Chapter 469: That's Right, My Disciple Is Just That Formidable [Blackwater Goumang] |
"Haha..." The Bronze Ancient King chuckled. "The people in this Dust Star Sea love to spread falsehoods, I've made you two watch a joke."
"My young disciple did indeed take a blow from a Morning Star head-on." Yuan Shuo paused slightly, then immediately followed up in a breezy tone, "However, that Morning Star had sustained some injuries and wasn't at his peak. Su Chen also used some petty tricks at the time, which was why he barely managed to take a single blow head-on."
"This..." Gu Lin froze slightly. When the phrase 'spread falsehoods' came out, he had originally thought the Primordial Sovereign was going to give a detailed explanation.
But instead, he just glossed over it casually. What was the difference between this and directly saying, 'That's right, my disciple is just that formidable'?
A Morning Star who 'had sustained some injuries' was still a Morning Star! Although he had met a few of the Morning Stars in this Dust Star Sea after arriving and found their strength to be lackluster...
But no matter how lackluster, they still weren't someone a seventh-rank could withstand. Even those elite seedlings in High Firmament would likely choke trying to withstand it.
Unless that Morning Star's injuries weren't ordinary. But 'sustained some injuries' didn't sound like severe injuries no matter how you listened to it, right?
He originally had a good impression of this Primordial Sovereign, but right now...
Fishing for fame... he shook his head inwardly. Just a moment ago, he was talking about a successor gap, and the next moment, he turned around and started bragging.
He had carefully investigated the information. No matter what, the injuries of that Morning Star had to be more severe than just 'sustained some injuries,' right?
The Bronze Ancient King didn't mind the two of them either. The numerous deeds of Su Chen were widely circulated in the Dust Star Sea; it was simply impossible to suppress them, and he had no intention of trying to block the information either.
He was indeed worried about 'Taixuan Hong' being exposed, but Su Chen's talent and tier both had explanations.
Furthermore, Su Chen wasn't a member of the Taixuan family. The most important aspect—bloodline verification—couldn't be met. As long as there was no direct evidence, it was impossible to connect him to it no matter what.
As for Su Chen's concealment, it was said that even Radiant Suns couldn't see through it without resorting to special methods. If he deliberately tried to hide those past events here, it would be inappropriate instead.
When Qin Yun made his move, far too many people had witnessed it, and there were even combat recordings.
If he claimed that Su Chen only had one breath left, no one would believe him anyway. It was better to be a bit arrogant and leave others unable to figure him out.
Pei Song immediately followed up and said, "Not only that, but your young disciple's method for purifying Mist Cinders is also quite extraordinary."
"That Su Chen can purify Mist Cinders?" Gu Lin was surprised. Pei Song didn't bring many people with him, and he spent all day with them. How did he know so much information?
"Heavenly Lord Pei truly knows quite a lot," Yuan Shuo shook his head. "This is just outsiders not knowing the true details. The Mist-Ash Purification Method is something I researched over many years. Su Chen merely acts as an assistant."
"An assistant..." Gu Lin was speechless again. If one wanted to purify Mist Cinders in the Abyssal Domain, a Radiant Moon would have to personally take action. What need was there for a low-tier practitioner to act as an assistant?
This Primordial Sovereign really knew how to put gold on his disciple's face.
Pei Song, however, praised, "To think Primordial Sovereign could independently research a method to purify Mist Cinders. Your methods are truly extraordinary. Your young disciple will definitely rise to prominence in the future."
After investigating for many days, only these two pieces of information made him quite curious, which was why he brought them up today.
But this Primordial Sovereign's response... somewhat surprised him. He showed no modesty at all; he was just short of outright stating that Su Chen was incredibly awesome.
Gu Lin remained silent. He harbored some doubts about the authenticity of these two matters and prepared to investigate further.
Qing Cang, standing to the side, merely kept his head lowered. Just as he was preparing to take his leave...
His gaze couldn't help but drift outside the hall. The sound of footsteps rang out as a person hurriedly arrived, the surprise on his face yet to fade.
Qing Cang naturally recognized this person. His name was Wen Tuo, a Morning Star who had come along with Gu Lin. It was said that he was Gu Lin's martial nephew, quite old in years, with white hair at his temples.
