My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 257 - 162: Learning of the Royal Court, a Vast World

Chapter 257: Chapter 162: Learning of the Royal Court, a Vast World

“I understand,” Su Chen nodded, though inwardly he was speechless.

’Old Chong spent all this time trying to impress upon me the gravity of the situation, but then he got worried I was under too much pressure and tried to walk it back.’

’If he were just willing to let Hongxuan get the recognition, there wouldn’t be all this trouble.’

“You’ve had a long day. Go home and rest. Don’t worry about the Spiritual Essence,” Chong Jingtian added. Su Chen stood up and took his leave.

Watching Su Chen leave, Jiang Shu Mo only spoke after the door closed. “Is it a bit too early to let him know all this?”

The matter of the Royal Court was known almost exclusively to the Elder Council and the various department heads. There was no point in ordinary people knowing, and it might even cause trouble.

“If anything, it’s a little late,” Chong Jingtian said, shaking his head.

Jiang Shu Mo fell silent. He sighed, then stood up and said, “I’ll go get the Eye of the Thunder God.”

“Remember, a pristine one,” Chong Jingtian reminded him.

“He’s certainly become a hot commodity,” Jiang Shu Mo said with a laugh. “When Old Xia gets back, he’s going to mock you mercilessly.”

“If he can snatch it from Yuan Chenyang, I don’t see why I can’t,” Chong Jingtian said calmly.

Both Jiang Shu Mo and You Shan looked stunned.

“It was a joke,” Chong Jingtian said, exasperated. ’Why did these two take it seriously?’

***

Outside the venue, the crowd of Judges had not yet fully dispersed. They were excitedly discussing the recent battle. The place was a sea of jostling heads, and the roar of their voices was deafening.

“…It was a real eye-opener! I never thought a Tier Three Professional could be that powerful. The fight was so dazzling I couldn’t even see it clearly.”

“After this, let’s see if those Yuan Capital People still have the nerve to strut around the Judicial Court.”

“Lord Su Chen is out!”

Someone saw him emerge and immediately rushed over, their words filled with fervor and reverence.

Su Chen greeted them one by one, but the crowd kept growing. Left with no choice, he had to retreat back into the venue. He found a secluded spot, put on the Mimic Mask, and then went back out.

“…Lord Su Chen is steady, low-key, and humble. He’s not like those other Core Seeds, forming factions and fighting amongst themselves, both openly and in secret. He has the makings of a Chief.”

“He’ll most likely become the Chief in the future.”

’Chief of the Judicial Court…’ Hearing their discussion, Su Chen couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly.

’Now that I know about the Royal Court and the vast universe beyond, how can I keep my sights set on being Chief of the Judicial Court?’

’The Royal Court… The Royal Court…’

To be honest, Su Chen wasn’t that surprised. The widespread ruins, the strange Professions, the powerful Deceitful Gods, the Nether Realm, and so on—all of it pointed to this world being anything but simple.

He would have found it stranger if there were only the four cities.

’The sea of stars…’ Su Chen’s heart couldn’t help but stir. That boundless expanse was alluring enough on its own, not to mention the individual power to traverse the galaxy.

’I’m getting ahead of myself. For now, I need to keep my feet on the ground and focus on improving myself step by step.’

Moving through the crowd, Su Chen calmed his mind. His main goal right now should be to advance to Tier Four and see that broken Stone Slab.

’Although the Holy Banquet crisis is imminent, it’s not without its benefits. At least I don’t have to look for that Spiritual Essence myself.’

Searching for the Spiritual Essence a while back had been a huge headache, and communicating with those Netherworld Creatures had been completely draining.

Today… he had learned so much. Su Chen’s mind was racing, and it wasn’t until he got back to his residence that he suddenly remembered to contact Senior Brother Teng Liang to cancel their afternoon meeting.

’If only everyone were like Senior Brother Teng Liang—no extra questions, no unnecessary words.’ Su Chen thought with appreciation, looking at the single ’1’ displayed on his virtual screen.

Thinking of the sea of stars in his future, Su Chen felt a surge of motivation. He immediately bolted into the Gravity Chamber and began to train ferociously.

***

「Meanwhile.」

In a vast white fog, in a location unknown.

Xia Hanshi and Yuan Poshan flew cautiously, concealing their auras, their eyes locked on a massive, faceless statue that was faintly visible in the distance.

’Damn, a Divine Statue this huge… Don’t tell me it’s filled with Deceitful God’s Power…’ Yuan Poshan’s throat bobbed, his face a mask of horror.

“I doubt it’s that bad,” Xia Hanshi said, his expression cold. “But a statue this large is definitely not simple.”

