"I wonder exactly how many benefits I can freeload from the Security Bureau..."
Heading downstairs, Su Chen opened the navigation map, his fingers continuously zooming in. "Class Analysis Department... Let me see exactly where it is. Found it..."
It was currently high noon. The grand sun was glaringly bright, and the temperature was rather high.
"Even the sun is artificial, yet they still bother to simulate the changing of the four seasons." Following the map's guidance, Su Chen walked along the road, avoiding the sun, until he arrived before a massive building.
The number of people coming and going here wasn't small. There were elderly Inquisitors, as well as exceptionally young-looking seed members currently in their cultivation phase.
There were ten service windows in the first-floor lobby, but at this moment, all of them had queues lined up before them. Su Chen hesitated slightly, currently calculating which window had fewer people.
"Your Excellency Su Chen?"
A woman dressed in professional attire recognized Su Chen with a single glance. Smoothing out the loose strands of hair hanging by her ear, she hurried over with small, quick steps. Her voice was gentle: "Do you require professional analysis?"
"Mm, here to consult regarding a few matters." Su Chen nodded, sweeping a glance at her name tag——Shu Zichen.
"You are a Core Seed; there is no need to queue. Please follow me," Shu Zichen said in a low voice.
"Uh..." Su Chen looked at the several long lines. Quite a number of people had noticed him, frequently casting gazes his way.
"Alright."
Following Shu Zichen upstairs, Su Chen indeed heard discussions arising from below, yet they carried no dissatisfaction.
"If this were my past life, I reckon someone would have already pulled out their phone..." Su Chen thought haphazardly. Leading the way ahead, Shu Zichen inquired softly: "May I ask if you are consulting regarding a sequence profession, or a special profession?"
"A special profession..." Su Chen replied.
Shu Zichen nodded, reminding softly: "Your privileges are extremely high. You are able to have your private butler make an appointment in advance, and the consulting department can dispatch personnel directly to your residence."
This belonged to one of the myriad of benefits a Core Seed enjoyed. However, without specifically running into the situation, he truly couldn't recall that such a privilege existed.
Shu Zichen brought him into a lounge. Only after pouring him tea did she respectfully take her leave.
Not long after, two people walked in, one after another.
"My name is Li Zhe, a Senior Professional Consultant of the Adjudication Court..." The man walking in front stood perfectly straight, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. Simultaneously, he reached out to point at the guy beside him, whose stubble grew messily, appearing somewhat unkempt.
"This is Ruan Yuntao, also a Senior Professional Consultant."
"Your Excellency Su Chen, we will be serving you this time."
This was Su Chen's first time experiencing this so-called 'professional analysis', thus he was unfamiliar with the procedure.
Li Zhe sat down practicedly. Pulling out his personal smart terminal, he inquired: "May I ask, what kind of requirements are you currently facing?"
The Class Analysis Department was intrinsically a supplement to the Class Decoding Department. Professional requirements were translated into text, yet text could inherently possess multiple interpretations of meaning.
It was impossible for the haughty grandmasters of the Class Decoding Department to lower their status to serve ordinary professionals, and thus, professional analysts arose to meet the demand.
"I need to refine raw metal materials," Su Chen stated.
"Refine raw metal materials..." Li Zhe's gaze flickered, instantly entering work mode: "What category needs to be refined? Are there any requirements regarding the preciousness of the raw materials? To what degree does it need to be refined?"
"Must it pass through your hands personally, or can it be operated via instruments?"
Hearing this successive string of questions, Su Chen was struck somewhat speechless.
Li Zhe then explained: "Please rest assured, we are not trying to probe into your profession. This information relates to the completion degree of the professional requirements, which subsequently influences the profession's inauguration or advancement success rate, and even its intensity..."
But Su Chen was merely sighing with emotion that there truly were specializations for every field. He genuinely hadn't thought about so many issues. His panel even displayed a progress bar for the requirements; there was simply nothing more intuitive than a progress bar.
