Translator: AnubisTL
After completing his registration, Jieming quickly left the junction point and returned to the Golden Garden.
As he organized the supplies and rune-imbued magical artifacts he might need to take with him, he mentally rehearsed various combat scenarios.
Just as he was immersed in his pre-battle preparations, his magic net terminal suddenly lit up, displaying an incoming communication request from Mentor Clark.
Jieming immediately accepted the call.
"Come to my office," Mentor Clark's voice was as brief and calm as ever, brooking no argument.
Jieming dared not delay. He activated the teleportation formation and instantly arrived at Mentor Clark's private office within Noren Academy.
Mentor Clark stood before an alchemy table, idly turning a palm-sized, exquisitely crafted doll in his hand.
The doll was remarkably lifelike, its features bearing a striking resemblance to Jieming's own.
Its material felt like rubber, yet also like skin, its surface shimmering with intricate, glowing runes.
Seeing Jieming's arrival, Mentor Clark handed him the doll.
"Take this. It's a Substitute Death Doll," Mentor Clark said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Jieming accepted the doll. It felt warm to the touch. Examining the complex and arcane runes etched into its surface, he immediately recognized it as no ordinary artifact.
"A Substitute Death Doll?" Jieming repeated, a hint of understanding dawning in his eyes.
"Exactly," Mentor Clark nodded, extending his hand in a gesture of cooperation. "I need bodily material containing your life essence and a small portion of your mental power."
Jieming paused briefly. If another wizard faced such a request from Clark, they might hesitate. After all, bodily essence and mental power were prime materials for crafting curses and launching soul attacks. A wizard's instinctive caution toward such things was deeply ingrained.
But Jieming hesitated only for a moment before unhesitatingly cutting off a lock of his hair. This wasn't merely due to his trust in Mentor Clark; it was also because he possessed the Profound Astral Red Dust Barrier. This intangible, formless body-protecting treasure could block curses and even reflect them back upon the caster. With such protection, he had no reason to fear any harm from Mentor Clark.
Seeing Jieming readily offer a lock of hair and a portion of his mental power without hesitation, a fleeting hint of warmth flickered deep within Mentor Clark's gaze. Yet this warmth vanished as quickly as it appeared, and he immediately resumed his stern demeanor, scolding Jieming with a harsh tone:
"Jieming, while I appreciate your trust, such unthinking faith is utterly irrational! Even as your mentor, I must maintain a healthy skepticism and vigilance. When you venture into the Dimensional Sea, you'll encounter all manner of wizards and creatures. Human hearts are treacherous; a moment's carelessness could lead to your eternal ruin."
Jieming listened to his mentor's admonishment without argument, bowing respectfully. "Your teachings are wise, Mentor. I will heed them well."
He knew Mentor Clark wasn't truly scolding him, but using this opportunity to impart a valuable lesson. This concern for his student's safety warmed Jieming's heart.
"Once you return, simply imbue this Substitute Death Doll with your mental power, and it will bind to your life essence and soul imprint," Mentor Clark explained, his tone softening as he gathered his hair. "Should you face a fatal crisis or even death in the outside world, it will activate, granting you a chance to revive at a predetermined location."
Though the name had already hinted at its purpose, hearing Mentor Clark's explanation still sent a jolt through Jieming's heart.
This was undoubtedly a life-saving treasure!
Life comes only once. Even if a wizard's mental power is strong enough to sustain their soul independently, a fragile soul stands no chance against enemies.
But the Substitute Death Doll could reverse life and death, granting him a second chance!
"However, resurrection comes at a price," Mentor Clark's tone shifted, becoming serious. "The doll is merely a conduit, guiding your life essence back. True resurrection requires an additional body to serve as a vessel—that's why I needed your physical data. With a complete sample of your body, I can create a spare vessel for you."
Jieming understood.
The Substitute Death Doll was the "key," and the spare vessel was the "door."
Without a door, even the finest key couldn't unlock the path to life.
"Still... requiring an extra body? Only an alchemy master like Clark could perform human transmutation at this level," Jieming mused inwardly.
In the wizard world, creating a simple body wasn't particularly difficult. Under normal circumstances, a fourth-tier alchemy wizard could begin experimenting with human transmutation.
However, replicating a body with a soul imprint and ensuring perfect compatibility with the original soul was a far greater challenge, bordering on the realm of life laws.
This required not only an unparalleled understanding of alchemy but also a comprehensive grasp of life science, soul studies, and even fate science.
Ordinary alchemists, even high-rank wizards, would find this impossible.
