'Just how many people out there have a grudge against me?' Su Chen muttered inwardly.
This interstellar society had its pros and cons.
Who knew? Maybe some big shot's descendant with mediocre talent heard his name and casually added a few tens of millions of Star Coins to the bounty just to make themselves feel a bit better.
And those with superior talent were even more likely to add to the pile.
"What was that website called again?" Su Chen recalled that it seemed to be named "Hidden Bounty," but he didn't know the exact URL.
After thinking for a moment, he opened Wan Chen's chat window and sent a quick message.
A moment later, he received a reply containing a string of web addresses, along with an additional note: "You need a referrer to register."
"It even requires a referrer... They're acting pretty secretive." Su Chen clicked the link, naturally using the Bronze Cult's secure channel. The dark-themed website displayed a few large words: "Unofficial channel. Browsing only."
"Where exactly would you find an official channel for an organization like this?" Su Chen wondered. Since he could only browse, the page's information was highly limited, featuring nothing but a single search bar.
Su Chen typed his own name into it. Immediately, a large profile picture popped up, accompanied by text that was updating in real time.
"Huh?" He was slightly surprised. "Why is it going down?"
The rapidly scrolling numbers next to his profile picture weren't increasing; they were decreasing.
"Well..." Su Chen stroked his chin, lost in thought. "News really travels fast, doesn't it?"
Most likely, word of him gaining the Ancient King Stele's acknowledgment had already spread. He was no longer just some lucky kid from a barren planet.
This revelation had clearly shifted some people's perspectives, prompting them to cancel their bounties.
"Tsk..." Su Chen found the situation rather amusing. He proceeded to type in the names of Shen Yi'an and Wei Zhenghong, two other Star Seeds. They had bounties as well, but the amounts were only in the tens of millionsāincredibly low by comparison.
Star Seeds like them almost never left the Cult's territory, except for major events. Trying to assassinate them would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
These sorts of bounties were likely just placed by people harboring deep-seated grudges, acting out of spite as a symbolic vent for their anger.
He reckoned that his own bounty would gradually drop back down to this scale as well. Su Chen then typed in Qing Cang's name.
The long string of numbers that popped up next gave him a massive fright. "It's already over ten billion..."
Someone like Qing Cang genuinely ventured out quite often. If a Morning Star tier powerhouse made a move, killing him wouldn't be impossible.
'The organization behind this website is far from simple. Even if these are merely symbolic bounties, the targets are still Star Seeds, or even disciples of Ancient Kings...'
Having satisfied his curiosity, he closed the website, wondering when he might be able to register an account. It might just come in handy one day.
'There's no rush for this...' His thoughts circled back to the present matter. 'To enter the Nether Realm, I have to anchor myself first. Otherwise, it'll all be a wasted effort.'
'I wonder what the Nether Realm will look like after I secure an anchor.'
There was a priority to all things. After familiarizing himself with his new surroundings inside and out, Su Chen boarded a hovercraft, left the floating island, and headed back to the Copper Core.
"The Spirit Hall... The Spirit Hall..."
Su Chen consulted the map, taking various turns left and right. Over ten hours had passed since he was acknowledged by the Ancient King Stele.
Although the people he encountered along the way looked at him with curious gazes, they all greeted him amiably. At the same time, he no longer attracted the kind of overwhelming, constant attention that he had previously endured.
This meant that the matter of Su Chen becoming a Star Seed was no longer a hot topic of debate. He had fully earned his position.
Finally free from being stared at wherever he went, Su Chen felt a lot more comfortable. He returned every greeting along the way and soon arrived at his destination.
It was a building situated close to the core area. Rather than a conventional high-rise, it looked more like a grand palace hall.
Shortly after he walked through the doors, a vaguely familiar middle-aged man approached him with a warm smile. "Your Excellency... we meet again."
"You are... Deacon Zhong?"
Su Chen vaguely remembered him. When the golden pillar of light had dissipated beneath the Ancient King Stele, this man had been one of the individuals standing at the very front. His name was Zhong Chengyu.
