Chapter 465: The Thrill of Splurging |
"My Bronze Heaven..." Su Chen's mouth twitched. He gritted his teeth on the surface, but internally he was pondering, 'What is he trying to verify?'
He couldn't possibly be inexplicably linking me to Tai Xuanhong, could he? After being whitewashed by the Profound Limit Celestial Light, Tai Xuanhong's public profile didn't match his at all.
Setting aside the widely debated issue of talent, he had only advanced to the eighth rank after arriving at the Bronze Sect.
Was he suspecting him of being Tai Xuanhong just because he was young and fierce?
But no one even knew how old Tai Xuanhong was, or had even seen him.
And if they insisted that it was about a True Radiance defeating an Empyrean God, he wasn't the first to achieve that.
'This Qi You...' Su Chen muttered inwardly. Trying to connect him to another figure even when the profiles didn't match was somewhat absurd.
It wasn't as if the other party had the Flash-Shadow Body providing intelligence.
Or was it that he simply wanted to see what secrets I have?
He had just given away over two thousand portions of Faith Essence in a short time. Even he would have to submit a report for this amount when he got back.
Su Chen's eyes flickered. 'I don't have the Taixuan family bloodline anyway, so I'm not afraid of him verifying it. It might even be a good thing, and could perhaps be beneficial to my plans of whitewashing my identity later.'
He had double insurance on himself. The concealment from the power of the Nine-Eye Final Ruin was the deep layer, and Tai Xuanhong was the surface layer. The two intertwined, making it nearly unbreakable.
Comparing him and Tai Xuanhong for verification would never result in a match, unless someone inexplicably figured out that Tai Xuanhong didn't actually exist at all.
Then they would have to explain why Taixuan Tianyi sacrificed himself for someone else, and why the spirituality of the Sovereign of the Purple Zenith had skipped numerous processes to select him early.
After his previous whitewashing, no one would inexplicably make that connection anymore. Yet this Qi You just had to be extra suspicious.
Of course, his cover-up wasn't without hidden dangers. After all, the Taixuan family was already dwindling in numbers, and more than half of the Abyssal Domain was searching for them.
If they truly found everyone from the Taixuan family who was out and about, and still couldn't find Tai Xuanhong, their gazes would inevitably turn elsewhere.
The Dust Star Sea would be the first to bear the brunt.
Therefore, he had to whitewash his identity as soon as possible, at least before everyone from the Taixuan family who was outside was found.
"Alright, thank you, Senior Brother." Su Chen restrained his expression. Qi You was a core figure of the High Three Heavens, and falling out with him wouldn't bring any benefits. He sighed, "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave first."
Although Qi You hadn't intended to act maliciously, he was still somewhat embarrassed. He let go of Su Chen's hand and said helplessly, "I will have the items sent over as soon as possible."
Su Chen nodded and activated the token in his body. Entering required a fixed location, but leaving wasn't as troublesome. He simply vanished.
"We really watched a good show today," Jiang Yue finally said meaningfully. "In that case, Junior Brother Zhong, let us leave as well."
Qi You swept an expressionless glance over him, and the other Morning Stars also took their leave one after another.
The members of the various Heavens gathered in the outer layer also gradually dispersed. Each of them wore an excited expression, clearly intending to share this firsthand news with relatives and friends who didn't yet know, seeking a wave of satisfaction from their reactions.
Su Chen fought ten opponents back-to-back, defeated Tong Zhuo, and secured first place on the Star Potential Ranking!
This news swept through the entirety of High Firmament in a short period like a hurricane. Some people didn't even know who Su Chen was, leaving them completely bewildered upon hearing the news.
...
Jade Sea Heaven, Core Zone. The area was filled with winding paths, and the male and female professionals coming and going were all handsome and enchanting.
"Morning Star Chu, please follow me." A slender maid led the way. Although she was only at the fourth or fifth tier, Chu Lingyuan treated her with courtesy and followed closely behind.
'Celestial River Water is a specialty of Jade Sea Heaven. When mixed into a water source, it can slowly elevate the average talent and even influence the next generation, although it has only been sold sporadically over the years.'
'But with Master here, the other party should give us some face. Five hundred portions of Faith Essence should be enough...'
He was quite worried inwardly. The upper limit of improvement for his generation, and even for Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an's generation, wasn't high. They could only place their hopes on those who had yet to be born.
