"Refining?"
"I don't know what kind of Class can be refined from this Morning Star Embers," Su Chen muttered. Since the Weapon Nurturer was doing the work for him, he naturally welcomed the result.
However, whether it was Qin Yun, Wei Zhenghong, or the description on the Status Panel, they all stated that it would refine a Class. Under normal circumstances, it should be very difficult to refine a Holy Class.
But since he had the assistance of the Eldritch Essence, perhaps it could give him a pleasant surprise in the end.
"However, the Weapon Nurturer is a support-type Profession... and it's related to weapon upgrades..."
"A support-type Holy Class?"
Su Chen thought for a moment. He had truly never encountered one. Even a medical-type Holy Class like the Undying Bird could play a massive role in combat.
As for a pure support type, he had never even heard of it.
Morning Stars were not exactly a dime a dozen in the Dust Star Sea. If someone forged a support-type Holy Class, their combat power would be truly useless, not even comparable to most Dual Ninth-Rank powerhouses.
Even the Royal Court was not extravagant enough to do something like that.
After waiting for a while, there was no further activity on the Status Panel. Su Chen understood. "It looks like the Weapon Nurturer still needs some time to finish refining."
Su Chen walked straight out of the Nether Tower and went to the storehouse, opening the several metal cases brought by Ming Lin.
Originally, he had some Eldritch Essence in stock, but it had just been completely consumed by the Weapon Nurturer. Naturally, he needed to replenish it as quickly as possible to prepare for any unexpected needs.
He was already well-practiced at absorbing Evil God Power. It did not take him long to completely empty the several cases, forging all of it into essence as clinking and clattering sounds rang out.
"The next time I forge a Holy Class, I will need to use Divine Blood as fuel."
"However, even though the Remnant Spirit has been dealt with, there is still Qin Yun.
The Remnant Spirit and Qin Yun had an agreement. Qin Yun would help the Remnant Spirit seize my body, and the Remnant Spirit would need to help Qin Yun recover to her Peak Condition, as well as allow her to inherit the position of the Bronze Ancient King."
"Right now, in Qin Yun's mind, she probably thinks that I have already been possessed by the Remnant Spirit. Since 'he' naturally would not help her do anything, I wonder what actions Qin Yun will take next?"
Su Chen pondered for a moment before temporarily casting the matter to the back of his mind.
Right now, he needed to make a trip to the Bronze Core to officially acquire the Flash-Shadow Body as soon as possible, thereby increasing his Development Efficiency.
Climbing to greater heights in strength was the ultimate solution to all problems.
"Once I advance to the 8th-Tier, I should not have to fear Qin Yun in her heavily crippled state."
Su Chen muttered to himself. He packed up briefly, walked out of the Floating Island, and headed straight toward the Bronze Core.
Along the way, an extremely large number of people greeted him. Following a familiar route, he entered the Bronze Core.
However, the spatial rift that was previously located in the center of the hall had now vanished without a trace.
"Hmm?" Su Chen could not help but feel surprised. He turned and looked toward the old man lying in an armchair to his back right.
"Senior Brother Ku?" he called out tentatively. The other party did not stir. Having entered the final stage of his lifespan, his bodily functions were deteriorating with every passing moment.
'Has he already begun to shut off his perception of the outside world?'
Su Chen cautiously approached. Before he could speak, he saw the old man's eyelids twitch. The old man suddenly spoke, his voice low and deep, "It's you. Entering the Bronze Core again?"
Su Chen's heart skipped a beat, rendering him somewhat speechless. He responded, "Yes, Senior Brother Ku. Why is the entrance to the Bronze Core gone?"
The old man's voice was weak and feeble. "The Ancient King has left temporarily, and it is unknown how long it will be before he returns. The operation of the Bronze Core relies on the Ancient King's power. The residual power he left behind diminishes with every use. Right now, we naturally must do our best to conserve it. Chu Lingyuan has given the order to temporarily seal the Bronze Core."
"So that's how it is..."
