Chapter 1607 - 827: The Future and the Present

When Ji Jue, carrying a sullen face, saw the Heavenly Furnace once again, it was already dusk.

"Cough, cough, you... you're here?"

On a recliner, the Heavenly Furnace, pale and seemingly on the brink of death, looked up at the upright and chest-high Ji Jue walking in, forcing a smile.

And Ji Jue, didn't give him any attention at all.

He sat down directly and started eating the fruit platter in front of him, "What are you pretending for, old dog!"

"Ji Jue, how can you talk to your master's master like that!"

The eyes of the Heavenly Furnace trembled, heartbroken: "For so long, you haven't seen me. Do you know how heartbroken your master's master is?"

"Is that so? Show me?"

Ji Jue, whose face still bore bruises, laughed angrily, "I just returned to Tianshu, and my teacher found me to take a week's worth of classes. Don't you have any clue about it?"

"Is that so? Your master-student relationship must be very good then!" The Heavenly Furnace nodded and imitated a dog's bark.

"Exactly."

Ji Jue sneered, "I love my teacher, my teacher loves me... Our line focuses on being as close as a family, harmonious between mentor and student.

Wouldn't a Grandmaster who is alienated by everyone be envious to the point of shedding small pearls?"

The Heavenly Furnace kept smiling, looking at him, the smile growing more pleasant: "Then she must really like those little surprises and gadgets you come up with, right?"

Damn you, old dog...

Ji Jue's fists clenched.

Then, he realized the peeled orange in his hand had fallen into the old dog's mouth, chewing with a smack, smacking sounds echoing.

"How does it feel, Ji Jue?"

He suddenly asked, "Comparing the achievements of Ji Jue to those of Lu Changsheng, which are greater?"

Ji Jue coldly, peeled another orange and retorted, "What achievements can Lu Changsheng have? It's just a pile of outdated junk picked from the dust heaps, brining with a bunch of bombs to annoy people.

If this world were a bit more normal, would there be a place for that to be used?

What achievements does Ji Jue have to speak of? It's nothing more than coincidental opportunities leading a nobody to fame when there are no heroes. Would it be different with someone else?"

"So harsh."

The Heavenly Furnace asked, "Aren't you underestimating yourself a little?"

"Looking up at the lofty heights, feeling ashamed."

Ji Jue was silent for a moment, offering a heartfelt sigh: "Compared to the achievements and spirit of the Carrion Eater, what am I, Ji Jue? Not worth mentioning."

"You've only been a craftsman for two years, and you're already comparing yourself to a Carrion Eater? Ambitious!"

The Heavenly Furnace laughed, "If the old lady hears this, she'd probably take back her words that I'm arrogant. Compared to you, even the Heavenly Furnace could be considered humble."

Before Ji Jue could speak, he asked again, "If you had to choose?"

"Hmm?"

"If you were to choose now..." the Heavenly Furnace curiously asked, "Would you want to be Ji Jue, or Lu Changsheng?"

Ji Jue rolled his eyes and glanced at him, "Then would you want to be Juzi or the Heavenly Furnace?"

"Hey, why can't I be both?"

The Heavenly Furnace shrugged slightly, shaking his head with regret: "But can you?"

Alright, let the dog barking begin.

"As Lu Changsheng, with the world against you, but with nothing forbidden, four ounces of force can shift the world's weight, making everyone like puppets in your vortex, unable to extricate themselves.

As Ji Jue, with limitless potential, yet trapped in a cage, constrained everywhere, struggling within existing rules, finding it hard to breathe...

No matter how far-reaching the talent or how exquisite the craftsmanship, they are still limited by the present world and themselves, uncontrollably."

The Heavenly Furnace turned around, looking at him: "I'm not asking you to choose between the two, nor do I expect you to bridge both. I just want you to understand which is truly important.

This time in the Seven Cities you did very well, even without Lu Changsheng, with Ji Jue's creations, you could still outshine others...

Perhaps Lu Changsheng can accomplish many things, but there are things that only you, as Ji Jue, can do — things that Lu Changsheng absolutely cannot."

He said, "If one day, such a choice really stands in front of you, you must understand what you've given up."

"If there weren't a forced choice, who'd willingly play that damn Lu Changsheng?"

Ji Jue reflexively responded, "If I don't become some Evil Transformation Saint, does it mean I accomplish nothing in my life?"

And so, the Heavenly Furnace silently laughed, full of joy.

What he appreciated and admired was precisely this heartfelt decisiveness and arrogance greater than his own, wasn't it?

He waved a hand, indicating Ji Jue could leave, but Ji Jue didn't move.

Having discarded the fruit peels and debris, he sat upright.

"Heavenly Furnace?"

"Hmm?"

Ji Jue looked at him and suddenly asked, "Do you really hate this world?"

Such a question froze the smile on the Heavenly Furnace's face,

In another brief silence, he shook his head, sighed self-deprecatingly, "At most, I just can't like it."

"When I was just an ordinary person, looking at this world, I often thought it would be nice if someone stood up to change all this.

Then after becoming a craftsman, I suddenly felt that perhaps I am that person, and I should do something.

But after becoming the Heavenly Furnace, when clearly I could achieve so much, instead, I became mediocre, unrecognizable, even I could hardly bear it."

He sighed with emotion, looking at Ji Jue, full of hope, "Make sure you work hard."

"Are you saying, don't become like you?"

Ji Jue was taken aback, feeling the earnest expectation, momentarily speechless, but then he heard the Heavenly Furnace's voice: "No, I'm telling you to work hard to catch up quickly, then become like me, follow the same old path early.