Chapter 324 - 53: Returning with the Ultimate Profession

Chapter 324: Chapter 53: Returning with the Ultimate Profession

Countless microcosms of worlds, both familiar and strange, rose and fell within the waves, born and then shattered, repeating in an endless cycle.

Countless, equally spectacular tributaries merged with it from every direction, each one representing a possibility, a different fate.

They converged and collided, kicking up even more dazzling spray, creating a spectacle so magnificent and shocking it defied all description.

Before this great river, Chen Ye felt like a drop in the ocean, laughably insignificant.

Any trace of pride he had felt from helping Yuan Lan Transform into a Dragon, slaying Jian Jingchuan, and altering the balance of power in Qingzhou vanished without a trace in that instant.

He was like a child in a small boat, passively drifting with the current toward a distant, unknown shore.

But this magnificent vision was fleeting.

The next moment, Chen Ye felt his entire body plummet as if he had fallen from a great height without warning. The intense feeling of weightlessness made his heart tighten, and his consciousness faded to black.

...

"Huuuh..."

Chen Ye’s eyes shot open as he exhaled a long, turbid breath.

His gaze fell upon a familiar roof built of rough-hewn wood. The air was thick with the distinct dampness of Black Water Lake, a mixture of water vapor and a faint, fishy smell.

’I’m back.’

Chen Ye rose and surveyed his surroundings.

It was still his private wooden cabin, the one he had as the deputy steward of the docks. Everything was exactly as he had left it. The teacup was still on the table in its original position, and the door and windows were shut tight, insulating the room from the clamor outside.

Everything was so peaceful it was as if all he had experienced in that Cultivation Realm—the heart-pounding battles, the magnificent feat of helping a dragon ascend—had been nothing more than an exceptionally vivid dream.

But the emptiness in his body and his extreme mental exhaustion were a stark reminder that it had all been real.

And the rewards from this journey far surpassed those of any previous one.

Chen Ye sat quietly on the edge of the bed, closed his eyes, and carefully assessed the changes that had occurred since his return.

His body was still his body, yet it felt different. Although his Cultivation had been wiped clean by the rules of the world, his physical form, already at the level of a Divine-Seeing Grandmaster, seemed to possess a new, indescribable quality—a subtle trace left behind after being tempered and forged by Sword Intent.

More important was the change in his Divine Spirit.

If his Divine Spirit had once been a piece of hard, unrefined iron, it was now a piece of Refined Gold that had been forged and tempered into the finest steel.

He had experienced so much in that other world. His will had been honed to an incredible purity through one life-and-death struggle after another. Especially after delivering that world-shaking strike, both his Heart Spirit and his will had undergone an ultimate transcendence.

This internal metamorphosis was far more precious than any increase in Cultivation.

KNOCK KNOCK.

Just then, two soft knocks sounded from outside the door.

Chen Ye’s gaze flickered. ’It’s Li Qingyan.’

"Come in."

The wooden door was pushed open gently, and Li Qingyan walked in, head bowed. She wore a flowing red dress and carried a food container.

She placed the container on the table and took out several exquisite dishes and a flask of warmed wine, her movements as gentle and graceful as a well-trained Maid.

She didn’t dare to look up at Chen Ye the entire time.

Chen Ye knew that the Enslavement Brand he had planted deep within her Divine Spirit was still active.

This once-proud prodigy of the Blood Lotus Sect had now been thoroughly reduced to his servant.

"Master, here is the late-night meal you requested." Li Qingyan’s voice was low, laced with a tremor of humiliation she could not conceal.

Chen Ye said nothing, merely watching her in silence.

Li Qingyan felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze, and her body grew stiff.

Most importantly, Li Qingyan felt that this Chen Ye was different. Although he was still dressed as one of the Sinful People and she could detect no fluctuations in his Cultivation as he sat there, she sensed a much deeper, more restrained aura emanating from him.

If the Chen Ye of before was a sharp blade hidden in its scabbard—its edge concealed, yet still radiating danger—then the Chen Ye of now was like a bottomless ancient well. Its surface was placid and undisturbed, but one could never know what horrors lurked beneath the dark water.

This feeling terrified her all the more.

After all, a little more than an hour had passed since she had last seen Chen Ye. How could his presence undergo such a noticeable change in such a short amount of time?

Li Qingyan was utterly baffled, but she didn’t dare to ask, so she could only bow her head lower.

"You are dismissed. Do not disturb me unless I summon you," Chen Ye finally said. His voice was flat, betraying no emotion.

"Yes, Master." As if granted a pardon, Li Qingyan bowed deeply before carefully backing out of the room and gently closing the door.

The room returned to silence once more.

Chen Ye glanced at the food and wine on the table. Imbued with Spiritual Qi, they would be highly nourishing for him in his current state, but he was in no hurry to eat.

His priority was to take stock of the greatest rewards from this trip.

With a thought, a familiar panel instantly materialized before his eyes.

[Name: Chen Ye]

[Profession: Nightwalker (Level 3)]

[Talent: Shadow’s Son]

[Skills: Skillful Hand Level 10, Fast Blade Level 10, Roof Walking Level 10, Stealth Level 5, Throwing Level 5]

[Profession: Pearl Collector (Level 3)]

[Talent: Cold Resistance, Cow and Horse Body]

[Skills: Diving Level 4, Spirit Clam Sensing Level 4]

[Divine-Seeing Grandmaster: Martial Dao. Immortal. Body as Divine Weapon. Will is Heaven’s Will. Peak of Martial Dao. One man an army, one man a nation.]