Su Chen's heart trembled as he stared at the enormous shadow in the sky. He could even faintly hear a rumble.
The shadow looked irregular, as though it had been split in half down the middle.
"Why does it look like a pair of... wings?" Su Chen swallowed. The feeling did not last long before the shadow gradually vanished.
Around him, the students who had collapsed to the ground also got back up. Rather than feeling embarrassed, they excitedly discussed what they had seen.
"What level of professional was that? Such a huge shadow—it had to be some powerful physical-class professional."
"It looked like wings. I heard that some powerful professionals undergo physical mutations too."
"The last time a powerful professional passed through here seemed to be five years ago. Thank you..."
Quite a few students bowed in the direction where the shadow had disappeared, expressing their gratitude.
Cities were not absolutely safe either. Dangers in the mist sometimes attacked cities.
When a powerful professional passed through, they could strongly deter certain things and even eliminate danger.
"Can truly powerful professionals cross the mist?" Su Chen murmured. His predecessor's memories spanned more than ten years, and without environmental triggers, many of them were difficult for him to recall.
Experiencing it firsthand was far more vivid than anything in those memories.
"Of course. What many powerful professionals can do is beyond imagination." A voice suddenly came from behind him. Su Chen jumped and spun around, only to see a broad-faced middle-aged man.
"Uh..." Su Chen sized the man up, finding him unfamiliar. He had deliberately memorized the faces of the school's major leaders.
"This year's elite training class has a good foundation." The disguised Yuan Chenyang looked at the youth before him with appreciation in his eyes.
Even when high-level professionals released only a trace of their life-force pressure, ordinary people could not endure it.
Most of the students had fallen, yet this one had remained standing perfectly straight.
Class was over?
Su Chen watched a group of people emerge from the building. They should have been from the spiritual training class.
This guy thought I was from the spiritual training class too?
But where was Old Bai?
Su Chen looked around and noticed that the bald man nearby was also scanning the area, probably looking for someone as well.
He opened the spirit communicator and found that Bai Fengxi had replied at some point: "Keep it with you for now. I have things to deal with these next few days."
With Old Bai absent, Su Chen felt mentally exhausted and simply went back to sleep.
"Little Bai didn't come?" Yuan Chenyang's thick brows rose, and his expression changed slightly. "I've been so focused on investigating that thief lately that I nearly forgot the date. Little Bai is probably about to take up her profession."
"She should have already started. Going now would be useless." Yuan Chenyang helplessly shook his head. When he turned around, however, the youth from earlier was nowhere to be seen.
"He left?"
He had intended to ask the students in front of him about the youth, but they were watching him warily.
Only then did Yuan Chenyang realize that he had been moving around in disguise these past days while searching for the thief.
If he revealed his distinctive bald head and these students immediately gathered around him with reverent faces, calling him Principal, that would be rather awkward.
"He can't run far anyway."
Having discovered a promising seedling, Yuan Chenyang's mood, which had been ruined by the thief over the past few days, improved considerably.
"Hmm..." Then he remembered Su Chen, whom he had arranged to enter the training class, and his expression darkened.
"Forget it. What if he turns out to be worth cultivating too? I'll go take a look."
Yuan Chenyang made his way to another teaching building and called out Instructor Zheng, who was in the middle of teaching.
"Minister Yuan?" Instructor Zheng said in surprise, unconsciously straightening his back.
Yuan Chenyang had already restored his true appearance. He did not waste words and merely said, "Call out that Su Chen."
"Su Chen?" Instructor Zheng's gaze flickered.
"What is it?" Yuan Chenyang frowned.
"He... didn't come," Instructor Zheng said helplessly.
"He didn't come today?" Yuan Chenyang's expression turned ugly.
"He's never come. Since choosing a profession in the first class, he hasn't attended again." Instructor Zheng glanced at Yuan Chenyang.
"What!" Yuan Chenyang flew into a rage. "And you didn't do anything about a student like that?"
Instructor Zheng hesitated. He had wanted to intervene, but after contacting Wei Zhigao, he learned that Su Chen had entered through Minister Yuan's connections.
He had originally come from the Inspection Department, so after considering it, he decided to leave it alone.
Yuan Chenyang realized this as well. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he suppressed his anger and asked, "What profession did he choose?"
"Gale Walker."
"A first-tier upper-grade profession?" Yuan Chenyang's face darkened. He immediately realized something. Could that brat be planning to resell the profession information?
"Get him..." Yuan Chenyang had not expected the other party to use such a trick to deceive Little Bai.
Information on a first-tier upper-grade profession could fetch a decent price on the black market.
He had originally wanted to expel him directly, but then thought better of it. He had personally arranged for the boy to enter, and expelling him only a few days later would be rather humiliating.
"Fine. When his review period is up, target him with the harshest standards possible!" he ordered.
Instructor Zheng was briefly stunned, unsure whether Yuan Chenyang meant it sarcastically or seriously.
"Don't overthink it. Just do as I tell you," Yuan Chenyang added.
"Yes," Instructor Zheng replied solemnly.
Yuan Chenyang left in displeasure. He brushed his arm ring and pulled up a virtual screen, sending a message. "Keep an eye on the black markets in the city. If information on the Gale Walker profession is put up for sale, inform me immediately."
"Yes!"
Yuan Chenyang had thought of a better way to handle the matter. He sighed. "I'll use you to teach Little Bai a lesson. She's just too kindhearted. She can't see how dangerous people can be."
He did not devote much thought to this matter. His main task remained catching that thief.
