’The Morning Star Tier... I wonder if the Royal Court even has any of those.’

Although he was just daydreaming, Su Chen felt the Morning Star Tier held more secrets. The tiered professions he had encountered in the past had all sorts of requirements, but none had ever been related to Talent.

Even special professions like the Wise Man, which could simultaneously enhance dual Talents, would always specify that they required a Spiritual Side Talent.

But the Great Venerable’s Talent requirement had no specific focus; it didn’t mention whether it was for the Spiritual Side or the Physical Side.

That made a huge difference. His panel would automatically correct any erroneous requirements, which was enough to prove that this wasn’t just an ambiguity.

’Perhaps... it requires both the Spiritual and Physical Talents to be Profound Purple.’

Xia Hanshi walked ahead, while Ming Lin, at his side, had no idea so many thoughts had flashed through Su Chen’s mind in the blink of an eye. He merely sighed in admiration:

"The Physical Side, huh? Who knows how powerful that profession is... Ah, well... obtaining it would be my good fortune, but losing it would be my fate."

Su Chen’s thoughts drifted. ’If both Talents were Profound Purple, I would inevitably have to pursue dual professions.’

The power of having dual professions went without saying; the enhancement it provided was far greater than a simple one-plus-one. Even if one’s dual Talents weren’t very high, people would still more or less try to pursue both paths to compensate for the deficiencies in either their Spiritual or Physical aspects.

’That raises a question...’ Su Chen’s eyes glinted. ’Does everyone who qualifies have to seek out another Morning Star Tier profession in the end?’

He had heard from Old Chong before that the Morning Star Tier held a high status even in the so-called Royal Court, and they weren’t exactly common.

’That can’t be right. There must be another secret.’ Su Chen knew too little at the moment and could only speculate.

He couldn’t help but think of Hongxuan. Besides the power boost from his dual professions, that guy’s strength mainly came from that peculiar state he could enter. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He wasn’t very old, nor had he acquired many special professions.

Unlike his Holy Hand, which used one Professional Ability to strengthen another, Hongxuan’s state seemed to be a fusion of his professions.

Afterward, he had carefully researched information related to professional fusion and discovered it was an extremely rare special state, with only a handful of cases recorded in the history of Ying Feng.

It could only occur when someone had dual professions, and both the Professional Tier and level were identical.

Furthermore, it was a spontaneous state that couldn’t be controlled at will. According to the few existing records, the individual’s strength would be enhanced to some degree while in this state.

A strong sense of curiosity arose in Su Chen. ’I wonder what his specific situation is. I hope I get a chance to investigate it closely.’

Su Chen had a hunch. Hongxuan had been preparing for the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator all this time; perhaps this state was related to the secrets of the Morning Star Tier.

Ming Lin laughed again. "You should have seen the looks on Wu Chenpei and Hongxuan’s faces after you went in. They were priceless."

He didn’t have a good impression of Hongxuan, having seen through the arrogance hidden beneath his composed facade, and he described the scene with great relish.

Su Chen chimed in noncommittally until Xia Hanshi, who was walking ahead, came to a halt. They had arrived at the Chief Judge’s residence.

"Care to come in for a bit?" Xia Hanshi turned sideways, his gaze falling on Ming Lin.

Ming Lin’s expression froze. He looked at the "renowned" Chief Judge before him, whose gaunt cheeks seemed to be stretched taut over his skull, with no trace of flesh. His eyes were sunk deep into their sockets.

"N-No, I can’t." Ming Lin swallowed hard. For some reason, he suddenly broke out in a sweat. He hastily refused, stammered his goodbyes, and rushed off.

"So timid..." Xia Hanshi shook his head, withdrew his gaze, and led Su Chen through the door. The door then closed on its own.

"Judging from the reactions of Wu Chenpei and that Hongxuan, the phenomenon that appeared must have been far beyond their expectations." Xia Hanshi sank into the sofa, his voice hoarse. "Wu Chenpei was being evasive, but when he mentioned the recognition earlier, he only spoke of three dragons."

"Three dragons merging into one, and even something beyond that... perhaps that’s the phenomenon of becoming the chosen one. Did you feel anything specific?"

Su Chen frowned and shook his head. "Nothing. It’s probably because my Spirituality is incomplete. Even the profession’s requirements can only be revealed after it’s been made whole."

"I see..." Xia Hanshi seemed to have a theory. He gestured for Su Chen to sit. "In that case, perhaps it makes sense. Because your Spirituality is incomplete, the most you can receive for now is just acknowledgment."

"That’s why Wu Chenpei spoke so freely about these matters before. Your situation, however, was a complete surprise to him."

Su Chen agreed that it made sense. He didn’t sit down, but instead walked over to the tea station.

"Unfortunately, we know far too little." Xia Hanshi’s brows were tightly furrowed. "But Yuan Capital knows too much. They know many things they shouldn’t. Could they really have contacted certain people in the Royal Court ahead of time?"

Su Chen was pouring tea and looked over in surprise. "Yuan Capital has already contacted the Royal Court?"

Xia Hanshi nodded, reaching out to take the cup of tea from Su Chen. "That’s Chong Jingtian’s speculation. Hongxuan’s appearance was unusual. A Scarlet Talent... it’s unheard of."

"Tell me..." Xia Hanshi said suddenly, gripping the teacup, "if you were Hongxuan, what would you be thinking right now?"

"Me?" Su Chen was taken aback for a moment. He tried to imagine Hongxuan’s mindset, but gave up after a moment. "I don’t know him well enough. It’s hard to guess."

"If I were Hongxuan, I’d be trying to figure out how to kill you right now," Xia Hanshi said grimly.

"Er..." Su Chen paused, then sat down across from Xia Hanshi and mused, "That’s a real possibility."

"Exactly. Which is why we need to strike first," Xia Hanshi said, killing intent gleaming in his eyes.