Chapter 325: First Hearing of True Radiance |
Inside the Ancient King Palace, streams of green data light intertwined, and the Bronze Ancient King sat in the center.
Around him, five faceless figures were outlined, with only their voices echoing out. "What do you all think of the method that Wu Ri mentioned?"
"As of now, the method he spoke of to draw out the Sunless Spirit poses no danger. The only difficulty is breaking through the boundary between the Nether Realm and reality, but for us, that is manageable."
"Is this Wu Ri truly trustworthy? The materials and resources he requested are quite substantial. If any unexpected changes occur at that time..."
"Vast Sea Emperor, your faction has monitored that Lost Starfire the longest. What are your thoughts?" One of the figures, seemingly an Ancient King, asked.
The Vast Sea Emperor's voice was deep and muffled. "Although we have observed that Lost Starfire for a long time, we do not know much about it. It would be better to ask the Bronze Ancient King. Qin Yun is the only one who has returned from it alive."
The Bronze Ancient King's expression was indifferent. "I have already said that this student of mine has her own ideas. There are many things she is unwilling to tell me."
"Bronze, how could you have such a disloyal and alienated student? Why do you still keep her around?" A voice rang out, faintly carrying a hint of sarcasm.
The Bronze Ancient King paid it no mind. "I would actually like to erase her, but surely none of you would have any objections to that, right?"
"True Martial..." the Vast Sea Emperor interrupted. "If we want to lure out the Spirit of the Vast Sun, Qin Yun is also an indispensable part. She cannot die yet."
The Bronze Ancient King chuckled and asked, "True Martial, I heard that a certain Star Seed position of yours has already been replaced for the third time. How is it still not settled?"
The Zhenwu Ancient King's voice was freezing cold. "Only with competition can there be progress. Those who lack the qualifications to stand in the position of a Star Seed must naturally be replaced."
Although the Zhenwu Ancient King said this, everyone knew the specific circumstances. It was all because the internal struggles within the True Martial Sect were fiercely intense. Three Star Seeds had died in succession, and the various factions had already fought to the point of cultivating True Fire.
The Vast Sea Emperor's voice resounded. "Whether it is the Sects or the Royal Court, the internal workings are complex and intricate. Many matters cannot be decided by you or me with a single word. Let us not bring up such things for discussion. Right now, the most important matter is this Sunless Spirit."
Another gentle voice added, "Who does not have their own shortcomings? Exposing each other's hidden secrets will only result in an endless cycle. Let us just follow what that Wu Ri said."
"If we proceed according to the situation Hao Ri described, we will have to head near that Lost Starfire in a while." The Zhenwu Ancient King's tone was ambiguous. "Bronze, the round trip will waste quite a lot of time. Can you manage to step away?"
The other few did not speak at this moment. They were all extremely curious about the condition of the Bronze Sect's Starfire.
During the previous few probing attempts, the Bronze Ancient King had answered with vague prevarication, but this time, his departure was a matter placed right in front of their eyes.
"Of course, you can also choose not to go. However, you might end up missing out on the Sunless Spirit because of it," the Zhenwu Ancient King added.
"We shall simply depart together," the Bronze Ancient King replied with a calm voice.
Although the Starfire had taken a turn for the better, he could not leave for too long either. Yet, at this moment, he naturally could not reveal any weakness.
According to his estimations, to leave for a long period of time, he would at least have to resolve the mid-level Mist Embers.
Su Chen... He did not know how his Holy Class was forged either, but it was currently still not enough. However, he had not yet reached the limit of the 6th-Tier, so there might not be a lack of hope. It was just that the time to head to that Lost Starfire was too close; he was afraid there would not be enough time.
Thinking up to this point, the Bronze Ancient King could not help but sigh with emotion. Not long ago, he had been unable to leave the Ancient King Palace, but now, he was becoming increasingly greedy.
Forget it. If he truly could not step away, who would be able to tie him up and drag him there when the time came?
The other few were quite astonished and secretly speculated. The Bronze Ancient King had truly hidden himself deeply. They did not know what kind of stage he had reached.
