A dead silence fell before the giant screen. The echoes of Qing Cang and Ni Chuan's argunt over the dangers of the Evil God's power had not yet dissipated, but Su Chen had actually stood up just like that.
Qing Cang's expression froze for a mont, clearly shocked by this. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "To think soone of his age could forcibly withstand the corruption of the Evil God's power?"
Enduring the corruption of the Evil God's power was not an entirely outlandish feat.
The Evil God's power was divided into tiers. A low-tier Evil God's power, for instance, could never corrupt soone like him.
But Su Chen's situation was completely different. He was rely at the fourth tier, yet he was facing mid-tier Evil God's power. Furthermore, he had managed to stubbornly endure it in such a short amount of ti.
Such a record would be incredibly difficult to find, even if one searched the entire Dust Star Sea.
"Endured?" Ni Chuan's face turned cold. He looked at Su Chen's still sowhat dazed figure on the giant screen, then glanced at his own son who was still rolling on the ground. His tone was indifferent. "How could he possibly endure it in such a short ti? I'm afraid he has already been corrupted by the Evil God's power."
"Corrupted?" Qing Cang glanced over and let out a faint laugh. "It's not like you've never seen what happens when the Evil God's power successfully corrupts soone, Your Excellency. To say such a thing is truly beneath your status."
"Furthermore, with Venerable Chiyang right in front of us and Master watching from above, what kind of Evil God cultist could possibly deceive their eyes?"
Ni Chuan scoffed coldly but did not retort. His expression fluctuated as he stared intently at Su Chen on the giant screen. He hadn't paid much attention to this person before, but now it seed that anyone worthy of Qing Cang's attention was indeed sowhat extraordinary.
To forcibly withstand the corruption of the Evil God's power ant his ntal fortitude was exceptionally tough.
This kind of person would climb toward their goals at any cost.
'His talent falls quite short of the very best, but reaching dual seventh-tier shouldn't be a big problem, and there's even a chance for dual eighth-tier. He might beco a future calamity...' he couldn't help but evaluate. Every powerful lifeform added to the Sect's side was a threat to the Royal Court.
What a godsent opportunity... Amidst the low murmurs of the crowd in the back, only Xia Hanshi's face remained impassive.
Listening to the uncertain speculations and even exclamations of shock from Chong Jingtian and the others, his heart was completely at peace.
After all, he had seen with his own eyes how Su Chen had forcibly drained every last drop of the Evil God's power from an entire training field.
Su Chen must have used that precognitive ability of his to consu the Evil God's power. Xia Hanshi glanced toward the Ancient Bronze King above the cauldron.
Inside the cauldron, a trace of astonishnt flashed across Chiyang's eyes. As he watched Su Chen shakily stand up, his spiritual phantom vaguely flickered, seemingly short-circuiting from the shock.
The rules left behind for him contained no counterasures for the situation unfolding before his eyes.
His main body had never expected that soone at this power tier could actually resist the corruption of the Evil God's power.
Not only that, but he was also a lifeform born natively on the Crimson Thunder Planet.
'To think the mother planet could still give birth to such talent. This level of resolute willpower is truly rare. Although his talent is lacking and he cannot beco the Chosen One, with Senior Brother here, perhaps his future path can be made a little easier,' Chiyang thought to himself.
"Why isn't this guy saying anything..." Su Chen massaged his temples, sensing sothing was off. 'Did I act a little too fiercely?'
Having fallen more than a step behind in talent, he had planned to stun everyone with his ntal fortitude. But now, it seed his performance was a bit too stunning.
He had been rubbing his head for quite a while. Seeing that the spiritual phantom still wasn't speaking, he was just about to say sothing when a wail rang out beside him.
"No, please don't..."
It was Ming Lin. Even though his eyes were tightly shut, tears stread uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes as he rolled back and forth on the ground.
Su Chen's eyebrows twitched. Chiyang had already raised his hand. From the surrounding tallic floor, a tuft of crimson fla suddenly sprang up out of thin air, wrapping around Ming Lin. It ignited without wind and grew increasingly intense.
Following that, Ming Lin's screams grew even louder. His limbs splayed out, his chest arched upward, and the veins on his neck bulged.
Wisps of black smoke poured from his orifices, burning away into nothingness within the crimson flas, and a faint, vicious shriek faded away.
"The Evil God's power can actually be forced out?" Su Chen watched in astonishnt from the side. There were no such thods back on the Crimson Thunder Planet.
Once the Evil God's power was forced out, Ming Lin gradually regained consciousness. He lay flat on his back, dazed for a mont before rembering where he was. His throat felt dry and painful, and his back was drenched in cold sweat.
'I didn't turn into an Evil God cultist?' The mont he woke up, he cursed every single Evil God he knew of in his heart.
Finding that he didn't feel any rebellious thoughts toward the idea, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"A fourth-tier professional, persisted for less than three minutes. What a pity, you were just a tiny bit short," Chiyang finally spoke. "However, it is still considered decent and deserves a reward."
Hearing the voice, Ming Lin turned his head, but his gaze imdiately landed on Su Chen.