"The requirements are merely these. As for the category, degree of refinement, and the like, I do not know either," Su Chen shook his head, stating.
"Does this profession have any other requirements?" Ruan Yuntao, beside him, suddenly spoke up to ask.
Li Zhe furrowed his brows, stating in a deep voice: "You speak too much."
They could only interrogate based on the requirements provided by the target of their service; asking too much would easily incite vigilance.
"Actually, I simply wanted you guys to help me coordinate with the Crafting Department side, to see if they can provide the materials and the environment..." Su Chen said.
The Adjudication Court's Class Analysis Department also served another crucial function: coordinating with other institutions to fulfill necessary professional requirements as quickly as possible.
"In that case, I possess a rough idea of what profession you possess. Weapon Nurturer, correct?" Ruan Yuntao came to a realization. "Then directly contacting the Crafting Department will suffice. They possess a fixed protocol."
Li Zhe's eyelids twitched, forcing a smile onto his face: "Apologies, this colleague of mine is simply like this."
"No worries." Su Chen didn't mind.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Li Zhe said: "I will contact the Crafting Department for you immediately. If you head over right now, you should be able to begin upon arriving at the location."
The efficiency truly is high, Su Chen sighed with emotion once more. If he were left to contact them himself, who knew how much time would be wasted.
Only after seeing Su Chen off did Li Zhe glare angrily at Ruan Yuntao. "Old Ruan, we are all colleagues. If you wish to court death, do not drag me down with you!"
Picking his nose, Ruan Yuntao spoke lazily: "Wasn't he entirely unoffended? It is you instead. To think you actually didn't personally escort him down to the Crafting Department this time. When that previous Core Seed visited, didn't you personally escort him down to the Engraving Department?"
"This time is not that time. Last time, a Core Seed was still a Core Seed. But now, it is hard to say." Li Zhe couldn't help but shake his head. "I truly do not understand what the Chief was thinking, stubbornly insisting on enacting reforms when everything was perfectly fine."
"It's simply because your utilitarian hearts burn too heavily. Kneeling and licking their boots the moment you see a Core Seed, resulting in the proliferation of factions and cliques," Ruan Yuntao sneered.
"Now that uncertainty exists, you immediately swap to a different face."
"It's not merely because of the fear wrought by uncertainty." Hearing him say this, Li Zhe didn't become angry either. "It would be one thing if it was the other Core Seeds, but these two, Su Chen and Chu Xuan... they haven't been tested yet."
"Speaking ill of people behind their backs, a duplicitous snake." Disgusted by this man, Ruan Yuntao turned his head and left.
"Who is speaking ill of people?" Li Zhe roared angrily: "If your brother-in-law wasn't a Director, you would have been ostracized out of here long ago. Yet you actually dare to act so high and mighty here!"
......
Su Chen possessed absolutely no knowledge regarding the argument within the Class Analysis Department. He had already exited the Adjudication Court, heading toward the Crafting Department.
Profession-related departments such as the Crafting Department, Engraving Department, and Potion Department, despite being primarily auxiliary in nature, collectively fell under the jurisdiction of the Resource Bureau, whose Director similarly belonged to the Council of Elders.
The status of these few locations within Yingfeng belonged to the second tier. Although inferior to the Adjudication Court, Security Bureau, and Class Decoding Department, they remained places many people found exceedingly difficult to enter.
The location of the Crafting Department was somewhat secluded. Su Chen expended some time before arriving, capable of seeing a row of colossal furnaces from afar.
Like behemoths of steel prostrating upon the ground, the cooling towers located at the rear puffed out white smoke unceasingly.
And right beside it lay the Engraving Department. It appeared exceptionally tranquil, devoid of anything besides sprawling, continuous white architecture.
The areas where these two institutional departments could cooperate were incredibly numerous. To a certain extent, one could even say they were practically indistinguishable from each other.
After verifying his identity, Su Chen stepped into the Crafting Department. The palpable temperature instantly rose significantly.
