Su Chen's heart trembled as he stared at the massive shadow in the sky. He could even hear a faint rumbling.
The shadow was irregular, as if it had been split in two down the middle.
'It looks... like a pair of wings?' Su Chen swallowed hard. The sensation didn't last long before the shadow gradually vanished.
All around, the students who had collapsed to the ground were getting back up. They weren't embarrassed in the slightest; on the contrary, they were discussing it excitedly.
"What level of Professional do you think that was? Such a massive shadow! It must have been a powerful physical Professional."
"It looked like wings. I heard that when some powerful Professionals reach a certain point, their bodies can transform."
"The last time a powerful Professional passed through here was five years ago, I think. Thank you..."
Many students bowed in the direction the shadow had disappeared, expressing their thanks.
The city wasn't absolutely safe. Dangers from the mist would sometimes attack it.
The passage of a powerful Professional could act as a potent deterrent to certain things, even eliminating dangers altogether.
'So, a truly powerful Professional can cross through the mist?' Su Chen murmured to himself. His predecessor's memories spanned over a decade, but many of them were hard to recall without a specific trigger.
Experiencing it firsthand was far more tangible than just remembering it.
"Of course. Many things powerful Professionals can do are beyond imagination." A voice suddenly spoke from behind him, startling Su Chen. He whipped around to see a middle-aged man with a kindly face.
"Uh..." Su Chen sized the man up. He looked unfamiliar, and Su Chen had made a point of memorizing the faces of all the key school administrators.
"This batch of students in the special training program is quite promising," the disguised Yuan Chenyang said, looking at the young man before him with appreciation.
Even the casually radiated presence of a High-level Professional was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
The vast majority of students had collapsed, yet this young man remained standing ramrod straight.
'Is class over?'
Su Chen watched a group of people walk out of the building. They were probably from the Spiritual Power training class.
'Does this guy think I'm in that class too?'
'But where's Old Bai?'
Su Chen looked left and right, noticing the bald man nearby was also scanning the crowd, likely looking for someone as well.
He opened his Spirit Communication Device and saw that Bai Fengxi had replied at some point.
"Just hold onto it for now. I'll be busy for the next few days."
Since Old Bai wasn't coming, Su Chen, feeling mentally exhausted, decided he might as well go back to his dorm and sleep.
"Xiao Bai didn't come?" Yuan Chenyang's thick brows twitched, his expression changing slightly. 'I've been so focused on investigating that thief lately, I almost lost track of time. Xiao Bai is probably about to ascend to her profession.'
'It's probably already started. There's no point in going now.' Yuan Chenyang shook his head in resignation. When he turned back, he saw that the young man from before was gone.
'He left?'
He was about to ask the students nearby about the young man, but he saw them staring at him warily.
Yuan Chenyang then realized that he had been operating in disguise this whole time while searching for the thief.
It would be quite awkward if he revealed his signature bald head, only for these students to crowd around him reverently, calling out "Principal."
'It's not like he can run far.'
Discovering such a promising candidate significantly improved Yuan Chenyang's mood, which had been frayed by his frustrating search for the thief.
"Hmm..." On second thought, he remembered the Su Chen he had arranged to be placed in the training program, and his expression darkened.
'Oh well. What if he's also promising material? I'll go take a look.'
Yuan Chenyang made his way to another academic building and called Instructor Zheng out of his class.
"Minister Yuan?" Instructor Zheng said in surprise, instinctively straightening his posture.
Yuan Chenyang had already reverted to his true appearance. He didn't say much, simply stating, "Bring that Su Chen out."
"Su Chen?" Instructor Zheng's eyes darted away.
"What is it?" Yuan Chenyang frowned.
"He... didn't come," Instructor Zheng said helplessly.
"He didn't come today?" Yuan Chenyang's expression turned grim.
"He's never come," Instructor Zheng said, glancing at Yuan Chenyang. "Ever since choosing his profession during the first class, he hasn't shown up once."
"What!" Yuan Chenyang flew into a rage. "And you just let a student like that do as he pleases?" he berated.
Instructor Zheng opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated. He had wanted to do something about it, but after contacting Wei Zhigao, he learned that Su Chen had gotten in through Minister Yuan's connections.
He himself had come from the Inspectorate, so after some thought, he had decided to let it be.
Yuan Chenyang realized this as well. He swallowed his anger and asked, "What profession did he choose?"
"Gale Walker."
"A Tier One Upper profession?" Yuan Chenyang's face sank. He had an instant realization. 'Don't tell me this kid plans to sell the profession information on the black market?'
"Get him..." Yuan Chenyang hadn't expected the boy to use such a trick to deceive Xiao Bai.
Information for a Tier One Upper profession could fetch a good price on the black market.
He wanted to expel the boy on the spot, but on second thought, he was the one who had arranged for him to get in. It would be a loss of face to have him expelled just a few days later.
"Do this: when his review period is up, I want you to hold him to the absolute strictest standards!" he commanded.
Instructor Zheng was taken aback, unsure if the minister was being sarcastic or serious.
"Don't overthink it. Just do as I say," Yuan Chenyang added.
"Yes, sir," Instructor Zheng replied solemnly.
Yuan Chenyang left, displeased. He touched the bracer on his arm, pulled up a virtual screen, and sent a message: "Keep an eye on the city's black market. If any information on the Gale Walker profession goes up for sale, inform me immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Yuan Chenyang thought of a better way to handle the situation and sighed. 'I'll just use you to teach Xiao Bai a lesson. She's too kind and can't see how sinister people can be.'
He didn't dwell on the matter for too long. His main priority was still catching that thief.
...
