Chapter 260: An Accident
Fortunately, Extraordinary Circuits possessed a certain degree of self-healing ability. And from the looks of it, people in the real world hadn’t fully deciphered the mysteries of Talent Circuits either. She could always shift the blame onto her circuit’s “natural recovery,” rather than admitting she had recklessly rebuilt an entirely new one from scratch.
Though even if she said it out loud, no one would probably believe her.
From the knowledge in the book, reconstructing a brand-new circuit after one had been completely shattered was pure fantasy—an impossible feat.
“Then what exactly is my situation?”
Could it be that by sheer coincidence, she had accidentally restored her original circuit?
Was that even possible?
No, that didn’t seem right. The circuit she had seen hadn’t looked like the one she had originally observed inside her body.
Wasn’t each Talent Circuit supposed to be unique? If so, she shouldn’t have been able to see an identical one elsewhere, right?
Xu Zhi struggled with the thought for a while, unable to make sense of it. In the end, she decided to set it aside. The mysteries of Talent Circuits were far too profound. That was probably why Gods’ Heavy Industries wanted her circuit. The Celestial Heart Association’s inspection likely involved her Extraordinary Circuit as well. And if she hadn’t passed the entrance examination of the Light Institute with such outstanding results, they probably would have questioned her about her circuit in the infirmary too.
Sure enough—one really couldn’t hide one’s abilities too much. Pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger might get you eaten as a pig instead.
After that sigh, Xu Zhi continued reading from where she had left off.
The book’s discussion of Talent Circuits ended there. After all, this was only foundational knowledge. It then moved on to other types of circuits.
[Aside from Talent Circuits, there also exist numerous General Circuits.]
[As the name suggests, General Circuits can typically be used in various circumstances. Their levels differ—some are so basic that even ordinary people can activate them using a core, while others require several Named working together to initiate. Their functions vary as well: some provide convenience in daily life, some serve as auxiliary tools for extraordinary individuals, and others function as components of rituals.]
[General Circuits can take many forms: paintings, engravings, inscriptions, or even pure manifestations of extraordinary energy. Different circuits require different forms of expression. Some forbidden General Circuits even require certain evil rituals for their inscription.]
[When crafting extraordinary items, General Circuits are often required. If an extraordinary individual lacks offensive capability, they may either rely on extraordinary items or learn certain offensive General Circuits.]
[However, one must note that learning General Circuits consumes immense mental strength. All extraordinary circuits are extremely difficult to memorize. Do not attempt to learn too many, lest confusion arise. If errors occur during recollection while attempting to deploy a General Circuit—resulting in imprecise line construction—the backlash will follow.]
“Oh~”
Xu Zhi nodded in understanding. In other words, if you had money, it was best to rely on extraordinary items—just smash people with them directly. If you didn’t have money, then consider learning General Circuits. But that route was time-consuming, labor-intensive, and highly dangerous.
But…
“General Circuits are that hard to learn?”
She wanted to try.
For some reason, Xu Zhi felt that she might actually have some talent when it came to circuits.
“I wonder if they sell scrolls inscribed with offensive General Circuits here. If something dangerous happens, I could just pull one out and smash it at someone.”
But the book also stated that crafting General Extraordinary Circuits required certain necessary conditions. The process demanded vast amounts of time, energy, and extraordinary power. Moreover, the creator had to first master the circuit themselves. That likely prevented offensive General Circuit items from becoming “mass-market” products.
For example, even non-offensive circuit-embedded glasses were extremely expensive.
“What a hassle…”
Now, however, she finally understood something. The formations those Cup-attributed fanatics had drawn on the ground with blood and ritual markings were probably a type of Extraordinary Circuit.
And the vast formation the Archbishop had deployed within the Federation’s spirit network was also an exquisite and powerful forbidden circuit. Thinking about it this way, Xu Zhi even felt that the “rules” she had seen might, in a certain sense, also be circuits.
“If that’s the case, then isn’t all of the world’s extraordinary power supported and operated by circuits?”
If one understood enough circuits, would that mean one was closer to “truth”?
If one mastered enough circuits, would that mean one was closer to “godhood”?
Perhaps Gods’ Heavy Industries collecting Talent Circuits was actually a very “correct” course of action.
Xu Zhi kept constructing these thoughts in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became.
Why were extraordinary individuals always unable to fully memorize and master circuits? Why had the mysteries of Talent Circuits never been completely unraveled? Because circuits were the underlying logic that sustained the world’s extraordinary operations—the deepest layer of its secrets.
She even boldly considered that if “rules” themselves were circuits, then even the simplest circuit must, in some sense, be connected to “rules,” belonging as a fragment of them.
The moment that thought surfaced—
Click.
A peculiar sound echoed from the depths of Xu Zhi’s mind, as though some barrier—or perhaps a door—had been opened. The Lamp-attributed extraordinary energy that had once filled her body was suddenly drained completely, and her Extraordinary Circuit began radiating an even more intense golden glow.
The circuit did not grow larger. Instead, already exquisitely intricate, it began filling inward. Fine golden threads traced and wove across the unnamed circuit, engraving its already elegant structure with deeper mystery, dazzling to behold.
Almost instinctively, Xu Zhi grabbed the box beside her. Inside were the cores she had purchased today. She had only consumed one earlier—the rest remained.
She reached in, took out two cores, and tossed them directly into her mouth. The extraordinary energy that would normally have immediately replenished her and overflowed was instead absorbed entirely by her circuit. The golden threads weaving the structure grew even busier.
The hollow sensation within her body continued unabated. The two cores felt like nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Gritting her teeth, Xu Zhi shoved all the remaining cores into her mouth in one go.
When that massive surge of extraordinary energy—enough to raise her at least another level—flooded into her body, she finally felt a hint of “fullness.”
But it lasted less than a minute.
Under the tireless weaving of the golden threads, within a minute, Xu Zhi was “hungry” again.
The emptiness inside her clamored in dissatisfaction, demanding more energy.
Her eyes went slightly unfocused from the hunger. Helplessly, she squeezed her eyes shut and said seriously,
“There’s no more!”
“I’m broke! I don’t have any cores left!”
She had eaten them all in one gulp!!
Hearing her declaration, the busy golden threads reluctantly swayed within her body, then, as if aggrieved, pressed themselves back against the golden circuit’s main structure, no longer frantically weaving the already exquisitely precise Extraordinary Circuit.
