Upon receiving the notice, Su Chen arrived early at the central building to wait.
The surrounding area had been cleared out. Chong Jingtian and the others were already there. Seeing his arrival, they gave a slight nod, gesturing for him to wait to the side.
As usual, only Zhou Yanwu and Shi Yunzhou were accompanying him.
'The remaining two are probably waiting for Wu Chenpei,' Su Chen muttered inwardly. It wasn't long before his gaze narrowed as he spotted a group of people approaching from the distance.
His eyes imdiately fell upon a middle-aged man bearing a single scale between his eyebrows. He wore a cyan-and-white robe—a style Su Chen had never seen on the Crimson Thunder Planet. Instead, it gave off the aura of an ancient figure from his past life.
The man's gaze also fell squarely on him. In an instant, Su Chen felt his heart sink. It was as if he were being targeted by sothing terrifying, an imnse and suffocating pressure washing over him.
But this sensation was quickly brushed away, as if nothing had happened. The man stepped inside, while his nurous guards remained stationed outside the doors. "Is he the one who received the acknowledgent?" After exchanging greetings with Chong Jingtian and the others, Qing Cang looked at Su Chen with deep interest.
Wan Chen cast an assessing gaze his way, Lan Hao rely glanced before looking away, while Lin Yue's eyes lit up—he was quite the handso guy.
"Indeed," Chong Jingtian nodded. "Su Chen, this is Lord Qing Cang."
"Lord Qing Cang," Su Chen greeted respectfully.
"Mhm." Qing Cang nodded, seemingly quite interested in him. "How old are you? What is your tier? What levels were your previous classes? And how is your talent?"
'Hmm...' Su Chen thought for a mont. There was no need to hide this information, so he answered candidly, "I am twenty years old, a Tier 4 dual-class professional. My Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 classes are all top-tier."
Hearing this, Qing Cang's eyes lit up. Wan Chen and the other two were also quite surprised. Achieving such a setup at this age would require a considerable amount of resources even within the Royal Court. Of course, it was rely the baseline for becoming a prominent figure, but this was a remote planet far from the Royal Court, after all.
'He must be a core figure that Ying Feng nurtured with all their might since childhood,' they reasoned.
'They really are top-tier...' Chong Jingtian thought, his suspicions confird without much surprise. Zhou Yanwu swept his gaze over, his thoughts unreadable.
"As for my talent, it is Dual Ink Jade—"
This was the asuring standard of the Crimson Thunder Planet. Su Chen thought the other party might not understand, but he noticed the light in Qing Cang's eyes dim slightly.
'Only Dual Ink Jade? I suppose he barely managed to earn the favor of a single Spiritual Dragon,' Qing Cang thought.
Qing Cang couldn't help but feel disappointed. If even one of his talents had been Crimson, he would have instantly spoken up and extended an olive branch.
But Dual Ink Jade... it was still lacking.
However, his foundation was quite solid. Qing Cang pondered for a mont, deciding to evaluate Su Chen's other qualities—such as his temperant—before making a decision.
Hearing 'Dual Ink Jade', Wan Chen also lost interest. Lin Yue shot him a few pitying glances.
But Su Chen was thinking about sothing else entirely. 'It seems this talent standard is universal. The Royal Court appears to use this sa system...'
'Moreover, this guy didn't even ask how many dragons I had. He probably made his judgnt the mont he heard my talent level.'
Naturally, Su Chen didn't say anything more and simply stood to the side.
With his interest waning, Qing Cang didn't ask any further questions. He looked at Chong Jingtian. "Where is the spirituality?"
Chong Jingtian had been observing the subtle expressions of the group to deduce their thoughts. Hearing the question, he replied, "Please wait a mont."
'He definitely can't block their senses this ti,' Su Chen muttered inwardly. He watched as Chong Jingtian took a few steps forward and lightly stomped his foot.
The hall's floor, originally pieced together from stone slabs, surprisingly rippled like water. Glowing symbols lit up one after another, and silently, a subterranean passageway slowly opened up. It was the exact sa tal corridor they had walked through last ti.