"Weapon Nurturer, huh... The number of people possessing this profession within our Crafting Department is not small. There are no specific requirements regarding the raw metal materials required for refinement; ordinary Crisp Gold Ore will suffice."
The individual responsible for liaising with him was a section chief of the Crafting Department's Administration Division named Sun Zhiyu. He had been waiting at the main gates for quite some time. A highly capable middle-aged man, his skin exhibited a pale brown hue, appearing as if he had been scorched by high temperatures for many years.
He led Su Chen inwards: "We possess a set protocol here. We will refine the raw materials up to ninety percent before handing them over to you. Doing this saves a substantial amount of time."
Boom!—
Su Chen cast a glance at the testing grounds to the left. Rhythmic shockwaves emanated from within. A hammer-shaped impact device was currently conducting impact testing upon a new type of armor; the energy ripples produced by every single collision were not small.
Hearing this, he stated: "Section Chief Sun, it is best not to proceed according to the old methods. I wish to refine them personally, from raw material to finished product."
Sun Zhiyu's footsteps paused, appearing extremely flabbergasted: "Refine personally? If you wish to utilize primitive methods, refining those hundred tons of raw materials will require an excessive amount of time..."
"Striving for perfection." Su Chen smiled.
Sun Zhiyu didn't comment further. Within a certain scope, providing Su Chen with whatever he requested was enough. He was merely somewhat astonished just now.
The two continued walking deeper inwards. The noise grew exceedingly deafening, and the temperature gradually escalated. Especially when passing by the furnaces, Su Chen even felt his body beginning to sweat.
Bzz——
A shadow enveloped Su Chen. Looking up, the dome of the adjacent warehouse slowly opened. Maglev forklifts were presently transporting bundles of crystallized steel ingots towards the fine-processing center. The cooling patterns scoring the surfaces of the steel ingots flickered with a faint azure radiance.
"We have arrived; this is the rough-processing arena..." Sun Zhiyu brought him into the working area. The moment the thick, heavy steel doors opened, a blazing wave of heat lunged squarely at their faces.
Activity here hummed in full, fervent swing, stretching all the way to the conveyor belts of the central furnace, which were fully laden with raw metal ores scorched a glaring scarlet. Hydraulic forging hammers positioned in all four directions worked in perfect synchrony; the cacophony of clanks and bangs rang unceasingly to the ear, and the splattering oxidized scales shot in all directions like meteors.
The number of subordinate institutions beneath the Crafting Department was not small. Massive-scale standard-issue weaponry was not manufactured here; this place resembled more of a small-scale refinery fused with a weaponry laboratory.
Traversing the work area, they arrived at an independent workshop situated at the rear. Through the thick, heavy glass windows, Su Chen could faintly make out someone hoisting a massive sledgehammer inside, seemingly engrossed in work as well.
Sun Zhiyu opened an empty room, explaining to him: "Many prototype weapons inherently have to rely upon manual forging at the very beginning. Only after undergoing an extensive multitude of experiments can molds be cast."
Within the room sat a miniature forging station. Massive metal sledgehammers of varying shapes rested in the corner, and scattered about lay several chunks of black raw metal ore laced with pale gold.
"Mm..." Su Chen thought for a moment before inquiring: "Am I allowed to refine them at a different location?"
"Where do you wish to go?" Sun Zhiyu blanked slightly.
"Inside the Adjudication Court, the place where I reside," Su Chen stated. Refining materials would clearly consume a massive chunk of time; he wished to synchronize his training simultaneously.
This place was situated quite a distance away from the Adjudication Court, and furthermore, it lacked a training environment.
"Mm..." Sun Zhiyu furrowed his brows slightly. "Although refining Crisp Gold Ore doesn't necessitate an overly stringent environment, I must seek instructions regarding this matter. Please forgive me."
He hurried away to seek out his higher-ups. Su Chen then entered the workshop and activated the forging station. A blinding tongue of fire abruptly surged outwards from the plasma flame nozzle positioned in the center.
