Chapter 67: Promotion To 【mystic Arts Scholar】!
“What’s wrong?”
In the guest room downstairs, Qin Cheng looked at the guy who had raised his head on the other side.
Yu Xuan withdrew his gaze, the excitement in his eyes flashing and fading, then he shook his head and said, “Nothing.”
Zhou Xian had guessed correctly; Yuan Chenyang had actually taken in a Strange God Follower as a student. The Faceless Ghost… could actually disguise itself as a My Lord Follower.
At that moment, the door was pushed open, and all three of them looked over sharply. Su Chen only recognized Patrol Section Chief Qin Cheng, and one who looked very slick middle-aged man.
“Su Chen…” Qin Cheng had already stood up to introduce him, and the middle-aged man on the right, who was thin with prominent cheekbones, said, “Exploration Department, Zhou Mingguang.”
Zhou Mingguang nodded.
“This is Patrol Department, Yu Xuan.” The man on the left looked quite a bit younger, gazing at him calmly.
Su Chen smiled and nodded, planning to go out later and ask Hou Xu. If these guys hadn’t switched positions, the one with a problem should be this Yu Xuan.
Hou Xu, who had been making small talk, saw this and stood up to take his leave. Qin Cheng invited Su Chen to sit down, sighed, and said, “We’re here this time because of Pan Yu.”
So it’s this matter. Su Chen felt a bit more settled in his heart and relaxed a lot.
As long as it didn’t involve Space Crystal and Strange Artifact.
“Pan Yu hasn’t shown up for a long time; I’m afraid there won’t be good news.” Zhou Mingguang got straight to the point, staring at Su Chen. “We’re here to ask you if he showed any unusual behavior before he disappeared.”
“Uh, I’m not familiar with him; the total words we’ve exchanged might not even reach ten sentences.” Su Chen shook his head. “I really don’t know about any specifics.”
“Are you close with Hu Xiang?” Yu Xuan, who had been wearing a mild smile the whole time beside him, suddenly spoke up.
They’ve investigated Hu Xiang?
Su Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly, and Zhou Mingguang and Qin Cheng both frowned at the same time beside him.
This question wasn’t part of what they had discussed.
“Uh… this matter involves an old case from years ago. I suggest you go ask the City Lord.” Su Chen shook his head.
Involving the City Lord again? Zhou Mingguang’s brows furrowed even deeper.
“I see.” Yu Xuan had a look of sudden realization. “I understand.”
Su Chen looked at the others, silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, “Do you gentlemen have any more questions?”
Except for Yu Xuan, the other two guys didn’t seem prepared with any tricky questions.
Su Chen wasn’t surprised by this; on the surface, he had no connection with Pan Yu.
“For now, no problems.” Zhou Mingguang’s brows were tightly knit as he glanced at Yu Xuan, then stood up and said, “We just came to ask casually. Pan Yu has been missing for so long; we’re all very anxious.”
He made up an excuse, while Su Chen put on a look of sudden realization, chatting idly for a couple of exchanges, and then the three took their leave.
Su Chen watched the three board the hover car before returning to his room, his expression gradually sobering. “What exactly are these guys up to? Yu Xuan, that Heituo Follower mentioning Hu Xiang—is it a warning, a threat?”
Hu Xiang had gone out on a major patrol long ago and wouldn’t be back for at least half a month; the other side couldn’t have really found anything from him.
“They’ve been investigating for so long, but only came to me after I stole the Strange Artifact. That day I attacked Zhou Xian—could I have been recognized?” He pondered from various angles.
“So they sent someone to probe me? But they shouldn’t naively think I’m a Heituo Follower, right?”
After a long while, Su Chen sighed leisurely, “Still not strong enough.”
……
On the hover car, Qin Cheng said discontentedly, “Yu Xuan, what’s the matter with you? You were so confident on the way here claiming to have clues, but when we got here, you only asked one question about what Hu Xiang?”
“…We’re asking you; what’s the deal with Hu Xiang?” Zhou Mingguang was not polite at all. As the City Lord’s personal guard, the Exploration Department’s status was half a level higher than the other two departments.
Yu Xuan shook his head. “Nothing much. The late Qi Chuan had contacted Hu Xiang before and secretly framed Su Chen, but the City Lord has already looked into this matter.”
“Hu Xiang probably went to him earlier to apologize or something.”