Wen Tuo first addressed Gu Lin as Heavenly Lord, then bowed successively to Pei Song and Yuan Shuo.
However, Qing Cang noticed that when Wen Tuo looked at his own Master, a complex expression flashed across his face before he turned back to Gu Lin and whispered, "Heavenly Lord, Junior Brother Yunfei is looking for you."
Separated by the Heavenly Gate, news from High Firmament couldn't be transmitted here without delay; it could only be conveyed through people.
"Oh..." Gu Lin restrained his expression and asked directly, "Did he win or lose?"
"Heavenly Lord..." Wen Tuo hesitated. He had tactfully mentioned Du Yunfei precisely because he wanted to report this matter, but with others present, he was somewhat hesitant.
"He lost?" Gu Lin furrowed his brows. Seeing Wen Tuo's expression, he guessed the outcome and shook his head. "There is nothing that cannot be said. The leaderboard is right there for all to see."
"It's not exactly unexpected. Zhong Yue was already glaring like a tiger, and Yunfei hadn't completely reached his peak yet."
So it's the battle between Zhong Yue and Du Yunfei, Pei Song realized inwardly. He wasn't particularly surprised and just acted as if he hadn't heard anything, slowly sipping the tea in his cup.
"Tell him not to take it to heart and just adjust properly. We will let that kid Tong Zhuo deal with it next," Gu Lin waved his hand and said.
"Yes... Heavenly Lord." Wen Tuo first complied, then hesitated and said, "However, Junior Brother Tong Zhuo... he..."
"However what?" Gu Lin grew impatient. "If you have something to say, spit it out."
Since it involved Tong Zhuo, it wasn't possible for Wen Tuo to know any major secrets; it was likely just some idle gossip.
"Tong Zhuo has already been defeated by... Su Chen..."
As he finished speaking, Wen Tuo's gaze was already looking toward the Bronze Heaven Lord seated at the head position.
In an instant, he felt as if the entire palace had fallen silent. Not to mention the sound of breathing, even the flow of air seemed to have stopped.
Three gazes landed directly on him.
"Who? Su Chen? Which Su Chen?" Gu Lin frowned and asked. Before he even received a response, his expression drastically changed.
Pei Song narrowed his eyes. Fine cracks appeared on the teacup in his hand, but it ultimately didn't shatter; instead, it gradually mended itself.
The Bronze Ancient King felt a jolt of shock in his heart. Tong Zhuo? Wasn't that the first place on the High Firmament Star Potential Ranking? Much stronger than Kong Ming.
After all, Kong Ming's Sacred Classes were incomplete, and his position on the Abyssal Hidden Star Ranking was still outside the top twenty.
But Tong Zhuo was an eighth-rank complete entity. Just what exactly did this kid...
Even though he had been shocked by Su Chen many times already, the Bronze Ancient King still fell into a momentary silence. He had thought that he had acted arrogantly enough just now...
But Su Chen seemed to be even fiercer than him.
"Who is Tong Zhuo?" The only one who wasn't stunned was Qing Cang. He was merely somewhat bewildered.
But looking at the expression of his own Master, as well as the changes in the other two Heavenly Lords, this Tong Zhuo was probably an extremely formidable figure.
"To be so unscrupulous... could it be that I guessed wrong?" Qing Cang muttered inwardly.
Taking a blow from a Morning Star head-on, assisting in the purification of Mist Cinders... Wasn't this putting gold on that Su Chen's face?
Gu Lin subconsciously didn't believe it, but it was naturally impossible for Wen Tuo to lie. He even had an urge to rush back to High Firmament immediately to figure out exactly what was going on.
Pei Song's thoughts spun rapidly, but he offered his congratulations: "Primordial Sovereign's young disciple is truly extraordinary. When the Dao Sovereign returns and hears this news, he will definitely be very gratified."
Dao Sovereign... Yuan Shuo pondered, then revealed a smile. "My young disciple was reckless."
...
The commotion of Su Chen claiming first place had yet to dissipate.
