His first thought was to notify Old Xia to apprehend the person as soon as possible.
But almost imdiately, that sensation vanished abruptly.
'Disappeared?'
Su Chen furrowed his brows. Although his perception range could not cover all of Yingfeng, it was impossible for the other party to suddenly leave his sensory range, right?
'This kind of situation has never happened before. Even with ng Qi, my perception was crystal clear.'
He did not think his perception was infallible. Bluntly speaking, this connection rely relied on the link between Evil God Cultists, which was based on the Evil Gods themselves.
By placing an Evil God Artifact inside a tal box forged from a teorite, one could blur this sensory connection. This proved that as long as one had the ans, complete isolation was possible.
It was just that before him, no cultist had ever used this connection to target their own people, so naturally, no one had bothered to put up defenses against it.
'This Divine Son is different from ng Qi. Could it be the Main Body?' Su Chen's heart tightened. The Main Bodies of these entities were extraordinarily formidable.
But he imdiately rejected that idea. As the saying went, if the enemy could crush them with absolute power, they would not have resorted to luring the tiger out of the mountain and lurking in the shadows. They would have simply snatched the stone tablet by force.
'The person has disappeared...' Su Chen retracted his disguise and pondered. 'It wouldn't be appropriate to tell Old Xia just yet. Furthermore, my precognitive ability hasn't even co into contact with any Evil God Artifacts.'
'I wonder if I'll still be able to sense this guy...'
For now, he could not figure out whether this infiltrating Divine Son had sensed him—a Priest who had suddenly popped out of nowhere—and thus masked their presence.
Or if they had concealed themselves because of sothing else entirely.
He would have to wait and see how the situation developed.
After pondering for a mont, Su Chen activated his wristband and accessed the Adjudication Court's internal network. The relevant permissions had already been granted to him, allowing him to select a C-grade Cultivation thod. 'The potions are on the way. It is ti to prepare the Body Tempering and ditation thods as well.'
He browsed carefully and soon found exactly what he was looking for.
[C-grade Cloud Dragon Body Tempering thod] — Draws highly compressed wind elental power into the bones, vibrating the marrow, and gradually perating the flesh, blood, and ridians.
[C-grade Mirage Sea ditation thod] — Visualizes a boundless illusionary sea, blending ntal energy to construct illusions that blur the line between reality and fantasy.
The difficulty and depth of these thods were significantly higher than the D-grade ones. Even after making his selection, he still had to go through the proper procedures before the relevant materials could be transmitted to him, but that was rely a matter of ti.
Taking advantage of this free mont, Su Chen continued scrolling. The number of C-grade Body Tempering and ditation thods was drastically lower; combined, there were fewer than fifty types available.
'I estimate that by the ti I have to switch thods for the third ti, I'll need to rely on external devices for assistance,' Su Chen muttered to himself. Different Body Tempering thods required entirely different properties of energy.
Previously, there had been a vast variety of low-grade Body Tempering thods, allowing him to easily select ones that perfectly matched his constitution.
But now that the available thods were becoming increasingly scarce, he would inevitably have to rely on external ans.
'However, by that ti, I might have already headed to the Royal Court, right?' Su Chen could not help but think. 'I wonder what kind of place this Royal Court is.'
Gu Bing moved quickly. She had already arranged for the first batch of potions to be delivered—enough to last him a day—while more were currently being procured.
'Profound Tiger Potion...' Su Chen pinched the glass bottle. Inside, a translucent fluid encased an orange-yellow dicinal liquid that continuously morphed into various shapes as it swirled. It was quite a mystical sight.
The price of just this single bottle was nearly three hundred thousand gold coins. Consuming them was akin to listening to the sound of gold coins pouring down a drain.
4th-Tier Professionals were already considered the pillar of strength in Yingfeng. If stationed externally, they would hold the City Lord Position, governing their own territories and enjoying exalted status.
If their potential had already been exhausted, they wouldn't consu many resources.
However, fully nurturing a high-potential 4th-Tier Professional required an expenditure of nearly fifty million gold coins per month. Such astronomical costs would barely be covered even if the three major families pooled their current resources.
