Joey received the message at 2 PM on June 20th.
The commotion he caused in the Roland Kingdom the previous night had indeed attracted worldwide attention, forcing different countries that were originally going their separate ways to sit together, exchange intelligence, and discuss how to resolve the sudden extraordinary event in the Roland Kingdom.
Less than 19 hours had passed from the moment the incident occurred to Chandler stepping forward to communicate on behalf of various countries, expressing willingness to cooperate.
Even without Adams as an “insider”, Bai Yi in Joey, his vest, could guess what had happened to those people the moment he saw Chandler’s message.
“Oh, they finally agreed to sit down and compare notes? Indeed, only a shared crisis could make internally conflicting people choose to unite. This is humanity,” the mixed-race youth with classic, beautiful features slightly lowered his head, his long hair covering the subtle smile at the corner of his lips. “Though the method was simple and brutal, there’s no other way. There’s not much time for them to intrigue and consume each other now.”
He gently tapped the phone screen, sending a pre-prepared message to the person waiting on the other end: [I agree.]
After confirming all necessary information was transmitted, Joey’s attention returned to his main task—
At this moment, he sat in the central area of the cube transformed from the Death Gallery, the place he named the Artist Association Collection Room, with walls surrounding him hung full of classic paintings.
He closed his eyes, his consciousness entering his own woven spiritual world through the intangible Web of Thoughts, seeing another illusory cube space even more vast than reality. At the cube’s center, Adams was simultaneously monitoring numerous people’s progress, and within the different trial spaces segmented by the cube’s grid, the selected individuals were immersed in their trials.
The final step of the plan was complete. Now, he only needed to quietly wait for the first batch of seeds to emerge transformed from the trials.He didn’t have to wait long. Merely 5 hours later, 24 hours after the Art Paradise trial space was activated, the cube encompassing the central area of the Roland Kingdom vanished. Those trapped within the cube would open their eyes again in a momentary daze.
They would realize that a new storm was about to sweep across the world, and they were the eye of this storm.
The mastermind who wrote this script smiled.
“It’s time to scatter the brilliance of art throughout the world.”
The moment Joey reached cooperation with various countries, official sources were eager to release information to comfort the anxious public. Regarding Joey’s background, the officials made no attempt to conceal, so everyone learned about the Spirit Forgers, the once extraordinary profession, and the existence of its last practitioner.
The events in the Roland Kingdom were precisely this powerful Spirit Forger’s method of screening potential successors with Spirit Forger talents. Because this Spirit Forger had been isolated and sleeping for many years, unfamiliar with the current world, he had inadvertently caused such a large disturbance. However, after the incident, through the proactive efforts of various national officials, they had contacted him and resolved the misunderstanding.
Moreover, this powerful Spirit Forger even gained the friendship of various countries. In their cooperation, Joey not only received an honorary nobility title from the Roland Kingdom but would also obtain a piece of land in the capital to rebuild the Artist Association.
In exchange, Joey was granted honorary professor status at several art academies in the Roland Kingdom. From now on, anyone from any country interested in the Spirit Forger system—or as Joey would say, interested in art—could go to the Roland Kingdom to study and have the opportunity to receive Joey’s guidance in entering the Spirit Forger path. The most outstanding individuals might even receive an invitation from the Artist Association to become members of this reconstructed extraordinary organization.
Simultaneously, countries outside the Roland Kingdom could send people to study under Joey, and after learning, they could return to their own countries at any time to spread artistic knowledge.
—Joey did not mind passing on his knowledge to more people; on the contrary, he was very happy to see art being spread.
In an atmosphere of mutual willingness, the cooperation was completed happily. As the matter was announced through official channels and appeared online, as expected, the whole world was once again stunned by this thunderbolt.
However, compared to the previous day’s bewilderment and panic, this time, everyone’s emotions were undoubtedly more positive.
The changes brought by the martial arts transmission were mixed, and with a new system emerging, what changes would it bring to the world? The entire world was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Although the news had spread before the people trapped in the Roland Kingdom had appeared, online discussions were no longer worried.
[The officials said it’s just a non-dangerous trial, right? Those who successfully pass the selection might become Spirit Forgers and step onto the extraordinary path!]
[Spirit Forgers sound so powerful. I was stupidly worried about those trapped in the Roland Kingdom before. Who knew? The clown was me! This isn’t something to worry about. This isn’t misfortune—it’s an incredible stroke of luck!]
[It suddenly reminds me of when the Sword Realm returned, and those lost in the mist. I worried for them back then, and now they’re martial arts practitioners. This déjà vu is so strong. I should have expected it—do powerful extraordinary beings always like to select and pass on their legacy this way?] ᚱÀƝՕ𐌱ÊS
[It’s different. The Sword Realm incident had people dying, and it wasn’t the Sword Master actively screening extraordinary talents. Everything was purely accidental. Those who could survive and obtain the legacy were lucky but also took risks. Besides, can’t we all learn martial arts now? It’s just the difference between private tutoring and large-class instruction.]
