"Initial Candidate..."
Su Chen was secretly amazed. This class was truly quite special; rely learning its information counted as fulfilling the requirents.
'This must be a screening process. It feels like spirituality, but not quite. There must be so specific condition to et before one can even see the class information.'
Su Chen looked at the bronze tal stele not far away. It bore at least several hundred symbols, but when translated into class information, it amounted to only a few ager sentences.
Although he had no idea what the bronze stele's screening conditions were, his interface didn't care about any of that and simply recorded it directly.
'Could this thing be the initial certification for a Radiant Moon-tier class?'
He pondered inwardly, recalling what Wan Chen had just ntioned: to inherit the title of the Ancient King, one had to gain the acknowledgnt of this bronze stele.
Given the spirituality of the Morning Star tier, selecting a class holder was already quite complex. For the Radiant Moon tier, it would undoubtedly be even more convoluted.
Because of the uniqueness and inherent spirituality of high-tier classes, it was inevitable that various bizarre selection thods would erge.
On the way here, Su Chen had heard Wan Chen ntion that there was once a Morning Star-tier class acquired by the Royal Court. After thirty years of screening, they still hadn't found a suitable candidate.
Even with several candidates possessing Divine Dawn-level talent, it had been useless. Only after enduring countless hardships was a candidate finally born.
Later, people finally learned why: the chosen one actually turned out to be a hermaphrodite.
'Hmm...' Su Chen mused to himself. 'Whatever the case, directly taking the class definitely won't hurt.'
His mind made up, he directly chose to accept the class.
Beneath the Ancient King Stele, Qin Tianlin was surrounded by a crowd. He stood tall and straight, dressed in a custom-made black combat suit with a faint gold character for "Qin" emblazoned on his chest.
Slowly opening his eyes, he let out a sigh and murmured, "What a pity..."
"Nephew Tianlin, this is already the third ti you have triggered an anomalous resonance from the Ancient King Stele, isn't it?"
A middle-aged man in the crowd spoke up. His hair was peppered with silver strands, and his face wore a genial expression. "Truly remarkable."
"Uncle Yunyang, you flatter ," Qin Tianlin replied humbly, though his tone carried a hint of helplessness. "Triggering a resonance is nothing worth ntioning."
"How can you say it's nothing?" the middle-aged man imdiately countered. "Back in the day, Venerable Qin Yun triggered the anomaly a full five tis before gaining the Ancient King Stele's acknowledgnt. The way I see it, you are getting close too."
"Deacon Zhou is right..."
"Indeed, I think it will happen soon as well."
Among the gathered crowd, there was no shortage of flattering remarks, though quite a few people simply watched coldly from the sidelines, purely there to enjoy the spectacle.
"I wouldn't dare compare myself to my grandfather," Qin Tianlin hurriedly said.
"The student surpasses the master."
Even flattery required tact, and Zhou Yunyang was clearly well-versed in this art. Suggesting that Qin Tianlin might eclipse Qin Yun would not displease the Venerable, yet it perfectly stroked Qin Tianlin's ego.
"I dare say that in the entire Church's Sacred Hall over the past ten, no, fifty years, Nephew Tianlin is the most outstanding," Zhou Yunyang continued showering him with praise.
Qin Tianlin thoroughly enjoyed the adulation inwardly, but outwardly, he repeatedly waved his hands in modest denial.
Out of the corner of his eye, he had already caught sight of Su Chen standing not far away. This was no surprise; he had specifically chosen today to co here for this very reason.
"Sigh..."
Letting out a soft sigh, he smiled bitterly. "Everyone, please don't flatter to death. Right now, it's just wishful thinking. Even if I do gain the Ancient King Stele's acknowledgnt, what does it matter..."
His aggrieved expression caused the enthusiastic atmosphere to instantly stall. The onlookers couldn't help but exchange glances. They all knew exactly what Qin Tianlin ant.