Selecting a brick-sized chunk of Crisp Gold Ore with the tongs, Su Chen placed it atop the flame. He then walked over to the row of metal sledgehammers resting in the corner, weighing them in his hands.
【Crimson Steel Forging Hammer (2nd-Tier): Forged utilizing high-strength Crimson Steel alloy.】
"To think they are all tiered items..." Extremely surprised, Su Chen picked one that felt comfortable and tentatively swung it down upon the Crisp Gold Ore, which had already been scorched scarlet red.
Clang!
Amidst the crisp sound of collision, Su Chen felt a rebound force transmitting upwards along the sledgehammer. Several scarlet-red granules splattered outwards, rapidly oxidizing into a dark black hue midair. These were precisely the impurities within.
"Brother Su?" A shout rang from the doorway. Su Chen paused his movements, raising his head to look, "Jiang Xi?"
"It truly is you..." Exceedingly surprised, Jiang Xi stepped forward with immense excitement. "I heard from my colleagues that a Core Seed had arrived. It sounded like you, so I came to check. Why are you...?"
"Oh, completing a professional requirement; I need to refine some materials," Su Chen explained.
"You've never done blacksmithing before, have you?" Jiang Xi wore an expression of hesitancy, holding his words back.
"Indeed..." Su Chen didn't shy away from it. "Do you have any secret tricks to teach me?"
Seeing Su Chen's humble appearance seeking guidance, Jiang Xi frantically waved his hands. "I wouldn't call them secret tricks. The properties of each and every type of metallic material are fundamentally different... Your flame temperature is a bit too low..."
Jiang Xi was actually capable of estimating the approximate temperature of the flame with his naked eyes, helping him tune it upwards slightly. "Also..."
He had naturally studied exactly this kind of knowledge, imparting a few minor tricks to boost efficiency to Su Chen.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The crisp collision sounds gradually turned rhythmic, and very quickly... this chunk of Crisp Gold Ore was nearly completely refined, shrinking by nearly half, leaving it only the size of a fist.
Sweeping a glance at the panel, a 0.01% progress indicator materialized trailing behind the requirement to refine raw metallic materials.
"Looking at it like this, refining to this degree should be sufficient." Su Chen calculated inwardly.
"...Your Excellency Su Chen..."
During the time it took to refine, Sun Zhiyu had returned as well. Glancing in surprise at Jiang Xi standing to the side, he said: "The higher-ups have approved it. A miniature forging furnace can be relocated over. Just send it back once you are finished."
This wasn't exactly a massive matter; approval was an absolute certainty. Su Chen was un-surprised, pondering audibly: "The required raw materials are too massive; I estimate my place won't be able to store all of it at once. Send it over in batches."
"Having him deliver it will be fine."
Su Chen pointed toward Jiang Xi beside him.
An observant expression surfaced upon Sun Zhiyu's face. "Understood."
Su Chen verified the dimensions of the miniature forging furnace further with Sun Zhiyu, discovering that it could barely squeeze into the gravity training room.
Guessing Su Chen's intentions, Sun Zhiyu couldn't help but say: "You truly are diligent. Under five-times gravity, the miniature forging furnace should theoretically still be able to function barely."
The miniature forging furnace from the Crafting Department, alongside the first batch of Crisp Gold Ore, arrived back at the Adjudication Court practically on his heels.
After shoving the miniature forging furnace into the gravity training room, the area left available for him to move around was practically reduced to a mere third, barely providing enough space to swing a massive sledgehammer.
"You truly intend to hammer metal while training at the exact same time."
Currently lugging the Crisp Gold Ore, Jiang Xi witnessed Su Chen gesturing rhythmically inside the training room and couldn't help but click his tongue.
Being this Core Seed wasn't easy, ah.
"Saving time, increasing efficiency..." Su Chen replied casually.
The essence of training was recovering through consumption in order to enhance bodily intensity. The only difference between body forging methods and swinging a massive sledgehammer lay solely in their respective efficiencies.
