'To think those two guys had actually developed their professions into the late stages of the 1st tier...' Su Chen couldn't help but marvel. 'I didn't feel much resistance at all when I took action.'
However, considering he possessed two top-tier professions and a 2nd-tier special artifact, completely steamrolling them was only natural.
"The Black Flame Potion. Good time to have a taste," Su Chen muttered, licking his lips.
His supply of Blood-Activating Potions had been exhausted long ago, and he quite missed the feeling of highly efficient training.
Uncorking the bottle, he only took a small sip; his current circumstances didn't allow him to completely lower his guard.
It was like swallowing molten lava. The searing liquid rolled down his throat and rapidly spread throughout his entire body, bringing a stinging pain that radiated from the inside out.
"Fuck, this is potent..." Su Chen was startled himself. The potion's effects were beyond his imagination; even a tiny sip packed such a massive punch.
The 【Molten Stone Forging Method】 activated automatically. The two forms of stimulation didn't stack; instead, they pushed against each other. The stinging pain gradually receded, but his body grew increasingly vigorous and active.
...
In Nanfeng City, within the Municipal Office.
City Lord Zhang Hongbo stood before a window, his solemn gaze fixed on the horizon. Situated on a high floor, he could faintly make out the boundless city walls in the distance.
Bang!
The door was pushed open heavily as Yuan Chenyang and Zhou Xian walked in, one after the other.
Yuan Chenyang looked haggard, his expression incredibly grave.
Zhou Xian remained silent, casting his gaze over the various people in the room. Representatives from the City Patrol Department, the Exploration Department, the Research Department, and the Supervision Department behind him were all present. Along with himself, the Director of Internal Affairs, almost the entirety of the city's upper echelon had gathered. This was clearly no trivial matter.
"Inspector-General Yuan, I heard that the thief was finally tracked down, but was accidentally killed by you during the apprehension, and the Saint Word Stone was completely missing," Minister Feng of the City Patrol Department drawled.
"That was an item painstakingly recovered from the Ruins last time, something that even Yingfeng is paying close attention to. Only half of the profession information inscribed upon it had been deciphered, yet it already touched upon the spatial domain. Its value is extraordinary."
"Personnel from Yingfeng are already en route. Have you thought about how you're going to explain this to them?"
Yuan Chenyang shot him a cold glare. Nearly everyone in the room wore a thinly veiled look of schadenfreude.
He snorted coldly in his heart and replied indifferently, "How I explain myself is none of your concern, Minister Feng."
Despite his words, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of powerlessness. It was glaringly obvious that someone had coordinated with the thief from the inside, but he hadn't been able to uncover their identity.
The thief's sudden appearance was also highly suspicious. After hiding for so long, they had inexplicably revealed themselves.
He had clearly held back during the fight, yet the thief had died perfectly on cue, making it impossible to interrogate him and plunging the investigation into a dead end.
Let alone explaining the missing stone, he hadn't even managed to clear himself of the suspicion of killing the thief to silence him.
There simply wasn't anyone in Nanfeng City with the authority to put him on trial, but things would get messy once the Yingfeng personnel arrived.
Minister Feng snorted coldly and was about to retort when Zhang Hongbo turned around, cutting him off. "Since everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point."
Everyone held their breath, waiting for him to speak.
"The outpost in Area A2 of the South City has been unresponsive for over twenty-four hours," Zhang Hongbo announced gravely. "It is reasonable to suspect that it has been breached."
The crowd was immediately alarmed. "How could this happen so suddenly?"
"It is estimated that this unexpected situation was caused by the passing of that high-tier lifeform," Zhang Hongbo explained.
"The South City?" Zhou Xian asked suddenly, his face falling.
"Correct. That is precisely the direction of Nanfeng Academy's routine city patrol route this time," Zhang Hongbo nodded.
"What?!" Yuan Chenyang shot to his feet, instantly forgetting all his worries about the thief. "Then what are we waiting for? Dispatch a team to retrieve them immediately!"
"No, I'm going to lead a team personally."
"Indeed, we must send people out immediately. If any accidents occur, the repercussions will be severe, especially with the Yingfeng personnel arriving soon," Zhou Xian echoed, his face shifting rapidly with genuine worry.
Everyone knew that both his son and Yuan Chenyang's student were part of this patrol batch. Their anxiety was entirely justified.
"I haven't finished," Zhang Hongbo said, sweeping a glance over the two men. "The Research Department has also detected a sudden, massive spike in fog density emanating from the South City direction. It is suspected that a new Ruin has emerged."
"A Ruin? So close to the city... Could it be related to the loss of contact with the Area A2 outpost?" The others couldn't sit still anymore. The discovery of every Ruin represented a massive influx of wealth and resources.
"I harbor similar suspicions, which is why I've decided to lead the team personally. Inspector-General Yuan, Director Zhou, the two of you will accompany me," Zhang Hongbo decreed with a nod.
"I have no objections," Yuan Chenyang responded instantly.
With the plan set, the group immediately sprang into action. Zhang Hongbo mobilized the elites of the Exploration Department to accompany them.
Within merely half an hour, the task force was assembled, departing from the South City gates and tracking along the patrol route.
