My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 249 - 158: The Dilemma and the Way to Break It
Chapter 249: Chapter 158: The Dilemma and the Way to Break It
“Oh?” Chong Jingtian’s expression sobered. ’That old fox, Wu Chenpei, had this all planned out. Putting Hongxuan on stage was definitely not a last-minute decision.’
’Even without this challenge arena, a similar scene would probably have unfolded.’
“Let’s bet on the Saint Profession you failed to acquire from the Translation Department.” Wu Chenpei walked to Chong Jingtian’s side and looked down at the arena below. “If he can’t keep winning from now on, I will tell you everything I know about the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator.”
“If he can, I’ll trouble you all to retrieve the Saint from the Translation Department.”
Chong Jingtian and the other two fell silent. This wager was beyond their expectations.
’Why does Yuan Capital want the [Saint] profession so badly?’
Chong Jingtian felt a sense of resistance. He had already witnessed Hongxuan’s strength; Wu Chenpei wouldn’t have proposed this bet without being confident of victory.
But they knew almost nothing about the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator, which made breaking the current stalemate very difficult.
But Jiang Shu Mo, with her sharp perception, caught something in his words. Her voice was cold as she said, “You keep saying ’keep winning,’ not ’until he loses.’”
“Correct. Judge Jiang is wise.” Wu Chenpei smiled amicably. “Even if someone appears who can fight Hongxuan to a draw, it will count as our loss.”
As soon as he finished speaking, even someone like Jiang Shu Mo, who was normally impassive, found her expression turning ugly.
To say nothing of You Shan, whose cheeks were already flushed with anger.
An irrepressible flame ignited in Chong Jingtian’s eyes, and the vertical red mark between his brows pulsed with light. Instead of anger, he laughed out loud. “Fine! We accept!”
“Then let’s set a ten-day limit.” Wu Chenpei wasn’t the least bit surprised. If Chong Jingtian could tolerate such a humiliation, all those years of dealing with him would have been for nothing.
“Hongxuan’s opponent doesn’t have to be from the Judicial Court. The Chief Judge can find anyone he likes,” Wu Chenpei added. Ignoring the trio’s expressions, he turned and left with Tang Chen.
“We’ve secured the Saint.” Once outside, Tang Chen let out a long breath, relaxing considerably. A cyan aura enveloped them both, preventing their voices from carrying.
“You truly are a master strategist. Chong Jingtian’s reaction was exactly as you predicted.”
Wu Chenpei smiled, but his eyes were utterly cold. “I’ve dealt with him for many years. Thirty-six years ago, my younger brother died at his hands.”
“No one knows him better than I do.”
Tang Chen froze, a sudden chill running down his spine.
In the room, Chong Jingtian stared down at Hongxuan on the arena stage, his voice devoid of all emotion. “I don’t want to see him standing up there any longer.”
Before the other two could respond, his figure vanished.
…
“Lord Ming Lin lost too. Among the Core Seeds who can still fight, only Lord Su Chen is left.”
The crowd in the outer plaza was still buzzing, and the Judges couldn’t help but bring up the past.
“Lord Su Chen’s fight with Zhu Xuan is still fresh in my mind. It was a complete rout. Maybe he can beat this guy.”
“But didn’t Lord Fengze say this guy is also a dual-Professional? Lord Su Chen’s advantage is gone.”
’This guy is a dual-Professional, too?’
Su Chen was quite surprised to hear the discussion, but soon, the main topic of conversation shifted to when he would make his move.
“Tsk…” Su Chen shook his head to himself and walked away. ’If I weren’t wearing a mask, they’d probably have pushed me up there by now.’
’I’ll go see that Tier Five Professional with Senior Brother Teng Liang first, then worry about this when I get back,’ Su Chen mused.
But just as he reached the door to his residence, he saw someone unexpected.
“Chief Judge…” His eye twitched.
Chong Jingtian was standing at his door, his expression icy. He exuded a cold, murderous aura. Su Chen had never seen such suppressed fury on the man’s face before; he was like a volcano on the verge of erupting.
Even when Wei Yinsuo was killed, Chong Jingtian had been more worried than anything; he hadn’t shown this kind of emotion.
“What brings you here?” He hurried over, only then noticing Ming Lin following behind the Chief Judge, head hung low and utterly silent.