"The essence of the Thunder Brilliance Body Forging Method is stimulating body cells via electromagnetic pulses. Even without utilizing the complementary training motions, it should still be able to exert its effects..."
Su Chen pondered precisely how to entirely combine swinging a sledgehammer and training together.
Picking up the massive azure-steel sledgehammer, under five-times gravity, this plaything had similarly grown exceptionally heavy. Only after adapting for quite a while was Su Chen finally capable of swinging it slowly.
Electric arcs burst forth across the surface of his skin. Altering the complementary motions made him exceedingly unaccustomed, yet Su Chen steadfastly attempted it bit by microscopic bit.
Fortunately, the Thunder Brilliance Body Forging Method was merely E-rank, lacking the severe complexity wherein pulling a single hair would move the entire body.
The core was utilizing electromagnetic pulses to stimulate the body. With swinging the massive sledgehammer resulting in more static movements, the stimulation effects were significantly weakened, yet it allowed him to balance both training and blacksmithing perfectly.
"This is perfect..." After attempting it for a moment, Su Chen halted, prompting Jiang Xi to tune the miniature forging furnace for him. Ultimately, operating within a high-gravity environment would inevitably cause fluctuations regarding both flame intensity and stability.
Being merely a 1st-tier professional, Jiang Xi found it incredibly difficult to operate within a five-times gravity environment. Thus, he was forced to direct Su Chen remotely. Over half an hour was expended before the miniature forging furnace was tuned adequately, attaining identical effects to those in an ordinary environment.
"Thank the heavens it is merely Crisp Gold Ore, minimizing the temperature requirements for refining. Otherwise, there truly would have been no way to accomplish this." Wiping the sweat beading upon his forehead, Jiang Xi breathed out a long sigh of relief.
"I troubled you." Su Chen escorted him to the door. Jiang Xi waved his hands repeatedly, "Merely a minor favor, it cannot be considered trouble."
Seeing Jiang Xi off, Su Chen returned to the gravity room once more. Potion gulped down, massive sledgehammer gripped tightly in hand.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Faint yet distinct, the crisp sounds of collision reverberated outward from within the gravity room.
As the curtain of night fell, another villa located not far away blazed brightly with lights.
The first floor had already been transformed into a banquet hall. Melodious music drifted through the air. The seeds of the Inner Court clustered together in twos and threes, conversing amongst themselves.
Yet on the second floor, He Kang's eyebrows drooped even more severely. Wearing a face identical to the character '囧', he smiled bitterly: "Su Chen hasn't arrived."
Only five people were present within the room; Chu Xuan was actually among them as well. And upon hearing this, the expression of Wei Yufan, seated in the center, darkened noticeably.
Someone beside him voiced their dissatisfaction. "He Kang, exactly what kind of message did you deliver? Even Chu Xuan arrived upon receiving Big Brother Wei's invitation, yet he refuses to grant even this meager sliver of face?"
"Liu Chen, naturally I delivered the message perfectly. However, whether he comes or not is fundamentally outside my control," He Kang stated helplessly. "Perhaps there is an urgent matter demanding his attention."
Liu Chen sneered coldly: "Chu Xuan is currently in the midst of preparing to advance to a top-tier profession recently, yet even he still arrived."
Chu Xuan beside them appeared increasingly calm, composed, and steady, remaining absolutely silent.
"Yet that Su Chen went to the Class Decoding Department in the morning, and the Crafting Department in the afternoon; he hasn't stopped once. Yet he still claims to lack the time for this single trip tonight?" He possessed an extreme comprehension regarding Su Chen's whereabouts.
"Once he advances to the third tier and suffers a severe beating from Chu Xuan, I will then step forward to knock him off his pedestal. Let me also experience the feeling of being a Core Seed."
"It is nowhere near that simple." He Kang shook his head. "Everyone is keenly aware of the scenario during Su Chen's assessment. Even though his 3rd-tier is merely an upper-tier profession, his display of practical combat prowess was absolutely not ordinary."
