Sleeping all the way into the latter half of the afternoon, Su Chen finally managed to wake up. Having gulped down nutrient fluid right before sleeping, he fundantally felt bursting with energy at this mont.
His first action was to have Number Zero summarize the news.
As a result, he learned that the announcent regarding the ranking system had only been issued a short while ago, and all factions were currently in the midst of adapting to it.
Washing his face, Su Chen enthusiastically entered the gravity room once more.
"...Training to the point of complete exhaustion significantly extends the required resting ti, ultimately resulting in more wasted ti. Since I figured out my limits yesterday, I should decrease the intensity a bit today..."
"I wonder if there are any professions capable of rapidly recovering energy..."
......
Simultaneously, in another villa located not far away from here, Chu Yunze and the others had congregated together.
Compared to their lofty ambitions and grand aspirations upon first entering the Adjudication Court, they had already been beaten utterly dizzy by Chong Jingtian's combo routine.
"A challenge system..." While Chu Yunze smiled bitterly, a peculiar light faintly flickered within his eyes. "Our Chief Inquisitor truly possesses quite an abundance of thods."
"Rankings... Rankings..." Chu Xuan stared coldly at the virtual screen before him. Displayed upon it were six individuals lined up in sequence.
"For the ti being, they are rely ranked according to our tiers. There's no need to pay it too much mind," Chu Yunze reminded him.
"Since it is based on tiers, why is Su Chen placed above ?" Chu Xuan looked at the very last person; it was precisely himself, while Su Chen was in fifth place.
"Uh..." Chu Yunze froze, muttering covertly in his heart: Are you truly not clear about the reason?
Of course, Chu Xuan was clear, which was precisely why his expression was so unsightly. This guy had practically beco his inner demon. For the past two days, his dreams were filled exclusively with the mont Su Chen blasted the evaluation Inquisitors away, revealing his talent.
"You can only officially join the challenge rankings upon becoming a third-tier professional. There is no rush," Chu Yunze consoled him.
"Which ans to say, before that happens, I will continuously be suppressed by him constantly." Chu Xuan's train of thought was peculiar, as he gnashed his teeth: "I want to switch my advancent profession. I will advance to [Night Butcher]!"
Chu Yunze's expression changed slightly. "That is a third-tier top-tier profession! Your accumulation is insufficient; the danger is far too high!"
"No, I must advance to it!" Chu Xuan's expression was chilling. He knew of Su Chen's formidable strength as well. If he rely advanced to a third-tier upper-tier thodically, step-by-step, he still wouldn't be Su Chen's match.
Furthermore, he also knew that the mont this challenge ranking system was introduced, the second he advanced to the third tier, awaiting him would inevitably be a swarm of Inner Court Seeds with green eyes.
"Why go this far?" Chu Yunze couldn't help but ask. Even if he failed to beco the Chief Inquisitor, with Chu Xuan's talent, the baseline was still becoming a standard Chief Inquisitor.
But if he risked his life to advance to a third-tier top-tier profession and perished midway, everything would be finished.
"If you regret following , you are welco to leave." Tossing down a single sentence, Chu Xuan headed down to the basent.
Chu Yunze looked around. Aside from ng Qi, who wore an utterly bewildered expression, everyone else's expressions varied. He breathed out a deep sigh.
Their unity had dispersed.
.........
While the winds and clouds shifted unceasingly within the Adjudication Court, the outside world wasn't idle either, as the chain reactions triggered by the eradication of the Pang family continued to ripple outwards.
So exceptionally observant Inquisitors noticed a sharp increase in the number of Supervision Guards patrolling near the headquarters. Every single ti a Supervision Guard saw those Inquisitors, they would stare maliciously, practically wishing they could eat them alive.
In the dark, a specific group of people had congregated due to the eradication of the Pang family.
In the basent of a certain building, intricate, densely packed symbols carved into the walls flickered with faint light from ti to ti. Located in the center were several figures.
Among them were soone with a face covered in jet-black patterns and a black vertical slit eye atop their head; soone with an ashen-yellow face devoid of any facial features; and a guy possessing scarlet-red pupils.
"The Pang family has been eradicated. Yingfeng has already taken notice of our covert operations."
"Exactly what happened? Extinguished without a single warning sign; how could they just be eradicated?"
