My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 67: Advancement to Secret Scholar
Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Advancement to Secret Scholar
“What’s wrong?”
In the reception room downstairs, Qin Cheng looked at the man on the other side who had just looked up.
Yu Xuan retracted his gaze, the excitement in his eyes vanishing in a flash. “It’s nothing,” he said, shaking his head.
’Zhou Xian was right. Yuan Chenyang actually took one of the Deceitful God’s Followers as a student. A Faceless Ghost… It can even disguise itself as one of my Lord’s Believers.’
Just then, the door was pushed open. Three pairs of eyes turned in unison. Su Chen only recognized Qin Cheng, the head of the patrol section, a middle-aged man who looked quite slick.
“Ah, Su Chen…” Qin Cheng was already on his feet, making introductions. Pointing to the lean, middle-aged man with prominent cheekbones on his right, he said, “From the Exploration Department, Zhou Mingguang.”
Zhou Mingguang nodded.
“And this is Yu Xuan, from the City Patrol Department.” The man on the left looked much younger and regarded him with a calm expression.
Su Chen offered a small smile and a nod. ’I’ll find Hou Xu later and ask him,’ he thought. ’If these guys haven’t switched seats, then the one with the problem should be this Yu Xuan.’
Seeing this, Hou Xu, who had been keeping them company, stood up and took his leave. Qin Cheng gestured for Su Chen to sit and said with a sigh, “We’ve come to see you today because of Pan Yu.”
’So it’s about that,’ Su Chen thought, his heart settling. He felt a lot more at ease.
’As long as it’s not about the Space Crystal or the Deceitful Artifact, I’m fine.’
“Pan Yu hasn’t been seen for a long time. I’m afraid there won’t be any good news,” Zhou Mingguang said, getting straight to the point. He stared at Su Chen. “We came to ask if you noticed any unusual behavior from him before he disappeared.”
“Hmm, I didn’t know him well. The total number of words we’ve exchanged is probably less than a dozen.” Su Chen shook his head. “I honestly don’t know if he was acting strangely.”
“Are you close with Hu Xiang?” Yu Xuan, who had been wearing a gentle smile the entire time, suddenly asked.
’They’ve looked into Hu Xiang?’
Su Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. Beside him, both Zhou Mingguang and Qin Cheng frowned.
This question was not part of their plan.
“Hmm… this involves an old affair. I suggest you ask the City Lord about it,” Su Chen said with a shake of his head.
’The City Lord is involved again?’ Zhou Mingguang’s frown deepened.
“Is that so.” Yu Xuan wore a look of sudden understanding. “I see.”
Su Chen’s gaze shifted to the others. After a moment of silence, he asked tentatively, “Gentlemen, are there any other questions?”
Aside from Yu Xuan, the other two didn’t seem to have prepared any difficult questions. Su Chen wasn’t surprised by this; on the surface, he had no connection to Pan Yu whatsoever.
“For now, there shouldn’t be any more questions.” Zhou Mingguang’s brow was furrowed. He glanced at Yu Xuan and stood up. “We just came to ask a few things. With Pan Yu missing for so long, we’re all very anxious.”
He offered a flimsy excuse. Su Chen put on a look of understanding and made a bit of idle small talk before the three of them took their leave.
Su Chen watched them board the hovercar before returning to his room, his expression gradually hardening. ’What on earth did those guys come here for? When that Black Tuo Follower, Yu Xuan, mentioned Hu Xiang, was it a warning? A threat?’
’Hu Xiang left on a major patrol long ago and won’t be back for at least half a month. There’s no way they could have learned anything from him.’
’They investigated for so long, but only came to me after I snatched the Deceitful Artifact. When I attacked Zhou Xian that day… was I recognized?’ He considered the possibility from every angle.
’Is that why they sent someone to test me? But they can’t be naive enough to think I’m a Black Tuo Follower, right?’
After a long while, Su Chen let out a long sigh. “I’m still not strong enough.”
…
Inside the hovercar, Qin Cheng said with displeasure, “Yu Xuan, what’s gotten into you? Before we came, you swore up and down that you had a lead, but all you did was ask a single question about some Hu Xiang.”
“…We should be asking you. What’s the deal with Hu Xiang?” Zhou Mingguang was blunt. As the City Lord’s personal force, the Exploration Department’s status was half a rank higher than the other two departments.
Yu Xuan shook his head. “It’s nothing. The deceased Qi Chuan contacted Hu Xiang before to secretly frame Su Chen, but the City Lord has already closed the book on that matter.”
“Hu Xiang probably sought him out recently to apologize or something similar.”
“There was something like that?” Qin Cheng grew even more displeased. “In that case, Su Chen should be considered the victim.”