Base talent was incredibly important. Heavens like the High Three Heavens, Eternal Dragon Heaven, and even Sangwu Heaven would occasionally birth descendants with innate Divine Dawn talent. This was the result of the subtle, gradual improvement of their average talent over many years.
He had naturally set his sights on this long ago. These five hundred portions of Faith Essence were what the Sect had accumulated and saved over many years, plus the gains from operating the Bronze Core recently.
"It is right here."
Soon, the two arrived before a deep blue palace deep within. A hearty laugh rang out, "Junior Brother Chu, I am truly sorry. I was tied up with important matters and couldn't come out to welcome you."
The newcomer was a towering, burly man with indigo skin. Although he was smiling, his gaze was very calm.
The current strongest expert of Jade Sea Heaven—Ni Zhan, a top-tier figure who had refined twelve streams of Morning Fire, ranked fourth on the High Firmament Star Ranking, and was already among the strongest individuals at the Morning Star level.
"You are too polite, Senior Brother Ni," Chu Lingyuan cupped his hands. "It is good as long as my presumptuous visit hasn't disturbed you, Senior Brother."
"What are you saying? I was just about to go out and receive you," Ni Zhan waved his hand, inviting Chu Lingyuan into the hall. He then had the maids bring up two seashells.
Chu Lingyuan glanced down. Inside was a ladle of white liquid. This style...
Seeing Ni Zhan down it in one gulp, he had no choice but to follow suit and down his as well.
"When the Heavenly Lord of Bronze Heaven came to visit a few days ago, he really gave me a fright. I didn't expect your Heavenly Lord to actually be a Mechanically Augmented Being." Ni Zhan brought up the matter, and Chu Lingyuan chimed in with a few words, taking the opportunity to mention some things about the Dust Star Sea.
Seeing that the atmosphere was growing more pleasant, he finally said, "Senior Brother Ni, I came this time hoping to exchange Faith Essence for some Celestial River Water..."
"Celestial River Water, huh..." Ni Zhan pinched the white-pink seashell, his expression unreadable. "This item is quite difficult to come by. Ever since the Heavenly Lord of my Jade Sea Heaven perished, no one has been able to produce it, so it hasn't been sold externally for many years."
Chu Lingyuan's heart tightened slightly, and he said, "To think there was such a hidden situation. It was presumptuous of me. If this item is truly in such short supply, it naturally must be prioritized for Jade Sea Heaven."
"Hmm..." Ni Zhan pondered. "It wouldn't go so far as to say it's in short supply, but we ultimately have to save some for unexpected needs. When the Heavenly Lord of Bronze Heaven arrived that day, he treated me with great courtesy."
"The various Heavens of High Firmament should help one another anyway. I shall grant you a pot, then."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Ni." Chu Lingyuan breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and said, "I have prepared five hundred portions of Faith Essence..."
"Never mind, never mind..." Ni Zhan interrupted. "Just consider it a gift from me to Bronze Heaven."
A gift... Chu Lingyuan sighed inwardly. He would have preferred to buy it, so as to owe a smaller favor, but he could only voice his thanks.
Ni Zhan gave the order, and before long, someone brought a delicate small metal pot engraved with a wave pattern.
"This..." Ni Zhan gave instructions on its usage. Chu Lingyuan had already researched it carefully before coming and was well aware of its usage and effects, but he still listened attentively. He couldn't help but think to himself—
'Above Celestial River Water is Celestial River Marrow. It is said that it can stimulate genetic factors, and when used in tandem, the probability of birthing a Divine Dawn talent will greatly increase. It hasn't been sold externally for many years...'
"Do you have any other questions..." Ni Zhan asked. Seeing Chu Lingyuan shake his head, he was just about to speak when someone hurried in, seemingly with an urgent matter to report.
"Then I won't see you out..." Ni Zhan glanced over.
"Please attend to your business, Senior Brother." Chu Lingyuan cupped his hands, but noticed the person who came to report cast a strange glance at him.
He was somewhat confused, assuming the other party was simply wary of his presence, and quickly walked toward the hall doors.
But before he even reached the doors, he heard a shocked shout from behind him: "What! Is that true?"
Chu Lingyuan paused his steps, then lifted his foot again, muttering inwardly, 'What could possibly make someone like Ni Zhan so surprised?'
Although curious, this was ultimately the other party's business. He couldn't let this Senior Brother feel like he was intentionally spying.
