Collision with the Attacker! A Powerful Professional Passes Through

"They still found out..." The eyes hidden in the dark gradually sharpened.

A Space Storage User?

Su Chen was startled by the sudden flood of information. A chill ran through his entire body, and he abruptly came back to his senses.

"This... seems pretty valuable?"

A special profession involving space—even if it did not sound especially powerful—had to be incomparably precious to Southwind City.

How could it have been hidden on Zhou Zong?

The item in his hand gradually felt scalding. Su Chen knew he could not take it. Looting a few potions might not have been a big deal, but this thing would definitely bring huge trouble.

He stuffed it back. He had been careful while taking it apart, but it was impossible not to leave 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 hidden man's eyes gleamed coldly as killing intent gradually spread. This was now someone who knew.

But in the next instant, his heart jolted. The other party suddenly turned his head and stared directly at where he was hiding.

Bang!

The ground exploded beneath his feet, sending dead leaves flying. The other party was incredibly fast, startling even him. In almost the blink of an eye, he was right in front of him.

Su Chen's expression turned grave. Thanks to the [Candlefire Mental Training Method], his mental power had become much more active. The moment he took that thin sheet of paper from the clothes, he had sensed that something was wrong.

Later, he had confirmed that someone else was secretly watching from nearby, making his whole body go cold.

[Wind Erosion] activated. His heart pounded fiercely, the muscles in his right arm tightened, veins bulged, and he drew back with stored force as a faint green whirlwind swirled around him.

His body became a great bow, his arm and fist the arrow, shooting fiercely toward his target.

But the other party moved just as quickly. From the seemingly empty shadows sprang a withered arm, appearing limp and powerless.

Bang!

It sounded like a muffled cannon blast. Their fists touched and immediately recoiled. Borrowing the force of being knocked backward, Su Chen used [Windstride] as well, drifting far away in the wind like a sheet of paper.

"Such tremendous force. This must be that attacker..." Su Chen's arm felt faintly numb and trembled without stop. From that brief exchange alone, he knew he was no match for the other party.

"Not a second-tier professional, but he has elemental power. That strange movement method and speed... Is he a top-tier first-tier profession? Southwind City has a profession like that hidden away!"

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 coming from nearby, so his gaze could only fall on Zhou Zong.

He had to get the item back first.

Not long afterward, a howl of anguish echoed through the forest.

"My Blood-Activating Potions, my Revitalizing Potions! Zhang Hengyu, fuck you!"

The inspectors who had rushed over eagerly lost interest after learning that this kind of attack had already happened once 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 is..." Back in his dormitory, Su Chen shook out his arm, his knuckles throbbing with pain.

"So that thing recording a profession was what he got from attacking the academy this time?" Su Chen pondered in secret. But why is the academy in such a hurry? Can't the words 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 like much, but it was related to space, at least. Its advancement requirements, however, were rather harsh.

He had never even heard of this so-called "space crystal." He also had to pass through a spatial rift and possess a top-tier second-tier mental-type profession.

"But teleportation doesn't count as passing through a spatial rift?" Su Chen looked through the panel. "Strange. Is it because the specifications are higher?"

He had gone out to get something for free and had made a decent haul, so Su Chen did not dwell on it. Instead, he took out the potions.

Compared to that special profession, these were what he could use right now.

"The Sky-Rending Warrior really is fierce. It's more than a little stronger than the Strongman..." Su Chen had gained a deeper understanding through actual combat. Under equal conditions, a Sky-Rending Warrior could absolutely crush a Strongman.

That also made him look forward even more to the [Mystic Artificer].

The [Candlefire Mental Training Method] was not far from master level.

With these two tubes of Revitalizing Potion, it would probably be even faster.

He opened his mouth and downed one tube. The Revitalizing Potion tasted cool and different from the Blood-Activating Potion.

Su Chen could clearly feel the icy liquid sliding down his throat into his stomach. Then his mind jolted, and his spirit surged.

Knowing the medicine was taking effect, Su Chen hurriedly began visualizing candlefire in his mind, increasing the speed considerably.

His proficiency began to rise slowly as well.

At the same time, in another lavishly decorated room, the lighting was dim.

Qi Chuan reported in a low voice, "Director, Southwind Academy's upcoming patrol outside the city will be led by Hu Xiang, a second-level patrol captain from the Patrol Department."

"He's a second-tier professional. I've already discussed it with him. At certain times, he'll turn a blind eye."

"Hu Xiang is a stubborn rock. How did you buy him off?"

The man seated behind the desk was rather surprised.