The Vast Sea Emperor said in a deep voice, "Since that is the case, this matter is settled. Calculating the time, it should happen to coincide with the Peak Star Tournament."
"Hm?" Suddenly, the Bronze Ancient King's eyes narrowed slightly. He lowered his head and looked at the floor.
"What is wrong?" The others were the first to notice the Bronze Ancient King's abnormality.
"Xuan Tian," the Bronze Ancient King suddenly called out.
"What is the matter?" The Xuantian Ancient King's voice was clear and bright, sounding like a young man.
The Bronze Ancient King's eyes shifted, but he then shook his head. "It is nothing."
The Xuantian Ancient King was puzzled but did not press the matter. The surrounding streams of light gradually fell into dormancy and disappeared.
"Divine Dawn?" The Bronze Ancient King's gaze pierced through the layers of the void.
Su Chen only felt his vision blur. After his feet stepped on solid ground, his surroundings gradually became clear. Having just emerged from the Profound Heaven Instrument, he was immediately met with two burning gazes.
"How was your metamorphosis? Were there any abnormal situations?" Lu Huai asked consecutively.
"..." Being stared at by Lu Huai made him feel a little creeped out, so Su Chen silently retreated toward Qing Cang.
Seeing his movements, Lu Huai was left speechless in his heart. This kid had actually guessed right. If Qing Cang had not come, he would have definitely wanted to study him thoroughly. What a pity... He looked at Qing Cang, only to see that Qing Cang's gaze was equally fiery, but it was not directed at Su Chen. Instead, it was directed at him.
Lu Huai's thoughts shifted, and he suddenly realized that something was wrong.
Not good!
He flipped his palm and immediately stored the Profound Heaven Instrument away. He looked at Qing Cang warily while his left hand brushed over the comm-bracelet worn on his right hand, causing a virtual screen to pop up.
He glanced at it, and his expression suddenly darkened, becoming even more vigilant. "Qing Cang, what is the meaning of this? Why have you blockaded the communication network here?"
"Blockaded the network?" Standing behind Qing Cang, Su Chen felt a slight stir in his heart, suddenly realizing something.
He had previously kept thinking about the impact that metamorphosing to the Divine Dawn tier would have on him, but he had forgotten one thing: he had used the Profound Heaven Instrument.
Half of the attention would be on him, and the other half would gather on the Profound Heaven Instrument.
It could even be said that if the outside world truly learned of this matter, the majority of the attention might converge on the Profound Heaven Instrument, not him.
"It is nothing. We just wish to invite Lord Lu Huai to stay here for a while longer, that is all," Qing Cang said in a gentle tone.
"Stay for a while longer?" Lu Huai's expression turned ugly. "What do you mean? We already promised the Royal Court and need to head there as quickly as possible. You all have delayed time and time again. It would be one thing if you simply refused to let me leave."
"But now you even want to detain me here and cut off my external communications. What is this? House arrest?"
"Is the next step making a move against me? And the step after that seizing this Profound Heaven Instrument?"
Lu Huai fired off his questions like a rapid-fire cannon. He could not be blamed for being so agitated. The upgrades from the Profound Heaven Instrument were based on probability. Elevating a talent to Star Amber was already quite difficult, and the Divine Dawn tier had never even appeared before.
He also did not know what the situation was. Was the root cause the Profound Heaven Instrument or Su Chen?
However, if the Bronze Sect had given rise to greed because of this and wanted to forcefully occupy the Profound Heaven Instrument, it was not entirely impossible.
"You have misunderstood. The relationship between the Bronze and Xuantian Sects has always been very good. Detaining you is not out of greed for the Profound Heaven Instrument either. It is just that this matter of Su Chen's metamorphosis to the Divine Dawn tier still needs to be suppressed for now," Qing Cang explained.
Lu Huai's face was taut as he asked directly, "Is this the Bronze Ancient King's intention?"
"My master does not care about such details," Qing Cang answered with vague prevarication.
Lu Huai frowned. "Detaining me here is useless. If I do not contact the outside world for a day or two, it will be fine. But after three to five days, or seven to eight days, sooner or later, people will discover clues."
