"How long will the Profound Celestial Instrument be staying at our Sect?" Su Chen asked.
Qing Cang thought for a moment before replying, "According to the original plan, they were supposed to head to the Royal Court after our people here finished using it."
"But after what happened, Lu Huai and his people probably won’t be heading to the Royal Court anytime soon. I doubt they’ll return to the Profound Celestial Sect either, so they’ll likely be staying for a while longer."
"What are you thinking?"
"Nothing, just asking." Su Chen breathed an inward sigh of relief.
’Once the Profound Celestial Instrument leaves, I’ll have to go all the way to the Profound Celestial Sect if I want to borrow it again.’
’This kid...’ Qing Cang looked at Su Chen, whose expression was as calm as ever.
At first, Qing Cang hadn’t thought much of him. But ever since Su Chen had become one of the chosen, he’d faintly sensed an almost imperceptible shroud of mist around the boy.
And with each interaction, that mist, far from dissipating, had only grown thicker.
To most people in the Sect, the manifestation of Su Chen’s Star Amber seemed to have cleared away some of the mist surrounding him.
But for Qing Cang, who had known Su Chen from much earlier, it only deepened the mystery surrounding the young man.
"Never mind." Qing Cang suddenly shook his head. "I’m off."
He didn’t give Su Chen a chance to speak. The moment he turned, Qing Cang’s body dissolved into a green wind and scattered.
’Old Qing is under a lot of pressure,’ Su Chen mused, popping a pastry into his mouth and chewing absently.
’The Royal Court has always wanted to unify the Flames. The Bronze Sect’s Flame Fire is the only one with problems, which makes us the path of least resistance. And now with this incident... it really feels like a storm is brewing...’
Su Chen never would have thought that a simple celebration for the Emperor’s birth would escalate to this point.
’I can only hope this situation doesn’t spiral further out of control.’
After mulling things over and finishing his snack, Su Chen headed to the training room to continue his cultivation.
...
The manifestation of Su Chen’s Talent sparked several days of heated discussion within the Sect. More than anything, however, it brought a sense of relief. The mist of mystery surrounding him had thinned considerably, as if his peculiarities finally had an explanation.
But what was even more perplexing was the anomaly involving the Ancient King Stele. The Ancient King had taken the stele, and it still hadn’t returned, causing quiet unrest to stir among the members.
On Floating Island #1447, Lu Huai watched as the room around him gradually returned to normal. He then picked up the slightly shrunken Nether Realm Child Stone from the floor and put it away.
His expression was grim, his crimson hair stirring as his arms trembled slightly. "Venerable Lu Yanzhe... has actually fallen."
The matter had been confirmed. Just yesterday, his Morning Star Spirituality had let out a mournful cry, trembling without end—the unmistakable sign of a powerhouse’s demise.
"Two survived. The Prison King is in a coma, but Qin Yun is somehow still conscious..."
Lu Huai murmured, his expression unsettled. The Prison King’s power ranked among the top three of all living Morning Star Tiers.
It made sense that he would survive a place that dangerous, but Qin Yun wasn’t considered particularly powerful among the Morning Star Tiers.
And yet, she not only survived, but her condition seemed even better than the Prison King’s.
’Qin Yun is probably on her way back...’ Lu Huai felt a strong urge to demand answers—to find out why the Venerable from his own Sect had died while Qin Yun managed to survive.
But then he remembered where he was—in the Bronze Sect’s territory. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, reining in his emotions.
’If we demand an explanation, the other Sects will surely take action. And with the Profound Celestial Instrument in my possession... it’s best to feign ignorance.’
As he was contemplating this, Lu Huai’s gaze shifted. With a flash, his figure appeared in an open area on the Floating Island just as Qing Cang was approaching from a distance.
"Senior Brother Lu Huai," he called out.
"Junior Brother... you’re here early." Lu Huai replied with a smile, his expression betraying nothing.
Qing Cang said gently, "Our people are ready. When would be a convenient time for you?"
"Anytime works. The enhancement process with the Profound Celestial Instrument will take about three to five days." Lu Huai said, adding with emphasis, "And even though this isn’t the first time, I must remind you that using the Profound Celestial Instrument is not without risk."
"Understood." Qing Cang nodded. "If anything happens, it will have nothing to do with you or the Profound Celestial Sect."
"It’s merely a precaution. There’s a ninety-nine percent chance that nothing will go wrong."
With that, Lu Huai handed over a thin sheet of paper. "These are the parameters for the Creation Copper Heart’s simulation."
"...A planet-level environment..."
"...A population of no less than one billion..."
"...Three opposing factions in a state of constant war..."
Qing Cang took the paper and glanced down. These were not simple requirements; fulfilling them would come at a considerable cost.
However, this was part of the deal they had already agreed upon. Qing Cang put the paper away. "If you two would please follow me."
Lu Huai beckoned to Tang Xiuqi, and they followed Qing Cang.
...
Meanwhile, on the Copper Heart, a crowd had gathered in the challenge center. They weren’t there for their usual training, but were instead clustered together in small groups.
Wang Ye was among them, his gaze fixed on one particular room.
Outside that room stood Chen Hong and Xie Yufeng, and neither of them looked pleased.
CLICK!
The door to the room soon opened, and Liao Yunfan staggered out. There was barely a scrap of intact cloth left on his body.
A gruesome laceration ran from his left shoulder down to his abdomen, the flesh peeled back to reveal the bone beneath. It was a mess of clotted blood and scorch marks.
His breathing was ragged, his face deathly pale.
"How did it go?" Chen Hong asked immediately.
Wang Ye and the others, who were gathered to the side, also turned to look expectantly.
"A narrow victory," Liao Yunfan said, the three words carrying no hint of joy.
The expressions of the other two men flickered, settling into something complex.
"A narrow victory?" Wang Ye couldn’t hide his astonishment. "He actually beat Su Chen?"
The people around him looked just as surprised, but the expressions on the faces of Liao Yunfan and his two companions only grew darker.
After all, they were Tier Five Professionals. The training projection inside, however, was from when Su Chen was still Tier Four. It had never been updated.