Mechanical Alchemist

This day,

beside the Spring of Mimir, Su Lun was hanging upside down on a withered tree, swaying with the wind.

His body, pierced by spears, was riddled with holes, and the blood that flowed within the alchemy formation had congealed into black clots.

For nine days, not a drop of water nor any food had touched his lips, and he hung from the branches like a pale corpse.

Yet it was this very act of sacrificing himself that immersed Su Lun in an extraordinary state.

As if through the alchemic formation's sacrificial process, he briefly merged his consciousness with the entire world.

In those eyes that had not closed for nine days and nights, the secrets of the world manifested as falling runes,

Finally, the light from the sacrificial alchemical formation slowly faded, and the mystical state enhanced by the Spring of Wisdom gradually left his body.

Su Lun's consciousness slowly returned from that mysterious universe-traversing condition.

It was as if his soul had just returned to his body.

The confusion dispersed, his eyes clearing as if reflecting the spring beside him.

...

The thread loosened, and Su Lun slowly descended from the tree branch where he had been hanging upside down, the upside-down world before his eyes righting itself.

But it took him quite a while to recover from the dizziness caused by excessive blood loss.

Su Lun opened his eyes, focusing his gaze on an old man in a black robe who was meditating not far from him.

As he looked over, the old man also looked back with his wise, one-eyed gaze.

His thoughts froze for a moment before Su Lun remembered he knew this old man.

His expression, devoid of emotional fluctuation, almost reflexively asked, "Mr. Hei?"

Mr. Hei, as if understanding his state, a flicker of different light crossing his eyes, asked, "Su Lun, has your sacrificial ceremony concluded?"

"Sacrifice?"

Su Lun murmured to himself.

He glanced at his body and the nine-pointed star formation under his feet, and his brain finally realized what had happened.

So he had just completed a sacrifice?

Oh, to obtain wisdom from the Spring of Wisdom, I had sacrificed myself.

It seems like many days have passed.

After pondering for a moment, Su Lun finally recalled everything.

He had arrived at Giant Island, passed through the tests of courage and wisdom twice, and was given two barrels of ambrosial mead before he could retrieve the water.

Realizing this, Su Lun felt he should show a happy emotion. After all, he had attained the legendary Spring of Mimir.

But why were his emotions so calm?

Su Lun's thoughts uncontrollably explored this new depth.

At that moment, Mr. Hei certainly knew something and said to himself, "It seems you have gained a lot."

Su Lun looked over.

At that moment, Mr. Hei thought of something and reminded, "Su Lun, are your eyes all right?"

"Eyes?"

Su Lun then realized something, looking at his own hands, which seemed unchanged.

But across from him, Mr. Hei had covered one of his eyes with a black cloth.

Mr. Hei, also curious, asked, "Did you not sacrifice your own eyes?"

Su Lun recalled for a moment and said, "I sacrificed them."

He then realized where the problem lay.

Now, both of his eyes could still see, whereas Mr. Hei, who had undergone the same sacrificial ceremony, had lost one of his eyes.

Su Lun examined his own panel and finally discovered the issue.

The previously named "S-018-All-knowing Eye" was now labeled "S-018-Eye of Truth."

...

"Has my talent evolved?"

Su Lun suddenly understood.

Just as he had acquired this S-tier talent by sacrificing his left eye for the first time at the underground altar of the Storm Manor, now he had sacrificed his right eye and unlocked the second evolution of his talent.

But his eyes were still intact.

Su Lun felt he had grasped a new Pupil Skill ability.

Just then, a gigantic lizard crawled out from a rock in the distance, staring at the two of them.

Su Lun looked over, his eyes suddenly focusing sharply.

His gaze suddenly became devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if a deity were watching the world with cold indifference.

In an instant, it was like opening a compressed file of vast information, as countless data burst into his field of view.