"You have a good memory, Your Excellency..." Zhong Chengyu smiled. Just as he was about to continue, a voice laced with pleasant surprise and eager enthusiasm rang out from the side. "Martial Uncle Su, we meet again! It seems we truly share an affinity."
Su Chen turned his head, his expression shifting slightly. It was none other than Zhou Yunyang, one of the deacons of the Artifact Hall. This man had directly scolded Wan Chen for his form of address, leaving a rather profound impression on him.
Zhong Chengyu's face stiffened, and he glared at Zhou Yunyang in annoyance. This old fox calling Su Chen "Martial Uncle" only served to make him look ill-mannered by comparison.
However, Su Chen was simply too young. Not everyone could bring themselves to casually call him Martial Uncle without the slightest psychological burden like Zhou Yunyang did.
"Deacon Zhou." Su Chen nodded in response. Regardless of the circumstances, these individuals were all the mid-level authority figures of the Cult. In a sense, they were the ones who actually got things done.
"You're too polite. Just call me Yunyang," Zhou Yunyang said with a wave of his hand.
Su Chen was speechless as he looked at the man's wrinkled, elderly face, which was currently scrunched up into a smile resembling a blooming chrysanthemum.
There were quite a few people in the lobby covertly eavesdropping on their conversation. Hearing Zhou Yunyang's words, their faces couldn't help but twitch.
How could this old guy say something like that with a straight face?
Even Zhong Chengyu couldn't stand to watch any longer and interjected, "Are you here to select a class, Your Excellency?"
"Yes." Su Chen hurriedly got down to business. This Spirit Hall was precisely the Bronze Cult's repository for classes.
"Please, follow me." Zhong Chengyu led him upstairs. However, before they had even taken two steps, he frowned and turned around, snapping in annoyance, "Why haven't you left yet?"
"What are you talking about, Junior Brother Zhong? Little Martial Uncle and I hit it off right from the start. Is it bothering you that I want to chat with him a little more?" Zhou Yunyang asked in feigned surprise.
Zhong Chengyu couldn't be bothered to argue with him. The man was utterly shameless. Yet, because he was sheltered by the glory of his ancestors, and considering his lineage was dwindling in numbers, even the Hall Masters had to give him a bit of face if he ever made a request.
'This identity as a descendant of a Morning Star lineage is quite useful,' Su Chen thought to himself from the sidelines.
Zhong Chengyu turned back to Su Chen and asked, "Are you here to access Tier 5 classes?"
They were well aware of Su Chen's general background; he was still a Tier 4 class holder.
"That's right," Su Chen nodded. "I need options for both the physical side and the spiritual side, and they must be related to lightning and fire."
Zhong Chengyu wasn't surprised by this. As the chosen successor of the Crimson Flame Lightning Paragon, it was inevitable that he would pursue related elemental classes.
They arrived at a partitioned room on the second floor, with a beaming Zhou Yunyang following right behind them. Su Chen glanced at Zhong Chengyu and noticed that he had no intention of kicking the old man out. Instead, Zhong Chengyu pondered for a moment before asking, "May I ask what general directions your previous classes were focused on?"
Su Chen saw no need to hide it. "Initially, it was the wind element, then I layered the lightning element on top of it. Right now, it's primarily focused on the lightning element. As for the spiritual side... it leans mainly toward intimidation and crowd control."
"Oh..." Zhong Chengyu looked thoughtful. "We do have a ready-made templateāthe class sequence of the Crimson Sun Paragon. You could just adopt that."
"However, your foundation is a bit too incompatible. Top-tier classes have extremely stringent requirements, so you'd likely need to waste a whole class tier just to lay the groundwork for it."
"You haven't consulted the class analysis team yet, have you?" he asked.
"No need for the trouble. I'm just looking for a few classes to use as reference. High-grade classes will be enough." Su Chen shook his head. A top-tier class was useless to him anyway; since there was nothing above a top-tier class, he wouldn't be able to utilize the Black Buddha's divine power.
