The moment the text settled, Su Chen's expression suddenly changed. The exploding lightning and roaring flames around him, which had gradually begun to subside, abruptly became violent once more, though they were steadily drawing inward.
All the pain, lightning, and flames eventually converged toward his heart, gradually condensing and twisting into a blazing core right beside it.
The core resembled a miniature sun. Its exterior was entwined with an endless barrage of multicolored lightning, while its interior contained flames compressed to their absolute limit.
The power contained within it made Su Chen's heart pound and his scalp tingle with apprehension. If it exploded, he feared his actual heart wouldn't survive either.
Once the external core finished condensing, his entire being settled into a profound tranquility from the inside out. All that remained was the faint, flowing light beneath his skin and the intimidating gleam of mixed lightning and fire in his eyes.
As the transformation finally concluded, Su Chen let out a long sigh of relief.
"A Tier 5 class holder..." Su Chen stretched his limbs, feeling the surging power within his body. His gaze fell upon the series of text appearing on his interface, and his eyes twitched in surprise.
He finally understood that the core was actually a super-powerful five-in-one ability. It was simple and brutally effective to the extreme: in its normal state, it provided a 100% amplification, and once released, it could reach a staggering 300%.
"So this is the core ability of the Thunderflare Sovereign." Su Chen tried to activate it, and an explosive energy instantly welled up within him.
Crackle! A spark of lightning burst at his fingertips and immediately spread throughout the entire training room. Su Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly reined it back in.
'This power... is a bit fierce...' Su Chen thought to himself. But this was actually for the best. From now on, his Holy Hand wouldn't need to distribute its buffs; he could apply it directly to the Thunderflare core.
The extra reward reduced consumption by 20%, which was quite nice.
Su Chen experimented with it for a while longer, feeling rather satisfied. "I wonder if I can beat Qin Tianlin now?" he murmured.
"Probably still lacking quite a bit..." he estimated.
The Lord of the Spirit Word was only 11% away from being maxed out. As for the Endurance Holder class requirement, since he didn't have the Sly Fox Essence on hand, Su Chen decided to wait a bit longer.
After roughly adapting to this brand-new body, Su Chen tidied up slightly and walked out of the training room.
Compared to when he had first arrived, the walls of this floating island already boasted quite a few new structures. Not only was there a challenge room, but there was also a uniquely styled, grayish-black building.
It displayed an irregular twelve-sided conical structure. The wall material wasn't ordinary metal, but a composite substance that possessed the luster of a crystalline alloy.
Only upon closer inspection could one discover that its surface was densely covered in overlapping, glowing symbols.
These symbols weren't simply carved. Instead, as if embedded into the walls themselves, they flowed with an interwoven radiance of dark gold, pale blue, and deep crimson against the grayish-black background.
The light from the surrounding environment bent as it approached the building's surface, making it look somewhat distorted from a distance.
"The Nether Tower..." Su Chen's gaze swept over it.
As early as half a month ago, the Nether Palace had completed the spiritual anchoring and constructed this Nether Tower on his floating island.
Through the Nether Tower, he could enter the region of the Nether Realm controlled by the Bronze Sect.
However, he had been busy trying to advance to Tier 5 as quickly as possible, so he hadn't had the time to deal with it until now.
Su Chen was quite curious about how a Nether Realm controlled by the Sect might differ from the norm, so he walked straight into the Nether Tower.
This structure was forged from a material known as "Nether Iron Crystal." Mined in the Nether Realm and smelted with other materials, it possessed an extremely powerful isolating effect against spiritual energy.
Due to the unique nature of the Nether Realm, virtually no detection equipment could function there, making it incredibly difficult to transmit any information out.
Consequently, entering the Nether Realm was one of the few dangerous activities within the Bronze Sect. If one's spiritual body was annihilated in the Nether Realm, it would result in brain death.
Every year, Sect members died inside these Nether Towers.
Su Chen stepped inside. It was dark and narrow, and only after he closed the door did a faint glimmer of light illuminate the space.
He sat cross-legged on the floor. Following the instructions the architect had given him, he allowed his spiritual energy to gradually seep into the Nether Tower.
In stark contrast to entering the Nether Realm completely defenseless on his own, he could clearly feel himself passing through some sort of channel.
His surroundings gradually transformed, but it wasn't into that familiar, grayish expanse. Instead, a cacophony of noises slowly reached his ears.
"Someone's coming."
"Why is it from a new Nether Tower? Number 107, that's a bit unfamiliar. Who else is coming to this godforsaken place?"
"107? Isn't that the floating island number of that new Star Seed?"
"Su Chen?"
"Damn...
"
Su Chen slowly opened his eyes. He was already standing inside a transparent crystalline pillar, and several figures could be seen outside.
Someone had already thoughtfully opened the door for him. It was a young man whose spiritual body looked somewhat diffused, indicating his tier clearly wasn't high. Wearing an enthusiastic smile, he greeted, "Your Excellency Su Chen..."
He was likely an ordinary staff member here, and he looked at Su Chen with eyes full of marvel.
