According to Jiang He, even students at Nanfeng Academy weren't entirely exempt from leaving the city.
Add to that last night's assassination — the mastermind behind it wouldn't give up easily — along with the delicate game between him and Jiang He, and urgency was hard to avoid.
'Assuming the Strongman class at least gives me some means of self-defense. But...' His gaze settled on "Mystic Apprentice."
A Tier-1 upper-class profession. He'd already witnessed its formidable power firsthand.
Two professionals, with the added advantage of poisoning their target beforehand — even without his intervention, taking Jiang He down wouldn't have been easy.
As for "Binding Adept," he considered it for a moment, then dismissed it with some distaste.
Old Gui's performance under Jiang He's area-of-effect psychic attack had been even worse than the brute's. No wonder Jiang He called it a worthless profession.
Rope manipulation apparently didn't rely on mental power. Somewhat useful, but not much.
'I need to assume the Mystic Apprentice class as soon as possible...' Su Chen resolved.
But just as he prepared to begin the Candlelight Forging exercise, new text materialized on his panel.
[Detected the host's inner contempt. The Binding Adept is humiliated and enraged, reaching toward the Mystic Apprentice with grasping claws, intent on devouring it. The Mystic Apprentice responds with cold disdain, turning the tables and consuming the Binding Adept instead.]
[Acquired Tier-1 Apex Profession — Mystic Artificer. Possesses the combined Class Traits of both Binding Adept and Mystic Apprentice. Complete advancement conditions to assume this profession.]
Su Chen stared, dumbfounded, watching the two professions merge together. After a long silence, he managed, "That's... possible? The underdog attacks the superior and gets devoured instead?"
He wanted to say something more, but couldn't find the words.
It was, after all, a Tier-1 apex profession. Jiang He was only a "Tier-1 upper-class" Mystic Apprentice — this was apex, two full levels above a Strongman. He should be thrilled.
But the way he'd obtained it was just... beyond words.
After studying it more carefully, his eyes lingered on the phrase "Class Traits."
Of everything on the panel, those were the only words he didn't fully understand. 'What Class Traits represent — I'll probably only find the answer at Nanfeng Academy.'
He turned his attention to the advancement requirements. Both the Binding Adept and the Mystic Apprentice had two conditions each, but the Mystic Artificer had three.
[Mystic Artificer advancement requirement (1): Obtain one Tier-1 special item. (Obtained: Azure-Veined Hemp Rope)]
[Mystic Artificer advancement requirement (2): Raise the Candlelight Mental Forging Method to "Master" level.]
[Mystic Artificer advancement requirement (3): Endure for one minute in the Trial of Whispers.]
[As this profession inherits from the Mystic Apprentice, all conditions must be fulfilled before assumption. An additional reward will be granted as compensation.]
A fusion of both professions, but with heightened difficulty. The item requirement wasn't restricted to ropes, at least — other Tier-1 items should qualify too.
"What an unexpected windfall..." Su Chen still felt an odd sense of disbelief, unsure what special abilities this profession might grant.
Pushing the strangeness aside, he wasn't going to sleep in this place anyway. He began the mental forging exercise instead, constructing the candle flame in his mind.
After a single cycle, he felt a subtle clarity wash through his brain, as if impurities had been scrubbed away.
[Candlelight Mental Forging Method — Practiced: 1%]
Already advanced from Novice to Practiced.
"Not bad at all..." Su Chen savored the sensation, eager for more, and quickly lost himself in the training.
Dong~~
A long, resonant chime made Su Chen open his eyes. He felt a touch of fatigue.
[Candlelight Mental Forging Method — Practiced: 55%]
The progress was certainly rapid. He'd returned well past midnight, and only a few hours had passed.
This was the morning bell, signaling the start of a new day.
Su Chen rubbed his face. Hunger gnawed at him — the Strongman profession had boosted his physical capabilities, but it had also accelerated his metabolism.
He opened the bundle Little Pigeon had given him the night before and wolfed down its contents. Once he'd eaten most of it, he felt considerably better.
'Nanfeng Academy...' Su Chen tidied up and prepared to find Jiang He to complete the enrollment paperwork.
Emerging from his shack, silhouettes were already moving about outside. Several pairs of eyes widened in surprise — the darkness last night had prevented them from getting a good look at Su Chen.
Now, seeing him clearly, their expressions couldn't help but carry a tinge of envy as they looked him up and down.
Familiar faces — Huang Peng, Black Dog... the same lot from last night.