Chu Xuan's expression turned frigid, recalling the scene during the assessment once more.
"What does not being ordinary even mean? The second tier is not the third tier! Furthermore, his experience is undeniably lacking. It merely depends on who is swifter by a step to knock him off his pedestal," Liu Chen dismissed it entirely.
"However, even till now, he hasn't commenced plotting his advancement. He picked out a profession not long after entering the Adjudication Court, yet even now he still hasn't sought out the Class Analysis Department to make preparations." Another person harbored swirling doubts. "He did make a trip this afternoon, but it seems he was inquiring about a special profession."
"Does he wish to escape?" Liu Chen couldn't help but look over.
Having exchanged a few sentences with Su Chen, He Kang didn't believe the other party was an escapist. "He won't. He certainly wouldn't forsake his own advancement merely due to the possibility of being challenged."
Liu Chen's eyes shifted: "Who cares about him. Since he desires to be a thorn in our side, desiring to stand completely unaligned, he must see if he truly possesses the capital to stand completely unaligned."
Wei Yufan cast a sweeping glance, stating indifferently: "Mind your limits."
.........
The power struggle betwixt the four major Core Seeds burned increasingly scorching. Accompanying the passage of time, certain Inner Court Seeds who had been suppressed for numerous years, upon observing myriad battles, finally struck out viciously.
Two months following the inception of the Challenge Ranking System, the Core Seed ranked number three——Liang Jingcheng, was arduously defeated by the Inner Court Seed Feng Zi.
This incited a colossal uproar, being the very first individual to successfully challenge a Core Seed as an Inner Court Seed.
Even Chong Jingtian personally manifested at the scene, congratulating him on successfully becoming the new Core Seed. Su Chen had also stepped out to take a look.
And the rest finally came to the profound realization that the positions of Core Seeds were genuinely, truly unstable! Despite having served as one for seven to eight years, he was still knocked off his pedestal today.
Feng Zi had actually formerly served as a member of Liang Jingcheng's faction; it could essentially be regarded as internal strife. A significant ripple was subsequently birthed from within this minor clique: Liang Jingcheng's staunch supporters departed, resulting in a devastating blow to his core vitality.
The ascension of a "Newly Crowned King" ignited the intense desires of a myriad of Inner Court Seeds even further.
And accompanying it were even more urgent and pressing challenges. With several genuinely powerful Inner Court Seeds moving out to strike, Ming Lin and the other two experienced several agonizingly arduous battles, bordering upon near defeat.
But ultimately, they still successfully safeguarded their respective positions.
Facing the formidable tenacity of the veteran seeds, numerous individuals turned their gazes towards the two youthful, recently inaugurated new seeds. A great magnitude of people were currently awaiting their advancement to the third tier, ready to cleave them violently from their pedestals!
As for the external chaos, Su Chen naturally harbored not an inkling of care. Every single day felt identical to a repeating loop... Forge... Rest... Rest... Forge.
On this day, as the sledgehammer smashed downwards, the scarlet-red Crisp Gold Ore emitted a crisp resonating ring.
Su Chen blanked. Mental energy surged outwards uncontrollably. The dark-brown granules splattered upon the floor trembled ceaselessly.
【Heart-Burning Meditation Method elevated to Master Level. Obtained capability——Incinerating Chant, Boiling Fire: Capabilities derived from mental energy are infused with the attributes of the fire element.】
His meditation method had actually elevated to the Master level. Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief, restraining his escalating mental energy.
He swept a glance at the panel once more——
【Wind and Thunder Adept: 70%】
【Psionic Adept: 85%】
【E-rank Thunder Brilliance Body Forging Method —— Proficient: 60%】
The progress of Psionic Adept had practically been maxed out. However, owing to constantly blacksmithing recently, the progress of his body forging method had suffered quite significantly.
"Time to switch to a new meditation method..."
Pausing his movements, Su Chen first deactivated the gravity field. Only then did he retrieve the smart bracelet from his storage space to summon the data.
