Mechanical Alchemist

"Hell Black Dragon?"

"Yes. A pure-blood Black Dragon mutated by the hellish energy. The wound on my leg was left during an entanglement with that foul dragon."

Upon hearing Chientiao's words, Su Lun's gaze shifted to the outside of her right leg, where he noticed a patch of dragon breath burns for the first time.

A flash of insight in his eyes, the absolutely calm train of thought allowed Su Lun to analyze the rough capabilities of the Black Dragon from the negative energy within the wound.

It was ultimately inconvenient in the bath, so he spoke indifferently, "Chientiao, stand up, and I'll help you deal with the wound on your leg."

"Oh."

Chientiao glanced at him, then stood up.

The sound of water splashing, her well-proportioned figure completely exposed to the air without any cover.

Without the warm water of the bath to obscure, every detail was revealed, a sight full of undulating splendor.

Su Lun glanced at her, then crouched down, his hands wreathed in a healing green light, and without any hesitation, he touched the wound.

The corrosive wound on her shoulder and the dragon breath burns on her thigh were two different types of injuries, requiring different treatments.

Su Lun understood the nature of the negative energy that prevented the wounds from healing, multi-tasking with ease as he treated them.

After several attempts, he could now roughly grasp the ability of the All-knowing Eye.

By only looking for the specific information he needed, the burden was much lighter.

Not like the first time he used it, rashly attempting to perceive all information from the surface to the world's source of the targeted object. That would be too much for his brain to handle, and unnecessary.

No one spoke in the bathhouse, the sound of flowing water from the boiler pipes clear to the ear.

Seeing Su Lun's crouching posture, Chientiao, apparently finding it quite inconvenient for him, suggested, "Should I go lie down on the couch? It seems you're not very comfortable."

"Good."

Su Lun responded calmly.

He didn't say much, just extended his hand to embrace Chientiao's waist, and with a flash of spatial fluctuation, they appeared next to the couch a dozen meters away.

Chientiao then lay down on the couch, lazily muttering, "Huh... this is much more comfortable."

Su Lun didn't speak, continuing to treat the wounds.

At this moment, Chientiao, looking at his eyes that were clear and focused like the starry sky, as if noticing something, asked, "Why do I feel like you're in a strange state right now?"

"Hmm. This is the state of 'wisdom' induced from drinking from the Spring of Mimir, which has plunged my thoughts into a state of absolute rationality. It will disappear in a few days..."

Su Lun replied, repeating what Mr. Hei had told him before.

"Oh. I see."

Chientiao listened, somewhat understanding, pursed her lips, and didn't ask further about the topic.

Su Lun was busy treating the wound while Chientiao, lying on her back, seemed a bit bored. She changed the subject, asking curiously, "By the way, what's the situation on Giant Island, what is the second trial like? And does the mythical Spring of Mimir hold any secrets…"

These were the most discussed topics among their team these days, and she was quite interested as well.

Listening to her questions, Su Lun recounted his previous experiences.

Chientiao listened, occasionally expressing amazement.

But upon hearing about the questions in the second trial, she felt lucky that she did not have to endure such an ordeal.

...

Wounds caused by high-level laws were troublesome to deal with, and even though Su Lun knew the method of treatment, he found it a bit strenuous with his current level.

About an hour later, the injuries on Chientiao finally were completely healed.

The previously corroded hole on her shoulder and the burnt scars on her thigh were both treated, leaving the regrown skin as smooth as that of a newborn baby.

Su Lun checked and found no issues, and he heaved a sigh of relief.

This wasn't the first time he was treating Chientiao's injuries. Having finished everything, his large hand confidently and lightly patted her buttocks, signaling, "It's done."

Because she was not wearing clothes, the slap was solid.

A ripple spread across her firm and round form, a crisp "snap" echoing clearly in the room.

Chientiao gave him a glare, but she was already accustomed to such intimacy.

She got up with a usual expression, took out a Sword Dao robe, and prepared to put it on, muttering, "Ah... finally, the injury has healed."

Listening to the relieved tone, it seemed that not going out for the last two days due to the injury meant she was gearing up for a major fight.

Su Lun, seeing Qian Tiao getting ready to wrap the chest band around herself, also stretched out his hand to help and took the band.

Qian Tiao raised her eyebrows and glanced at him but did not refuse.

As Su Lun took over the bandage, he had genuinely wanted to help, but then, as if he thought of something, his palm casually climbed up.

Such intimate gestures had become normal for the two of them.

Qian Tiao knocked away that increasingly improper hand and spat out, "Hey, hey, hey... no getting handsy. Hurry up, I need to go out and practice swordplay. After not moving for two days, I feel like I'm about to rust."

As she spoke, she glanced at the restless hand and complained grumpily, "Didn't you say you were in that 'Absolute Rationality' state, without any emotional fluctuations?"

Su Lun maintained his usual expression and replied, "Absolute rationality doesn't mean there are no emotional fluctuations. It just means I can control my emotions more actively."

"Huh...?"

Hearing that explanation, Qian Tiao obviously didn't believe a word of it.

