"You're also going to participate in the evaluation?"
Cracking sounds ca from the bathroom, mixed together with Su Chen's voice.
"Of course I can't participate—" Du Yu denied it. "But it's not like I can't watch the excitent. The Adjudication Court evaluation can be considered the largest and most attention-grabbing event among all the various organizations in Yingfeng."
"Because it involves many lower-tier cities, the entire evaluation process is open to the public to demonstrate fairness and impartiality. Of course, this is also a ti for the Adjudication Court to display its foundation."
The two waited for a mont until Su Chen finished washing up and changed his clothes. "Since you guys are here, let's go."
Night had yet to recede, and the hovercar the two had taken was still waiting outside. The trio boarded the vehicle and headed straight for the Adjudication Court.
Zhang Hengyu was still adjusting his state of mind, his breathing rapid.
Du Yu was an outsider and chatted smoothly the entire way. Only then did Su Chen learn that he had already entered the Supervision Departnt and beco an intern supervisory guard.
"Brother Su, you will definitely be able to beco an Inner Court Seed, I'll have to rely on your protection in the future," Du Yu couldn't help but say.
The driver in the front row couldn't help but shoot them a few glances, seemingly surprised and doubtful. Su Chen grinned: "Don't worry. Co find if anything happens. I won't be able to help with major matters, and minor matters probably won't need my help anyway."
Du Yu stiffened, before laughing out loud. Zhang Hengyu also seed to have relaxed a little, his gaze gradually turning resolute.
By the ti they arrived at their destination, it was approaching six o'clock. The artificial sun was completing its transition from the moon to the sun, causing the sky to take on a fish-belly white hue.
The Adjudication Court headquarters was located in the heart of Yingfeng, occupying an extrely vast area. It was normally never open to the public; only at this ti of the year would a small portion of the training grounds be opened up.
"Good heavens, this many people?"
After following the guides inside, Du Yu couldn't help but widen his eyes. The entire training ground was a densely packed mass of black. The surrounding seating areas were practically full, and low, noisy chatter buzzed through the air.
Every five or six ters stood an Adjudicator Guard clad in tal armor. The armor, pieced together from alloy plates, glead with a cold, gloomy luster under the searchlights. Everyone's figure was burly, their expressions chilling, and an aura of solemn killing intent assaulted the senses.
These ordinary Adjudicator Guards were basically all locals of Yingfeng, not accepting people from external cities.
anwhile, the exceptional talents sent over from the lower-tier cities would be, at the very least, Adjudicators.
Seeing this many people watching, Zhang Hengyu's breathing naturally sped up again, his palms sweating.
Du Yu, on the other hand, looked left and right before finally locking onto a direction: "The seats Sister Yunqing arranged for us are over there, I'll head over first. You guys go inside the venue."
Su Chen presented his identification and entered the training ground. Quite a few people had already arrived, and he even swept his gaze over nurous familiar faces—all people who had appeared in the private room that night.
"Pang Xingwen, Chu Yunze, ng Qi... they all ca rather quickly." Su Chen noticed the small cluster. It was just far too eye-catching, after all.
Thirty to forty people gathered together made the few people in the center stand out even more. 'Is there sothing wrong with that guy's brain?' Su Chen frowned, noticing that Pang Xingwen's gaze was mixed with undisguised rage.
Too lazy to pay him any mind, he looked left and right. "Where's Chu Xuan? He hasn't arrived yet?"
"Right," Su Chen looked toward Zhang Hengyu. "A few days ago, didn't that group invite you to attend their banquet?"
His eyes signaled towards Chu Yunze and the rest.
"They did invite , but my sister specifically instructed to refuse no matter who the invitation was from," Zhang Hengyu said, and then added: "My sister only brought to attend a single gathering. It was hosted by Ming Lin."
Ming Lin? Su Chen instantly understood. This was one of the Adjudication Court's Core Seeds, and prior to Chu Xuan's appearance, the only person to possess an Ink Jade-tier talent.
