Chapter 588 - 322: Divine Dawn

"Where did..." Lu Huai trailed off, his expression freezing. His gaze landed on Su Chen as he asked hesitantly, "You’re telling me the one who wants to use the Profound Celestial Instrument is this kid?"

Su Chen nodded. "That’s me. I’m in your hands."

Lu Huai’s expression turned odd. "What are you trying to do?"

"Nothing special. We’re just trying to see if we can upgrade a Star Amber Level to Divine Dawn," Qing Cang stated succinctly.

"Ha..." Lu Huai couldn’t help but laugh. "Upgrading a Star Amber to Divine Dawn with the Profound Celestial Instrument? If this thing was capable of that, do you really think I’d be the one carrying it around?"

"There’s no harm in trying," Qing Cang replied, borrowing Su Chen’s nonchalance.

Lu Huai looked like he wanted to say more, but held his tongue. His gaze fell back to Su Chen.

’The Bronze Sect has plenty of Star Amber Level Talent holders, yet only Su Chen came to try. This probably isn’t the Sect’s idea; it’s likely just the kid wanting to give it a shot himself.’

’That makes sense. He’s only been involved with the Dust Star Sea for two or three years, so he probably doesn’t grasp the sheer chasm between the Star Amber and Divine Dawn levels. He’s still clinging to hope.’

’I know the Profound Celestial Instrument’s functions and limits perfectly well. Since Su Chen is set on this, trying too hard to talk him out of it will just make me look obstinate.’

Lu Huai didn’t say any more and simply took out the Profound Celestial Instrument. "Well then, go on in and give it a try."

Su Chen’s gaze sharpened. He took a step forward, and the world seemed to spin. The scene before him shifted, and he found himself in a dark, mysterious space. It was a boundless realm, filled with dazzling, colorful streams of light, yet having no source of light itself.

Countless streams of light, like silver scales, drifted and flickered in the void. At times they darted about like fish; at others, they spiraled like planetary orbits. A few surged toward him, and as they grazed his skin, they left a cool, tingling numbness before immediately retreating, apparently uninterested in him.

His status panel reacted at once—

[The Purifier has detected that the Host is inside the Profound Celestial Instrument. Morning Star Essence is integrating into your body. The Heart of Spiritual Light is integrating into your body. The Xuan Tian Remolding Method is now in effect...]

In that instant, Su Chen felt a slight tremor run through him. A current of heat erupted from somewhere deep inside, flooding his entire body in a flash.

The silvery specks of light around him all froze for a moment. Then, like sharks catching the scent of blood, they swarmed him, vying to pour into his body.

Su Chen held his breath, steeling himself. The excruciating pain he’d anticipated never came. Instead, a pleasant, tingling numbness seeped through his skin, as if countless tiny hands were massaging his very cells and muscles. It felt so good he almost moaned aloud.

’Man, upgrading my Talent feels amazing...’ Su Chen thought with a sigh of relief, settling in to wait for the transformation to complete.

...

"You didn’t tell him, did you?" Lu Huai asked, turning to Qing Cang only after Su Chen had vanished.

"If people believed everything they were told, the Dust Star Sea wouldn’t be the place it is today," Qing Cang shot him a look.

"True enough... Some things you just have to experience for yourself to understand." Lu Huai nodded, then asked probingly, "I heard your Bronze Sect has mastered a method for Melting a Holy Profession at Tier Six?"

When the arena reopened, many people immediately tried to challenge Qin Tianlin, as well as Su Chen.

The most shocking discovery was that both of them seemed to have undergone the Melting Holy Profession. Naturally, Lu Huai had heard this news too.

"Melting a Holy Profession below the Morning Star Tier is nearly impossible without the support of a special profession of Tier Seven or higher in the sequence. How did you get around that problem?"

Qing Cang said blandly, "Take a guess."

"Alright, fine..." Lu Huai hadn’t actually expected Qing Cang to tell him. He just sighed wistfully. "Your Bronze Sect is truly tenacious. You even weathered the crisis of your Flame Fire being extinguished. You’re poised to return to your peak."

Qing Cang remained silent. ’Mastered it my ass,’ he thought.

’Qin Tianlin was likely able to undergo the Melting Holy Profession because of that Spirit of Sun, but as for how Su Chen managed it... I have no idea.’

When Qing Cang didn’t respond, Lu Huai changed the subject. "After Su Chen is out, I have to head to the Royal Court."

"Right," Qing Cang acknowledged with a nod.

"Is that all?" Lu Huai asked.

"What do you mean?" Qing Cang asked, confused.

"You don’t have anything else for me?" Lu Huai raised an eyebrow and pointed off to the side. "Don’t tell me you came all this way just to bring Su Chen over. Isn’t his Floating Island right over there?"

"That’s right," Qing Cang admitted, sounding a bit helpless himself.

Lu Huai was speechless and a little miffed. "Are you telling me you suspect I’d do something to your prized Star Seed?"

"Under normal circumstances, you probably wouldn’t," Qing Cang said, shaking his head.

"And what about ’abnormal circumstances’?" Lu Huai almost laughed in exasperation. "Don’t tell me you’re worried I’ll do something if Su Chen actually manages to ascend to the Divine Dawn Level?"

Lu Huai had been teasing, but when he saw Qing Cang’s awkward expression, he was stunned. "You actually thought that?"

"Ha..." Qing Cang let out a dry laugh. It really was a bit hard to explain.

Lu Huai was rendered speechless. He retorted, "It’s one thing for the kid to have fanciful notions, but for an old codger like you to indulge him... If the Profound Celestial Instrument could actually upgrade someone to the Divine Dawn Level, I’d..."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, the Profound Celestial Instrument resting in Lu Huai’s hands began to vibrate violently, letting out an incessant hum.

"Huh?" Lu Huai’s eyelid twitched. Puzzled, he muttered, "What’s happening?"

Qing Cang’s eyes instinctively shot toward it. He frowned and asked, "What’s wrong?"

VMMMM—

The Profound Celestial Instrument’s vibrations grew increasingly violent. Lu Huai found it so difficult to control that he had to clamp it down with both hands.

"What’s going on?" Lu Huai’s brow was furrowed in a tight knot. "This has never happened before..."

He couldn’t help but feel a knot of anxiety tighten in his chest. ’This is Su Chen we’re talking about. If something happens to him on my watch, I’ll be lucky to leave the Bronze Sect’s territory alive.’

"Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be fine." He looked up at Qing Cang, intending to reassure him, but he found the man’s brow deeply furrowed, a flicker of hard-to-miss anticipation in his eyes. Qing Cang asked hesitantly, "This has never happened before?"

"That’s right, never..." Lu Huai replied automatically. As he met Qing Cang’s gaze, he saw a keen glint in the man’s eyes.

And then, his heart gave a violent lurch. ’It couldn’t be...’

Suddenly, the Profound Celestial Instrument fell still. Both men instinctively looked down. A pale white radiance bloomed forth, shooting skyward like a white rainbow piercing the sun. It shone like a newborn star, yet cascaded down like moonlight—limpid and pure, yet utterly breathtaking.

"Divine Dawn!?"

Lu Huai felt as if a bolt of lightning had just struck his mind. He was completely floored.