While talking, Su Lun didn't stop; his fingers sank into a touch of soft warmth, and with his expression unchanged, he said, "Besides, I'm testing how much this state affects the body."

"..."

Qian Tiao rolled her eyes, seemingly out of arguments for this shameless yet seemingly reasonable explanation.

But she seemed to accept it by default, and didn't say anything to stop him.

Unable to put on her clothes, she took out a hair tie and started to tie up her blue hair on her own.

With a high ponytail, her demeanor instantly became spirited and valiant.

But this motion of her arms lifting and extending made things even more convenient for Su Lun behind her, his hands touching nothing but warm, jade-like softness.

In the captain's room, the scene was harmonious.

This kind of interlude had become part of their daily interactions.

Although Qian Tiao found it uninteresting, it did not prevent Su Lun from enjoying it a bit, and she was willing to tacitly allow it.

Time also seemed to pass gently.

The air was filled with a sense of small joy.

Before long, Su Lun finally finished wrapping the chest band for Qian Tiao, who picked up the sword from the rack and strapped it around her waist.

Su Lun seemed to think of something and said, "Qian Tiao, can I have a look at your 'Dominator's Body'?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Tiao turned her head to look at him and asked in return, "You mean... you've touched the threshold of 'Dominator's Body'?"

"No."

Su Lun shook his head and added, "I'm still far from comprehending it. But I can understand it."

"You understand it?"

Qian Tiao was stunned for a moment before she realized what she had heard, her expression slightly incredulous.

But then her eyes lit up with excitement as she remarked, "Ah... I used to think that your talent didn't quite seem like an S-class level. Now, it's so astounding that even I am amazed. You can understand 'Dominator's Body', does that mean you can advance to the eighth tier at any time?"

"Yes," Su Lun responded with a meaningful tone, "At least I feel that the threshold of the eighth tier doesn't hold any secrets for me anymore."

Before, he had always thought that the S-018 All-knowing Eye was merely a supportive ability.

Compared to other S-talents, this talent offered a very limited direct boost to combat, and it wasn't even on par with most A and B talents.

But it wasn't until he developed his second level of awakening that Su Lun realized his talent wasn't just worthy of being in the S-class; it was just as effective and significant as any other S-class talent he knew!

Knowledge empowers fearlessness.

When there are no more secrets in sight, an overwhelming sense of superiority naturally arises.

...

A few days later, in the captain's room.

Su Lun hadn't left his room for several days, continuously drawing on the remaining benefits of the Spring of Wisdom to digest the new abilities he had acquired on Giant Island.

The sea breeze blew gently through the window, and the people on deck were bustling with activity in the early morning light, still busily salvaging treasures from the sunken ship on the sea floor.

Suddenly, Su Lun, who was in meditation, opened his eyes.

His eyes sparkled with vitality, and he murmured to himself, "Now there are basically no cognitive barriers left."

With this thought, he picked up the rune black umbrella in his hand, reached out, and grabbed a dragon-shaped Spiritual Body.

This was the soul of an eighth-tier Silver Dragon that the Dawn group had once captured.

Previously, Su Lun had attempted to strip away the dragon soul, but because the souls of dragon-kind were very different from humans, especially at the cognitive level. Higher beings perceived the world in a way that was beyond human comprehension.

As a result, after stripping the soul, he had ended up with a lot of "gibberish," and the valuable dragon soul had gone largely to waste.

Therefore, after obtaining such a precious material as the soul of the eighth-tier Silver Dragon, he kept it and had been nurturing it within the Rune Umbrella ever since.

It wasn't until today that Su Lun felt confident enough to attempt the stripping again.

The wisdom gained from the Spring of Wisdom had lifted the "manhole cover" on the cognitive level, and attributes such as perception, intelligence, and brain development on his attribute panel had increased several times or even by tens of times.

A shadow of death appeared behind him, and the domineering aura of death immediately swallowed the dragon soul.

Just as a two-dimensional being cannot understand a three-dimensional existence, but once your cognition is high enough, the secrets of lower dimensions are completely revealed before your eyes.

"You have stripped the 'memory fragments' of 'Silver Dragon Angralas'."

"You have mastered one of the higher language systems, [Dragon Language]."

"You have gained a massive amount of insight into the elemental laws of water and a slight grasp of the power of ice rules; elemental experience +521412."

"You have mastered Dragon Magic: [Ice Dragon Breath], [Dragon Language: Absolute Zero], [Dragon Language: Extreme Cold Storm]..."

"You have attained a vast number of cold ice dragon clan rune languages."

"You've uncovered some of the dragon lineage's secret legacies."

"Spiritual power +91251."

"..."

This time, Su Lun finally managed to strip away clear and detailed information.

Just like stripping a human soul, he obtained everything he wanted.

After digesting those memories in his mind, Su Lun's expression became quite marvelous, and he joyfully thought, "I even stripped the Dragon Language and its magic...!"

The Dragon Language is one of the legendary high-order languages.

Mr. Jing had said that only ninth-tier professionals might be able to touch the threshold of this language.

But now, Su Lun had easily stripped it away and had completely mastered it.

