I only felt as if the heavens and earth were shifting.
It was as if, in an instant, I had turned into a piece of red-hot iron, tossed under a forging press.
Thunder roared with fervent energy.
The earth shook and roared loudly; continuous bolts of lightning resounded without end, the successive strikes of my left and right hands flowing smoothly as water, sealing the fate of the end from the very beginning.
Under the influence of the Dissociation Technique, all strengthened spiritual essence completely collapsed; defense was utterly ineffective.
Withering away, the joy of destruction unfolded from my hands—
It wasn't until after what felt like an overdue warm-up that Professor Ye mercifully crushed the Tian Yuan insignia right in the center of my chest.
Ji Jue, I toppled backward, facing the sky.
Choking fiercely, gasping for air, left without any strength to counterattack.
Bruises and swollen marks were all over my body, like being forgotten in the electoral vote for the big D, then thrown in a box to play with invincible Hot Wheels for two hours.
I had no energy left to move.
It was only now that the cramps and spasms of my internal organs finally reached my brain, bringing uncontrollable pain and torment.
In my blurred vision, I seemed to see Professor Ye looking down at me.
"What is this, another technique?"
I attempted a wry smile, "Just... just something I came up with."
"Mm."
Professor Ye nodded in approval, "Indeed, quite reckless."
She bent down, clinching her fist, and aimed at my heart, smashing down a heavy blow.
My entire body was jolted by the muffled sound, limbs convulsing.
But surprisingly, after such a punch, the cramping of my organs and the frantic trembling of my heart miraculously recovered. At least, it felt much better than the just-overloaded, collapsing, breathing one's last sensation.
In that brief moment of impact, Professor Ye had directly integrated the completely out-of-control organs within my body, performing an act of alchemy that achieved harmony within me.
Everything was once again put together into a whole.
It was truly a display of Heavenly Skill.
"My proficiency in pharmacology is only mediocre; find yourself a Pharmacist later."
Casually, Professor Ye produced a medicine bottle from the air, poured out something resembling a pill, and tossed it into my mouth, instructing me to hold it there without swallowing. A cool sensation slid down from my mouth into the depths of my lungs, quenching the scorching pain.
Finally, it allowed me to barely return to normal.
Above my chest, the Ancient's Mouth shone with a faint light, gradually repairing my body.
"A-Chun told me you suddenly started reading books on anatomy and surgery these past days... you've probably been pondering since the day you learned Spiritual Attack and Defense, haven't you?"
Ye Xian saw right through Ji Jue's ruse, shaking her head pensively, "Turning your own body into a machine? Wow, that's really something."
This was the hidden mystery within the trick.
In a sense, the organs of the body—internal organs, blood vessels, nerves, muscles, bones—all come together to form a machine.
A complex and precise machine for living.
What Ji Jue had done was to forcibly elevate the limits of his flesh via Fluid Alchemy, then, connected with his soul and aided by Non-attack, to perform alchemical operations on himself. Ultimately, by utilizing the coercive execution of Mechanical Descent, he transformed his body into a weapon!
Lifting the limit, breaking free from constraints, like an overloading engine. In an instant, he had gained power and speed of the Transformation Rank, a level of strength absolutely beyond his current class.
The effects were undeniably astonishing.
The consequences, undeniably dire...
After all, the body is not a machine.
Or rather, the human body's tolerance is just too poor compared to a machine.
The price of this power was Ji Jue's own life.
Had Professor Ye not been supervising from the sidelines the entire time, intervening promptly, I would have already been sitting down for a meal with Lu Ma and Ye Chun.
"The heart, brain, aorta... hormonal disorders, severe muscle strains, fractures and neural disturbances..." Professor Ye's fingers swept across Ji Jue from a distance, pointing out each issue, "Blundering around has its limit. Other than dying quickly, there's no benefit."
"A perfected process is necessary."
Ji Jue mustered a difficult smile, "I believe there's always a chance to realize it."
After all, what I need not worry about now is precision in operation and control. If others find the complex structure of the human body daunting, then for Ji Jue, who possesses Non-attack, Heavenly Skill, and Fluid Alchemy – although challenging, it's not insurmountable.
I need to focus on enhancing the endurance of my heart and brain vessels; regulation of the nervous and lymphatic systems must be taken into account, and protection of the brain must be prioritized.
My mind has already begun to list and analyze the issues and organize the next plans and experiments.
"You still haven't realized your biggest problem, have you..."
Ye Xian casually grabbed the back of my collar, lifting me up. Step by step, we ascended the rising steps, returned to the living room, and after tossing me back onto the sofa, she slowly inquired, "Do you know where you went wrong this time?"
"Uh..."
Hesitating, Ji Jue ventured a guess, "Recklessness?"
Indeed, in every sense of the word, some people simply don't understand the consequences, thus 'no recklessness, no death.' Others, like Ji Jue, take a death-bound approach from the start without realizing the danger.
Ye Xian snorted coldly, "You know you're wrong, but you'd dare to do it again, wouldn't you?"
"Next time... cough cough, we'll talk about it next time..."
Ji Jue obediently lowered his head, ultimately opting for an honest answer.
Sufficiently candid, very good.
Ye Xian slowly nodded. What she appreciated most was this kind of incorrigible fellow.