"Wait!" Ni Zhan suddenly shouted, "Junior Brother Chu!"
Calling me? Chu Lingyuan was slightly taken aback, but he readily stopped and turned around, somewhat bewildered.
He saw Ni Zhan wearing an extremely strange and complicated expression, filled with an indescribable sense of awe. "There is truly a heaven beyond heaven, and people beyond people."
"Uh..." Chu Lingyuan grew even more bewildered. Ni Zhan shook his head and said, "Although Celestial River Water is good, it must be paired with Celestial River Marrow to unleash its maximum effect."
"Go and fetch a portion of Celestial River Marrow. Just treat it as a congratulatory gift," he ordered, and the person beside him bowed their head and left.
Celestial River Marrow? Congratulatory gift? Chu Lingyuan was startled inwardly. Congratulating what?
Even as he walked out the hall doors clutching the Celestial River Water and Celestial River Marrow, he was still bewildered and utterly confused. He also felt the token in his body vibrating non-stop. Someone was sending him messages.
It had been like this while he was waiting in the hall earlier, but with Ni Zhan present, it wasn't appropriate for him to check.
Now, he projected the holographic screen, and the messages on it were jumping wildly. A portion of them were from Morning Stars within High Firmament whom he had interacted with before, all filled with words of congratulations.
There were also messages from Sect members. The first one to catch his eye was from that rascal, Chu Ran—
[Grandpa, Old Su is insane! He fought ten opponents in a row and pushed straight to first place on the Star Potential Ranking!]
Old Su? Su Chen?
Fought ten in a row? First place on the Star Potential Ranking?
Chu Lingyuan's expression immediately became very colorful.
...
"Master..."
In Upper Firmament Heaven, Qi You hurried along with rushed steps, going all the way to the deepest palace. Passing through a flowerbed filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs, he found Tang Huai, the Heavenly Lord of Upper Firmament Heaven, who was currently pruning flowers.
"Master!" he said respectfully.
"Is it over? Did Yunfei win or lose?" Tang Huai held a pair of scissors. His millstone-sized hand was pinching a pair of small scissors barely twenty or thirty centimeters long, meticulously pruning a glowing blue branch in front of him.
Qi You paused, then said, "He lost."
"Hmm..." Tang Huai nodded and blew a breath. The petals trembled, but his hands didn't stop moving. "Eternal Dragon Heaven made such a huge spectacle, publicly issuing a grand challenge and inviting the Morning Stars of various Heavens to watch. Zhong Yue must have already harmonized his Ascension Refining, right?"
"Indeed." Qi You nodded.
"It's rare for a True Radiance to suppress an Empyrean God. Eternal Dragon Heaven... is growing stronger by the day," Tang Huai couldn't help but say. "Have Tong Zhuo announce that he is entering secluded cultivation to avoid the scheduled battle after Zhong Yue's successful Azure Deity Metamorphosis. Eternal Dragon Heaven is the challenger; it will be disadvantageous for us."
Qi You pursed his lips and said softly, "There is one more thing. Tong Zhuo has already been defeated."
"Tong Zhuo was defeated?" Tang Huai's voice grew sharp as he instantly stood up. Qi You's breath hitched, feeling an overwhelming, terrifying pressure rushing toward his face.
"He was defeated by Zhong Yue?" Tang Huai furrowed his brow. "Could it be that Eternal Dragon Heaven has hidden themselves even deeper than I imagined, and he has already succeeded in his Azure Deity Metamorphosis?"
"Who?" Tang Huai paused, a massive sense of shock rising in his heart. "Su Chen? Bronze Heaven's Su Chen?"
"Indeed." Qi You was helpless. "This person... this person... started from tenth place and fought his way step by step up to Tong Zhuo, forcibly defeating him..."
He detailed the general course of events before finally adding, "His suppressive power was almost identical to Chang Geming's."
Tang Huai's expression shifted continuously. Throughout Qi You's entire narration, he felt an absurd sense of the unimaginable.
"Chang Geming has the Longevity Root. What does he have..." Tang Huai was astonished inwardly, his expression uncertain. "The Dust Star Sea... Could it be..."
He casually flicked his hand, and a holographic screen was projected. After a few operations, he pulled up a recording. It was precisely the recording of Su Chen submitting his blood and mental samples after his metamorphosis.
Tang Huai's eyes flickered. "...Take my token and go to the Yingyuan Office to retrieve his blood and mental samples."
