My Professions Have Too Much Personality

’A thousand thoughts raced through his mind,’ but he put on a look of timely confusion. "Huh? What anger?"

"You don’t know either?" The Bronze Ancient King’s voice was calm, betraying no emotion. "I thought you might. Never mind. It’s nothing important."

Seeing the Bronze Ancient King didn’t press the issue, Su Chen relaxed considerably. ’It seems this convenient new master of mine has no intention of delving deeper.’

Then, he saw a phantom of light and shadow emerge from the Bronze Giant before him. It had the appearance of a normal human with a broad, kind face—likely what the Ancient King looked like when he was human.

It came to a stop before the two of them, its gaze falling upon Su Chen. "I’m taking you somewhere."

Su Chen was puzzled, but he simply nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, he found his body sinking uncontrollably into the bronze floor. Su Chen’s eye twitched as he watched helplessly, the bronze walls around him rising steadily.

The three of them quickly fell out of the Ancient King Hall, plunging straight down.

’Are we going into that Flame Fire?’

As Su Chen watched the Flame Fire grow larger and larger before him, a thought struck him. ’Could this be about the Fog Ashes?’

Initially, Su Chen hadn’t considered the Fog Ashes. After all, he was only Tier Five, and the Fog Ashes enveloping the Flame Fire couldn’t possibly be of a weak grade. But now, it seemed like a distinct possibility.

The Flame Fire grew larger and larger until it filled his entire field of vision. The blinding light forced Su Chen to squint.

Then, at a certain moment, it felt as if they had passed through some invisible barrier, and the scene before him changed drastically.

"This place is..."

Su Chen’s feet touched the ground. Gravel crunched underfoot with a sound like snapping dry bones. The ground was crimson red, stretching to the horizon under a lead-gray sky, desolate and bleak.

"This is the inside of the Flame Fire," the Ancient King’s phantom said from beside him, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Su Chen followed his gaze and saw a mass of black substance in the distance. Atop it flickered a golden flame.

The flame should have been dazzlingly brilliant, but it was tightly bound by layers of black fog.

The outermost layer was a translucent gray haze, spreading slowly like ink dropped into clear water. Fragmented silhouettes drifted within the fog.

Further in, the black fog condensed into a viscous liquid. Countless bubbles formed on its surface, and with every pop, a bone-chilling coldness seeped out.

The innermost layer was no longer fog, but a jet-black, gelatinous substance that had almost solidified. It squirmed slowly, as if breathing, tightly encasing ninety percent of the Flame Fire, leaving only a single wisp of blazing golden flame peeking out from the center.

The wisp of flame was no bigger than a baby’s fist, yet it was so bright one could barely look at it.

For a moment, Su Chen felt a sense of vertigo, as if an irresistible force was pulling him from within the Flame Fire.

But in the next instant, a chill shot through him and he snapped back to his senses, horrified to find he had actually taken half a step forward.

’The pull probably wasn’t coming from the Flame Fire, but from the black substance coiling around it.’

"So this is our Sect’s Flame Fire..." Su Chen was deeply shaken. He had never expected to see a scene like this.

’That black substance enveloping it must be the Fog Ashes. It’s on a completely different level from the fingernail-sized piece I have.’

"Correct," the Bronze Ancient King nodded.

Su Chen frowned. "Is that black substance the Fog Ashes that Senior Brother Qing Cang mentioned?"

"Qing Cang mentioned it to you as well?" The Ancient King seemed a little surprised, but then he nodded.

"Then you should already know that the Fog Ashes is what causes the corruption of the Flame Fire and Professional Spirituality. Because it’s a mixture of the Deceitful God’s Power and the Fog Source, both the Flame Fire and one’s Spirituality will readily accept it."

"Once it takes hold, it’s like a cancer that clings to the very bone."

"And what is this Fog Source?" Su Chen asked, puzzled. Qing Cang hadn’t mentioned that part to him.

He knew that purified Fog Ashes became Fog Source and that it was somehow beneficial to one’s profession, but that was the extent of his knowledge.

The Ancient King explained, "The Fog Source is a special, extremely rare substance born in the depths of nether-creatures. It is highly beneficial to both the Flame Fire and one’s Spirituality, and can even promote their evolution."

"Evolution?" Su Chen asked quickly. "What do you mean? Could it allow a Morning Star Tier to evolve to the Moonlight Tier?"

"Something like that, but it is exceedingly difficult and requires an immense amount to achieve." The Bronze Ancient King confirmed his guess, adding, "It is mainly used to help Tier Nine professionals break through to the Morning Star Tier."

’So the Fog Source is the special substance needed for a Tier Nine professional to transform.’ Su Chen had a moment of realization, connecting this to other pieces of information he had gathered.

’It’s just as I guessed. The Fog Source can help a Great Venerable evolve. No wonder they’re so desperate for it.’

The Bronze Ancient King sighed. "Ever since the Flame Fire was corrupted by the Fog Ashes, two Morning Star Tiers have sacrificed themselves by merging with it, which barely preserved a glimmer of hope. I have maintained it for many years, but I’ve never been able to solve the underlying problem."

Qing Cang, standing beside him, couldn’t help but look mournful. "The Fog Ashes is bizarre and varied. Its method of corrosion changes depending on its target. Even artificial intelligences or mechanical beings can’t escape its corruption if they become entangled."

At just the right moment, Su Chen asked, "What do you need me to do?"

The Bronze Ancient King’s voice was grave. "I want you to help the Flame Fire expel the Fog Ashes."

’So it really is about this...’ After arriving here, Su Chen had already been almost certain this was it.

But he had to wait for the Ancient King to say it himself to be absolutely sure.

’Tier Five... isn’t that a bit too soon?’ Qing Cang wondered to himself.

"Expel the Fog Ashes..." Su Chen put on a contemplative expression, then said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Master. I will do everything in my power."

’This Fog Ashes is clearly far more dangerous than the weak-grade sample I handled before. But in this situation, agreeing immediately is the only right move.’