Chapter 44: Complete Dissolution

Chapter 44: Complete Dissolution

The group remained in the living room for another half hour before gradually dispersing.

Now that Jiang Zhe’s Mentalist and Martial Artist cultivations had both broken through to Stellar-Level, Elder Jiang felt confident assigning him tasks, reassured that a millennium-long lifespan wouldn’t hinder his progress.

First, he needed to compile an ultimate manual for amplifying power by at least tenfold.

Second, refine the Heavenly Dragon Lance technique, abandoning conventional force and spearplay to focus on the "Inner Triad", laying the foundation for Domain mastery.

Third, create a recommended reading list. From now on, all martial artists in the Jiang family would prioritize academic studies and cultivate their minds.

After witnessing the power of a Domain, who wouldn’t crave one for themselves?

Jiang Zhe welcomed this. Though he knew they’d never achieve a Domain, learning these principles wasn’t wasted effort—cultivation foundations always bore fruit eventually.

For him, this process verified his knowledge with minimal effort.

Yet he didn’t start immediately, instead staring at the Violet-Gold Bangle on his wrist.

A sliver of conscious Mental Energy surged into it.

Upon contacting the life imprint—a presence as vast and lifeless as a dead sea—Jiang Zhe’s eyes widened.

Damn it!

He felt the suffocating sensation of drowning, not in a mere ocean, but in an abyssal trench.

The gap was insurmountable!

Even though the Immortal was dead, leaving his life imprint like a dried-up wellspring, its sheer volume remained overwhelming.

A sea-like expanse—far beyond what a Stellar-Level Mentalist could challenge.

"Anna, this isn’t Yugong Moves Mountains—it’s Shenwei Filling the Sea!"

Orianna, quick to grasp Earth’s cultural references, replied with an "Innocent Shrug."

She’d warned him: handling this World Bracelet was impossible for now.

But Jiang Zhe desperately needed its treasures—whether to sell or use himself.

Especially the latter.

His awakening of the Thunder Prison Realm aligned with the Storm Origin Law of the Mechanical Race Immortal. Their cultivation paths overlapped significantly—the World Bracelet must contain useful resources.

He sighed. "I’ll chip away slowly and find a better method later."

Then… he spent nine days scrubbing the bangle, arguably slacking off since New Year’s approached.

At night, he cultivated the Dormant Dragon Technique.

In dreams, he experienced countless lives—never again encountering a vision as grand as the Tiger Monarch’s.

Sometimes as animals: sparrows, rabbits, snakes, wolves, deer, living in eras before the Great Nirvana, their lives fleeting—measured in years, not decades.

Other times as ordinary humans: enduring compulsory education, graduating at twenty, becoming cogs in society, finding spouses through blind dates, struggling through life’s ups and downs until death finally brought relief.

…Each dream ended with waking—a brief, seemingly meaningless glimpse that revealed life’s fragility.

But excess leads to extremes.

Seven consecutive days cultivating the Dormant Dragon Technique.

After one session—a life as a slave—Jiang Zhe awoke, head pounding, his aura dark and oppressive, nearly solidifying around him.

Only by the window, watching the sunrise, did he gradually lighten his mood.

"Phew… I need a break."

"Living as either untamed beasts or exploited oxen—this oppressive experience weighs too heavily on me!"

"If I continue, my personality might fracture, manifesting dream personas into reality, turning me into a madman with multiple identities!"

Seven days of dreams granted profound insights.

The Dormant Dragon Technique was powerful, honing consciousness and will—but indulgence turned it into a blade that would carve him deepest.

After resting two days, he focused solely on eroding the life imprint within the bangle.

New Year’s Eve arrived.

By Elder Jiang’s decree, the Jiang Clan lavishly celebrated "sharing joy with the people", showering Lanling Base City with wealth.

At the Jiang Family Martial Gym, 2x-force cultivation manuals were handed out as red envelopes—every student received one.

Jiang Zhe gifted everyone—including Steward Wu, Second Brother Jiang’s fiancée—Muya Crystals, distributing fewer than twenty in total.

On New Year’s Eve, he entered the War God Palace.

Thanks to Hong and Lei Shen, Hanxia New Year had become a global celebration, hosting a grand gala in the first-floor hall.

Jiang Zhe avoided the Legislators’ section, opting for casual clothes among the HR Union’s youth.

As a revered Legislator, sycophants inevitably approached—seeking favor or affection.

But his left and right—"The Hum-Haw Sentinels"—warded them off with glares.

Jolyn Fair and Katlan, once strangers turned allies, sat familiarly, less reverent.

"My treasure boy, I’ll come to Jiang Clan to learn Striking Art after New Year—teach me personally, won’t you?"

"Me too! I beg you, Master, teach me the Mentalist path!" Katlan’s Mandarin was fluent, clearly practiced.

Jiang Zhe glanced at the rough-looking Katlan, inwardly grimacing but reconsidering.

Compiling manuals required test subjects—guinea pigs to gauge Earthlings’ aptitude.

If the manuals were too advanced for anyone but Hong, Lei Shen, and a few Legislators to master, chaos would ensue.

After all, most Earth Martial Artists couldn’t even grasp the Ninefold Thunder Blade, let alone the complete Striking Art.

"Wish to learn force amplification? Come to Jiang Clan."

"As for Mentalist cultivation…"

He scrutinized Katlan, who stiffened.

"Abandon it. Your talent is too poor—decades of struggle might barely reach Councilor Rank."

Blunt and unyielding, he disregarded Katlan’s potential despair.

Later, bored, he logged out.

Orianna’s Virtual Space awaited—Yunmo Star’s inheritance felt like a mouse diving into a rice barrel.

On New Year’s Day, after greetings, Jiang Zhe resumed studying the Violet-Gold Bangle.

This time, instead of eroding the life imprint, he devised a new plan—"usurping the magpie’s nest."

Mental Energy, laced with consciousness, invaded the bangle, scrubbing the life imprint as usual.

But now, he implanted his consciousness within.

The key was his unique mindset—Heaven and Earth are born with me; all things unite as one with me!

Specializing in "integration"—

All things are me!

I am all things!

He attempted to deceive the life imprint into recognizing him as its long-lost "master."

For unclaimed life imprints lacking mental seals, this was plausible! (The Mechanical Race had no souls.)

Tense moments passed. Jiang Zhe bit his lip, sweat sliding from his temples. His breath quickened until he clenched his fist, growling low.

"Good! Brilliant!"

Success!

With that faint consciousness, he briefly tricked a small portion of the life imprint!

"Scatter!"

"Break apart!"

Under his will, the life imprint began collapsing—a thread, a speck, a fragment… A chain reaction ignited, the entire life imprint crumbling like dominoes.

A thread, a speck, a fragment…

A chain reaction ignited, the entire life imprint crumbling like dominoes.

In an instant, the life imprint dissolved completely.

The World Bracelet was finally unclaimed!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end