novelnext Chapter 381 - 223: Cultivation, Marrying In?
Chapter 381 - 223: Cultivation, Marrying In?
"Oh..." Qing Cang’s gaze shifted over. It had been nearly half a year since he’d set out, so there were many things he didn’t know.
He couldn’t help but ask, "Is it really for that Flame Fire in the Nether Fog?"
"Yes," Lin Langtian nodded and said in a low voice. "The intensity of that Flame Fire is extremely powerful. Regardless of whether there are any Moonlight Tier professionals involved, it would be a great fortune if we could guide it back."
"Guide it back..." Qing Cang’s eyes narrowed slightly. "And which family’s Flame Fire would it be merged with?"
"Well..." Lin Langtian gave a bitter smile. "We’ll just have to see when the time comes."
...
In the room, crimson flames coiled around Su Chen’s torso like a living creature. His bones even let out a shriek like forged iron, as if they were red-hot metal being repeatedly folded and hammered in a smithy.
Veins of lava flowed across the surface of his skin. With every breath, Su Chen exhaled fine specks of sparks from his mouth and nose. This horrifying scene lasted for a full ten-plus minutes.
The crimson color on his skin’s surface gradually faded—
[Blazing Flame Body Refining Technique has been upgraded to Master Level. Ability Gained—Blazing Flame Physique: Slightly enhances physical strength and Elemental Resistance.]
WHOOSH... Su Chen opened his eyes and exhaled a puff of hot air. ’The proficiency gain has slowed down quite a bit, but with all these buffs, it’s still not slow. Gaining 3% progress only took... seven or eight days...’
He had already prepared his third Tier Four Body Refining Technique before he arrived. It was called the Melting Furnace Hundred Refinements Body Forging Technique.
It was also a Body Refining Technique related to the Fire Element, one he had deliberately chosen because he was certain he would take on a Fire Element-related main class later.
He had never taken a class before, so he wanted to acclimate himself with a Body Refining Technique first. If he could master the Fire Element this way, he wouldn’t have to waste time on extra groundwork later.
After resting for a moment, he looked at the virtual screen hovering nearby. Lines of text were displayed on it—
"...In the year 6244 of the Royal Court calendar, the landmark ’Fall of the Emperor’ incident occurred. The reigning sixth Emperor of the Royal Court—Ling Tian—was gravely wounded in a joint attack by the Ancient Kings of the Five Great Sects. He passed away shortly after returning to the Royal Court..."
"...The nearly 5,000-year-long honeymoon period between the Royal Court and the Sects was shattered, ushering in an era of conflict..."
Most regions in the Dust Star Sea, including the Five Great Sects, used the Royal Court calendar.
The text scrolled up and down, following Su Chen’s eye movements. Whenever he had free time these past few days, he would read up on the history of the Dust Star Sea.
It was worth noting that the relationship between the Five Great Sects and the Royal Court hadn’t been tense at first; they even could be said to have mutually supported one another.
This was because of the existence of the Nether Fog and the Deceitful God.
The various powers had worked together, with the Flame Fire at the core, to continuously expand the borders of the Dust Star Sea, creating the vast territory that existed today.
But this harmony vanished without a trace during the momentous Fall of the Emperor event, in a manner that remained a mystery to outsiders.
What followed was a 3,000-year period of conflict. During the wars, the number of Morning Star Tier experts who died exceeded double digits.
It wasn’t until both sides realized the consequences of continuing to fight were incalculable that they barely managed to get through the era of conflict and arrive at the current state of peace.
’The Ancient Kings of the Five Great Sects ambushing and killing the Emperor... no matter how you look at it, something big must have happened...’ Su Chen muttered to himself. But aside from the four words "Fall of the Emperor," he couldn’t find any other records in the spaceship’s database.
After browsing for a while, Su Chen assumed a stance, took a deep breath, and drew the surrounding flames into his body through his nostrils and skin. He held the fire in his belly, letting his insides heat up first.
His skin turned bright red again, like a cooked shrimp. He began to sweat profusely, but the sweat evaporated instantly, releasing white steam. This cycle repeated.
After advancing the new Body Refining Technique to the introductory stage, Su Chen glanced at the time and headed out to the training room.
There were three training rooms here, all on the bottom deck.
Su Chen verified his identity and entered. The various pieces of equipment were far superior to those on the Copper Star, and the training area was extremely spacious.