"Who knows what kind of sudden stroke hit Black Buddha's side. They insisted on making a move against Xia Hanshi's student, that Core Seed of the Adjudication Court. Perhaps that was what attracted their attention..."
Raising his head, the believer of Black Buddha suppressed his urge to correct the other party's form of address, stating in a deep voice: "The invitation was sent on the first day, and the family was eradicated the very next day. No matter how fast they were, it is impossible to be this fast. Yingfeng clearly possessed preparations long ago; it has nothing to do with that Su Chen."
"Regardless, we must inform those outside that operations need to be accelerated. Additionally, Black Buddha's Divine Blood was also lost. What should we do regarding the plan to corrupt Wei Yinshuo..."
"I will recover it," the Black Buddha believer stated solemnly. This wasn't rely because of the plan, but even more so because the loss of the Divine Blood was an act of blasphemy.
"Not many people took action that night. If we investigate them one by one, we will eventually discover clues."
"If you guys want to court death, do not drag us into it. Are you afraid that Yingfeng won't discover us?" The other Evil God believers launched a unified offensive simultaneously. "The plan has yet to be completed!"
"Our operations within Yingfeng City are also ant to draw attention away from the outside. Move cautiously. As for the low-tier Adjudication Guards, a minor bewitchnt is all it takes to make them spill everything. Start with them first."
“Furthermore, regardless of whether we want this outco or not, from here onward, Yingfeng will absolutely comnce large-scale screening operations both openly and covertly. Instead of sitting around waiting to die, we might as well take the initiative to strike.”
The nurous Evil God believers fell into deep contemplation. They did not fear death; they only feared a death devoid of value.
Very quickly, they ultimately agreed with the believer of Black Buddha's thoughts.
"Then let's do it like this. Find so things for Yingfeng to occupy themselves with."
......
Training deep into the night once more, the gravity room buzzed open. Su Chen's lean and muscular body was slathered in sweat, refracting the surrounding light.
"Holy fuck!"
The mont he stepped out, he jumped in massive fright. A hunched figure was standing sinisterly within the shadows.
"Teacher?"
Looking closely, only then did Su Chen recognize that this was Xia Hanshi. He couldn't help but complain: "You are truly far too terrifying. At least make so sound."
"Such minuscule courage." Xia Hanshi shot him a glance.
With an aura like yours, while standing within the shadows, who wouldn't be afraid? Su Chen muttered in his heart, though on the surface he rely chuckled.
"In a couple of days, I will be leaving Yingfeng." Xia Hanshi turned to head upstairs.
"What happened?" Su Chen's expression froze, inexplicably thinking of Yuan Chenyang.
"A multitude of things were uncovered from the Pang family. A major incident is brewing, one even more massive than we anticipated. At least five Evil Gods are collaborating," Xia Hanshi's expression was grave.
"The matters they planned have been progressing for at least two to three years. Only recently, when their movents grew too massive, did we finally discover them."
Ultimately, being isolated by the mist resulted in lacking and unsmooth communication between the cities; the impact was simply far too imnse.
"Five Evil Gods?" Even Su Chen jumped in fright. Putting aside everything else, rely forcefully summoning their vessels simultaneously was enough to give Yingfeng a massive headache.
Simultaneously, he also thought of the information regarding the "Blood Sacrifice of Ten Cities".
"Where are you preparing to head to?" Su Chen couldn't help but inquire.
"There are a few confird locations, but I don't wish to visit any of them..."
Arriving on the first floor, Xia Hanshi suddenly drew his steps to a halt.
"What do you an?" Su Chen only saw the old man turn around. His deeply sunken eyes stared completely straight at him; it was horrifyingly creepy.
"Therefore, I wanted to seek an opinion from a certain person." Xia Hanshi revealed an unsightly smile. "That person with a heart overflowing with righteousness."
Su Chen's expression shifted slightly. He had no clue exactly what kind of thoughts Xia Hanshi harbored; it could be a probing strike whether there was a goal or not.
Or perhaps the incident regarding the Pang family sparked profound suspicions within him, even allowing him to guess that Black Buddha's investnts within Nanfeng City were strictly targeted at Su Chen.
The ssage he left for him back then definitely didn't ntion anything about a person "with a heart overflowing with righteousness".
