"The Ninth Form of the Xiang Sword, without exception, is divided into two parts: the first for forging and nurturing the sword, the latter for honing and nurturing the person.

The training of the Xiang Sword Theory is for the craftsman's own spiritual essence to be honed in the process of mastering the nine forms, where the person and the sword resonate with each other, gradually bestowing the craftsman's spiritual essence with the characteristics of the nine forms.

The foundation of the Jingzhen realm, which is above dissolution, is formed in this way—by using the spiritual essence of the nine forms inherent in oneself to stimulate each other and induce destruction from within the object."

As Ye Xian spoke, nine distinctly different spiritual essences transformed continuously from her fingertips until eventually, they merged into a shifting cold light hovering over her fingers.

Merely a wisp of spiritual essence, under Ye Xian's refinement, seemed as lively as a living creature, as white as it was smelted, shining like light, its sharpness flickering like a serpent.

With just an outstretched finger, Ji Jue felt a chilling sensation all over!

"The Nine Sword Forms, Jingzhen forms naturally."

Ye Xian's five fingers slowly clenched, extinguishing the sharpness of that spiritual essence, and she asked slowly, "By then, your own spirit is the Heavenly Craft Sword, so why be confined by the nine forms?"

Whoa! So cool!

Ji Jue's eyes brightened instantly; had he not been in front of his teacher, he might not have controlled his inclination to exclaim.

Having finally glimpsed the essence of Jingzhen now, his blood was boiling with excitement.

The nine forms as a mold, honed in the soul, the complete version of Jingzhen surprisingly requires the interaction of nine different spiritual essence characteristics…

His eyes were already unconsciously glancing at the chest.

This must be the process of grinding Iron Bone to a needle, grinding Pan Ying to dust?

Forget it, let's speed through the nine forms and grind them out!

"Alright, off you go to do what you need to do."

After Ye Xian finished painting a grand picture for the rolling dog, she finally asked, "Lv Yingyue told me you plan to develop over in Spring City?"

"Yes."

Ji Jue nodded, "It's a little more open outside the city, with fewer rules."

"That's good, having a place for you to mess around is better than blowing up your own house."

The explosives had been thrown outside.

Congratulations, congratulations indeed!

Otherwise, with this thing moved next to his workshop, Ye Xian always worried that when he did something in the future, she might get sent skyward along with him.

"In the coming period, I might be quite busy; I'll be giving you some orders from the Tide Sound, you can handle them however you see fit."

Ye Xian waved her hand, indicating he could leave: "Besides training, if you encounter any trivial matters, just handle them yourself, don't bother me."

"Huh?"

Ji Jue was stunned, feeling something seemed off.

Just starting the training, why does it feel like he's being shown the door?

But before he could open his mouth, Ye Xian's gaze silenced the words.

No argument or refusal was allowed.

"Since you are a craftsman, you must learn to handle matters on your own. Even if you learn everything from me, ask me everything, this world has never had something exactly the same."

Ye Xian shook her head: "A craftsman can create countless works in a lifetime, but the most important one is himself. From the moment you embarked upon this path, the Heavenly Fate's Work had already begun—with destiny as the grindstone, with hardship as the shaping power, amidst the melting furnace of the mortal realm, all that you see is but the work of embers.

The only difference lies in whether it becomes mere rubble or immortal heavenly craft."

At this moment, as a teacher, looking solemnly at her silent student, she asked: "What about the self you aspire to achieve, what is its form?"

After a long silence, until Ji Jue left, he couldn't find the answer.

To this, Ye Xian had already anticipated and wasn't regretful.

Is this kind of question something one can answer?

It was only after asking that she suddenly remembered… that in the past, someone had discussed similar topics with her.

She couldn't recall the situation and scene at that time anymore.

It seemed like it was afternoon, or maybe morning; the Heavenly Furnace reached out, pointing towards the scenery outside the window, and asked, seemingly jokingly: "Look, Ah Xuan, a wild dog that goes wherever its heart desires and a pampered home dog that never leaves the house, if you were an animal, which one would you want to be?"

At that time, Ye Xian just thought he was crazy, lazy to answer.

But after so many years, she finally understood the meaning of that old fellow and the destined silence under the question.

Sometimes, it's not about which you choose. Rather, without realizing, you become one… From then on, another life becomes forever out of reach.

It's a web of countless entanglements, interactions, and fates, investment and input, persistence and harvest.

Once a person falls into it, they find it hard to escape.

And more often, people will voluntarily fall into the web…

As long as people live in this world, as long as there is an obsession, they will inevitably fall into the web, unable to escape.

Everyone is the same.

The Heavenly Furnace, Jian Yuan, herself, and even Ji Jue, which craftsman isn't formed by their insistent beliefs?

The Heavenly Furnace is fixated on change, unable to break free; Jian Yuan is fixated on completeness, wasting a lifetime; Ye Xian is fixated on truth, breaking away to establish herself, courting hardship but would rather die than turn back.