"Reference?" Zhong Chengyu was somewhat taken aback. What could anyone possibly glean from referencing class information?
Though he harbored doubts, he didn't press the issue and simply asked, "Still related to lightning and fire?"
Seeing Su Chen confirm, he brought up a virtual screen and immediately pulled out two classes.
"Lightning Aura Flame Warrior... Since you haven't had any exposure to the fire element previously and lack any accumulation in that area, this class primarily strengthens the lightning element variants..."
Su Chen quickly skimmed the screen: [Tier 5 High-Grade Class Discovered: Lightning Aura Flame Warrior. Promotion available upon fulfilling the class requirements.]
[Class Requirement 1: Elevate three different body-tempering techniques to the Master level.]
[Class Requirement 2: Draw explosive lightning and fire energy to sear the body, leaving behind ten "Lightning Crests" and "Fire Scars".
]
[Class Requirement 3: Extract the heart essence blood of a Lightning Beast Emperor and the core molten stone of an Earthfire Balrog. Within a purgatory of lightning and fire, fuse them into your body to form a Lightning Aura Fire Seed.]
Zhong Chengyu truly lived up to his position as a Spirit Hall Deacon. Even though he wasn't a dedicated class analyst, he still managed to provide a class that mitigated risks from a practical standpoint.
The difficulty of this class was quite standard. Being a high-grade class, it didn't have any overly outrageous requirements; they were essentially all targeted at the physical body.
[Bone burns with starlight, blood flows with heavenly lightning. The Lightning Aura Flame Warrior pays highest respects to the Crimson Flame Lightning Paragon. Class Requirement 2 has been weakened: only five Lightning Crests and Fire Scars are required.]
Su Chen had already grown accustomed to seeing his requirements weakened. His gaze unfocused for a moment before shifting to the second class.
[Tier 5 High-Grade Class Discovered: Divine Thunder Caller. Promotion available upon fulfilling the class requirements.]
[Class Requirement 1: Elevate three different meditation techniques to the Master level.]
[Class Requirement 2: Survive for three days in the Trial of Whispers.]
[Class Requirement 3: Have at least ten thousand loyal followers chant your name, and use heavenly thunder to judge at least a thousand unforgivable sinners.]
The Trial of Whispers... Su Chen sighed deeply in his heart. No matter where he went, it seemed impossible to avoid this damn trial.
"The [Divine Thunder Caller] mainly uses startling thunder to seize the soul. Since your body has undergone multiple enhancements related to the lightning element, the advancement process...
...shouldn't be too difficult." After saying this, Zhong Chengyu hesitated slightly. "Your Excellency, you don't actually intend to advance into these high-grade classes, do you?"
"Haha..." Before Su Chen could reply, Zhou Yunyang beside them couldn't hold back anymore. "Old Zhong, what are you thinking? How could Martial Uncle Su possibly settle for these high-grade classes?"
"He's aiming straight for the Morning Star tier! How could he let his foundation be flawed?"
[Thunder is the voice of the heavens. The Divine Thunder Caller is willing to become the preaching saint of the Crimson Flame Lightning Paragon. Class Requirement 2 has been weakened: the Trial of Whispers only needs to last for one day.]
'Not bad... Not bad at all... It perfectly weakened the Trial of Whispers.'
Su Chen glanced at the interface before finally replying, "Rest assured, Deacon Zhong, I'm just using these for reference to gauge the difficulty."
"That's good. You really should consult the class analysis team and let them come up with the best possible plan." Zhong Chengyu nodded. Although this was only his first real interaction with Su Chen, the young man had left quite a good impression on him.
Even after gaining the Ancient King Stele's acknowledgment, he didn't show the slightest trace of arrogance. He was incredibly mild-mannered in his interactions with others.
He wasn't the type to be eager for quick success and instant benefits, nor would he settle for second best just to advance faster.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing. Senior Brother Qing Cang mentioned that I could select a Holy Class..." Su Chen said.