'Su Chen woke up earlier than ?' Ming Lin couldn't help but feel surprised. Before he could think further, a sharp clank rang out as sothing dropped right in front of him.
It was a long, crimson tallic staff with golden patterns carved into both ends.
"There's even a reward..." Su Chen muttered quietly.
Ming Lin scrambled up from the ground and scooped up the tal staff, weighing it in his hand. It was quite heavy.
It wasn't a fourth-tier weapon; it was likely fifth-tier. Weapons of this caliber required advanced reservations even in Yingfeng, costing a significant price and a long wait to be forged.
Although he had suffered so tornt, he hadn't suffered in vain.
"But you cannot participate in the upcoming assessnts," Chiyang added.
Ming Lin wasn't surprised. He cast a helpless glance at Su Chen and said, "It will be enough if you just send us out."
"Us?" Chiyang frowned slightly and shook his head. "Currently, you are the only one who has been eliminated."
"Just ?" Ming Lin was dumbfounded and subconsciously looked at Su Chen.
"He endured it. He didn't fail to hold on like you did," Chiyang stated bluntly.
"En... Endured it?" Ming Lin paused, finding it utterly inconceivable. His mind couldn't help but recall the various illusions he had just experienced.
The corruption of the Evil God's power was not a head-on clash. Because of the unique nature of the cultist professions, its essence was to lure the target into fulfilling the requirents of a cultist class, thereby forcing them to take up the mantle.
At the sa ti, it exerted influence to erase any feelings of disgust toward the Evil Gods.
He rembered it vividly. The illusions extended from his personal safety to his family and friends. At first, he could barely hold on.
But life-threatening danger was rely the simplest environnt. There were also various scenarios that tested one's ntality to a perverse degree. Even though a faint sense of unease had been warning him, he had still almost said yes to Hei Tuo.
To think soone could actually withstand that kind of sick torture... Just how unbreakable was Su Chen's mind?
Even as Chiyang raised his hand and Ming Lin's figure vanished, he still didn't seem to have fully processed it.
"Hmm..." After dealing with the first eliminated candidate, he finally turned his gaze toward Su Chen.
"You endured the corruption of the Evil God's power, but the screening rules left by my main body do not have any clear provisions for a performance like yours."
Su Chen's heart tightened slightly. 'Sure enough, I stood out a bit too much. If I had known, I would have suffered a little longer.'
"Since that is the case, you do not need to participate in the upcoming assessnts," Chiyang declared. "Consider yourself to have passed with flying colors."
He didn't need to participate in the upcoming assessnts anymore?
Su Chen felt astonished in his heart. Looking at Chiyang, he wondered, 'Why didn't the candidate with the highest talent earlier get this kind of treatnt?'
A sudden suspicion arose in his mind. 'This is backdoor privilege, isn't it?'
'Since there are no rules for my specific situation, how to handle it depends entirely on the thoughts of this spiritual fragnt. So, he's letting skip it entirely?'
'Is it because I am a native resident of the Crimson Thunder Planet?' Su Chen couldn't help but wonder.
"Go wait atop the cauldron for now," Chiyang instructed, not letting him idle there, opting instead to send him directly before the Ancient Bronze King.
'It really is special treatnt...' Su Chen muttered inwardly. Sending him up there would at least give him a chance to chat with the Ancient King and build a connection.
With a wave of Chiyang's hand, Su Chen disappeared from the spot, just like Ming Lin had.
Almost simultaneously, Lan Hao, who was lying on the ground, let out a wail. Following the exact sa procedure, Chiyang forced the Evil God's power out of his body as well.
"A fifth-tier professional, persisted for less than ten minutes. Eliminated." Chiyang's voice sounded much colder, and he made no ntion of any reward.
'Eliminated...' Lan Hao let out a long breath of relief after confirming he hadn't beco an Evil God cultist.
Hearing Chiyang's words, his gaze naturally swept over Ni Bin, Wan Chen, and Lin Yue, who were all still lying on the ground.
Seeing that they had lasted longer than he did, Lan Hao couldn't help but scoff coldly. But upon noticing that Su Chen and that guy nad Ming-sothing were already gone, he felt much better.
'As long as I wasn't the first one out.'
anwhile, Su Chen had already floated casually up to the top of the cauldron. At an altitude of ten thousand ters, the violent winds were fierce enough to condense into elental blades that could dice a first or second-tier professional into minceat.
However, an invisible force now blocked all of it outside the cauldron, leaving the area completely stable and tranquil.
His gaze imdiately landed on the small bronze figure standing not far away.
"Ancient King..." Su Chen called out respectfully. He couldn't help but feel a bit nervous inside; this figure was likely the strongest expert he would co into contact with for a very long ti, both now and in the future.
He carried quite a few secrets, and he had no idea if the other party would be able to see through any of them.
"Mhm." The Ancient Bronze King's gaze swept over him. Su Chen imdiately felt his body grow heavy and his scalp tingle. He felt completely exposed standing there, as if he had been seen through from the inside out.