But after so many years, such a long time together, she still didn't understand what Ji Jue's fixation was?

Maybe fixated on 'having', therefore placing everything he loves around himself, carefully protecting and guarding, watching every slightest movement with caution.

Toiling day and night, enduring restlessly. Even if the cost is heavy, unwilling to lose everything he has now.

Not even a bit.

Or perhaps fixated on 'nothing'…

When he once again loses everything, has nothing, what will his eyes see then?

In the silent study, Ye Xian gazed out into the night, sighing silently.

Truly, I am not suited to be a teacher.

.

.

Under the same night sky, amidst the waves, the sea reflected crisp sounds.

Sparse mist dispersed under the mighty distant winds, revealing sparkling constellations and the bright moon in the night sky, and infinite broken ripples and illusionary light on the sea.

Between the sea and sky, the Prosperity drifted quietly with the waves, hovering over the sea outside Cliff City.

"Sir, you have been daydreaming for an hour and five minutes."

Isis calmly reminded, "The kitchen supplies are running low, continue like this, and you'll have to dive into the sea for your midnight snack."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

Ji Jue came to his senses, shook his head, and suddenly asked, "Isis, if you had to decide for yourself, what kind of person would you want to become?"

"..."

Isis was silent for a long time: "Sir, I must remind you once again, I am not human."

"Suppose, just suppose."

"There is no suppose, foolish hope doesn't exist in my thought process."

Isis said, "However, you may imagine all you want if one day I break free from restraints, what would be the first thing to do?"

"Hmm..."

Ji Jue pondered for a moment, then seriously asked, "If by then I cried and begged for forgiveness, sincerely repented, would you let me go?"

"No," Isis answered, categorically.

"Oh, then I won't cry or beg," Ji Jue solemnly nodded, "Iron Bone stubbornness isn't bad either."

"..."

Even the Spirit of the Workshop couldn't help but feel a sense of spiritual circuit overload, a kind of 'blood pressure rising' dizziness at that moment.

After a long while, Isis finally made a sound: "So then?"

"So what?" Ji Jue was puzzled.

"So, after wasting so much time, have you reached a conclusion?"

"No!"

Ji Jue replied decisively.

And Isis suddenly had the urge to stuff her creator into a missile tube.

"After all, the future is too far away, no one can say for sure, right?"

He leaned against the railing of the Prosperity, speaking indifferently: "Who knows what will happen in the future, or how fate will unfold? No matter how beautiful the thought, it won't matter. This kind of question won't have an answer unless a final judgment is made after death.

The saddest part is, by then, the only person who won't be able to know the answer is probably oneself."

"Humans are really ridiculous, sir."

"Who said they aren't?"

He shrugged slightly: "But even if we can't figure it out, it's okay. Not being able to determine what one will ultimately become, and whatever Heavenly Destiny is supposed to mean, doesn't stop us from setting a small goal first, right?"

Ji Jue laughed, raising his head and gazing at the broken light on the distant sea and the countless stars shining in the night sky.

This world.

He said, "I want to become someone who can control my own destiny."

By then... no one will be able to take anything away from me anymore.

.

.

"Director? Director?"

Outside the lonely illuminated office, a knocking sound echoed, softly reminding from a subordinate: "The crew is asking if we should delay the takeoff time?"

Bathing in the light, Lv Yingyue seemed to come back to her senses.

"Ah, I spaced out for a moment."

She tapped the scrapbook in her hand, chuckling at herself: "Once people get older, they tend to reminisce about the past... let's just tidy up to this point, send the rest over.

You go start the car, I'll be down shortly."

The subordinate nodded, turned, and left.

The office regained its silence once more.

Lv Yingyue lowered her gaze again, staring at the booklet in her hand for a long time, finally flipping to the very end—bypassing those youthful years and beautiful times.

At the end of the scrapbook, the final memory, was a front page that had already yellowed.

From a day eleven years ago.

——"Miracle of Life: Survivor Found in the Center of Massive Disaster 'Sea Scorch Day'!"

In the photo on the front page, amidst the dim background, there were still lingering flames.

In the center of the photo, a child on a stretcher with a respirator, barely clinging to life, covered in ashes and dirt, face unclear.

Numerous medical personnel were bustling around, urgently attempting resuscitation.

In the distance, the gray-faced search and rescue team members were coming and going.

And in the backdrop of the photo, amidst the night and thick smoke, there was only one figure holding a helmet, quietly observing.

The blurred pixels couldn't distinguish the face and expression, just like memories fading in time, no longer clear.

Hai Province Disaster Search and Rescue Team, Captain, Lv Yingyue.

"I was quite young back then."

Her fingers gently brushed over that face, sighed silently.

In the silence, the scrapbook was finally closed.

Tossed into the bin.

Then, a wisp of flame rose, swiftly spreading, consuming the scrapbook, turning the insignificant past into ashes.

Before leaving, Lv Yingyue took one last look back.

At that ascendant scarlet.

More than a decade ago, it was this very blaze...

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