Without being chosen by a Morning Star-tier class, no matter how good his talent was, or even if the Ancient King Stele acknowledged him, it would be utterly useless. In the end, his progress would forever halt at the Ninth Tier.
In the history of the Bronze Church, there weren't many who gained the Ancient King Stele's recognition only to stall at the Ninth Tier, but there were one or two. It was simply a matter of terrible luck.
They had missed the Grand Selection during their youth, and no Morning Star-tier experts had fallen during their lifetis, leaving them to die in bitter frustration.
Su Chen had arrived today, and Qin Tianlin had coincidentally triggered the Ancient King Stele's anomaly on this exact sa day. The implications of this contrast went without saying.
However, under the watchful eyes of the public, even the most sycophantic followers wouldn't dare suggest replacing Su Chen, not when the Ancient King had just recently executed Hu Qi.
Zhou Yunyang stepped in to smooth things over, laughing cheerfully. "Nephew Tianlin is still young. There will be opportunities, there will be opportunities..."
Qin Tianlin scoffed inwardly before turning toward where Su Chen stood, acting as though he had only just noticed him. Feigning surprise, he asked, "That appears to be our new Star Seed, right? He arrived today?"
"That is indeed Su Chen. He arrived at the Church today and should be heading to the core to register his identity information," Zhou Yunyang nodded, explaining attentively without any unnatural shift in his expression.
The social climbers in the crowd didn't say much, mostly just watching the drama unfold. Seeing Qin Tianlin's performance, they couldn't help but secretly criticize him in their minds.
He pretended to be completely oblivious, but in reality, he had probably already carved Su Chen's face into his very bones.
"I have heard much about him, and today I finally get to et him." Qin Tianlin smiled, intending to walk over.
His vision was exceptional. Even from a distance, he could see the slightly distracted look on Su Chen's face.
Since this person had just arrived at the Church, he was bound to cause a huge stir. Qin Tianlin had deliberately chosen this mont to trigger the Ancient King Stele's anomaly. Without needing any further words or actions, the others would naturally draw comparisons between them.
However, now that they were face-to-face, how could he pass up the chance to exchange a few words?
The rest of the crowd, eager to watch the drama, were about to follow him when the sudden rattle of chains echoed from behind.
Hmm? Zhou Yunyang looked back in surprise, only to see the bronze tal stele violently shaking. The golden symbols engraved upon its surface broke free, drifting upward like fireflies escaping their shackles.
The escaping streams of light intertwined and swirled in the air. At first, they were rely ribbons of light spiraling around the stele, but they quickly expanded outward at a terrifying speed.
Yet, in the blink of an eye, all the flowing lights collapsed and condensed inward, growing blindingly bright, as if brewing sothing massive.
"This..." Zhou Yunyang's expression froze.
Qin Tianlin had already noticed the commotion. He turned around, his pupils shrinking slightly. He was entirely too familiar with this scene; it signified the birth of soone who t the Ancient King Stele's screening conditions.
Back in the day, his grandfather, the current Venerable Qin Yun, had triggered just such a phenonal vision, shaking the heavens and the earth.
'Could it be...' He couldn't contain his excitent. 'Have I... Have I finally t the conditions?'
Right at that mont, the golden cluster of light swirling around the Ancient King Stele exploded, transforming into a streak of light that shot straight toward him. Qin Tianlin's eyelids twitched as he involuntarily opened his arms.
Whoosh!
His hair fluttered by his ears as the stream of light brushed right past his shoulder. The excitent on Qin Tianlin's face instantly stiffened.
'It... It isn't ?'
'Then this direction...' A preposterous thought suddenly flared in his mind. Before he even had ti to lower his arms, he whipped his head around, his complexion drastically changing.
He watched as Su Chen was completely enveloped by the golden river of light. His body levitated as a pillar of brilliance erupted toward the heavens, piercing straight into the starry expanse.