'It was right here all along...' Su Chen stared, utterly speechless. Last ti, Chong Jingtian had sealed their five senses and made all sorts of noises, but it seed he had rely led them in a big circle only to return to the sa spot.
"A runic array..." Qing Cang, however, was focused on sothing else. He looked thoughtful. This place was quite comprehensively developed.
anwhile, Wan Chen and the other two were already looking impatient, having no ti to care about anything else.
Chong Jingtian led the way, and the crowd followed closely behind. Su Chen and the three youths fell to the back.
"I am Wan Chen," the broad-faced young man introduced himself proactively, before pointing to the other two. "This is Lin Yue, and that is Lan Hao."
The girl nad Lin Yue gave him a nod, while Lan Hao just kept his eyes straight ahead.
"They should have told you by now. Soon, you will need to leave with us," Wan Chen said. "When that ti cos, you will definitely enter the Bronze Sect as well."
'The Bronze Sect?' Hearing this, Su Chen couldn't help but feel curious, but now wasn't the ti to ask questions.
Wan Chen sent out a ntal fluctuation, warning him, "Master Qing seems interested in taking you as a disciple. You need to grasp this opportunity well."
Su Chen shot him a surprised glance, but rely nodded to show he understood.
'So calm?'
Wan Chen was unavoidably surprised. Did this guy not understand Qing Cang's strength and status?
'That shouldn't be the case. We've already revealed quite a bit of information; he should be able to deduce it.'
'Neither arrogant nor rash. Quite composed. Not bad,' Qing Cang, who was walking ahead, nodded to himself.
'This guy's way of addressing him is a bit strange. I wonder if he's that Qing Cang's disciple,' Su Chen speculated.
The group soon reached the end of the corridor. Chong Jingtian opened the stone doors, revealing the crimson mist surging with electrical arcs, just as it had been before.
The eyes of Wan Chen and the other two instantly turned incredibly fervent. It looked as though they all wanted to charge right in, yet they simultaneously restrained themselves.
Chong Jingtian stood to the side. Wu Chenpei had once ntioned that only natives of the Crimson Thunder Planet could gain the acknowledgent of this spirituality.
Not long ago, he had asked why Hong Xuan was able to gain its acknowledgent. Wu Chenpei explained that it was a concealnt technique, and that Hong Xuan had laid low on the Crimson Thunder Planet for ten years precisely for this purpose.
'I suppose this group has their own thods as well...'
Just as this thought surfaced, ripples emanated from Qing Cang's palm. A transparent chanical bottle, composed of countless precision interlocking gears, quietly materialized. Inside the bottle, an earthy-yellow mist churned relentlessly.
The mist then split into three delicate streams that coiled around the bodies of the three youths. With a soft rustling sound reminiscent of flowing sand, the streams rapidly condensed into earthy-yellow patterns across the surface of their clothing.
"This spirituality was born on the Crimson Thunder Planet and has a natural affinity for its aura, hence the slight disguise," Qing Cang explained quite considerately.
"I see," Chong Jingtian said in realization, his heart growing even more helpless.
"Lin Yue, you go first," Qing Cang instructed. "According to what they said, this half of the spirituality can probably only give acknowledgent. It shouldn't be too troubleso."
'Troubleso? What does he an?' Su Chen's heart stirred.
"Yes, sir." Lin Yue could hardly wait as she quickly stepped into the mist.
Just like when Hong Xuan had entered, ripples soon ford, coalescing into two small crimson dragons.
"Earning the favor of two Spiritual Dragons, very good." Qing Cang nodded in satisfaction. His gaze swept over Chong Jingtian and the others, and he was just about to explain the phenonon to them when he realized that all three of them had completely placid expressions.
He instantly sensed sothing was amiss. Logically speaking, even if the people here had seen soone favored by a single Spiritual Dragon before, they should still react with thoughts like, 'To think two dragons could appear!'
But now, their reactions were so calm. Could it be...
"Oh right, I forgot to ask earlier. How many Spiritual Dragons acknowledged Su Chen and that other person?" Qing Cang asked casually, as if the thought had just occurred to him.
