The Lower Defeats the Higher, a Tier-One Top-Class Profession [Mystic Artificer]

According to Jiang He, even Southwind Academy students were not entirely exempt from leaving the city.

Coupled with the previous assassination attempt, the mastermind likely would not let the matter rest. And with the small contest of wits between him and Jiang He, Su Chen could not help feeling pressed for time.

"Becoming a Strongman at least gives me some means of self-defense, but..." His gaze settled on "Arcane Apprentice."

It was a tier-one upper-class profession, and he had already witnessed how formidable it was.

There had been two professionals, and they had even poisoned him in advance. Without him, they probably would have still had to go through quite a bit of trouble.

As for "Rope Master," he thought it over for a moment and found it somewhat lacking.

When Old Ghost had been hit by the area-of-effect mental attack, he had performed even worse than the big brute. No wonder Jiang He had called it a useless profession.

Controlling ropes probably did not rely on mental power either. It was somewhat useful, but not by much.

"I need to become an Arcane Apprentice as soon as possible..." Su Chen made up his mind.

But just as he was about to begin the Candlefire Mental Training Method, several lines of text suddenly appeared on the panel.

[Having sensed the host's inner disdain, the Rope Master flew into a rage from humiliation and reached its demonic claws toward the Arcane Apprentice, intending to devour it whole. The Arcane Apprentice responded with contempt and devoured it instead.]

[Obtained tier-one top-class profession—Mystic Artificer. Possesses the shared professional traits of Rope Master and Arcane Apprentice. Can be acquired after fulfilling the advancement conditions.]

Su Chen stared dumbfoundedly as the two professions gradually merged. Only after a long while did he force out, "It can... work like that? The lower defeated the higher and got killed instead?"

He wanted to say something, but did not know what to say.

This was a tier-one top-class profession. Jiang He only had the "tier-one upper-class" Arcane Apprentice, while this was top-class—two levels above Strongman. He should have been thrilled.

But the way he had obtained it left him... speechless.

After studying it carefully, his gaze fell on the words "professional traits."

Out of that long passage, those were the only words he did not quite understand. "What do professional traits represent? I'll probably only find the answer at Southern Academy."

He then looked at the advancement conditions. Rope Master and Arcane Apprentice each had two advancement conditions, but Mystic Artificer had three.

[Mystic Artificer advancement condition one: Obtain a tier-one special item (Blue-veined Hemp Rope obtained).]

[Mystic Artificer advancement condition two: Raise the Candlefire Mental Training Method to the "Master" stage.]

[Mystic Artificer advancement condition three: Last one minute in the Whispering Trial.]

[Because it inherited from Arcane Apprentice, all conditions must be completed before the profession can be acquired. An additional reward may therefore be obtained.]

It was a combination of both, but the difficulty had increased. The item requirement was not limited to ropes, though. Other tier-one items should work as well.

"What an unexpected gain..." Su Chen still felt strange, not knowing what special abilities this profession possessed.

Suppressing his emotions, he was not used to sleeping in this place anyway, so he simply began mental training, constructing a candle flame in his mind.

After just one attempt, he felt his mind clear slightly, as though some impurities had been wiped away.

[Candlefire Mental Training Method—Proficient: 1%]

It had already risen from Beginner to Proficient.

"That feels pretty good..." Su Chen savored the sensation, still wanting more, and soon immersed himself in training.

Dong—

A long, droning chime made Su Chen open his eyes. He felt somewhat tired.

[Candlefire Mental Training Method—Proficient: 55%]

The improvement really was fast. It had already been the latter half of the night when he returned, and only a few hours had passed.

This was the morning bell, heralding the start of a new day.

Su Chen rubbed his face, feeling hungry. Strongman had improved his physique, but it had also increased his metabolism.

He opened the cloth bag Little Pigeon had delivered yesterday and wolfed down its contents. Once he had eaten his fill, he felt much better.

"Southwind Academy..." Su Chen tidied himself up a little, preparing to find Jiang He and complete the formalities.

When he stepped out of the shed, there were already shadowy figures outside. Several people looked at him in surprise. The poor visibility last night had kept them from seeing what Su Chen looked like clearly.

Now that they did, they could not help feeling envious as they looked him up and down.

They looked familiar. Huang Peng, Black Dog... they were some of the people from last night.

