Suddenly Appearing Ruins, Yuan Chenyang's Imminent Disaster

"Those two had already developed into the latter half of the first tier?" Su Chen could not help but think. "But when I made my move, I didn't feel any resistance at all."

But considering the two top-tier professions he possessed, along with a special second-tier item, such crushing superiority was only natural.

"Blackflame Potion. Perfect, I'll see what it tastes like." Su Chen licked his lips.

He had long since used up his Blood-Activating Potions, and he rather missed that feeling of high efficiency.

He pulled out the stopper and took only a small sip. The situation did not yet allow him to lower his guard.

It was like swallowing molten lava alive. The scorching liquid rolled down his throat, gradually spreading through his entire body as a stabbing pain radiated from within to without.

"Fuck, that's intense..." Even Su Chen was startled. The potion's effects far exceeded his expectations; just one small sip was this potent.

[Molten Stone Training Method] activated on its own. The two forms of stimulation did not stack; instead, they resisted each other. The stabbing pain gradually faded, but his body grew increasingly active.

Southwind City, inside the municipal offices. City Lord Zhang Hongbo stood before the window, staring solemnly at the horizon. From this high floor, the endless city walls could vaguely be seen.

Bang!

The door was flung open, and Yuan Chenyang and Zhou Xian entered one after the other.

Yuan Chenyang looked haggard, his face grave.

Zhou Xian remained silent as he surveyed the people in the room: the Patrol Department, the Exploration Department, the Research Department, the Inspection Department behind him, and himself, the head of the Internal Affairs Hall. All of the city's upper ranks were here. This was no small matter.

"Inspector Yuan, I heard the thief was found, but you accidentally killed him. And the Holy Word Stone still hasn't been recovered," the head of the Patrol Department said flatly. "That was something we painstakingly found in the ruins last time, something even Ying Feng took notice of. Only half the profession information on it has been deciphered, and it involves space. Its value is extraordinary."

"Ying Feng's people are already on their way. Have you figured out how to explain this?"

Yuan Chenyang shot him a cold glance. Several people present wore undisguised looks of schadenfreude.

He snorted inwardly and said coolly, "How I explain myself is none of Minister Feng's concern."

Even so, he could not help feeling powerless. Someone had clearly been working both inside and outside, yet he had failed to discover who it was.

The timing of the thief's appearance was also suspicious. He had hidden for so long, only to suddenly emerge for no apparent reason.

Yuan Chenyang had clearly held back, but the man had still died. There was no way to interrogate him, leaving Yuan Chenyang at a dead end.

Forget explaining himself—he had not even cleared himself of suspicion of silencing a witness.

There was no one in Southwind City capable of judging him, but once Ying Feng's people arrived, things would become troublesome.

The other man snorted and was about to speak when Zhang Hongbo turned around and interrupted him. "Now that everyone is here, I'll get to it."

Everyone held their breath.

Zhang Hongbo said sternly, "The fort guards in South City's A2 Zone have been unresponsive for more than twenty-four hours. It is reasonable to suspect that they have already been overrun."

Everyone's expressions changed. "How could this happen so suddenly?"

"It was likely an unexpected situation caused by a higher lifeform passing through," Zhang Hongbo said.

"South City?" Zhou Xian suddenly asked, his expression turning ugly.

"That's right. It's the direction South Harvest Academy's routine city patrol took this time." Zhang Hongbo nodded.

"What?" Yuan Chenyang sprang to his feet, no longer concerned about the thief. "Then what are we waiting for? Send people after them immediately."

"No, I'll lead the team myself."

"Yes, we need to send people there as soon as possible. If something happens, the consequences could be severe, especially with Ying Feng's people about to arrive." Zhou Xian's expression shifted as he joined in, his face filled with concern.

Everyone knew that Zhou Xian's son and Yuan Chenyang's student were both part of this group. Their anxiety was understandable.

"I'm not finished." Zhang Hongbo swept his gaze over them and continued, "The Research Department has also detected a sudden surge in fog density in the direction of South City. A ruin is suspected to have appeared."

"A ruin? So close... Could it be related to the A2 fort guards losing contact?" The others could no longer sit still. The appearance of every ruin represented enormous profit.

"I share that suspicion. Therefore, I've decided to lead the team personally. Inspector Yuan and Hall Master Zhou will come with me." Zhang Hongbo nodded.

"No problem," Yuan Chenyang responded at once.

After reaching an agreement, they immediately began preparations. Zhang Hongbo mobilized the Exploration Department's elites to accompany them.

In less than half an hour, the team was assembled. They departed from South City and followed the route in pursuit.

