ntioning the people of the Crimson Thunder Planet, Ming Lin and Su Chen chatted for a bit longer.
Not long after, a notification popped up on Ming Lin's bracelet. He glanced down, grinned, and prepared to leave. "So guys from the patrol squad are calling out for a drink. I'm taking off."
Watching Ming Lin depart, Su Chen gathered his thoughts and shifted his gaze back to the glowing status panel he had summoned.
Right after the 'Endurer' class, the words 'Advance Profession' sparkled brightly.
This special profession wasn't difficult to obtain in the first place. The second requirent, which usually demanded the most ti, had been completely erased, leaving only the condition to experience ten different types of extre exhaustion.
Over this recent period, Su Chen had casually fulfilled this requirent in his spare ti while circulating his ditation technique.
Now, he only needed to wait for the Cunning Fox essence to be ready. Once he increased the difficulty and secured the extra rewards, he could formally advance to the profession.
The ti required to slt the essence wasn't particularly long. Su Chen first absorbed the three portions of the Cunning Fox's divine power, allowing them to begin the slting process. A faint clinking sound echoed in his ears. 'Calculating the ti, it's been about three months since I obtained the Endurer class. Fulfilling the requirents and advancing now is perfectly reasonable. Once I assu the profession, I can go fetch the next special profession for the Eternal Body.'
Thinking of this, he ntally calculated his options. There were currently four Holy Professions he could pursue.
The Pure One was only missing the spiritual fire. The Igniter's tamorphosis required at least seven strong physical-type professions. The Eternal Body was currently just beginning, while he had already assud two professions for the Undying Bird.
He pondered for a mont, finding it a bit too complicated to track in his head. Returning to his room, he found a pen and paper and drew up a chart.
Under Igniter, he wrote down: Wind Dancer, Armored Bone, Ravager, and Glutton.
Under Eternal Body, he wrote down: Endurer.
And under Undying Bird, he wrote down: Resilient Walker and Siphoner.
'The Igniter requires seven physical-type professions. If I ignore the Undying Bird, I already have six physical-type professions. I'm only missing one.'
Calculating carefully, even Su Chen was a bit surprised. Even though classes like the Defier and Myriad Phenona didn't count as special physical professions, he was still remarkably close.
However, the tamorphosis of the Igniter would result in an unprecedented Holy Profession. It was equivalent to performing the first foundational slting within his body. What he needed for this was the true Morning Star Fire, not the weakened version required by the Pure One.
'I can't possibly have to wait until I actually advance to the Morning Star rank to slt the Igniter, right?'
'Since there are ways to reproduce the weakened version of the Morning Star Fire, there must be a way to obtain the original version as well. I just haven't found it yet.'
Su Chen wasn't in a rush regarding this. After all, two of the professions he was counting had been forcefully borrowed from the Undying Bird's Holy Profession path just to make up the numbers.
Moving forward, he could continue to steadily accumulate physical professions at his own pace. It wouldn't be too late to perform the slting once he found a way to ignite the true Morning Star Fire.
Besides, seven was rely the minimum requirent. The more professions he slted, the more powerful the resulting abilities would naturally be.
As for the Undying Bird Holy Profession, his thoughts drifted to Lan Hao...
'It'll be hard to find a chance to intimidate that guy within the faction. I'll just have to wait for an opportunity.'
He ntally reviewed the tasks he needed to accomplish next.
Incinerating the piece of paper into ashes, Su Chen checked the ti. It was still early.
'The weapons on also need to be upgraded. Since I can bring them into the Nether Domain space with almost no consumption, they'll be quite useful if a battle actually breaks out in there.'
The benefits of mystical artifacts had proven themselves more than once, and Su Chen naturally hadn't forgotten that.
He first activated the professional ability of the Weapon Nurturer, carefully sensing and morizing the upgrade materials required for each of his weapons.
As for acquiring a new controlling mystical artifact, he already had an idea in mind: a special weapon specifically designed for defending or attacking spiritual bodies.
