Chapter 331: Advancing Steadily, Endless Earth Abyss |
Su Chen reached out and grasped. Drop by drop, the Divine Blood vanished in his hand until only the last drop remained, and the Status Panel finally reacted—
【The Unsullied has obtained enough Divine Blood and is attempting analysis. There are too many impurities within; it is somewhat disdainful and requires more time to complete the analysis.】
Four drops? Su Chen raised an eyebrow. That was acceptable.
With only one drop left, Su Chen naturally didn't plan to attempt the Lost Starfire. In his estimation, he would need to collect around ten drops to be safe.
"Let me think. On the Faceless Ghost's side, giving him Hao Ri's name could exchange for one or two drops, but I definitely can't tell him the real plan, otherwise accidents will inevitably occur."
Su Chen calculated, "Mixing half-truths and half-lies, I estimate I can fish out another three or four drops from the Faceless Ghost. Five drops is the limit; there's still quite a shortfall."
Lao Hei, oh Lao Hei, why did you have to fall into Dormancy?
Su Chen sighed. If Black Buddha were still active, he could still get a portion from him.
Crimson, Sly Fox, Dark Plague... He thought through the other Great Eldritch Gods he could disguise as Believers of.
"No rush, one step at a time." Su Chen pondered for a moment and didn't place too much importance on the Lost Starfire matter.
With the Status Panel on him, the Lost Starfire wasn't enough to make him completely disrupt his pace and throw himself at it recklessly.
He would continue to advance steadily according to his original plan, focusing first on Molten Casting Sacred Profession and Purifying Mist Cinders.
The surroundings gradually dissipated, and Su Chen gradually returned to the Reality World.
The matter of Lu Huai losing contact was unknown to outsiders, aside from the Profound Heaven Sect he belonged to, and the Royal Court which had a demand for the Profound Heaven Instrument and urged him to leave quickly.
To prevent the situation from escalating, the Profound Heaven Sect didn't make this matter public either.
However, since Lu Huai was sent out from Copperheart, news vaguely leaked out.
"I heard the Light of Divine Radiance stirring at Copperheart some time ago wasn't from a talent the Bronze Sect secretly nurtured, but was transformed." In a certain restaurant in Dragon Abyss, someone spoke mysteriously.
The Peak Star Tournament had gathered many people from various factions. Two or three months had passed since the preliminaries began. After the initial bustle passed, communicating with other factions occupied the mainstream for the rest of the time. Various cooperations were born during such casual chats, which was also a significant aspect of the Peak Star Tournament.
"Transformed? What does that mean?" Someone couldn't help but look over.
"It means using the Profound Heaven Instrument to transform from Star Amber to Divine Dawn."
"The Profound Heaven Instrument, the Profound Heaven Sect's treasure? Isn't the upper limit of that thing Star Amber? Is it true or false?"
Those qualified to come to Dragon Abyss, even if just to join the bustle, were considered minor overlord-level Factions in their own regions and naturally understood the Profound Heaven Instrument.
"True or false?" Someone in the corner chuckled. "It is indeed the Profound Heaven Instrument. Moreover, do you know who that transformed Dual Divine Dawn is?"
The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just right, instantly attracting the attention of a large group of people.
"Who is it? Friend, stop keeping us in suspense. If you have exclusive information, say it quickly."
The speaker was an honest-looking middle-aged man. He Unhurried took a sip of wine and pointed a finger out the window, where the massive preliminary Leaderboard was clearly visible.
"What do you mean? Who exactly is it?"
He chuckled: "Who else could it be? Su Chen!"
As his voice fell, the surroundings instantly became noisy.
"Su Chen? It's actually him again?"
The honest-looking middle-aged man shook his head: "The Bronze Sect didn't cover up this news at all. The internal high-ranking members all already know, and the news will spread quickly."
"This person truly hit the jackpot!" Someone said enviously, their tone laced with jealousy. "He obtained the Selection of the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted while on the Barren Planet, and now he has unprecedentedly transformed into a Dual Divine Dawn from the Profound Heaven Instrument."
"Luck?" The middle-aged man sneered: "If only it were truly just luck."
Bang!
A dull thud echoed before them. Wu Yue slapped his palm onto the metal table, leaving a deep dent, and stood up abruptly, his expression dark: "Su Chen? Dual Divine Dawn?"
In front of him, Sheng Huaixu's brows furrowed tightly, his heart uncalm: "This Profound Heaven Instrument actually has such an effect?"
He was only a Single Divine Radiance. As for Dual Divine Dawn talents, even counting those who had long been famous, there were only five in the entire Dust Star Sea. No, now there were six.
A Dual Divine Dawn Star Seed would only be born if everything aligned perfectly. The Dust Star Sea might not even produce one in hundreds or a thousand years.
Sheng Huaixu couldn't help but look at the massive Leaderboard outside the window, his heart unsettled. He was afraid they wouldn't even have to wait for the next Peak Star Tournament; Su Chen would likely shine brilliantly in this one.
