"The collection speed has to be even faster than I thought."
Placed on the ground, three boxes of varying sizes floated up sequentially following Su Chen's pacing.
The impact caused by the Starfire improving and the Ancient King making an appearance was even more profound than he had imagined.
"However, these Heaven-Forged Items still have to be melded into the body first." Su Chen felt the remnants in his stomach, a blazing liquid like mercury pulp.
Along with advancing to the 6th-Tier, his Gluttonous Stomach had also been strengthened by a lot, and his absorption speed was also quite a bit faster. It had only been half a month, yet the two previous portions of Heaven-Forged Items had already been just about absorbed.
Beep—
Accompanied by a buzzing sound, the large metal door in front of Su Chen retreated to both sides. Soft lighting gradually lit up.
This was a newly added facility. It wasn't considered large, no more than a hundred-plus square meters from front to back, displaying several pieces of large-tonnage metal equipment.
THUD!
Three boxes landed behind him. Su Chen walked up to the equipment on the left side. On it laid horizontally a silver-white metal balance, and above it was a slender metal probe.
The clasp of a box behind him opened silently. A fist-sized metal roughcast, radiating an indigo-blue luster and resembling a short-handled hammer, floated up and landed on the balance's tray.
As several white lasers shone down, the equipment's screen quickly revealed the relevant data—
"Nickel-Thunder Essence - 16%"
"Gold-Forged Core - 17%"
"Melting point data being estimated, furnace has already been activated"
He swept a glance, then took this metal down. Turning around, he walked to the giant equipment on the opposite side. It was already transmitting a low buzzing sound, divided into top and bottom parts.
Su Chen placed the small hammer's roughcast in the central area. The top and bottom alloys interlocked. The cavity was hollow, and a screen on one side surfaced the internal scenery.
Su Chen pressed a few buttons. The equipment's buzzing became increasingly intense. Purple-white flames immediately spewed out within the cavity, and the short-handled hammer gradually showed signs of melting.
After about half an hour or so, it melted into a clump of indigo-blue liquid. Having already had experience several times, Su Chen took out a specially-made container to receive the already melted metal solution.
Blazing high temperatures came Rushing Toward One. Having already drunk it several times, he also didn't feel uncomfortable. Raising his head, he chugged it down in one gulp.
A familiar scorching sensation rose in his belly. Su Chen didn't mind. Opening that longer Metal Case, he took out a sharp roughcast that was only an arm's length, repeating the steps from just now. Front to back taking about two hours, he melted all three newly obtained portions of Heaven-Forged Items into liquid and poured them into his stomach.
"Burp..." Su Chen let out a full burp. A ball of fiery air spewed out, immediately triggering the room's high-temperature warning. Wisps of glowing white patterns surfaced on the floor, cold air permeated, and condensation water continuously dripped down.
"I estimate if there was a bit more I wouldn't be able to withstand it." Su Chen was somewhat speechless. Looking at the glowing white patterns gradually fading away on the ground, he rubbed his own belly. It was like he had swallowed a boiling hot fireball; there was faintly also some burden.
"In another two or three days it should improve. Within a month, I will roughly be able to finish absorbing it."
Su Chen roughly estimated the time. Adapting slightly, he turned his head and walked out of this furnace room.
A person was currently standing on the empty clearing in front of the Main Building. It was precisely Luo Shuhang. Su Chen also wasn't surprised; the other party was precisely called over by him.
"Your Excellency." Seeing Su Chen come out, Luo Shuhang hurriedly went up to welcome him.
Before he even drew near, he felt an extremely blazing Aura come Rushing Toward One, as if a large fireball was standing before his eyes.
His Professional Tier wasn't considered high. This kind of temperature already made it somewhat difficult for him to endure.
"Wait a moment." Seeing him look like this, Su Chen took a deep breath. The blazing temperature dissipating in the surroundings gradually subsided, ultimately suppressed within a controllable range.
"Many thanks for your consideration." Luo Shuhang offered a timely compliment, wiping the sweat from his head.
Su Chen smiled, leading him into the Lounge.
"Captain Luo, having you come this time is because I want you to help me find two Physical Stamina category Specialized Classes." Su Chen got straight to the point.
Luo Shuhang was already sitting properly. Following the words, he pursued the question: "Concretely, what types?"
Closely following, he explained: "The Physical Stamina category is a major category. Within it, there are those that use enhanced cellular activity to thus perform rapid recovery, or those that enhance resilience to covertly reduce the consumption of various abilities, as well as the types that increase muscle and body strength to fundamentally increase the total amount of Physical Stamina."
Hearing this, Su Chen thought about it carefully. He fought short-duration burst battles. He himself was only a 6th-Tier; no matter how abnormal the recovery rate was, it was impossible to keep up with his consumption speed.
As for reducing consumption... he already had enough abilities in the reducing consumption category. Moreover, ultimately it was impossible to suppress it to thoroughly zero consumption; there was a marginal effect.