“There’s such a thing?” Qin Cheng grew even more dissatisfied. “Then Su Chen should be the victim.”
“I didn’t agree with coming to him this time in the first place. His deputy section chief position was personally promoted by the City Lord. The idea that he’s the biggest beneficiary makes no sense at all. Yu Xuan, if you keep stirring things up, just step out.”
Yu Xuan was displeased. “I just don’t want to miss any clues. Asking a couple questions to bluff him doesn’t hurt.”
Qin Cheng muttered curses under his breath. “I said it before we came: there’s no way he’s connected to Pan Yu’s disappearance.”
Yu Xuan turned his head toward the window and said nothing, but he was in a very good mood, having confirmed that Su Chen was a Strange God Follower. What came next would be easy.
……
The inexplicable visit from Yu Xuan and the others made Su Chen feel a much stronger sense of urgency.
But the next few days were unusually calm, with no follow-up at all.
And Zhang Hengyu discovered that after their last communication, not only had Su Chen not relaxed, he’d doubled down. He used to occasionally drag him out for a meal, but now it had been five or six days without seeing him.
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep up.
“Finally…” Su Chen stopped, exhaled, and walked out of the training room, his eyes unfocused.
【Ethereal Meditation Method: Master Level】
【Obtained ability–Ethereal State: Mental activity increased.】
The surging mental power gradually calmed, and with 【Spiritual Vision】, the perception range had expanded to twenty meters away.
The development progress for 【Mystic Tool Master】 had reached 100% two days ago; the main wait was for the meditation method to reach Master Level.
All was ready, except for the Whispering Trial.
“Are mental-side things all so bizarre? Might as well let me take down a few Second Order Professionals.” Su Chen recalled his job appointment and still felt lingering fear.
No helping it; to promote, there was no other way.
This time, he could hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door.
He sealed the bedroom door tight, drew the curtains shut, sat cross-legged on the bed, and familiarly drew the “Inverted Cross” on his chest.
“Buzz…”
Similar to the first Whispering Trial, but the reaction was more intense. The sounds around him gradually grew noisy, but this time, with his increased mental power, he had a completely different feeling.
He vaguely sensed a breakthrough in his mental boundaries and could clearly distinguish that it felt like arriving in another world, with scenes gradually appearing around him.
The indistinguishable sounds in his ears became clearer; the source of the sounds seemed right beside him.
“…Thunder… Thunder…”
Vaguely, Su Chen could hear a word.
At the same time, crimson flames suddenly ignited before his eyes.
This time, what he saw was no longer a black triangle, but a massive creature with crimson wings on its back. He didn’t know how far away it was or how enormous it was.
It had four heads facing all directions, crimson thunder coiling around, and with each flap of its wings, crimson flames blanketed the sky.
Hard to imagine what kind of creature this was; Su Chen’s consciousness gradually blurred.
Suddenly, everything brightened before his eyes, and all scenes vanished.
The curtains fluttered wildly, but it was Su Chen’s finger that lifted, a cyan wind pillar directly piercing through the window.
“Too damn bizarre.”
His back was covered in cold sweat, and he couldn’t help recalling it in his mind, but for some reason, he also remembered the scene when he first contacted the Strange Artifact; the two seemed similar.
“That thing couldn’t be a kind of Strange God too…” Su Chen speculated inwardly, adjusted his emotions, opened the panel, and all promotion requirements had been completed.
Promote!
【Mystic Tool Master successfully job appointed as Mystic Arts Scholar!】
【Mystic Tool Control and Strengthen fused–Mystic Tool Mastery: Can simultaneously control two mystic tools and attach one’s own professional ability.】
【Mental Spike evolved–Mental Interference: Further enhanced ability to influence external targets with mental power.】
【Obtained professional ability–Crimson Thunder: Steal power from crimson corruption.】
Su Chen only felt his brain cool, mental power beginning to boil and rapidly grow, perception range quickly increasing, everything around him in exquisite detail.
【Mental Shield】, 【Star Rhyme】, 【Ethereal State】 rapidly integrated into his mind, becoming foundation and accumulation.
Invisible power spread out, tables, chairs, and stools trembling nonstop, environmental details and slight noises all surging toward him, his brain feeling like it was about to explode.
It took a long time before Su Chen controlled the surging mental power, flipping through the panel and digesting the series of information on it.
