At first, no one connected these incidents with the black Thunder Power Su Chen had left behind.
But as these incidents beca more frequent, the dical departnt put their heads together and discovered a common thread: every single one of them had challenged Su Chen and fought a long, grueling battle.
This led them to issue a warning, which sparked another wave of discussion.
Through these various events, Su Chen’s na resounded both inside and outside the Sect. Even on the subordinate Life Stars, many people ca to know that the Sect’s newly born Star Seed was truly extraordinary.
"Oh my, I can’t believe you actually ca!"
A sowhat familiar voice called out from the distance. A simple-looking, middle-aged man ca jogging over. His features were clear, and his Spiritual Tier was not low. It was none other than Steward Feng, whom Su Chen had t before.
"Steward Feng," Su Chen greeted.
"Not at all, not at all." A broad smile spread across Steward Feng’s face. "It’s been several years since a Star Seed last visited the Nether Realm."
"Sorry for the intrusion," Su Chen said.
"Nonsense..." Steward Feng waved his hands dismissively. "Co, I’ll show you around."
Steward Feng was very enthusiastic, and Su Chen happily obliged, following him out of the room.
The mont he stepped outside, he was taken aback and couldn’t help but look up.
High in the sky, a Red Gold sphere of light was emitting a soft glow. This made him ask in astonishnt, "That couldn’t possibly be..."
"That’s right!" Steward Feng had no idea what Su Chen was guessing, but he nodded in agreent anyway before explaining, "That’s the Bronze Fla."
"The Fla Fire can affect the Nether Realm?" Su Chen grew even more astonished.
"Of course," Steward Feng said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It always has. Without this Fla Fire, we wouldn’t be able to maintain a foothold here."
Su Chen was truly amazed. He couldn’t help but take another look, then asked with so confusion, "Does this Fla Fire ever go out? Oh, wait, no. There’s the Dark Sun period."
Steward Feng nodded, his smile fading slightly. "It does. That’s precisely why it’s so difficult for us to expand."
He sighed helplessly.
Su Chen looked around. The buildings everywhere were made of Nether Iron Crystal, strongly resembling the tribal settlents of a primitive age.
Many people were walking about or floating in the air. He could even see so figures holding crimson tal pickaxes, with crystal-filled baskets slung over their backs.
The scene gave Su Chen a surreal feeling.
’It seems the Nether Realm doesn’t have planets, just one vast continent?’ Su Chen couldn’t help but wonder.
Steward Feng continued to explain, "When the Fla Fire is burning, our territory is more than three tis this size. Unfortunately, during the Dark Sun period, the Netherworld Creatures harass us, so we have no choice but to fall back to here."
At this, Steward Feng couldn’t help but give a wry smile before changing the subject. "So, is there sothing specific you ca here for?"
"Hmm... Just curious. Thought I’d take a look around?" Su Chen said vaguely, then imdiately asked, "I heard that Netherworld Stones and the like are all mined by hand?"
’What on earth did this Star Seed co here for?’
Steward Feng wondered to himself, but nodded and said, "That’s right. In this Netherworld Space, most things are composed of Spirit Bodies. We can’t bring in any large-scale chanical excavators, so we can only rely on manual labor."
"That’s why the price of Netherworld Stone is astronomically high. The ability to communicate directly through the Nether Realm, bypassing channels and the Nether Fog, is an essential commodity in the Dust Star Sea."
"Where do you usually go to mine?" Su Chen asked curiously.
Steward Feng pointed. "There’s a small mineral vein over there. We go there to mine while the Fla Fire is burning, and we return when the Dark Sun period begins."
"There’s another one on the other side that’s much larger, but the nearby Netherworld Creatures are a real problem."
"The efficiency can’t be very high, then," Su Chen inquired.
Steward Feng sighed. "You’re right. It’s nowhere near enough to supply the Sect’s needs. A large portion of our Netherworld Stones have to be purchased from outside."
’I see.’ Su Chen was thoughtful. ’It seems the effects of the Dark Sun period are greater than I imagined. It’s not just a matter of the "lights going out."’
"You’re not actually thinking of going mining, are you?" Steward Feng asked hesitantly.
"Is there a rule against it?" Su Chen retorted.
"It’s not a matter of rules," Steward Feng couldn’t help but say. "With your status, why would you want to go mining? You shouldn’t be short on resources."
’My resources are sufficient, but I need to buy Deceitful God’s Power...’ Su Chen shook his head. "I was just making a casual comnt. But how do you take the Netherworld Stones you’ve mined out of here?"