Su Chen's name had been resounding like thunder within the Sect recently. Because of his ranking, a great number of people wanted to challenge his training projection.
His wicked tactic of leaving behind psychological trauma was already common knowledge, causing quite a few people to curse him secretly.
Many had assumed that was Su Chen's ultimate trump card, but only after enduring it did they realize it was far from it.
His subsequent combat techniques were not in the least bit simpler than that psychological deterrence. His speed and defense were absolutely on par with a Tier 5 class holder.
Some even mentioned that if a battle dragged on for too long, the black lightning energy left lingering in their bodies could actually affect their personal luck.
There were individuals who, immediately after finishing a battle and walking out of the challenge center, would take a nasty fall, or suddenly suffer an energy deviation while running their body-tempering methods later on.
At first, no one linked these incidents to the black lightning energy Su Chen left behind.
But as these events increased recently, the medical department put the pieces together and discovered a common thread: these people had all challenged Su Chen and engaged in prolonged, bitter struggles with him.
Only then was a warning issued, which stirred up another wave of uproar.
Through all these various methods, Su Chen's name echoed both inside and outside the Sect. Even on the life-bearing planets under their jurisdiction, many people became aware that the Sect's newly birthed Star Seed was truly extraordinary.
"Oh my, you actually came?"
A somewhat familiar voice drifted over from a distance. An honest-looking middle-aged man jogged over. His facial features were distinct, and his spiritual tier wasn't low; it was none other than Deacon Feng, whom Su Chen had met before.
"Deacon Feng," Su Chen greeted.
"Too polite, too polite." A bright smile beamed on Deacon Feng's face. "The last time a Star Seed visited this Nether Realm was several years ago."
"Sorry for the intrusion," Su Chen said.
"Not at all..." Deacon Feng waved his hands repeatedly. "Come, let me show you around."
Deacon Feng was very enthusiastic, and Su Chen happily obliged, following the man out of the room.
The moment he stepped outside, he paused, unable to stop himself from looking up.
Up in the vault of the heavens, there was actually a crimson-gold orb of light radiating a gentle brilliance. This made him ask in astonishment, "Could that be—"
"Exactly!" Deacon Feng didn't even know what Su Chen was guessing, but he nodded in agreement anyway, then explained, "That is the Bronze Flame."
"The flame can actually influence the Nether Realm?" Su Chen was increasingly amazed.
"Yes," Deacon Feng replied, taking it as a matter of course. "It's always been able to. If it weren't for this flame, we wouldn't have a foothold here."
Truly astounded, Su Chen couldn't help but take a few more looks. He asked with some confusion, "Does this flame ever go out? Oh, wait, there's the Dark Sun period."
Deacon Feng nodded, his smile fading slightly. "There is. And because of that, it's very difficult for us to expand our territory here."
He let out a helpless sigh.
Su Chen looked around. Everywhere he looked, there were structures built from piled-up Nether Iron Crystals, looking very much like a tribal settlement from a barbaric era.
Quite a few people were walking about or floating in the sky. He could even see some guys holding crimson metal pickaxes and carrying crystalline woven baskets on their backs.
This sight truly gave Su Chen a sense of surreal displacement.
'It seems the Nether Realm doesn't have the concept of planets. Is it just one massive expanse of land?' Su Chen couldn't help but wonder.
Deacon Feng continued explaining, "When the flame isn't extinguished, our coverage area is over three times this size. Unfortunately, during the Dark Sun period, those Nether Realm creatures come to harass us, so we have no choice but to shrink back to here."
Speaking of this, Deacon Feng couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, before finally asking, "Did you come here for a specific reason?"
"Well... I was just curious, so I came to look around?" Su Chen answered vaguely, immediately following up with a question, "I heard that Nether Realm Stones and the like are all mined by hand?"
'What exactly is this Star Seed here for?'
Deacon Feng muttered in his heart but nodded anyway. "That's right. The vast majority of things in this Nether Realm space are formed by spiritual bodies, and there's no way to transfer over any large-scale mechanical excavation equipment. We can only rely on manual labor."
"It's precisely because of this that the price of Nether Realm Stones is absurdly high. The ability to ignore signal channels and Nether Fog to communicate directly through the Nether Realm is an absolute necessity in the Dust Star Sea."
"Where do you usually go to mine?" Su Chen asked curiously.
Deacon Feng pointed a finger. "There's a small-scale mineral vein over there. While the flame is burning, we go there to mine, and when the Dark Sun period arrives, we come back."
"There's another one in the opposite direction that's even larger, but the Nether Realm creatures nearby are very troublesome."
"The efficiency can't be high, right?" Su Chen inquired.
Deacon Feng sighed. "Correct. It's nowhere near enough to supply the Sect's consumption. A large portion of our Nether Realm Stones has to be purchased."
"I see." Su Chen looked thoughtful. It seemed the impact of the Dark Sun period was more significant than he had imagined; it wasn't just a simple matter of the lights going out.