'Still, I can just let the Adjudication Court shoulder a larger portion of the burden,' Su Chen thought. Given his current standing, a simple wave of his hand would undoubtedly draw nurous family clans willing to sponsor him, but he could not be bothered to deal with the hassle.
He cranked up the multiplier in the Gravity Room, steadily pushing it to twenty-seven or twenty-eight tis normal gravity before he finally felt a noticeable strain.
'This is almost identical to the standard Senior Apprentice Brother Teng Liang uses.' Su Chen stretched his limbs, feeling the sluggish resistance radiating from his joints, and sighed in admiration. 'For a regular 4th-Tier Professional, the normal tolerance limit should be around twenty tis gravity. The terrifying power they must possess after constant accumulation is truly astounding.'
'However, Senior Apprentice Brother Teng Liang had peak-level professions at the second and third tiers, and upper-level professions at the first and fourth tiers. Giant-type professions aren't particularly strong in their normal humanoid state; they still require full professional manifestation to shine.'
Downing the potion in one gulp, Su Chen attempted to circulate the new Body Tempering and ditation thods, quickly grasping the fundantals.
Thick clouds and mist violently surged around him as milky-white air currents entwined his limbs. The highly condensed wind elental power manifested into crystalline needles, piercing through his pores and plunging deep into his bones and extremities.
Amidst a faint, stinging pain, his muscle fibers were repeatedly torn apart and reconstructed, while clear, resonant chis echoed faintly from his shifting skeletal structure.
A short while later, Su Chen could not help but marvel. 'Although the difficulty has increased significantly, thanks to my enhanced talent, the efficiency is about the sa as when I was at the 3rd-Tier.'
'As the tiers get higher, the impact of one's talent becos increasingly apparent.'
As the mist swirled, Su Chen's figure was gradually obscured from view.
A little earlier, in the southern district of Yingfeng City. The Heshan Hotel was already considered a rather upscale establishnt in this area.
Inside one of its finest private rooms, a group of people was happily exchanging toasts. The attendees were split into two factions on the left and right. The group on the left, led by a one-ard middle-aged man, consisted of several cramped and nervous-looking youths; they were the candidates from Gujiang City who had co to participate in the assessnt.
On the other side sat natives of Gujiang City who had been deeply rooted in Yingfeng for years. They appeared much more relaxed and were dressed in bright, elegant attire.
—
Sitting in the seat of honor was none other than He Kang. With his thick eyebrows twitching and a reddish flush on his cheeks, he looked at the sowhat restrained young man raising a glass to him.
"Xu Siyuan..." He Kang pondered for a mont before asking uncertainly, "Is Xu Heng your..."
"He is my father," Xu Siyuan replied. He Kang imdiately understood, a wave of nostalgia washing over his face. "I rember when we were kids, I used to always tag along right behind your father..."
Although there was a generational gap between him and Xu Siyuan, he was only eight or nine years younger than Xu Siyuan's father.
"My father frequently brings you up as well," Xu Siyuan said, looking a little excited as he hurriedly raised his wine glass.
"Put it down. From the looks of it, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle much. This Maple Bamboo Wine..." He Kang glanced at the wine bottle on the table and shook his head. "It's quite expensive. Even a 2nd-Tier Professional wouldn't be able to drink much of it. We're all from the sa hotown, so there's no need to be so overly polite."
anwhile, the one-ard middle-aged man sitting on the side looked a bit embarrassed.
"Brilliant Silver talent..." He Kang mused. "That's not bad at all. I estimate that this current Adjudication Court assessnt will be delayed for at least three to four months. If you run into any trouble in Yingfeng, you can co find at the Adjudication Court."
"Understood," Xu Siyuan repeatedly agreed as he sat down next to the one-ard middle-aged man.
After another round of toasts, the atmosphere grew significantly warr. However, the young man sitting next to He Kang suddenly looked down and activated his continuously vibrating wristband. His eyes trembled slightly—first flashing with shock, and then filling with deep envy.
Closing the interface, he leaned over and whispered to He Kang, "I just received news. Lord Su Chen has already advanced to the 4th-Tier."
