Chapter 1107: Methods of Control

Red paper flew around the office, like dancing red butterflies, eerie and vibrant.

Teacher Ye was stunned. He stared at the half-human, half-paper figure before him, taking a long moment to recover.“But you just…”“I have the ability to disguise myself,” Chen Ling paused. “In fact, even if you hadn’t mentioned the calamity corporealization, I was planning to talk to you privately.”

Teacher Ye adjusted his glasses, quickly regaining his composure from the initial surprise. He circled Chen Ling, observing him closely, then asked again, “How long have you been in this state?”“Since I was in the Wuji Realm,” Chen Ling paused, then added, “This state manifested after I advanced to the fifth tier, but after I consumed some of the Calamity of Ridicule, it started to show signs of going out of control…”

After Chen Ling advanced to the fifth tier, he felt something new emerge within him. Based on previous experience, this transformation of his body into red paper would be his new fifth-tier ability. However, once Chen Ling realized he was the Calamity of Ridicule, his understanding of the ability changed. Rather than being a fifth-tier skill granted by the Twisted Drama God’s Path, it was more like his body gradually gaining control over more of the Calamity of Ridicule’s power.Subsequently, the Silver King released the Calamity of Ridicule within him. Chen Ling, left with no choice, consumed several "Audience" members. When he regained control of his body, he found that this red paper ability had been amplified several times over, even showing subtle signs of becoming uncontrollable.At the time, Chen Ling’s attention was focused on reviving his Senior Brother and others. He immediately used his 'Formless' ability to disguise himself as human and traveled all the way to the Fusion Sect. It wasn't until he woke up after three days that he began to seriously address his changes.

Teacher Ye nodded slightly. “That makes sense. For the past two days, I’ve been sifting through various materials trying to figure out why you didn’t show symptoms of calamity corporealization… It seems I was mistaken.”

Chen Ling lowered his head, looking at his hand, which had transformed into red paper. “Is calamity corporealization a bad thing?”“No, of course not,” Teacher Ye said calmly. “Calamity corporealization is an essential part of the Calamity Severing process. It signifies that human consciousness has gained a temporary advantage in its struggle with calamity consciousness; it’s the spoils of a ‘minor victory’… For integrators, only by entering the Calamity Severing stage and acquiring corporealization ability do they truly gain combat effectiveness.”

Chen Ling thought carefully, and indeed, it was true…Whether it was 'Formless,' 'Crimson Conjuring,' 'Weaving Fate,' or 'Card,' none offered direct combat power. All of Chen Ling’s current offensive skills were essentially drawn from the 'Judgment' and 'Asura' paths.

As Chen Ling pondered, the red paper spreading throughout the office suddenly swayed as if it had a will of its own. Like agile red snakes, it swiftly swept all the cups and saucers off the desk onto the floor.Shatter!Several cups hit the ground with a crisp sound, breaking into pieces, and the spilled tea flowed across the floor to Teacher Ye’s feet…

Teacher Ye was startled.Chen Ling also froze. He frowned deeply, immediately controlling the red paper tendrils to retract, pulling them back under the sleeves of his theatrical robe.

“You can’t fully control your corporealization?” Teacher Ye noticed the issue and asked with a puzzled expression.“...Mostly, yes, but... occasionally, it gets out of control.” Chen Ling looked apologetically at Teacher Ye. “I’m sorry, Teacher Ye.”

“It’s just a few cups; don’t worry about it,” Teacher Ye waved his hand. His attention was now entirely focused on the red paper beneath Chen Ling’s sleeves, a thoughtful expression on his face. “That’s not right… Logically, calamity corporealization is a symbol of controlling the calamity. Why isn’t your corporealization fully under control…?”

“...Could it be related to me having consumed calamity consciousnesses?”“Consumed?”Teacher Ye was taken aback. “How did you consume them?”

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Ling recounted the general circumstances. Teacher Ye’s expression immediately turned peculiar after hearing him out.

“Devouring… This is the first time I’ve heard of such a Calamity Severing method,” Teacher Ye said, pacing. “However, it’s understandable. After all, you’re not an ordinary integrator, but an internal struggle within an apocalyptic calamity… The problem is that while doing this allows you to plunder the power of the Calamity of Ridicule at the fastest speed, consuming them also means their consciousnesses are swallowed into your mind, becoming something like a subconscious presence. That’s why your corporealization isn’t completely under control.”

Chen Ling did feel an accumulation of emotions within him that weren’t his own after consuming the "Audience" members. Fortunately, his current state allowed him to suppress them, preventing disruption to his daily life.However, in the long run, it would eventually become a problem.

“Is there any way to solve this problem?”“This is the first time I’ve encountered a situation like this… I can’t think of a solution right now. You might have to give me some time,” Teacher Ye said helplessly.

“Alright.” Chen Ling then asked, “Do you have any ideas on how I can further control the Calamity of Ridicule?”“Actually, you’re already doing it,” Teacher Ye said, slowly sitting down in his chair.

“Human consciousness wavelengths have a 95% overlap with calamities. While I don’t know where your consciousness originated, the frequency band it emits is a human one, unlike other Calamity of Ridicule consciousnesses. So, even though you are the Calamity of Ridicule, you don’t possess its world-destroying power…You can think of it this way: the ‘key’ of your consciousness cannot unlock the ‘lock’ of the Calamity of Ridicule’s apocalyptic power because they don’t match.Therefore, if you want to control the power of the Calamity of Ridicule, there are only two ways… Either turn the Calamity of Ridicule into a human, or assimilate your ‘key’ into a shape that matches the ‘lock.’”

“How do I assimilate?” Chen Ling immediately asked.“You are already assimilating. The calamity consciousnesses you’ve consumed will gradually merge with your own consciousness… This is just the beginning; perhaps you haven’t realized it yet, but in reality… you are slowly becoming ‘Ridicule.’”

Chen Ling’s frown deepened.“So, to control Ridicule, I need to constantly devour them… The more I devour, the more control I gain.”“Exactly, but as you devour them, their consciousnesses will also accumulate within you, so this process will inevitably affect your thoughts… and eventually, you might cease to be yourself.” Teacher Ye’s voice was utterly serious.“I will prioritize researching a solution to this problem, but in the meantime, it’s best not to easily engage in Calamity Severing again…”

“How long, roughly… will you need for this research?” Chen Ling looked into Teacher Ye’s eyes.“…To be honest, I’m not sure,” Teacher Ye sighed deeply. “Perhaps three months, perhaps a year, perhaps three years… or perhaps I’ll never find a solution. While I understand more than others, I am not omniscient or omnipotent after all.”