"A pure and flawless spiritual core, devoid of any aura of the Evil God. To think he truly relied on an incomparably resolute mind to endure the corruption. Such a temperant is indeed rare."
Even the Ancient Bronze King couldn't help but feel a bit amazed in his heart. Those with excellent talent were common, but those with a will as unyielding as iron were not.
"His foundation is excellent, and his physical strength is quite high. Just from what flows on the surface, there are traces of no less than three special professions." With just a sweeping glance, he discerned a great deal of information. "Although his talent is slightly inferior, the positions in the Morning Star tier are limited. If he can't beco the Chosen One, having higher talent is useless anyway. This worked out perfectly for that kid Qing Cang!"
After a quick calculation, he noticed sothing slightly off about the tiline of Su Chen taking up his profession. It was unusually fast, but he didn't pay it too much mind. Everyone had their secrets.
Thinking back to Qing Cang's evaluation of him, the young man before him was almost guaranteed to beco his grand-disciple. Moreover, he had been specially sent up by his junior brother's spiritual fragnt.
The Ancient Bronze King's attitude was quite gentle. "There is no need to be nervous... Hmm?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Ancient Bronze King turned his head slightly. He saw that the spirituality of the Crimson Fla Answering Thunder Great Exalt, which he had confined to the side, was suddenly trembling violently. Crimson mist surged, and electric arcs shot out, as if it were trying to break free from its restraints. "Why is this happening?" The tallic brows of the Ancient Bronze King furrowed slightly. He knew that spiritualities disliked being confined, but it had only been a brief mont. It shouldn't have had such a massive emotional reaction.
'Does this spirituality still rember ?' Su Chen's heart skipped a beat.
"Roar..."
Originally in the form of a stone slab shrouded in crimson mist, it trembled for a mont before actually coalescing back into a spiritual dragon. The dragon head shook vigorously, its pair of draconic eyes staring straight at Su Chen, appearing both excited and restless.
"This spirituality seems to be reacting because of..." The Ancient Bronze King followed the direction the dragon's head was facing. His gaze landed on Su Chen, hiding a hint of astonishnt as a thought flashed through his mind.
"If that's the case, let's see exactly what it wants to do."
Imdiately, the invisible force shrouding the spirituality was released. Having regained its freedom, the spiritual dragon let out a high-pitched roar. Its body expanded rapidly, swelling against the wind. It grew to thirty ters, then three hundred ters, coiling massively atop the cauldron.
The dragon lowered its eyes, staring fixedly at Su Chen, seemingly trying to confirm sothing.
In the very next mont, its majestic body crashed down aggressively. Crimson fire and streaks of lightning surged right at his face, feeling as though the sky itself was collapsing.
With his hair blowing wildly, Su Chen narrowed his eyes, his breathing catching in his throat. Yet, he involuntarily spread his arms wide.
'I've been pre-selected!'
In front of the cauldron, Lan Hao had already escaped from within. The invisible force sent him back to the exact spot where he had entered. Looking around, he saw everyone's eyes glued to the giant screen.
Ni Bin's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, whereas Qing Cang wore a delighted expression.
"There's that Ming Lin..." He caught sight of Ming Lin standing to the side, still looking sowhat dazed. He turned his head and looked around. "Where is Su Chen?"
He frowned slightly, unable to find Su Chen, who should have co out long before him. Having gathered so understanding of the guy, he figured it was impossible for Su Chen to have run off with his tail between his legs from the setback.
"I told you, this spiritual fragnt is definitely biased! This Ming-sothing-Lin held on for a bit and gets a reward, but this Lan Hao gets absolutely nothing," Ni Bin said with a hardened expression, staring at Qing Cang. It seed the two had already exchanged a few heated words.
"Stop playing dumb when you know the truth. Ming Lin is a fourth-tier professional; the standards are obviously different from Lan Hao's," Qing Cang sneered, tossing out a word of comfort for Lan Hao along the way.
Lan Hao, however, was bewildered. 'Reward? What reward?'
"Who's exactly playing dumb here?" Ni Bin's face was chillingly dark. "My son's talent far surpasses the rest. Why wasn't he allowed to skip this bullshit evaluation? Instead, it's this Su Chen, with his re dual ink-jade talent, who gets to skip it directly and wait atop the cauldron!"
"And you still say there's no bias?"
"Heh..." Qing Cang laughed mockingly. "People with dual profound-purple talent can be found everywhere, but those who can endure the corruption of the Evil God's power can be counted on one hand. Not to ntion, Su Chen is only a fourth-tier professional."
"What's the matter? Worried your son can't compare to Su Chen?"
'End... Endured the corruption of the Evil God's power?' Lan Hao's face was filled with utter shock as the pieces finally fell into place. Su Chen hadn't been eliminated at all. On the contrary, he had been sent straight to the top of the cauldron because he was simply too outstanding.
His eyelids twitched uncontrollably. Everything he had just experienced in the illusion floated before his eyes once again. For so reason, he suddenly felt a trace of awe toward that Su Chen.
'How the fuck is a human supposed to endure that?'
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