But the situation was different now. Only Su Chen was left, and all the pressure was on him. It would be one thing if he won, but the backlash from a loss would be even more severe.
"I don’t have that kind of pull," Ming Lin said with a wry smile, shaking his head. "The Chief sent him."
"The Chief?" Wei Yufan’s head snapped around. The expressions on the others’ faces were also complicated.
Feng Ze said wistfully, "It seems the Chief really has high hopes for him."
Ming Lin felt helpless. They had all had their turn, and only Su Chen was left. ’Who else could they place their hopes on? It certainly couldn’t be Wei Yufan.’
"Can he win this one for us?" Zhong Ming asked.
But an uncanny silence t his question.
The others felt a complicated mix of emotions. A part of them hoped Su Chen would win, but another part of them almost didn’t.
And yet, that part that didn’t want to hope... still held a sliver of it.
But they had all faced Hongxuan’s power head-on.
’Heh...’ Wei Yufan sneered inwardly. Seeing everyone fall silent at the question, he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
"So that’s Su Chen."
On the other side, An Ming looked down at Su Chen, who had just reached the edge of the fighting ring. "The Judicial Court’s last Core Seed. Defeat him, and this is over."
"He seems to be quite well-regarded. The Judges down there are all worked up," soone next to him remarked. "I’ve heard he’s pretty formidable, too."
An Ming said nonchalantly, "He’s the Judicial Court’s only remaining Core Seed. Of course they’re pinning all their final hopes on him."
At this, he shook his head. "To be honest, I’d rather he won..."
The people beside him exchanged glances. They knew about the grudge between An Ming and Hongxuan and could only shake their heads helplessly.
The surrounding din was incessant, but Su Chen paid it no mind as he reached the edge of the fighting ring.
He already had an understanding of Hongxuan’s situation. In terms of their main professions, they were nearly equals—both had dual, top-tier professions.
’As for Tier One and Tier Two, it’s likely a similar story. Both of us probably have Top Level professions. We might have different specializations, but our overall strength should be comparable.’
’However, my Body Refining Technique and ditation Technique for each Tier awaken a new ability upon reaching Master Level. That’s an advantage others can’t get, and it will give a certain boost.’
’These small advantages have added up, and by now, the boost is quite significant.’
’Based on this alone, I might have a slight advantage in a direct confrontation, but it’s not enough to guarantee a win,’ Su Chen mused.
’But then there are special professions. He’s older than , and his Main Professional Tier is higher, so the ti and energy he’s had to invest is a factor.’
’Special professions of a certain caliber, like the Armored Bone Warrior, require one to be at least a Tier Two Professional to even begin, and that’s after two or three years of preparation.’
’In the ti it takes to prepare, one’s own main profession could have already advanced an entire Tier.’
’Not to ntion, trying to build a synergistic system of special professions would easily take decades.’
’His Gourt-Reverser system is enough to more than double his base strength.’
’At any rate, fighting him to a draw should be no problem,’ Su Chen muttered to himself.
A staff mber was checking his body to ensure he wasn’t carrying any weapons.
Of course, the Purple Gold Scale Armor that had already fused with his skin was impossible to detect. It was one of his Professional Abilities; how could they stop him from using it?
As he was thinking, the noise in his ears grew even louder. Su Chen then realized it was because Hongxuan had finished his preparations, rising from his cross-legged position in mid-air to a standing one.
"Usually, that guy doesn’t even open his eyes until his opponent is on the stage. This ti is different."
"He must have sensed the threat..."
’Su Chen...’ Hongxuan stared at the figure below. This was the only person who could possibly pose a threat to him. His gaze remained calm.
’Dual top-tier professions, impressive strength. Beating him will take so effort.’
No one could read his thoughts, but the Judges could see he looked much more serious than before, and their excitent boiled over.
Su Chen leaped onto the fighting ring. Hongxuan’s aura imdiately subsided.
He seed a little surprised. "Your profession developnt has progressed much further than I expected. You’re very diligent."
’This also ans he couldn’t have had much ti or energy to pursue special professions.’
