Chosen: Beyond Fate

Ji Jue looked confused.

Ye Xian shook her head. “Forget the realm of a sage. Even the realm of a Celestial Being is already unimaginably far, way beyond your reach. It’s too distant for you to have any real sense of it, which is precisely why you keep acting so recklessly.

“The relationship between the Chosen Ones and the Supreme Benevolences has always been an intimate one. Chosen Ones draw upon the power of the Supreme Benevolences to achieve their growth, while the power of the Supreme Benevolences is likewise exercised through countless Chosen Ones.

“The relationship between the two is like what modern alchemy describes as the Whole and the One. Neither can exist without the other; without the Whole, there can be no One, and vice versa. But once a Chosen One becomes a Celestial Being, the distinction between them and Supreme Benevolence is no longer so clear-cut. In a sense, they can be considered a part of the Supreme Benevolence itself.

“The realms of the sage and the dragon stand even higher still. Sages inscribe themselves upon time and establish origins. Even after death, their imprints endure eternally within the world of the Supreme Benevolence. The power they leave behind and the Paths they create continue to manifest and circulate through countless esoteric rites and phenomena.

“The most obvious example is the Fluid Alchemy Mercury created. If she had not reached the level of a sage, do you think Fluid Alchemy could have been elevated to its current extent? Without her final consent before death, do you think you would have been able to learn it so quickly?”

To ordinary people, those who reached such realms were no different from gods. Their power had merged with the world itself, becoming a part of the Supreme Benevolence and flowing through every related domain.

It was just like the two Sages who had laid the foundations of the Federation and the Empire—the Celestial Overseer and the Terrestrial Guardian. Though they had been dead for more than six hundred years, both nations still remained under the influence of the Laws of Origin they had established. These laws maximized the stability of their territories, making the occurrence of disasters and cataclysms far less likely than in other regions. Their people did not have to live like the islanders of the Endless Sea, constantly fleeing and hiding from calamities.

And wasn’t the never-ending strife and division of the Four Kingdoms of the Central Lands, in no small part, the result of the grudges and hatred accumulated through generations of conflict among the Celestial Beings?

“It’s best to keep a certain degree of reverence for everything. Unless you’re left with absolutely no choice, there are some things you shouldn’t touch at all. Understand? Ah, forget it. Warning you is useless. You’ll only understand once you suffer a loss.

“As your teacher, the only reminder I can give you is this: do not rely on Mercury’s favor and become arrogant. The Supreme Benevolences are ever-changing, without fixed form, and the principles of a sage are the same. The fact that a trace of her spirit consciousness has endured to this day is already extraordinary.

“That is the last remaining trace she left in the world. It is through observing these subtle remnants that later researchers were able to confirm the existence of those pioneers and rediscover those lost techniques and paths.”

Professor Ye’s expression turned solemn. “If you squander this favor recklessly, then sooner or later, even that last sliver of spirit consciousness Mercury left within the Supreme Benevolence will be completely exhausted. Do you understand?”

From his wheelchair, Ji Jue tried to stand, but his body twitched; he couldn’t get up at all. He could only prop himself up as best he could and nod in a serious manner.

Although he didn’t understand most of it, he at least grasped one thing: the blessings left by one’s ancestors were limited. If an unworthy descendant squandered them without a care in the world, even that meager inheritance would eventually run dry. That would be bad not only for Ji Jue but also for anyone who might one day learn Fluid Alchemy.

So, in short, don’t be ungrateful, and don’t push your luck.

Besides, last time, even with the monster fetus as a disposable tool, Ji Jue had still felt as though his brain was about to be shaken into mush by the Soul-Summoning Bell. A miraculous coincidence with such infinitesimal odds simply couldn’t be counted on as a lifesaving trump card.

Seeing Ji Jue’s serious expression, Ye Xian nodded, but it was hard to tell whether it was in satisfaction or mild regret. She had originally planned that if he still refused to learn, she would have to give him a few more punches. It looked like she could save herself the trouble.

“Now that both Flawless Craft and Spirit Primacy have undergone a Transformation, and with Pacifier assisting you, your proficiency in Fluid Alchemy should already be at the level required to qualify as a craftsman.”

After a brief moment of thought, Ye Xian added, “You'll need to speed up your studies and research in modern alchemy. People may ‌approach you in the future, but you don’t need to pay any attention to the Association’s invitations or promises. As long as I’m here, the people of the Taiyi Ring won’t be able to pressure you. There’s no need for you to curry favor with those people.

“And one more thing. Unless you want me to throw you out, under absolutely no circumstances are you to apply for craftsman registration through Fluid Alchemy. Understood?”

