Chapter 54: Alchemy
Moments later, the lecture hour struck. The graceful female lecturer held an adorable demonic beast cub in her delicate hands. Her voice, silky and smooth, carried a chilling undertone as she began, "The core feature of our holy sect's Artifact Forging skills lies in Spirit Soul Enchantment!"
Without warning, her delicate fingers clamped around the cub's throat, her grip tightening mercilessly. The cub's eyes bulged in terror, its tiny body thrashing wildly in her grasp as it struggled for air. She held it up for all the disciples to see, its panicked flailing a grotesque spectacle against her serene expression.
"Only by mastering the art of torture," she continued, her voice dripping with icy calm, "can you inflict the utmost agony on your subject materials during execution. That's how you fill their feeble minds with hatred, rage, and, most importantly, fear."
Her chilling smile widened as she added, "Absolute terror ensures that even after their joints are dislocated, their ligaments snapped, their limbs torn from their bodies, their tendons stripped, their skin peeled, and their souls extracted—even as their spirits are enchanted into artifacts—they will still dread you too much to resist. Otherwise, the backlash from their hatred could destroy you. So, if you want to become a qualified Dao Artifact caster, you must first become a skilled torture executioner."
As she spoke, she laid out an array of blood-soaked torture tools on the platform, each more horrifying than the last. There were jagged hooks designed to tear flesh, serrated blades for slow, deliberate cuts, and strange, spiked contraptions that looked like they could twist limbs into unnatural shapes. One tool resembled a giant corkscrew, its purpose all too clear, while another was a set of pliers with teeth-like edges, perfect for peeling skin in strips.
She introduced each tool with the pride of a collector, her tone almost affectionate. "This one," she said, holding up a device that looked like a cross between a vice and a meat grinder, "is particularly effective for extracting screams. And this," she gestured to a set of needles as thin as hair, "can pierce the soul directly, amplifying the pain tenfold."
Then, with a charming smile, she added, "If any of these catch your eye, there's a shop at Artifact Forging Peak's grand market run by one of your senior sisters. Mention my name while placing the order, and you'll receive a free tome with 10,000 forging tips inside."
Her eyes gleamed with a dark excitement as she turned back to the cub, which was now limp and gasping in her hand. "Now—watch closely. I'll demonstrate the essential key of whipping torture."
——
By evening, Lordi Payne dragged his exhausted body back to Ghost Shade Peak. His original plan had been to request a new dorm residence from the Affairs Hall, but when he arrived, the disciple on duty glanced at his nameplate and blanched, his expression shifting dramatically. "Junior Brother Payne," the disciple said, his voice tinged with unease, "you already have a dorm assigned to you. According to sect rules, switching residences costs a hundred D-grade spirit stones."
Lordi Payne frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping over him. "Then who else is living in my dorm now? Or is it still empty?"