Just a little over ten days later, news spread that after studying Su Chen carefully for a long time, Tong Zhuo had thoroughly grasped his combat style and Class Traits, and was preparing to challenge him again to reclaim the first place position.
This news made quite a few people rather excited, thinking there was more excitement to watch.
But after waiting for another ten days, there was no movement from Tong Zhuo again. This made many people feel strange, and only after inquiring carefully did they learn the reason.
"Word is that Tong Zhuo felt that even if he won, it would be an unfair victory, so he simply gave up the challenge."
"Tsk... How broad-minded. With his strength, if he thoroughly researched Su Chen carefully, he might not necessarily be unable to win."
"What a f*cking poser. Isn't he just afraid that Su Chen is still holding back and he'll end up looking like a clown again?"
There were mixed opinions regarding Tong Zhuo giving up, but many people were disappointed that there was no spectacle to watch.
The external commotion naturally couldn't disturb Su Chen. In the blink of an eye, over a month passed.
[The Inexhaustible Titan has brought back an item that might be of help to you. Extract?]
"The Inexhaustible Titan has finally returned... The timing is just right..." Su Chen looked at the text floating on the Dispatch Page. After roughly estimating, he couldn't help but be somewhat surprised.
"It actually costs sixty drops of Divine Blood..." Aside from the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree, this was already an extremely expensive price.
"After extracting this time, I'll only have eighty or ninety drops of Divine Blood left..." Su Chen still realized that he had underestimated the rate of consumption from Dispatch.
To think he actually believed two hundred drops of Divine Blood could last him quite a long time.
But not extracting it was impossible. As the sixty drops of Divine Blood were consumed, intertwining fluorescent lights appeared before him. A black lightning bead the size of a fist gradually formed, thick arcs of electricity crackling around it, within which writhing shadows could be vaguely seen.
[Thunder Membrane: A creature born from a certain Great Void Realm, condensed from the power of the Nether Realm and residual professional power. It can be used as a foundational material for avatar-type abilities.]
"This thing can actually be brought out?" Su Chen was astonished. This special type of Nether Realm Creature born from the Guixu Abyss had to rely on the Nether Realm to exist; otherwise, it would only face certain death.
"Dispatch is truly badass... it can even capture things from the Guixu Abyss. You're even more formidable than my cheats." Su Chen clicked his tongue in wonder. Looking closely, he estimated that it was the outer shell sealing the Thunder Membrane that prevented it from collapsing.
"A foundational material for avatar-type abilities... Could it be that the Inexhaustible Titan realized I've been planning this recently, and that the Nine Hells Thunder Evolution hasn't completed its Job Entry yet, so it prepared for the storm?"
Su Chen was thoughtful. He had received Dispatch returns four or five times now, and whether it was intelligence or items, they would all be somewhat helpful to him.
This was also the reason why he continuously dropped strong hints for those guys to go borrow the Seven Treasures Refinement.
Temporarily putting this item away, he rubbed his hands in anticipation and immediately used the Water Spirit Current on the Inexhaustible Titan—
[The Water Spirit Current fell onto the Inexhaustible Titan. He let out a muffled groan, but his burly and robust body shrank considerably, gradually becoming supple and tough.]
"There's no enhancement. Is it because the compatibility isn't that great? Well, as long as it isn't weakened..." Su Chen glanced at it and didn't pay it too much mind. After all, the enhancement provided by this kind of thing that alters a Sacred Class's attributes was limited anyway.
Su Chen directly harmonized it into the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree. One of the branches gradually began to ripple with water-like patterns. As if reaching a certain node, the branch trembled incessantly, various colors surging wildly.
Not only that, Su Chen also felt his body gradually heating up, various professional powers intertwining.
The text below gradually trembled, and a line of azure text appeared—[Blackwater Goumang: The Inexhaustible Titan can double the number of Deliverance Seeds for the Verdant Wood Guest.]
"Oh? Water and Wood harmonizing..." Su Chen's gaze swept over it. The Verdant Wood Guest had a total of four Deliverance Seeds. Under the catalysis of the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree, every two seeds could form a Doppelganger.
With this doubling, intuitively, the sustain time was massively increased.