"Moreover, the Light of Divine Radiance is extremely eye-catching. With Xiao Linfeng outside, it is not hard to deduce that this Dual Divine Dawn possessor is a member of the Bronze Sect. You will not be able to hide it for long."
Qing Cang sighed and said helplessly, "You speak the truth, sir. But this incident occurred suddenly, so you must give us some room to buffer. However, please rest assured, the Bronze Sect could not possibly do anything to you."
Hearing this, Lu Huai thought about it carefully. What Qing Cang said also made some sense. Only then did his vigilance slightly weaken, but he still asked uneasily, "Until when do you plan on detaining me?"
"It will not be very long." Qing Cang shook his head, then added, "In that case, we will not disturb you any further."
After saying that, Qing Cang led Su Chen away. It was not until they boarded an airship and drifted far into the distance that Lu Huai relaxed slightly.
He looked around his surroundings, and his eyes flashed. A few inappropriate thoughts suddenly popped up, but they were quickly suppressed by him again.
This was the Core of the Bronze Sect. Acting rashly might not be beneficial to the current situation.
Lu Huai took out the Profound Heaven Instrument again and carefully examined it before his eyes. The spiritual light within it was dim, and more than half of its stored energy had been consumed. He truly could not figure it out. 'How on earth did he do it?'
The Profound Heaven Sect had held the Profound Heaven Instrument for many years, yet only one example like Su Chen had emerged. He estimated that the root cause lay nine times out of ten with Su Chen, not the Profound Heaven Instrument.
'Even though the root cause is with Su Chen, he ultimately metamorphosed within the Profound Heaven Instrument. This means that the Profound Heaven Instrument also played some sort of crucial role, yet this was never discovered before.'
Lu Huai furrowed his brows deeply. 'Looking at it this way, the Royal Court's research will succeed nine times out of ten. It seems the price tag needs to be raised a bit.'
With Su Chen as a precedent, metamorphosis to the Divine Dawn tier was no longer just an illusion in the water, but rather something with a concrete example. The importance of the Profound Heaven Instrument went without saying.
"Dual Divine Dawn. How did you do it? That Profound Heaven Instrument has existed for thousands of years, and you are the first. It is absolutely not due to luck."
Upon boarding the airship, Qing Cang could no longer hold back the curiosity in his heart.
"Uh..." Su Chen scratched his head, not having thought of how to spin a lie yet. Suddenly, streams of light intertwined beside him, and a familiar figure emerged. The two hurriedly called out, "Master!"
"Mhm." The Bronze Ancient King nodded. His gaze fell upon Su Chen, and he asked directly, "Is it related to that Marrow of the Morning Star?"
"Marrow of the Morning Star?" Qing Cang was slightly stunned, faintly coming to a sudden realization. Sure enough, it was not just the Profound Heaven Instrument.
"It should be related," Su Chen hesitated.
"And the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted?" The Bronze Ancient King asked another question out of the blue.
Su Chen considered it and said, "I estimate that is also related."
The fact that he had devoured the Great Exalted's Spirituality previously was not without its benefits. At the very least, it made his excuses sound a bit more reasonable.
Standing off to the side, Qing Cang was very bewildered, having no idea what the two were talking about.
"Logically speaking, a Divine Dawn Talent can only be inherited from a Morning Star Tier professional. Since you were able to metamorphose to the Divine Dawn tier, perhaps you have inherited my junior brother's bloodline." The Bronze Ancient King's eyes revealed a look of deep emotion.
Regardless of how he did it, one point remained unchanged: without a Morning Star Tier bloodline, it was impossible to metamorphose to the Divine Dawn tier. Su Chen came from the Crimson Thunder Planet, and the only Morning Star Tier on the Crimson Thunder Planet was his junior brother.
"..." Su Chen also did not know how to respond. After spinning tales for a long time, that cheap master of his who had died long ago was actually still exerting effort. However, this kind of speculation seemed to benefit him as well, so Su Chen naturally would not refute it.