Su Chen suddenly understood, but he also felt somewhat helpless. This was the first time since the Ancient King's disappearance that he had felt its drawbacks so clearly.
However, this could not be helped. Chu Lingyuan certainly had to prioritize the bigger picture. Sighing helplessly, Su Chen nodded and said, "Senior Brother, sorry to have disturbed you."
Turning around, he was about to leave, but at that moment, he heard a hoarse voice from behind him say, "Wait."
Su Chen halted and turned back around in surprise.
"Come here. Let me take a close look." Su Chen's eyebrows twitched. He grumbled internally, but he still walked over.
He saw the old man suddenly open his eyes. His eyes were a cloudy, opaque grayish-white, and an aura of decay and death rushed toward him.
Su Chen's heart palpitated.
"Star Prime..." the old man murmured. "Such a young Star Prime. Good. Good. Good. Excellent..."
He said the word "good" several times in a row, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up to reveal an eerie smile that sent chills down Su Chen's spine.
"Go on, off you go."
Immediately after, the old man shooed him away as if urging him to leave. Watching Su Chen's figure disappear from sight, the old man slowly closed his eyes again. His fingers trembled slightly as a Virtual Screen opened before his eyes. He found Chu Lingyuan and sent a message over.
...
"I can't enter the Bronze Core. I can't really spend two and a half years slowly grinding away at this Flash-Shadow Body, can I?"
Su Chen felt that this matter was also somewhat thorny. Compared to the preparation time required for a normal Holy Class, two and a half years was already quite short.
However, it was still a bit too long for him.
"I wonder if I can pull some strings through the back door. I'm the Star Prime, after all. It should be fine to give me some special treatment, right?"
Su Chen muttered to himself. He truly did not want to spend such a long time on this.
He boarded a Flight Vehicle, floating along until he returned to his Floating Island.
Coming out of the Port, before he could even step into the Main Building, his footsteps paused. He turned to look, and a gust of wind descended from the sky. It was Qing Cang arriving.
"So fast?" Su Chen was a bit surprised. He had only just sent a message to Qing Cang less than two minutes ago.
"Senior Brother!" He greeted him with a beaming smile. "You came too quickly this time."
"Came too quickly?" Qing Cang was somewhat surprised. Looking thoughtful, he opened his Comm-Bracelet to take a look, only to discover Su Chen's message.
'So, Lao Qing didn't come looking for me because he saw my message. No wonder he was so fast this time...' Su Chen muttered internally as he observed his actions.
"You're looking for me because of the matter with the Bronze Core too, right?" Qing Cang asked with a half-smile as he deactivated the Virtual Screen.
Su Chen did not feel embarrassed, but rather keenly sensed the hidden meaning in Qing Cang's words.
"Senior Brother, what do you mean by 'too'?" Qing Cang cast him a glance and said, "Chu Lingyuan sent me to bring you into the Bronze Core."
"Venerable Chu Lingyuan?" Su Chen was astonished. He had only just returned from the Bronze Core, yet Chu Lingyuan already knew about it.
Qing Cang also clicked his tongue in wonder. "I never expected you to have such a good relationship with Ku Boye."
"Ku Boye? You mean Senior Brother Ku?" Su Chen was momentarily stunned before realizing that this matter had something to do with Senior Brother Ku.
"That's right, it's him, Ku Boye." Qing Cang spoke with a sigh. "His master once competed with our master for the position of the Ancient King. However, the previous generation's Ancient King ultimately passed it down to our master."
"Ku Boye is older than all of us, and we have received quite a bit of his care. This is especially true for Chu Lingyuan; when he went out to temper himself in his youth, his life was saved by him several times."
'To think that there was such a layer of connection...' Su Chen thought in surprise.
"However, Ku Boye has a tricky and eccentric personality. I never expected him to speak up for you."
Tricky and eccentric? Su Chen thought for a moment. "It's fine, I suppose. Maybe it's because I'm the Star Prime?"
