Chosen: Beyond Fate

With a ring of the bell, this desolate coastal industrial district, normally devoid of people, transformed into a realm of the dead. With it came the drizzling rain, the rolling white mist, and even vague and shattered silhouettes. Under the disturbance of countless lingering spirits, the darkened world had become a terrifying domain where no living person should tread.

Then came the second ringing of the bell from Professor Ye’s hand. The sound was even sharper and haunting, sending chills down one's spine.

What followed were waves of frenzied shrieks. The howls coming from the lingering spirits transformed into rippling tides of spirit matter, spreading outward. The ripples were insignificant, but what if there were hundreds or thousands of them?

When endless screams and howls overlapped, what Ji Jue heard was a horrifying wail capable of shaking the soul and tearing apart consciousness.

He was dumbfounded. How was this a mere lament? This was clearly the signature ability of the Ascension Path, a soul shock that came from transmuting one's spirit matter and hurling it at an opponent like a cannon shell! If struck by it, one could suffer anything from dizziness and disorientation to outright madness from spirit erosion and impact. They could even be reduced to an idiot.

Once Professor Ye voluntarily released the workshop’s seal, the lingering spirits from outside flooded in droves. Tiny points of ghastly green phosphorescence swayed within the rainy mist, gathering like a tide of emerald fire. After the second ring of the bell, every lingering spirit descended into madness.

The bell rang a third time. The greatest sound was one that seemed utterly silent. If not for the strange sensation caused by being so close to it, Ji Jue could not even tell whether the bell had made a sound or if it was merely an auditory hallucination.

From the thin mist and drizzle, a vortex emerged. Beneath the darkened heavens, the endless phosphorescent lights gathered once more at the bell’s summons. The maddened lingering spirits devoured one another within the vortex, dissolving into a single entity.

Outside the open gates, the countless ghostly lights faded as though burned to ashes. What finally stepped forth from the vortex and rain was a skeletal giant engulfed in eerie green flames. It was several stories tall, radiating savage menace. The moment it saw Professor Ye, it seemed to sense something, and its overwhelming murderous aura vanished without a trace.

The giant bent down and dropped to one knee before bowing its head devoutly, offering its loyalty to its creator.

Professor Ye casually tossed the bell aside, utterly uninterested. “Do you see now, Ji Jue? This is a purely spirit matter alchemical construct built upon lingering spirits. Although it’s merely a hastily assembled temporary creation that cannot endure for long, reaching this level is enough to earn the title of Master.”

The giant collapsed like a fortress of sand, scattering beneath the rain and mist until nothing was left. Dumbfounded, Ji Jue stood frozen in place, feeling the cold wind and damp sea air pouring in through the open doorway.

Bang!

The door shut, and warmth returned once more.

“Soul-Summoning Bell,” Professor Ye explained calmly. “After the first ring, it awakens all lingering spirits within the range of perception. After the second ring, it forcibly stimulates the spirit consciousness of every lingering spirit and drives them into a feral state. The third ring melts and forges all lingering spirits into an entirely new form and shape.

“Depending on the craftsman’s ability and intent, the results differ, but as an aid in combat it’s fairly effective and particularly suitable for use in places densely populated with lingering spirits. Its weakness is the excessive spirit matter consumption. If the forged creation becomes too violent and the user lacks sufficient spirit matter to maintain control, then the lingering spirits will immediately turn against the user. To the weak, it’s a luxury item. To the strong, it’s more like a toy.

“The only people truly suited to using it are high-level Chosen One who possess abundant spirit matter and a high realm but lack skill in combat or practical application. It was probably designed as an aid for Ember craftsmen and Aether scholars. Overall, it’s a pretty good item, though it’s still incomplete.”

“This isn’t complete?” Ji Jue’s hands trembled slightly as he held the bell. “Then what would the complete version even look like?”

Professor Ye shrugged. “How should I know? I didn’t make it. I can just tell that, in terms of functionality and application, something is missing. The creator’s skill wasn’t low, so there’s no way they’d make such a basic oversight.