As the various stacked abilities grew more and more numerous, the reduced consumption also grew less and less. Even no matter how powerful it was, the cost-performance ratio actually wasn't that high.
As for increasing the total amount... coordinating with this ability Chakra Release, the Holy Class Forged in the end should be quite good.
"Just directly increasing the total amount then." After saying that, Su Chen supplemented a sentence: "It would be best if they could have 7th-Tier intensity."
Borrowing Scarlet Essence, he could still barely take up this intensity.
"7th-Tier, ah, reaching this intensity." Luo Shuhang thought about it. He didn't question why Su Chen, who was only a 6th-Tier, wanted to search for 7th-Tier Specialized Classes. Quickly, he spat out two names:
"[Earth-Strength Adept], [Unending Wellspring]. However, the time required to temper and refine for these two Professions is somewhat long."
Luo Shuhang remembered that this Star Seed before his eyes seemed to be quite averse to long periods of tempering and refining. Last time he came, he even asked him about the matter of Evil God Power, so he supplemented this sentence.
"Alright, I know."
Within a certain tier, the intensity of these Professions was mostly the same without much difference. Su Chen merely wanted two passable Professions, finally fusing them in.
"Then do you have other matters you need help with?" Luo Shuhang inquired probing tentatively.
"Professions I actually don't need much temporarily." Su Chen pondered slightly. "However, regarding Holy Classes, I actually have some things I want to ask about. Do you understand much in this aspect?"
"Holy Classes, ah?" Luo Shuhang hesitated, somewhat helpless: "Relevant information regarding Holy Classes is all secret. Although we are from the Class Analysis Department, our understanding is indeed also not much. But if you have any questions, you can say them first for a look. I might know."
"Captain Luo, we are all old acquaintances. No need to be so nervous." Seeing him stack armor before and after he spoke, Su Chen was somewhat helpless, pacifying him with a sentence.
"I'm not nervous," Luo Shuhang hurriedly said. Su Chen could not mind and treat him with an attitude of honoring the wise and condescending to the scholarly, but he couldn't not mind, ah.
Seeing this, Su Chen also didn't say more, directly asking: "The Holy Class I have currently selected requires five basic categories of Specialized Classes before it can be Forged.
"Do all Holy Classes rigidly require five Professions, or is it only the Holy Class I selected that is like this?"
Hearing these words, Luo Shuhang actually breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought Su Chen would ask some secretive questions. This actually counted as the basics.
Without much hesitation, he responded: "To Forge a Holy Class, five Professions is the most basic foundation. Below five, it's impossible to successfully Forge."
"Since it's like this, then is it that the more Professions Forged, the more formidable the Holy Class is?" Su Chen pursued the question along the flow of conversation.
"Naturally, it is like this." Luo Shuhang nodded, but quickly explained again, "The more the better, is directed towards Specialized Classes with similar affinities."
Su Chen thought of his own situation, asking: "If the affinities are not similar, what will happen?"
"If affinities are not similar and they are blindly stacked, it's actually not a benefit..." Luo Shuhang frowned and pondered for a while before thinking of how to explain it simply and easily understood. "Just take the simple three major flesh body categories: defense, strength, and speed."
"If one wants to Forge a speed-category Holy Class and adds a defense-increasing Profession, the ability born will have some deviation. It will be unable to achieve the extreme in speed, and perhaps will apportion a bit to the defense layer."
"So that's how it is." Su Chen furrowed his brows slightly. "Then in other words, it cannot deviate even the slightest bit?"
"It's actually not like this either." Luo Shuhang shook his head again. Perhaps feeling the words he spoke contradicted themselves before and after, he hurriedly said: "Still using that example from just now. A speed-category Holy Class Forging a defense Profession won't work. But Forging strength might not necessarily be unfeasible."
"For example, if what is enhanced is leg strength, to a certain degree, it also has benefits for speed bursts."
"Oh." Su Chen suddenly realized. "In other words, this 'similar affinities' actually doesn't refer to categories? Concretely, what is it?"
Luo Shuhang gave a Bitter Smile. "Professions with similar affinities is an extremely complex and voluminous subject. In short, if you want to Forge a Holy Class, look at the final orientation. Still using a speed-category Holy Class as an example."
"Within a short time, elevating burst speed through methods that cause damage to the body, versus blessing elements like wind and thunder to let one's own speed elevate, as well as elevating speed through fusing foreign objects—strictly divided, they are actually three types of Professions."
"But they can be Forged together, because the final orientation is all increasing speed."
Su Chen seemingly understood somewhat, yet seemingly didn't understand somewhat, mumbling secretly:
'No wonder. Whether on the Crimson Thunder Planet, within the sect, or in other factions of the Dust Star Sea, they all nurture a large batch of professional personnel in the Class Analysis category.'
He might not have really experienced it before. After all, with the Status Panel present, regardless of this and that, he directly grabbed them over and refined them in a handful.
But for other people, the distinction within this was far too huge.
