My Professions Have Too Much Personality

"It’s a good thing he didn’t beat Senior Brother Shen," Chu Ran clicked his tongue. "Otherwise, that would be just freakish."

"Melting a Holy Profession brings an almost earth-shattering change," Wei Zhenghong said, shaking his head. Before Shen Yi’an had Melted his Holy Profession, he hadn’t fully understood that statement.

But after Shen Yi’an had done it, Wei Zhenghong’s next challenge was a deeply profound experience. The moment Shen Yi’an used his Holy Profession, he was completely crushed.

Melting a Holy Profession... Melting a Holy Profession...

As he thought about it, Wei Zhenghong suddenly slammed his cup on the table, stood up, and started walking out. "You guys can keep drinking. I’m going to Melt my Holy Profession as soon as possible."

Chu Ran pulled his gaze away from Wei Zhenghong. "Did that set him off?"

It was obvious, so the others couldn’t be bothered to answer him.

Shen Yi’an then rose smoothly and bid his farewells. "Junior brothers, I’ll be heading back as well."

The two left one after another, leaving only Chu Ran and the others. They glanced at each other, the mood suddenly dampened.

Chu Ran glanced at Su Chen’s ranking again. For some reason, the wine in his mouth now seemed to have lost its flavor, tasting like wax.

"Old Su is such a freak," he muttered. The others also dispersed, their hearts filled with complicated feelings.

...

"So close..."

In the training room, Su Chen lay on his back on the floor, gasping for breath. His clothes were once again in tatters, and he even had several visible wounds, the flesh torn open and slowly repairing itself.

Because of Shen Yi’an, he hadn’t thought he could defeat Wei Zhenghong.

But as the fight went on, he suddenly realized he might have a chance.

Compared to Shen Yi’an, Wei Zhenghong’s strength was a steep drop-off, but even so, Su Chen had to give it his all.

In fact, if Wei Zhenghong had been just a tiny bit stronger, he might not have been able to win, and the fight would have ended in a draw.

’So the gap between having a Holy Profession and not is this huge...’ Su Chen carefully pondered the difference between Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yi’an, concluding it all came down to the Holy Profession.

He also gained a clearer estimate of his own strength. ’Among Tier Sevens, I should be in the upper ranks. Although Old Wei’s Professional development isn’t maxed out yet, even if it were, he wouldn’t be that much stronger than me.’

’But I stand no chance against those who have Melted their Holy Professions.’

"Holy Profession... Holy Profession..." Su Chen murmured. Once the wounds on his body had mostly healed, he forced himself to his feet.

’Although I’ve gotten a taste of a Holy Profession’s power in advance through Professional Fusion, if I truly Melt one, the change will surely be earth-shattering.’

His eyes glimmered. Having now fully experienced the power of a Holy Profession, a sense of longing inevitably rose in his heart.

’As long as I can take on the Vajra Venerable Profession...’ He opened his panel and glanced at it. Feeling the changes in his body, he pulled out a few cans of Nutritional Potion and chugged them down. GULP, GULP.

’The requirements for Vajra Venerable aren’t even that difficult.’

The hard requirement for Vajra Venerable was to be a Tier Six Professional, which he had already met. Naturally, it was time to start preparing.

’Five portions of Celestial Forged Objects can be bought with money. As for the requirement to "comprehend the will of Vajra amidst a devastating blow," it’s a bit esoteric, but based on past experience using Guiding, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.’

’It won’t be long now...’ Su Chen’s spirits lifted. ’And now I have another chance for a three-in-one Professional fusion. What direction should I use it for...’

Su Chen looked at the reward the Great Venerable had given him earlier. To maximize the benefits, even a three-in-one fusion was best used on Professions within a Holy Profession Sequence.

’Should I pick a new Holy Profession to prepare for?’

The thought surfaced in Su Chen’s mind. A three-in-one fusion would let him take on three Professions at once. Even for a Holy Profession, that would be more than half the progress completed in one go.

The Sect had three public Holy Professions: Permanent Body, Dawn Celestial Punishment, and Fallen Spirit Admonition.

He had experienced Dawn Celestial Punishment before; it was a long-range offensive ability. As for Fallen Spirit Admonition, it was a Mental Type.

Su Chen pondered to himself, ’Long-range offense seems to fill a gap in my abilities, but it’s a false need. If its power can’t surpass the Blood Burner I’ll Melt later, I might as well just punch them in the face. Why would I need long-range attacks?’

