In the afternoon, at two o'clock.

It was still in the Northern Mountain District, in a desolate coastal area, where Professor Ye's lead car stopped at a desolate factory. Several factory buildings were scattered within the high walls, and a low-rise office building was covered in greenery, which, amid the sound of the waves, made the place feel quiet and calm.

It didn't look neglected from years of disuse; after passing through the mottled high walls, the inner campus was so quiet that not a single person could be seen. There were no security guards, no janitors, and no workers, but it was spotless, and the greenery was trimmed in an orderly fashion.

Simple, straightforward, everything was in its place, without any superfluous items exceeding or obstructing the well-organized everything.

"Is this place yours?" Ji Jue followed behind, looking around curiously.

"Over a decade ago, when I planned to settle down in Cliff City, Tianping Commerce gave it to me as a gift," Ye Xian said lightly as he walked ahead: "This is my workshop, where almost all the work related to alchemy is completed. Usually, you can move around freely in Building A and B; you can use the equipment when it's available, but you must clean up after yourself. As for Area C, the one with the warning sign on the door, and anything above the third floor of the office building, don't go in."

"Okay," Ji Jue nodded obediently, going with the flow and committing it to memory. He didn't ask what would happen if he did wander into those areas; after all, the outcomes were likely limited to death or a fate worse than death.

During his first year working on a project group, after Ji Jue almost suffered a beheading accident due to a stupid teammate's blunder, he became fluent in the procedures for safe production and, by the way, obtained a safety officer certification.

"I'll go prepare the stuff we'll need next."

She casually pushed open the hall's door, pointed to a broad lobby furnished cozily like a living room, and then to Ye Chun, who was lying on the couch, watching TV, eating chips, and having the time of her life: "You can ask her for more information."

"Auntie? Don't you have something to do this afternoon?"

Ye Chun was shocked, bouncing up from the sofa, frantically tidying her happy water and chips. Upon seeing Ji Jue, she froze, then froze again, becoming increasingly panicked:

"It's just a second mark I placed on you, how did you end up chasing me here?!"

"..."

Professor Ye sighed, truly exhausted by their overly abstract interaction, "The timing has moved up a bit, Ji Jue will officially start working at the workshop from today, under your supervision as an apprentice. Introduce him to the specifics, and bring him up to speed on common knowledge. You don't need me to teach you how to train him, right?"

"Eh? This soon?" Ye Chun couldn't believe it.

"By the way, he was involved in a malicious incident a few days ago, and after suffering from Spiritual Erosion, he has already awakened on his own."

"Eh?! This quickly?!" Ye Chun was even more astonished.

"Also, both your and his papers are not up to par. They've been sent back for rework," Professor Ye said as he ascended the stairs, "Turn them in before next month."

"Eh?! This…" Ye Chun hadn't finished speaking before she saw the look Professor Ye gave from the stairs, she paused for a moment, squeezing out an appeasing smile: "That's great, I love it!"

Professor Ye withdrew his gaze and went upstairs.

In the silent lobby, Ji Jue and Ye Chun were left staring at each other.

Her messy hair and makeup made her look rather scruffy, far from that radiant aura she had at school, but it seemed a bit more down-to-earth.

And Ye Chun's eyes were filled with a greater disbelief, as if she had seen a pig sprout wings and fly in the sky. Holding onto her happy water that she hadn't thrown away, she circled Ji Jue three or four times in disbelief.

"You actually awakened on your own? That's really impressive!"

Ji Jue was clueless: "Is it cool?"

"Um, if badass is worth a hundred points, you'd score around ninety."

Ye Chun revealed a sympathetic smile, patting his shoulder: "It would've been super cool, but last month some freak triggered the Heavenly Destiny Summon, that one's a genuine monstrosity… Compared to that, you're just so-so!"

"… Yeah, that's true."

Ji Jue nodded, finding it hard to disagree, then picked up her chips and another can of happy water and sat down, helping himself. Instead, Ye Chun leaned over, full of curiosity, blinking her big eyes: "They say that those who awaken on their own have unique spiritual abilities. What's yours?"

Ji Jue lowered his voice, pretending to be mysterious: "I'll let you in on a secret—I can make phones talk to me."

Instantly amazed, Ye Chun said: "What a coincidence, so can I!"

"Then you must also be an awakened Chosen One, pretty impressive."

So, they looked at each other and burst into roaring laughter, heads tilting back.

Soon after, Ye Chun mockingly pulled out a small blackboard from a corner, posing as the serious Professor Ye, and picked up the chalk: "Auntie told me to bring you up to speed on some common knowledge, so what do you know about Chosen Ones?"

"Reporting, teacher."

Ji Jue raised his hand: "Pretty much equivalent to nothing."

"Eh? Ji Jue, your foundation is really poor," Ye Chun lamented like a true educator, tapping the blackboard: "Then let's start with the types of Chosen One awakenings."

With that, she wrote three lines on the board.

"Upper Inheritance," "Autonomous Awakening," "Heavenly Destiny Summon."

"Autonomous Awakening is like what happened to you. It might be due to Erosion, or possibly a disaster or something else.

