Chapter 103: Improve the practical matching mechanism (holiday surprise update)

That night, the sky and the earth were pure white.

Boundless, without beginning or end, a tiny figure stood in the vast, pure white space. Chu Hengkong looked at it curiously for a moment and said, "Mr. Ji, the rendering is not keeping up."

"Wait a minute, this is the first time I've used this magical power..."

Several trees fell at the man's voice, and a square gray stone building rose from the ground. A bearded old dragon statue rested on the roof, its eyes as bright as the sun. In the blink of an eye, Chu Hengkong found himself in a courtyard reminiscent of a fairy tale. Ji Qiufeng sat in a throne, leisurely waving a paper fan.

"As the Lord of Huilong City, I can partially utilize the power of Youyou. This is the ancient dragon clan's magic of entering dreams and seeing shadows. This technique is one of the ancient dragon clan's signature techniques, and it is quite magical in many aspects such as dream transmission, divination, attack, and intimidation..."

"The last two applications are a bit strange, aren't they developed by Youyou himself?"

"Dream attacks are the means used by the Dragon Gods in their struggle against the Black Moon, and the use of dream intimidation was indeed her invention." City Lord Ji displayed a nagging sense of pride. "This dream shadow space is isolated from the outside world, and time flows much faster than the outside world. Speaking of which, Hengkong, you should understand why I specifically used this technique?"

Chu Hengkong was so smart that he figured it out right away: "Youyou forced you to threaten me."

Ji Qiufeng picked up the fan and tapped him lightly.

"There's something going on here that's convenient for us to talk about. You brought back the letter of help from the Divine Tree Clan."

"I think I will go." Chu Hengkong nodded.

Just as he was suffering from the effects of the True Machine, he immediately received a letter from the Senluo Divine Tree clan requesting assistance. If this was just a coincidence, it would be the height of coincidence. Ji Qiufeng didn't need to elaborate; he knew it was the influence of the so-called "tide of fate" in the Shendong Realm. He would act for some predetermined reason, and others would be attracted by his arrival. More likely, it was a combination of both...

Fate is such a perverse thing; the more active you are, the more you become aware of its existence. Ji Qiufeng once said during his cultivation that many people, the more they practiced, the more they felt their fate was predetermined, becoming trapped in this delusion and unable to escape. The more they tried to disbelieve it, the more they became obsessed. Chu Hengkong, however, didn't have any opinion on this, or rather, he didn't care at all.

Is it really fate that you won’t save your allies?

It's really fate, so why don't you go get spinal treatment?

What he needs to do will not change because of this. Instead, the movement of the tide of fate saves him time, so why not do it?

Ji Qiufeng showed the same expression he always had after teaching him high-end techniques.

"Hengkong, you're in such a good mood," he sighed. "I know you've made up your mind, but there's one thing I must make clear first. This time, Youyou and I can't help you."

"Huilong City still needs your care, so of course I will go." Chu Hengkong felt it was natural.

Ji Qiufeng's expression grew serious. "This isn't just a matter of Huilong City; it involves the very nature of the tide of fate. You must remember this carefully."

Chu Hengkong was extremely alert. Every time Ji Qiufeng said this, it meant that what he was about to say must be extremely important. Forgetting even one of these words would be fatal.

"The trend of destiny has a complete and self-consistent matching mechanism." Ji Qiufeng said seriously.

"……ah?"

"Read after me, matching mechanism." Ji Qiufeng spoke clearly. "Why do we use this term? Because it's very similar to the water curtain game you and Huaisu secretly played. The tide will force you to face connected objects directly, but these connections are basically limited to the scope of the same particle. The skillful hands of particle 1 often encounter the strange beasts of particle 1, and the worst of the reverse shadow of particle 2 is just encountering the slayer ghost of particle 2. This is the most common encounter in the tide. This pattern has been widely confirmed by many ascenders in the world of Shendong and can basically be regarded as a law."

"Mr. Ji, I have to make one thing clear first. Ji Huaisu dragged me into playing the water curtain game. I prefer playing single-player games myself."

"I see you and Fander are having a lot of fun!" Ji Qiufeng waved his hand. "So far, I've only seen one Ascender who nearly broke the law. He was a skilled hand who encountered the Immortal Machine..."

"The Immortal Machine was upgraded on the spot. In fact, when I first went there, it was just a soul container." Chu Hengkong said, "It conforms to the law."

"It's good that you understand. When you step into the tide of fate—especially when you use it to travel to other Dust Islands—this law will be particularly evident. If you were the only one leaving the Senluo Secret Realm alone this time, then the highest enemy you would face would not exceed Sephiroth 3. But if Youyou or I were to go with you..."

Chu Hengkong's eye twitched: "Will I be able to witness the battle of Particle 5?"

"You will be crushed by the aftermath of the Great Seismic War," Ji Qiufeng corrected. "By then, powerful beings of the same Seismic Point will inevitably follow us. The attraction of the tide of fate considers not only your rank, but also your 'force of destiny'. The skills you master, the relics you possess, the karma you carry, and even your untapped talents... all these factors will be taken into account. Do you understand what this means?"

Chu Hengkong realized the problem: "Is it a random match based on comprehensive strength and background? If you go out, you will definitely meet a legendary heretic?"