"Master, after Su Chen's battle ended, I extracted flesh and blood tissue from him on the spot." Qi You reached out his hand, and a blood clot the size of a pinky fingernail appeared.
"You thought of it too?" Tang Huai was surprised.
"Although it didn't really seem to match, it was just in case." Qi You shook his head with a bitter smile. It was precisely because his Master, Tang Huai, was in charge of finding Tai Xuanhong that he had a sudden inspiration and secretly took Su Chen's flesh and blood.
"But he has achieved Spirit-Flesh Unity, which I didn't expect. I was discovered during the process of extracting his flesh and blood. I could only pay some Faith Essence to placate him, and he agreed without much resistance."
Spirit-Flesh Unity... Tang Huai furrowed his brow, growing even more surprised.
It wasn't because of the Faith Essence paid, but because he heard the underlying implication in Qi You's words. Since Su Chen was so magnanimous, his guess likely wouldn't hold true.
Tang Huai extended his left hand, and the blood clot floated into it. He pinched it with his fingertips, and the blood clot shattered, swirling around his palm. The residual mental power within was extracted and floated over to his right hand.
Streams of light intertwined between his palms, and runic lights flickered unsteadily.
A moment later, Tang Huai clenched his hand. The blood mist dispersed, and the mental power was annihilated. He shook his head and said, "He doesn't have even the slightest connection to the Taixuan family, nor does he possess the radiant aura of a Radiant Sun Elect."
Qi You wasn't particularly surprised. Ever since Su Chen was willing to accept one thousand Faith Soul Crystals as placation and didn't throw a fit, his suspicions had already dissipated.
Bringing it here now was simply because he guessed his Master would probably want to do the same.
"Since he isn't, then there's nothing more to say." Tang Huai fell silent for a moment. "Perhaps he has something like a Longevity Root. His body is indeed not simple; one can tell just from this flesh and blood tissue. His Vitality is so abundant that he doesn't seem like an eighth-rank."
"Bronze Heaven, the Dust Star Sea... it truly is..." He shook his head, unsure of what to make of it. "Never mind. For our High Firmament to produce a person capable of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Chang Geming is indeed worthy of celebration. Let us handle it according to what you promised him."
"In addition, send a Spirit-Stabilizing Seal over as well."
...
"You two shouldn't be so polite."
In Bronze Heaven, within Su Chen's hall, Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an were firm in their stance. "Since you are lacking this Faith Essence, we will just give it all to you. We don't have much use for this stuff anyway."
"Tsk..." Su Chen felt helpless. Ever since he returned from the Abyssal Realm, Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an had come to congratulate him. Upon learning that he had inexplicably received another three hundred portions of Faith Essence each for them, they repeatedly declined to accept it.
He pondered for a moment. "How about this? Each of you transfers one hundred to me, and I won't take the rest. If you keep declining, you're truly treating me like an outsider."
"Alright." Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi'an exchanged a glance and agreed. They then couldn't resist recounting some amusing little anecdotes about what happened outside the Martial Proof Hall during his battle with Tong Zhuo, before finally leaving, still wanting to say more.
"The commotion wasn't small, but the benefits are quite substantial too..." Su Chen's eyes flickered slightly. He rubbed his hands together and opened his token.
Qi You moved very quickly. One thousand five hundred portions of Faith Essence had already been transferred directly to him. Adding the one thousand six hundred portions he extracted as a reward for reaching first place, plus the two hundred transferred by Wei and Shen.
This time, he had obtained a total of three thousand three hundred portions of Faith Essence.
Su Chen rubbed his fingertips together; it was truly a massive harvest.
He immediately located several items he had bookmarked earlier.
[Perfect-Grade Eldritch Source Power] — Buy!
[Grand Vow Crystal] — Buy!
[Water Spirit Current] — Buy!
"And a power to change the elemental affinity of the Flash-Shadow Body..." After searching for a while, Su Chen found an attribute even more suitable for the Flash-Shadow Body than the wind element.
[Hidden Essence Shadow — A specialty of the Great Heavens. Quoted price: six hundred portions of Faith Essence. Can grant the shadow element to a Sacred Class.]
This was a specialty of the Great Heavens, and the price was clearly inflated. However, Su Chen only swept a glance over it before directly buying it.
So satisfying!
Looking at the several items currently "in transit," Su Chen once again experienced the thrill of splurging.