"The 4th-Tier?!" He Kang, who was in the middle of drinking, froze abruptly. He stared in absolute astonishnt. The surrounding noise instantly died down as everyone turned to look at him in unison.
"Is that true? How could he be so fast?" he could not help but blurt out.
"It's essentially confird. The news ca from Lord Wei Yufan's people," the young man nodded.
"This is truly..." He Kang's expression turned incredibly complex as he slowly set down his wine glass.
He had been in the Adjudication Court for so many years and was only a 4th-Tier Professional himself. On the other hand, Su Chen had only been here for about a year at most.
"Is it Su Chen? Did he really advance to the 4th-Tier?"
"Already?"
The other attendees who held positions in various institutions across Yingfeng began whispering among themselves, uttering continuous gasps of amazent.
"What happened?" the one-ard middle-aged man asked cautiously.
"It's nothing," He Kang waved his hand dismissively. However, Xu Siyuan asked in a low voice, "Brother Kang, is this Su Chen... very powerful?"
As soon as those words left his mouth, a heavy silence fell over the table. Xu Siyuan felt a surge of panic. "Did I say sothing wrong?"
"No, not at all," He Kang chuckled. "Given your current situation, you shouldn't have any problem entering the Adjudication Court, so there's no harm in telling you about him."
"Lord Su Chen is one of the Adjudication Court's six Core Seeds, and he is also..." At this point, He Kang's expression grew sowhat complicated. "Currently, he is also one of the top candidates most likely to beco the next Chief Inquisitor."
Chief Inquisitor! The one-ard middle-aged man gulped nervously. The City Lord of their Gujiang City was rely a student of one of the Adjudication Court's nine Inquisitors.
He Kang continued, "He only entered the Adjudication Court last year. During the assessnt, he revealed his Ink Jade talent, instantly shocking everyone. He even completely overshadowed Chu Xuan, another Ink Jade talent possessor who had been heavily favored."
"After joining the Adjudication Court, he kept a very low profile and never actively provoked anyone. When he advanced to the 3rd-Tier, he defeated Chu Xuan again with absolute crushing force."
"Not long ago, he defeated a Chosen Son from Yuandu. That guy possessed a Crimson talent!"
"And now, he has actually advanced to the 4th-Tier." He sighed in awe once more. Naturally, he didn't believe that Su Chen would sacrifice his foundation just to chase rapid progress by deliberately selecting a low-difficulty 4th-Tier profession.
At the absolute minimum, it had to be a Tier 4 Upper-Level Profession.
The people who had been working in Yingfeng all naturally nodded in fervent agreent; they had all heard of these legendary exploits.
However, the natives of Gujiang City who had just arrived in Yingfeng looked utterly bewildered and at a loss. They didn't show much shock.
The things He Kang was describing were completely beyond their scope of comprehension. It was difficult for them to truly grasp the profound implications and just how terrifyingly astonishing his achievents were.
The only one who could sowhat comprehend the magnitude of it all was the one-ard middle-aged man, whose face was filled with utter horror.
Because a 4th-Tier Professional was already on equal footing with his City Lord, and according to He Kang, Su Chen was only around twenty years old.
'Su Chen?' Xu Siyuan displayed the sa blank look on his face, but his mind was racing.
He actually knew of this person. Back when the Faceless Ghost Cultists hadn't been entirely wiped out, the intelligence reports sent back had ntioned him.
It was said that this individual was highly valued by Black Buddha. Although he had been surprised by that at the ti, he hadn't paid it much mind.
'He actually managed to defeat Hong Xuan? That guy reportedly mastered the Class Fusion ability, sothing that shouldn't even exist on Crimson Thunder Planet, yet he still lost.'
'Su Chen...'
"It's a pity that Su Chen doesn't like forming factions. Otherwise, you could have tried to follow him," He Kang lanted.
Xu Siyuan nodded repeatedly, feigning curiosity as he asked, "He sounds incredibly powerful! Are all Ink Jade talents this formidable? What about that Chu Xuan guy?"
ng Qi's infiltration plan had been devised by him, and following Chu Xuan was the very first step. To figure out what exactly had happened to ng Qi, he had to start investigating from Chu Xuan.
