Wherever the two of them walked, the sound of discussions never stopped.
"And here I thought he wouldn't co."
"What a pity. Chu Xuan risked his life to obtain a top-tier class, yet this guy hasn't made any moves—"
"It's easy for you to say when you're just standing around. Do you think a top-tier class is sothing you can just get by risking it? If you die, then you have absolutely nothing left."
"Back at the 2nd tier, Chu Xuan couldn't compare to Su Chen, but at the 3rd tier, Chu Xuan caught right back up—this is what a true struggle between a dragon and a tiger looks like."
Normally, the vast majority of inquisitors would rarely discuss Core Seeds in broad daylight, not wanting to bring trouble upon themselves.
But under the current circumstances, everyone was discussing it. In this crowded environnt, the atmosphere was similarly restless and agitated, so the words they kept pent up in their hearts inevitably spilled out.
The seats in the arena were already full. Even below the stage, it was entirely packed with people standing.
Ming Lin still didn't forget to turn his head and tease him: "See that? When they ntion Chu Xuan, they inevitably na you; and when they ntion you, they inevitably na Chu Xuan."
Su Chen was already completely speechless, but he couldn't control the mouths of others.
Seeing his speechless expression, Ming Lin couldn't help but laugh.
"It can't be helped. Who told you two to enter the Adjudication Court in the sa year, both possess Ink Jade talents, and simultaneously be made exceptions to beco Core Seeds right when the reform happened? This intertwined discussion will probably continue for a very long ti."
Unlike the other Core Seeds, Su Chen and Chu Xuan were similar in age, which naturally brought a stronger sense of comparison.
In the past, the age gap between Core Seeds was huge, so such discussions basically never happened. It was rare to encounter these two, so the novelty was very strong.
The place where they observed the battles didn't require them to squeeze together with this crowd. At the very top of the seating areas on both sides, there naturally existed a sparsely populated spot.
Even though the surrounding seats were already jam-packed with people, no one dared to lean toward that area.
"All familiar faces—" Su Chen narrowed his eyes and swept a glance over them. Wei Yufan—Zhong Ming, Feng Ze, plus Ming Lin and himself, along with Chu Xuan who hadn't gone on stage yet. All the Core Seeds were here.
"Su Chen is here—" He Kang whispered into Wei Yufan's ear.
Wei Yufan swept his gaze toward the corridor, catching sight of Ming Lin and Su Chen climbing the stairs. His expression couldn't help but shift slightly.
"And here I thought he wouldn't co." Wei Yufan's voice was almost imperceptible. "Does he think he's hidden himself very well?"
Beside him, He Kang's thick brows twitched. He couldn't help but say, "He probably genuinely has no intention of getting involved in our struggles. Even when Liu Chen intercepted the Gu Family's Lightning Cores, he didn't say anything."
"Precisely because he didn't say anything, it shows his endurance." Wei Yufan's voice was frigid. "Moreover, since Chu Xuan is already standing on our side, we must give him so benefits."
Speaking of this, Wei Yufan couldn't help but think of Liu Chen. He had been a sharp blade; although his heart was a bit wild, he could still be considered a capable subordinate.
Furthermore, he had had quite a few flaws, making him easy to control. On the other hand, Chu Xuan was far more difficult to control than Liu Chen.
"But it isn't a bad thing either—" He cast a glance at Feng Ze not far away. If Liu Chen truly beca a Core Seed, whether willing or not, he would inevitably be set up as a rival to Feng Ze, and the forces under them would split as well.
Reform... the Chief was truly insidious enough.
As for the newly minted Core Seed, Feng Ze, he was standing by the railing, overlooking the area below. Even though he restrained himself well, that sense of high-spirited vigor still emanated from his entire being.
"So this is what it ans to be a Core Seed..."
Even though he had already been a Core Seed for so ti, whenever he experienced these monts, he would still let out this heartfelt sigh.
In the past, he had always stood behind Liang Jingcheng, or hidden down below among the invisible sea of heads. But now, he was one of the focal points, receiving the attention of ten thousand people.
