Chapter 572 - 315: Holy Profession—World Slaughter Form

In the past, Soldier Masters would have been forced to stop at this point, unable to continue the enhancement.

But Su Chen only paused for a moment before his power continued to climb. A tempestuous force erupted, and his entire body flooded with a radiating aura.

But he soon stopped again. ’This won’t work. Even with Chakra Liberation, I doubt I can last long enough to enhance all my Secret Artifacts to Tier Eight. The drain is just insane.’

Su Chen stopped enhancing and fusing his Secret Artifacts and took a moment to acclimate. Then, with a flicker of his will, he activated his second ability—Unmoving Vajra.

Instantly, a scorching, blood-red radiance erupted from his body, nothing like the gentle, steady glow he produced when using his Blood Burner ability.

In that same instant, he felt sharp, stabbing pains all over his body. His heart rate skyrocketed, and his physical strength, which had previously plateaued, surged upward once more.

Crimson arcs of electricity crackled around Su Chen, and his skin took on a faint, blood-gold sheen. The terrifying power coursing through his body reached an unprecedented level.

"This is simply..."

Su Chen raised his right hand, clenching it into an iron fist. His knuckles stood out in sharp relief under his skin. He took a deep breath, and the very air around him seemed to vanish.

BOOM!

As the fist smashed down, the metal floor of the training room cracked like a turtle shell struck by a sledgehammer, a web of fissures exploding from the point of impact.

With a deafening rumble, billowing dust and smoke exploded outward, and the entire building seemed to tremble.

Startled, Su Chen quickly pulled back his power. A large hole had been blown through the training room floor, and the building materials outside weren’t nearly as strong as those inside the room.

"Tsk..." A grin spread across Su Chen’s face, but the experiment wasn’t over. ’I can’t raise all my Secret Artifacts to Tier Eight, but what if I only focus on one?’

At this thought, he quickly locked onto a target: his mighty warhammer, of course. Even in his Chakra Liberation state, the power drain was like a bursting floodgate.

The corner of Su Chen’s eye twitched. Then, at a certain moment, an absurd amount of power—exaggerated even for his current state—burst forth from his body.

But in that same instant, his vision went black. He quickly deactivated his abilities, and the sudden wave of weakness that washed over him made him stagger backward, almost causing him to collapse.

’The power drain from that test was too immense. It only lasted for a moment, but I really can push a Secret Artifact to Tier Eight. In a real fight, I’d probably only have enough strength for a single strike.’

Gasping for breath, Su Chen chugged various Potions as if they were free. After these brief experiments, he had a much better understanding of his abilities.

’It’s incredibly strong, but the drain is just too massive. At my absolute peak, if I don’t enhance the warhammer to Tier Eight, I can probably only maintain my Chakra Liberation for about a minute.’

’The Holy Profession puts a tremendous strain on my body. However, that should be greatly alleviated once I forge the Permanent Body.’

’And it seems Holy Hand can’t be used on the Holy Profession.’ Su Chen concentrated for a moment and confirmed it.

After chugging a couple more mouthfuls of Nutrient Liquid, Su Chen couldn’t help but marvel. ’My former self, before Melting the Holy Profession, probably couldn’t even scratch my current defenses.’

’Now, I should be able to break through whatever that ’God Control’ restriction of Shen Yi’an’s is. I don’t know if I can win, though. It’ll probably be difficult... I’m still lacking in so many other areas...’

’The main issue is sustainability. It’s like a child swinging a sledgehammer; swing it for too long, and you’ll end up hurting yourself.’

As Su Chen was weighing his options, a notification suddenly announced the arrival of a visitor, and a virtual screen popped up.

At the port, Qing Cang was stepping out of a Flying Device.

’Old Qing...’ Su Chen was a bit surprised. He quickly straightened himself up and left the training room.

"Senior Brother, what a rare guest!" Su Chen called out while still a ways off.

Qing Cang glanced at him, faintly sensing that Su Chen had changed yet again. But he was already used to it; he got this feeling every time he saw Su Chen after some time had passed.

He said calmly, "Lu Huai is preparing to leave. He had me ask you: when will the last person who needs to use the Profound Celestial Instrument be ready to go?"

’Lu Huai is leaving?’

Su Chen stopped in his tracks, his brow furrowing. "What’s going on? Why the sudden departure?"

"Sudden?" Qing Cang gave him a strange look. "Lu Huai has been with our Sect for over half a year. Our transaction with him was concluded months ago."

Su Chen feigned confusion. "I thought they would stay and watch the Peak Star Conference before leaving."

