My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 318 - 192: Tried to Steal a Chicken, Only to Lose the Rice (Part 2)

“I have no objections. I’ve been wanting a match for a while,” Lan Hao finally agreed in a deep voice.

“In that case, let’s go,” Wan Chen said, rising to his feet at once.

Lan Hao snorted. Finally able to turn around, he looked to see the smug expression on Su Chen’s face, fully prepared for a barrage of taunts.

But he found that Su Chen’s expression was no different from when he had first followed him here.

’It’s like messing with me didn’t give him any satisfaction at all.’

Lan Hao’s eyes practically shot fire. This casual disregard was far more humiliating than any verbal taunt could ever be.

Su Chen simply turned to the side, letting the others go first, and fell in at the back with Chong Jingtian.

“What’s the situation?” Chong Jingtian transmitted mentally.

“The tree wants to be still, but the wind won’t stop,” Su Chen replied, shaking his head.

’This kid… he’s got a way with words,’ Chong Jingtian thought, momentarily speechless. He then added a reminder, “Qing Cang seems decent enough, and he’s taken a liking to you. He should have your back.”

This was his way of telling Su Chen not to be afraid if things went south.

Su Chen nodded but felt another pair of eyes on him. He turned his head and saw it was Lin Yue, her expression full of curiosity.

Since she was staring at him, Su Chen stared right back. Neither said a word.

Soon, Lin Yue gave in, looking away, speechless. ’What is with this guy?’

The ship had a dedicated combat arena. The walls were forged from a special metal and inscribed with strange symbols.

As the two stepped inside, Wan Chen said, “We’re about the same age and the same Tier. If you were to defeat me, it would truly be a feat worthy of the ’Three Reversed Dragons.’ Word of it would certainly make some waves.”

Lan Hao, filled with resentment, couldn’t be bothered with small talk. “Cut the crap.”

Wan Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Truly… shameless!’

“You’re quite perceptive,” Qing Cang, who was standing on the periphery with the others, said suddenly. “Three Reversed Dragons—it has a nice ring to it. But it’s exceedingly difficult to actually pull off.”

’Is he talking to me?’ Su Chen wondered. “So Lan Hao is certain to lose?”

“He is,” Qing Cang stated with certainty. “Their foundations are almost identical, but Wan Chen’s Talent is exceptionally high. At the same age, he has had more time to train in special professions beyond his primary one.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the fight began. Violent purple lightning erupted around Wan Chen, arcs of electricity coiling around his arms like massive pythons.

Azure flames erupted from Lan Hao’s body, forming a spinning barrier of fire before him.

The Professionals chosen for this both had affinities somewhat similar to the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator; Qing Cang would never have brought someone like an Ice Element Professional for this purpose.

Though Qing Cang’s eyes were on the arena, his attention was entirely on Su Chen. He sent another mental transmission. “Do you resent me?”

“Huh?” Su Chen froze, not quite understanding.

Qing Cang continued, “I descended from the sky and, without a word, took what you had guarded for so long. And on top of that, I’m unwilling to lift a finger to wipe out the disaster of the Holy Banquet. You don’t resent me?”

“Not really. Just a bit helpless,” Su Chen said after a moment’s thought. “There’s no sense in pinning your hopes on the kindness of others.”

“Why helpless?” Qing Cang was somewhat surprised by the answer.

“You all arrived too quickly. I haven’t yet earned the right to be the Sovereign of my own fate,” Su Chen answered honestly.

Qing Cang paused, then suddenly burst into laughter, drawing sideways glances from those near him.

“Hahaha… An excellent turn of phrase, ’Sovereign of my own fate,’” Qing Cang said. “It’s not that I am unwilling to eradicate the blight of the Holy Banquet. I can’t.”

He explained, “The Nether Fog isolates everything, rendering all detection equipment useless. This planet is enormous. To search for it little by little, to scour it inch by inch—there simply isn’t enough time.”

“Moreover, as long as the Nether Fog remains, a second disaster is inevitable. It’s impossible to evacuate a population this large, so anything else we do is ultimately pointless.”

Qing Cang was exceptionally pleased with Su Chen; he could find no fault in him. So now, of course, was the time to clear up any misunderstandings Su Chen might have.

It was the same for all planets shrouded by the Nether Fog. The root of every problem was the fog itself.

“I see…” Su Chen said, his gaze on the battle. The two fighters were locked in a struggle, purple lightning and blue flames clashing violently.