'For this, I'm afraid I'll have to make a trip to the Artifact Hall.'
Weapons were strictly controlled within the faction. They were classified as restricted exchange items and had to be acquired directly through the Artifact Hall.
He still had so Star Coins left over from purchasing the Cunning Fox's divine power—roughly two million or so. He just wasn't sure if that would be enough.
'Deacon... Zhou Yunyang. Vice Hall Master... Fan Zhao. Hopefully, nothing goes wrong.' Su Chen tidied himself up and made a rare departure from his floating island.
anwhile, on the Crimson Thunder Planet, just outside Yingfeng City, a group of people flew out of the city in a hovercraft and landed a short distance away.
When the cabin doors opened, Chong Jingtian was the first to step out. He subconsciously looked up at the cyan and crimson light barrier overhead, an eternal fixture day and night.
The fragnts of the Crimson Thunder Cauldron remained as sturdy as ever, steadfastly holding back the external Nether Mist.
It had beco a habit of his; he needed to look up every so often just to feel at ease.
Gazing into the distance, he could see the faint silhouettes of distant mountain peaks—a sight that was rarely visible in the past. The continuous roar of machinery echoed in his ears.
Several massive construction machines, resembling mobile fortresses, were hard at work. Their giant, tread-like feet advanced steadily while the rotating drills at their fronts effortlessly tore through the bedrock, kicking up dust that ford continuous plus of yellow smoke.
Yingfeng City hadn't expanded outward in a long ti. Previously, shrouded by the Nether Mist, expanding even an inch required paying an exorbitant price to drive the mist back.
But now, they could recklessly dig through mountains and chisel through stone without any hesitation, doing their utmost to carve out a sufficiently large area before the Nether Mist returned.
A larger city ant a greater population, which in turn ant more powerful professionals.
Xia Hanshi, whose figure resembled a withered log, followed closely behind him. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression was as cold and desolate as always.
He glanced at Chong Jingtian and asked bluntly, "You're not mistaken, are you? Is it today?"
"How could I be mistaken? The people from the Bronze Faction contacted us the mont they entered the atmosphere. With the speed of their ship, it won't be long before they arrive."
Chong Jingtian replied.
Following the two of them were Zhou Yanwu and Shi Yunzhou, and behind them was a group of people—so looking very young, while others appeared quite mature.
Teng Liang, Bu Siqi, and others were among them.
"Could you glean anything from their tone of voice?" Xia Hanshi asked casually, though his expression betrayed his solemnity. "Nothing happened to Su Chen, right?"
Chong Jingtian shot him a sidelong glance. This old guy seed indifferent on the surface, but in reality, he cared more about Su Chen's well-being than anyone else.
Shaking his head, he said, "The communication was handled by the liaisons on both sides. I only inford you guys after receiving the news, so I didn't get any useful information."
"However, he should have arrived at the faction safely."
"Don't worry," Shi Yunzhou chid in. "That kid Su Chen is sly as a fox. He'll definitely find his footing. As his teacher, you should know that better than anyone."
"He's not in Yingfeng facing a bunch of old, weak, and crippled folks like us anymore. Being sly isn't enough out there," Xia Hanshi retorted with a sharp glare.
He had never really been fond of the few elders to begin with, and after Su Chen left with Qing Cang, he cared even less, speaking to them without the slightest trace of politeness.
'This old bastard...' Shi Yunzhou's face stiffened. He cursed internally but managed an awkward smile.
They didn't have to wait long. Chong Jingtian's expression suddenly grew serious, prompting the others to look up at the sky. A streak of light had just appeared over the horizon.
A rumbling roar approached from afar, accompanied by a wave of air that seed to tear through the sky.
Boom!
As it drew near, a heavy transport ship suddenly hovered before the group. A fierce gust of wind washed over them, whipping their clothes and hair wildly.
Everyone couldn't help but narrow their eyes, looking up at the four gigantic, glowing blue anti-gravity rings. As the transport ship slowly descended, they all felt a slight tremor run through the ground.