[Gigantic Poisonous Venom Lizard]

Grade: Fifth-order silver

Details: A terrestrial highly toxic lizard, 13.13 meters in length, weighing 566 kilograms, aged 16; bloodline composition, 94.3% armoured toxic lizard, 0.13% dragon, 0.07% titan, 4.7% hellish, 0.8% other; skilled in venomous bites, poison gas emission, biting and pouncing, maximum crawling speed 102/second, bite force of 7700 kilograms; possesses extremely strong olfactory nerves and thermosensitive vision, can detect the presence of living beings within a 9.5 km radius, excellent night vision; the venom can cause multiple fatal injuries including blood coagulation, muscle paralysis, and hypothermia; scale armor as strong as type VI metal; weaknesses include the anus, tongue, old injury on the hind legs, poor at turning; in heat, seeking a mate; toxin composition detailed below...Your brain couldn't bear any more information, you saw a blackout.

In an instant, Su Lun entered a mysterious state.

He felt as if the secrets of the world had opened up to him, and everything became incredibly clear.

He wanted to take this opportunity to clearly see the giant lizard, but just a second later, a flood of information surged into his mind.

It was information far beyond what his brain could handle, instantly overwhelming him and causing dizziness and blurred vision.

It was like when he was still at the second-order, and he forcibly absorbed a fifth-order memory fragment.

Su Lun staggered, slightly pained as he covered his eyes, nearly losing his balance.

At the same time, a sharp pain shot through his eyes, as if burnt by the sun from overuse.

The whole person was disoriented.

It felt as though a powerful spiritual spell had struck him, leaving him in a momentary trance.

Mr. Hei, not far away, witnessed this scene and swiftly cast a "Clarity Spell" by pinching a sorcerer's seal.

Su Lun instantly felt a cool sensation, which greatly alleviated the splitting headache.

...

"Huff...ah..."

"Huff...ah..."

Su Lun breathed heavily, his forehead now covered in cold sweat.

After a few moments, the double vision before his eyes slowly converged back together, his focus returning.

Yet, his vision was not clear but rather blurred, as if he had severe nearsightedness.

However, in this abnormal state, Su Lun was not alarmed but rather delighted.

He fully understood what had happened.

Previously, his All-knowing Eye could identify the details of things.

It was only seeing the "appearance" manifested by things out of time, but just now, he had seen the "truth" behind that appearance!

He had not only seen the detailed information about this giant lizard but had also perceived the object's past, present, and future.

The information he saw suddenly increased from 1% to 99%!

At that moment, in Su Lun's eyes, it seemed that there were no secrets left in this world.

These eyes made him feel as if he understood the entire world.

...

Mr. Hei, looking at Su Lun, faintly guessed something and asked, "Did you see information about high-order laws that you couldn't handle?"

Su Lun nodded, "Hmm."

The state of his mind, muddled like muddy water, even prevented him from explaining further.

In that instant, Su Lun felt as if he understood what the world looks like through the eyes of a deity.

Deities cannot look directly, cannot describe, cannot name, all because the amount of information is too vast, far exceeding the threshold that lower life forms can handle.

Just like what he had seen in that moment.

His eyes still ached faintly, but Su Lun was filled with anticipation.

With this ability, beneath the divine tier, there were no secrets left for him to uncover.

This meant... even advancing to the eighth or ninth order, the thresholds posed no secret for the "Eye of Truth."

With just one look, all mysteries were clearly laid out before his eyes.

The path of advancement was clear.

The "Spring of Wisdom" not only developed Su Lun's second interpretation of the All-knowing Eye but also bestowed upon him "wisdom." The runes offered during the ritual were like keys, unlocking the doors to treasure troves of knowledge.

Su Lun also knew why using the second interpretation of All-knowing Eye once was damaging; aside from the overwhelming amount of irrelevant information, essentially, his body couldn't handle it.

He muttered to himself, "The body is too weak. The brain can't handle such a vast amount of information, and the eyes can't yet bear peeking into the higher-level information of the world..."

This negative state would be much improved after he became proficient in the Pupil Skill.

As for those higher cognitive abilities, once he advanced to the eighth level and merged with the "Isaac Blasphemer," the problem would also be completely resolved.

Until that moment, Su Lun increasingly marveled at Sir Isaac's foresight.

Of the five alchemical manuscripts he had left behind, Su Lun now possessed four.

And the four types of enhancement recorded in the manuscripts were all aimed at secrets beyond the divine level.

"Isaac's Alchemical Heart," "Isaac's Giant Strength," "Isaac's Dragon Pattern Golden Body," "Isaac Blasphemer"...

