Chapter 451: Ascension Refining Barriers, Holy Class—[Nine Prisons of Thunder Eruption] |
"Hmm..." Su Chen thought for a moment. "Then can you take out a portion of the deposit?"
"Deposit?" Jiang Ce's expression stiffened slightly. He knew that the discount wouldn't be so easy to get.
There was no such thing as a deposit in normal transactions within Lingxiao. The Office of Law was responsible for endorsing them, and no one dared to defy them.
In their kind of secret transaction, it had always been money with one hand and goods with the other. If Su Chen took the Spirit Essences and went back on his word, there was really nothing he could do about it.
However, after some thought, Jiang Ce believed that this fellow was at least a Star Seed and shouldn't be that shameless and despicable.
He said, "Since Star Seed Su has asked, then I will pay a portion of the deposit first. I can give you fifty portions of Spirit Essence for now."
"Fifty portions, huh." Su Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "How about this, I'll give you the Dragon-Transforming Celestial Serpent first, and you give me however many Spirit Essences you can give me right now. Is that okay?"
"Give it to me first?" Jiang Ce was startled and couldn't help but say, "Aren't you afraid I'll turn hostile and deny the debt?"
A Star Seed like Su Chen didn't have a low status in Lingxiao, but cross-heaven accountability was already full of troubles. Even a Star Seed might not necessarily have the upper hand.
"Celestial Lord Bronze?" Jiang Ce couldn't help but be stunned. Some news about Bronze Heaven had already spread.
However, regarding this Su Chen, the focus was mostly on his age and professional tier. As for other information, there really wasn't much.
"Then you indeed have the capital to be confident..." Jiang Ce said awkwardly. "Right now, I only have a little over two hundred on hand. I'll transfer two hundred to you first."
"Alright." Su Chen nodded. "Just come directly to Bronze Heaven to pick it up."
"Okay." Jiang Ce was obviously impatient and hurriedly went offline.
"Two hundred portions. Added to what I have on hand, it's a little over three hundred. Once I get it, I can buy Sky-Scars..." Su Chen pondered. Selling the rest of the things would indeed take some time.
Especially the Jade Body Tree; selling it to the Abyssal Domain and waiting for the payment would probably take several months.
Right now, however, he wanted to look at the Holy Classes and Ascension Refining methods here in Lingxiao.
With a slight thought, the token in his hand glowed faintly. He suddenly felt a bit dazed, and when he returned to his senses, he unexpectedly found that his surroundings had turned into a vast and profound Starry Expanse.
"This is the 'Hall of Professional Law'..." Looking around, Su Chen vaguely felt that something was different. It seemed he was still in his hall, yet it also seemed he wasn't.
[Newly advanced Star Seed Su Chen has one free opportunity to access an Ascension Refining method and a Holy Class. The Ascension Refining method can be up to the high level, and the Holy Class can be up to the top tier...]
[...]
Su Chen carefully checked the rules. Accessing Ascension Refining methods and Holy Classes in Lingxiao wasn't free.
Taking a top-tier Holy Class as an example, every access would cost one hundred portions of Faith Essence.
At the same time, a contract would be established after accessing. If leaked, extremely severe punishments would follow.
"Tsk, it's a pity that my forged Holy Classes can't be sold, otherwise I could make a fortune too." Su Chen was helpless. These Holy Classes were forged when advancing to Morning Star, equivalent to a path someone had walked.
But his forging was done through the Status Panel. Even if others went through the same professions, they couldn't turn it into a Holy Class.
"Let's look at the Ascension Refining methods first." Su Chen was most curious about the Ascension Refining methods, but currently, he could only access high-level Ascension Refining methods, which were methods that required five Holy Classes to be compatible.
A holographic projection appeared, and text fell like a waterfall—
[Flame Fiend Fierce Hand—High-level low-grade Ascension Refining method: Requires two fire-element top-tier Holy Classes, among which must be the [Flame Fiend Seal] Holy Class, and three physical high-level Holy Classes, among which must be [Violent Mountain Hand] and [Great Dharma Body]...]
[Myriad Tribulations Lotus Seal—High-level mid-grade Ascension Refining method: Requires three fire-element top-tier Holy Classes, among which must be...]
