was up to this time.

“No, it’s nothing,” Ji Jue said softly, forcing a smile. “I just suddenly felt that... Professor really hates Master Kong.”

Professor Ye, walking at the front, remained calm as ever. She did not even bother to look back.

***

Back in the workshop’s lounge, Professor Ye sat down at her spot, and the tea in the cup on the table had finally steeped properly.

She gestured for Ji Jue to sit. Without beating around the bush, she asked, “How does it feel to get handed such a ridiculous task out of nowhere today, and on top of that, to offend a young master of the Lou family for no reason?”

“Uh... it feels fine, I guess?”

Ji Jue was a little taken aback. Honestly, he could handle Yu Hanguang confronting him head-on; a little Lou family brat wasn’t even on his radar.

“Professor, you’ve looked after me so much. I was just dealing with a bit of trouble along the way. It’s really no big deal. I’m not the petty type.”

Professor Ye nodded. “I know. But I am.”

Ji Jue felt a twitch at the corner of his eye.

...I don’t know how to reply to that.

“One must have a clear understanding of oneself, or else they’ll become arrogant and reckless,” Professor Ye said calmly. “I do not consider myself kind or tolerant or weak in that sense. On the contrary, I am narrow-minded and vindictive, that is my nature. Since I was twelve, I’ve known this and never thought of changing it. I am the sort of person who may not repay kindness, but will never let a grudge go.

“Now, someone came into my workshop, provoked me, and humiliated themselves in the process. That person has left, but that doesn’t mean the offense didn’t happen. Therefore, they must pay the price.”

She set down her teacup. On her usually indifferent face, a chill radiated. “Because this is how karma works, and retribution never fails.”

“...I understand.” Ji Jue hesitated. After struggling for a while, he finally mustered the courage to say, “Professor, if some master just... dies for no reason in the workshop, it’s going to cause a huge mess!”

It wasn’t that he was unwilling to take responsibility or help out. He just really couldn’t handle it!

1. This seems to be a reference to Squirtle, a small reptilian Pokémon that resembles a light-blue turtle. Here is a reference image. ☜

2. The saying “Bo Ya is common, Zi Qi hard to find” means that talented performers or ambitious individuals (Bo Ya) are often around, but someone who truly understands their inner feelings or appreciates them (Zi Qi) is extremely rare. It comes from the story of “Bo Ya breaking his qin in gratitude to Zi Qi,” and metaphorically expresses how difficult it is in the world to find someone who can deeply understand you, emphasizing the value and rarity of a true kindred spirit. ☜