“I was against coming to see him in the first place. His position as deputy section chief was a personal promotion from the City Lord. The idea that he’s the biggest beneficiary makes no logical sense. Yu Xuan, if you’re just going to keep stirring up trouble, then you should withdraw from this.”
Yu Xuan was displeased. “I just don’t want to let any lead slip by. What’s the harm in asking a couple of questions to try and bluff him?”
Qin Cheng muttered under his breath, “I said it before we even came. How could he possibly be connected to Pan Yu’s disappearance?”
Yu Xuan turned his head to the window without a word, but he was feeling quite pleased. Now that he was certain Su Chen was one of the Deceitful God’s Followers, the next steps would be much easier.
…
The inexplicable visit from Yu Xuan and the others greatly heightened Su Chen’s sense of urgency.
But the next few days were unusually calm, with no follow-up whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Zhang Hengyu noticed that after their last talk, Su Chen hadn’t relaxed at all. In fact, he was grinding even harder. In the past, Su Chen would occasionally drag him out for a meal, but now, he hadn’t seen the man in five or six days.
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and keep up.
“Finally…” Su Chen relaxed his posture, let out a breath, and walked out of the training room, his gaze unfocused.
[Void Spirit Meditation Technique: Master Level]
[Ability Gained—Void Spirit State: Spiritual activity increased.]
His surging Spiritual Power gradually calmed. With the help of [Spiritual Vision], his perception range had already expanded to a twenty-meter radius.
The development progress for [Secret Artifact Master] had reached 100% two days ago. He had mainly been waiting for his Meditation Technique to reach Master Level.
All the preparations were complete. The only thing left was the Delirious Words Trial.
“Is everything on the Spiritual Side this bizarre? I’d rather just fight a few Tier Two Professionals,” Su Chen muttered, still shaken by the memory of his first job advancement.
Unfortunately, there was no other way to advance.
This time, at least, he could hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on his door.
After sealing the cracks around his bedroom door and drawing the curtains tight, Su Chen sat cross-legged on his bed and skillfully drew an “inverted cross” on his chest.
BUZZ…
It was similar to his first Delirious Words Trial, but the reaction was much more intense. The sounds around him gradually grew cacophonous, but this time, with his increased Spiritual Power, the experience felt completely different.
He faintly sensed a breakthrough at his spiritual boundary and could clearly distinguish that he seemed to have arrived in another world. Scenery began to materialize around him.
The previously indistinguishable voices in his ears grew clearer, their source sounding as if it were right beside him.
“…Urgency… Urgency…”
Vaguely, Su Chen could make out a single word.
At the same time, crimson flames suddenly ignited before his eyes.
This time, he didn’t see a black triangle but a colossal being with crimson wings sprouting from its back. He couldn’t tell how far away it was, nor how immense it was.
It had four heads, each facing a different direction. Crimson lightning crackled around it, and with every flap of its wings, a deluge of crimson fire swept across everything.
It was impossible to imagine what kind of being this was. Su Chen’s consciousness began to drift.
Suddenly, his vision flared with light, and the entire scene vanished.
The curtains fluttered wildly. Su Chen had lifted a finger, and a column of cyan wind had shot out, piercing straight through the window.
“That was too damn bizarre.”
His back was drenched in a cold sweat. He couldn’t stop replaying the vision in his mind, but for some reason, it reminded him of the scene when he first came into contact with the Deceitful Artifact. The two experiences seemed to have something in common.
’That thing… couldn’t be a type of Deceitful God, could it…?’ Su Chen wondered silently. He composed himself and opened his panel. All the requirements for promotion had been met.
Promote!
[Secret Artifact Master has successfully advanced to Secret Scholar!]
[Secret Artifact Control and Reinforcement have fused—Secret Artifact Master: You can now control two Secret Artifacts simultaneously and infuse them with your Professional Abilities.]
[Spiritual Spike has transformed—Mental Interference: Further enhances the ability to influence external targets with Spiritual Power.]
[Gained Professional Ability—Crimson Thunder Urgency: Steal power from the Crimson Corruption.]
Su Chen felt a cool sensation wash over his brain as his Spiritual Power began to boil, growing rapidly. His perception range expanded in an instant, and every minute detail of his surroundings became crystal clear.
[Mental Shield], [Chen Yun], and [Void Spirit State] rapidly integrated into his spirit, becoming part of his foundation and accumulated power.
An invisible force radiated outwards, causing the tables and chairs to tremble nonstop. Environmental details and faint noises all flooded into his mind at once, making his brain feel like it was about to explode.
It took him a long time to bring the surging Spiritual Power under control. He scrolled through his panel, digesting the series of new information.
