Chapter 366: Chapter 216: Kindling for the Morning Fire, Retesting the Projection

’So they’ve blocked this path for me, too.’ Wan Chen’s eyes narrowed. The more they tried to hide it from him, the more he wanted to know.

’They really think I’m out of options...’ A glint in his eyes, Wan Chen turned and walked out of the training room again.

’...The training projection...’ From around a corner in the corridor, Lan Hao watched him with a deep gaze. He waited a moment after Wan Chen left before entering the training room himself.

Soon, he too was filled with suspicion. ’The training projection is restricted, and the combat logs are locked. Something is definitely going on here.’

Meanwhile, Wan Chen had found Xia Jie, who was inspecting various parts of the ship for any damage sustained during the warp jump.

"Captain Xia, there’s a problem with the training room’s data. I’m trying to review a past combat log, but I can’t pull it up no matter what I do," Wan Chen said, feigning frustration.

"A system error?" Xia Jie frowned. "We were probably in the Nether Fog for too long. The data must have been corrupted."

Wan Chen sighed helplessly. "That combat log was actually quite important. I wanted to review it. Is there any way you could help?"

"Hmm..." Xia Jie hesitated. "Lost data is hard to recover. The only thing I can do is try a system rollback and see if that brings it back."

"Okay, I’ll have to trouble you then." Wan Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

Xia Jie wasn’t suspicious. If it had been the surveillance room or something similar, he might have refused. But the training room only contained combat data. What secrets could there be?

He followed Wan Chen to the training room and noticed the indicator light. "Someone’s inside?" he asked, surprised.

Wan Chen’s brow furrowed slightly. Before he could speak, the hatch slid open and an equally puzzled Lan Hao walked out. Their eyes met, and both of their hearts skipped a beat.

"Lan Hao," Xia Jie greeted.

"What are you two up to?" Lan Hao asked, his eyes glinting.

’This isn’t good,’ Wan Chen thought, but he couldn’t stop Xia Jie from explaining. "Wan Chen here said some data was lost, so I came to do a rollback."

"Oh." A flicker in his eyes, Lan Hao stepped aside. "Please, go ahead."

Xia Jie didn’t notice the strange atmosphere between the two and walked straight past.

Wan Chen glanced at Lan Hao but said nothing. They both entered the training room.

Qing Cang and Xia Jie possessed full clearance for everything on the starship.

He first initiated a data backup, then began the rollback procedure. He asked Wan Chen, "What date should I roll back to?"

"Hmm..." Wan Chen recalled the day Lin Yue had kicked his door down. "It should be right after we left Red Thunder Star..."

"Yes... yes, that’s the day. Around six in the evening," Wan Chen said immediately, spotting a timestamp on the screen.

"Got it." After Xia Jie completed a biometric scan to authorize access, the entire training room suddenly went dark.

Xia Jie didn’t plan on waiting. "The rollback will be done in about ten minutes," he said. "I’m going to continue my inspection of the ship. If you find the combat log, have Copper Star back it up. I’ll restore the system time later."

There was nothing noteworthy about the training room; except for special circumstances, almost no one ever used it.

Lan Hao and Wan Chen watched him leave.

In the darkness, neither of them spoke.

Ten minutes later, with a low hum, the lights in the training room came back on.

Seeing that Wan Chen was still silent, a trace of mockery crossed Lan Hao’s eyes. "How long are you going to wait?"

Wan Chen knew it was impossible to shake this guy off. With a helpless sigh, he gave in and said, "Pull up the most recent combat log between the training projections of Lin Yue and Su Chen."

This time, as expected, Copper Star didn’t refuse. A fluorescent blue light wove into a virtual screen, and two figures gradually appeared—the projections of Lin Yue and Su Chen. They were soon entangled in combat.

’Just as I thought...’ Wan Chen’s expression was grave. The combat was so fast it was difficult to even catch a clear image of the two fighters.

But from the afterimages, he could tell that Lin Yue only held a slight advantage, which was almost exactly what he had guessed.

No wonder Lin Yue had been so excited when he came looking for him that day.

"Su Chen can actually fight Lin Yue to a standstill..." Lan Hao, on the other hand, was stunned. He wasn’t even sure he could beat Lin Yue himself.

"It’s more than that. This is just a training projection. There’s still a gap between it and Su Chen himself," Wan Chen said, his eyes glinting.

