Chapter 400 – I Don't Think He'll Lose

At the same time, on a main road leading to the redevelopment area, Qin Qing was rushing forward while running along the path.

However, before Qin Qing could reach her destination, a roaring sound erupted from ahead.

Amidst the roar, two streaks of light shot up into the sky from the turbulent winds, soaring into the clouds and engaging in a fierce chase under the night sky.

“Has it already begun?”

Qin Qing’s heart tightened slightly, and she instinctively prepared to quicken her pace to get there.

But before she could, someone stopped her.

“Girl, you’d better not go any further. For you, charging into the heart of such a battlefield is far too dangerous.”

With these words, Qin Qing suddenly levitated from the ground, as if seized by an unseen force, and flew uncontrollably toward the rooftop of a tall building.

Before Qin Qing could even react, she had already landed on the rooftop.

“Who…!?”

The two Six-Star Peak-level experts tasked with protecting Qin Qing immediately appeared, shielding the startled Qin Qing with fierce expressions.

But their ferocity instantly crumbled when the perpetrator revealed himself.

“It’s me.”

An elderly man with graying hair but not a single wrinkle on his face—looking even more vibrant than a young man—appeared leisurely, standing at the edge of the rooftop and casting a glance in their direction.

“Old Ling!”

Qin Qing called out his name.

“Gu-Guardian Deity…!?”

The two Six-Star Peak-level guards were suddenly startled, quickly retracting their hostility and bowing their heads in respect to Old Ling.

Old Ling didn’t even glance at the two guards, nor did he look at Qin Qing. Instead, he gazed intently at the two streaks of light fiercely chasing and occasionally colliding with each other under the night sky, creating astonishing shockwaves, and spoke with evident interest.

“I never expected that kid to directly confront that old fellow Qin Yue. I thought even if he wanted to rescue his childhood friend, he wouldn’t choose such a direct confrontation with the Qin Family. It seems he’s much bolder than I imagined.”

Saying this, Old Ling made no move to intervene or offer assistance, simply watching with keen interest.

Qin Qing snapped back to reality and urgently addressed Old Ling.

“Old Ling, please stop them.”

Qin Qing pleaded like this.

Unfortunately, Old Ling countered with a question: “Why?”

Qin Qing was stunned.

Clearly, she hadn’t anticipated Old Ling responding in this way.

Logically, shouldn’t the normal reaction at a time like this be to intervene?

Especially Old Ling, as Su Ming’s supporter, should be the one to prevent this conflict.

Because this battle was highly unfavorable for Su Ming.

“He’s no match for Grandfather,” Qin Qing explained. “But he seems determined to oppose the Qin Family. If this continues, he’ll eventually anger Grandfather.”

This would bring no benefit to Su Ming.

As a direct descendant of the Qin Family, no one understood better than Qin Qing how formidable the Qin Family truly was.

Opposing the Qin Family was equivalent to opposing all of Tianfeng City—this wasn’t an exaggeration in the slightest.

For now, it was still manageable, as Grandfather hadn’t completely turned against Su Ming, leaving some room for negotiation.

But if Su Ming insisted on antagonizing the Qin Family, Grandfather might change his stance and view Su Ming as an enemy.

If that happened, the trouble would become immense.In Qin Qing’s view, the hostility between Su Ming and the Qin Family would bring no benefits to either party.

If the two sides became enemies, Su Ming would gain a formidable opponent with immense power and influence, while the Qin Family would face an enemy with astonishing talent and potential.

If they fought against each other, the ultimate outcome would be unfavorable for both, resulting only in losses.

This was not something Qin Qing wished to see.

As the Young Miss of the Qin Family, she did not want her family to become enemies with a Prodigy like Su Ming.

As an acquaintance of An Zijin and Su Ming, she also did not want the two of them to be harmed by the Qin Family.

Therefore, Qin Qing wanted to prevent this conflict from escalating and avoid the worst outcome where the two sides would become irreconcilable.

From Qin Qing’s perspective, Old Ling should also be unwilling to see this conflict escalate.

After all, if the successor he had painstakingly found immediately provoked a behemoth like the Qin Family, even a Guardian Deity like Old Ling would find it troublesome.

Moreover, if Su Ming were to become enemies with the administrators of Tianfeng City, it would affect the internal peace of humanity in the future, causing internal strife and hindering the resistance against the Spirit Demon Abyss and Phantom Demons. From Old Ling’s standpoint, he should also want to prevent this conflict from escalating.