Ji Jue blinked in mild surprise. It was rare for Professor Ye to speak with such a stern tone, and the warning made him tense up. Although he never said it out loud, when he’d been feeling lazy and had wanted to coast through things, he had also quietly considered using Fluid Alchemy to bypass the difficult modern alchemy certification process.

“Do you know how rich the Taiyi Ring is?” Ye Xian asked bluntly, not waiting for his answer. “Today, more than ninety-nine percent of all patents in modern alchemy are registered by members of the Association and monopolized by it. Every year, the wealth generated by those patents alone reaches figures so astronomical that the finance ministers of both the Federation and the Empire would wake from their dreams in shock.

“And that’s not all. The authority and status of craftsmen, the privileges they enjoy, the formulas, materials, and technical legacies they require... In today's world, every craftsman, no, every person who needs alchemy cannot avoid the existence of the Taiyi Ring. For an organization of that magnitude, you don't seriously think everyone inside gets along peacefully, do you?”

Ji Jue said nothing. He didn’t need to think to know that. Even the bureaucrats in the student affairs office at Tianmen University could fight each other viciously over a sliver of authority. The Taiyi Ring would only be a more extreme, brutal, and vicious version of that.

“Even within the Association, craftsmen are divided into ranks and classes. Factions, backgrounds, status, race, even one’s field of expertise... An apprentice without an obsessive drive to explore and learn has no chance of becoming a craftsman. And those who do become craftsmen won’t tolerate being beneath others, much less letting someone outshine them. You’ve already seen an example of this, haven’t you?”

Mm-hmm. It’s standing right in front of me.

Of course, Ji Jue didn't dare say that even if his life depended on it. He could only nod frantically in agreement. “Yes, yes, yes. Master Kong is exactly like that. She’s petty as hell.”

Ye Xian’s expression didn’t change. She gave him a half-smile but didn’t continue that topic. Instead, she said slowly, “This is why I’m warning you. You can use Fluid Alchemy to submit works, but as part of the evaluation process, you must also submit a full explanation of the principles and applications.

“To put it simply, you’d hand over this technology and, in exchange, receive the status of a fourth-rate nobody within the Association. Then you’d get to watch helplessly as every possible avenue of development was patented by other people and completely shut off to you. By the time the annual conferences come around, you might not even be able to get an admission ticket. If they let you stand outside and listen in, that would already be an extraordinary act of generosity.

“Modern alchemy is mainstream right now. Though most of its practitioners are little more than scheming opportunists, it is still the mainstream. It’s not that other schools don’t exist, but they’re treated like endangered species. They keep a few around for appearances to show ‘diversity,’ while in reality nobody takes them seriously. And despite all that, despite being dozens of ranks beneath others from the start, this bunch of idiots still can’t stop fighting among themselves.”

Ye Xian laughed coldly. “Never play games with fools, and never make friends with idiots. After you pass the formal modern alchemy craftsman examination, make Fluid Alchemy your specialty. Use it to gradually gather people around you, train apprentices, and perhaps even establish a faction of your own. That is how you maximize your interests. It will become the foundation upon which you stand. Understand?”

Faced with such priceless advice, advice that had mapped out a road straight to the heavens for him in just a few sentences, Ji Jue wasn’t so ungrateful as to let it go in one ear and out the other. He nodded so hard it looked as though he was trying to pound garlic with his head.

Still, he couldn’t help asking, “Doesn’t modern alchemy have its own infighting and suppression?”

“Of course it does. Far more of it, in fact. It’s also far more insane,” Ye Xian answered. “But that’s the one thing you don’t need to worry about.”

“Why?”

Ye Xian merely smiled faintly. She was calm and refined, carrying the poise of a true master. “Because in the academic world, only our lineage gets to bully others.”

As for those outside academia who dared to bully her, they had all been turned into materials by now.

Silence fell. At last, Ye Xian turned to look at Ji Jue, her eyes seemingly full of expectation. “So, you need to work harder. Understood?”

Ji Jue swallowed dryly and nodded frantically, afraid that even a moment’s hesitation would get him labeled as a stain on his teacher’s reputation and quietly erased from the lineage. His teacher had a sharp tongue, a bad temper, and a cold and demanding personality, but he couldn’t deny it. That line just now had been cool as hell!

Ji Jue’s eyes were practically gleaming with admiration[1]. Professor Ye was compassionate, magnanimous, and kind. Those were indeed the fine qualities passed down through their lineage!