“What are the Believers of the Faceless Ghost trying to do? They aren’t preparing a blood sacrifice. Instead, they just keep running with this statue,” Yuan Poshan said, confused.

“I don’t know.” Xia Hanshi shook his head, his brow furrowed. “Let’s follow them for now. They must be after something.”

***

「The next day.」

Tang Chen stroked his little moustache as he watched Chong Jingtian emerge from Wu Chenpei’s room. The two of them were chatting happily, as if they had completely forgotten yesterday’s tense atmosphere.

Wu Chenpei even walked Chong Jingtian to the main gate and watched him get into his vehicle before returning.

“What was he here for? Did he agree to let Hongxuan see the Stone Slab?” Tang Chen asked, walking over.

“You’re quite the optimist,” Wu Chenpei said with a chuckle. “Chong Jingtian proposed a trade: a Saint for some Spiritual Essence.”

“What?” Tang Chen was stunned. He couldn’t help but say, “He certainly has some nerve. That Spiritual Essence is incredibly difficult to find. We only managed to locate it with the help of…”

He spoke vaguely, but his words were filled with resentment. “He definitely wants to let that Su Chen take up the Spiritualist profession, enhance his Talent, and increase his chances of gaining recognition. You mustn’t agree to it, sir.”

“I already have,” Wu Chenpei said.

“You…” Tang Chen was at a loss for words.

Wu Chenpei said calmly, “Hongxuan’s goal isn’t just recognition, but to become the one and only chosen one. The Saint is an unavoidable step in that process. And while Spiritual Essence is hard to find, we ultimately have our ways.”

“As for that Su Chen…” Wu Chenpei shook his head. “Even if he becomes a Spiritualist and gets lucky enough to barely gain recognition, it’s of no consequence.”

Tang Chen thought through the details and couldn’t help but ask in astonishment, “Did you calculate this as well? When you gave that information to Chong Jingtian, did you already know he would offer a Saint in trade?”

“You give me too much credit.” Wu Chenpei chuckled twice, but his smile quickly faded, his expression darkening. “I truly never expected that someone from Ying Feng would defeat Hongxuan in a direct confrontation.”

Tang Chen knew he had misspoken and quickly changed the subject. “How many portions did Chong Jingtian ask for?”

Wu Chenpei summarized simply, “He made an outrageous demand. After some haggling, I agreed to give him two portions.”

“They’re getting off easy,” Tang Chen said coldly. “Without our method, they wouldn’t find a single portion in a lifetime. With two portions of Spiritual Essence, if he’s lucky, it should be just enough for that Su Chen to barely become a Spiritualist.”

“A bare-minimum ascension.” Wu Chenpei shook his head. “It won’t be a perfect ascension, so his abilities will be greatly diminished. It’s not worth our concern.”

Tang Chen was still worried. “But now Chong Jingtian will definitely let Su Chen see the Stone Slab before Hongxuan. What if he actually gets recognized?”

“Letting Chong Jingtian have a glimmer of hope isn’t a bad thing.” Wu Chenpei had his own calculations. “If that Su Chen were to succeed, he would need our consent even more to open the ruin that lets him access the other Stone Slab.”

“The broken Stone Slab only has fragmented Spiritual properties; it cannot produce a chosen one. And if Su Chen fails, Chong Jingtian’s hopes will be shattered, and he’ll have no choice but to agree to our terms anyway.”

Tang Chen’s eyes lit up, and he said with sincere admiration, “You are truly farsighted, sir.”

Sending the Spiritual Essence from Yuan Capital, even by a solo traveler, would take a considerable amount of time.

After Hongxuan’s defeat, it became a rare sight to see anyone from Yuan Capital at the Judicial Court.

Thanks to the Judicial Court’s deliberate maneuvering, news of the victory spread throughout Ying Feng. Many people felt they had finally vented their frustrations and stopped cursing the Judicial Court.

The Judicial Court also began to dispatch more and more Judges, and the Security Department’s activities became more frequent as well, as if the friction between them had been temporarily forgotten.

Su Chen, for his part, returned to his old routine, spending all day training in his residence and rarely going out.

And so, time passed. By mid-May, Ying Feng had become lively once again.

A new batch of young people from the Subordinate cities arrived in Ying Feng, ready to face the assessments from the various organizations.

Meanwhile, in Su Chen’s residence, Jiang Shu Mo was taking out an oval crystal the size of a fist.

Inside it was a constantly contracting, nebula-like vortex that occasionally burst with web-like patterns of lightning. Silvery, nerve-like veins grew naturally along its edges.

It was the Eye of the Thunder God, taken from a Thunder Beast. It was flawless, untainted by even a speck of blood.