These people were not so awful that they had to come over and mock him again, but they were not kind either. They had clearly "expelled" him, or rather, were waiting for him to see reality and apologize of his own accord.

Their group had few ways to make a living. Most of them took on tasks issued by the city administration. Those professional lords certainly would not do such miserable work, so these people served as supplementary labor.

That was why sticking together was so important. Otherwise, they would not get even the smallest share of the benefits.

"Is that Su Chen? He really looks different."

"Why does he seem so much like those upper-class people? Did he really step in shit?"

"No, I heard Wang Gou and the others say he only slept with her once before she kicked him out. He just got a set of clothes out of it."

There was plenty of discussion. Regardless of anything else, his outfit and clean face alone were enough to draw attention.

"Move, move..." A domineering voice rang out as several men, clearly a head taller than the rest, approached in city administration uniforms.

The leader was thick with muscle and gave off the same impression as the big brute from last night.

"Captain Zhang is here..."

Huang Peng eagerly greeted him from the side.

"Get lost!" The man rudely shoved him aside and walked straight up to Su Chen.

"Where's the money? Give it to me." He was even taller than Su Chen, his shadow covering him as he looked him over before holding out his hand without ceremony.

Su Chen narrowed his eyes. Zhang Man was the person in charge of this area, and he was also the one who had connected the original Su Chen with Jiang He.

There was no way Zhang Man would help him for no reason.

Of course, the original Su Chen had nothing worth plotting for either. But Zhang Man had told him that if Jiang He truly took a liking to him, and he could not enter Southwind Academy after sleeping with her—

Then he should ask Jiang He for a sum of money, eighty percent of which would go to Zhang Man.

"Su Chen..." Zhang Man spoke casually. Seeing that he did not respond, he added with a hint of warning, "Don't get too many ideas."

This was not the first time he had acted as a pimp. Quite a few refugees thought they had become someone special after sleeping with an upper-class person. Whenever that happened, he would make them wake up to reality.

Su Chen slipped his hand into the inner pocket of his clothes and pulled out a black-and-gold card. "You should recognize this."

"You..." Zhang Man glanced down. His casual expression instantly turned to astonishment, and he could not help blurting out, "You actually got into Southwind Academy!?"

The surroundings fell silent, followed by a low buzz of voices. Huang Peng and the others in the distance looked shocked, their eyes wide.

"Su Chen... brother..." Zhang Man's attitude softened considerably. He stepped closer and discreetly examined the patterns on the card, confirming that it was not forged.

"Tsk, tsk. I knew you weren't someone meant to stay in the mud, brother." Zhang Man grew even more astonished. That slut... had actually taken a liking to this kid.

A Southwind Academy student already had value. With a little cultivation, becoming a tier-one professional was practically guaranteed, while he himself was only a tier-one professional.

So in his deal with Su Chen, if the latter really entered Southwind Academy, the payment would become concrete instead.

"Then... 500 gold..." He rubbed his hands and chuckled darkly.

"Do you think I have that kind of money right now?" Su Chen asked calmly.

"I'm not in a hurry. Just don't forget, brother." Zhang Man's attitude was excellent.

Su Chen neither confirmed nor denied it. "I'm going to Southwind Academy to complete the formalities."

"This way..." Zhang Man immediately pointed out a route, then shouted, "Get lost, all of you! What are you staring at?"

But when he turned back, he smiled and asked, "Need me to lead the way?"

Su Chen shook his head. He knew the general location and walked straight through the crowd.

Watching Su Chen leave, Zhang Man could not help clicking his tongue again. He muttered, "I've used admission qualifications to swindle who knows how many people, and someone actually made it in. Good, good..."

These refugees were resources in themselves, but they required an eye capable of spotting them. He had found prey for plenty of people in the city, men and women alike.

But those little brats had no idea who had taught them. Every one of them deliberately made themselves look filthy and spoke in affected voices.

"Boss, what if he refuses to pay?" someone beside him asked.

"Refuses to pay?" Zhang Man snorted, but then said, "Then let him refuse. What can I do? He's already under Southwind Academy's protection."

"I've already taken a payment, so I'm not losing out. I only made the connection, after all."

With that, he glared at the refugees around him and roared, "Stop staring! Get the hell back to work! If you envy him, take a look at your own faces first!"

The surrounding crowd gradually dispersed. Huang Peng and the others remained silent. Someone close to them was about to rise to greatness, and they could not calm their hearts.