"Impossible." Qing Cang shook his head. "The Royal Court is pressing the matter. We essentially intercepted him from them in the first place."

"The Royal Court?" Su Chen’s mind raced.

Qing Cang explained, "Han Xingliu paid him a visit a while ago."

Qing Cang didn’t seem to think much of it. The fact that Lu Huai was to take the Profound Celestial Instrument to the Royal Court had been decided long ago.

’Thank goodness...’ Su Chen felt a wave of relief. He was glad he had laid the groundwork to prevent Lu Huai’s sudden departure, specifically by telling Qing Cang that he had one last person who needed to use the Profound Celestial Instrument. That had successfully stalled him.

Otherwise, Lu Huai would probably already be gone.

Su Chen couldn’t help but ask, "Why is the Royal Court in such a hurry for the Profound Celestial Instrument? Upgrading a few Star Amber Level Talents shouldn’t have that much of an impact on them, should it?"

"A few Star Amber Level Talents on their own wouldn’t matter much." Qing Cang shook his head, his eyes glinting. "I suspect they’re trying to find a way to achieve a Divine Dawn Level Talent through Postnatal means."

"It’s possible to reach the Divine Dawn Level through Postnatal means?" Su Chen’s heart skipped a beat, and he asked in astonishment.

Qing Cang wasn’t entirely certain either. "Perhaps the Royal Court has made some kind of breakthrough. Divine Dawn Level Talents aren’t completely without a pattern. In essence, they’re inherited from the Morning Star Realm—something rooted in bloodlines and genetics. It might actually be possible to replicate."

Su Chen couldn’t help but ask, "Does that mean only the descendants of those at the Morning Star Tier have a chance of reaching the Divine Dawn Level?"

Qing Cang saw right through him. "What, you’re getting ideas?"

Su Chen gave a sheepish grin. Qing Cang shook his head. "It’s not that simple. Even if the Royal Court succeeds, the price will surely be enormous. You can forget about it."

"But we’re getting off topic. When is your person going to use the Profound Celestial Instrument?"

"In the next day or two," Su Chen replied evasively.

"Fine. Just let me know when the time comes." Qing Cang nodded, not giving the matter much thought. He turned to leave, but Su Chen called out to him again.

"Senior Brother, accompany me to Dragon Abyss."

"Dragon Abyss?" Qing Cang stopped and turned back in surprise. "Why the sudden interest in going there?"

Su Chen explained, "The rankings were just posted, right? I want to get the Morning Star Essence as soon as possible."

"Isn’t it a bit early to make a move?" Qing Cang said with some hesitation. "The Royal Court obviously wants to get more information from you. It wouldn’t be too late to act when the final outcome is about to be decided."

But Su Chen shook his head. "From what I can tell, those other people who Melted a Holy Profession have no intention of making a move. If I take first place outright, it should leave the Royal Court with nothing to say."

"So that’s your thinking?" Realization dawned on Qing Cang, and he grew thoughtful. "That does make sense. The others who Melted a Holy Profession are all holding back, which gives you an opening."

"Why don’t you just go by yourself? Do you really need me to come with you?"

"Is Senior Brother busy today?" Su Chen nodded, then said as if to himself, "If that’s the case, I’ll just wait until you have time to go with me."

"You..." Qing Cang was speechless. "You’re being far too cautious. Dragon Abyss is a core part of the Sect, for crying out loud."

"Better safe than sorry," Su Chen sighed. "Even if I have the potential to become a Moonlight Tier Professional, what’s the use if I just suddenly drop dead?"

"That’s true. But you’re so young, yet you act like a stodgy old man all the time. You have no drive..." Qing Cang said, exasperated. He didn’t argue further, simply boarding the Flying Device with Su Chen and heading toward Dragon Abyss.

"Senior Brother."

On the way, Su Chen watched the scenery stream past the window of the Flying Device and rubbed his chin. "Tell me, Senior Brother, if I take first place, do you think the Royal Court will actually give me the Morning Star Essence?"

"They probably will," Qing Cang replied, though with some hesitation. "They might try to delay things, but rest assured, it’ll end up in your hands sooner or later..."

As he spoke, Qing Cang’s expression became a little strange. This was the Peak Star Conference, after all. The people on that preliminary leaderboard were no pushovers; they were the absolute elite, nurtured by the major Sects.

In any previous preliminary round, no one would have ever imagined a Tier Six Professional climbing over their heads. And yet now, Qing Cang found himself feeling as if it were a matter of course. It was truly...