"How many tons is your arm strength?" the Bronze Ancient King suddenly asked again.
"Huh?" Su Chen was at a loss. How many tons? It had been a long time since he heard this kind of noun. "I truly have not measured it."
The Bronze Ancient King seemed to have some suspicion. "Are you unable to quantify your own data? For example, your explosive power, protection, defense level, speed, and things like that. Do you not have a faint sensation of them?"
"Rest assured, this is not something unique to you," he even added to comfort him.
"Quantify my own data?" Su Chen froze, not knowing what he meant. He still shook his head honestly and said, "I have never had that kind of feeling."
"You have not?" The Bronze Ancient King was somewhat surprised. A moment later, he asked again, "Is that Holy Class of yours also related to the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted?"
Qing Cang grew even more bewildered. Why had the topic shifted to that Morning Star class again?
Su Chen naturally nodded. "Ever since last time, my body has constantly been undergoing changes, and I inexplicably forged a Holy Class."
"The profound mysteries of Spirituality are indeed unfathomable." The Bronze Ancient King nodded and patted Su Chen's shoulder. A stream of data swept across his entire body before returning. It was pure and flawless, without any traces related to Evil Gods.
Su Chen underwent three changes a day and had merged into one with the Spirituality of the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted. This truly made him very uneasy. Every time they met, he had to thoroughly confirm it.
"Notify Shen Yi'an and the others to all go and use the Profound Heaven Instrument once," the Bronze Ancient King turned and instructed Qing Cang.
"All use it once? The root cause is with Su Chen, so it should be very difficult for them to metamorphose, right?" Qing Cang hesitated.
"Whether they metamorphose or not, they still need to make a trip there." The Bronze Ancient King shook his head.
Qing Cang was taken aback, but then he quickly understood and hurriedly said, "Master's foresight is still the most far-reaching."
That was indeed the case. They could not possibly detain Lu Huai forever, much less force him to establish any kind of contract involving the spirit.
This matter regarding Su Chen would leak out sooner or later. When that time came and Shen Yi'an and the other Star Amber Grade individuals heard about it, they would find that the sect had not let them try it at all. It was inevitable that some imbalance would breed in their hearts, creating unnecessary conflicts.
"Mhm." Only then did the Bronze Ancient King nod. His gaze turned toward Su Chen again. "Before you advance to the 7th-Tier, remember to come find me. We will see if you can purify the mid-level Mist Embers. If you have any needs, just tell Qing Cang."
Once he advanced to the 7th-Tier, the intensity of the Mist Embers would also similarly increase, and the probability of purification would instead become even smaller.
"Understood..." Su Chen felt a slight stir in his heart. The Ancient King seemed to be a bit anxious. He wondered if some unexpected change had occurred.
However, with things like this, it seemed he would no longer need to procure the Divine Blood himself. There were also those materials for the Cauldron Forger.
Tsk. It really saved a lot of effort.
Seeing Su Chen agree, the Ancient King's figure dispersed.
"Master is still the most thoughtful." Qing Cang was still marveling with emotion.
Su Chen's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Senior Brother, what was that about quantifying one's own data that Master just mentioned?"
Qing Cang thought for a moment before explaining, "The Morning Star Tier can pass down the ability to ignite Morning Fire. The descendants of the Radiant Moon tier, on the other hand, have a chance of inheriting certain core Class Traits from their professions."
"Class Traits?" Su Chen suddenly understood. "So that ability to quantify one's own data that Master just mentioned is the Bronze Ancient King's Class Trait?"
"You could say that. Master possessed this trait back in the day. As for how exactly it is helpful, I am not too clear on that either." As he spoke, Qing Cang could not help but think of the matter Wu Ri had spoken of, and he sighed emotionally.
"This is the tier above the Divine Dawn tier, known as True Radiance."
True Radiance? Su Chen felt a slight stir in his heart as the Status Panel already surfaced.
['The Unsullied' has learned the secret of True Radiance and appears somewhat excited. If True Radiance or the blood of a Radiant Moon can be obtained, perhaps something might be researched.]
