"What?"

Ji Jue was taken aback.

It was as if he had risen up in alarm from a deathbed illness.

He turned to Professor Ye in amazement, ensuring she wasn't joking. Still finding it hard to believe, he lifted his hand to his own face, "Me?!"

Am I seriously taking the initiation test?

"Yes, you."

Professor Ye nodded, calm and indifferent as always, leaving no room for turning back or postponement.

You are to eliminate that monk, his monkey, the pig, and that porter. I have a route through Thailand, it's a bit risky, but we set off today. It will take six hours to get there and back, plus I'll give you two hours for eating, dawdling, and sleeping. Bring me your craftsman license.

"Isn't that a bit... too hasty?"

Ji Jue wiped the sweat from his brow, "I've only been an apprentice for four months, teacher."

Not even four months.

In these four months, he spent at least two and a half wandering aimlessly and going on rampages; at most, he was like a correspondence student. During the month and a half left, he spent half a month lying in a hospital.

The actual time he spent in the workshop receiving instruction was just a little over a month.

That included the time he spent on the basics.

Moreover, even if he had diligently studied night and day under Ye Chun for those four months, it would still be too short!

It was just too preposterous.

Normally, in the lineage of Embers, transitioning from apprentice to craftsman would take six to ten years, and one could be called a talented and potential craftsman of Embers, endowed with extraordinary talent.

Over the centuries, Modern Alchemy has gradually developed; the internal procedures within the Taiyi Ring have evolved, and the mutual undercutting among craftsmen and the restrictions set by interest groups to maintain their privileges have made the exam for craftsmen several times more difficult than it was initially. So much so that over eighty years ago, amidst the protests and public condemnation by many craftsmen, the difficulty was, at last, stabilized.

But it still remained outrageously difficult, with written exams, creative tasks, peer reviews, and individual assessments obstructing countless vigorous apprentices and causing many a full head of hair to go bald.

Still, there was a never-ending stream of Embers' Chosen Ones trying their best to squeeze into the ranks.

One simply had to.

Unlike the Star Core Association, where any Chosen One from the Gate of Eternity was welcomed; unlike the Desert Market where starting equipment depended solely on luck; and certainly not like Tian Yuan where staffing could be created on a whim...

The internal ecosystem of the Embers lineage was too harsh and cruel, boiling down to two categories.

—Craftsmen and the worthless trash that weren't craftsmen.

Not just for rapid promotion and worry-free living, but just to gain basic human rights, countless Chosen Ones toiled day and night, striving to climb one step higher in the pyramidal hierarchy.

Dragon Gate after Dragon Gate, if you could cross it, naturally it was "Embers' generosity, infinite creation"; if you couldn't, then it was "Embers' cruelty, no sympathy for the mediocre."

Compared to the many full-time undergraduates who then pursued master's and doctoral degrees, Ji's worth was at best that of a night school student.

How could he compete on the same stage?

"..."

After listening to Ji Jue's complaints, Professor Ye was silent for a long time.

She seemed puzzled, and after a while, helplessly lifted her hand to pinch her brow, "Aren't you taking yourself too seriously?"

"Ah?"

Ji Jue was confused.

Ye Xian asked, "When I mention 'craftsman,' whom are you comparing yourself to?"

"That's certainly..."

Ji Jue's reply stopped abruptly, and he was stunned.

Who else could it be?

Of course, it was the teacher before him, the Saint of the Crack Realm, the Mo Zhe of hundreds of years ago, the masters in the conference room, even You Sui Craftsman Grandmaster Jian Yuan!

Compared to them, even Ji Jue was as insignificant as Dust, as trivial as an ant.

But what about otherwise?

There might be Dust even more insignificant and ants even more trivial than him, but he never gave them a second thought from beginning to end.

For a moment, he was speechless.

"The Pride of Embers, huh."

Ye Xian sighed and suddenly sneered, "Do you deserve it?"

Ji Jue had nothing to say.

"I often advise people to look at the bigger picture, but isn't your view a bit too presumptuous?"

Ye Xian's fingers drummed on the desk, "As your teacher, I have determined that you have the ability to meet the craftsman exam requirements, your talent already exceeds that of your peers, and your practical work and creations would be hard to match by an average craftsman.

The only thing you lack is some theory that needs rote memorization and the experience that comes with time.

You might have a serious case of specialization, but it's not a hindrance. For you, obtaining a craftsman's license may be difficult, but not impossible. So what are you dawdling about?

Do you plan to remain an apprentice forever because you can't compare to me, the masters, or Jian Yuan?"

"...It's just a bit sudden."

Ji Jue replied awkwardly, "Isn't it, after all, a bit rushed due to the short time frame?"

"You brought it upon yourself."

Ye Xian looked at him expressionlessly, "Do you know what Lv Yingyue came here for today? Apart from other miscellaneous matters, before she left, she suddenly asked me:

—Is your student Ji Jue the same person who appeared at the Chosen Summon in Cliff City a few months ago?"

Ji Jue grew nervous.

"She knows I hate lying, so there was no probing or beating around the bush."

Ye Xian let out a self-deprecatory sigh, "I told her you were not."

"..."

In the silence, Ji Jue wanted to speak several times, yet didn't know what would be appropriate to say.

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