“You just went out. To the challenge hall?” Chong Jingtian saw through the simple human-skin mask on Su Chen’s face with a single glance and deduced his destination from the direction he was returning from.
“Yes, Ming Lin invited me to watch today,” Su Chen explained as he opened the door and invited the two inside.
“You saw it. What are your thoughts?” Chong Jingtian asked, his face expressionless.
“That Hongxuan is very strong,” Su Chen said. A bitter look crossed Ming Lin’s face as he nodded in solemn agreement.
Chong Jingtian nodded, then suddenly asked, “Why didn’t you go up on the stage today?”
“Uh, I have something to do this afternoon.” An idea struck Su Chen, and he explained, “I need a pure Eye of the Thunder God, but there aren’t any in the city. I asked Senior Brother Teng Liang, and he managed to contact a Tier Five Professional to help. I have to go meet them in a bit.”
He gave a detailed explanation.
“A pure Eye of the Thunder God… that’s not an easy thing to get,” Chong Jingtian remarked, then asked, “When are you planning to enter the arena?”
“After I get back from meeting that Tier Five Professional, I’ll need some time to prepare,” Su Chen said, his expression shifting.
Chong Jingtian stared at him intently. “Are you confident you can defeat Hongxuan?”
“That… I can’t guarantee it,” Su Chen said hesitantly. “But if that’s what you wish, I will do my best.”
Chong Jingtian’s eyes narrowed. “Are you confident you can fight him to a draw?”
“A draw?” Su Chen was surprised. He considered it for a moment. “I’m much more confident about that.”
“Get up there and fight him,” Chong Jingtian said, his words concise. But Su Chen could acutely sense the suppressed rage in the Chief Judge.
’Why is he so angry? Surely it can’t be just because Hongxuan has been standing up there for over a month, right?’
Su Chen wondered to himself, but nodded without hesitation. “When?”
“The sooner, the better.” Chong Jingtian was very satisfied with his attitude and added, “A pure Eye of the Thunder God is hard to come by. As long as you can manage a draw with him, I’ll have Judge Jiang personally retrieve it for you.”
“I’ll go right now.” Su Chen turned to leave.
Chong Jingtian faltered.
“Wait…”
It wasn’t Chong Jingtian who stopped him, but Ming Lin. He asked hesitantly, “You’re going right now?”
Su Chen shrugged. “No need to wait. On the challenge stage, our power levels will be roughly equal anyway.”
“That’s not it…” Ming Lin started to speak, then stopped, feeling that something was very strange. He held it in for a long moment but couldn’t manage to say a word.
“Don’t be hasty. Get yourself into optimal condition before you go. Have Ming Lin give you a detailed breakdown of his opponent’s methods.”
Seeing how decisive he was, Chong Jingtian began to advise him.
Su Chen was speechless. ’Chong Jingtian was the one who came here all fired up, and now he’s telling me not to rush.’
’You might not be in a hurry, but I am! The Eye of the Thunder God, the Spiritual Essence… if I can get one of them sorted out, that’s a win.’
“I’m in optimal condition right now.” Su Chen had already opened the door. Ming Lin hurried to follow, recounting his experience from the recent battle along the way.
…
The battle in the plaza had ended, and the crowd was gradually dispersing. Many of the Judges looked dejected, unable to lift their spirits.
“…Sigh, I’m thinking of taking a mission to one of the subordinate cities to get out of Ying Feng for a while. Otherwise, I’ll be too embarrassed to even go outside…”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll go too.”
Just then, someone suddenly shouted, “Lord Su Chen?”
Everyone was jolted and looked toward the voice. They saw two figures walking against the flow of the dispersing crowd.
One of them was Ming Lin, who had just finished his battle.
The other, walking with a leisurely gait, was none other than Su Chen.
“Lord Su Chen is here!”
Excitement spread across everyone’s faces. He was their only hope—and a very strong one at that!
The commotion here quickly spread to other areas. Hearing that Su Chen had arrived, many Judges who had already left turned back around.
Because so many people had gathered today, those still inside the hall hadn’t even made it out yet before they were pushed back in. At first, they were confused, but that quickly turned to excitement.
Meanwhile, Wu Chenpei and Tang Chen, who had just emerged from a special passageway, couldn’t help but frown as they watched the crowd flowing back in reverse.
“What’s going on?” Tang Chen asked, grabbing a Judge by the arm.
“Lord Su Chen is here!” the Judge replied excitedly, without even looking up.
