So-Called Superior Virtue (Thanks to Blade of Ruin, the Alliance Leader)

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Still in the North Mountain District, in a desolate coastal area, the car led by Professor Ye pulled into a deserted factory. Several factory buildings were scattered within high walls, and a low office building was covered in climbing greenery. Amidst the sound of the waves, it was quiet and still.

It didn't look like it had fallen into disrepair. After passing through the mottled high walls, the park inside was so quiet that not a soul could be seen. There were no security guards, no cleaners, and no workers, yet it was spotless; even the greenery was meticulously trimmed.

Simple, straightforward, every object was in its proper place, with nothing superfluous to obstruct or clutter the orderly environment.

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

"Over ten years ago, when I intended to settle down in Yacheng, the Libra Conglomerate gifted it to me." Ye Xian walked in front and said calmly, "This is my Workshop. Most work related to alchemy is completed here. You can move freely in Buildings A and B during your spare time. You may use the equipment when it's free, but you must clean up after yourself. As for District C—the one with the warning sign on the door—and anything above the third floor of the office building, do not wander in."

"Understood." Ji Jue nodded obediently, accepting the instructions gracefully and keeping them firmly in mind. He didn't ask what would happen if he did wander in; he figured the outcome would likely be nothing other than death or a life worse than death.

Back in his freshman year, while doing odd jobs for a project team, Ji Jue had nearly been decapitated due to a teammate's idiotic operation. Since then, he had memorized safety protocols by heart and even obtained a project safety officer certification.

"I'm going to prepare the things I'll need for later."

She pushed open the door to the main hall, gestured toward the spacious lobby—which was decorated as warmly as a living room—and pointed at Ye Chun, who was lying on the sofa watching TV and eating potato chips with great delight. "You can just get the details from her."

"Aunt? Didn't you have something to do this afternoon?"

Ye Chun was shocked. She sprang up from the sofa, scrambling to tidy up her Happy Water and potato chips. When she saw Ji Jue, she froze, then froze again, her expression turning increasingly horrified.

"Didn't I just list you as a second author? Why did you chase me all the way here?!"

"..."

Professor Ye sighed, truly exhausted by the abstract nature of their interaction. "The schedule was moved up. Starting today, Ji Jue will be officially working in the Workshop as an apprentice under your supervision. Explain the situation to him and cover the basics. I don't need to teach you how to train someone, do I?"

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

"Also, he was involved in a malicious incident a few days ago. After being eroded by Spiritual Substance, he has already undergone an autonomous awakening."

"Eh?! So soon?!" Ye Chun was even more shocked.

"And one more thing: your paper with him is substandard. It's sent back for revisions." Professor Ye stepped onto the stairs. "Hand it in before next month."

"Eh?!! This..." Before Ye Chun could finish, she caught the look Professor Ye cast from the stairs. She paused, then squeezed out a submissive, ingratiating smile. "That's great! I love it!"

Professor Ye withdrew her gaze and went upstairs.

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

Her messy hair and makeup made her look quite slovenly, lacking the brilliant, radiant aura she had at school; she looked much more down-to-earth.

Ye Chun's eyes were clearly even more bewildered, as if she had seen a sow sprout wings and fly. She circled Ji Jue three or four times, still holding her Happy Water, unable to believe it.

"You actually had an autonomous awakening? That's amazing!"

Ji Jue was confused. "Is it that impressive?"

"Well, on a scale of one to a hundred, you'd probably score around a ninety."

Ye Chun grinned and patted his shoulder sympathetically. "It would have been very impressive, but last month, some pervert from who-knows-where triggered a Mandate of Heaven Summoning. That was a real monster... Compared to that, you're just average!"

"...Yeah, that's fair."

Ji Jue nodded, finding it hard to disagree. He then picked up her bag of chips and another can of Happy Water, sat down without standing on ceremony, and started eating. Ye Chun, on the other hand, leaned in, full of curiosity, her large eyes blinking. "They say people who undergo autonomous awakening have special soul abilities. What's your ability?"

Ji Jue lowered his voice, feigning mystery. "I'll tell you quietly: I can make phones talk to me."

Ye Chun was immediately amazed. "What a coincidence, I can do that too!"

"Then you're a Chosen One who underwent an autonomous awakening as well. Truly impressive."

With that, the two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Soon, Ye Chun pretended to pull a small blackboard from the corner and began to mimic Professor Ye's stern demeanor, picking up a piece of chalk. "Aunt asked me to fill you in on the basics. How much do you know about Chosen Ones?"

"Reporting to the teacher."

Ji Jue raised his hand. "Basically nothing."

"Eh? Student Ji Jue's foundation is truly poor." Ye Chun sighed with the air of a mentor and tapped the blackboard. "Then let's start with the types of awakening for Chosen Ones."

As she spoke, she wrote three lines on the board.

[High-level Inheritance], [Autonomous Awakening], [Mandate of Heaven Summoning].

"Autonomous awakening, like yours, might be caused by erosion, or perhaps by disasters or other factors.