This sudden sneak attack did indeed startle him, but fright was rely fright, he didn't panic.
Su Chen firmly believed that a certain degree of tacit understanding and trust existed between himself and Old Xia.
"Actually, he truly did send a letter." Su Chen walked over to the coffee table at the side, simply sliding open a drawer to retrieve an envelope.
Su Chen naturally intended to inform Old Xia about the blood sacrifice from the start; the letter had been prepared long since.
Xia Hanshi's gaze abruptly turned profound, mixed with traces of bewildered astonishnt. This... couldn't be so kind of innate prophetic profession, right?
Flicking his finger casually, the letter floated over. Upon opening it, it was still filled with disgust: "Such utterly atrocious handwriting. Will he not practice an inkling bit?"
Su Chen harbored severe suspicions that this old man was using public office to avenge private grudges.
Yet upon taking a closer look at the contents within, Xia Hanshi's expression slowly restrained, his bewildered astonishnt growing increasingly severe.
"...White Crane City, Zixiao City, Biyue City... There might be Evil God activities. The information gathered from the Pang family only pointed to several general vicinities. This guy actually knows the specific cities, and even pinpointed exactly what might occur."
"He couldn't possibly possess precognition, right?" Xia Hanshi asked tentatively.
As long as soone wasn't affiliated with the Evil God Cults, and didn't attempt to stop him from exterminating the Evil God Cults, his tolerance toward a great multitude of things was actually extrely high. If soone could assist him in exterminating the Evil God Cults, then that would be for the best.
There were a few cities listed on this letter that perfectly matched the information gathered from the Pang family, filling him with even greater curiosity.
However, this kid Su Chen's vigilance was far too high. If a total showdown was initiated, he feared it might backfire.
"I don't know, possibly." Su Chen remained ambiguous; he truly had no way of explaining these matters.
Right now, he wasn't overly afraid of Xia Hanshi getting to the bottom of the matter. At worst, he would simply act ignorant to every single question raised. Besides, the information was accurate anyway.
Furthermore, his identity as a Core Seed, in a certain sense, made it not that simple for Xia Hanshi to make a move against him even if he wanted to.
Moreover, Old Xia still had matters that required him in the future.
Consolidating all these various reasons, this was precisely the crucial foundation emboldening him to play riddles.
"I understand." Xia Hanshi pondered for a mont, not pursuing the inquiry further. Changing the subject, he said: "Quite a number of Chief Inquisitors are leaving this ti. Wei Yinshuo is currently among them; you can rest at ease."
That guy is leaving too?
Only then did Su Chen truly breathe a sigh of relief. On the surface, the only person harboring hostility toward him and with an ability he found difficult to resist against was currently Wei Yinshuo alone.
"For small troubles, seek Bu Siqi. For slightly heavier troubles, seek Teng Liang. If the trouble surpasses that, then go seek out Chong Jingtian." Xia Hanshi stored the envelope away before advising deeply:
"As for this challenge ranking system, there is no need to pay it too much mind. Those guys possess abundant experience, so facing defeat is extrely normal. Over sothing as minor as this, absolutely do not risk advancing to a third-tier top-tier profession."
To think Old Xia actually knew how to console people. Startled, Su Chen knew that in truth, he had never genuinely placed any heavy emphasis upon this so-called challenge ranking system.
Perceiving the astonishnt in Su Chen's eyes, Xia Hanshi snorted coldly before departing.
"A major incident requiring the entirety of Yingfeng to treat with the utmost caution... A blood sacrifice..." Seeing Xia Hanshi off, Su Chen's expression turned extrely heavy as well. He could only place his hopes on Yingfeng being able to strangle the threat in its cradle.
He inevitably felt a sense of urgency surging within him, but elevating one's strength wasn't sothing that could be achieved overnight. Gulping down a vial of nutrient fluid, he headed to rest.
However, the changes spawned by the Adjudication Court's internal reforms were far more rapid than Su Chen had anticipated.
On the very next day, soone challenged the Core Seed ranked number three—Fang Yan.
It wasn't a person from his own camp, but originated from the subordinates of another Core Seed.