If Su Ming were to thoroughly anger Qin Yue, Qin Yue might resort to heavy-handed measures, causing Su Ming to completely despise the Qin Family.

To avoid this outcome, Qin Qing was so anxious.

However, in response to Qin Qing’s plea, Old Ling’s focus was elsewhere.

“So, you don’t have faith in young Su?”

Old Ling said this to Qin Qing.

“What?”

Qin Qing was stunned once again.

“Do you think young Su is no match for that old fellow?”

Old Ling asked this question with patience and even a hint of intrigue.

“That… isn’t it obvious?”

Qin Qing was utterly confused.

Clearly, in Qin Qing’s view, it was impossible for Su Ming to defeat Qin Yue.

“Indeed, although young Su is a Dual Professional, he is ultimately too young.”

Old Ling commented.

“As a Six-Star Hunter and a Five-Star Sorcerer, his strength is sufficient to defeat a Peak Six-Star expert, and he might even do so with ease. However, if young Su wants to challenge a Seven-Star Professional across Ranks, this alone is still insufficient.”

Old Ling himself was a Dual Professional and also a Seven-Star Professional, so he knew very well what it took for a Dual Professional to successfully challenge someone of a higher Rank.

In Su Ming’s case, he still lacked some conditions to challenge a Seven-Star Professional.

This was because Su Ming had only recently advanced to Six-Star Hunter, and his advancement to Five-Star Sorcerer was also not long ago. Even though his growth speed was extremely fast, he had not yet reached the point where he could challenge the pinnacle of humanity across Ranks.

If Su Ming were a Peak Six-Star Hunter and a Peak Five-Star Sorcerer, then it might be possible.

For example, Old Ling himself, as a Peak Six-Star Sorcerer combined with the strength of a Seven-Star Hunter, was able to overpower experts of the same Rank and even compete with Nightmare Species Mutants like Hell Beasts, far surpassing ordinary Seven-Star Professionals.

If Old Ling’s Sorcerer strength were not at the Peak Six-Star level but only that of an ordinary Six-Star Sorcerer, he would certainly be slightly inferior.

Currently, Su Ming’s situation was the same.”Su Ming’s current strength is roughly on par with an ordinary Nightmare Species, somewhere between Six-Star and Seven-Star. He can pose a threat to a Seven-Star Professional, but can only manage a barely adequate resistance. Forget about winning—even achieving a stalemate would be difficult.”

Old Ling’s exceptional Spirit Sense and keen eyes allowed him to discern Su Ming’s true capabilities.

“Yet, that old fellow isn’t an ordinary Seven-Star Professional—he’s a Sorcerer who has mastered and can skillfully wield the 【Dawn Star Orbit】.”

As a rather unique Spell Formula, the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 combines movement, evasion, survival, escape, and even a semi-invulnerable state. It can be said to be a Spirit Art capable of altering the status and role of Sorcerers.

Ordinary Sorcerers, due to their astonishing firepower and remarkable utility but exceptionally fragile Physique, are typically positioned as rearguards in a team.

Whether for offense or support, they must release Spirit Arts from the farthest rear of the team, under the protection of Hunters, while remaining extremely vulnerable themselves, placing them at a significant disadvantage in one-on-one combat.

If their Rank is higher than their opponent’s, they might still overwhelm them with superior strength and skill.

However, if both parties are of the same Rank, Sorcerers often lose to Hunters, as their capability in solo combat is notably weak.

In a duel between two Professionals of different professions at the same Rank, unless there is a clear disparity in strength, the Sorcerer is often defeated by the swift Hunter before successfully casting a Spirit Art.

This tendency isn’t apparent at lower Ranks because low-level Hunters lack the speed and skill to achieve a quick victory. Sorcerers can defeat Hunters by kiting them as long as they maintain some distance.

For instance, when Su Ming first encountered Xu Qianqian and clashed with her, the situation was exactly like this.

Without decisive speed and agility from Xu Qianqian, as long as Su Ming’s professional skills were solid, he could have easily worn her down with a single instant cast of 【First Form: Flying Arrow】 before she closed the distance.

Admittedly, Xu Qianqian was severely injured at the time, which contributed to that outcome, but Su Ming had only used 【First Form: Flying Arrow】 and hadn’t even shown his true capabilities.

Consequently, there is a widely recognized phenomenon in the industry:

In the Lower-Rank Professional Domain, within the same Star level, Sorcerers are stronger than Hunters.

In the Upper-Rank Professional Domain, within the same Star level, Hunters are stronger than Sorcerers.