"There are strong and weak Ascension Refining methods too." Su Chen roughly scanned through them. The divisions were very clear. Methods requiring one or two Holy Classes were low-grade, three or four were mid-grade, and five were high-grade.
Some that didn't require top-tier Holy Classes were inferior-grade. High-strength Ascension Refining methods would also require holding a specific Holy Class. The strength of the Ascension Refining method and the efficiency of tempering Morning Fire would also differ because of this.
"No wonder Qi You looked like I was beyond saving." Su Chen couldn't help but shake his head. "People in this Abyssal Domain probably have their path of advancement anchored from birth. Whether it's the Holy Class or the Ascension Refining method, everything is prepared well in advance, without a single misstep allowed."
He looked carefully. He didn't meet the requirements for any of the Ascension Refining methods that required top-tier Holy Classes. Only those inferior-grade Ascension Refining methods with only attribute requirements could barely be scraped together.
"These layers of barriers are really hard to cross..." Su Chen clicked his tongue, thinking of the two major sects, Xuantian and Star Dome. The Abyssal Domain really wasn't that easy to get along in.
Just with this Ascension Refining method, without tens of thousands of years of accumulation, it was simply impossible to form a system.
Even with the same talent, if the strength of the Ascension Refining method was a notch higher, strength in all aspects would naturally be a notch higher. Over time, the gap would grow wider and wider.
"However, if the Seven Treasures Refinement method also has specific Holy Class requirements, what's the difference between getting it or not?"
Su Chen suddenly thought of this matter and frowned slightly, looking further into the top-tier Ascension Refining methods.
[Sorry, according to the rules of Lingxiao, you do not currently have the qualifications to view top-tier Ascension Refining methods.]
"You won't even let me know the names?" Su Chen paused slightly, temporarily left this page, and searched the public database before gradually understanding.
"These top-tier Ascension Refining methods are really the core of the core..." Su Chen sighed.
Even within Lingxiao, only those with the True Radiance talent had the qualifications to select top-tier Ascension Refining methods.
And there were only two top-tier high-grade Ascension Refining methods in Lingxiao that required the cooperation of seven top-tier Holy Classes.
"But the strongest Ascension Refining method in Lingxiao isn't one of these two, but [High Firmament Creation], an Ascension Refining method that can accommodate even more Holy Classes..."
Su Chen found a paid article and read it carefully.
After advancing to Morning Star, the difficulty of taking up various professions would also rise like a rising tide lifting all boats. Although the difficulty of forging a Holy Class increased greatly, it wasn't impossible to forge during the long years of tempering Morning Fire.
Especially in the Abyssal Domain, there were many methods to reduce the difficulty of taking up professions.
But the Ascension Refining method was already fixed. Holy Classes forged later would be difficult to integrate into the Ascension Refining method, naturally making them a notch weaker. However, something like [High Firmament Creation] had room for expansion, able to accommodate a maximum of nine top-tier Holy Classes.
"[High Firmament Creation] is the core of the core. It has almost never been obtained by anyone outside the Upper Three Heavens."
And naturally, the other pillars also had Ascension Refining methods similar to "High Firmament Creation". The Buddha Land's was impressively called—Seven Treasures Refinement method, which could undergo metamorphosis into the Nine Treasures Refinement method, accommodating even more Holy Classes.
"Above the top-tier Ascension Refining methods, the Nine Treasures Refinement method and the Wondrous Nine-Job Tree complement each other..."
Su Chen carefully scanned the article. It wasn't a miscellaneous discussion about the Ascension Refining methods of the various pillars, but rather the formation of the Ascension Refining methods, only mentioning these as examples.
The essence of an Ascension Refining method was to allow various Holy Classes to fuse and operate according to a predetermined format. However, because the compatibility and strength between Holy Classes varied, making them fuse together and mutually amplify each other required finding a balance point that was extremely difficult to find.
Therefore, some Holy Classes required specific professions to act as mediators and transit points.
"...But the Buddha Land's Seven Treasures Refinement method is the most special. Because it uses the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree as its core, it doesn't require specific professions; it only needs to be compatible with the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree..."
"There are no specific profession requirements. This Seven Treasures Refinement method is practically tailor-made for me," Su Chen mumbled. He couldn't help but open the dispatch page again, sending out a strong hint.
