"They'd still discovered it..." The eyes lurking in the shadows gradually sharpened.
A Space Storage User?
Su Chen was startled by the sudden flood of information. A chill ran through his body, snapping him back to his senses.
"This... seems very valuable?"
A special profession involving space—even if it did not sound particularly powerful—had to be precious beyond measure to Southwind City.
How could it be hidden on Zhou Zong?
The thing in his hand gradually became scalding hot. Su Chen knew he could not take it. Looting a few potions might not be a big deal, but this item would definitely bring enormous trouble.
He stuffed it back in. He had been careful while taking it apart, but it was inevitable that he left traces. Then he put Zhou Zong's clothes back on him.
"I'll let you off today." Su Chen took two steps back.
"He put it back..." The person in the shadows had a cold gleam in his eyes as killing intent gradually spread. This was already someone who knew too much.
But the next moment, his heart lurched. The other party suddenly turned around and stared directly at where he was hiding.
Bang!
The ground exploded beneath Su Chen's feet, scattering dead leaves everywhere. His speed was so fast that even the hidden man was startled. In nearly the blink of an eye, Su Chen had arrived before him.
Su Chen's expression was grave. Thanks to the [Candlefire Mental Training Method], his mental power had become much more active. The moment he pulled that thin sheet of paper from the clothes, he had sensed something was wrong.
Later, he became certain that someone else was secretly watching from nearby, sending a chill through his entire body.
[Wind Erosion] activated. His heart gave a violent thump, the muscles in his right arm tightened, veins bulged, and he drew back after gathering strength. A faint cyan whirlwind swirled around him.
His body became a great bow, his arm and fist an arrow, shooting fiercely toward his target.
But the other party moved with extraordinary speed as well. From the seemingly empty shadows, a withered arm suddenly shot out, looking limp and powerless.
Bang!
It sounded like a muffled cannon blast. Their fists touched and immediately separated. Borrowing the force of his retreat and using [Windstride], Su Chen drifted with the wind like a sheet of paper, floating far away in an instant.
"What terrifying strength. This must be that attacker..." Su Chen's arm tingled and trembled uncontrollably. After that brief exchange, he knew he was no match for the other party.
"Not a Tier 2 Professional, but he possesses elemental power. With that bizarre movement and speed, is he a peak Tier 1 profession? Southwind City actually has a profession like this hidden away!"
Yet the other party was even more shocked, staring fixedly at Su Chen as he drifted away.
Under normal circumstances, he would have chased after him.
But now, bustling voices were already drifting over from not far away, and his gaze could only fall on Zhou Zong.
He had to retrieve the item first.
Not long afterward, a mournful howl echoed through the forest.
"My Blood-Activating Potion! My Revitalizing Potion! Zhang Hengyu, I'll fuck you—"
The Inspection Guards who had arrived full of enthusiasm lost interest when they learned that an attack like this had already occurred before the academy theft.
They had no interest in getting involved in disputes between students.
"He was still that fierce. I wonder what level he was..." Back in his dormitory, Su Chen shook out his arm, his knuckles throbbing with pain.
"In other words, that thing recording the profession was what he gained from attacking the academy this time?" Su Chen pondered silently. "But the academy was so anxious about it. Couldn't the writing on it be copied down? There must be some other secret. I'll ask Old Bai next time."
Then he eagerly opened his panel. "Special profession, Space Storage User..."
The name did not sound impressive, but at least it had something to do with space. Still, its advancement requirements were quite demanding.
He had never even heard of this so-called "Spatial Crystal." He also had to pass through a spatial rift and possess a peak Tier 2 mental-type profession.
"But traversing space doesn't count as passing through a spatial rift?" Su Chen flipped through the panel. "Strange. Is it because the level is higher?"
He had gone out for a free haul and gotten decent gains. Su Chen did not dwell on it too much and instead took out the potions.
Compared with that special profession, these were what he could actually use right now.
"The Sky-Rending Warrior really is fierce. It's stronger than a Strongman by far..." Su Chen had gained a deeper understanding through actual combat. Under equal conditions, a Sky-Rending Warrior would absolutely crush a Strongman.
That also made him look forward even more to becoming a Mystic Artificer.
The [Candlefire Mental Training Method] was not far from the master level.
With these two tubes of Revitalizing Potion, it would probably happen even faster.
He opened his mouth and downed a tube. The Revitalizing Potion tasted icy cold, unlike the Blood-Activating Potion.
Su Chen could clearly feel the cool liquid slide down his throat into his stomach. Then his mind jolted awake, his spirit surging with vigor.
Knowing the medicine was taking effect, Su Chen hurriedly began visualizing a candle flame in his mind, increasing the speed considerably.
His proficiency began to rise slowly as well.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the lights in a luxuriously decorated room were dim.
Qi Chuan reported in a low voice, "Director, Hu Xiang, a Level Two Patrol Captain from the Patrol Department, is leading Southwind Academy's patrol outside the city this time."
"He is a Tier 2 Professional. I've already reached an agreement with him. At certain times, he'll turn a blind eye."
"Hu Xiang is a stubborn rock. How did you buy him off?"
