"Interesting..."

Su Chen hadn’t expected such a change to occur. Could the Great Venerable recorded on his panel indirectly interfere with reality?

Or perhaps it was precisely because of the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator’s Spiritual nature that it was able to react.

After all, the towering figure outlined behind him was, in essence, also stirring the Spiritual power of this place.

Su Chen figured it was the latter. In the past, whenever he had encountered danger, his panel had never shown any reaction.

’Perhaps it’s also because another requirement was added, making the Great Venerable more ’alive’. The Spirituality here is just that—Spiritual. But what the panel captured seems to possess certain traits of a real Professional.’

There might be more than one reason for the change. Su Chen mulled it over for a moment before letting it go, sighing with some emotion.

’The situation is even better than I expected.’

Before making his move, he had already formulated a plan. He had unshakable faith in his panel’s power. As long as he recorded the Profession and fulfilled its requirements, he was certain he could take it on, without worrying about things like recognition, being chosen, or even Profession exclusivity.

At the same time, he also knew that the power of this fragmented Stone Slab was limited. He had heard Ming Lin mention before that the Tier Four Professionals brought by Chong Jingtian some time ago had all been seriously injured.

Yet Wei Yufan had just staggered out. Its power was greatly diminished against a Tier Five Professional. As long as one’s defenses were strong enough, they could definitely block its lethal force.

Then, Su Chen looked at the newly recorded Profession requirements, his brow furrowing slightly. ’The End of Thunder Mark and the Seed of Red Fire... two things I’ve never even heard of. And annihilation? It sounds like I literally have to kill myself, not just get gravely injured to the point of near death.’

’If I fail to achieve nirvana, I guess I’ll just be dead for real.’

He was left speechless. ’As expected of a Morning Star Tier profession,’ he could only think. This was just the second requirement, and it was already demanding he kill himself.

However, preparing for these requirements was still a long way off.

’I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’ Su Chen composed himself.

’First Flame Rekindled... So this is the blessing of the Spirituality. The ability to return to my physical peak at any time. It’s a life-saving measure. Not bad...’

The great dragon coiled around his body dispersed, turning back into the red mist that enveloped the area. Su Chen looked at the Stone Slab, which had returned to its tranquil state, and sensed a faint awe coming from it.

He then had another thought. ’But... since the Profession’s requirements are only revealed when the Spirituality is complete, that Hongxuan guy probably doesn’t know anything either. I suppose that’s good news.’

Outside the mist, after Su Chen stepped inside, the expressions on everyone’s faces changed.

Even though Wu Chenpei and Hongxuan believed it was unlikely for Su Chen to gain recognition, they couldn’t help but pay close attention. After all, he had defeated Hongxuan, which warranted some suspicion.

Chong Jingtian and the others, however, were anxious. Theory was one thing, but if Su Chen couldn’t even manage to make a single dragon shadow appear, they would have to defer to Yuan Capital in the future—a fate that couldn’t be simply summarized by the word "surrender."

"Time’s up," Wu Chenpei said, shaking his head. There was a hint of self-mockery in his eyes. He had been overthinking things; there was only one Hongxuan.

The faces of Chong Jingtian and his group tensed. The "time" Wu Chenpei referred to was the interval between when Hongxuan had stepped inside and when the mist had changed, which had only been a few minutes.

Su Chen had now exceeded that time.

However, just as the words left his mouth, the mist began to change.

Chong Jingtian and the others focused their gazes, their eyes filled with delight. A small, vivid dragon emerged from the red mist, coiling and weaving through it.

"A single dragon shadow appeared! He did it!"

Chong Jingtian, his hands clasped behind his back, finally relaxed his fists, which had been clenched so tightly they’d turned white.

Jiang Shu Mo and the others also let out a breath of relief. Although it was only one dragon, it meant he had at least gained recognition. All their effort hadn’t been in vain.

Pu Zhenghong looked astonished. ’Was I wrong? Did Xia Hanshi not rush things by having Su Chen take on a lower-tier profession?’

"He actually got recognized?" Wu Chenpei was inwardly shaken. ’Could it be that kid didn’t advance to a Tier Four Lower profession, but an Upper-tier one?’

’If it’s an Upper-tier, how could it be this fast?’

Hongxuan’s brows were tightly furrowed. This scene was far beyond his expectations, but he soon found himself thinking:

’This person definitely has his secrets. After we leave Red Thunder Star, I could recruit him. He will surely be a great asset in the future.’

Anyone who could gain the recognition of a Morning Star Tier—even if only a single dragon shadow appeared—was quite impressive.

As for whether Su Chen could pose a threat to his status as the chosen one, the thought didn’t even cross Hongxuan’s mind.

’A single dragon shadow!’

Ming Lin silently clenched his fists. ’Thank goodness. Su Chen barely met whatever standard they were using.’

Seeing the relieved expressions on Chong Jingtian and the others, Wu Chenpei composed himself and said, as if suddenly remembering something,

"Oh, by the way, there’s something I forgot to tell you all. To become the chosen one, you must make at least two dragon shadows appear when you’re recognized by the Spirituality."

"As for a single dragon shadow’s appearance, that’s barely enough to catch its eye—an act of pity from the Spirituality. There’s no chance of becoming the chosen one with that."

He spoke slowly and leisurely. Chong Jingtian’s relaxed expression immediately stiffened, and Jiang Shu Mo’s face changed as he said in a low voice, "Just because you say so?"

Wu Chenpei shook his head gently and said nonchalantly, "I’m just giving you all a heads-up. I have no intention of getting in the way. In any case, Su Chen will have to go to that ruin with Hongxuan. When the Spiritual Unity occurs, you’ll find out for yourselves."

He was only surprised that Su Chen had gained recognition, as it shattered his judgment about the Professional Level he had advanced to. As for the appearance of a single dragon shadow, he really hadn’t given it much thought.

Hearing him say this, the expressions on Chong Jingtian and the others soured even more. Wu Chenpei’s confident and unfazed demeanor forced them to consider the worst.