Zhang Yunqing must have long since joined the other party's faction, and her younger brother naturally belonged to that faction as well.
"Who is that person?" Zhang Hengyu suddenly turned his head, looking toward the entrance.
Su Chen snapped out of his thoughts and saw Chu Yunze and the others already walking towards the entrance in a grand, imposing manner. Chu Xuan was currently walking in.
The commotion from their group was simply too massive, practically attracting everyone's gazes. The noisy chatter instantly grew very loud, filled with discussion.
The mbers who had already entered the venue to participate in the evaluation also cast their gazes over, with quite a few people revealing desire in their eyes.
These were the ones who hadn't been invited to the banquet due to insufficient talent, inadequate connections, and a lack of qualifications to enter the small circle.
"Fuck, why is this guy acting so arrogant?" Having just found his seat and sat down, Du Yu saw this magnificent spectacle.
"That's Chu Xuan," soone beside him said enviously. It was a second-generation youth from Nanfeng, Zhu Mingxu. "With an Ink Jade-tier talent, of course he's arrogant."
"So it's him." Du Yu had a sudden realization and couldn't help but nod. "He indeed has the capital to act arrogant."
"I heard that he tried to recruit Su Chen previously, but was rejected." Soone else spoke up.
"How do you know?" Du Yu looked over in surprise.
The other party explained: "There's a mber in the Engraving Institute from the sa batch as . His older brother possesses a Brilliant Silver talent and was recruited by Chu Yunze. He saw it with his own eyes at the banquet that night."
Du Yu shook his head: "Although he's an Ink Jade, my Brother Su is a Double Red Gold. Why must he follow him?"
Zhu Mingxu shook his head: "The key lies in the fact that Chu Xuan's montum has already ford. All the core forces of this batch have been recruited by him. If Su Chen doesn't join them, he can only join the camps of the veterans. As a junior, he won't feel comfortable either way."
"If he joins nobody, he will simply be ostracized by everyone."
Du Yu frowned and stayed silent.
"That's Chu Xuan." Su Chen answered Zhang Hengyu's question. "That Ink Jade-tier talent possessor."
"So it's him—" Upon hearing Su Chen's words, Zhang Hengyu couldn't help but realize: "A multitude of stars revolving around the moon."
A trace of envy involuntarily leaked out from Zhang Hengyu's eyes. The age gap between their group wasn't large; who wouldn't want to be the moon surrounded by stars?
Chu Xuan's expression was tranquil. He even waved his hand, dismissing the crowd gathered around him. A trace of indifference incessantly lingered in his gaze.
Walking all the way to the center of the venue and standing firm, his gaze didn't stop on a single person, as if he simply didn't put the crowd in the venue in his eyes.
"Is his Ink Jade talent leaning towards the physical side or the ntal side?" Zhang Hengyu asked with so curiosity. Turning his head, he only then noticed that Su Chen was looking up at the high platform up ahead.
That was the area where the higher-ups of the Adjudication Court were situated. The surroundings were enveloped by a hazy force field, making it impossible to see anything clearly, unlike how they were exposed in the audience seating.
'I wonder if Old Xia has returned.' Su Chen couldn't help but think, glancing at his panel.
Following the word 【Saint】, the two large characters "Inaugurate" radiated a hazy brilliance. He had completed all the requirents two days ago.
"Do you know?" Seeing Su Chen ignore him, Zhang Hengyu pressed on.
"Hm? What?" Su Chen only then returned to his senses.
Zhang Hengyu repeated his question. Su Chen stared blankly for a mont before finally replying: "I don't know either."
"Is it that secretive?" Zhang Hengyu muttered.
Whether it was secretive or not, Su Chen didn't know. He just didn't care about this issue, and naturally hadn't made any special inquiries.
"Then is he a third-tier professional?" Zhang Hengyu had quite a few questions.
"No—there are no third-tiers present." Su Chen could be certain, and guessed: "But he should already be at the latter half of the second-tier's developnt."
Just as the two were speaking, another black aircraft arrived and docked at the high platform. A figure stepped off it, specifically pausing for a mont before walking into the platform.
