The people around them sighed inwardly, but they couldn’t help but want to get closer to this new Star Seed. After all, he genuinely seemed to share the spoils and shoulder the risks.
Wei Zhenghong’s gatherings weren’t usually this frequent; sometimes there was only one every month or two. But with so much happening lately, he had organized a few more.
"Qin Tianlin seems to be preparing to take the top spot among Tier Six Professionals."
After arriving, Zhang Heng, who had evolved to a Star Amber Talent even before Chu Ran, revealed a piece of news that caught many people’s attention.
"He’s preparing to use the Creation Copper Heart to fulfill the requirements for a special profession. Once that’s done, he’ll likely aim to take the top spot."
"Is he confident about this?" Chu Ran leaned in and asked in surprise.
"He must be. The last time he updated his ranking was over half a year ago, and he wasn’t far from the top spot to begin with," Zhang Heng nodded and added,
"Besides, morale is low over in the Qin Family, so they’re in desperate need of something to lift their spirits."
Lift their spirits... Only then did it dawn on everyone.
Qin Yun’s faction had indeed been on a run of bad luck recently. One of their top generals, Hu Qi, had died, which sent a violent shockwave through their ranks. Then, Qin Yun vanished for several months in the Lost Flame, plunging everyone into a state of panic.
After experiencing the theft of the Spiritual Fire and the death of Meng Shiyu, and even though Qin Yun had now returned, Fan Zhao was also captured.
A faction that was supposed to rule half the Sect now needed to boost its own morale?
On closer thought, many people subtly shifted their gazes toward Su Chen.
’It seems that ever since this Star Seed arrived at the Sect, Qin Yun’s faction has been on a constant downhill slide...’
Zhang Heng couldn’t help but sigh. "Even though I’ve advanced to a Star Amber Talent, it only makes me feel more keenly how uniquely blessed that guy Qin Tianlin is."
"Hmph," Chu Ran scoffed, pursing his lips.
Su Chen swirled the wine in his glass and listened quietly. On the Holy Hall rankings, there were very few Tier Seven Professionals—only the top ten.
Qin Tianlin was currently ranked 17th. The top-ranked Tier Six Professional was named Xiang Zhou—a Single-Star Amber Talent, nearly forty years old.
He wasn’t on Chu Lingyuan’s side, nor was he with Qin Yun. He was the type of person who paid no mind to worldly affairs, focusing solely on developing his profession.
Aside from Shen Yi’an and Wei Zhenghong, the strongest in their small group was probably Zhao Ming, a veteran Tier Six Professional whose rank was even higher than Qin Tianlin’s, at 14th place.
"Old Zhao," Chu Ran said, looking over. "What do you reckon? Once that bastard gets his new profession, will Qin Tianlin be able to beat Old Xiang?"
Zhao Ming frowned. "Since he’s preparing to make his move, he’s almost certainly going to succeed. A special profession, if it’s combat-related, will have a massive impact on his strength."
He added with a hint of resignation, "Besides, he has a Divine Dawn Level Talent. Taking the top spot is just a matter of time for him."
"Fine." Although Chu Ran was reluctant to see it, the thought wasn’t too surprising. His eyes shifted, landing on Su Chen as he teased, "Hey, Old Su, when are you going to knock him down from there?"
"That’s enough. Why don’t you go yourself?" came Wei Zhenghong’s deep voice.
Su Chen was rather surprised. Old Wei had actually come in from outside the door, scolding with a dark expression, "You do nothing but fool around all day. And you just had to call this gathering specifically to show off your own Talent."
Only then did Su Chen realize that the main reason for this gathering was so Chu Ran could show off his new Talent.
Many of the people present hadn’t known either. They had come simply because Chu Ran sent them a notification. Who would have guessed this was the real reason? Their expressions couldn’t help but turn a little strange.
Chu Ran gave a couple of sheepish laughs, not daring to talk back.
Su Chen was secretly speechless.
However, the gathering wasn’t entirely fruitless.
After Jiang Mufeng arrived, he revealed a piece of news: "It’s been confirmed. The Prison King cannot be awakened."
His expression was solemn. Inside the small room, everyone listened as he explained in detail. The Bronze Sect had also dispatched someone to the Royal Court to ascertain the Prison King’s condition—it was "Huan Shan Chairman" Zhang Zhenfeng.
"According to the message from Chairman Zhang, the Prison King’s body is wreathed in a type of purple flame that ordinary Professionals can’t even approach. It’s constantly draining his life force. If the Royal Court weren’t using special methods to sustain him, I’m afraid he wouldn’t last much longer."
Hearing this, everyone’s expression shifted.
Wei Zhenghong couldn’t help but ask, "If even the Prison King ended up like this, how in the world did Qin Yun manage to survive?"
Naturally, no one could answer him.
Zhao Ming then asked, "Since it’s confirmed that the Prison King won’t be waking up, what has the reaction been from the other major Sects?"
"We don’t know for now." Jiang Mufeng shook his head in resignation. "But Chairman Zhang said he has a faint feeling that the other four Sects and the Royal Court are secretly negotiating, and they’ve excluded him from it."
"This isn’t good news..."
Wei Zhenghong let out a long sigh. Much of Chu Ran’s good mood evaporated, and his brows knitted together tightly.
The gathering didn’t last much longer before Wei Zhenghong dismissed everyone.
’Wreathed in purple flame, life and death uncertain...’ On the way back, Su Chen was still muttering to himself about the matter. ’To think that guy would end up like this. The world is truly unpredictable. He was a Morning Star Tier, after all...’
Arriving back at the Floating Island, Su Chen instinctively glanced at the empty space to his left. The forging furnace that used to be there had already been removed.
Two days prior, he had already forged the last Tier Five Weapon.
The only remaining requirement was to strip the spirituality from his Control Secret Artifacts and merge them into one. He had been experimenting for a few days and was now confident he could do it.
Back in his training room, Su Chen took his Control Secret Artifacts out from his Storage Space one by one and laid them out before him: the Formless True Edge, a suit of violet-gold armor, the Metal Mask, the War Boots, and a crystal skull.
Following the method Luo Shuhang had taught him, he gradually extended his Spiritual Power, letting it cover the five artifacts as he perceived their spirituality.