"It was exactly like this. Two for each of them." Chong Jingtian already had a prepared response and even appropriately expressed his own confusion. "Are there supposed to be a different number of these little dragons?"
"Two? How could it be two?" Qing Cang, however, looked at Su Chen with shock and uncertainty, his voice rising in pitch.
'Crap,' Chong Jingtian cursed inwardly. 'Did I say too many?'
He had thought saying one would be too few, afraid that Su Chen wouldn't be valued, so he had just given the sa number as Hong Xuan.
'Two Spiritual Dragons... that shouldn't be right,' Wan Chen furrowed his brow slightly, and Lan Hao, who was gearing up to enter next, couldn't help but look over.
Su Chen's heart tightened. Qing Cang was studying him, seemingly pondering why such a situation had occurred.
"Then there is only one possibility," Qing Cang mused. "That is, he has a remarkably high affinity with the Crimson Fla Echoing Thunder Exalt. Only then could he earn the favor of two Spiritual Dragons despite having an Ink Jade talent."
"A pity." He shook his head. No matter how high the affinity, it was useless. A Morning Star tier class could only be taken up by one person, and an Ink Jade talent was simply too low.
'So that's how it is.' Wan Chen averted his gaze. Although he was highly compatible with the class, being favored by only two Spiritual Dragons ant he wasn't a threat.
Lan Hao was already staring fixedly at the crimson mist.
'It seems everything's fine.' The taut strings of Chong Jingtian's heart relaxed. Seeing Qing Cang's relatively good attitude, he couldn't help but ask, "Isn't that a good thing?"
Qing Cang explained, "No matter how many people receive acknowledgent, only one can assu the class. And no amount of compatibility can make up for the gap in talent."
Then, he grew a bit interested in the person who had died. "What talent did the other acknowledged person have?
"
"Also Dual Ink Jade," Chong Jingtian lied smoothly, without so much as a blush or a skipped heartbeat.
"Is that so." Qing Cang instantly lost the interest to ask more, rely sighing, "Your planet certainly has quite a few talents."
At that mont, Lin Yue stepped out of the mist, visibly disappointed. With only two Spiritual Dragons favoring her, it would be extrely difficult for her to beco the chosen one.
Chong Jingtian snapped back to reality, sighing internally. They both manifested the phantoms of two dragons, but when Hong Xuan walked out of there back then, he had looked so dashing and high-spirited in comparison.
"This spirituality... is incomplete," Lin Yue said, rather unwilling to accept the result. "Once it's rged into one, I want to try again."
"Naturally." Qing Cang nodded. He then called Lan Hao forward. Exactly like Lin Yue, two dragon phantoms manifested.
"There's still hope." Lan Hao wasn't disappointed at all; instead, he looked relieved.
"And what are the talents of these young friends...?" Chong Jingtian asked tentatively.
"Lin Yue's is better; she has Dual Crimson. Lan Hao's is a bit worse, with only a Crimson talent in his physical body." Qing Cang remained very mild and even-tempered throughout.
"As for Wan Chen..." He looked at Wan Chen, who had already stepped into the crimson mist. Amidst the swirling vapors, three Spiritual Dragons surfaced. Only then did Qing Cang finish, "His physical talent is Mystic Purple."
'Mystic Purple...' Su Chen's heart skipped a beat. He wondered if this guy was born with it or if he had upgraded it later on.
Chong Jingtian and the other two were struck speechless. Mystic Purple...
But seeing that the scene rely resulted in the phantoms of three dragons manifesting, without triggering the sa anomaly that had occurred during Su Chen's attempt, Chong Jingtian realized that Su Chen's previous situation truly was extraordinary.
Lan Hao coldly snorted, while Lin Yue turned her head away.
Wan Chen walked out with an invigorated expression and swept his gaze around the room. Qing Cang looked gratified. The three locals seed quite shocked, which was perfectly normal. He also noted the displeasure from Lan Hao and Lin Yue. However, what surprised him a bit was that Su Chen still remained utterly tranquil.