Driven by curiosity, Su Chen also went to observe the so-called Challenger's Arena. Positioned within a specialized venue, it occupied a substantial area. The base was exceedingly thick and heavy, leaning overall towards black. It was unknown what kind of materials were utilized to forge it.
On that day, an imnse crowd congregated. Bearing an utterly unsightly expression, Fang Yan accepted the challenge.
The challenger was third-tier. The mont Fang Yan stepped onto the arena, he was imdiately suppressed to the third tier, his aura withering away significantly.
Locked in a bitter struggle for over twenty minutes, Fang Yan finally erged victorious. Yet as he walked away, his expression remained extrely unsightly.
He was the first Core Seed to be challenged. This was equivalent to an outward declaration indicating that soone believed he was very weak.
"It's only to this degree? Exerting all his efforts for over twenty minutes purely to grasp a victory... Far inferior to that Su Chen from this year's evaluations..."
Hearing soone ntion his na, Su Chen glanced over his shoulder. The other party actually flashed him a friendly and amiable smile, clearly having recognized him to purposefully speak in such a manner.
"Indeed, fighting tooth and nail for over twenty minutes, and even nearly overturning the car."
Battling on equal tiers, the filter placed upon Core Seeds had ultimately been shattered. Many people birthed the notion that Core Seeds were nothing more than so-so. As this notion continued to spread, the number of people stepping forward to strike would only increase.
"Looking lively... I truly wonder who will temporarily snatch the position of Chief Seed."
For the ti being, these affairs were of no concern to him. After watching the excitent, Su Chen returned to continue his training.
Over the following few days, excluding him and Chu Xuan, the two Core Seeds temporarily excluded from the rankings, the other four Core Seeds were comprehensively challenged.
Without exception, all of them successfully safeguarded their positions. Yet the most agonizing battle amongst them actually lasted for a total of forty arduous minutes.
The fastest amongst them was Ming Lin, clenching a victory within a re ten-odd minutes.
Consequently, imrsed within this increasingly scorching atmosphere, more than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
The gravity room hissed open and Su Chen walked out, his breathing still rather rapid. As usual, he checked his panel——
【Wind and Thunder Adept: 65%】
【Psionic Adept: 70%】
【E-rank Thunder Brilliance Body Forging thod —— Proficient: 30%】
【E-rank Heart-Burning ditation thod —— Proficient: 55%】
Because his talent had been elevated, coupled with the piling up of multiple robust abilities, his current training speed was even faster than the initial half of his professional developnt.
Checking the ti, it was already 7 AM in the morning. He had purposely refrained from training for too long today.
"Mm... that deciphering basically ought to be finished today." Showering and changing clothes, Su Chen mused, "I wonder if I can exchange it for Weapon Nurturer."
During this period of ti, he hadn't rely devoted himself to single-minded training. He took a trip to the Class Decoding Departnt to assist in deciphering the Saint Word Stone every two or three days. Under his deliberate control, the intervals between his resonances with the Saint Word Stone had visibly prolonged.
"Are you..."
The mont he opened the door, Su Chen saw a guy with his back facing him, currently standing at the bottom of the steps.
"Finally caught you." The other party turned around. His pair of exceedingly black eyebrows drooped downwards; his entire face looked exactly like the '囧' character.
"He Kang?" Su Chen called out his na right out of the gate. This was one of the Inner Court Seeds, bearing an innate Red Gold talent.
During this period of ti, Su Chen had already practically morized everyone with a notable na within the Adjudication Court.
But to be able to call out his na right away was fundantally due to those iconic "囧" eyebrows.
"Just as I expected..." He Kang smiled bitterly, which caused his face to resemble the '囧' character even further. "Everyone can recognize at first glance, even an individual like yourself, a reclusive Core Seed residing deep within his quarters."
Recently, the Inner Court had been extraordinarily lively; the Core Seeds would clash in a battle every two or three days. Yet none of these events involved Su Chen. Furthermore, he had yet to reach the requisite stage to participate in the challenge system, aning observing him in the outside world was nearly an impossibility.
This kind of comical face inherently possessed a sense of amiability. Su Chen smiled, asking: "Why is Senior Brother He standing by my door?"
"I've already been standing here for more than half the day." He Kang pointed to the 'Do Not Disturb' violently hung on Su Chen's door.
(End of this chapter)
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