The person seated behind the desk was rather surprised.
Qi Chuan smiled. "Even stubborn rocks have things they care about. Besides, it's only a transaction. He won't care too much about a drifter."
"Good..." He nodded in satisfaction.
Qi Chuan immediately continued, "I'm planning to find two Tier 1 Professionals to act in secret."
"Professionals again?" The director frowned. "He's just a drifter. Is it worth making such a big fuss?"
"It'll be outside the city, after all. Better safe than sorry." Qi Chuan used operating outside the city as an explanation, but in truth, he simply felt uneasy and wanted to ensure nothing could go wrong.
The man nodded reluctantly, then warned, "This Su Chen is only a minor character. Yuan Chenyang is the key. It would be best if it can be handled without a sound."
"After asking around in several places, it seems Yuan Chenyang does not think highly of Su Chen. He only casually handed this matter over to his subordinates." Qi Chuan hesitated before adding, "However, Zhou Zong also seems to be targeting Su Chen and appears to be planning something."
"What?" He was both startled and uncertain. "How did Zhou Zong get involved with him?"
Qi Chuan explained, "Because of Bai Fengxi. I discovered that he should not have been included in this patrol, but he forced his way onto the list. Bai Fengxi is also on it."
"Idiot!" He abruptly rose to his feet, his expression incomparably ugly. "What an idiot!"
Once someone was on the list, removing them required going through the City Lord. It was extremely troublesome.
After cursing twice, he took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "This time, he cannot be affected."
Qi Chuan nodded. "Understood."
Three days before he was due to join the city patrol, Su Chen officially received a notice from the Patrol Department informing him of the assembly location and time.
"If you are absent, you will be dealt with as a traitor to the city!"
The Patrol Department messenger looked solemn as he emphasized the consequences.
Su Chen silently nodded and accepted the notice. They would accompany the City Patrol Guard on a fifteen-day patrol, leaving through the south gate and ending at the east gate.
This was considered a small city patrol. A large city patrol took at least a month, so they would not need to participate in one.
These patrols were mainly meant to broaden their horizons and give them experience.
"Outside the city..." Su Chen exhaled, and records he had read surfaced in his mind.
The boundless fog held far too many secrets, brimming with all kinds of unimaginable dangers and opportunities.
This time, perhaps he would get a glimpse of a small part of it.
He glanced at his panel. [Candlefire Mental Training Method—Proficiency: 95%]
"After becoming a Mystic Artificer, I'll probably need a new mental training method too..." Su Chen kneaded his temples, making preparations in advance.
Several consecutive days of mental training had left him with an indescribable exhaustion.
The first person he thought of was Jiang He. He was preparing to get some free benefits from this teacher.
For some reason, after entering the key training program, he had interacted with Jiang He less often. She did not take the initiative to seek him out either.
It was as though everything that had happened before had simply been erased.
He checked the time. It was only mid-afternoon, so Su Chen left the dormitory building and headed to Jiang He's office. However, the door was tightly locked, and no one was inside.
"Sigh... Not having V really is troublesome..." Su Chen sighed helplessly, then thought of Bai Fengxi.
This "big shot," along with Yuan Chenyang, definitely had advanced mental training methods. He could also take the opportunity to ask her about the academy attack.
"Still, it probably won't be easy to bring it up..." Su Chen thought about it. Since he was already out, he decided to go build some rapport first.
He took out his Message Communicator and sent her a message, but no reply came for a long time.
After some thought, Su Chen sent another message. "I want to pay you back."
There was still no response. He was certain Bai Fengxi was not deliberately ignoring him.
"Busy?" Su Chen remembered the mental training class listed on the schedule. There was one right now. "I wonder whether Old Bai is there."
Mental training was stricter than physical training. Just looking at the price difference between Blood-Activating Potions and Revitalizing Potions made that clear. Very few people could participate in mental training, and none of them were ordinary.
Not long afterward, Su Chen walked out helplessly from beneath a building bearing the words "Meditation."
He had wanted to sneak into the mental training class to listen, but he only had access to physical training classes and could only wait outside.
Without caring about his image at all, he sat on the steps, leaned back on his hands, and looked up at the artificial light source in the sky.
"What kind of world is this, exactly..." Su Chen had been here for some time now, yet everything still felt strange.
He gave a self-mocking smile. "It seems strange to me, but everyone else is used to it."
His eyes unfocused as he began thinking about many things. Perhaps because his mind was overly exhausted, he even saw a huge shadow emerge in the sky, as if something was about to crash down.
"...Holy shit!!" Su Chen's pupils abruptly contracted. He jumped to his feet and stared wide-eyed at the sky. It was not an illusion. There really was a fucking shadow.
The true sky above the artificial light source was only a hazy pale white, but one area had clearly darkened, and it was slowly moving.
At the same time, an indescribable suffocating sensation pressed in from all directions, as though he were drowning.
Quite a few students around him had already collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the suffocating pressure.
That familiar yet unfamiliar sensation instantly stirred certain memories hidden in the original owner's mind. The original owner had experienced this feeling twice before.
"This is... a powerful Professional passing overhead!"
Before you continue