'Is this guy... paralyzed in the face?' Wan Chen eyed him suspiciously.
"Since that's the case, I will hold on to this stone slab for now." Without waiting for Chong Jingtian's response, Qing Cang tossed out a square, silver tal block. It hovered in mid-air, its four corners detaching as a faint blue stream of light flowed through every gear slot.
They flew into the mist in precise geotric trajectories. As the air surged, the very void trembled.
Under the solemn gazes of Chong Jingtian and the others, the mist actually began to shrink. Only then did they see clearly—it wasn't shrinking. The edges were rippling with a distortion unique to spatial folding, gradually condensing the mist into a palm-sized crimson crystal that fell securely into Qing Cang's hand.
'So this is the technology of the Royal Court...' Su Chen watched, a strange light gleaming in his eyes.
"Please point out the location of the ruins," Qing Cang asked directly. "After the ruins were discovered, our four cities jointly locked it down. To open it, the cooperation of all four cities is required," Chong Jingtian explained.
Qing Cang dismissed the concern. "Just tell us the location."
"Could you allow us to accompany you? We can gather the other three cities and discuss the proposal you've provided, Lord Qing Cang," Chong Jingtian asked again.
"Hmm." Qing Cang pondered for a mont before nodding. "That is not a problem. We shall go together."
Leaving the area, Chong Jingtian and the others hurriedly went to make their preparations. Qing Cang had only given them three days to get ready.
anwhile, Su Chen felt a bit anxious, terrified that Chief Inquisitor You Shan wouldn't return before then.
Fortunately, just the next day, You Shan returned to the Inquisition. She had barely taken a sip of water when Su Chen tracked her down. "You want to look at your own Fla of Life?" Still carrying the desolate chill of the wilderness, her skin pale and cold, she frowned. "You are still young. Why would you want to look at that thing?"
"They say the Nether Mist is harmful," Su Chen gave an excuse, claiming he simply wanted to estimate how much of his lifespan the Nether Mist had stripped away.
But the shock this brought to You Shan was rather imnse. People from the Royal Court, the dangers of the Nether Mist... it was all too much to process at once. It took her quite a while to react, nodding in a daze. "I understand. Notify the Class Analysis Departnt and have them carve the necessary 'Soul-Stabilizing Runic Array' for you."
"It's already prepared," Su Chen replied. Following him to his residence, they went to a cleared-out room on the second floor. It was completely etched with densely packed, glowing symbols.
Only then did You Shan fully recover herself. Suppressing her other emotions, she warned, "After touching your Fla of Life, it is inevitable that you will dwell on it day and night. Have you truly thought this through?"
Knowing one's destined lifespan ahead of ti was not a good thing.
After Su Chen offered repeated reassurances, she finally allowed him to step into the center of the runic array and began channeling her spiritual power. The general principle of this chanism was to pull out the spiritual body or spiritual core, simulating a near-death state in order to touch the Fla of Life.
The runic array was there to stabilize his physical condition and prevent any actual lethal accidents.
As vigorous spiritual energy surged out, the Chief Inquisitor was instantly taken aback right from the start. "You've actually condensed a spiritual core?"
"A stroke of luck," Su Chen replied.
You Shan's heart was filled with complex emotions. anwhile, Su Chen's consciousness—tethered to the extracted spiritual core—looked down at his own body sitting cross-legged in the center of the runic array, faintly feeling a creeping chill.
This wasn't simply radiating spiritual power; his consciousness, or rather, his 'soul', had genuinely been dragged out. This sensation of having nothing to anchor onto made him feel a subconscious sense of panic.
"Get ready," You Shan said in a deep voice. Her majestic spiritual power coiled around Su Chen's spiritual core, weaving into fine, silvery-white threads.
Through these silvery-white threads, Su Chen saw the surface of his body faintly emitting an invisible, grayish-white fla that looked as though it could extinguish at any mont.
123 years!
That was the lifespan he still possessed, assuming a life completely free of illness, disaster, worry, and hardship.
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