Darkness, silence.

As if in an eternal fall, Ji Jue once again saw flames.

In the dark and deathly silence of the deep sea, that speck of Flame Light danced silently, rising and swirling amidst the ashes, never ceasing. Just like that, approaching, closer and closer, until that insignificant speck of Flame Light filled everything, transforming into an endless ocean of fire...

Gradually getting used to it, gradually forgetting himself.

As if, just like a speck of ash falling among more ashes, a spark returning to the flames.

In the deep echo of the sea, Ji Jue closed his eyes, curling up in weariness, as if falling into another dream within the deepest part of a dream.

A voice in his heart said, "Ji Jue, you belong here."

"No."

Ji Jue opened his eyes.

Then, the deep sea, flames, nightmares, all faded away, never to be seen again.

He saw the familiar workshop, the steel floor, walls, and ceiling, various equipment, scattered drafts, even the desk in the distance and the lamp dimmed after he fell asleep, its light faint and yellow.

He was dazed for a moment, a long time, then slowly climbed out of bed, rubbing his face.

"Isis, the time."

"Current time, 6:11 in the morning, still an hour and forty-nine minutes until the scheduled time, sir." A gentle voice answered, "Sleep indicators remained stable, no unexpected situations detected. I think you had that dream again."

"That's right."

Ji Jue yawned, washed his face, looked up, and gazed at the haggard face in the mirror: "And it's closer, even closer than before."

In the reflection of the mirror, that somewhat pale face showed a hint of withering and exhaustion, even torment and fatigue.

Tormented.

Not from inexplicable nightmares, purely self-inflicted by Ji Jue.

"My suggestion is to stop that foolish ritual in front of gods, eat something, and then go back to sleep, enjoying the sleep humans deserve.

There's still over an hour before forging begins, sir, you have time."

"Unfortunately, Isis, humans are always foolish, and this ritual is necessary."

Ji Jue shook his head, refusing.

After waking up, he no longer slept, once again reviewing the process and numerous details of Chun Jun's forging, even though he had repeated it countless times, able to recite it backwards in his dreams, almost engrained in his bones.

Hungry.

Getting hungrier.

In the literal sense, both hungry and thirsty.

Not eating for seven consecutive days is still somewhat troublesome for Ji Jue, who is at the Transformation Rank.

The body instinctively craves nutrition and hydration, even though he can still endure, but the habit persisted for over twenty years in the first half of his life tells him he should eat, should have eaten a long time ago.

Instead of pretending with Beifeng.

It is natural to be tormented, being in a state where he is neither starving nor truly alive is also self-inflicted.

[Bathed and fasted, burned incense and changed clothes.]

Nowadays, Ji Jue is strictly performing the ritual he once scoffed at, with meticulous attention and full concentration.

Admittedly, in most cases, these practices are just remnants of Ancient Alchemy from the Chaotic Era, used to demonstrate personal fortitude, but they are crucial in the forging of Chun Jun.

Being in an enclosed environment, trying to isolate the outside as much as possible.

No food or drink, incense meditation.

Focus on the self.

Try to eliminate external interference, during seven days of isolation and independence, burning incense and bathing three times a day, striving to peel away the jumbled distractions and information that disturb one's purity.

Allowing Ji Jue to return to his essence as much as possible.

From the perspective of Ether Path, this is a process of gradually eliminating external interference.

That's just it, more importantly, throughout the entire process, he must consciously control his spiritual substance and ritual, neither excited nor sad, preventing any fluctuations in the flow of spiritual substance.

Like still water, maintaining as much calm as possible.

Is it useful?

Perhaps, but not much, at best adding the finishing touch.

But even if there's only a one percent increase in success rate, Ji Jue doesn't want to miss it. More importantly, in this process, his original inner panic and unease seemed to gradually disappear.

The seven-day brief ascetic practice seemed like an uninterrupted psychological suggestion, strengthening his consciousness and obsession.

Under the support of Spirit First, at this moment his inner peace is unprecedented, and the flow of spiritual substance is almost nonexistent, with no ripples or turbulence.

In silence, he gradually stepped into the pool, washing himself, thoughts unknown how many times simulating the entire process in his mind, from start to finish, from beginning to end, not missing any detail, seeking any oversight, while preparing for any possible mistakes and response methods in any link...

When the last drop of water fell from the bucket, Ji Jue's heart stirred inexplicably!

Unparalleled peace and silence emerged soundlessly.

It's time.

Difficult to discern, whether this is the heart, instinct, premonition, or hallucination, or perhaps, the yet-to-be-created Chun Jun—

It said, now!

"Then let's begin."

Ji Jue wiped the water droplets from his hair, in the complex aroma of incense, donned white clothes, with bare feet walked straight towards the Melting Furnace.

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