With his current privileges, E-rank training methods could be accessed at will.
The meditation method he selected this time was titled——【Cloud Breath Meditation Method】, capable of universally solidifying and enhancing mental acuity.
Tranquilizing his mind to hold his breath, the meditating mental energy spread outwards akin to clouds and mists, permeating everywhere.
Waiting until he had attained beginner proficiency, Su Chen only then proceeded to swing the massive sledgehammer again. The completion degree of the raw material refinement requirement had already reached 98%. He would finish by tonight at the swiftest, or by tomorrow morning at the absolute latest.
Perhaps propelled by the fact that the goal lay directly before his eyes, his movements quickened significantly once more. Right as midnight passed, Su Chen tossed the massive cyan-gold sledgehammer to the side.
"Finally... it is over."
Drawing a profound breath, a feeling akin to shedding a heavy burden surged within his heart.
He hadn't found a single shred of amusement regarding blacksmithing. Forging for nearly a solitary month, he felt nothing besides it being excessively tedious and incredibly withered. Had the Weapon Nurturer not been continuously dangling directly before his eyes, he would have tossed it aside long ago.
"Inaugurate for me!"
Su Chen could no longer suppress his intense impatience. In an instant, he felt as if his skull had suffered a horrific blow as a colossal volume of knowledge was forcefully violently shoved into his brain. The intrinsic properties of various raw metallic materials, absolute temperature control technique, precise striking angles for the respective sledgehammer, and more...
The knowledge-learning inauguration requirements had been forcibly erased, now violently, forcefully implanted directly into him instead.
【Weapon Nurturer successfully inaugurated. Obtained capability——Weapon Nurturing Technique: Able to nurture weaponry, consuming double the materials to compel it to undergo a terrifying metamorphosis.】
【Note (The absolute quantity of weapons capable of being nurtured is entirely dependent upon one's own mental professional tier.)】
"Double materials..." Su Chen kneaded his glabella. His conjecture was indeed flawless. According to the relevant data provided by the Class Decoding Department, upgrading weapons via a Weapon Nurturer required consuming an absolute minimum of three to four times the original volume of additional materials.
Yet now, he only needed to consume a mere double. It was likely precisely owing to the crucial keyword 'personally'.
Perhaps... it wasn't that no one had ever discovered this discrepancy. But to personally forge a hundred tons of raw material... adhering to his methodology, it would still require half a year, or perhaps even longer!
A vast multitude of people dreaded wasting this exorbitant amount of time.
【Triggered additional reward: Material consumption explicitly required for Weapon Nurturing Technique upgrades halved.】
Text drifted onto the panel once more. Dazzling light surged profusely within Su Chen's eyes. "Practically forgot, there was this additional reward."
"Upgrade consumption halved again. Which means to say, the materials I require to upgrade a weapon are actually even lesser than what Weapon Forgers utilize through conventional forging means?"
Upgrading weapons conventionally through forging, due to various degrees of inescapable wear and tear, required approximately 1.2 to 1.5 times the theoretical calculated amount of consumed materials, and there were also "processing fees" and similar expenses atop that.
"This way, I actually preserved an exceedingly significant chunk of resources and energy." Su Chen was in a spectacular mood; his strenuous efforts over this period had not been in vain.
"Let's try it out... This so-called nurturing..." Su Chen extracted the Azure Cable from his storage space. "Rumor has it, nurturing an absolute weapon to its purest entirety also requires a period of time before... Hm?"
He blanked as a string of information materialized directly within his mind——
"...Crafted from Cyan Steel alloy. Upgrades fundamentally necessitate Adamantine as the core material, generously supplemented by Spirit Essence Fibers..."
"So... it finishes nurturing just like this?" Su Chen couldn't help but stare dumbfounded.
His eyes shifted as he grasped the reason.
"Nurturing and upgrading, one can simply interpret it identically to a form of mystical magic forcefully activated via mental energy. The intrinsic essence of nurturing essentially lies in thoroughly immersing the weapon in mental energy to thoroughly comprehend its properties..."