Sweeping his peripheral vision across the hall, he had already noticed Ming Lin and Su Chen drawing closer.
His gaze fixed slightly upon Su Chen. Originally, his target was either Su Chen or Chu Xuan.
After all, they were newcors, making them easy to bully. However, the nurous battles between the other four Core Seeds had allowed him to see a different opportunity.
That was his forr boss—Liang Jingcheng. After the other party's strength was suppressed down to the 3rd tier, his performance wasn't nearly as formidable as Feng Ze had imagined.
Moreover, Feng Ze possessed an incredibly unique and inherent advantage: his understanding of Liang Jingcheng.
Having followed him for many years, he had practically completely figured out all of Liang Jingcheng's abilities, yet Liang Jingcheng couldn't be said to understand him very well in return.
Due to the difference in their status, Liang Jingcheng had always looked up toward the other three Core Seeds—or even higher positions—completely forgetting to look down.
'Consider yourselves lucky.' He withdrew his gaze from Su Chen.
The two of them had already arrived before him. No matter what he was thinking inside, greetings still had to be exchanged.
Wei Yufan even teased, "Junior Brother Su is truly like a divine dragon whose head is seen but its tail remains hidden. It's been nearly half a year since you entered the Adjudication Court, yet the number of tis I've actually seen you combined is—hmm—has it even been three?"
Su Chen helplessly shook his head and said, "I've seen Senior Brother Wei from afar several tis. Senior Brother Wei probably just didn't notice ."
"Haha—It seems my eyesight will need to be better from now on," Wei Yufan laughed.
Aside from Wei Yufan, after Feng Ze and Zhong Ming exchanged greetings with him, they no longer spoke.
While they were chatting, a sudden burst of cheers erupted from below. It was Chu Xuan stepping onto the stage. With a single leap, he landed steadily on the arena.
His outward appearance hadn't changed, but the temperant carried between his brows was already vastly different from a few months ago, bearing an extra trace of ruthless ferocity.
Sweeping his gaze around the hall, his eyes then turned to look above. The very first person he saw was Su Chen.
'He's here—' Chu Xuan exhaled. He had originally thought Su Chen would avoid this battle. 'Did he really think this challenge had nothing to do with him?'
As he thought of this, the ruthless ferocity on his face actually reined in quite a bit. Between life and death lies great terror. To advance to a top-tier class this ti, he had indeed walked along the edge of life and death. He had never faced death so authentically before.
Coupled with his advancent to the 3rd tier, his state of mind had also matured considerably. Yet, the obsession in his heart hadn't diminished in the slightest—on the contrary, it had grown even stronger.
"Today is the day to wash away my humiliation."
During the life-or-death crisis of his advancent, it was exactly this burning obsession to wash away his humiliation that kept him alive.
Chu Xuan withdrew his gaze, his eyes sharp. Faintly, he exhibited a bit of the heroic and high-spirited aura he possessed when he first entered the assessnt area.
"So this is that Chu Xuan, Wei Yinshuo's student, Ink Jade talent."
The topmost floor of the challenge hall consisted of a ring of sealed rooms. In one of these rooms, Chong Jingtian was currently present, standing before the window and looking at the arena below.
The one who just spoke was a middle-aged man who looked refined, scholarly, and amiable, wearing black-frad glasses. His gaze fell upon Chu Xuan on the arena, and he couldn't help but nod: "He truly can be called heroic and dignified."
"Shumo, you've only just returned; there are still so inner details you aren't aware of," Chong Jingtian smiled. "Even before this kid entered the Adjudication Court, he had already rallied a large group of people with the help of a few of the Fourth's subordinates. His montum isn't small."
Jiang Shumo, the Ninth Chief Inquisitor of the Adjudication Court, had only recently returned.
"Chief," Jiang Shumo couldn't help but chuckle. "I've only just returned, but I'm not deaf. He originally wanted to amaze everyone with a single brilliant feat, but as a result, Su Chen stole all his thunder. After entering the Adjudication Court, he fell silent for a period of ti, and recently he's been mixing together with Wei Yufan."