The body bore beyond-tier laws, the brain bore high-tier cognition, and the Spiritual Power bore beyond-tier consumption.

Looking at it now, the design of these enhancements truly contained great wisdom.

Su Lun didn't think much.

Mr. Hei then said, "Do you know? Just now, you looked like a god who indifferently overlooks all lower beings."

Thinking over it, Su Lun asked, "I think my emotions are a bit off."

After drinking from the "Spring of Wisdom" and achieving an enhancement in wisdom, as well as unraveling the All-knowing Eye, this was originally a qualitative leap in strength, even comparable to advancing a great tier.

This should have been a joyous occasion.

Yet, there were no ripples in his heart.

Previously, he had to actively detach his emotions to enter such a state of absolute calm thinking.

Now it seemed he was always in this state.

As if nothing in the world could stir his emotions anymore.

Listening, Mr. Hei smiled and said, "That's a good thing."

Su Lun gave him a puzzled look, "???"

Mr. Hei explained, "Knowledge is heavy, and as you gradually understand this world, you will gradually lose emotional fluctuations and look at everything indifferently. This is why in many ancient texts, the great sages spoke of gods viewing all beings as ants. I didn't quite understand before, but now... I think I get some of it."

As he spoke, he looked at Su Lun again. "It seems you understand it more thoroughly than I do."

Su Lun instantly understood too.

It was like knowing the cause of everything and receiving a predictable result, as if it was no surprise at all.

Wisdom allowed him to consider everything rationally and calmly, so emotions seemed very superfluous.

This state...

Su Lun frowned slightly, feeling that a self without emotional fluctuations was not too good.

However, as if Mr. Hei had seen through his thoughts, he said, "This state is like enlightenment, very rare. It's brought by the 'Spring of Wisdom,' but it will gradually fade in the next few days. I was like this a few days ago too."

Upon hearing this, Su Lun pondered.

He looked at Mr. Hei, and nothing escaped his notice; this knowledgeable elder was much stronger than before. "Mr. Hei, your eyes?"

"Yes, I also passed the test. Of course, I must thank you for getting those two giant elders drunk."

Mr. Hei smiled, shrugged, and gestured to his eyes, explaining, "And as you can see, I sacrificed my eyes and drank the water. But I only hung on the tree for three days, while you were up for nine."

His tone carried barely concealed happiness, obviously having achieved what he expected.

Su Lun wasn't surprised that Mr. Hei had passed the Cyclops clan's test; instead, he felt relieved that his companion had gotten stronger.

This Spring of Wisdom was almost perfectly compatible with Mr. Hei's career path.

Su Lun was also looking forward to seeing how much stronger Mr. Hei would become after having gained "wisdom."

Only someone who had also drunk the water could understand that feeling. He asked, "Mr. Hei, did you also see the secrets of the world?"

Mr. Hei nodded with a smile, but then changed the subject, "No, what we saw might be different. The spring only let me see what I could understand."

After pausing for a while, he continued, "But that's enough. On the third day of my sacrifice, I saw the Rune scripts opening the gates to the world's secrets, and for my future career progression... it may now be possible for me to touch upon the mysteries beyond the ninth tier."

Since Mr. Hei knew Su Lun was in such a state of overlooking everything, there wasn't much to talk about. He then said, "Let's go back first. Qian Tiao mentioned that he needed to see you."

Su Lun heard this and simply nodded lightly.

....

Su Lun and Mr. Hei went to the Cyclops tribe's village, thanked the old Clan Leader Morey, and then left Giant Island.

Soon after, the two returned to the ship called Evernight.

Thanks to the success of their challenge, many members of the Dawn group had also gone to Giant Island to take the test in these days.

But without exception, all had failed.

Nearly everyone was defeated in the first challenge of "Courageous Challenge."

And like Qian Tiao, those who had the ability to pass the first challenge couldn't get past the second.

So out of tens of thousands in the Dawn group, only Su Lun and Mr. Hei had successfully obtained wisdom from the Spring of Wisdom.

So when the two reappeared on the deck, a tidal wave of cheers immediately erupted aboard the Eternal Night.

