Hearing this, Chong Jingtian's expression darkened, and he still said nothing.
Suddenly, his bracelet vibrated continuously. Lowering his head and bringing up the virtual screen, Chong Jingtian swept a glance over it, his brows locking tightly. "Xia Hanshi has returned."
Hearing this na, Pu Zhenghong's expression beca unnatural, and he let out a cold snort.
Chong Jingtian acted as though he hadn't heard a thing. Frowning, he said, "There's an urgent ssage. I'm heading back first."
He returned to the entrance, once again sealed off the five senses of He Kang and the others, and headed straight back to the Adjudication Court without stopping.
In his office, Xia Hanshi, Jiang Shumo, and You Shan were already waiting.
Aside from Xia Hanshi, whose face was as cold as iron, Jiang Shumo and You Shan also had very displeased expressions.
As soon as Chong Jingtian ca in, he sensed the subtle atmosphere. Jiang Shumo, speaking in a bad mood, said, "The Chief is here. You can speak now."
"What urgent ssage?" Chong Jingtian also asked.
Xia Hanshi's voice was frigid. "The Faceless Ghost's believers have rallied a rather massive force. Looking at their distance from Yingfeng... factoring in my travel ti, it should be less than ten thousand kiloters by now."
If there were lower-tier cities governed by Yingfeng out there, contacting Yingfeng would have been slightly simpler. But in the wilderness, there was simply no way to establish contact, so he could only rush back first to deliver the warning.
"Hmm!?" Chong Jingtian's expression drastically changed, his pupils trembling.
"Are you certain?" Jiang Shumo stood up abruptly, continuously pressing him with questions: "Where did this information co from?"
Xia Hanshi's voice remained cold and hard. "I saw it with my own eyes. Yuan Poshan is still trailing them."
"If you don't believe , I can take you there to see for yourself. But by the ti we make a round trip, they'll likely have fought their way right to our doorstep."
Ignoring the latter half of Xia Hanshi's sentence, Jiang Shumo still found it hard to understand. "Weren't the several factions of Evil God Cultists supposed to be preparing for the Holy Banquet? Why would the believers of the Faceless Ghost suddenly launch an attack?"
Chong Jingtian's various thoughts were also thrown into disarray by this sudden news, his expression fluctuating rapidly. "If that is the case, we must block the enemy outside our gates."
"The force they've gathered is not simple. There is a divine statue towering thousands of ters high," Xia Hanshi added. "At a bare minimum, a vessel of the Evil God is guaranteed to appear."
"Are they trying to mutually destruct with our Yingfeng?" You Shan was bewildered and uncertain. "If they do that, wouldn't they be eliminated from the picture?"
If they expend their forces attacking Yingfeng, what about the Holy Banquet?
"Or could it be..." She thought of another terrifying possibility. "The Faceless Ghost's believers are already capable of crushing us without needing to rely on the Holy Banquet."
No one could give her an answer. Chong Jingtian's expression was heavy and grave. "This matter needs to be reported to the Council of Elders. My guess is... if we don't respond with our full strength, I'm afraid it will be difficult to eliminate this threat."
"The Faceless Ghost... them again." Jiang Shumo had a worried expression, but he also offered a reminder: "Be careful of a repeat of last ti. There's also Wu Chenpei; we have to find a way to keep him in check."
"Wu Chenpei?" Xia Hanshi suddenly looked at Jiang Shumo. Inside his two sunken eyes, it was as if ghost fires were flickering. "The person sent by Yuandu is him?"
The last piece of news he had received was Wei Yinshuo's death.
Later on, he and Yuan Poshan had constantly trailed the Faceless Ghost's large army to investigate their objective, so it had been a long ti since he exchanged information with Yingfeng.
He only knew that Yuandu had sent people over, but he didn't know exactly who they had sent.
"Yes..." Jiang Shumo nodded, shooting a glance at Xia Hanshi. Inexplicably, he felt sowhat jealous. This old geezer was actually capable of receiving a student like Su Chen?
"Over thirty years ago, when fighting for the stone slab in those Ruins, I killed his younger brother. His roar to the heavens, vowing to avenge that grudge... I still rember it clearly." Xia Hanshi's tone was coldly faint. "Yuandu sending him here ans they harbor unfathomable motives."