"Yet I had already transformed them all into mystic artifacts long ago, rendering them highly synchronized with my mental energy. I can directly skip this nurturing step seamlessly."
"Tsk, an utterly miraculous synergy." Su Chen's mood blossomed even further; this perfectly spared him an even more massive chunk of precious time.
"None of these materials can be considered exorbitantly precious..." Su Chen approximated. "However, if I truly wish to forcefully upgrade them to the third tier, my mental profession must inherently be at the third tier as well."
"There is absolutely no rush either; it is already directly within arm's reach. Let the Gu family commence making preparations first."
"First things first, move this forging furnace straight out the door. Finally, I can train in peace."
Right as his gaze rested upon the forging furnace, Su Chen suddenly recalled the exact time he had been refining materials previously. "Mm... The intensity of the force was slightly too high, and the striking intervals could be suitably prolonged slightly. Crisp Gold Ore is..."
While pondering, Su Chen's face progressively blackened like the bottom of a wok. "What the hell? I won't ever become a blacksmith, thank you very much!"
That just now was the intrinsic knowledge appended alongside the Weapon Nurturer forcefully compelling him to subconsciously reflect critically upon his previous flaws and errors.
"There is absolutely no need for Jiang Xi to deliver extra materials anymore. I estimate the Crafting Department side will strictly chalk it up to me merely lacking the requisite patience to pursue this endlessly, effectively squashing any further thoughts completely."
It was practically dawn. Su Chen simply headed straight for a shower, subsequently instructing Number Zero to promptly prepare a tremendously sumptuous morning breakfast; he was genuinely significantly starved.
Whilst eating, Su Chen listened attentively to the summarized news efficiently compiled by Number Zero.
"Even Ming Lin was almost defeated?" To Su Chen's surprise, he raised his eyebrows. "The Inner Court Seeds truly harbor crouching tigers and hidden dragons, huh."
Even to this very day, the position of Chief Seed resolutely remained completely vacant and undecided, while the formerly impregnable positions of the several Core Seeds teetered precariously upon the very brink of devastating collapse.
Following his breakfast, an exceedingly unexpected visitor arrived.
"Du Yu?"
Profoundly astounded, Su Chen invited him straight inside; the two honestly hadn't conversed in quite a prolonged spell.
"Brother Su, when you have free time, you need to head out and congregate for a bit. Training incessantly like this permanently isn't fundamentally healthy." Du Yu was no absolute stranger to Su Chen's exact situation; he, alongside Zhang Hengyu and the remaining individuals from Nanfeng, periodically congregated for meager gatherings.
"I'm accustomed to it." Su Chen inquired: "You... harbor official business pulling you towards the Adjudication Court?"
Without receiving mandated authorization, individuals originating from the Supervision Department completely lacked the means to pierce past the Adjudication Court.
"No, Deputy Minister Cheng explicitly granted me authorization specifically to locate you, strictly to pass along a message." Du Yu sat directly upon the sofa, his palm pressing repeatedly onto the sofa cushion,
"Cheng Lang?" Only then did Su Chen meticulously recall the previous recruitment efforts initiated by the other party.
The ceaselessly endless clang, clank, clang from the violent impacts had truly devastated his cerebrum, practically forcing him to entirely forget about this matter entirely. After muttering silently to himself, he finally heard Du Yu speak: "He specifically invites you to meet strictly over at the Class Decoding Department."
"Alright, I comprehend." Su Chen nodded. His desperately required Mystic Energy Crystals and Lightning Cores... it appeared they ultimately relied solely upon this precise Cheng Lang.
Du Yu secretly marveled with tremendous envy; Deputy Minister Cheng stood as an absolute colossal figure within the Supervision Department, nay, throughout the entirety of Yingfeng.
To personally extend a formal invitation... yet in front of Su Chen, it was exclusively exchanged for a devastatingly unbothered 'I comprehend'.
(End of this chapter)