"It’s alright," Su Chen replied noncommittally.
’Is he in such a hurry?’
Hongxuan’s eyes flickered, but he maintained an air of calm indifference as he spoke. "Hongxuan, of the Yuan Capital Church Court."
Su Chen replied in kind, "Su Chen, of the Yingfeng Judicial Court."
As their words faded, silence gradually fell over the arena, but neither man made a move.
Su Chen watched his opponent, his mind already working. ’I wonder what his professions are. Logically, since he’s after the legacy of the Great Venerable Red Fla Thunder Resonator, his base professions should be chosen for compatibility...’
’His eyes are unfocused? What is he doing? A ntal Attack?’
Hongxuan grew cautious. He knew Su Chen had used such a tactic to defeat soone before. He reacted instantly, weaving his Spiritual Power into layered shields.
He had specifically acquired a special profession for ntal Defense and wasn’t afraid of ntal Attacks.
However, after fully preparing himself, the anticipated ntal Attack never ca.
’Don’t tell he’s just spacing out?’ After a mont’s hesitation, Hongxuan looked at his opponent’s still-unfocused eyes, and a flash of annoyance crossed his face. His gaze turned sharp.
He shot forward like a bolt of lightning, a torrent of scorching red fla erupting from his palm like a flowing river, a searing heat washing over them.
The crowd erupted with a mixture of shock and excitent. This was the first ti in all his battles that Hongxuan had attacked first.
The spectators closest to the ring scrambled backward in terror. If those flas were to touch them, they would be instantly burned to a crisp.
’This guy...’
Su Chen’s eyes narrowed. With a light tap of his foot, a crackle of lightning erupted, and he easily dodged the incoming red fla. He raised his left hand and crushed a large swathe of the fire.
He figured that if he used his Thunder Undying Armor—even without factoring in the Purple Gold Scale Armor hidden beneath his skin—he could have tanked the hit without any issue.
PFFT!
’So fast.’
His first strike having missed, Hongxuan’s eyes flickered. The flas rolled forward for dozens of ters, nearly covering the entire ring and turning it into a fiery inferno.
’This ring is too small, it’s hard to dodge...’ Su Chen thought, shaking his head inwardly. Pale blue lightning erupted around him, forcibly keeping the red flas at bay.
’Dual top-tier at Tier Three, and rich combat experience... no wonder no one could beat him.’
Su Chen weaved and dodged, recalling the general intelligence Ming Lin had given him.
’But this alone isn’t enough.’
Sidestepping another blow, Su Chen let his mind wander slightly. ’Let’s see what other tricks he has up his sleeve to be this confident.’
’He’s definitely different from the others...’ Hongxuan’s gaze sharpened. He could also sense that Su Chen was different. Not only was he handling the attacks with ease, but he also seed to be thinking about sothing else.
This made him feel slighted, and a flicker of anger ignited within him. ’He seems to excel at speed, but on this ring, there’s no room for him to use it.’
BOOM!
Red flas surged forward. Hongxuan’s hands were wreathed in lightning, and even without a weapon, his every move was vicious.
Su Chen dodged and weaved, the continuous crackle of thunderclaps making it almost impossible to see what was happening on the ring. While the energy fluctuations were contained, the very air in the challenge hall felt like it was boiling, with steam rising and refusing to dissipate.
"Junior Brother... he’s actually gotten this strong?"
In the crowd, Bu Siqi, who had also co to watch the excitent, stared with wide eyes. He was a Tier Four Professional, after all.
But as he felt the power of the battle on the ring, he felt a faint sense of dread. He could only make out two silhouettes in the flas, sotis crossing, sotis separating, unable to even see their specific clashes.
He couldn’t help but recall when Su Chen had first arrived in Yingfeng. He rembered a young, inexperienced boy who had just finished a al with a friend, standing at a doorway waiting for him.
"Uh... then again, my Junior Brother has always been like this," Bu Siqi muttered. "Now that I think about it, he didn’t look any different back then than he did when I saw him just now."
He had no idea where that ntal filter of a "young, inexperienced boy" had co from.
User Comments
0 comments from readers