"Forget it..." He then shook his head. "The Holy Banquet is imminent. The most pressing matter is to contact the other cities and join forces to exterminate the Evil God Cultists."
Chong Jingtian felt helpless. "A few months ago, I contacted Lieyang and Tianqing. They have already taken so action, but the wilderness is shrouded in mist, making it difficult to find traces of the Evil God Cultists."
Difficult to find traces... Xia Hanshi was taken aback, then heard Chong Jingtian's helpless words: "If it weren't for this mist, we would have exterminated those Evil God Cultists long ago. How could it have developed to the crisis of the Holy Banquet?"
"Then request aid from the Royal Court." Xia Hanshi seed very decisive. "The only troubleso part is whether they are willing to intervene."
Hearing him say this, Xia Hanshi and the other two exchanged a glance, and Jiang Shumo spoke up. "Yuandu actually proposed a solution."
He roughly summarized so of the information Wu Chenpei had passed on.
"Crimson Fla Responding Thunder Great Exalted..." Xia Hanshi pondered. "So that's what it was called."
"Mhm, Yuandu has cultivated a young man nad Hong Xuan. With Crimson talent..."
"Out of the question!" Recovering his senses, Xia Hanshi harshly rebuked: "Yuandu harbors unfathomable motives. If we let them succeed, all of us will beco bleached bones!"
He was extrely resistant to this. "Rather than betting on Yuandu's goodwill, it's better to bet on the Royal Court's goodwill."
Chong Jingtian let out a dry cough. "Actually, we were also preparing to put forward our own person."
"Who?" Xia Hanshi asked subconsciously, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Crimson talent, do you have the confidence to compare? Did you unearth another good seedling while I was away?"
Hearing him say this, the three of them looked sowhat awkward. Jiang Shumo appeared a bit abashed. "It's no one else... it's..."
"It's Su Chen!" Based on their reactions, Xia Hanshi helped Jiang Shumo say the na. He stood up abruptly, his expression ice-cold. "Absolutely impossible!"
"You Shan's student also has Ink Jade talent. Why don't you let him take the risk, but instead make Su Chen go? Are you bullying because I'm not stationed in the Adjudication Court?"
He had originally wanted to let Su Chen try looking at the stone slab, and then go venture into the Ruins. But later, after discovering that Su Chen's talent had risen to Ink Jade, he regretted it.
They had already sacrificed three. If they sacrificed another one with a boundless future, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself either.
And now, Chong Jingtian and the others actually wanted to do the very thing he couldn't bear to let Su Chen do?
Seeing this, the three imdiately knew that Xia Hanshi had misunderstood.
You Shan said coldly, "I'd love for him to take the risk, but he doesn't have the qualifications, nor can he defeat Hong Xuan."
Xia Hanshi's brows knitted together, realizing that the situation didn't seem quite what he had anticipated.
"Old Xia, take a seat first, sit down..." Jiang Shumo squeezed out a smile that even he himself found disgusting.
Based on his deduction of Su Chen's personality, Xia Hanshi's opinion really might carry a significant amount of weight, so it was imperative to explain things clearly.
"Pushing Su Chen out wasn't us being picky, it was also out of having no other options."
Soon after, making Xia Hanshi remain patient, he thoroughly recounted everything that had happened from beginning to end since Hong Xuan's arrival.
After listening to it, Xia Hanshi also fell into a slight daze. "That brat actually beca that formidable?"
Xia Hanshi knew that with Su Chen's diligent effort and talent, coupled with the Adjudication Court's resources, he definitely wouldn't be weak.
But that Hong Xuan had beaten the other Core Seeds to the point they couldn't even raise their heads, yet Su Chen had defeated him without expending much effort.
The significance behind this left him very astonished.
It was no wonder Chong Jingtian and the others had generated the idea of staking it all on Su Chen.
Jiang Shumo struck while the iron was hot. "The Essence of Spirituality we traded for with Yuandu will arrive very soon. When that ti cos... Su Chen's talent can be raised a bit further."