"But placing my hopes solely on dispatch is a bit too reliant on luck. What if I can't get it? I have to have a backup plan..." Su Chen frowned.
All he possessed were top-tier Holy Classes, yet he hadn't selected specific professions. He estimated he simply couldn't integrate with other top-tier Ascension Refining methods.
"If it really doesn't work out, I'll create my own. With the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree acting as a mediator, even if it can't compare to the Seven Treasures Refinement method, it should still be usable..."
Su Chen pondered. He glanced at the signature and raised an eyebrow. "It's Taoist Wood again. If I really want to create my own, I could go find him..."
Creating his own was a retreat taken only as a last resort. The difficulty certainly wouldn't be low, and it would be very complicated. He hoped his professions would pull their weight.
Arriving at the "Hall of Professional Law" again, he temporarily didn't access any Ascension Refining methods. He did want to take a good look at the Holy Classes. The direction for his lightning-element Holy Class hadn't been decided yet, so perhaps he could get some inspiration.
"If there's a suitable one, I can just access it directly..."
The Holy Classes he forged himself, like Eternal Physique, Inexhaustible Titan, and Cinderless Flame, were all forged and enhanced by selecting similar professions, naturally making them extremely formidable in a certain aspect.
But the ones forged by others weren't without their merits.
Choosing to access Holy Classes, lines of text immediately fell down, simply a dazzling lineup. Su Chen swept his gaze over them and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Just how many Holy Class reserves does Lingxiao have?"
He scrolled for quite a while without seeing the bottom, so he simply changed the filtering requirements, anchoring it to Top-Tier Holy Class—Lightning Element. The number thinned out significantly at once.
[Thunder Control Sovereign—Mental Type: Primarily focuses on mobilizing ultra-highly compressed lightning elements.]
"Mental lightning element isn't too good; it has to be physical." Su Chen added another filtering condition, and the number reduced significantly again.
[Thunder Cloud Dragon Transformation—Physical: Greatly increases physical strength, can transform into a dragon.]
"It loses the human form..." Su Chen glanced at it. He wasn't very interested in this kind of pure physical strength enhancement.
Unless he couldn't find anything that caught his eye, he wouldn't use it as an alternative.
[Purple Firmament Patrolling Marquis: ...]
[Thunder Fiend Womb: ...]
[...]
Scanning through several in a row, Su Chen wasn't interested in any of them, until—
[Thunder-Suppressing Spirit—Special: Imprisons a Thunder Spirit within oneself. The enhancement gained is related to the Thunder Spirit's own strength, and the Thunder Spirit can also be controlled as an avatar.]
"Special category?" Su Chen was surprised. After clicking into the small text description, he learned that the so-called special category didn't differentiate between mental and physical Holy Classes; it only depended on one's own inclination when taking up the profession or using its abilities.
"Imprisoning a Thunder Spirit..." Su Chen pondered. The strength of these top-tier Holy Classes was probably about the same, just with different inclinations. What caught his attention the most wasn't the characteristic of imprisoning a Thunder Spirit, but the avatar ability.
He narrowed his eyes, thinking of some things his Sect Master had said earlier. "Perhaps I can try it... With the Five Pillars joining hands, no matter how far the remaining members of Taixuan run, they will probably be caught quickly. I have to clear my identity as soon as possible."
After some thought, he didn't hesitate and used his free access opportunity on this [Thunder-Suppressing Spirit].
[Confirm accessing Holy Class—Thunder-Suppressing Spirit. Please sign the contract.]
Spiritual light gathered before his eyes, and cyclones swirled, transforming into a piece of white parchment. The paper glowed faintly, seemingly woven from moonlight, and its edges were densely packed with seal script fine as hair.
Su Chen raised his hand, and Psionic Power merged into it. The paper suddenly buzzed, spiderweb-like cracks spreading before it silently disintegrated, turning into specks of light dust and dissipating into the void.
Following that, eight holographic projections appeared before his eyes, densely packed with profession information.
[Discovered...]
[Discovered...]
The Status Panel kept jumping, recording all the professions into it. This profession information had gone through two layers of weakening from a Holy Sovereign and a Heavenly Sovereign.
Putting away the token, Su Chen glanced at the amount of essence and simply chose to forge it directly.
Because it was an existing Holy Class, he didn't need to consume extra Blacktuo Essence to forge it.