While life science was relatively manageable, soul studies relied heavily on innate talent, and fate science was even more daunting.
Upon arriving, Jieming instinctively activated his Universal Eye, carefully examining the Substitute Death Doll in his hand.
Even after his mind began to ache, he couldn't fully decipher the doll's intricate structure. However, he could roughly discern that its operational principle relied on knowledge of the fate system.
"This... this technology was likely developed by Mentor Clark himself."
With this realization, Jieming bowed respectfully to Clark and expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Mentor."
Clark saw through his thoughts and shook his head. "Don't thank me. My current level in fate science isn't advanced enough to create such an artifact. This was given to you by my mentor."
"Uh... Grandmaster?" Jieming stammered, surprised that his grandmaster was involved.
"Indeed," Clark said, his expression ambiguous as he looked at Jieming. "Your grandmaster feared you wouldn't be able to continue supplying Red Dust Magic Potion after your death, so he created this. Don't worry, it's quite inexpensive—just ten more vials of Red Dust Magic Potion will cover it."
"Ah... ha ha ha..." Jieming chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.
He now realized that his mentor and the grandmasters had seen through his schemes all along.
They likely knew his primary motive for joining the expedition was to gather raw materials for the Red Dust Magic Potion.
Their silence on the matter, and even providing him with a Substitute Death Doll, suggested a tacit agreement among them.
If he could secure enough Mortal Dust Qi during the expedition to produce the potion, they would likely acknowledge his potential and pretend nothing had happened.
Mentor Clark offered no further words, simply waving his hand. "Go now and prepare for the expedition. I'll notify you once your backup body is ready."
After gratefully bidding farewell to his mentor, Jieming returned to the Golden Garden to finalize his preparations for the impending Planar War.
The very next day, Mentor Clark's communication signal reached him again.
"Your backup body is complete. Come retrieve it," Mentor Clark's voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible weariness.
After all, hastily crafting such a high-level alchemical creation would exhaust even an alchemy master of his caliber.
Jieming, surprised by his mentor's dedication to this matter, immediately set off for Clark's private laboratory.
As he stepped inside, his gaze was immediately drawn to a massive, transparent glass incubator positioned at the center of the room.
The incubator was filled with a pale green nutrient solution, within which floated a body identical to Jieming's own!
The body's eyes were closed, its skin tone and muscle definition perfectly matching Jieming's original form. The only difference was the absence of hair.
It drifted silently in the solution, like a slumbering perfect replica. Were it not for the absence of any life force fluctuations, it would have been impossible to distinguish the real from the artificial.
The bottom of the cultivation tank was connected to a complex network of energy pipes and rune arrays. Combined with the nutrient solution inside, it was sufficient to maintain the body's vitality for an extended period.
"This is your backup body. Take it and install it in a place you deem safe," Mentor Clark said, pointing to the tank, a hint of barely perceptible relief in his voice. "I never expected your physical constitution to be so robust. What a waste!"
Jieming smiled and walked over to the tank, carefully examining the flawless substitute.
Hearing Clark's words, he pondered various options for a "safe area."
The depths of his Golden Garden?
But that was his daily activity space; any accident there could implicate him.
The Purgatory Sulfur Plane?
Though secluded, it wouldn't be absolutely secure once he began his formal modifications.
Finally, a daring idea surfaced in Jieming's mind.
He turned to Mentor Clark. "Mentor, after careful consideration, I believe the safest place would be your private laboratory."
Mentor Clark's face immediately twisted with undisguised disdain.
Even Mentor Clark's usually impassive expression twitched slightly. "You little brat! Do you think my private plane is a dumping ground for your... things?"
Yet in the end, he didn't refuse.
"Hmph," Mentor Clark huffed in displeasure, but reluctantly waved his hand. "Fine, leave it here. But you'll have to pay a daily maintenance fee... Oh, and energy consumption charges too."
He quoted a price so negligible to Jieming that it was practically meaningless.
Jieming's heart leaped with joy. He knew this meant Mentor Clark had agreed.
Storing the body in a sixth-tier wizard's private plane was undoubtedly the safest option available at this stage.
"Mentor, I'll pay the maintenance fee for a hundred years in advance!"
"Pushing your luck! I'll only store it this once!" Clark finally snapped, kicking Jieming's rear in exasperation.
Despite his grumbling, Mentor Clark instructed his servants to retrieve the body submerged in cultivation fluid and place it in a hidden compartment in a corner of the laboratory, reinforcing it with multiple layers of restrictions.
(End of the Chapter)
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