[What a great comparison! Now I’m even more bitter. This is a completely risk-free Spirit Forger selection trial. Once passed, not only can one inherit from a powerful Spirit Forger, but might also be directly admitted to the reconstructed Artist Association. Calling it reconstruction—isn’t the Artist Association essentially being created from scratch? The first batch admitted would be like founding members. I’m so jealous!]
[Jealousy shared, my friend. I rewatched the previous mystery show’s live broadcast. Mr. Joey’s displayed abilities are truly powerful and bizarre. Are all Spirit Forgers this strong, cool, and mysterious? I’m unsure how they compare to martial arts practitioners in direct combat, but in terms of unpredictability, Spirit Forgers seem to crush martial artists. Is it too late to start studying at an art school now?]
[An art student has already bounced out of their chair. Can’t wait to know when the Roland Kingdom trial ends and when Mr. Joey will start guiding students. I’m applying to study in the Roland Kingdom right now. Honestly, practicing martial arts is too exhausting. I have no interest or talent—I gave up after less than a week and was beaten by my muscle-bound buddy who even dared to mock me. Spirit Forger is the career tailored for me! Just imagining standing before that guy and controlling him with mysterious, bizarre spiritual power, making him call me “dad”—I’m mentally climaxing!]
[Humanities students are also excited. According to the official explanation from Mr. Joey’s Spirit Forger system, beyond artistic fields like music and painting, written works are also carriers of power. Spirit Forgers often need excellent imagination and rich emotions to imbue their works with spirituality. Isn’t that our strength?]
[Not just written works—didn’t the explanation clearly state that even food can be a carrier? As long as cooking is viewed as an art, mobilizing spirituality and emotions, integrating this into every cooking step… So the glowing golden rice is becoming real?]
[Damn it. Martial arts transmission made athletes stand up, the Spirit Forger system made humanities students, art students, and New Oriental chefs stand up. So when do science students get to stand up? Is it too late to change majors now?]
[Maybe one day there’ll be an extraordinary path suitable for science. Though it feels weird to connect science with the extraordinary.]
[Haha, extraordinary powers related to science—my first thought is telekinesis, vector manipulation… The entry barrier seems incredibly high. If extraordinary abilities truly relate to science, you’d need an average doctorate in mathematics or physics to even start. Preemptive sorrow.]
[We’re going off-topic. Am I the only one curious about the contents of the Spirit Forger trial? I really want to see the Roland Kingdom. When will those people pass? If future Spirit Forger selections also require trials, can we ask them for experience in advance?]
[Jealousy makes people unrecognizable. Just thinking about some people about to leap into dragon gates makes me molecularly disintegrate with envy.]
[Did they save the world in their previous life?]
Whenever this topic was mentioned, regardless of what they were discussing before, everyone’s emotions were unified—harboring infinite admiration for those “lucky ones who saved the world in their previous life”.
Those “lucky ones who saved the world in their previous life” were unaware that they were being envied by billions of people. At this moment, they were experiencing a purgatory-like ordeal.
—Not injured, not suffering any other torment, it was roughly equivalent to being locked in a blank room, solving advanced mathematics papers day and night. If they got something wrong, they had to repeatedly ponder until they thoroughly understood the entire paper and scored perfectly. Then, they would face an even more advanced mathematics paper… In the spiritual world, they were being baptized by endless math papers, deeply trapped in a terrifying problem set hell.
The so-called Art Paradise trial space was merely replacing advanced mathematics papers with various essential knowledge for artists. And it wasn’t just paper-based learning and answering—it involved deep, practical artistic experiences.
Every artwork in the Artist Association had different effects, but without exception, they all possessed the ability to distort consciousness. The Cursed Painting from before had unconsciously warped the minds of four people, nearly trapping them permanently within the painting. The trial space would materialize various artworks that directly acted on one’s spirit. Those with low spirituality would have their will instantly twisted, be dominated by the artwork, fail immediately, and then be thrown out of the trial space, only to be restored under Joey’s healing art.
Only those with naturally high spirituality, or those who learned the rudimentary Spirit Forging techniques suggested in the trial space and subsequently enhanced their spirituality, could potentially resist the mental distortion of artworks like the Cursed Painting—and even detect flaws and counterattack. Those able to counterattack were undoubtedly geniuses among geniuses.
As they continuously learned knowledge and delved deeper into artistic practices, people continuously failed and were eliminated. Those who remained would journey further on this extraordinary path, deeply etching Joey’s artistic knowledge into their hearts.
Simply put, they were constantly moving closer to Joey’s direction.
Bai Yi carefully pondered and suddenly realized this resembled the legendary evil god system: followers continuously receive knowledge from the evil god’s transmission, becoming stronger but simultaneously drawing closer to the evil god, being polluted by the god’s knowledge, ultimately becoming increasingly mad…
—The nightmare instance fragment from which this system originated was originally a world of absolute decline, and that world declined because the Cursed Painting’s author first listened to whispers from the void, spreading pollution throughout the world. Artists were always using pollution’s power to combat pollution, thus could only helplessly watch the world slowly die.