Just like the difference between "runes" and ordinary text, "Dragon Language" is a language that inherently possesses extraordinary powers.

Su Lun had previously wondered why Dragon Magic was so strong. Even though it was released at the same energy level, Dragon Magic was much stronger than Alchemy of the same tier.

Now, he fully understood.

Magic chanted in higher language systems can summon and condense more elemental power and can directly manipulate the primal forces of the plane's laws. It is not like the arduous process humans need, which requires extremely high skills to refine.

It's as if one is drawing water from a reservoir and the other is trying to condense droplets from the air; they're not on the same path at all.

The efficiency is worlds apart.

That's why each Dragon Magic is equivalent to ordinary human magic of a whole tier higher.

This is one of the most important reasons for the strength of the dragon race.

Although Su Lun is not a Mage, many aspects of these law-level principles have much in common with Alchemy.

His current understanding of laws can easily be transformed into spells he can use.

However, the Dragon Language Magic mastered by dragons is mostly an innate talent associated with their bloodline, and Su Lun hadn't stripped anything like a systematic magic learning system from a divine plane like the mages do.

Thus the Dragon Language Magic that Su Lun had stripped away could only be used by himself.

To teach it to others, at least for now, was not feasible as others could not understand it.

"Maybe... Mr. Hei could understand?"

A thought flashed through Su Lun's mind; he could exchange some of this Dragon Language Magic with Mr. Hei in the future.

Others may not understand, but that Scholar who likewise possessed the "Wisdom" was very skilled at all kinds of spell-based Alchemy, and he was probably the one who could understand.

Su Lun was also looking forward to seeing how strong Mr. Hei would be, using Dragon Magic.

...

Once the dragon soul was stripped away, his vision vastly expanded.

Su Lun then brought out some of the high-ranking ghosts and monster souls he had previously collected to reap them altogether.

What used to be considered "blind box draws" for souls, at this moment, he could almost find everything he wanted.

Before long, after digesting those souls, Su Lun then took out a pitch-black book.

That was the very same [Fatal Novel·Netherworld] he had never been able to comprehend before.

The great adventurer and literary giant, Fujiwara Hayato, recorded his experiences in the Netherworld within its pages.

Su Lun opened the novel and began to read it carefully, page by page.

The content, once muddled to him, now unveiled all its secrets before his eyes.

As he read line after line, he finally understood the world of the dead depicted by the author.

Engrossed in the reading, he lost track of time.

Two days later.

Su Lun had reached the last page of the novel.

When he closed the book, he took a deep breath and said, "Fujiwara Hayato truly was an extraordinary literary giant..."

After finishing, he felt a deep respect within his heart. The strength of Fujiwara Hayato's writing was undoubtedly deserving of being called one of the greatest literary figures of the past millennium.

Through the expressive text and descriptions, Su Lun felt as if he had personally experienced each of those bizarre adventures.

There are too many indescribably powerful beings in the higher planes, but Fujiwara Hayato, with his pen, ingeniously recorded those "indescribable" entities in a way that mortals could comprehend.

That gave Su Lun a direct impression of the Netherworld.

But now that he understood, his brow furrowed with worry: "Even with this detailed travelogue, it's still extremely risky for Sister Qiantiao to go."

It must be said, Fujiwara Hayato was incredibly lucky; saying it was a close call between life and death would not be an exaggeration.

Considering the experiences in the novel that seemed beyond belief, Su Lun felt that even if he were to go himself, there was no guarantee he would make it back alive.

This was not simply a trip to a higher plane.

After all, the Netherworld does not welcome the living.

With this in mind, Su Lun's brow knitted slightly, thinking to himself, "Sister Qiantiao has made up her mind to go to the Netherworld."

Lately, Qiantiao had been frequenting Hell Volcano in search of an opportunity for a breakthrough, often returning with wounds all over her body.

Su Lun clearly saw her unwavering conviction to reach the ultimate realm in Sword Dao.

From the moment they had met, this was something she had never changed.

As her closest friend, how could Su Lun not understand this desire of hers?

The only thing he could do was to help her prepare for everything.

The adventure in the Dragon Country Waters was drawing to a close, the Dawn Group had thwarted the plans of the celestial planes, and had reaped many benefits.

Although Qiantiao had not said anything, Su Lun knew she wanted to pursue her own path to the ultimate Sword Dao.

His thoughts grew intricate in a flash. Without dwelling on it further, Su Lun had already deduced a detailed route in his mind.

Just as he was pondering, a sudden knocking sound "tap tap tap" came from the door.

Su Lun: "Come in."

The door opened, and a small head peeked in first; it was Lolo Ta.

Looking at Su Lun, she flashed a radiant smile, showing her white teeth, and asked, "Mr. Su Lun, we are now approaching the predetermined waters, and the scouting party has also spotted traces of the Hell Black Dragon. The teacher sent me to ask if we are going to execute the dragon hunting plan?"

Hearing this, Su Lun stood up and said, "Good!"

He needed a giant dragon as the main material for his level seven armor, and after the upgrade, the doors to the level eight Alchemy realm would also be open to him.