In the middle of the next afternoon, Su Chen, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed, suddenly jolted. His mind felt as if it had been dabbed with mint, and everything around him became unprecedentedly clear.
Faintly, he seemed to be able to perceive the outline of his room right through his eyelids.
"Hm?" Su Chen opened his eyes, and his panel appeared.
[Candle Fire -- Master]
[Acquired Trait—Spiritual Vision: Vaguely perceive your surroundings using Spiritual Power.]
There were two key pieces of information. First, it seemed proficiency could only be raised to Master Level.
And second, reaching Master Level granted a trait.
Su Chen thought about how [Basic Combat] had been absorbed by [Warrior].
'Spiritual Vision... not bad.' Su Chen closed his eyes, savoring the strange sensation. He didn't know if this was a unique feature of his panel or if others could gain this ability by training [Candle Fire] to its peak.
'This means there's only one last step to becoming a Secret Artifact Master... the Delirious Words Trial.' Su Chen couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.
Up until now, the requirements for his profession had been varied, but none of them involved facing danger so directly.
The Delirious Words Trial carried the risk of losing control. In severe cases, one could even go insane.
But to become a Secret Artifact Master, this trial was unavoidable.
With [Candle Fire] having just reached Master Level, his mind felt energized. He didn't hesitate for long and immediately began his preparations.
He sealed everything—the curtains, the cracks around the door—plunging the entire room into absolute silence and darkness.
He considered hanging a "Do Not Disturb" sign on his door but decided against it.
He didn't know many people, and normally no one would look for him for a day or two. But if he hung up a sign, someone might knock on purpose just to be a nuisance.
Once everything was ready, Su Chen took a deep breath. He stripped to the waist, cut his palm, and used the blood to draw an inverted cross on his chest.
The process wasn't difficult. Su Chen even felt a bit skeptical—drawing an inverted cross on his chest to hear some low murmurs? In his past life, this would have been immediately written off as some kind of cult ritual.
However, he had just finished drawing, his finger not yet lowered, when a sudden rustling sound reached his ears, like the scurrying of mice.
A chill ran down Su Chen's spine. He hurriedly held his breath and focused, gaining a much more direct understanding of the dangers of this world.
In the darkness, time seemed to slow. The rustling in his ears gradually morphed into a low, chaotic din, as if many people were murmuring right next to his ear.
He subconsciously tried to listen closely but couldn't make anything out. The effort only made him dizzy, and his stomach churned.
The vertigo intensified. Whether his eyes were open or closed, the darkness before him felt exactly the same.
The world spun around Su Chen. The voices in his ears grew louder, and his head began to throb violently, yet he still couldn't make out what was being said.
It was as if flames were burning before his eyes, the entire world trembling. He vaguely saw something—an inverted cross, hanging and burning against the horizon.
Suddenly, his body went cold, as if he had been enveloped in some viscous fluid.
At that exact moment, acting on pure instinct, he snapped his eyes open.
He slammed into the window at top speed, the wall thudding with the impact. Ignoring everything else, he viciously tore down the curtain. RRRIP! Dim light streamed in.
Su Chen gasped for breath, leaning against the window, completely drenched in sweat. His heart was pounding.
"Fuck..."
He had a gut feeling that if he had remained immersed in that cold sensation for even a moment longer, he would have never come back. Thankfully, his panel had popped up just in time.
It wasn't just the feeling of facing death; it was an indescribable terror.
"So fucking creepy..." Su Chen cursed under his breath, venting his emotions. He opened his panel to distract himself.
Behind [Secret Artifact Master], a large golden word appeared: Ascend.
All his hard work had led to this moment. Su Chen chose to ascend without a second's hesitation.
In that instant, his body stiffened and his pupils dilated. It felt as if ice water had been poured into his brain as his Spiritual Power rapidly expanded. The torn pieces of the curtain began to tremble, even though the window was shut tight and there was no wind in the room.
[Successfully Ascended to Secret Artifact Master]
[Acquired Professional Ability—Secret Artifact Control: Control selected special items.]
[Acquired Professional Ability—Spiritual Spike: Can be used to launch a Mental Attack against a target.]
A long time later, the transformation ended. Su Chen struggled to adapt to the new sensation. Everything before his eyes was clearer than ever before.
Previously, he could only focus his attention on one or two spots at a time. Now, it felt like he could spread his Spiritual Power throughout the entire room. This was accompanied by a throbbing ache in his head.
He felt it even with his eyes closed.
Thanks to his surging Spiritual Power, everything observed through [Spiritual Vision] was also much clearer.
At short distances, it was almost no different from seeing with his own eyes. It would probably take some time to get used to.
At the same time, the panel popped up again—
[Extra bonus triggered. Controlled Secret Artifact, Vein Hemp Rope, has been upgraded to Tier Two—Cyan Iron Lock Cable.]
This was the reward he'd received when the Secret Magic Apprentice had retreated behind him back then.
The hemp rope he had hidden under his bed was pulled out by an invisible force, shooting out from its hiding place. The tangled, veiny strands began to disintegrate, breaking down into fine fibers that swirled around him.
Then, as if steeped in some mysterious power, their very essence began to transform. A cold, hard luster seeped out from deep within the fibers, rapidly spreading and solidifying.
The soft texture of the hemp rope gradually gave way to metallic wires that gleamed. These wires then twisted together to form an alloy cable, no thicker than his little finger.
"It actually transformed into a Tier Two Item." Su Chen's heart pounded as he looked at the dense, cold alloy cable shimmering with a faint metallic light. He had a sudden realization:
'Secret Artifact Control... It seems it's about more than just making things fly...'