"You... you're still the exact sa way as before." Chong Jingtian sighed with emotion. "You just feel uncomfortable until you've completely investigated every single detail of a place from top to bottom."
"I genuinely wish I could beco deaf sotis, but too many people keep bringing up these two guys. I have no choice either." Jiang Shumo spread his hands helplessly. "Instead, it gives a feeling very reminiscent of you, Chief, and Xia Hanshi back in those years. Both scenarios are true struggles between a dragon and a tiger."
"What a pity the Chief isn't allowed to take on students."
To ensure that the position of Chief Inquisitor remained a relatively fair competition as much as possible, successive Chief Inquisitors were absolutely forbidden from accepting students. This was the rule.
"Back then..." Chong Jingtian's eyes glazed over, seemingly reminiscing, then offered a bitter smile. "In the past, although Core Seeds also fought against each other, they didn't break things. They rarely harbored deep-seated hatred or massive grievances."
"But now..." He sighed. "Having more and more talents isn't necessarily a good thing either. The forces that Wei Yufan can mobilize right now are probably no less than that of any Chief Inquisitor."
"The hidden frictions in the shadows are growing fiercer and fiercer. If we don't break them apart soon, sothing will inevitably go wrong sooner or later."
Chong Jingtian shook his head in resignation. In Yingfeng, there was more than just one person who had previously been a Core Seed for nearly ten years.
These matters were relatively sensitive, so Jiang Shumo remained silent for a mont before changing the topic to ask, "That kid nad Su Chen, has he arrived?"
"The one beside Ming Lin is him." You Shan, who was standing beside him, pointed a finger.
"—This one is even better." Jiang Shumo's eyes lit up. "With proper features and a handso, dashing appearance, how did he end up falling into Old Xia's hands? He's going to be taught badly by him."
Chong Jingtian's expression was difficult to read. "This kid... is very cunning and hides himself very deeply. Guess—since he entered the Adjudication Court, how many tis has he interacted with other Core Seeds?"
"Counting everything, absolutely no more than ten tis. That's all of them added up."
Jiang Shumo was surprised. "That's quite different from Old Xia. Which top-tier class is he preparing to advance to?"
"Top-tier class?" Chong Jingtian's expression turned odd. "Who told you he's going to advance to a top-tier class?"
Jiang Shumo couldn't help but frown. "Choosing an upper-tier class... isn't that equivalent to conceding defeat to Chu Xuan? Moreover, with that kind of talent, Old Xia definitely wouldn't allow him to shrink back."
"Xia Hanshi is far more tolerant toward him than you can imagine." Chong Jingtian thought of the day the Pang Family was destroyed. That old fellow Xia actually started using his brain.
"Is that so?" Jiang Shumo grew increasingly surprised, yet he also said, "The future is very long. There's no need to fight for temporary gains and losses right now."
"He might not necessarily lose either," Chong Jingtian shook his head. "Quite a few people have forgotten: Su Chen can hold dual classes."
"Although the arena has flaws and cannot precisely suppress ntal resilience, making it sowhat disadvantageous for ntal-type professionals, Chu Xuan has still only just advanced to the 3rd tier."
The arena wasn't perfect. If a professional's tier was too high, it couldn't fully suppress them. Furthermore, ntal resilience was incredibly difficult to suppress precisely since it was, after all, the most mysterious aspect of lifeforms.
For instance, a 4th-tier professional could have their abilities suppressed down to the early stages of the 3rd tier, but their ntal resilience could only be halted at the peak of the 3rd tier.
However, ntal resilience only affected ntal attacks. Many ntal-type professionals didn't solely rely on ntal attacks—so didn't even possess any ntal attack thods—so the impact wasn't actually that significant.
"That's true..." Jiang Shumo couldn't help but nod, a trace of anticipation rising within him. "I wonder when the two of them will battle. I hope I still haven't left by then."
"Xiong Tao, 4th-tier professional—Red Gold talent—"
Chu Xuan's enemy had already arrived. Highly robust and muscularly built, he stood a full two and a half ters tall.
But after stepping onto the arena, his stature shrank down to exactly two ters, and his life aura withered considerably.