Under serendipitous circumstances, the soul touches the Superior Essence and then ascends, becoming a Chosen One. Because the situations vary, the innate abilities can be bizarre and range from strong to weak. The weak might be able to talk on the phone, while the strong could make a telephone pole talk to you. Basically, the limit is very high, but also very low."

"Upper Inheritance is through a fixed ceremony, using various special items from the Twelve Superiors, or even through methods like alchemy, contracts, organ transplants, and the like to forcefully taint the user's soul, ultimately stimulating awakening and transformation. Those who use this method generally have their allegiance fixed to the Superior that the ceremony directs to. The abilities are almost identical; the lower limit is somewhat guaranteed, but the upper limit often depends on luck.

The only advantage is that, as long as you're willing to spend money, you can mass-produce Chosen Ones."

"How much does it cost?" Ji Jue couldn't help but raise his hand to ask, thoroughly curious.

"Hmm, let me think." Ye Chun pondered for a moment and then replied, "A safe Upper-level Summoning Secret Ceremony without any hidden dangers would cost about six to ten million federal coins?

I've heard that some are done using an Upper-level Matrix and the Heavenly Artisan, but those are even more expensive, basically more about connections than money, maybe costing a lifetime of servitude to pay off.

Some are actually cheaper, not so particular, but the success rate... is difficult to express in words."

"Okay, that was impertinent of me."

Poor Ji Jue shamefully lowered his head, "Right, senior sister you..."

"Nope."

Ye Chun shook her head, "My aunt had connections herself. When I graduated, she also asked for my opinion, and everything, a whole process and ceremony, was prepared. Supposedly, there was even a chance to directly borrow the Mountain Light from the Security Bureau.

But I always felt that research isn't really for me. I don't seem to have a talent for fighting and killing, and it seems safer to be an ordinary person.

I don't have any interest in research, not meeting the requirements of the Embers, so it's better to assist my aunt in peace.

However, that whole set is still kept around. I thought my aunt would use it for you, but unexpectedly... you sure know how to save money, dealing with it yourself, and even choosing a direction that matches the Embers' specialty."

Ji Jue couldn't help but wipe sweat from his brow, "I already owe Professor Ye a lot of favors, let's not add more debt..."

He couldn't even pay off his student loans in a short time, not to mention other debts.

"...Let's continue talking about the settings."

Ji Jue finally had the chance to ask the question he had contemplated for a long time, "What, exactly, is a Chosen One? Is there really a 'Heaven' that has chosen me?"

"Perhaps, but it's uncertain, and it's not just one—there are at least twelve."

Ye Chun answered, "The term 'Chosen One' on one hand, implies that the birth of a Chosen One is difficult, not easily mass-produced. On the other hand, some say that the very moment a Chosen One awakens, they are entrusted with a Heavenly Destiny.

Chosen Ones, are those selected by the 'Superior.'"

Saying this, she kept writing on the blackboard without pause and in one breath, she wrote down the name Ji Jue had heard a few times— "Twelve Superior."

Ascension, Tian Yuan, the crowd, White Deer, Whirl, Heart Core, Ether, Gate of Eternity, Embers, Mirror, entropy, Ruins.

"This is where the power of Chosen Ones comes from, twelve different directions, which we refer to as the Twelve Superior."

Ye Chun explained seriously, "They are not living creatures, nor are they gods. Instead, they are a grand tapestry woven from countless events of the past and future, stretching back to the very beginning, ending at the brink of Destruction.

In a way, all that they comprise is what we recognize as the world itself.

Representing transcendence and Truth is 'Ascension'; representing order and domination is 'Tian Yuan'; representing wilderness and chaos is 'White Deer'; representing the life cycle of all beings is 'Whirl'; representing struggle and Destruction is 'the crowd'; representing thought and desire is 'Heart Core'; representing observation and record-keeping is 'Ether'; representing space and time is 'Gate of Eternity'; representing Illusion and nothingness is 'Mirror'; representing creation and renewal is 'Embers'; representing energy and outburst is 'entropy'; representing material and eternity is 'Ruins.'"

"As a newbie, you must remember the symbols they represent, as well as the emblems, and keep away from any tapestry and symbols beyond these twelve.

--Beyond the Superior, all is Evil Foolish!"

Ji Jue, out of curiosity, asked, "What if one accidentally becomes tainted with it?"

"They become Mutated."

Ye Chun smiled, "If they're lucky, they'll die quickly, if they're not, it will be a torment to live. Maybe they'll survive as some non-human Mutant, suffering eternally.

So, it's important to remember... Of course, if you can't, it's okay, over time you'll naturally get used to it, just stay away from those messy, strange things."

Ji Jue almost leaned against the blackboard, intently studying and memorizing what was written on it, he was still puzzled, "You just said that 'the crowd' represents struggle and Destruction, but... 'the crowd' is also considered a Superior?

How is that good?"

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?"

Ye Chun responded matter-of-factly, "War and slaughter are also parts of the world; though unsightly or brutal, that's just how it is. If 'the crowd' were not counted among the Superior, then wouldn't 'White Deer,' which oversees wildness, instinct, freedom, and rebellion, also be dismissed from it? Doesn't 'Tian Yuan,' which represents governance and order, also symbolize tyranny and control?

The Superior are eternal, transcending the mortal realm, not shaken by people's likes or dislikes."

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