The surface of that pale gold, heaven-supporting pillar flowed with liquid light and flas, as dazzling and glorious as a physical entity.
Elsewhere, a figure hurried down a long tal corridor and up a flight of stairs before finally arriving at the top floor of the building.
He lightly knocked on the heavy tal door, and only after hearing a response did he carefully push it open and enter.
Qin Yun was sitting cross-legged in the center of the room. A torrent of energy intertwined and converged around him, causing the space near his body to twist unnaturally.
Currents of multicolored energy surged from the nodes in the four corners of the room. Rather than chaotic, they intertwined according to so profound law, coursing along specific ridian pathways.
A portion of the energy condensed on his skin to form a translucent crystalline film, while the rest transford into threads of light that drilled into his body.
"Venerable, the new logistics supervisor has been decided. It is Chang Youqi..." the subordinate reported in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Qin Yun slowly opened his eyes. All the energy currents lingering around him fully sank into his body. He let out a soft sigh. "Understood."
The subordinate whispered, "Chang Youqi belongs to Venerable Chu Lingyuan... With him occupying this position, I fear we will be heavily hindered in the future."
"Who told Hu Qi to be so sloppy in his work?" Qin Yun said coolly. "Once soone gains leverage over you, how could you possibly escape without paying a price?"
He had anticipated this long ago, so he wasn't particularly surprised.
"Qing Cang, my little junior brother... to think he's actually ddling in the Church's affairs now."
Pausing for a mont, he added, "Though, I suppose he isn't the youngest anymore."
"That Su Chen... he should be arriving today, correct?" Qin Yun asked.
"Yes," the subordinate nodded. "He arrived today and has already headed to the core to register his identity information."
"Also..." At this point, his words faltered. Qin Yun's gaze sharpened, and a tangible pressure filled the air. "What is it?"
"It is the Young Master. He went to the core as well."
"Didn't I specifically warn him not to cause unnecessary trouble?" Qin Yun frowned. He reined in his life aura, uncrossed his legs, and walked over to the window.
From here, one could overlook the entire Bronze Core, with the Bronze Tower gazing back from the distance.
"Petty squabbles are completely aningless; they will only disgrace his status for nothing."
After learning of his master's attitude, he had realized that replacing Su Chen wouldn't be simple. It was a process that might need to be asured in years, taken slowly step by step.
Going over now just to throw a few insulting mocks would only backfire.
Even though he was at the Morning Star tier and held a prominent position, there was only a small fraction of people within the Church he could truly influence.
"The Young Master said he was rely going to try his luck at the Ancient King Stele," his subordinate hurriedly explained.
Hearing this, Qin Yun's brow relaxed, and he nodded in approval. "At least that's a wise approach. By triggering the resonance of the Ancient King Stele, everyone will naturally judge for themselves who is superior."
Looking into the distance through the floor-to-ceiling window, Qin Yun muttered, "But given his personality, could he really stay perfectly silent... Hmm?"
Before he could finish, Qin Yun suddenly stopped. Reflected in his pupils was a blazing pillar of light.
"That's..." The subordinate also spotted the pillar of light piercing the heavens and earth. His expression shook as he cried out, "Venerable, Venerable... the Young Master! He successfully gained the Ancient King Stele's acknowledgnt!"
He recognized this phenonon and subconsciously attributed it to Qin Tianlin.
After reporting the good news, he couldn't help but look at his master.
Due to the angle, he could only see Qin Yun's profile. However, that face lacked the joy and gratification he had expected. Instead, it was remarkably grim.
"Su Chen... how is this possible... Can an Ink Erald-tier talent actually gain its acknowledgnt?" Qin Yun murmured to himself, his eyes filled with absolute disbelief.
Thinking back to those years, he had endured imnse hardship. His longest attempt had involved sitting in front of that stele for half a year just to catch a tiny glimpse of its secrets.
And this Su Chen... he had only just arrived...