Wu Yue's expression was terrible. "Out of the depths of misfortune comes bliss? This Bronze Sect hasn't even hit rock bottom yet, how did they recover so quickly?"
As days passed, the news spread wider and wider. The Prophet Society also updated the Leaderboard immediately.
On the Talent Ranking, Su Chen was ranked sixth. Due to his age, he was still behind Xiao Linfeng, which immediately sparked heated discussions across the Dust Star Sea.
Simultaneously, the Profound Heaven Instrument also attracted everyone's attention, especially at this juncture, where the Star Seeds of various Sects all knew of the Sunless Spirit.
Some Star-Amber Grade Star Seeds had already resigned themselves to having no hope.
But suddenly, Su Chen transformed into a Dual Divine Dawn from the Profound Heaven Instrument, inevitably kindling desire in their hearts.
"Sigh..."
In a room at the Profound Heaven Sect's station, Lu Huai leaned back on the sofa, sighed deeply, and massaged his temples. "The news has completely spread. Several Sects have secretly contacted us, asking for the method of Metamorphosis. How would I know any method of Metamorphosis?"
"Hating others for having what one lacks. Su Chen became a Dual Divine Dawn and remains safe and sound under the Bronze Sect's protection, but this Profound Heaven Instrument, the root of the Metamorphosis, has attracted far too much attention."
Li Qingyi, standing by the window, said with dissatisfaction: "Whoever wants to come, let them come. Just let them enter the Profound Heaven Instrument. When they find they can't undergo Metamorphosis, they will naturally drop the idea."
"If it were only that simple. They aren't fools either. With only Su Chen as an example after so many years, ordinary methods definitely won't cause a Metamorphosis." Lu Huai shook his head and said helplessly:
"They suspect whether we have another set of methods, or if Su Chen has some Special Aspect. Even if we let them enter casually, they won't be willing."
Lu Huai shook his head and asked again: "What does the Ancient King mean? Do I need to return to the Sect?"
Li Qingyi frowned slightly and shook her head: "No need. This Profound Heaven Instrument has been in our hands for so long, and we haven't found any clues. Even if we take it back now, I'm afraid it will still be the same as before."
"A portion of the root cause lies with Su Chen. We won't be able to research anything. I expect you will still have to take the Profound Heaven Instrument to the Royal Court, Senior Brother."
"Mm." Lu Huai wasn't surprised.
"However, since it's confirmed that the Profound Heaven Instrument can indeed play a crucial role, the Ancient King raised the price slightly. The Vast Sea Emperor is somewhat dissatisfied; the Royal Court might send someone over."
As Li Qingyi spoke, her gaze was a bit elusive. This Leveraged Pricing behavior was never very honorable.
But Lu Huai didn't care. Thinking of the string of messages in his Communicator, his headache worsened: "Why must it be at this specific time? The Sunless Spirit is right before our eyes, and no one wants to miss it."
Li Qingyi frowned: "Flights of Fancy. The Ancient Kings will all enter. Even if they transform into Divine Dawn, what use is it?"
"You can't say that." Lu Huai could understand. "Not being selected and not having the qualifications are two completely different matters. Setting that aside, when is the Ancient King heading to the Lost Starfire?"
"Well." Li Qingyi pondered: "It will still take some time. The Materials Wu Ri mentioned haven't been fully prepared yet. The Bronze Ancient King doesn't seem to be preparing to go."
"The Crisis of the Flames hasn't been completely resolved?" Lu Huai realized and came to a sudden understanding: "That's true. After all, there's still the Dark Sun Period every day. This Ancient King probably can't leave for too long."
"If he can't go, in case there are any unexpected situations at the Lost Starfire, I'm afraid it will be very difficult for him to know in the first instance."
Li Qingyi didn't care at all. "That is something the Bronze Sect needs to worry about."
"This is the Heart of the Earth Core."
On the Floating Island, Su Chen received the latest gathered Materials from Ding Fan.
"The remaining two items are still on the way. They should arrive in two months at the shortest, or three months at the longest," Ding Fan estimated.
"No rush." Su Chen waved his hand, but couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The Bronze Sect's power was truly terrifying; they had almost gathered everything in such a short time.
After sending Ding Fan off, Su Chen opened his Status Panel and took a look. "The Materials can be fully gathered in two or three months."
"I can try going to the Fortune Bronze Core first and complete these two time-consuming requirements. By the time I finish, the remaining Materials should also arrive. It will be just right."
Su Chen calculated slightly. He didn't stubbornly wait for the Materials to arrive before going to the Fortune Bronze Core; other requirements could be completed in parallel.
Tidying up slightly, he headed to the Fortune Bronze Core. Already familiar with the route, he first greeted Senior Brother Ku upon entering. The other party's eyelids merely twitched, too lazy to acknowledge him.
