Su Chen exchanged a few pleasantries and invited him inside, getting straight to the point. "What was that explosion earlier about?"
"That's exactly why I'm here." Fatty Sun glanced at Zhang Hengyu but didn't hold back. Unease lingered on his face. "I only learned today β Yingfeng didn't just send those special envoys. They also sent a Chief Inquisitor."
Zhang Hengyu's eyes flickered.
"A Chief Inquisitor?" Su Chen was taken aback. Those were Adjudication Court elites β high-ranking even by Yingfeng standards.
"That explosion just now? That was the Chief Inquisitor moving on Zhou Xian." Fatty Sun elaborated.
"Hm?" Su Chen's eyes lit up. As expected of Yingfeng's heavy hitters β swift and decisive.
Not like that old tortoise Zhang Hongbo, with all his investigating and probing. Utterly useless.
"Unfortunately..." Fatty Sun's tone shifted to a sigh. "Zhou Xian is no pushover. He actually escaped from the Chief Inquisitor."
'Escaped?' Su Chen's expression froze. A vein twitched at his temple. He nearly let loose a tirade.
'Don't take on a job if you can't finish it!'
Zhang Hongbo might be calculating, but at least the man was methodical. Keeping Zhou Xian under open surveillance had prevented the cult leader from acting recklessly.
Now that he'd slipped the net β the enemy was in the dark, and Su Chen was in the light.
Fatty Sun mused, "Still, this basically confirms the Director had serious skeletons in his closet. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed silent this long without offering any explanation."
"He was the head of the entire Internal Affairs Hall. What more could the man possibly want?"
'Wait...' Su Chen's brow furrowed as another thought struck him. 'Could that Chief Inquisitor have been fishing too?'
If the man had truly wanted to capture Zhou Xian, he could have called in Zhang Hongbo. Between the two of them, escape would have been impossible.
Even with that suspicion, Su Chen's mood didn't improve one bit.
Other people were the fishermen. He might well end up as collateral.
"That Chief Inquisitor... doesn't exactly instill confidence in his judgment." Su Chen muttered, brimming with resentment.
"Whoaβ" Fatty Sun flinched so hard his flesh jiggled. He looked left and right, then hissed, "You cannot say that to anyone else."
"What, am I supposed to speak no ill of the great and powerful?" Su Chen snapped.
Fatty Sun shook his head earnestly. "This Chief Inquisitor is different from the others."
"He's the 6th Chief Inquisitor of the Adjudication Court. Name's Xia Hanshi. I've heard he has a fearsome reputation β every city he visits, the upper echelons treat him like a venomous snake."
"If he overheard what you just said, he might actually kill you."
"That ruthless?" Su Chen's expression shifted.
Zhang Hengyu looked as though he wanted to say something but held his tongue.
"Stay sharp over the next while. The city's going to be restless again." Fatty Sun offered a few more warnings before departing.
"Turbulent times." Su Chen sighed helplessly. A casual flick of the wrist from some authority figure above could spell catastrophe for someone like him.
Zhou Xian had retreated into the shadows. His cover blown, he'd become even more dangerous and unpredictable. But he'd need time to recover from his wounds β he probably wouldn't act immediately.
Su Chen's gaze drifted to the silent Zhang Hengyu. 'This talisman can't be lost.'
............
Behind closed doors, Su Chen stared at his panel. His mind brushed against the word "ADVANCE" and it dissolved into fine golden motes of light.
A tremor ran through Su Chen's body. His mind cleared with crystalline sharpness. His perspective shifted β as though he were observing his own body from the outside, even seeing through the skin to muscles, blood vessels, meridians, and organs.
It felt as though he could control his body with far greater precision.
The Sage, like the Scholar, was a support class. It didn't alter his physique or bestow esoteric knowledge.
[Sage advancement successful. Professional ability acquired β Fine Control: skill proficiency acquisition rate increased by 50%.]
Su Chen's spirit jolted. The exact same type of ability as the Scholar?
"Could these two professions have some kind of synergy?" Su Chen speculated. Professions held many secrets β he'd barely scratched the surface.
"Between them, that's a full 100% boost. Without any other aids, training efficiency has already doubled." Su Chen's mood soared.
"Seems like the gains from a Forced Advancement are even worse than I imagined..." He couldn't help but reflect. The Scholar's 50% bonus was equivalent to elevating one's talent from Brilliant Silver to Red Gold.
Yet Zhang Hengyu's effective talent fell far short of Red Gold.
