My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 325 - 196: A Sinister Move and 2 Professions

“Holy Banquet…” Ni Chuan’s expression soured. The thought of those troublesome Deceitful Gods set his teeth on edge. “This is going to be a problem.”

After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Is there anything else?”

“Nothing,” Lan Hao said after a moment of careful thought. There wasn’t anything else to report.

“Alright, if anything comes up, inform me immediately,” Ni Chuan said. “We shouldn’t meet again after this. The risk is too great.”

Lan Hao scoffed inwardly. He didn’t want to meet either, but the Stones of the Netherworld in his possession were limited. After two uses, they were completely gone.

“Here, for you.” As if reading his mind, Ni Chuan tossed another Metal Iron Box to him.

Lan Hao opened it to find it filled with black metal blocks.

“Then there’s no problem.” Lan Hao stored it in his Personal Space and watched Ni Chuan leave.

’What on earth is Father trying to do?’ Lan Hao wondered, standing rooted to the spot. ’The conflict between the Sect and the Royal Court is nearly irreconcilable. Is he contacting the Royal Court to secure an escape route? Or is he truly planning to switch sides?’

He couldn’t figure it out, but since his father had given him the plan, he just had to follow it.

After checking the time, Lan Hao got his bearings and prepared to find a Mutant Species to trick the others.

Not long after Lan Hao’s silhouette vanished, Ni Chuan unexpectedly emerged from the fog again. He glanced around and muttered, “This damned Nether Fog. It’s disgusting.”

’This guy…’ Su Chen, hidden in a spatial rift, felt his heart leap into his throat.

’His Professional Tier must be incredibly high. Without this Nether Fog, he probably would have found me, even hidden in this spatial rift.’

After waiting for a long time, Su Chen cautiously emerged. He picked up Lan Hao’s trail and gave chase.

…

’A shame about the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator…’ On his way back, dragging a wolf carcass with a pale golden mane, Lan Hao’s gaze was unfocused, filled with regret.

’It was a Morning Star Tier profession, after all, and a rare opportunity. If I had been chosen, I might have even caught the eye of an Ancient King.’

’This was an opportunity that not even those two “Star Seeds” in the Holy Hall had.’

’But alas, that Spiritual essence was blind. It simply didn’t see my worth.’

’Still, Wan Chen is probably filled with hope right now…’ Thinking of Wan Chen’s face, Lan Hao couldn’t help but let out a sneer. ’What a shame… what a shame…’

’Now that the profession has fallen into the Royal Court’s hands, I’m definitely out of the running. But that means Wan Chen has lost his chance too.’

’So what if your Talent is better than mine? You’re just like me. Without a Spiritual essence’s acknowledgment, you’ll never reach the Morning Star Tier in your entire life.’

At this thought, Lan Hao felt a growing sense of satisfaction. ’And then there’s Su Chen. He’s gotten awfully cozy with Wan Chen. The kid has some clever tricks, knowing to find a patron, but he’s not nearly smart enough.’

’Whatever. I won’t lower myself to his level. Once we’re back at the Sect, he’ll learn that picking a side so early isn’t a good thing.’

Initially, Lan Hao had wanted to get his revenge after returning. But his anger had cooled over the past few days, and now, having helped orchestrate such a “major event,” his perspective had shifted. He couldn’t even be bothered with Su Chen anymore.

As he was lost in thought, Lan Hao suddenly felt something warm trickle from his nose. He wiped it instinctively. The slick, wet sensation made him pause. He glanced down, and his eyes fell upon a startling splash of fresh blood.

“What…?” His expression changed, unsure of what was happening.

He glanced back at the corpse he was dragging. It was just an ordinary Tier Five Mutant Species; he’d killed it without much effort. It couldn’t possibly have left him with some hidden injury.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in his chest. He couldn’t help but open his mouth, spitting out a large gout of blood.

“What… what the hell is happening?!” Excruciating pain tore through his chest and abdomen. Lan Hao’s face was a mask of horror; he had no idea what was going on.

“AAAAARGH—”

With a bloodcurdling scream, he collapsed to his knees. His fingers dug deep into the cracks in the rock, his knuckles twisting out of shape from the strain.

His spine bowed backward as if being crushed by an invisible python, and a sickening, grinding sound came from beneath his skin as his shoulder blades dislocated.

’Damn, that’s powerful…’

In the distance, Su Chen was secretly astonished. Black lightning currently crackled around his body; he had already entered a state of Professional Fusion.

This state came with a special ability that drastically reduced the Spiritual Power cost of using Word Spirit on a target.

His Spiritual Power drained away like a bursting dam, but the Reverser ability was simultaneously squeezing his Physical Strength and converting it into more Spiritual Power. Meanwhile, the nutrients stored by the Gourmet ability were rapidly replenishing his Physical Strength.

His recent Word Spirit incantation was meant to inflict grievous injury on Lan Hao. It was a continuous process, one he could end at any time simply by cutting off the drain on his Spiritual Power.

His original plan had been to weaken Lan Hao as much as possible, setting the stage for his real attack.

But he hadn’t expected the effect to be so astonishingly potent. A glint in his eye, Su Chen kept channeling his Spiritual Power, completely draining and refilling his reserves more than four times over.

In his current condition, even with the backup resources from his Gourmet ability, he could only afford to be drained dry five times in total.

“I…” Lan Hao still had no idea what was happening. His heart convulsed violently, and the veins on his temples bulged like writhing earthworms. His own Spiritual Power churned wildly, inexplicably draining away at a rapid pace.

A tearing sensation erupted through his entire body. A bloody, gurgling rattle escaped his open throat, and his pupils contracted to pinpricks amidst the agony.

Terror was all he felt. With trembling hands, he struggled to control his churning Spiritual Power and retrieve a healing Potion from his Personal Space.

THWACK!

The hand holding the Potion was kicked aside, and the momentum sent his entire body sprawling to the ground.

Lan Hao pushed himself up, his mind reeling in horror. He couldn’t believe someone had been ambushing him from the shadows. He hadn’t even seen his attacker, and yet he was already this injured.

He looked up, and for a moment, he froze. Then, the color drained from his face in sheer terror.