Putting it this way, there truly was a degree of hope. Xia Hanshi felt a flutter in his heart.
Chong Jingtian also added, "As long as he gains recognition, he can head to that Ruins, enter its deepest layer to unite the stone slabs, and gamble once more."
No one knew what Xia Hanshi was thinking, but after a mont, his expression returned to normal, and he said softly, "Then let's proceed according to what you said for now."
The three of them let out a collective sigh of relief. Fortunately, Xia Hanshi hadn't thrown a fit.
Jiang Shumo then teased slightly, "Old Xia, you hid things really deeply. Su Chen's 3rd-tier top-grade class was prepared by you, right? What kind of requirent was it that he completed it so absurdly fast?"
Xia Hanshi shot him a glance and said indifferently, "Does that have anything to do with you?"
Jiang Shumo choked on his words, his face looking sowhat unpleasant. Helplessly, Chong Jingtian smoothed things over, and then prepared to head out to convene a eting of the Council of Elders.
But right before leaving, he was called to a halt by Xia Hanshi, who said in a deep voice, "I don't plan on participating in resisting the enemy this ti. I want to remain behind to guard Yingfeng."
"You..." Chong Jingtian was taken aback. Naturally, he didn't think Xia Hanshi was afraid, and pondered for a mont. "That works too. You've been out for quite a long ti this ti, and soone should stay behind to guard the Adjudication Court. When the ti cos, I won't let you enter."
………
"You've advanced to the 4th tier?"
In the living room, Su Chen looked at the glowing Ming Lin playing before him. The excitent on his face simply could not be concealed, which was a far cry from his usual calm deanor.
"Yeah... I've finally advanced." Ming Lin let out a cathartic sigh. "I started preparing for this class as early as a year and a half ago."
"A year ago, my class developnt progress had already reached 100%. I forcefully held it back for a full year."
Advancing classes and raising one's life tier was an uncontrollable desire for professionals themselves.
Especially after reaching 100% developnt, that feeling of overflowing from the inside out stimulated them every waking mont.
Similarly, there was the anxiety of wasting their pri years, all urging them to advance as quickly as possible. For soone like Ming Lin, this feeling was even more pronounced.
But class requirents couldn't be achieved overnight; one could only patiently complete them one by one.
And Ming Lin, having gone through many hardships, finally completed the requirents and successfully advanced.
He wanted to vent his feelings to soone too. After thinking it over, the only person he could share it with was Su Chen.
"Congratulations, congratulations." Su Chen congratulated him sincerely, sighing: "It's not easy. Ever since I entered the Adjudication Court, I've heard you were about to advance to the 4th tier. Now that your wish has finally been fulfilled, it truly wasn't easy."
"Haha..." Ming Lin laughed heartily.
It had to be Su Chen. Without even thinking, he knew that the other Core Seeds, upon hearing he had successfully advanced to a 4th-tier top-grade class, were probably sour to the bone inside.
"I can be considered soone who's been there, so I really have to remind you of sothing," Ming Lin couldn't help but say: "If you want to save so ti, you really can't wait until your developnt reaches seventy or eighty percent before getting ready."
"I highly suggest you start preparing for the advancent requirents once your developnt reaches 50%. If I had started preparing for the advancent requirents when I was at 50% developnt, the ti it would have taken might have been even shorter than now."
"Ah..." Ming Lin paused, then realized: "You probably are already past 50%, so you definitely have to start preparing now. If there's anywhere you need my help, just ask."
"I've been taught a good lesson." Su Chen thanked him.
Being in high spirits from joyous news, Ming Lin couldn't help but chat with Su Chen a bit more, mysteriously bringing up a certain matter: "Lately, quite a few Inner Court Seeds have been taken by the Chief to look at so stone slab."
"Hmm?" Su Chen was stunned for a mont, then realized that Chong Jingtian was testing his luck here.
"I've also heard of that stone slab..." Ming Lin said with a hint of guesswork. "Supposedly, it records a certain rumored class, and the Chief seems to be selecting people capable of taking it."