"Perhaps that's part of the reason." Qing Cang remained noncommittal. At Ku Boye's age, being a Star Prime or not no longer mattered much.
If Su Chen had not caught his fancy, he would not have spoken up even if he were the Star Prime.
"Right now, if you want to enter the Bronze Core, even if I were the one to speak up, Chu Lingyuan would likely put on airs. After all, with the Ancient King currently missing, whatever Ancient King's power can be saved must be saved. But since it was Ku Boye who spoke up, he can't very well say anything against it."
"Let's go. I'll take you there."
Su Chen had originally sought out Qing Cang specifically to pull some strings, so he naturally would not refuse now. He followed Qing Cang all the way back to the Bronze Core.
Walking back along the path, he received greetings all the way once again.
Su Chen lowered his voice and said, "Senior Brother, should we cover this up a bit? After all, the Bronze Core is sealed off to the outside. Since you're sending me in, won't it look bad?"
"What are you afraid of?" Qing Cang appeared entirely nonchalant. "You're the Star Prime. We can just count it as a reward from The Order."
Seeing that Qing Cang didn't care either, Su Chen didn't press the matter further. With a slight stir in his heart, he couldn't help but ask, "Qin Yun gifted me a piece of Morning Star Embers. Senior Brother, do you know the origins of that item?"
Qing Cang nodded and said, "It should be from Mo Zhushan. He excelled at crafting and refining artifacts, and rumor has it that he had some connections with the True Martial Sect."
'Excels at forging weapons. No wonder the Weapon Nurturer reacted to it,' Su Chen thought thoughtfully.
Qing Cang then reminded him, "This item is somewhat precious, but what kind of Profession can be refined from it depends entirely on luck. There's no need for you to be anxious; it won't be too late to use it after you reach the Morning Star Tier."
"Understood." Su Chen nodded, then changed the subject and asked, "Senior Brother, what's the situation with the Flaming Golden Sand I requested?"
"It's on the way. It should be arriving soon."
Chatting as they walked, the two soon arrived at the Bronze Core.
"Senior Brother Ku."
Upon stepping inside, the two of them greeted him simultaneously. Su Chen went even further and said, "Thank you very much—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Ku Boye raise a hand. "Enough. Go on..."
He seemed too lazy to say another word.
Qing Cang pressed down with both hands in the air, and a stream of green data surged up before his eyes, rapidly creating a spatial rift.
"The Bronze Core has been activated. Go inside..."
Su Chen bowed to Ku Boye once again, then turned around and stepped inside.
Qing Cang cast a glance back and said, "Senior Brother, I'll be taking my leave first."
Ku Boye offered no response. Qing Cang did not mind either, walking out on his own.
Having visited the Bronze Core several times, Su Chen was already extremely familiar with it. He familiarly stated his requests and waited quietly for the Copper Spirit to begin its Mimicry.
Although it took a bit longer this time, it was not nearly as arduous as his previous experience with the Endless Earth Abyss.
In fact, it could even be considered relaxing. He only needed to observe the operational state of things, which did not delay his Class Development in the slightest.
...
Ten days had passed since the end of Qin Yun's banquet. The Qin Family, which had previously been deserted with scarcely a visitor in sight, gradually became lively once more.
The Qin Family had operated for many years and still had some people they were on good terms with. With Qin Yun and Su Chen melting the ice of their past grievances at the banquet, and aside from Qin Yun's status as a prisoner, there were no hidden dangers in associating with the Qin Family. Therefore, people began visiting them one after another.
At the main gates, after seeing off another group of people, Qin Lie let out a long sigh of relief. He felt rather mentally exhausted. After all, he had long since deviated from the core of the family, only recently being pushed into the role of the helmsman again.
Just as he was about to turn around and head back inside, his ears twitched slightly. He quickly walked deeper into the estate, arriving before Qin Yun's room, and called out respectfully, "Father."
Previously, he had harbored some complaints against Qin Yun. But after seeing his obsequious attitude toward Su Chen at that banquet to secure a path of survival for the Qin Family, Qin Lie had been quite moved.