"Old Xia is back—" Seeing that figure, Su Chen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. With his patron back, his heart truly felt much more at ease.
"The Adjudication Court evaluation is ready to begin!"
A cold, indifferent voice resounded throughout the entire training ground. The volu was so loud that Su Chen was given a start.
"Latecors will be considered as having automatically forfeited!"
The gates at the entrance gradually closed. Su Chen watched helplessly as a single person happened to be blocked by the Adjudicator Guards, his face filled with regret and despair.
The noise in the training grounds also gradually died down. Atop the raised platform, as Xia Hanshi walked in, the sounds of discussion instantly weakened considerably. One gaze after another shot over, carrying various indescribable implications.
"Only six are here, where are the other three?"
Xia Hanshi spoke unhurriedly, finding a place to sit by himself.
"Number Five, Number Eight, and Number Nine haven't returned yet, and you've returned late as well."
The middle-aged man seated in the primary position spoke casually. His face was flushed crimson, and he had a beard growing on his chin, projecting might without anger. However, the most striking feature was still the dash of crimson between his brows.
The Chief Inquisitor—Chong Jingtian!
"I was delayed by so matters on the way." Xia Hanshi was absent-minded. His gaze fell onto the silhouette standing in the center of the venue, his tone carrying admiration: "His domineering aura is leaking out. Truly worthy of being an Ink Jade-tier talent."
"Number Four, you've taken in a good student."
The Fourth Chief Inquisitor, Wei Yinshuo, had long, narrow cheeks that looked like a shoehorn. His expression was gloomy. "Just good luck. I heard that Chief Inquisitor Xia has taken in a good student too."
"I can't compare to you. He's only a Double Red Gold." Xia Hanshi waved his hand, falling into deep thought. "Number Two's student was taken in three years ago, right?"
"Four years ago," Chong Jingtian corrected.
"Producing a single Ink Jade in four years is truly a rare sight." Xia Hanshi had a look of realization. "However, I've heard that you've been staying in Yingfeng all this ti. Furthermore, City Lord Fengping doesn't seem to be one of your people either. How exactly did this seedling end up in your hands?"
Wei Yinshuo's eyelids twitched, asking coldly: "What do you an by that?"
Xia Hanshi retained his absent-minded look. "Nothing much, just asking. A person ought to go out and walk around more often. Always acting like a turtle hiding in its shell, what's the point of that?"
Wei Yinshuo's expression turned ugly as he spoke in a low voice: "Xia Hanshi, from this trip you went on, do you know how many lower-tier City Lords have submitted protests to Yingfeng?"
"Dismissing Nanfeng's City Lord directly without even filing a report. Bypassing the Adjudication Court to issue transfer orders to other cities, which resulted in the troops sent by others having to turn back halfway.
"Those who don't know would think that you're the one calling the shots in the Adjudication Court! The Elder Council has already inquired a few tis, and the Adjudication Court has withstood imnse pressure!"
"Cough, cough." Yuan Poshan, who had been watching the show all this ti, couldn't help but speak up despite having so minor conflicts with Xia Hanshi, since the one taking over was his student after all.
"Special matters in Yingfeng call for special handling. With both a Priest and a Black Buddha Statue appearing, one must act decisively and cut through the tangled ss. It's understandable, understandable."
"The Elder Council's inquiries are just to put on a show for the lower-tier cities anyway."
"Number Three certainly got a taste of at this ti." A middle-aged woman beside them spoke up, her face looking extrely unsightly. Zhang Hongbo was precisely her student.
The Second Chief Inquisitor—You Shan.
"Second Sister..." Yuan Poshan looked sowhat awkward.
"With his family colluding with the Evil God Cults, the fact that Zhang Hongbo didn't die is already giving you enough face." Xia Hanshi didn't coddle him in the slightest. You Shan coldly snorted, but said no more.