Qi Chuan smiled. "Even stubborn rocks have things they care about. Besides, this is merely a transaction. He won't care too much about a single vagrant."

"Not bad..." He nodded in satisfaction.

Qi Chuan continued, "I intend to find two first-tier professionals and have them act in secret."

"Professionals again?" The director could not help frowning. "He's just a vagrant. Is this really worth making such a big fuss over?"

"It'll be outside the city, so it's better to be prepared." Qi Chuan used acting outside the city as his explanation, but in truth, he was uneasy and wanted to ensure nothing could go wrong.

The man reluctantly nodded, then warned, "This Su Chen is only a minor character. Yuan Chenyang is the important one. It would be best if this could be done without a sound."

"After making inquiries from several sources, it seems Yuan Chenyang does not think highly of Su Chen. He merely handed this matter casually to his subordinates." Qi Chuan hesitated before adding, "However, Zhou Zong also seems to be targeting Su Chen. He appears to be planning something."

"What?" He looked uncertain and alarmed. "How did Zhou Zong get involved with him?"

Qi Chuan explained, "Because of Bai Fengxi. I found out that he was not supposed to be part of this patrol, but he inserted himself into the list. Bai Fengxi is on it as well."

"Idiot!" He abruptly rose to his feet, his expression extremely ugly. "What an idiot!"

Once someone was on the list, removing them required going through the city lord, which was extremely troublesome.

After cursing twice, he took a deep breath and said gravely, "This time, he cannot be affected."

Qi Chuan nodded. "Understood."

Three days before he was to join the city patrol, Su Chen officially received a notice from the Patrol Department telling him the gathering place and time.

"If you are absent, you will be treated as a traitor to the city!"

The Patrol Department official wore a solemn expression as he emphasized the consequences.

Su Chen silently nodded and accepted the notice. They would accompany the city patrol guards on a fifteen-day patrol, leaving through the south gate and finishing at the east gate.

This was considered a small city patrol. A major city patrol took at least a month, and they did not need to participate in those.

This kind of patrol was more about broadening their horizons and giving them some experience.

"Outside the city..." Su Chen let out a breath as records he had read came to mind.

The boundless mist contained too many secrets, and it was filled with all kinds of unimaginable dangers and opportunities.

This time, perhaps he could glimpse 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 rubbed his temples, preparing for the future.

Several consecutive days of mental training had left him with an indescribable exhaustion.

The first person he thought of was Jiang He. He planned to go get something for free from this teacher.

For some reason, ever since entering the key training program, he had had less contact with Jiang He. She did not take the initiative to seek him out either.

It was as if what 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 for Jiang He's office. The door was tightly locked, and no one was inside.

"Sigh... It's a pain not having V..." Su Chen sighed helplessly, then thought of Bai Fengxi.

That "big shot," along with her teacher Yuan Chenyang, definitely had advanced mental training methods. He could also ask her about the academy attack while he was at it.

"But it probably won't be easy to bring it up..." Su Chen thought for a moment. Since he was already out, he decided to go build up their relationship first.

He took out his spirit communicator and sent her a message, but no reply came for a long time.

After thinking it over, Su Chen sent another message.

"I'm here to pay you back."

She still did not reply. He was certain Bai Fengxi was not deliberately ignoring him.

"Busy?" Su Chen recalled the mental training class on the schedule. There was one right now. "I wonder if Old Bai is there."

Mental training was stricter than physical training. One only had to look at the difference in price between Blood-Activating Potions and Revitalizing Potions to understand. Very few people could attend mental training, and every one of them was extraordinary.

Not long afterward, Su Chen walked out helplessly from beneath a building bearing the word "Meditation."

He had wanted to sneak into the mental training class and listen in, but he only had clearance for physical training classes and could do nothing but wait outside.

Without concern for his image, he sat on the steps, braced himself with his hands behind him, and looked up at the artificial light source in the sky.

"What kind of world is this, really..." Su Chen had been here for some time now, yet everything still felt strange to him.

He smiled self-mockingly. "It seems strange to me, but everyone else is used to it."

His eyes grew unfocused as he could not help thinking of many things. Perhaps because his mind was overly exhausted, he even saw a huge shadow appear in the sky, as if something were about to fall down.

"...Fuck!!" Su Chen's pupils suddenly contracted. He leaped 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 gray-white expanse, but one area had clearly darkened, and it was slowly moving.

At the same time, an indescribable sense of suffocation pressed in from every direction, 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 buried in the original owner's mind. The original owner had experienced this feeling twice before.

"This is... a powerful professional passing through!"