The next afternoon, Su Chen, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed, suddenly shuddered. It felt as though his forehead had been rubbed with mint, and everything around him became clearer than ever.
Faintly, he seemed able to see the outline of the room through his eyelids.
"Hm?" Su Chen opened his eyes, and the panel appeared.
[Candle Flame—Master] [Acquired Trait—Spiritual Vision: Can use spiritual power to vaguely sense the surrounding area.]
Two information points seemed to be enough only to raise proficiency to the Master level.
Moreover, reaching the Master level granted a trait.
Su Chen thought of the [Basic Combat] that had been swallowed by [Strongman].
"Spiritual Vision isn't bad..." Su Chen closed his eyes and experienced the miraculous sensation. He did not know whether it was unique to the panel, or whether others could gain such an ability by training [Candle Flame] to its limit.
"With this, there's only one final step before I can become a Mystic Artificer... the Whispering Trial." Su Chen could not help feeling uneasy.
Up to now, although his requirements for taking up professions had been varied, none had involved directly facing danger like this.
The Whispering Trial carried a risk of losing control. In severe cases, one could even become insane.
But if he wanted to become a Mystic Artificer, he had to go through it.
[Candle Flame] had just reached the Master level, and his spiritual power was abundant. He did not hesitate further and immediately began preparing.
He sealed the curtains, the gaps around the door, and every other opening tightly, leaving the entire room in absolute silence.
He had initially wanted to hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign outside the door, but after thinking about it, he gave up on the idea.
He did not know many people to begin with, and normally no one would look for him over the next day or two. But if he hung up a sign, someone might deliberately knock.
Once everything was ready, Su Chen took a deep breath, stripped bare from the waist up, cut open his palm, and used his blood to draw an inverted cross on his chest.
The process was not difficult. Su Chen even felt doubtful. Drawing an inverted cross on his chest would let him hear whispers? Back in his previous life, that would definitely have been labeled a cult ritual.
However, the moment he finished drawing it, before he could even lower his finger, a rustling sound suddenly came from beside his ear, like the sound of rats moving about.
Su Chen's entire body went numb. He hurriedly held his breath and focused, gaining a more direct understanding of how dangerous this world was.
In the darkness, time seemed to pass very slowly. The rustling beside his ears gradually turned into a low, chaotic murmur, as though many people were whispering something into Su Chen's ears.
He instinctively tried to hear them clearly, but could not make out a single word. Instead, he began to feel dizzy, while his stomach churned.
The dizziness grew heavier and heavier. Whether he opened or closed his eyes, the darkness before him seemed exactly the same.
The world spun around Su Chen. The voices beside his ears grew louder and louder, and his head began to ache violently, yet he still could not distinguish what they were saying.
Flames seemed to burn before his eyes, and the entire world trembled. He vaguely saw something burning on the horizon—an inverted cross hanging in the sky.
Suddenly, he felt cold, as though some viscous liquid had wrapped around his body.
At that very moment, he opened his eyes, relying on instinct.
He practically crashed into the window at top speed. The wall let out a dull thud, but he ignored it and violently tore down the curtains. With a ripping sound, dim light shone through.
Su Chen gasped for breath as he leaned against the window. His entire body was soaked in sweat, and his heart pounded wildly.
"Damn it..."
He had a feeling that if he had remained immersed in that cold sensation for even a little longer, he would never have returned. Fortunately, the panel had appeared in time.
It had not merely felt like facing death. It had been an indescribable terror.
"This is fucking creepy..." Su Chen cursed under his breath to vent his emotions, then opened the panel to shift his attention.
Two golden words had appeared behind [Mystic Artificer]—Take Up Profession.
Everything he had endured had been for this moment. Su Chen chose to take up the profession without hesitation.
In an instant, his body stiffened, his pupils dilated, and it felt as though ice water had been poured into his brain. His spiritual power rapidly expanded. Fragments of the curtain he had just torn down began to tremble, yet the window remained tightly shut and there was no wind in the room.
[Mystic Artificer profession successfully taken up.] [Acquired Profession Ability—Mystic Art Control: Control selected special items.] [Acquired Profession Ability—Spirit Spike: Can launch spiritual attacks against targets.]
After a long while, the transformation ended. Su Chen struggled to adapt to the sensation. Everything before him was clearer than ever.
Previously, he could only focus his attention on one or two places. Now, it seemed as if he could spread his spiritual power across the entire room. Along with it came a swelling ache in his head.
Even with his eyes closed, the sensation remained.
Because his spiritual power had surged, everything observed through [Spiritual Vision] had become clearer as well.
At short distances, it was almost no different from having his eyes open. He would probably need some time to adapt.
Then the panel appeared again—
[Additional reward triggered. The controlled Mystic Artifact Blue-veined Hemp Rope has been upgraded to second-tier—Blue-Iron Lock Cable.]
This was what the Arcane Apprentice had given Su Chen in exchange for retreating behind him.
The hemp rope he had hidden beneath the bed was pulled by an invisible force and shot out. The tangled blue-veined strands gradually came apart, turning into thin fibers that drifted through the air.
Then, as though soaked by some force, its very nature transformed. A cold, hard sheen seeped out from deep within the fibers, rapidly spreading before settling into place.
The soft texture of hemp rope gradually became metallic threads with a metal luster. Then they twisted together once more, forming an alloy bundle only as thick as his little finger.
"It actually evolved into a second-tier item." Su Chen's heart stirred as he looked at the dense, cold bundle of alloy glimmering with a dark metallic light. A realization came to him.
"Mystic Art Control seems to be more than simply making it fly..."
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