It was Su Chen? The subordinate's heart lurched in shock. He could hardly believe his ears, and for the first ti in a long while, he watched his master's expression gradually twist into sothing vicious.
"How could this be!"
Above the Bronze Flas, inside the Ancient King's Hall, Qing Cang respectfully offered both his hands. A crimson crystal block floated out from his palms, gradually expanding as it drifted forward.
By the ti it hovered before the bronze giant sitting cross-legged in the hall, it had already reverted into a stone slab shrouded in crimson mist.
With a wave of his hand, the Bronze Ancient King sent the stone slab flying into a nearby crimson statue. The statue's face was indistinct but possessed a majestic bearing, and a red dragon coiled around it.
The statue, which originally seed to be made of ordinary stone, began to tremble ceaselessly as if imbued with a soul, spewing out flas and arcs of lightning.
Beside it stood four other statues of different colors, which also began to shake, as if welcoming its return.
Only at this exact mont did Qing Cang truly let out a sigh of relief. He looked around at the five statues with both gratification and longing; this was the accumulated foundation of the Bronze Church.
"Fortunately, I did not fail your command, Master," Qing Cang said respectfully.
"Mhm, you did well," the Bronze Ancient King nodded.
"It was all thanks to your blessing, Master," Qing Cang said with utmost sincerity.
He then shifted the topic. "Master, I wish to borrow the Profound Heaven Apparatus from the Profound Heaven Church."
"You want to borrow that artifact to elevate Su Chen's talent?" The Bronze Ancient King lowered his eyes to look at him.
"That is correct," Qing Cang nodded. "The five elents for talent elevation no longer provide much help to Su Chen. To significantly raise his talent, the simplest thod available right now is to use the Profound Heaven Apparatus."
"Hmm..." The Bronze Ancient King pondered for a mont before saying, "I had the sa intention, but it will have to wait. I have already inquired about it. The Royal Court requested to borrow it half a year ago, and the Profound Heaven Church agreed long ago."
"This..." Qing Cang frowned. "Why would the Royal Court suddenly want to borrow the Profound Heaven Apparatus?"
The question received no answer. Qing Cang sighed helplessly. "Since the Profound Heaven Church has already agreed to their request, there's nothing we can do. Su Chen will just have to wait."
"You seem to care an awful lot about Su Chen," the Bronze Ancient King noted with so surprise. He knew his youngest disciple's temperant better than anyone.
Whether one called it being carefree or just plain lazy, his greatest joy usually ca from instructing the younger generation in the Sacred Hall, yet he rarely devoted this much attention to a single person.
"You don't know?" Qing Cang was stunned. He had assud his master had long since noticed Su Chen's extraordinary traits.
Realizing his tone, Qing Cang quickly added, "Please forgive my slip of the tongue..."
"No matter." The Bronze Ancient King waved it off, genuinely curious. "What should I know?"
"Su Chen..." Just as Qing Cang began to speak, he saw the Ancient King suddenly look up. As if sensing sothing, a strange gleam erupted in the Ancient King's pupils, and he muttered in clear shock, "How can this be..."
Qing Cang swallowed his words, staring at his revered master in sheer bewildernt.
Ever since the incident with the flas made it difficult for his master to leave the Ancient King's Hall, he had rarely seen him display any emotional fluctuations.
"Su Chen..."
Hearing his master utter those two words, Qing Cang looked alard and hurriedly asked, "What happened to Su Chen?"
The Bronze Ancient King flicked his finger, bringing up a virtual screen. The image displayed the area in front of the Bronze Tower, directly beneath the Ancient King Stele.
Su Chen was abruptly enveloped in a golden stream of light, and a blazing pillar erupted straight into the cosmos.
"This is..." Astounded beyond belief, Qing Cang did sothing unprecedented—he rushed out of the hall without even taking leave of the Ancient King.
Even from such a vast distance, he could plainly see that blazing pillar of light piercing the starry sky.
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