The crackling sound of bursting flames could faintly be heard in his ears.
Su Chen's thoughts couldn't help but wander. "The number of Great Eldritch Gods in the Abyssal Domain is definitely not small. I wonder what special uses their Divine Power has."
He was naturally quite curious about this, but he couldn't trade for Eldritch God Source Power. If he really wanted to investigate, he could only wait for an opportunity in the future.
[Holy Class Prison-Suppressing Spirit—Forging complete. Can be taken up after completing the profession requirements.]
[...]
He had already taken out the Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Arc. His gaze swept over it, but before he could see clearly, his eyebrows couldn't help but twitch. Text appeared on the Status Panel again—
[The Thunder-Suppressing Spirit withdrew its gaze from the Heavenly Sovereign, faintly breathing a sigh of relief, only to discover someone secretly observing it. Looking over, it was the Eerie Spirit.
For some unknown reason, when the two made eye contact, a different kind of emotion welled up in the Thunder-Suppressing Spirit's heart, as if they had known each other for a long time. The Eerie Spirit let out a low roar and rushed forward, and the Thunder-Suppressing Spirit didn't resist. The two collided, bursting into a spark of black lightning.]
"What the hell is this?" Seeing the description, the corner of Su Chen's mouth couldn't help but twitch. How did these two catch each other's eye?
"Speaking of which, there really does seem to be some commonality. The Eerie Spirit devours Nether Realm Creatures, while the Thunder-Suppressing Spirit imprisons a Thunder Spirit..." Thinking carefully, Su Chen became even more speechless. "Just fuse if you're going to fuse, what's with all the ambiguity?"
[The Eerie Spirit and the Thunder-Suppressing Spirit have fused and undergone a metamorphosis into the Nine Prisons of Thunder Eruption. Can be taken up after completing the profession requirements.]
[Profession Requirement 1: Must be at least an 8th-Rank Professional, and all taken-up professions must be top-tier.]
[Profession Requirement 2: Find a "Land of Inextinguishable Thunderstorms" and attract tyrannical lightning to strike down continuously for more than three years.]
[Profession Requirement 3: Find a Prison Engraving and use the "Prison-Suppressing Ritual" to open up a "Thunder Prison" within the body. (After completing the requirement and taking up the profession, an extra reward can be obtained.)]
[Profession Requirement 4: Successfully hunt a minor Evil God without relying on external forces.]
Su Chen gave it a rough glance. The strength of the Class Sequences for a normally forged Holy Class progressed step by step; the strength of the first few professions wasn't that high.
Adding the double weakening from the Holy Sovereign and Heavenly Sovereign, and the fact that the Eerie Spirit was already an acquired Holy Class, even after fusion, the overall difficulty wasn't considered too high.
"The only slightly troublesome one is this hunting of a minor Evil God. Let's see if there's a way to erase it..."
Although a minor Evil God was at the Morning Star Tier, it was difficult for Nether Realm Creatures to take the professional path, let alone dual professions. A weaker minor Evil God wasn't much stronger than a Dual Ninth-Rank.
Su Chen kept gripping the crackling Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Arc in his hand. Seeing the Class Fusion complete, he simply used it directly. The Thunder Arc in his hand suddenly vanished.
[The Nine Prisons of Thunder Eruption greedily devoured the Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Arc. Requirement two is considered complete. Requirement four is weakened; external forces can be used to hunt a minor Evil God.]
"Not bad..." Su Chen glanced over it. This Ten-Thousand-Year Thunder Arc could only slightly weaken the Holy Class to begin with; the effect was within expectations.
"Oh right, Perfect-Grade Eldritch Source Power." He suddenly thought of that good item that could significantly weaken the difficulty of a Holy Class.
"This thing is a prepared Eldritch God power; it should be allowed to be sold, right?" Su Chen searched within Lingxiao but found nothing.
"Not finding it doesn't mean trading is not allowed." Su Chen pondered briefly and conducted a wide-area search. The results popped up immediately—
[Perfect-Grade Eldritch Source Power—Great Heaven Specialty: Quoted at five hundred portions of Faith Essence. Prepared from a variety of Eldritch God Source Powers, hidden dangers have been erased.
After being drained into the body, it can be applied to various unacquired professions, either weakening the difficulty of taking them up or directly completing the acquisition.]