"Or more ordinary outsiders." Ji Qiufeng said, "This is why we rarely give you relics that exceed your current Sephiroth. If you, a Sephiroth 2, go out with a Sephiroth 5 relic, the trend will likely judge your destiny power to be Sephiroth 5 level."

"Cheng is delivering food to Hong Nie." Chu Hengkong felt a headache.

"Considering your bad luck, I think it's more likely to be a Legendary Sephiroth 5 or a Think Tank." Ji Qiufeng smiled. "Now, you should understand why Youyou is anxious."

The matching system made it difficult for high-quality players to "escort" the island, and carrying high-quality relics also had a high probability of being judged high. A single crime of possessing a treasure could lead to a trap for the outsiders. If he wanted to support the Senluo Sacred Tree, he would have to leave the island alone with a relic of no more than 2 points.

The last person in the city to leave the island alone was Jie An's father Jie Wen. Not only was Youyou worried, Chu Hengkong himself also felt it was a difficult situation.

"Since this mechanism has been clearly studied, there must be ways to exploit it."

"Of course. How could you underestimate the wisdom of the beings in the Shendong Realm?" Ji Qiufeng said with a smile, "The most vulnerable are those 'without particles'. Some races and powers don't follow the path of transformation. Without particles, the tide will still be guided by their overall destiny, but the effectiveness is naturally weaker than that of normal Transformers.

The three most representative forces among them are the Fallen, the Funeral Procession, and the Illusionary Demons, which are also the three great abyssal heretics that are the source of all evil in the Shendong Realm..."

The more Chu Hengkong listened, the more he felt something was wrong: "No, Mr. Ji? How did this loophole allow an outsider to take advantage of it?"

"The Abyss is the loophole of the world, and the evil ways are their home turf." Ji Qiufeng waved his fan. "Youyou and I have repeatedly evaluated your bad luck. We agree that if you act alone this time, you will definitely encounter the Abyssal Outcasts. But if you go with that girl Huaisu... you might be able to participate in a super melee between the Outcasts and the Abyssal Legends. Aren't you looking forward to it?"

The killer was eager to try: "To be honest, it is true."

"So you must prepare quickly to avoid being crushed to death by the heretics as soon as you disembark." Ji Qiufeng stood up from the throne. "We also have ways to exploit these loopholes. We have highly effective relics restricted to low-quality points, special races that are also unable to ascend, and the secret teachings that you are very familiar with, which can only be mastered by powerful high-quality points."

He rubbed his fingers together, and a burst of will and energy emerged. Originally invisible and colorless, it condensed and solidified under Ji Qiufeng's will, becoming a fiery red gauntlet.

Ji Qiufeng beckoned, and a long sword fell to the ground. Chu Hengkong immediately drew his sword and slashed with all his might. The moment it touched the gauntlet, the blade shattered. The red on the gauntlet was as thick as fire, and a red air bomb was launched in response!

"The secret of the Zhengxuan Palace, the Zhengxuan Gangqi Armor."

He casually picked up a piece of scrap iron and severed his right arm. In a split second, the muscles and bones in the wound rapidly regenerated, and a brand new arm grew. His willpower transformed into a sleeve that joined the original clothing, and the new right arm was as agile as the original.

"The secret of Yueque Palace, the art of immortality."

Ji Qiufeng snapped his fingers one last time, a flicker of spirit flickering from his fingertips like a transparent candle flame. He blew out the spirit flame and said with a smile, "There's another secret of the Chenjun Palace. It's a bit more difficult. If you have time after learning the first two, I'll teach you. Let me tell you, while these three secrets aren't as dangerous as Yiqi Qianqiu, they're just as difficult to learn."

Chu Hengkong rubbed his hands, eager to try: "Can I learn more?"

"Quality of moves is more important than quantity. You have now become a strong person, and the characteristics of this stage are a strong physique, efficient recovery, and the 'spirit-energy breaking body' that is unique to us martial artists. These three secrets correspond exactly to the three areas you should focus on now. If you can master them, you can create the remaining minor techniques yourself. Why waste time learning them?"

Ji Qiufeng shook his fan, and it turned into the red halberd "Life Fire", and pointed the blade of the halberd at Chu Hengkong's forehead.

"Asking for help from the sacred tree means time is running out. This dream world can speed up time thirty times. I'll give you two days in reality at most." His demeanor grew colder. "Two days, two months, no matter how much you learn, you must set out. Jie An Qisu will prepare the rest of the equipment for you. Are you ready?"

"One last question, are there any side effects?"

"If you die too many times, you might start dreaming." Ji Qiufeng said lightly, "Let's start now."

The next moment, the halberd pierced Chu Hengkong's forehead. His head exploded like a watermelon. He watched from a third-person perspective as his brains were smeared all over the floor. He heard the city lord's cheerful voice:

"Let's start practicing the Immortality Technique first..."

During my trip, I heard that not updating for seven consecutive days would result in the investment being invalidated. I was deeply worried, so I rushed to write a chapter to let everyone know that the author is still alive and well and has not disappeared.

This chapter was written at the Qingshui Stage. It was supposed to be 23,000 words, but considering the inconvenience of typing on the poster claw, it was changed to 3,000 words, which can be regarded as meeting everyone's request for manuscript submission.

The next update will still be on the 9th, please be informed~

(End of this chapter)