"Mr. Su Lun and Mr. Hei are back!"

"Hahaha, Mr. Su Lun, Mr. Hei, come on, tell everyone, what does the Spring of Wisdom taste like?"

"Exactly! I almost went ashore, but seeing the Cyclops tribe, I simply didn't have the courage to confront them directly. Oh, the mythical spring remains beyond my reach, such a pity..."

"..."

The crowd surrounded Su Lun and Mr. Hei, chattering and asking questions, even the captains were very curious.

But the insights from the Spring of Wisdom were such that they could only be understood, not easily explained.

Mr. Hei, who had once been the dean of Old Lyndon Academy, was obviously better suited for explaining and teaching. He stayed on the deck, recounting the magical experiences on Giant Island to satisfy everyone's curiosity.

While Su Lun exchanged greetings with everyone, he entered the cabin.

In those days, the Dawn Group hadn't rested, scavenging relics and treasures everywhere.

The Eternal Night was also filled with all sorts of treasures.

Su Lun took these tons of treasures into his small void realm and headed back to the captain's quarters.

As he opened the door and walked in, the room was filled with swirling smoke.

Chen Tiao was in the bathroom, taking a bath.

Hearing his footsteps, she called out, "You're back, huh?"

Su Lun nodded and walked over.

He noticed the blood-stained Sword Dao robe in the room and asked concernedly, "Sister Chen Tiao, are you injured?"

"Yes. It's not serious."

From the bathroom, Chen Tiao's response came.

Pausing momentarily, she added, "I went to Hell Volcano."

Su Lun frowned as he listened, "???"

He was now sure that Hell Volcano was the seal of a hellish dimensional rift, home to many superior beings. Even ninth level beings might not come back alive.

Chen Tiao had actually gone there personally?

"Wisdom" made Su Lun instantly realize that Chen Tiao was seeking the opportunity to enter the divine realm of swords; she truly wished to step into hell herself.

He wasn't sure what to say.

Their deep understanding meant Chen Tiao knew what he was thinking without him speaking, and she added, "It's not as bad as you think. When you were on Giant Island, I successfully understood 'Dominant Body'. It's indeed dangerous there, but I wasn't completely helpless."

Su Lun was still in that special state conferred by the spring water, his expression unchanged.

It was expected that Chen Tiao could comprehend the Dominant Body.

He walked over and saw Chen Tiao, nude, soaking in the bathtub.

However, on her smooth delicate left shoulder, there was clearly a wound oozing dark energy.

A glint flashed in Su Lun's eyes, and the wisp of smoke took on a solid form before him.

This was a strand of chaotic high-level hellish law preventing the wound from healing, extremely troublesome.

If one's understanding of this chaotic energy wasn't sufficient, it might leave a lifelong problem.

Without speaking, he approached, and with a sorcerer's instant concentration, he conjured a green orb of light in his palm, then gently touched it to the wound on Chen Tiao's shoulder.

Chen Tiao said nothing, comfortably lying there.

But as a cool sensation hit her shoulder, she opened her eyes in surprise and looked at Su Lun, "Eh...Dr. Banks said it would be difficult to deal with this negative energy erosion in a short time. How did you manage to do it?"

After speaking, as if she had just recalled something, she said, "Oh, I almost forgot, you gained the [Mimir's Spring]. Looks like you had quite the harvest."

"Yes."

Su Lun replied indifferently, "My [All-knowing Eye] talent advanced to the second level. To me, this plane holds no secrets."

There was nothing to hide from Chen Tiao.

At his words, the gambling-addicted swordswoman's commanding eyebrows twitched, her face full of relief.

A crystal tear sparkled in her eye, seemingly reflecting some complex inner emotional struggle, she simply uttered three words: "That's good."

Su Lun said nothing, quietly continuing to treat her wound.

The injury was more severe than it appeared, and Chen Tiao had been enduring the bone-deep pain all along.

The furrowed brows that had been tormented finally relaxed at that moment.

The two remained silent, enjoying a rare moment of peace together.

Suddenly, Chen Tiao thought of something and spoke again, "Oh, right. Weren't you still short of material for your implant? I discovered an eighth-level mutated Black Dragon at Hell Volcano."