Zhong Chengyu's expression immediately shifted, becoming much more solemn. "That's true. With your status as a Star Seed, you are indeed entitled to choose a Holy Class."
"A Holy Class is one of the core sources of power for the Morning Star tier. It is of utmost importance. Do you want to select it right now?"
"Can't I?" Su Chen asked hesitantly.
"You can, but I don't have the clearance to access the Holy Class sequences. We'll have to get the Hall Master to do it..." Zhong Chengyu replied helplessly.
"Then please trouble yourself to contact Hall Master Wen," Su Chen said, his eyes flashing slightly.
"Actually..." Zhong Chengyu opened his mouth to speak but ultimately shook his head. Standing up, he said, "Please wait here for a moment, Your Excellency."
He had actually wanted to suggest that Su Chen have an in-depth discussion with the class analysis team before making a selection.
But after thinking it over carefully, they had only met twice. Giving deep advice to a mere acquaintance overstepped boundaries; excessive persuasion might just backfire.
Once Zhong Chengyu left the room, Zhou Yunyang gave a dry cough to grab Su Chen's attention before asking, "Does Martial Uncle Su know what the three publicly revealed Holy Classes of our Cult are?"
"Oh?" Su Chen revealed an inquiring expression, causing Zhou Yunyang to beam with a hint of smugness. "Even Zhong Chengyu doesn't know, but I do."
"They are the Dawn's Heavenly Judgment, the Fallen Spirit's Admonition, and the Eternal Physique."
"..." Su Chen silently chewed on these names in his mind.
Seeing his reaction, Zhou Yunyang continued, "These three have different areas of focus. When the time comes to choose, you must carefully weigh your options, Martial Uncle."
'After all that buildup, he only knows the names. He's just trying to show off.'
Su Chen felt utterly speechless inwardly, but his eyes flickered as he asked, "Since Deacon Zhou's ancestors possessed the glory of the Morning Star, they must have also had a Holy Class to rely on, right?"
"Me?" Zhou Yunyang's face turned awkward as his gaze darted around. "Although my ancestors possessed the glory of the Morning Star, the legacy of our Holy Class was indeed severed."
Perhaps finding the topic somewhat shameful, Zhou Yunyang hastily explained, "Holy Classes are core secrets. In every generation, only a handful of people know about them. If some unforeseen disaster occurs and they all die in rapid succession, the Holy Class is lost. If even a single preceding class requirement is wrong, reproducing it becomes near impossible."
"Failing the fusion process costs you your life, so no one dares to experiment blindly."
Su Chen understood, though he felt a pang of pity in his heart. Why not just keep a backup copy with the Cult?
Having brought up a painful memory, the smile on Zhou Yunyang's face noticeably dimmed.
That was until the door opened and a well-proportioned middle-aged man walked in. He had gaunt cheeks and a pair of slanted eyes that immediately locked onto Su Chen.
"Hall Master Wen," Zhou Yunyang called out respectfully. A Hall Master was different from a Head Seat; they were primarily responsible for the Bronze Cult's internal affairs, placing their status slightly below that of a Head Seat.
Wen Jing, the Master of the Spirit Hall...
Su Chen also stood up. He had already looked up the relevant information before arriving. This person was a single Tier 9 class holder, belonging to the third echelon of power within the Bronze Cult.
The Morning Star tier, double Tier 9, and single Tier 9 were all strictly considered Tier 9 class holders, but the disparity in power between them was enormous.
"Mm." Wen Jing nodded, his attitude neither cold nor warm. He said coolly, "I have already been informed. Let's go."
Zhou Yunyang didn't follow them this time. His eyes shifted as he watched the two leave before turning to Zhong Chengyu. He said hesitantly, "Martial Uncle Su should know that Hall Master Wen is the brother-in-law of Paragon Qin Yun, right?"
"Whether he knows or not, what does it matter? It's just business. What could the Hall Master possibly do to him anyway?" Zhong Chengyu said indifferently.