"With another 50% on top... I wonder if there'll be any visible improvement in talent." He mused.
After the Sage entry on his panel, a line of crimson text appeared: 365 days.
"They gave me a whole year to supply the final top-tier profession's information?" Su Chen was mildly astonished, then broke into a grin. "It really does pay to have connections. No rush at all, then."
With the advancement complete, Su Chen couldn't wait to experience the enhanced training efficiency firsthand.
Mist Fiend Potion down the hatch, Spiritual Light flooding in, five-times gravity crushing down.
The Fierce Wind Body Forging Method churned at full blast. The sensation of muscles tearing made cold sweat pour from Su Chen's brow β while the Ethereal Meditation Method drove his mental acuity to new peaks.
"As expected..." Su Chen savored the changes carefully. The speed at which his muscles tore and rebuilt was noticeably faster than before. Mental activity had reached yet another high-water mark.
............
In the Outer City of Nanfeng β home not only to the slums but also to the city's industrial factories.
Amid the roar of machinery, Zhou Xian staggered forward, face ghastly white, drenched in blood. His right side was empty β the arm severed at the shoulder.
Terror still hadn't fully left his eyes. He lurched into the deepest recesses of the factory, where an escort was already waiting.
But seeing his pitiful state, the escort couldn't help but start. They hurried him into a concealed chamber.
Someone waited inside β massively built, skull completely bald, bearing the mark of a black vertical eye atop his head.
"Priest." The escort dipped his head respectfully and withdrew.
"Priest, they sent Xia Hanshi!" Zhou Xian seethed through clenched teeth. "But even he couldn't have anticipated that a humble city like Nanfeng would draw a Priest."
"Letting me go was his worst mistake!"
The Priest's voice was flat. "You've been exposed. Your mission has failed. What comes next β I will conduct a sacrificial offering using Nanfeng City. You'll need to contribute."
"A sacrificial offering?" Zhou Xian's heart lurched. "Now? We're short on materials, and the ritual array can't be assembled in time."
"I will summon the Holy Icon." The Priest uttered four words.
Zhou Xian's body shuddered β from pain, from fear, or both. "Is it truly worth that price? All for that one exquisite soul?"
"You don't understand." The Priest offered no explanation.
Zhou Xian hesitated. "What about my son?"
"I told you β you've failed."
Zhou Xian forced the words out. "Give me a few more days. Summoning the Holy Icon costs too much. I'll bring you an exact target!"
The Priest's obsidian eyes settled on him. Cold sweat beaded Zhou Xian's forehead.
The Priest's tone remained indifferent. "I will continue preparations. If you deliver an accurate target before the forced offering begins, our previous agreement still stands."
............
Nanfeng Academy. Xia Hanshi climbed to the top floor of the library. Using a Chief Inquisitor's highest clearance, he entered the core management chamber, linked into the central terminal, and pulled up the records.
"Only twenty-six borrowings in an entire year..." The virtual screen cast its glow across Xia Hanshi's gaunt face. His voice was cold. "A profession as valuable as the Scholar, and nobody bothers to study it properly."
"Hm β the imprint has been erased?"
He shut down the terminal. A subtle shift passed through his eyes. "That's not something a 3rd-tier professional could do. Nanfeng City is hiding something significant."
......
Three days after the attack on the Internal Affairs Hall. Despite training with some restraint, the Sage's influence had propelled Su Chen to remarkable progress.
[Gale Hunter: 5%]
[Mystic Artificer: 83%]
[E-rank Fierce Wind Body Forging Method β Proficient: 5%]
[F-rank Ethereal Meditation Method β Adept: 15%]
His innate mental talent already exceeded his physical, and with multiple stacking boosts, the Mystic Artificer's development rate was now even faster than the Void-Rending Warrior's had been.
"At this pace, it'll hit 100% before long. The Mystic Scholar is within arm's reach." Su Chen made a rough estimate and felt surging motivation.
He was about to wrap up today's session and go bond with Zhang Hengyu.
Yesterday, Zhang Yunqing had made another appearance, but after their previous confrontation, Zhang Hengyu had clearly grown. This time he didn't waver for an instant β he flatly refused to leave.
But just then, his panel flashed unbidden. The Believer of Black Buddha profession β which had been enduring a prolonged group beating β finally showed a result.
[...After an amicable exchange, the Believer of Black Buddha has chosen to abandon its former master and pledge itself to the host. Profession transformed β Believer.]