The last piece of information he had received was that ng Qi had killed Chu Xuan and taken his place as a Core Seed.
"Chu Xuan?" At the ntion of that na, He Kang's expression shifted slightly. His deanor grew more restrained as he sighed, "He is already dead."
"Dead?" The people from Gujiang City all wore expressions of sheer surprise.
This matter was not a secret in Yingfeng. Since He Kang had interacted with Chu Xuan a few tis, he felt rather emotional about it. Unconsciously, he spoke at length, rambling on until he inevitably brought up ng Qi.
However, this incident involved the reputations of several Inquisitors, as well as the Chief Inquisitor himself.
He Kang kept the details vague, only stating that Director Teng Liang had discovered so clues and imdiately executed him.
'Teng Liang...' Xu Siyuan's eyes flickered slightly. He had finally obtained a concrete na.
After that, He Kang tightly sealed his lips on the matter. Once they had eaten and drank their fill, the crowd dispersed. Watching He Kang leave, Xu Siyuan pondered in his heart. 'A 5th-Tier Professional can actually see through the disguise of a Faceless Shell?'
'Teng Liang... Su Chen's Senior Apprentice Brother. And Su Chen is being watched by Black Buddha...'
He vaguely sensed an underlying connection linking all these events together—Hmm?
Suddenly, his pupils contracted as he abruptly snapped his gaze into the distance. Where did that cultist aura just co from?
He could feel the distinct presence of a Faceless Ghost Cultist in that direction, and it felt like one at the Priest level!
Instantly, he withdrew all his auras, burying his true essence into the deepest depths of his current vessel.
He was not like those mindless low-tier cultists. The sudden appearance of a Faceless Ghost Priest might just be a bait set by the authorities in Yingfeng to fish out hidden mbers.
Yingfeng's high-level powerhouses were continuously departing one after another. At such a critical juncture, he did not want to risk any unexpected accidents.
'It disappeared again?'
A mont later, his suspicions deepened. 'Is it a cultist captured by Yingfeng? Weren't they usually executed on the spot in the past?'
Low-tier cultists were raving zealots. Even if captured, they wouldn't breathe a single word. Furthermore, the shackles of their Faith prevented anyone from searching their mories, as any attempt would trigger instant death. A Faceless Priest who hadn't been imdiately killed was incredibly bizarre.
'Wait a bit longer. Just wait a bit longer...' he murmured in his heart.
A few days later, inside the Adjudication Court's public training room. This facility was specifically prepared for ordinary Tribunal Guards and Tribunal Officers.
However, since the vast majority of their personnel had recently been deployed elsewhere, the room was completely empty.
"Junior Apprentice Brother, are you ready?" Bu Siqi asked, lazily pacing along the edge of the training grounds with his hands clasped behind his head.
—
In the center of the field, Su Chen was wearing a tallic blindfold over his eyes. It was inscribed with multi-layered engravings that flickered with a faint glow, completely sealing off all his external senses.
At the sa ti, he had actively retracted his ntal energy. He was currently completely incapable of perceiving any movents from the outside world, but faint wisps of black lightning continuously crackled across the surface of his skin.
Receiving no response, Bu Siqi paused his footsteps. He narrowed his eyes and flicked his finger, launching a highly condensed streak of blood-red light through the air.
The bloody light did not travel in a straight line. Instead, it slithered rapidly through the air like a living snake, its trajectory wildly unpredictable, leaving dark red afterimages in its wake.
Unsurprisingly, Su Chen made absolutely no reaction before the attack reached him.
Bang!
The mont the bloody light struck his skin, a massive burst of black lightning erupted. The viscous, blood-red energy aggressively intertwined with the dark, snake-like lightning bolts, rapidly cancelling each other out until both faded into nothingness.
"What the hell kind of defense is this?" Bu Siqi's eyebrows twitched. Although it wasn't a full-power strike, it was quite close to it.
And it didn't even make Su Chen budge an inch?
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