Under accidental circumstances, the soul touches the Supreme Goodness Essence and subsequently undergoes Ascension, becoming a Chosen One. Because the circumstances vary, the talent abilities are also bizarre and varied—some strong, some weak. The weak ones can talk to phones, while the strong ones can make telephone poles talk to them. In any case, the ceiling is very high, but the floor is also very low."

"High-level Inheritance is when you use fixed rituals, various special items originating from the Twelve Supreme Goodnesses, or simply use alchemy, contracts, or organ transplants to forcibly infect the user's soul, eventually triggering awakening and qualitative change. Those who use this method usually have their faction fixed to the Supreme Goodness the ritual points to, and their abilities are almost identical. The floor is more guaranteed, but the ceiling usually depends on luck."

"The only advantage is that as long as you have the money, you can create Chosen Ones in batches."

"How much money?" Ji Jue couldn't help but raise his hand, full of curiosity.

"Hmm, let me think." Ye Chun pondered for a moment and replied, "A safe High-level Summoning Secret Rite without hidden dangers costs anywhere from six to ten million Federal Currency, I suppose?"

"It's said that some are performed using High-level Matrices and Masterworks, but those prices are even more astronomical. It's usually more about personal favors than money; you might end up working your whole life just to pay off the debt.

Some are cheaper, with fewer requirements, but the success rate is... well, it's hard to describe."

"Alright, it was presumptuous of me to ask."

Ji Jue, a poor person, lowered his head in shame. "By the way, Senior Sister, you..."

"Not exactly."

Ye Chun shook her head. "My Aunt had connections, and she even asked for my opinion when I graduated. The entire process and the ceremony were already prepared, and it was said there was even a chance to borrow the Security Bureau's [Mountain Light] directly.

However, I just felt that doing research every day didn't suit me, and I didn't seem to have much talent for fighting and killing either. It felt safer to just be an ordinary person.

I don't have any passion for research, and I don't fit the requirements for Embers, so it's better to just stay at ease and work as my Aunt's assistant."

"But that set of things is still kept there. I originally thought my Aunt would let you use it, but I didn't expect... you're quite good at saving money, getting it all done yourself. And you even chose a path like Embers that fits your expertise."

Ji Jue couldn't help but wipe away sweat. "I already owe Professor Ye so many favors; let's not add more debt on top of that..."

He wouldn't be able to pay off his student loans for a while, let alone anything else.

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

Ji Jue finally had the chance to ask the question he had been pondering for a long time: "What exactly is a 'Chosen One'? Is there really a 'Heaven' that chose me?"

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. But it's not just one; there are at least twelve."

Ye Chun replied, "Being 'Chosen' means, on one hand, that Chosen Ones are difficult to be born and cannot appear in batches. On the other hand, some say that the moment a Chosen One awakens, they have already been entrusted with a destiny.

A Chosen One is someone chosen by the 'Supreme Goodnesses'."

As she spoke, she wrote continuously on the blackboard, writing down in one breath the title that Ji Jue had heard a few times before—[Twelve Supreme Goodnesses].

Ascension, Celestial Origin, The Horde, White Deer, Vortex, Heart Pivot, Ether, Eternal Gate, Embers, Mirror, Entropy, Waste Ruins.

"This is the source of a Chosen One's power, twelve different directions, which is what we call the Twelve Supreme Goodnesses."

Ye Chun explained solemnly, "They are not living beings, nor are they gods. They are a magnificent tapestry woven from countless events in the past and future, extending to the beginning of the past and ending at the end of Destruction.

To some extent, everything they compose is the world as we know it.

Ascension represents transcendence and truth; Celestial Origin represents order and governance; White Deer represents wildness and chaos; Vortex represents the birth, aging, sickness, and death of all life; The Horde represents struggle and ruin; Heart Pivot represents thought and desire; Ether represents observation and recording; Eternal Gate represents space and time; Mirror represents illusion and nothingness; Embers represents creation and renewal; Entropy represents energy and eruption; Waste Ruins represents matter and eternity."

"As a newcomer, you must remember the symbols and emblems they represent, and stay away from any tapestry or symbol other than these twelve.

—Beyond the Supreme Goodnesses, all belongs to Evil Folly!"

Ji Jue asked curiously, "If I accidentally get contaminated by one..."

"You will suffer Sin Corruption."

Ye Chun smiled. "If you're lucky, you'll die quickly. If you're unlucky, you'll live a life of torture. Perhaps you'll turn into some kind of inhuman aberration that can exist forever, in eternal pain.

So, you must remember... Of course, it's okay if you can't remember it right now; you'll naturally get used to it over time. Just don't touch those messy, strange things."

Ji Jue leaned almost against the blackboard, staring intently to memorize it, but remained puzzled. "You just said that The Horde represents struggle and ruin, but... The Horde is also a Supreme Goodness?

How is that 'good'?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

Ye Chun said as if it were a matter of course. "War and slaughter are also part of the world. Although they are ugly or cruel, that is just how it is. If The Horde isn't considered a Supreme Goodness, wouldn't the White Deer, which governs wildness, instinct, freedom, and resistance, also have to be cast out? Doesn't Celestial Origin, which represents governance and order, also symbolize tyranny and control?

The Supreme Goodnesses are eternal, transcending the mortal world, and do not waver or change based on human likes or dislikes."