"You aren't thinking about mining, are you?" Deacon Feng asked with some hesitation.
"Can't I?" Su Chen asked in return.
"It's not a question of whether you can or can't," Deacon Feng couldn't help but say. "With your status, why would you need to mine? You shouldn't be lacking in resource supplies, right?"
'I'm not lacking in resource supplies, but I need to buy the Power of the Treacherous God...' Su Chen shook his head. "Just a passing thought. But how do you bring the mined Nether Realm Stones out?"
"Bringing them out is simple. The Nether Tower acts as a medium. By wrapping the items in spiritual energy, you can carry them out."
"What about bringing external items in?" Su Chen asked again. "Is it the same process?"
Deacon Feng nodded. "More or less. However, bringing things in is more troublesome. The higher the material coefficient, the more spiritual energy it consumes."
"So that's how it is," Su Chen mused thoughtfully.
Deacon Feng shot him a glance and advised, "There's nothing to be curious about here. It's a godforsaken place."
"Anyone within the Sect with even a little bit of connections wouldn't come here. Mining is grueling work, and we also have to scout for other special materials. The number of people who die every year isn't small."
"Doesn't forging a Holy Class also require going through the Nether Realm?" Su Chen asked, taking it as a given.
This Star Seed truly had no scruples; this was already considered confidential information. Deacon Feng lowered his voice, "That may be true, but who among those capable of forging a Holy Class isn't a formidable figure? Most of them wait until a Spirit Flame is found and make complete preparations before coming here."
"Are these Spirit Flames hard to find?" Su Chen followed up.
"It's hard to say." Deacon Feng thought for a moment. This Star Seed sure had a lot of questions, but it wasn't a huge secret anyway. "Things like Spirit Flames are extremely beneficial to Nether Realm creatures. You just need to look in places where they gather, and there's a certain probability of finding one."
Deacon Feng sighed. "But the troublesome part is that those Nether Realm creatures also value Spirit Flames highly, making a fight with them inevitable."
"Do you have any Spirit Flames in reserve for daily use?" Su Chen looked around.
"Where would we get those..." Deacon Feng said helplessly. "Our area of activity is only so big, and we have to stay under the flame. We can only go out and search for them."
"We did find a Spirit Flame a while back, which was prepared for His Excellency Fan Zhao. However, the nearby Nether Realm creatures haven't been fully dealt with yet."
'Fan Zhao?' Su Chen's eyes flashed. During this period, he hadn't just been burying his head in developing his class progress; he had also gained a rather deep understanding of the Sect as a whole.
This person was one of Qin Yun's students. He was already a Tier 8 class holder and had long since graduated from the Sanctum Rankings.
After speaking, Deacon Feng suddenly realized what he had let slip. Cursing himself internally, he hastily changed the subject. "Is there anywhere else you'd like to see?"
"No," Su Chen chuckled softly. "There really isn't much to see here."
Deacon Feng quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Entertaining a precious VIP like this was too much trouble; it was better for him to head back early.
"Right." Just as he was leaving, Su Chen asked, seemingly casually, "I heard from the architect that if I don't use the Nether Tower, I'll randomly appear anywhere covered by the flame when entering the Nether Realm?"
"That's right," Deacon Feng hurriedly replied. "The risk is immense. Please don't let your curiosity get the better of you."
Spiritual anchoring was divided into two steps. The first step was to bind his spiritual imprint with the flame, but if he only did that, he would appear at a random location within the flame's coverage.
Only by anchoring a second time through the Nether Tower could he ensure his appearance at a predetermined location. Both steps were indispensable.
"Understood." Su Chen nodded and vanished from the spot.
Back in the Nether Tower, he slowly opened his eyes. "In that case, I can give it a try."
After exiting the Nether Tower, he checked the time. There were still a few hours until the Dark Sun period.
Returning to the training room, he waited for a while. Right at the exact moment before the Dark Sun period began, instead of relying on the Nether Tower, he attempted to plunge directly into the Nether Realm.
That dizzying, world-spinning sensation hit him once more. Sure enough, the location he appeared in this time wasn't inside that stone room.
His surroundings were a hazy gray expanse, and the ground beneath him was cold, hard, and rough. In the distance, the flame in the sky above the Bronze Sect's outpost was rapidly extinguishing.
An aura that made him shudder washed over him. A blurry, golden, dragon-shaped phantom was coiled in the sky not far away, deterring any Nether Realm creatures with malicious intentions.
"A Tier 9 spiritual-side class holder of the Sect..." Su Chen retracted his gaze and looked toward the distant direction Deacon Feng had pointed out earlier. It was deep, silent, and boundless.
"Doesn't this mean it's become my own personal mine now?" Su Chen muttered to himself. He reached out a hand, and a long, dark-gold blade materialized—it was none other than the Formless True Blade.
"It's this simple?" He was somewhat astonished, feeling almost no drain on his spiritual energy.
Su Chen couldn't help but speculate, 'Could it be because of my mastery over it? This weapon is already spiritually bound to me, which is why it's so effortless.'
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