“Good. I wasn’t planning to let you waste any more time on classical alchemy, but given the current situation, I’m afraid you no longer have the luxury of taking things slowly.” With a flick of her hand, Ye Xian tossed the restored and sealed Soul-Summoning Bell into his lap. “Let’s move straight to the next lesson. It’s what you need most right now. Let me see the results of your spirit matter refinement.”

Ji Jue picked the bell up and rang it without hesitation.

After the first chime, shimmering green flames rose from the opened spirit matter cage. After the second, the activation was complete. After the third, a phantom of a spirit hand briefly appeared above the bell.

Then, from within the gathered green flames, a bloodstained figure in white slowly emerged and straightened up. Its stitched-together face wore a warm, enthusiastic smile that made one’s skin crawl. Its mutated limbs were covered in sharp bone spurs, and its claws were razor sharp.

It was a physician from the Time Ruin hospital, one recreated by Ji Jue. With the Mercy Blade in his possession and so many records left behind by the physician still preserved within the weapon, it was practically a blueprint for Ji Jue. He only had to make a few casual adjustments, adding or subtracting details according to the circumstances.

Unfortunately, the recreation lacked that crucial trace of obsession. All that remained was its viciousness, so it could only be used as a tool.

After examining it for a moment, Ye Xian nodded. “Good. Although it doesn't possess a blessing, its composition is extremely stable. As a tool, if you make a few more of these, it should be enough to deal with the vast majority of ordinary Metamorphosis Realm opponents. Have it attack me.”

Ji Jue didn’t hesitate as he rang the bell again. He wasn’t worried in the slightest. If this tool-ghost could so much as damage a single strand of Professor Ye’s hair, he’d write his surname backward[2]. Why waste precious class time on some superficial display of teacher-student camaraderie?

The moment the bell rang, the mutated physician vanished without a trace. Countless wisps of ghostly green fire spread outward before converging once more, forming razor-sharp claws that tore toward Ye Xian’s heart from behind.

The spirit claws, as sharp as surgical scalpels, were wrapped in crimson light and seething with vicious energy as they struck directly at a vital point. But the moment they struck, they seemed to hit an invisible wall, rapidly shattering and dispersing.

The physician screeched and vanished, circling through the surroundings like a monster lurking in the shadows, silently watching and waiting. Only when Ji Jue rang the bell once more and issued another command did it launch a full assault.

With a scream, the physician emerged from the green flames again, his body larger than before. The smile on his mutated face grew fanatical as he hurled itself at Ye Xian.

She raised one finger. At her fingertip was a single droplet of metal, as clear and crystalline as a bead of dew. It was mercury that she had casually picked up from the ground.

Ji Jue’s eyes widened. He witnessed an utterly unbelievable sight.

It was as if an invisible vortex suddenly appeared. From that single drop of mercury, a storm of souls erupted, instantly engulfing the entire basement. The screeching remnants of the physician were forcibly dragged away by an overwhelming pull. His body distorted and grew thinner and thinner as he was pulled into the drop of mercury, soon to be devoured completely.

Then, layers of spirit matter circuits surfaced on the mercury, coiling around it and sealing it shut. It hardened into a tiny bead that trembled faintly, as if something inside was violently struggling to escape. In the end, it fell silent once it stopped moving.

“A Poké Ball?” Ji Jue cried out in shock, momentarily forgetting the pain. He scrambled out of his wheelchair and examined it from every angle. Leaning in close, he studied it for a long while before finally confirming the suspicion in his heart. “This is... Fluid Alchemy?”

1. 小星星都快从眼睛里冒出来了 literally means "little stars were practically about to pop out of his eyes." It creates a cartoonish image of someone's eyes becoming so bright and sparkly that tiny stars seem to burst out of them. In Chinese, this expression is commonly used to show intense admiration, excitement, or idolization, similar to the "starry-eyed" look often seen in anime and comics. It is not meant to be taken literally, but rather as a humorous exaggeration of someone's emotional state.

I chose to translate it as "Ji Jue's eyes were practically gleaming with admiration" because the literal wording, while vivid in Chinese, sounds awkward and overly cartoonish in English. The scene is conveying that Ji Jue has suddenly become completely impressed by Ye Xian's cool, domineering statement and is looking at her with almost worshipful admiration. "Gleaming with admiration" preserves the image of brightness and sparkle in his eyes while expressing the underlying emotion naturally for English readers. ☜

2. A person’s surname carries significance in Chinese culture. Saying you’ll write your own surname backwards is a way of symbolically putting your identity or face on the line. It's not a serious punishment. Rather, it's a playful expression of confidence, similar to English expressions like "I'll eat my hat." ☜