Unless one party has reached the Peak of their Star level, at the limit and on the verge of advancing, it might be possible to reverse this phenomenon.

Otherwise, this rule is nearly absolute.

Of course, only nearly.

Why?

Because there is another decisive factor that can overturn this phenomenon.

For example, a Hunter’s mutation ability.

If a Hunter possesses an extremely powerful mutation ability, not only can it overturn this phenomenon, but it might even enable them to challenge opponents of a higher Rank.

Su Ming is a case in point.

And what about Sorcerers?

What can Sorcerers without mutation abilities rely on to overturn this phenomenon?

The answer lies in the 【Seventy-Seventh Form: Dawn Star Orbit】 Spell Formula.

A Sorcerer who has learned the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 and one who hasn’t exist in entirely different Domains.Once a Sorcerer masters the Spirit Art known as Dawn Star Orbit, they can completely compensate for their weaknesses, turning disadvantages into advantages.

Fragile body with poor resistance?

Dawn Star Orbit enables a semi-invincible state—as long as Spirit Power remains unextinguished, injury becomes nearly impossible, allowing one to completely disregard enemy attacks and threats.

Spirit Arts require time to cast?

Dawn Star Orbit also allows swift disengagement from enemies, ensuring self-protection and providing ample time to calmly execute Spirit Arts.

With Dawn Star Orbit, Sorcerers no longer require external protection and no longer lack the capability to fight alone.

It can be said that for Sorcerers, this Spirit Art holds the same significance as a Hunter’s mutation ability—if not greater.

Hunter mutation abilities can vary in strength; some are even useless and may even hinder the user’s performance.

Dawn Star Orbit, however, is different. Mastering it is equivalent to a rebirth, no less important than Awakening a Vision Mark.

Su Ming is now essentially facing a Seven-Star Professional with a powerful mutation ability.

Compared to an ordinary Seven-Star Professional, Su Ming is still somewhat lacking. Confronting such a powerful Seven-Star Professional head-on, the outcome is predictable.

As mentioned before, Seven-Star Professionals generally have similar levels of strength.

The only exceptions are individuals like Old Ling and Old Qin—either Dual Professionals or those who have mastered Spirit Arts equivalent to powerful mutation abilities.

Hunters with formidable mutation abilities and Sorcerers who have mastered the Seventy-Seven Forms—these types of Seven-Star Professionals are undoubtedly a cut above the rest.

Within the Domain of Seven-Star Professionals, the world broadly categorizes them into three tiers.

The first tier naturally consists of Hunters without mutation abilities and Sorcerers without the Seventy-Seven Forms.

The majority of Seven-Star Professionals fall into this category—Li Wu, for example, is one of them.

The second tier comprises Hunters with powerful mutation abilities and Sorcerers who have mastered the Seventy-Seven Forms.

Within the ranks of Seven-Star Professionals, such individuals are rare and exceptional talents—Old Qin is one such example.

As for the third tier, that includes Dual Professionals like Old Ling.

Not only is he a Seven-Star Hunter, but he is also a Peak Six-Star Sorcerer. The combined abilities of dual professions grant him at least one additional Awakening ability, amplifying his strength severalfold over ordinary peers. How could a typical expert of the same Rank possibly compare to such an existence?

However, this tier is also the smallest, rarest, and most uncommon.

In the current era, only Old Ling stands at this tier, reigning supreme alone.

Thus, Old Ling is truly invincible in the world.

Given Su Ming’s current strength, if his opponent were a first-tier Seven-Star Professional, he might still have a slim chance of victory.

But facing Old Qin, who belongs to the second tier, Su Ming’s chances are minuscule.

Qin Qing doesn’t believe Su Ming can win—a subconscious conviction, formed without deep consideration.

This alone illustrates just how formidable Qin Yue’s strength is as a second-tier professional.

If Su Ming had reached the Peak level in both professions, he might have had a chance to try.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t.

But…

“I don’t think he’ll lose.”Old Ling suddenly smiled and said these words to Qin Qing.

“Won’t lose?”

Qin Qing was immediately taken aback.

Seeing this, Old Ling chuckled.

“Don’t forget, that kid isn’t an ordinary Dual Professional either—he possesses a mutated ability even I don’t have.”

Old Ling spoke these words with profound meaning.

“Moreover, hidden in his right hand is a power even I must regard with caution.”

As he spoke, Old Ling fixed his gaze ahead, watching one of the two streaks of light in the night sky, murmuring to himself.

“Let me see how far you can push yourself under that old fellow’s pressure.”

(End of Chapter)