He strode familiarly to the central area and activated a command template he had set up previously. A violent, turbulent flow of Energy immediately assailed him from all directions, enveloping him.
Wisps of cloudy mist struggled to seep from the surface of his skin, weaving through the turbulent Energy. The vast majority of the white mist managed to flow along its intended path, but a small portion remained scattered.
’Once I can maintain the perfect, uninterrupted operation of the Cloud Dragon Body Refining Technique, I should be able to use the guidance,’ Su Chen carefully perceived.
In this state, he couldn’t split his focus to practice his Meditation Technique; he had to concentrate completely just to resist the turbulence.
After he had pushed himself for long enough, he finally left the training room.
But as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he came face to face with Lin Yue, who was pacing back and forth in the corridor right in front of his door. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, revealing a delicate, oval face, and she looked utterly bored.
"Off to the training room again," Lin Yue said as she glanced at him, unsurprised. She knew this guy was always up to something.
"Yeah." Su Chen walked forward and was about to open his door, but he felt Lin Yue’s gaze on him. He thought for a moment, then stopped and turned to ask, "Is something wrong?"
"Umm..." Lin Yue mulled it over for a long moment before saying, "My dad wants to ask if you’re interested in marrying into our family."
"Huh?" Su Chen froze, genuinely not expecting to hear something like that.
"Are you surprised?" Lin Yue raised an eyebrow. "My dad is a cunning one. At first, he wanted me to stay away from you. Then he realized there was something unusual about you and decided he wanted me to get close to you instead."
"You don’t have any connections in the Sect. Marrying into my family is a good option," Lin Yue said bluntly.
"Umm..." Su Chen asked hesitantly, "Who does your dad want me to marry? You?"
"Yes," Lin Yue nodded, her expression neutral—neither shy nor angry.
"Then I’ll pass," Su Chen said, shaking his head. In truth, he would have refused no matter who he was asked to marry; he was just curious about what that Lin Zoushou was thinking.
Lin Yue said irritably, "If you weren’t willing, there was no need to ask that question."
"Well, I’ve asked, and you’ve given your answer."
She was quite decisive. After leaving him with those words, she turned and walked away.
Lin Yue walked down the corridor and shrugged as she rounded the corner, where Lin Langtian was standing with a dark expression on his face.
"Marrying into their family..." Su Chen finally opened his door and entered the room, shaking his head speechlessly. ’That’s such an old-fashioned method...’
He could also tell from the way Lin Yue had asked that she was quite unwilling to be used as a pawn in a marriage of convenience.
Although they still had to transfer at a few hubs, the fleet didn’t stop along the way, heading straight for the Bronze Sect Headquarters.
More than half a month later, Su Chen emerged from the training room again. His face was weary, but his eyes were filled with elation. ’I can finally withstand the interference!’
He hurried back to his room, gulped down some Potion to gradually return to his peak state, and heaved a long sigh of relief.
He adjusted his body, and wisps of cloudy mist emerged, enveloping him. He felt a tingling numbness, but outwardly, it didn’t look much different from when he had practiced before.
Then, Su Chen opened his panel and activated the one-time guidance opportunity he had from the Power User.
Almost instantly, Su Chen felt an extremely special type of Energy surge from within his body, spreading throughout him in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, the Cloud Dragon Body Refining Technique he was operating began to surge uncontrollably. The white, cloudy mist weaving through his pores and muscles suddenly accelerated, its once-gentle flow of energy transforming into wind blades that darted about madly.
Every pore felt as if a spinning drill bit was being forced into it, as the cloud-mist particles pierced his muscle bundles at a speed beyond perception.
A stabbing pain shot through his entire body, as if he were stuffed with countless glass shards. The circulation of his Cloud Dragon Body Refining Technique spun completely out of control, and the vortex of energy around him swelled into a rampaging whirlpool that seemed on the verge of exploding.
Even Su Chen himself was startled, but his training in the energy turbulence had not been for nothing. He hurriedly began to suppress the rampaging vortex, forcing it to follow the circulation path of the Body Refining Technique.
Thanks to his previous experience, it was relatively simple at first, and he quickly curbed the rampaging Cloud Dragon Body Refining Technique.
However, this trend of losing control only intensified as time went on.
A vein throbbed on Su Chen’s brow. He was already starting to feel the strain and was inwardly alarmed. ’If I hadn’t gone through that baptism by energy turbulence, I probably would have broken down right at the start.’