Bai Yi had embedded rules from another world into the physical laws of this realm through the Principle of All Things, naturally inheriting certain characteristics of that world—a factor he had long considered.
Fortunately, the rules he embedded were not the corrupted, twisted ones, but those transformed by the pure Principle of All Things.
What he spread was not the original artistic system of that world, but the melancholic artistic system he had personally comprehended and created. There was no need to worry about this world being polluted and distorted like the other world.
In other words, Joey, as the art’s propagator, was equivalent to replacing the original world’s source of pollution. Advancing on this path, he need not worry about being contaminated by unknown entities beyond the void, as Joey himself was this world’s source of pollution.
Therefore, this world’s artists would not go mentally insane like the Cursed Painting’s author—they would merely gradually align with Joey’s thinking in artistic concepts. This was perhaps the process of followers receiving knowledge and approaching their god?
Thus, when 24 hours passed in the real world—with an immeasurable time passing in the spiritual space—the cube originally encompassing the central area of Roland Kingdom gradually rose, slowly shrinking in midair until falling back into someone’s hand. Those trapped in the trial space began to awaken.
But upon awakening, except for those who failed the trial, every successful participant wore an inexplicable melancholic expression. When asked about the trial space, they couldn’t help but show a yearning look. “It was art! We saw truly supreme art!”
Their eyes clearly proclaimed. “Send me back, I can continue, I want to witness more art!”
Seeing this, others who didn’t understand couldn’t help but display an envious expression. “Indeed, the Spirit Forger trial is not dangerous and yields great rewards. Such lucky individuals!”
Those who failed and were kicked out looked bewildered, their expressions contorted: Are you serious? Do you really think that?
But their complex expressions not only gained no understanding but were seen as the jealousy and unwillingness of failures.
Especially since many had been psychologically scarred by the endless problem set hell, upon awakening they almost wept. “Wuwuwu, it’s the devil! That person must be a devil! Truly, believe me, that wasn’t a trial any human could pass! It was pure mental distortion and pollution!”
—Such statements were even more considered nonsensical ramblings of failures. Failing the trial and then slandering Mr. Joey as a devil with an impossibly difficult trial? How pathetic.
Disinclined to pay attention to these failures’ nonsense, more people focused on the trial’s successful “lucky ones”. These individuals were undoubtedly the predetermined first batch of Spirit Forgers.
They seemed still immersed in the trial, at this moment bursting with infinite love and pursuit of art, with many already eager to try something immediately after awakening.
“I feel I’ve gained a new inspiration! My previous understanding of art was so shallow. True art is like this…”
Amid such words, many people immediately retrieved their tools—perhaps brushes, perhaps instruments—and began exploring a new, truly authentic art.
“Woo…”
Duzuo brought the accordion to his lips and blew out the first eerie note.
This was the ghostly version of the “Ode to Peace” that Joey had previously set the rhythm for. Before entering the trial space, he couldn’t appreciate it; now, he could completely perceive the beauty within the piece.
A satisfied smile appeared in his eyes as he continued playing the accordion, and he heard an accompaniment beside him that matched his own perfectly, with a familiarity unique between acquaintances.
Surprised, he slightly turned his head and saw a figure parting the crowd, walking to his side.
“Grant…?”
Seeing this person who had always been his one-sided enemy appear, Duzuo’s eyes revealed deep astonishment.
However, the other’s skillful accompaniment merged seamlessly with his eerie music. Without verbal communication, Duzuo understood the person’s intentions through the music.
…Was it because their musical thoughts had all transformed into Joey’s shape, allowing them to completely understand each other? After all, they were now companions walking the same path.
As the music stopped, the two previously “hostile” individuals looked at each other, surprisingly discovering a kindred spirit’s tacit understanding. Grant laughed sheepishly, extending his hand to Duzuo, who seemingly understood his meaning. “I want to apologize for my one-sided hostility. My past self was too shallow…”
“Ah, it’s nothing…” Duzuo quickly grasped the offered hand. “After witnessing true art, you’ve changed your perspective, right? True art doesn’t require absolute talent. Wholehearted love can also ignite spirituality…”
“I’ve indeed slightly changed my perspective. But this only applies to true art—those truly passionate about art can walk this path even without sufficient talent. However, the art of mortals I previously knew still requires only the talented to pursue wholeheartedly…” Grant slightly lowered his eyes, a peculiar excitement in his gaze, his voice uncontrollably trembling. “I’ve remembered Mr. Joey’s identity! He’s the one who granted us this opportunity. I actually dared to evaluate true extraordinary art with my mortal artistic attainments—how shallow!”
The surrounding noisy crowd resembled dark, surging waves producing musical sounds. A young man with a classical demeanor walked silently through the crowd, with no one noticing his uniqueness.
Seemingly hearing Grant’s voice, the young man walking ahead paused slightly. His jet-black hair was gently lifted by the wind, covering his eyes, but a subtle smile played at the corner of his lips.
…It seems they’ve finally slightly grasped the essence of art.
The satisfaction surging in his heart at this moment must be from guiding a promising young man who had strayed back to art’s true path.
…Just thinking about it brings such pleasant feelings.
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