Fan Zhao was a Tier Eight Professional, and his Spirit Body was so condensed that it was normally indistinguishable from a physical body.

But now, the edges of his Spirit Body were faintly dissipating, and a tangible pressure radiated from him uncontrollably.

Steward Feng, Qin Tianlin, and the others were forced to retreat again and again.

Fan Zhao’s expression was ghastly. Spiritual Fire could only be born in the Nether Realm, and the conditions for its creation were exceptionally harsh.

It took a very long time to find even one source of Spiritual Fire.

Due to the Bronze Sect’s issues with Flame Fire, all resources from the Nether Realm were in high demand. For Spiritual Fire, one even had to get in line.

If not for his master, Qin Yun, arranging this Holy Profession Melting with the Spiritual Fire before her departure, it might not have even been his turn.

He had been looking forward to this for so long, yet there was nothing before him. How could he possibly remain calm?

"Where is the Spiritual Fire!" Fan Zhao roared again, the sound waves rolling outward.

"Is there no Spiritual Fire here?" Qin Tianlin couldn’t help but ask. "Was the information wrong?"

His expression was grim. If Fan Zhao could succeed in Melting a Holy Profession at Tier Eight, then after advancing to Tier Nine, he would likely have time to melt another one.

The prospect of him taking the top seat, as Lan Yunting had suggested, was not just empty talk.

To secure Lan Yunting’s help, they had already promised him a great deal. Meng Shiyu had died here inexplicably. If this all turned out to be for nothing, he too would find it unacceptable.

"How is that possible!"

Steward Feng, standing nearby, had also been in a daze. But upon hearing this, he subconsciously retorted, "The Nether Hall can’t take the blame for this."

Fan Zhao was Qin Yun’s student. There was no telling how much conflict this would cause down the line.

"This is the Flame Domain Volcano, one of the few terrains most likely to produce Spiritual Fire. It’s guarded by a Tier Nine Netherworld Creature, with Tier Eight, Tier Seven, and Tier Six creatures coexisting in an orderly fashion. How could there be no Spiritual Fire?"

He spoke with conviction. Even facing Qin Tianlin and the enraged Fan Zhao, he had to stand his ground.

Otherwise, Qin Yuezheng wouldn’t spare him when he got back.

’So there’s no Spiritual Fire after all,’ Lan Hao thought, his mood surprisingly improving.

He was now implicated in Meng Shiyu’s death. The man was, after all, a high-ranking figure on the Holy List, and this matter wouldn’t be resolved so easily.

For now, things were just being temporarily suppressed. Once they left the Nether Realm and returned to the Sect, there would definitely be a reckoning.

The more powerful Fan Zhao became, the worse it would be for him.

"Could it have been stolen by other Netherworld Creatures who took the opportunity?" Steward Feng asked, proposing another possibility after his retort.

"Unlikely," Lan Yunting said, shaking his head. "Netherworld Creatures normally use Spiritual Fire to temper their Spiritual Bodies. It’s incredibly destructive. Even a Tier Eight Netherworld Creature would find it very difficult to carry it away."

"Then there’s only one other possibility." Fan Zhao’s voice, his back still to the others, was chilling to the extreme. "Someone used it."

"Someone used it?" Steward Feng faltered, hesitating. "The path here is filled with Netherworld Creatures that covet us Outer Realm Spirit Bodies. How could they have let someone just walk in?"

The possibility of it being used by someone else would also implicate the Nether Hall, since they were the ones who discovered it.

"That possibility is also slim," Lan Yunting added. "This would require several preconditions. First, they’d have to know there was Spiritual Fire here. Second, they’d have to know about our operation today. Third, they’d need enough strength to fight off the remaining Netherworld Creatures. If a real fight broke out, the commotion wouldn’t have been small."

"The Tier Six Netherworld Creatures are still on the mountainside, and there are plenty of Tier Seven ones among them."

"But Spiritual Fire doesn’t just vanish for no reason." Fan Zhao turned around, his icy gaze fixed on Steward Feng. "The Nether Hall must give me an explanation for this."

"God... damn it." A look of pure misery washed over Steward Feng’s face.

......

The crimson flames swirling around his body gradually died down, and the bone-deep, excruciating pain vanished.

Su Chen slowly opened his eyes. His heart still pounding with fear, he took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, a plume of hot air rolling out.

This Holy Profession Melting was perhaps the most painful experience he had ever endured. Neither taking on a new profession nor advancing in tier had ever felt this agonizing.

’Thankfully, it was just painful and didn’t cause any physical damage.’

Su Chen scanned his surroundings carefully, quite surprised. Even the Nether Tower beneath him was completely undamaged. The flames seemed to have affected only his body.

’I wonder what principle this Holy Profession Melting follows. It didn’t require me to do anything; it just melted it for me directly.’

’What if someone took on a large number of professions and, by some twist of fate, met the requirements for a Holy Profession? Could they also melt it using these Morning Fire Ashes?’

His thoughts wandered. ’And what about all the people in the Sect who have the five Talents? When they used Spiritual Fire before, weren’t they passively melted into Purifiers?’

’If my body had professions that satisfied the requirements for two different Holy Professions, which one would it melt?’

As he mulled it over, he shook his head. ’Under normal circumstances,’

’meeting the requirements for even one Holy Profession is already incredibly difficult, let alone two.’

Su Chen speculated silently, but he had too little information to come up with anything just by guessing.

Only after his body had completely calmed down did he feel a strange sensation rising within him. He vaguely sensed that his body had undergone some change, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. It seemed lighter, more... transparent.

He opened his status panel. Two abilities immediately jumped out at him. His brow twitched and his heart skipped a beat. 500%!

With just a single glance, his eyes fixated on that "500%," and he couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Each of the five Talents only provided a 50% boost. Now, after being melted into a Holy Profession, the total bonus had doubled, reaching a massive 500%.

’That’s insane...’

Su Chen was astonished, but when his gaze fell upon the second ability, he was even more shocked.