Buzz— The cabin doors opened, a boarding ramp extended, and a squad of fully ard guards clad in bronze-colored armor marched out.
At their head was a middle-aged man with an aloof expression.
Watching him approach, the group couldn't help but feel a surge of nervous tension.
They needed many things from the Bronze Faction, including high-tier body-tempering thods, advanced professions, and simpler ways to isolate the Nether Mist—all of which were completely absent on the Crimson Thunder Planet.
There was a lot of leeway in how these relief supplies were distributed. If sothing had happened to Su Chen, or if he had perished halfway and never safely reached the faction...
Then the support from the Bronze Faction would inevitably be severely reduced. After all, they would have lost their only advocate on the inside.
The escort squad halted. The captain at the front furrowed his brows and scanned the group. His expression shifted slightly when his gaze landed on Xia Hanshi.
Before Chong Jingtian could even open his mouth, the captain asked, "Your Excellency must be Xia Hanshi."
Chong Jingtian and the others skipped a heartbeat. Xia Hanshi's face was solemn as he nodded. "That's right. I am."
Having confird his target, the cold-faced captain surprisingly squeezed out an awkward smile. "When I departed, Star Seed Su specifically instructed to pass on his regards to Your Excellency on his behalf."
Chong Jingtian's eyelids twitched, and a wave of relief washed over him. 'We're golden.'
Not only that, but he could hear a distinct tone of reverence for Su Chen in the captain's words.
The fact that the other party ntioned Su Chen first, rather than Qing Cang or anyone else, was proof enough that this respect likely didn't stem from Qing Cang's influence or soone else's protection, but from Su Chen himself.
This realization astonished Chong Jingtian. Factoring in their travel ti, this group must have set off almost imdiately after Su Chen and the others had arrived at the faction.
'Could it be that Su Chen had firmly established his footing the mont he arrived at the faction?'
"You're too polite," Xia Hanshi replied, secretly letting out a sigh of relief as well. He cut straight to the chase, "How is Su Chen doing?"
"Star Seed Su is truly worthy of being chosen by a Morning Star realm entity. To have caught the eye of the Ancient King, he gained the recognition of the Ancient King Monunt the mont he arrived at the faction. Furthermore, as a re Tier 4, he has secured the top spot on the Tier 5 Holy Ranking."
As the captain spoke, his tone was filled with deep admiration.
The group didn't know what the Ancient King Monunt was, but they could easily guess what it ant to dominate the Tier 5 rankings as a Tier 4.
Standing near the back, Zhou Yanwu's expression shifted drastically.
"To think he's achieved so much..." Chong Jingtian murmured. His best-case scenario had simply been Su Chen finding a place to stay under Qing Cang's protection. He never imagined the kid would be this ferocious.
'This is what it truly ans for a hidden dragon to ascend to the heavens. Yingfeng really was too small for him. With things like this...' Chong Jingtian's eyes flickered with calculation.
"Ah, right. We've brought five types of body-tempering thods each for Tier 6, Tier 7, and Tier 8. We also brought five High-Tier 7 professions, one Top-Tier profession, and three High-Tier 8 professions," the escort captain volunteered the information.
"There's also a batch of technical data, including thods to better isolate the Nether Mist, raw materials for manufacturing mist suits, and Nether Domain Stones, which will allow you to communicate with the faction through the mist."
The heavy transport ship carried quite a hefty load. It wasn't entirely on Su Chen's account—the standard relief aid for the Crimson Thunder Planet already included these items.
However, Su Chen's lofty status guaranteed that absolutely nothing would be shortchanged, and there was likely even a surplus added to the pile.
Overjoyed, Chong Jingtian quickly said, "You gentlen have worked hard. Please, co inside..."
"No need," the escort captain waved his hand, declining the offer. "We still have a journey ahead of us and won't be lingering here. Where are the students you need us to escort away?"
He naturally knew that if he followed them into the city, he would be lavishly hosted and probably stuffed with bribes.