“If it were me, there’d probably be some complementary equipment involved. Maybe a sealing jar from the Eternal Gate to preserve the results of the lingering-spirit forging, or perhaps a Soul Tome from the Ascension Path, or a record book from the Aether Path, something along those lines to mold the lingering spirits into predetermined forms and save trouble. But even if such things existed, that guy probably hid them away somewhere. He definitely wouldn’t let anyone else know.”

Professor Ye snorted. “Given that fellow’s twisted sense of humor, he’d probably be delighted if someone made a mistake while using this thing.”

Ji Jue became even more curious. “You know who made it?”

Professor Ye calmly turned the bell over and showed him the mark engraved on its inner surface. It looked like a piece of graffiti. At first glance, it resembled a crooked sneer.

“If I remember correctly, this mark belonged to a Master from the Age of Imperial Chaos. I think his name was Gao Gong. Even in the history of modern alchemy, that guy was considered a complete weirdo. According to later researchers, he probably suffered a great deal of abuse and hardship when he was young. Compared to other Masters, his psychological problems were much more obvious.

“Among the works of his that can still be found today, the vast majority are specially treated glowstones. They’re cheap objects, but anyone who sees their light will have their greed and desire stimulated by the blessing of the Heart Core and won’t be able to resist the desire to possess them.”

“Uh...” Ji Jue blinked. It sounded a little strange, but considering the average baseline mental state of craftsmen, maybe this was normal?

“He would usually place these things in forbidden locations, like inside traps, prisons, monster nests, stuff like that,” Professor Ye continued. “In every fractured realm and dangerous region he visited, he scattered these things everywhere to ‘benefit future generations.’”

Holy crap, is this guy actually Satan?

“Besides that, he was especially fond of a creation called the Bottle of Foul Water. It looked insignificant, and it was only about the size of a palm. But once shattered, the liquid inside would rapidly expand into a foul-smelling, viscous, toxic substance. Anyone who got it on them would be poisoned, and although they couldn’t live like this, they couldn’t die either.

“Basically, he would scatter the stuff in every ruin he explored. Right in the middle of the foul water, he’d leave a few glowstones behind. After ruining all the fruits of his labor, he'd still make sure to leave a little mysterious surprise for whoever came after.”

The veins on Ji Jue’s forehead throbbed viciously. Defiling historical ruins was one thing, but tricking people into jumping into literal cesspits?!

“However, the work of his that’s most widespread nowadays is a kind of door that cannot be opened from the outside. Its defensive capability is excellent, and it cannot be bypassed. Unless destroyed outright, it can only be opened from the inside. It’s frequently used as a secure door for highly confidential facilities, and the results are excellent. The only downside is that sometimes even the users have to take an enormous detour to open it.”

Professor Ye slowly added, “According to rumors, he got the inspiration for it when he couldn’t find a toilet.”

Ji Jue’s fists clenched hard. Please stop talking. Just stop. So because he’d once been caught in the rain, he decided to kick everyone else into the ditch too?!

He felt the urge to scatter that old bastard’s ashes to the wind. It was because of people like this that craftsmen had such terrible reputations!

“Mmm, judging by your expression, I suppose there’s no need for me to mention some of his other innovations.” Professor Ye picked up the bell again. “I’ve already checked it for you. Aside from the obvious drawbacks, there aren’t any hidden backdoors left inside. Still, this is ultimately a Blessed Creation that can only be used starting at the Rebirth Realm.

“For you, the burden of using this is still too heavy. So I modified it a bit and added a limiter valve. You shouldn’t have any problems using it now, though as for the effectiveness... Well, let’s just say it’s barely acceptable.”

She shook the bell once more. This time, when the faint chime rang out, its effect was nowhere near as terrifying as before. Only tiny specks of ghostly light gathered between the two of them, transforming into a spectral bird identical to Gloria.

Gloria curiously pecked at it twice, and the little spirit bird collapsed and broke.