"Welcome, Your Excellency Su Chen. How may I assist you?" The moment he stepped inside, Copper Spirit's voice rang out as usual.
"Help me simulate the environment of the Endless Earth Abyss," Su Chen stated his requirement.
He already knew what this Endless Earth Abyss was. It was considered an extremely special geographical environment where the internal gravity was constantly fluctuating.
Moreover, it was composed of an ore called 'Endless Stone', which constantly extracted the Physical Stamina of living beings. The burden of moving within it was tremendous.
Furthermore, his Profession Requirements dictated that he couldn't use external objects or ability assistance, which meant he could only endure it with his physical body.
"As you wish." As Copper Spirit's voice fell, the surrounding Space shifted. The obsidian-like ground spread in all directions. Initially flat as a mirror, it quickly began to fracture and bulge, revealing sharp edges and intersecting ravines.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Su Chen felt his body sink. The entire earth seemed to come alive, gripping him tightly. An unknown multiplier of gravity pressed down on him, like bearing a massive mountain.
He instinctively straightened his spine, but suddenly staggered backward. The moment he intended to resist, the gravity vanished, leaving him extremely light, causing his body to suddenly lose balance.
His body swayed. Just as Su Chen stabilized himself, he felt his entire body sink again. Having gained experience, he didn't forcefully resist this time, allowing the irregular gravity to act upon him.
"The gravity is unstable; the burden on the body is too great."
In just a brief moment, he experienced the difficulty of surviving here.
Moreover, a bizarre suction force came from beneath his feet, drawing away his cells' vitality. Every movement he made here, even every thought, seemed much heavier than in the outside world.
"The difficulty is indeed not low." Su Chen thought inwardly. Paper Materials could never compare to personal experience; this was much more profound.
In this normal state, he could still withstand it. But he still had to undergo environmental Mimicry acceleration. Otherwise, the normal time requirement to live here for a year was somewhat too long for him.
After adapting slightly, Su Chen had Copper Spirit initiate the environmental acceleration. As a result, when it was merely raised to around five times, he found it somewhat hard to support.
The switching of gravity was simply too fast. Under low gravity, his muscles surged beneath his skin, and green veins popped along his arms, only to be ruthlessly slapped back by the next wave of high-multiplier gravity, sinking deep into his flesh and blood.
Churning, twitching, and spasming under these circumstances took a terrifying toll on himself.
"To complete it in a month is probably somewhat too optimistic." Su Chen was helpless and temporarily lowered the flow multiplier of the Mimicry environment, allowing his body to gradually adapt to this environment first.
At the same time, he began to explore where the boundary of "external objects and ability assistance" in the requirements lay.
"I can't use external object assistance, but eating should be fine, right? If I don't eat, I'll just starve to death."
Su Chen tested by having Copper Spirit prepare various foods, gradually figuring out the trick.
Food required to maintain his normal survival indeed didn't count as external objects, but there was a vague limit. Once he ate too much and exceeded that limit, the requirement of "continuous living" would fail, and he'd have to start over.
However, the Glutton was also playing a role. The ability to store extra nutrients couldn't be used, but his own digestive ability could function, extracting the highest nutritional value from limited food.
Through his experiments, Su Chen gradually came to understand. "Ability refers to active abilities. I can't control many passive abilities either, so they aren't calculated either."
"This also means that those abilities of mine that reduce Physical Stamina consumption are actually already in effect. Otherwise, I might not even be able to withstand the five-times environment flow rate."
Spending a few days continuously optimizing, Su Chen could roughly push the environmental flow rate up to a maximum of eight times, maintaining a balance between Physical Stamina consumption and recovery, so as not to make things too difficult for himself.
But soon, he reduced the flow rate back to seven times because he needed to set aside a portion of Physical Stamina for Class Development.
Class Development belonged to a type of Physical Stamina consumption and wouldn't affect the completion of the requirements.
But in this Endless Earth Abyss, he couldn't develop continuously. He had to rest for a period every few days. After groping around for a few more days, he considered himself thoroughly adapted to this lifestyle mode.
"This can be considered reaching a balance." Su Chen opened his eyes and issued another command: "Copper Spirit, successively simulate the healthy and damaged states of at least a thousand different things."
"As you wish..." As the voice fell, on the obsidian earth, a pink flower stalk abruptly drilled out from a stone crevice, growing at a Visible to the Naked Eye speed. Its petals, thin as cicada wings, unfurled layer by layer in an instant.
It bloomed for barely a breath before charred brown spots appeared on the edges of the petals. The roots snapped inch by inch within the stone, and the corolla drooped despondently.
Next was a completely different plant. And so it repeated. This was the requirement for the Healing Weaver Sage. He only needed to spend three hours a day observing, which also perfectly counted as rest time.
"Not bad."
Feeling that not a single bit of his time was wasted, Su Chen felt quite satisfied inwardly.