Enhancing bursts would inevitably cause an impact on the body. The more abilities, the greater the consumption. Too slow of a speed couldn't keep up with the opponent, too fast of a speed and one couldn't even react in time themselves. Absolutely everything had to be analyzed clearly.
'As for myself...' Su Chen remembered the situation of the Holy Class he originally prepared to Forge with the Blood Burner as the core.
'I'm afraid I'll have to cull the Wind Chaser Dancer.'
Regardless of whether it was the Blood Burner, Ravager, or Weapon Lord, and even to the Sovereign Vajra, without a doubt, the final orientation was all increasing body strength.
But the Wind Chaser Dancer was completely incongruous. Forging it in might not necessarily be a good thing. There was no need to apportion ability intensity onto speed. If he wanted to focus on speed, directly pursuing a relevant Holy Class would also be fine.
'Even if I cull the Wind Chaser Dancer, the Weapon Lord's three, Sovereign Vajra's three, plus the Ravager, are still enough to make seven. It can be Forged, the problem isn't big.'
Thinking of this, Su Chen asked again:
"Then among Holy Classes, are there Tier divisions? For instance, according to the different number of Forged Professions, like intermediate-grade, high-grade, and the like."
"There is none..." Luo Shuhang shook his head. "A Holy Class is a Holy Class. Although the intensity is extremely high, on people with different Professions, the might brought out is also different. Some are also related to the Primary Class. Even using the number of Forged Professions, it is difficult to explicitly divide them."
"Then the Holy Class Ranking published by the Prophet Society, what is it divided by?" Su Chen was somewhat puzzled.
"You speak of that Leaderboard, ah..." Luo Shuhang thought about it. "The Prophet Society's channels for collecting information are naturally varied and diverse."
"However, the Professions on that Leaderboard are actually strongly related to the Morning Star Ranking. For example, the current number one, God-Defying Halberd, is the Holy Class of the number one on the Morning Star Ranking, the God-Defying King. It is very hard to say whether it achieved the God-Defying King, or if the God-Defying King achieved it."
"So that's how it is..." Su Chen understood. These Holy Classes fundamentally had no way of being taken out individually to be measured. The intensity of the Professions Forged within them also had highs and lows. Added to each person's Profession being different, it easily caused minute gaps in strength.
Furthermore, relevant information was an even tighter secret. It was impossible to have a fair and just method of division.
Su Chen asked with some curiosity: "Then of what Captain Luo knows, the Holy Class with the most Professions Forged, roughly how many does it have?"
"Probably the Shen Family's Holy Class; it requires six Spiritual Tier Professions." He lowered his voice. Discussing the Holy Classes of other families within the sect was a relatively sensitive topic.
'Royal God is surprisingly Forged from six Professions.' Su Chen was unavoidably surprised. But what surprised him even more was that the most Luo Shuhang knew was surprisingly also just six. He had thought it would be seven or Eight Types and the like.
"Wanting to stack the number of Forged Professions in a Holy Class is not simple." Luo Shuhang saw Su Chen's surprise and explained: "Similar affinities also means extremely specialized, which will seriously affect comprehensive strength."
"If we say there truly is that kind of Holy Class Forged from accumulating seven or Eight Types of Professions with similar affinities, I estimate only the Royal Court has the qualifications to nurture it."
"Only the Royal Court can manage it? What does that mean?" Su Chen didn't understand.
Luo Shuhang said: "The Royal Court has extremely many Morning Star Tier Professions stored, reaching as many as eight. Before the matter of the Lost Starfire occurred, there were five Morning Stars in the current era."
"When conducting grand screenings to find Star Seeds, it's not like all of them can land among the Imperial Family and noble aristocratic families. Some whose backgrounds aren't much, yet stubbornly became Star Seeds, towards the Royal Court, they are precisely cradles to nurture Holy Classes."
Su Chen's heart skipped slightly: "Your meaning is, they will have them continuously take up certain identical and similar Professions, rather than making adjustments according to their own conditions, thereby nurturing an extremely high-intensity Holy Class?"
"Correct." Luo Shuhang nodded his head. "But it's not all disadvantages either. The Entanglement of interests within is complex. I've also only merely heard of it."
Su Chen looked thoughtful. The Royal Court's situation was special, rather than like a sect.
People like Wei Zhenghong, although he also didn't have any backing, after becoming a Star Seed, he became Chu Lingyuan's student. There was naturally a measure of Incense and Offering Sentiment present, making it very hard for a Royal Court-like situation to appear.
The two chatted for a bit longer regarding Holy Classes. It was mainly some basic information. For excessively important matters, Luo Shuhang also didn't understand much.
"You needn't see me out. It's fine for me to leave on my own." Seeing Su Chen stand up intending to see him out, Luo Shuhang repeatedly said.
"No matter." Su Chen waved a hand.
Luo Shuhang also found it hard to refuse. Inwardly somewhat overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, he arrived at the Port, repeatedly taking his leave, and rode onto the Flight Vehicle to drift far away.