Ming Lin looked towards Zhong Ming, who was beside them. "Is he confident?"
Xiong Tao was his subordinate. Originating from a lower-tier city, he was essentially destined to have a very difficult ti obtaining top-tier classes for his 1st and 2nd tiers. His presence wasn't usually very high.
"If he wasn't confident, he wouldn't have gone to challenge Chu Xuan." Zhong Ming spoke very bluntly, prompting Ming Lin to chuckle: "That's true."
...
The battle on the arena had already comnced. Xiong Tao was a physical-type professional, but not of the elental type. Black coarse bristles covered his entire body at a visible speed.
The surface of these bristles glead with a tallic cold light, their roots deeply embedded in his continuously expanding muscles, producing wave-like undulations as his muscles moved.
Amidst crackling sounds, his knuckles extended by two inches. His fingernails thickened into a dark-colored calloused layer. Under the coverage of his fur, the skin on the back of his hands continuously keratinized, forming defensive scales similar to those of a reptile.
"3rd-tier upper-class—Iron Bristle Frenzy Bear. Since weapons aren't allowed in challenges, he actually holds a certain advantage," Ming Lin evaluated.
Su Chen watched in great amazent. The broad category of physical-type classes also contained many subcategories. Elental types were one aspect, and transformation types were another.
Most of them were related to Mutants, while high-tier ones were faintly linked to ancient mythologies. For example, Teng Liang's Ancient Spirit Giant and Bu Siqi's class both belonged to this category.
The two types each had their own strengths and weaknesses. However, transformation-type classes typically only appeared at the 3rd tier or above; he had never even heard of them back in Nanfeng.
Chu Xuan's transformation was equally obvious. His hair had entirely turned blood-red. Veins of fresh blood spread across his cheeks and reached up to his eyes. anwhile, two bloody butcher knives—each bitten by a python—condensed within his hands.
"Bloody Butcher..." Ming Lin and the others all turned significantly more solemn.
Wei Yufan, however, comnted, "This Chu Xuan really went all out. We are all people of the Adjudication Court; what kind of irreconcilable knot could there possibly be? Why must he be so ruthless toward himself?"
"I've heard that during the Blood Frenzy Trial, his heart stopped for full thirty seconds. He almost didn't make it back."
Ming Lin frowned slightly. To be this ruthless to himself laterally proved his 'hatred' toward Su Chen. He couldn't help but say:
"No matter who it was, they couldn't possibly hide their strength during the assessnt. Can Chu Xuan really not understand that?"
The expressions of everyone around varied. As bystanders, they could all think clearly about it—after all, it wasn't them who lost face.
Wei Yufan then said, "Perhaps it was an unintentional mistake during the assessnt. However, the last ti I invited Junior Brother Su over with myself acting as a diator in the middle, it seed Junior Brother had absolutely no intention of diating either."
Su Chen cast a glance at him. What the hell was this guy getting at? He was still acting even now.
Setting aside the fact that the ssage He Kang brought back then was already off, just looking at Liu Chen's attitude when he ca to visit later, he absolutely refused to believe that this guy was genuinely aiming for diation that night.
Seeing that Su Chen remained silent from beginning to end, Wei Yufan frowned slightly and added, "What a pity. Now, whatever we say is too late."
Ming Lin subconsciously furrowed his brows. Too late? What does that an?
Before he had the ti to ponder deeply, a burst of clamor arose from below.
Clang!
A crisp collision sound rang out from the arena. The butcher knives wrapped in blood flas chopped downward. Xiong Tao crossed his arms to forcefully block the slash, the friction between his bristles and the axe blades producing an ear-piercing shriek.
"Roar!" He let out a roar. His right leg stomped fiercely onto the ground, and using the power of his waist and hips, he deflected the axe blades while smoothly striking toward the opponent's ribs with his left hand.
Chu Xuan retreated backward, throwing both knives out. The blood pythons bit onto the knife hilts, spiraling and intertwining. The knife in his left hand feinted toward the lower body, while the knife in his right hand silently circled around to Xiong Tao's back.
(End of this chapter)
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