Buzz... The purple stone door before them gradually opened. As Jiang Rong watched the slender figure emerge, he could not help letting out a sigh of relief. A gratified smile appeared on his aged face. "As expected of my daughter."

It was Jiang He, who had been missing for so long. A faint strange light flickered in her eyes, causing invisible ripples to spread through the surrounding air.

"Almost..." Jiang He's voice was hoarse, still carrying lingering fear. "I almost didn't make it back."

"It's good that your advancement succeeded. You're already a second-tier professional now; the Blood Oath Contract won't have much effect on you." Jiang Rong also relaxed, then added, "There's something else. The person behind Qi Chuan isn't Yuan Chenyang."

"Hm?" Jiang He abruptly looked over, pale purple light flaring in her pupils.

"The reason Su Chen was able to enter the key training class seems to be because of... Bai Fengxi." Jiang Rong's expression was odd. He had not expected Su Chen's connections to be so convoluted, and it had taken him some time to figure them out.

"Bai Fengxi?" Jiang He was blank for a moment before recalling, "Yuan Chenyang's female student."

"He certainly has some skill." Jiang He's expression was difficult to describe. "That still counts as some connection to Yuan Chenyang."

"Yuan Chenyang may not be able to save himself..." Jiang Rong shook his head meaningfully. "The thief was found, but the stolen item wasn't. When Ying Feng holds him accountable, he'll have to take responsibility."

Jiang He realized, "Then we can still use Su Chen to find out Qi Chuan's situation?"

He nodded. "That's right. Something has happened outside the city. The people who went out will return soon."

"Since Su Chen wasn't put on the key list by Qi Chuan, Qi Chuan will surely make a move outside the city. But he doesn't know Su Chen's background, and there isn't enough time. He probably won't be able to accomplish much."

"After Su Chen returns, his curiosity about Su Chen will only grow stronger."

It took Jiang He some effort to sort out the chain of events, but she tossed it aside in the next moment.

Su Chen... She licked her slightly chapped lips, her interest in that little wolf dog rising once more.

This time, she was a second-tier professional. She would have the upper hand again.

"Hm?"

Su Chen abruptly opened his eyes. His skin was flushed, wisps of mist curling around him. His body felt as though it were being scorched by flames, yet he sensed something strange.

"It seems to be... the Blood Oath Contract..." Su Chen pressed a hand to his chest and murmured, "Has it been lifted?"

An indescribable urgency rose within him, not because of Jiang He, but because his sense of security had been weakened by another fraction.

There had been no substantive conflict between him and Jiang He, but neither did he consider her a friend. Because of the Blood Oath Contract, they might even become enemies.

He glanced at the panel—

[Sky-Rending Warrior: 30%]

[Molten Stone Training Method—Proficient: 5%]

Only visibly measurable progress could give him even a little sense of security.

He pondered, "Still, I need to put a meditation method for mental development on the agenda. Otherwise, my Mystic Artificer profession will remain stuck here."

"What a hassle..."

One night passed. Su Chen drank an entire serving of Blackflame Potion bit by bit, raising the development level of [Sky-Rending Warrior] to 32%.

[Molten Stone Training Method] also rose to 20% under high-intensity operation. Its improvement speed had fallen slightly compared with the beginner stage.

The next morning, the main group assembled. The students were not in particularly good spirits, and Zhou Zong was especially bad off. He had stood watch for Su Chen the night before, and with too little rest, his eyes were bloodshot.

Su Chen, however, was in good spirits. Mystic Artificers were, after all, spiritually inclined; staying awake for several nights was not much of a problem. The nutrients contained in the Blackflame Potion were enough to replenish his body's expenditure.

The logistics staff distributed breakfast. Compared to the roasted meat from the previous evening, breakfast was rather plain: standard compressed nutrient solution.

Hu Xiang looked around from side to side, but his gaze repeatedly drifted toward Su Chen, who was eating with his head lowered.

After calming everyone down last night, he had deliberately searched near the coordinates where Su Chen had been standing watch. However, he had not found the corpse he had expected.

This made him suspicious. Had Su Chen hidden his strength deeply and killed the attacker instead?

Or had the attacker truly only been following Old Zhao's instructions, returning to notify the camp once the time was up, while the two attackers had been killed by some unknown danger in the fog?

Hu Xiang's instincts leaned toward the latter.

Otherwise, for Su Chen to eliminate two first-tier professionals in such a short time and with so little commotion, he had hidden his strength far too deeply.

Yet reason told Hu Xiang that Su Chen seemed to have already seen through him, leaving him unable to make sense of it.