"However, the ones he brought were all 4th-tier Seeds. There were a few 3rd-tiers that he didn't bring, so I'm guessing there's a requirent." Ming Lin looked thoughtful. "But the people from Yuandu haven't left yet. By doing this, isn't the Chief afraid of leaking the news? Or did the people from Yuandu know about this long ago?"
He guessed a few things, and seeing Su Chen not take the bait to chi in, he voiced his hope: "I wonder when it will be my turn."
Evidently, he had a certain level of confidence in his own talent.
Su Chen glanced at him. "It should be soon, right? You're already at the 4th tier."
"Haha..." Rembering that he had already advanced to the 4th tier, Ming Lin laughed out loud again, not forgetting to offer reassurance: "You'll definitely have no problem either. I prematurely wish you success in everything."
Su Chen nodded repeatedly. After seeing off the excited Ming Lin, he muttered to himself, "Advancing a tier... even Ming Lin is this excited. Tsk tsk..."
As his tier increased, he began to realize increasingly just how precious his panel was, easily saving him several years' worth of resources and energy.
It was also because he hadn't been stuck on class requirents for too long that it was hard to understand Ming Lin's level of excitent.
"I still need to hide for a while longer. My speed of advancing to the 4th tier is a bit too fast."
Out of consideration for safety, Su Chen had advanced around the sa ti as Ming Lin. Even if it was ostensibly a 4th-tier superior class, it was still too fast.
"First I'll have the Analysis Departnt prepare a thunderstorm environnt. The Calamity Patroller is still missing the requirent of being struck by lightning for a day..."
Just as he was heading down to the Gravity Room in the basent, Su Chen's brow suddenly twitched. He whipped his head around and sharply yelled, "Who!?"
Upon clearly seeing the gaunt figure that had suddenly appeared in the living room, Su Chen's fierce expression quickly receded, and he asked in astonishnt, "Teacher?"
The person who abruptly appeared was precisely Xia Hanshi. The old man narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Su Chen suspiciously. "Such sharp perception. Have you advanced to the 4th tier?"
When he left last ti, he had stood in the corner for a good while, and even deliberately let out a breath before Su Chen had noticed him.
But this ti, he had only just entered this villa and Su Chen had already detected him. A 3rd-tier professional wouldn't be able to do that, right?
"Uh..." Su Chen faltered, feeling quite speechless. "Teacher, when did you get back?"
How could he advance so fast?
Xia Hanshi calculated the ti and felt that it was unimaginable. When I left, this kid was still only a 2nd-tier professional, right?
According to the scene described by Jiang Shumo and the others when he defeated Hong Xuan, the intensity of his class was definitely top-grade, so the requirents should have been extrely difficult as well.
He completed the requirents for a 3rd-tier top-grade class without much effort at all?
Then what about the 4th tier?
Xia Hanshi remained silent, but Su Chen felt his scalp go numb.
When Old Xia wasn't around, he could push everything onto him. But now that Old Xia was back, he couldn't very well push it onto Chong Jingtian, right? Old Xia was soone who would genuinely go and ask.
"Stop being nervous." Xia Hanshi abruptly spoke, his tone indifferent. "You are highly sought after right now. Who would dare do anything to you? Chong Jingtian would fight them to the death."
"You jest." Su Chen sighed in relief, hurriedly saying, "I am your student, I have nothing to do with the Chief."
When Bu Siqi said such things it was whatever, but when Su Chen said it, he felt a bit of comfort.
Xia Hanshi nodded: "Given your diligence, it's sowhat normal to advance a little faster."
This was giving him an endorsent. Su Chen nodded repeatedly: "It's all because you set a good example."
"Alright, enough." Xia Hanshi waved his hand. "I know the general situation. How much confidence do you have?"
"No confidence." Su Chen shook his head. Who knew what was truly going on with that stone slab.
"Hmm..." Xia Hanshi wasn't disappointed either. "Since you have advanced to the 4th tier, looking at the stone slab poses no danger anymore. Once the Essence of Spirituality arrives and you take on the Spirit Adept class, go take a look."
Since Old Xia had endorsed him, for the current stage he could barely scrape by and wouldn't need to hide it. Su Chen thought to himself, and then heard Old Xia continue:
"Only after confirming the result can I make a decision."
(End of this chapter)
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