"Taking things out is simple. The Nether Tower acts as the interdiary. You just have to envelop the items with your Spiritual Power to bring them out."
"What about bringing things in from the outside?" Su Chen asked. "Is it the sa process?"
Steward Feng nodded. "More or less. But bringing things in is more troubleso. The higher the material coefficient, the more Spiritual Power it consus."
"I see," Su Chen said, lost in thought.
Steward Feng glanced at him and tried to dissuade him. "There’s nothing to be curious about here. It’s a godforsaken place."
"Anyone in the Sect with even the slightest connections wouldn’t co here. Mining is grueling work, and you also have to scout for other special materials. A good number of people die here every year."
"But don’t you have to pass through the Nether Realm for the lting Holy Profession?" Su Chen asked, stating it like a fact.
’This Star Seed really doesn’t hold back. That’s practically a secret.’ Steward Feng lowered his voice.
"That’s true, but every single person capable of the lting Holy Profession is a powerful figure. Most of them only co here after they’ve found a Spiritual Fire and are fully prepared."
"Is Spiritual Fire hard to find?" Su Chen asked, seizing the opportunity.
"It’s both hard and not hard." Steward Feng thought for a mont. ’This Star Seed certainly has a lot of questions.’ But it wasn’t a major secret.
"Spiritual Fire is extrely beneficial to Netherworld Creatures. You just have to find a place where they congregate, and there’s a certain chance you’ll find it."
Steward Feng sighed. "The problem is, those Netherworld Creatures also guard the Spiritual Fire jealously. A fight with them is unavoidable."
"Do you keep a reserve of Spiritual Fire on hand?" Su Chen asked, looking around.
"I wish..." Steward Feng said helplessly. "Our area of activity is only so large, and we have to stay under the Fla Fire. We have no choice but to go out and search for it."
"We did find a source of Spiritual Fire a while back. It was being prepared for Fan Zhao, but we haven’t finished clearing out the nearby Netherworld Creatures yet."
’Fan Zhao?’ Su Chen’s eyes flickered. During this period, he hadn’t just been burying his head in his professional developnt; he had also gained a deeper understanding of the Sect as a whole.
The man was one of Qin Yun’s students, already a Tier Eight Professional, and had long since graduated from the Holy Hall’s rankings.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Steward Feng realized his slip-up. He cursed himself inwardly and quickly changed the subject. "Are there any other places you’d like to see?"
"No, that’s alright." Su Chen gave a faint smile. "There really isn’t much to see here."
Steward Feng inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. ’Hosting such a VIP is too much trouble. The sooner he goes back, the better.’
"Oh, right." Just as he was about to leave, Su Chen asked casually, "I heard from the architect that if I enter the Nether Realm without going through the Nether Tower, I’ll appear at a random location within the area covered by the Fla Fire?"
"That’s correct," Steward Feng said hastily. "The risk is enormous. Please, don’t get any curious ideas."
’The spiritual anchoring process has two steps. The first binds my spiritual trace to the Fla Fire. But with only that step, I’d appear at a random spot within the Fla Fire’s coverage.’
’Only by anchoring a second ti through the Nether Tower can I ensure my arrival at a specific location. Both steps are indispensable.’
"Understood." Su Chen nodded and vanished.
...
Back in the Nether Tower, he slowly opened his eyes. ’This way, I can give it a try.’
After leaving the Nether Tower, he glanced at the ti. It was still several hours until the Dark Sun.
Returning to his training room, he waited. At the very last mont before the Dark Sun period began, he bypassed the Nether Tower and tried to imrse himself directly into the Nether Realm.
The world-spinning sensation assaulted him once more. As expected, he did not appear in the stone house this ti.
A gray haze surrounded him. The ground was cold, hard, and rough. In the distance, the Fla Fire in the sky above the Bronze Sect’s outpost was rapidly extinguishing.
An aura that made him tremble washed over him. A blurry, golden, dragon-shaped phantom was coiled in the sky not far away, deterring any Netherworld Creatures with ill intent.
’The Sect’s Tier Nine ntal Professional...’ Su Chen retracted his gaze and looked in the direction Steward Deng had pointed to earlier. It was eerily silent and profoundly deep, with no end in sight.
"Doesn’t this an this is my own private mine now?" Su Chen murmured to himself. He extended his hand, and a Dark Gold Long Blade appeared—the Formless True Edge.
’It’s this easy?’ He was stunned, feeling almost no consumption of his Spiritual Power.
Su Chen couldn’t help but speculate, ’Could it be because I have complete control over it? This weapon is already spiritually bound to , so that’s why it’s so easy.’
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