’And Fallen Spirit Admonition, a Mental Type Holy Profession... if it doesn’t synergize with my other Professions, it’s not really necessary either...’

After careful consideration, Su Chen realized his need for these two wasn’t actually that high.

’What if...’ A flicker in his eyes. ’I continue to strengthen Permanent Body?’

With the Great Venerable’s reward, Molten Flame, he could integrate similar special Professions that weren’t part of the Holy Profession Sequence, indirectly boosting the Holy Profession’s power.

’That’s actually not a bad idea...’ Su Chen thought it over. A high-intensity Profession would inevitably come with extremely high consumption.

He had yet to take on the Vajra Venerable Profession or Melt a Holy Profession. Even with Chakra Liberation, his current combat duration was significantly shorter than when he was at Tier Five.

His many powerful abilities allowed him to fight above his tier, but the physical toll was absurdly high. If he took on more Professions, let alone Melted a Holy Profession, the consumption would likely become even more terrifying.

’And then, as I gain more Holy Professions, the burden will increase. I’d have to spend time looking for a Physical Strength-type Holy Profession then. It would be better to just strengthen Permanent Body now and get it done in one go...’

Physique is the foundation.

Su Chen’s eyes flickered. There was another important reason: Permanent Body was almost complete, whereas a new Holy Profession would still have a long way to go before it could be Melted.

Having made his decision, he was no longer conflicted.

’Permanent Body has one last Profession slot. When the time comes, I’ll pick two more Professions with similar affinities to fuse, and with the addition of Gourmet, Permanent Body will become a Holy Profession Melted from eight different Professions...’

At present, Su Chen still didn’t have much information about Holy Professions. He wasn’t sure how much stronger a Melted Holy Profession would be with an extra Profession, but he knew it would definitely be an enhancement.

He let his imagination run wild and finalized his plan, but he wasn’t in a hurry. For one, the Great Venerable was still in a period of silence. For another, he was missing various Deceitful God Essences.

The last fusions for Vajra Venerable had already consumed most of his supply. This next three-in-one fusion would require a total of nine Deceitful God Essences.

Otherwise, the difficulty of taking on the Profession would be unimaginably high.

’Nine Deceitful God Essences will require about a hundred Netherworld Stones...’

’Some time has passed since the Qin Guang incident. With the Peak Star Conference about to start, the Sect’s security is under immense pressure. They probably don’t have the time to watch the periphery, which makes it a good opportunity to move some goods.’

Su Chen considered this. Given the current situation, there were many things he no longer needed to hide.

However, the Sect and the Ancient King had truly been harmed by the Deceitful Gods and hated them to the bone. He still had to be discreet about collecting Deceitful God’s Power; it would just take a bit more time.

’Then there are the Celestial Forged Objects needed for Vajra Venerable. Five of them will cost a total of twenty-five million Star Coins.’

Su Chen checked his Wristband. ’I spent some when exchanging for the Secret Artifact upgrade materials. I have seven million left, so there’s a shortfall of eighteen million. That’s one hundred and eighty Netherworld Stones.’

Su Chen did a quick calculation and realized he needed quite a lot.

’I need to talk to Centipede Dragon and have Xiao Hei bring in more Netherworld Creatures. It shouldn’t be too hard to close this gap quickly...’

’And Black Tuo. I need to ask him where he is and prepare for the handover of the Heart of Spiritual Light. That’s the top priority.’

While he was planning, thanks to the combined effects of various Potions, Su Chen’s body had more or less recovered.

He changed into a fresh set of clothes, walked out of the Challenge Chamber, and began scrolling through the messages on his Wristband. Shen Yi’an and the others had all sent him messages of praise and congratulations.

Old Wei was an interesting one; he had only sent a single symbol—a "?".

Su Chen replied to them one by one, and also sent a "?" back to Old Wei.

He glanced at the Flame Fire in the sky. It would probably be a while before the Dark Sun appeared.

Su Chen returned to the training room, not intending to waste even a single moment.

...

「At the same time.」

On Copper Heart, people were still standing on the main road, staring intently at the Flame Fire, wondering just how much longer it would continue to burn.

"I told you, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Ancient King! No matter how vicious the rumors from the outside world get, they’re all baseless. See? Aren’t things moving in a positive direction now?"

People gathered in twos and threes. The Stewards were in a fervent discussion, looking righteously indignant.

"And some people, just because of the anomaly with the Ancient King Stele a while ago, started spreading rumors that ’the Ancient King will fall.’ How incredibly foolish!"