"If it's doubled, the benefit of strengthening the number of Deliverance Seeds is actually quite significant." Su Chen pondered briefly, only to see a line of radiant text gradually appearing beneath this line—
[Pentaelemental Rotation: The five elements mutually generate and overcome each other. Elemental Sacred Classes outside of the five elements will obtain enhancements relying on the power of rotation.
The foundation of the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree has been established and will slowly grow. It can also be fed Faith Essence, Divine Blood, and other substances to promote growth. At the same time, the probability of triggering synergy during Dispatch will be higher.]
As expected, after gathering all five elements, there were further changes. It seemed that in the future, when the Nine Hells Thunder Evolution completed its Job Entry, or if the Flash-Shadow Body was harmonized into it, they would likely have to rely on this Power of the Elemental Cycle.
"But this growth..." Su Chen glanced at the required material resources, and his heart couldn't help but twitch. This thing could sprout two more branches, transforming into the Wondrous Nine-Job Tree.
"Currently, I don't even have enough for myself, so I can't feed you either. We'll talk about it later." Su Chen shook his head helplessly, and dispatched the Inexhaustible Titan, which had just been harmonized into the Seven-Branch Wondrous Tree, back out again.
"Go borrow the Seven Treasures Refinement for me, go borrow the Seven Treasures Refinement for me..."
He dropped strong hints once again. Dispatch was practically his only channel for obtaining the Seven Treasures Refinement. He only hoped that the Spirits of the Sacred Classes would pull their weight.
"We've gathered all five elements now, so the connection should be closer. No matter what, you should be able to fleece it, right?"
After dropping strong hints for a while, Su Chen closed the panel.
"He really isn't challenging?" Su Chen habitually opened the Star Potential Ranking. To the side, there was a grayed-out challenge prompt, followed by a few small words: Cancelled.
This Tong Zhuo hadn't simply not challenged him as the external rumors claimed; he had challenged him, but then cancelled it.
Moreover, the interval between the two was only one day. He truly didn't know what this guy was thinking.
Even if this guy hadn't cancelled it, Su Chen had no intention of fighting him. There were no benefits left, so what was the point of fighting?
The challenged party had to respond within a month. If they chose to postpone, they could postpone three times, with each postponement not exceeding four months.
In other words, theoretically, he could drag the time out for a year.
But he didn't plan on dragging it out; he originally just didn't plan on responding. When the time was up, the system would automatically judge him as the loser. Who knew that Tong Zhuo would cancel the challenge the very next day.
He was actually curious when this guy would issue it again, so he would frequently check.
After a round of inspection, he got up and walked out of the hall doors. Compared to two months ago, Bronze Heaven had undergone massive changes again. Many new buildings had been added, and the Palace Complex had expanded significantly outward.
"...Junior Martial Uncle..."
"...Your Excellency..."
Familiar faces greeted him one after another, and Su Chen responded to each of them. The business at the Bronze Core could be described as an endless stream. Just a short while after coming out, he saw four or five people going in and out. It was said that reservations were already booked several months in advance.
After Bronze Heaven's reputation spread, the members of the other Heavens, who previously felt a sense of superiority towards Bronze Heaven to varying degrees, had adjusted their attitudes considerably.
Naturally, they discovered the benefits of the Bronze Core, mainly that it was high quality and reasonably priced, and business became increasingly prosperous.
"Star Seed Su..." A member of the Office of Law was already waiting here.
"Your Excellency Xiang Bai..." Su Chen took a look. It was still an acquaintance; this was the person who had come to fetch the Jade Body Tree back then. Compared to before, the expressions on his face were noticeably richer.
The smile on Xiang Bai's face was somewhat awkward, clearly forced.
"I didn't expect you to still remember me." The awkward smile on Xiang Bai's face grew even more awkward. He clearly didn't smile often. He reached out and handed over two metal cases. "Please inspect the goods you purchased."
"I still trust our Office of Law." Su Chen reached out and took them, casually signing his name on the receipt.
"Then I will take my leave first." Xiang Bai put away his smile, cupped his hands, and said.
Su Chen nodded and carried the items back to his residence. He pinched the Perfect-Grade Eldritch Source Power, which emanated a brilliant luster, out of the box. "I've finally seen you again."