He watched for a few moments before telling Copper Star to close the log. It was too blurry; he couldn’t see anything clearly.

’Doesn’t this mean that at the same Tier, Su Chen might even be able to beat me?’

Lan Hao was shocked and doubtful. He was several years older than Su Chen, and he hadn’t wasted those years.

Wan Chen ignored his comment and simply said, "Copper Star, release Su Chen’s training projection."

"Acknowledged," Copper Star responded. In the center of the room, the holographic image of a seated figure gradually took shape.

"What kind of stance is that...?" Wan Chen didn’t understand it either. He stepped into the field and said, "Activate Fair Combat Mode."

His life aura was suppressed. He looked at Su Chen’s training projection, his expression solemn. "I underestimated you before. To be chosen by the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator, you are indeed extraordinary."

"Since it’s come to this, I’ll experience your strength for myself."

Outside the combat field, Lan Hao was still reeling with shock and doubt.

With Su Chen’s Talent, reaching Tier Four at his age, and with all Top-tier Professions, would already place him in the upper-middle ranks of the Bronze Sect—let alone having come from a Desolate Planet like Red Thunder Star.

But adding his terrifying Heart, it was somewhat understandable. It wasn’t unimaginable that he might also have one or two special professions that amplified his power.

Even with all that, he shouldn’t be a match for Lin Yue. Just what was his...

Before he could finish the thought, Lan Hao’s eyes bulged, and his pupils dilated as if he had just witnessed something unbelievable.

In the arena, the moment the fight began, the aura on the training projection first weakened, then suddenly surged. In an instant, the figure vanished from its spot.

Not just Lan Hao, but even Wan Chen couldn’t track Su Chen’s movements. His expression changed, and by the time he reacted, the figure was already upon him like a phantom.

A right fist, wreathed in black thunder, had already been thrown. It looked like a cloud of black ink, with coarse arcs of lightning CRACKLING around it.

Wan Chen could only react instinctively. The shimmering purple shield in front of his chest had just BUZZED to life when the thunderous fist brutally slammed into it.

BOOM!

A sea of black lightning exploded in the arena. The surging flow of Energy rushed outward, only to be quickly absorbed by the training field.

CRACK!

Wan Chen’s shield shattered. Shards of purple lightning SIZZLED and scattered in all directions, each one erupting into a half-foot-tall tongue of flame as it hit the ground.

The momentum of Su Chen’s training projection didn’t falter. The brutal fist drove into Wan Chen’s abdomen, and searing black lightning instantly coursed through his entire body.

His body bent like a shrimp, eyes bulging. He was suspended on the tip of Su Chen’s fist as the faint, crisp sound of breaking ribs could be heard. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

It all happened in a near instant. Su Chen’s training projection didn’t stop moving. Its other fist was already raised, but before it could fall, the projection suddenly dispersed.

THUD!

Wan Chen’s body fell to the ground. As the battle ended, his aura rapidly recovered, but he still didn’t get up.

’He was... he was... insta-killed?’

Lan Hao was incredulous, his expression frozen. His first thought was that the system must have malfunctioned. How could Wan Chen possibly be crushed so completely?

In the combat log, Lin Yue had even managed to hold a slight advantage.

Wan Chen, who had been lying face down on the ground, flipped over like a salted fish, his expression utterly dazed.

He hadn’t even had time to react. He hadn’t used any of his combat techniques, nor had he played his trump card, Professional Fusion.

Su Chen’s speed was just too fast, his attack too savage. He estimated that even if he had used all his trump cards, he would have only lasted a few more hits at best. It would have been difficult to change the outcome.

’How could this happen? Lin Yue was able to hold the upper hand, yet I was completely crushed...’

Suddenly, as if he’d realized something, Wan Chen whipped his head around to look in Lan Hao’s direction.

Their eyes met. Lan Hao was jolted from his stupor. In that instant, as if their minds were linked, he immediately shouted:

"Copper Star! The combat log we just pulled up, what combat mode was it in? What were the Professional Tiers of the two combatants?"

A cold voice echoed in the training room. "Normal Combat Mode. Lin Yue was Tier Five. Su Chen’s training projection was Tier Four."

What!?

Lan Hao’s face filled with terror as if he’d been struck by lightning. He staggered back two steps. ’A Tier Five fighting a Tier Four, and he could only barely gain the upper hand?’

Wan Chen’s expression was dazed. For a moment, he was utterly speechless.