They weren't so malicious as to rush up and mock him again, but neither were they kind enough to welcome him back. They'd clearly "expelled" him from the group — or rather, they were waiting for him to recognize reality and come apologize.
Their collective livelihood was meager, mostly consisting of odd jobs posted by the municipal government. Professionals certainly weren't going to handle menial labor, so the refugees served as supplementary workforce.
Sticking together was therefore essential — without a group, you couldn't get even the smallest sliver of opportunity.
"Is that Su Chen? He looks completely different?"
"He looks just like one of those upper-class types now. Did he really get lucky?"
"Nah. I heard from Wang Dog's guys — he just spent one night with her and she kicked him out. All he got was a set of clothes."
The chatter was plentiful. His attire alone, combined with a clean face, was enough to draw attention.
"Move it, move it..." A brutish voice cut through the crowd. Several figures — noticeably taller than the rest — strode over wearing municipal uniforms.
The one in front was a slab of muscle, giving off strong echoes of last night's brute.
"Squad Leader Zhang is here..."
Huang Peng rushed up with an eager greeting.
"Out of my way!" He was shoved aside with a rough hand. Zhang Man walked straight up to Su Chen.
"The money. Hand it over." He stood taller than Su Chen, his shadow falling over him entirely. He looked Su Chen up and down, then extended his hand without a shred of courtesy.
Su Chen's eyes narrowed. Zhang Man — the area manager for this district. He was also the one who'd connected the original owner to Jiang He.
A man like that didn't do favors for nothing.
Of course, the original had nothing worth scheming over. But Zhang Man had told him that if Jiang He did take a liking to him and he still couldn't get into Nanfeng Academy after sleeping with her, he should demand money from her. Of that money, Zhang Man would take eighty percent.
"Su Chen..." Zhang Man spoke lazily. When he got no response, his tone edged with warning. "Don't go getting ideas."
This wasn't his first time pimping. More than a few refugees had slept with someone from the upper classes and come out thinking they were special. Whenever that happened, he set them straight.
Su Chen reached into the inner pocket of his coat and produced a black-and-gold card. His tone was mild. "You should recognize this."
"You..." Zhang Man glanced down. His casual demeanor vanished, replaced by stunned disbelief. "You actually got into Nanfeng Academy?!"
The surrounding noise died instantly, then rose again as a low buzz. Huang Peng and the others stared, goggle-eyed.
"Su Chen... brother..." Zhang Man's attitude softened noticeably. He sidled closer, subtly examining the patterns on the card to confirm it wasn't a fake.
"Tsk, tsk. I always knew a man of your caliber wouldn't stay in the mud for long." Zhang Man marveled. That woman had actually taken a real liking to the kid.
A student of Nanfeng Academy carried real value now. With some nurturing, a Tier-1 professional was virtually guaranteed — and Zhang Man himself was only a Tier-1 professional.
So in the deal between him and Su Chen, now that the latter had truly entered the academy, the payoff had become something more concrete.
"How about... 500 gold..." he murmured, rubbing his hands together with a sly grin.
"Do you honestly think I have that right now?" Su Chen replied evenly.
"No rush. Just don't forget, brother." Zhang Man's manner was perfectly amicable.
Su Chen offered no commitment. "I need to get to Nanfeng Academy to finish the paperwork."
"This way..." Zhang Man pointed out a route at once, then barked at the crowd. "Scram, all of you! What are you staring at?"
He turned back with a grin. "Want me to show you the way?"
Su Chen shook his head. He knew the general direction. He walked straight through the crowd without breaking stride.
Watching Su Chen depart, Zhang Man couldn't help clicking his tongue. "I've been using fake enrollment passes to con these idiots for who knows how long," he muttered. "And now one of them actually made it. Well, well..."
These refugees were a resource in themselves, but exploiting them required an eye for opportunity. He scouted prey for various upper-class figures in the city — both men and women.
But these little brats had learned tricks from somewhere. Every one of them deliberately kept their faces grimy and spoke in squeaky, altered voices.
"Boss, what if he stiffs us on the money?" someone beside him asked.
"Stiffs us?" Zhang Man snorted, then shrugged. "Then he stiffs us. What am I going to do about it? He's under Nanfeng Academy's protection now."
"I already collected one payment up front, so I'm not losing anything. All I did was make an introduction."
With that, his eyes swept over the surrounding refugees and he bellowed, "Stop gawking! Get your sorry asses to work! If you're so jealous, take a look at your own damn faces first!"
The crowd gradually dispersed. Huang Peng and his group remained silent, each one unsettled. The idea that someone from their own ranks was about to rise above them all — it was hard to swallow.