Xia Hanshi spoke unhurriedly: "As for Number Four, for you to be this anxious, could it be due to a guilty conscience? I haven't even asked you about Zhou Xian yet. You haven't colluded with the Evil God Cults, have you?"
"You—" Wei Yinshuo flew into a thunderous rage and stood up abruptly. This was simply a blatant humiliation.
The corners of Xia Hanshi's mouth spread open. Tipping his head, he stared fiercely at him. "Number Four, wanna go outside and have a bout?"
Wei Yinshuo couldn't help but freeze.
"Enough!" Chong Jingtian finally spoke up, his expression heavy: "The matters of Nanfeng have already settled into the dust, let's not bring them up anymore."
"The Adjudication Court evaluation is about to begin. Just watch."
Xia Hanshi retracted his expression and spoke no further.
Wei Yinshuo's originally gloomy face now looked even more ashen.
But after sitting down, a cold sneer once again surfaced on the corners of his mouth. So what if Xia Hanshi was suppressing him right now?
Just wait. His student would naturally take everything back!
In the training ground below, the nurous mbers participating in the evaluation stood in place. The Adjudicator Guards stood around them, and the audience seating was also completely silent.
"It's finally starting." Pang Xingwen stretched his back, looking toward Chu Xuan with a hint of flattery: "Boss, this is your ho ground. Give these country bumpkins a good eye-opener so they recognize what the difference is."
Chu Yunze, however, lowered his voice: "Did Chief Inquisitor Wei give any accurate news?"
"The Adjudication Court has always only had four Core Seeds, all of them being the most outstanding mbers. Currently, one possesses an Ink Jade-tier talent, while the other three, despite having Red Gold talents, have been sitting in those spots for eight years at the longest, deeply entrenched."
"If an exception isn't made to add a fifth Core Seed position, with your situation, you'll probably still need to wait for a very long ti before you get a chance."
The Chief Inquisitors were only continuously birthed from among the Core Seeds, and at the sa ti, the Chief Inquisitors were also mbers of the Elder Council, belonging to one of Yingfeng's masters.
This was also the reason why they gathered around Chu Xuan's side.
"Not yet. Teacher told that he only has fifty percent certainty." Chu Xuan slightly raised his head, looking up at the high platform.
"Fifty percent is enough." Chu Yunze whispered: "In the upcoming evaluation, you absolutely must strike with all your strength and create a massive shock—shocking everyone present."
"No one in this group can pose a threat to you. You are the ceiling! The higher you pull it, the better. Leave the other Chief Inquisitors with nothing to say, especially Chief Inquisitor Xia."
Chu Xuan naturally understood this logic and gave a slight nod.
Off to the side, Pang Xingwen's eyes flashed imperceptibly, yet he said: "Hard to say. Isn't there a Double Red Gold over there? For him to so decisively reject our recruitnt earlier, he probably has a well-thought-out plan in his heart."
Chu Yunze frowned, shooting him a glance before shaking his head: "His background isn't good. His first-tier was an upper-tier class, so he doesn't have enough accumulation."
Chu Xuan's expression remained tranquil all this ti, as if there was nobody who could make him look at them sideways.
The surrounding Adjudicator Guards had already entered the venue, making the crowd disperse and stand apart. Su Chen followed the guides to the very front ranks of the training ground. Looking to the back, everyone else had gathered in the distance.
"Is this divided according to talent?" Their row only had five people: Chu Xuan, Pang Xingwen, Chu Yunze, ng Qi, and himself.
Their evaluation was the most eye-catching one, and also the one to begin first.
"Our talents were already roughly calculated back in the lower-tier cities, so there won't be another talent test. If anyone feels it is inaccurate, they can request for it to be validated after the evaluation ends." The person in charge of the evaluation stepped forward and declared:
"The practical combat evaluation will now comnce."
Su Chen had roughly understood the situation beforehand. The practical combat evaluation was rely to see if these people had wasted their own talents. Even in Yingfeng, they did not have equipnt to thoroughly inspect professional developnt. The professionals themselves could only casually gauge it as well. Fundantally, everything could only be proved through combat.
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