Right now, he felt a genuine, solid measure of respect for his father.
"Is there any news about Su Chen?" Qin Yun's voice drifted out from the room.
A fleeting look of bewilderment flashed across Qin Lie's eyes. Uncomprehending, he asked, "What news?"
Qin Yun fell silent for a moment before saying, "Any news at all. Is there anything regarding Su Chen?"
Qin Lie hesitated. "Not long after the banquet ended that day, Star Seed Su headed to the Bronze Core. It is said that he used his Star Prime Reward as a trade to have Venerable Chu Lingyuan specially open the sealed Bronze Core for him."
"He went to the Bronze Core?" Qin Yun's voice was faintly urgent.
Qin Lie was puzzled. "Yes, Father. What's the matter?"
Inside the room, there was no movement for a long time. Qin Yun's brows were locked in a deep frown. According to his estimates, the one currently controlling Su Chen's body should be the Remnant Spirit.
According to their agreement, the moment it seized Su Chen's body, it would immediately come knocking on their door to visit.
Because he had already somewhat laid the groundwork during the previous banquet, Su Chen's visit wouldn't seem abrupt at all. When the time came, they would even be able to put on a performance displaying deep brotherly affection, thereby persuading Chu Lingyuan to lift his house arrest.
But he waited and waited, and even up until today, Su Chen had not shown up. This gave him a rather ominous premonition, which was why he had sought out Qin Lie to ask.
Qin Yun could not figure out what the Remnant Spirit was doing by going to the Bronze Core. Could it be to avoid others noticing any clues?
But he had never mentioned this matter before. Moreover, even if he had just acquired a physical body and didn't want to show his face too much, there was no need to go to the Bronze Core.
Could it be... that the Remnant Spirit failed? Qin Yun's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately dismissed the thought. That was even more impossible.
If the Remnant Spirit had failed, how could Su Chen possibly let the matter rest? He would definitely seek out Chu Lingyuan and Qing Cang and come knocking on his door to demand a clear explanation. It was impossible for things to be like they were now, where it seemed as though nothing had happened.
Treachery?
A sinister, ruthless light gleamed in Qin Yun's eyes. If the Remnant Spirit had gone back on its word, then no matter the cost, he would absolutely kill the Remnant Spirit... No... Now he should be calling it Su Chen.
He reached out his hand, and an illusory scene materialized. It was exactly the final scene of the two of them conversing, with the Remnant Spirit attached to the Morning Star Embers.
There was no trust whatsoever to speak of between him and the Remnant Spirit. To make the Remnant Spirit fulfill the agreement, the threat of force was one aspect, but there was also the entire plot of their scheme from beginning to end.
If this matter were exposed, he would definitely be finished, but the Remnant Spirit shouldn't expect to have a good time either.
"Father?"
Qin Lie's voice drifted in from outside the door once again, saying softly, "Since Star Seed Su has accepted your apology gift, he definitely won't target the Qin Family. Please set your mind at ease."
Qin Yun's face darkened. "I understand. You can go," he said in a deep voice.
...
Inside the Bronze Core, Su Chen was surrounded by layer upon layer of Mechanical Structures. Metal gears interlocked and rotated, emitting a faint hum in time with a rhythm. They operated according to some specific pattern, occasionally forming various changing visual designs.
This was a 'complex yet patterned' Mimicry environment.
At the same time, Su Chen's figure was slowly walking forward with an extremely sluggish motion.
However, if one were to look closely, they would be able to see that the edges of his body were extremely blurred. It was as if he were vibrating at an incredibly fast speed, yet the visual effect presented made him appear exceedingly slow.
"Extreme speed is extreme slowness." This concept was truly abstract enough. Su Chen grumbled internally. He had already attempted it several times before barely managing to find the right trick to it.
He estimated that after a bit more time passed, and combined with guidance, he should be able to complete it entirely.
Just as he was pondering, a line of text suddenly popped up on his Status Panel—