But this place was uniquely dangerous. For one, being situated deep within the Nether Mist made him extrely reluctant to stay a second longer than necessary.
Secondly, taking those bribes might burn his hands, given the connections involved.
It was better to just keep things strictly professional.
'He won't even accept so benefits...' Chong Jingtian was even more surprised, but he reacted quickly, imdiately pointing to the group. "It's just these few."
"These few?" The escort captain looked over at the twelve individuals, his expression turning strange. "These are students?"
Teng Liang, who was being pointed at, twitched his face. Bu Siqi kept his head down, looking rather embarrassed.
"They just matured a bit early," Chong Jingtian laughed.
He originally had two backup plans. If Su Chen was struggling to survive within the faction, he would have played things by the book.
Following the Bronze Faction's standard procedures, he would have sent a few seeds with decent potential, though they probably wouldn't have been able to offer Su Chen any real help.
But now that Su Chen possessed an extraordinary status, the plan had to change. He needed to send over at least a few thoroughly obedient and capable individuals.
Aside from Teng Liang and Bu Siqi, the rest were ticulously handpicked by him. Their past records were spotless. Having fought against the believers of the treacherous gods, they were smart, steady... and with living parents back ho, they had ties binding them here.
'These definitely aren't students...' The escort captain knew this full well in his heart, but he didn't press the matter, simply nodding. "Then co with us."
Chong Jingtian had prepared for this day long in advance. Teng Liang and the others rely shot Xia Hanshi a aningful look before boarding the ship.
The handover was completed swiftly. Right before leaving, the escort captain looked hesitantly at Xia Hanshi and offered, "Would Your Excellency like to co with us?"
Xia Hanshi declined, "No. There are still matters on this planet that haven't been resolved yet. There's no rush."
The group ca and went in a hurry. The heavy transport ship spewed out blazing flas as it rocketed back toward the sky.
"Did you give them the items?" Xia Hanshi looked up and suddenly sent out a ntal fluctuation.
"Yeah. Most of the spoils from our six-month purge of the treacherous gods are on Teng Liang," Chong Jingtian replied telepathically, hesitating for a mont. "Are you sure there's no problem sending him that treacherous god power?"
"He'll need it," Xia Hanshi said flatly.
"Old Xia, oh Old Xia. You really hit the jackpot," Shi Yunzhou said from the side, his eyes filled with envy.
Zhou Yanwu's heart was a tangled ss of conflicting emotions. He felt a pang of deep regret; had he known things would turn out like this, he would have made sure to build a good relationship with Su Chen.
Chong Jingtian was in high spirits. Hearing this, his lips curled up. Yuan Poshan had already transferred Yuan Chenyang from Nanfeng to Yingfeng. Rumor had it the kid was getting a scolding every three days and a beating every five.
He guessed that once today's news reached them, those beatings would increase to once every three days.
"Haha," thinking of this, he burst into laughter, drawing a wave of weird looks from the others.
"Ahem, cough." Chong Jingtian cleared his throat and waved his hand. "Let's go. There are still a few treacherous god nests we need to clear out."
Up on the Copper Heart, Su Chen docked his hovercraft at the port and stepped out. The main thoroughfare was bustling with a continuous stream of people.
"Ah, Star Seed Su!"
Suddenly, soone greeted him. Su Chen glanced over but found the person entirely unfamiliar; he had never seen them before.
However, the person's face carried a faint look of trepidation and stiffness. After calling out a greeting, they hurried past him before Su Chen could even respond.
Su Chen frowned slightly, unsure of what had just happened.
Almost everyone on the street seed to recognize him. Greetings rang out frequently, but the sa strange behavior kept occurring. It was mostly from young Tier 4 and Tier 5 individuals—likely mbers of the Holy Hall.
The higher-tier professionals, on the other hand, were very calm and showed no unusual reactions.
'Could it be...' Su Chen slowly began to piece things together. He guessed it was his training projection, or more specifically, his 'Law Lord's Might' ability that had terrified this bunch.
'Tsk...' ntal trauma really was sickening if not treated promptly.
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