...
Hum... The purple stone door before him slowly opened. Watching the slender figure stepping out, Jiang Rong let out a sigh of relief, a gratified smile blooming on his aged face. "As expected of my daughter."
It was Jiang He, who had been missing for quite some time. A faint, otherworldly luster flickered in her eyes, causing the surrounding air to ripple with invisible waves.
"I was so close..." Jiang He's voice was hoarse, tinged with lingering fear. "I was barely a hair's breadth away from never returning."
"As long as your advancement was successful. Now that you're a 2nd-tier Professional, the Blood Oath Contract shouldn't have too much of an impact on you anymore," Jiang Rong sighed in relief. Changing the subject, he added, "There is one more thing. The person backing Qi Chuan is not Yuan Chenyang."
"Hmm?" Jiang He's gaze snapped toward him, a pale purple light flashing in her pupils.
"The reason Su Chen was able to enter the key training class... seems to be because of Bai Fengxi." Jiang Rong's expression was odd. He hadn't expected Su Chen's connections to be so convoluted, and it had taken him quite some time to unravel them.
"Bai Fengxi?" Jiang He stared blankly for a second before the realization hit her. "Yuan Chenyang's female student."
"He certainly has his ways." Jiang He wore a look that was hard to decipher. "I suppose that still loosely connects him to Yuan Chenyang."
"Yuan Chenyang can barely protect himself right now..." Jiang Rong shook his head meaningfully. "The thief was found, but the stolen item wasn't. When Yingfeng starts asking questions, he'll be the one held accountable."
"Does that mean we can still use Su Chen to fish out Qi Chuan's true backer?" Jiang He asked, quickly grasping the implications.
Jiang Rong nodded. "Yes. Unexpected incidents have occurred outside the city, so those who went out will be returning very soon."
"Since Su Chen wasn't placed on the key roster by Qi Chuan's people, Qi Chuan will definitely make a move against him outside the city. However, he doesn't know Su Chen's true capabilities, and time is running short. Any ploys he concocts are unlikely to succeed."
"When Su Chen returns alive, Qi Chuan's curiosity regarding him will only deepen."
It took some mental effort for Jiang He to fully parse the complex web of relationships, but she quickly tossed it to the back of her mind.
"Su Chen..." She licked her slightly chapped lips, her interest in that little wolf dog flaring up once more.
This time, she was a 2nd-tier Professional. She would once again hold the upper hand.
...
"Hmm?"
Su Chen abruptly opened his eyes. His skin was flushed red, and wisps of steam curled off his body. His insides felt as if they were being scorched by roaring flames, but at the same time, he sensed something peculiar.
'It feels like the Blood Oath Contract...' Su Chen muttered, pressing a hand to his chest. 'Has it been undone?'
An indescribable sense of urgency welled up within him. This wasn't prompted by Jiang He herself, but rather by the realization that his already thin sense of security had just been further compromised.
He had no substantial conflict with Jiang He, but he certainly didn't view her as a friend either. In fact, because of the Blood Oath Contract, there was a very real possibility they could become enemies.
He glanced at his panel—
【Void-Rending Warrior: 30%】
【Molten Stone Forging Method -- Proficient: 5%】
Only the visible progress on his panel could bring him any true sense of security.
'However, I need to prioritize acquiring a mental-type meditation technique soon. Otherwise, the development of my Mystic Artificer profession will be hard-stuck right here,' he mused.
'What a hassle...'
As the night progressed, Su Chen slowly sipped the entire bottle of Black Flame Potion, successfully pushing his 【Void-Rending Warrior】 development to 32%.
Through intense circulation, the 【Molten Stone Forging Method】 had also advanced to 20%, though its rate of improvement had dipped slightly compared to its initial entry-level pace.
The next morning, the main group reassembled. The students looked totally exhausted. Zhou Zong was the worst off; having taken over Su Chen's watch the previous night, his sleep had been severely cut short, leaving his eyes completely bloodshot.
Su Chen, on the other hand, felt quite refreshed. Since the Mystic Artificer was a mental-oriented profession, staying up for a few nights wasn't a major issue, and the nutrients packed within the Black Flame Potion were more than enough to replenish his physical exhaustion.
The logistics team distributed breakfast. Compared to the roasted meat from the night before, breakfast was much simpler: standard compressed Nutrient Fluid.
Hu Xiang patrolled the perimeter, his gaze repeatedly drifting toward Su Chen, who was quietly eating his meal.
After pacifying the group last night, he had deliberately visited the coordinates of Su Chen's watchpoint, only to find no trace of the corpse he had expected.
This filled him with deep suspicion. Was Su Chen actually hiding terrifying strength and had counter-killed the assassins?
Or had he simply followed Old Zhao's instructions to the letter, returning to the camp precisely when his time was up, while the two assassins were swallowed up by some unknown danger lurking in the fog?
Emotionally, Hu Xiang leaned towards the latter guess.
Otherwise, cleanly dispatching two 1st-tier Professionals in such a short window of time with almost no commotion meant that Su Chen's true strength was terrifyingly profound.
Yet, his rational mind screamed that Su Chen seemed to have already seen right through him, leaving him completely unable to gauge the boy.