"White Crane?"
The Craftsman God looked astonished.
White Crane was that other "self" who shared a similar timeline with him, yet had not been abducted by the Wolf Pack, walking a completely different path...
And he was also about to be summoned?
Just hearing this news made the Craftsman God's mood grow complicated.
He asked, "When will he arrive?"
"At the earliest, tomorrow.
At the latest, the day after." Jiang He gauged the brightness of the card and made his estimate.
In fact, judging from the charging progress of the first True Spirit of Phoenix Egg, the energy of the second resource was more than enough to complete White Crane's charging, with quite a surplus left over.
However, at this moment, among the Heroic Spirit cards still cooling down, another Old Jiang had appeared.
He also shared in part of the power, which greatly enhanced the brightness of the cards.
That was the reason why White Crane's cooldown had not yet finished.
Following this pattern, as the number of Heroic Spirits grew, the effect of resources would only become increasingly dispersed—perhaps in the future, dozens of S-rank resources would be needed just to complete a single charging!
Of course, that would also mean a large number of Heroic Spirits finishing their cooldowns, ready to arrive on the battlefield…
Jiang He shook the imagined scene from his mind and said, "So, in these two days we can first attempt to infiltrate the Wolf Pack organization.
Best case, we locate the true body of the Wolf King—"
"No matter how good he is at hiding, in the end he isn't a 'Lone Wolf,' but the 'Wolf King.'"
"He will definitely have contact with other Evil Wolves.
That is his flaw."
"As long as we lock onto his true body, when White Crane joins us, we'll strike together and take him down directly!"
The Craftsman God gave a slight nod.
The plan had no issues.
Especially with the "Infinite Artifact" in hand, storing both the traits of "Stealth" and "Ever-Changing"—they were practically tailored for the word 'undercover.'
And yet…
Should they really wait for White Crane to act?
The Craftsman God's feelings grew more tangled.
White Crane was Jiang He's future, not his.
From the "Moment of Awakening" onward, he and White Crane had walked completely different roads, each experiencing decades, even centuries of long years.
They were no longer the "same person."
If anything, they were more like twin brothers who had lived identical childhoods but separated in adulthood, leading completely different lives.
Rather than self-recognition, there was more of a sense of "strangeness."
Not to mention, White Crane was the type blessed with good fortune—a model "winner at life" who got into a prestigious university, married a beautiful campus belle, and had a bright future.
The Craftsman God, however, was abducted in childhood to a remote mountain village, brainwashed and enslaved… a tragic template.
In such circumstances, trust was out of the question.
What filled the Craftsman God's heart more was "jealousy," "resentment," "obsession"…
Even "rejection."
Letting another version of himself, the "life winner," see his miserable and fallen life, while still having to rely on his help?
"I don't need him. I can do it too." The Craftsman God clenched his fists, speaking seriously.
"Although I'm not good at frontal combat… as a 'Creator,' I don't need to fight head-on."
"I can stockpile equipment, tools, items in advance…"
"With the enemy exposed while I remain hidden, striking suddenly—there's no way the Wolf King could be my match."
The Craftsman God was an X-rank Heroic Spirit, specializing in creation.
If he went all out crafting equipment, playing the steady path, his strength would still be guaranteed.
After all, countering with transcendent items was far easier than countering with talents.
Jiang He believed he could do it.
But the problem was…
When the Craftsman God spoke these words—
Jiang He clearly read rejection and jealousy on his face.
"..."
White Crane hadn't been wrong.
There really were words written on his face.
For a moment, Jiang He nearly couldn't hold it in.
Compared to old-timers like White Crane and Old Jiang, the Craftsman God was still far too green—so much so that even Jiang He could read his thoughts.
It was understandable, after all.
The Craftsman God had barely debuted before being captured.
More than a century of his life had passed mostly in unconscious captivity, his eyes rolled back in a daze, with no chance for real experience.
In terms of mentality, he wasn't much more mature than Jiang He.
Worse still, his flaws of obsession and reclusiveness had only grown stronger.
He was even jealous of himself.
But the key point was…
Did the Craftsman God really have any need to be jealous of White Crane?
Though White Crane's early life was indeed glamorous, his later years were just as tragic, his ending a bad ending…
Eh, wait—that detail, I never told him, did I?
Jiang He blinked.
When he first introduced White Crane to the Craftsman God, he had only mentioned his talents and energy level.
Later on, his additions had covered only White Crane's early story.
In the Craftsman God's eyes, both White Crane and Old Jiang were dazzling winners at life, while only he was the most pitiful…
The culprit was obvious!
"But, the reason the Craftsman God's Black Wolf persona disappeared was because he believed the Wolf Pack had stolen his 'perfect life.'"
"If I add in that White Crane's wife died, that he went insane, destroyed the world with his own hands… if I hit him with that shock, what if he completely blackens instead…"
Jiang He hesitated for a moment and decided not to reveal the truth.
Anyway, White Crane's cooldown would be over soon.
He could explain it himself once he arrived.
For now…
Jiang He told the Craftsman God, "Since you said that… White Crane will arrive no later than the day after tomorrow. That leaves you about a day and a half."
"If you can't solo the Wolf King in that time, then wait for White Crane and strike together."
A small provocation.
Whether or not the Craftsman God succeeded didn't matter—at least the motivation was there.
As expected, the Craftsman God took the bait.
His eyes changed instantly.
"A day and a half, huh…"
"Give me the ring. I need materials."
Jiang He handed over the spatial ring and asked, "Will these materials be enough?"
The items stored inside were all C-rank materials that Jiang He had farmed in the Abyss.
They were fine for dealing with students, but against an A-rank Transcendent—were they really sufficient?
The Craftsman God received the ring, and a flash of light appeared in his hand—a corroded blade emerged.
As he looked at the blade, confidence rose in his eyes.
This was the confidence of a top divine craftsman!
"More than enough."
"A true divine craftsman is one who can seize the wonders of heaven and earth, turning decay into marvel."
"No matter the material, in my hands, it will shine!"
The Craftsman God ran his hand across the Hunter Blade Demon's blade material, and as the light flowed smoothly, a snow-white blade appeared before their eyes.
He swung it casually.
The sharp blade seemed to slice even the air itself—
Not "seemed."
Space itself was cut open!
A fissure ripped open in the middle of the living room, and through it, one could see a gray, decayed mirrored landscape.
That was… a mirror zone of the Abyss?!
The Craftsman God's gaze swept across the spatial fissure, revealing a hint of surprise.
"Beneath Central State City, such a space overlaps…"
"These materials, you obtained them here?"
"As expected, it's different from my world."
The Craftsman God sighed, watching as the space healed.
He then handed the blade to Jiang He.
"A blade with cutting traits fused with spatial traits—an indestructible space-cleaving weapon."
"Let Infinite absorb it."
"With this S-rank Rift-Splitting Blade, I refuse to believe we can't lop off his wolf head."