But any streams of Energy that escaped beyond a certain boundary were absorbed by the symbols on the walls, confining the fight to a limited area.

He became thoughtful. ’Could the Bronze Ancient King… do something like that?’

Chong Jingtian’s gaze shifted back and forth between Su Chen and Qing Cang. He could sense the mental transmissions but had no idea what the two were discussing.

“Tsk… Wan Chen has gotten much stronger,” Lin Yue suddenly exclaimed in admiration.

In the center of the arena, their figures weaved through the thunder and flames. In close combat, Wan Chen’s elbow strikes left behind afterimages of purple lightning, each one like a solid blade of thunder cutting the air.

Lan Hao blocked with his forearm, the azure flame at the point of impact instantly expanding into a shield. The purple lightning skittered across its surface with the sharp screech of scraping glass.

Serpents of purple lightning and pythons of blue flame tore at each other, the resulting streams of Energy ripping scorched gashes in their combat suits.

Wan Chen suddenly switched tactics. Forming a claw with his hand, he lunged for Lan Hao’s throat, the purple lightning between his fingers twisting into five streams of plasma.

Lan Hao leaned back and threw a knee. A ring of blue fire erupted from the strike, aiming to bat away the attack. But Wan Chen was faster. Though he missed Lan Hao’s throat, he smoothly transitioned downward, clamping his hand onto his shoulder.

The move was ruthless. His fingers sank deep into Lan Hao’s shoulder blade. PFFT! They punched right through, leaving three bloody holes.

Lan Hao howled in agony, his expression turning feral. Spreading his arms in the fiery tempest, the blue flames erupting from his pores coalesced into a fire-phoenix with wings outstretched, its aura surging and intense.

Wan Chen, however, merely sneered. His body showed no obvious change, save for the purple arcs of lightning that now surged even more fiercely around him.

After a moment of quiet contemplation, Su Chen asked, “Lord Qing Cang, when it’s time for the Spiritual combination, can I try too?”

“Of course.” Qing Cang agreed almost instantly, without asking why.

’He was truly pleased with Su Chen, but it wasn’t yet time to reveal his hand. One issue needed to be addressed first: Su Chen’s lingering dissatisfaction.’

’No matter how well Su Chen composed himself, he couldn’t believe the boy had no ambitions regarding the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator. He was certain the desire was there, just suppressed.’

’If he didn’t let Su Chen try for himself and see the gap with his own eyes, that feeling of dissatisfaction would haunt him for the rest of his life, perhaps even festering into resentment.’

’And before that happened, he didn’t want a potential change in Su Chen’s status to cause him to harbor inappropriate thoughts toward Wan Chen and the others.’

’The best moment would be after the dust settled, once Su Chen had acknowledged the disparity. It might be cruel, but it was a necessary and ultimately safer path for him to walk.’

And, just as he had anticipated, Su Chen brought the matter up himself.

Su Chen was rather surprised. This had been far easier than he had imagined; he’d thought Lord Qing Cang would at least hesitate for a moment.

’Is he so certain I have no chance?’ Su Chen wondered, but he simply said, “Thank you.”

“It’s over,” said Qing Cang.

Su Chen turned his gaze back to the arena. Wan Chen had already retracted his power, looking no different from before the battle.

Lan Hao, on the other hand, was deathly pale and half-kneeling on the floor. Blood flowed freely from the holes in his shoulder and the wounds on his chest.

’There’s a huge gap between those two,’ Su Chen thought. He had been preoccupied and missed the final exchange, but the outcome made the difference in their strength obvious.

Besides, Lan Hao wasn’t as strong as he had expected.

’That makes sense… his Talent is the same as Hongxuan’s. Time is the same for everyone; if you spend it all developing your main profession, you won’t have any left over to take on more special ones.’

Just as he was mulling this over, Su Chen’s expression froze. He saw green flames slowly begin to burn on the surface of Lan Hao’s skin.

Wherever the flames touched, the bloody holes in his shoulder and the wounds on his chest began to slowly heal.

’A self-healing profession?’ A glint flashed in Su Chen’s eyes and was gone.

Beside him, Lin Yue couldn’t help but comment with a touch of envy, “The Blue Flame Phoenix is really convenient. If his system was complete, he’d be able to heal even during a fight. Then Wan Chen might not have had such an easy time with him.”

’Blue Flame Phoenix? What’s that? A title? This guy has a title?’

’And what does she mean by “system was complete”?’ Su Chen’s curiosity was piqued.