Su Chen thumped his own chest, producing a dull
thump thump
sound. The tactile sensation of his skin hadn't changed at all, nor had his perception of the outside world.
"Truly miraculous..." He couldn't help but sigh with emotion, making a brief estimation. "With this, a 3rd-tier definitely won't be able to break my defense. Even a top-level profession with maximized development wouldn't be enough. I wonder if Wu Yang, a lower 4th-tier professional, could break my defense..."
"I'm filled with a sense of security."
Su Chen was quite satisfied. Merely by fusing and gaining an omnidirectional defense, it was worth all those days of taking a beating.
On the panel, the requirement for assuming [Origin Reverser] was only 46% complete.
As for the Fragment of the Void Star, today was the bidding day at the Resource Depository. Gu Bing had already taken people to buy it, so there was no need for him to show his face.
Soon after, he took out the new D-rank meditation method: Profound Ice Soul-Cleansing Meditation Method.
"...Visualize oneself as being in the extreme cold of the polar regions, draw in the cold energy to temper the spirit, repeat nine times, and extreme ice will rise in the sea of consciousness..."
Just as he was pondering this, the gravity room opened, and Bai Fengxi walked in, her pretty face taut. Seeing Su Chen standing there, she couldn't help but look surprised. "Am I early?"
She checked the time. "It's not early."
"You don't need to beat me up today." Su Chen shook his head, then added, "You won't ever need to again."
"The requirements are completed?" Bai Fengxi looked thoroughly disappointed, her mood plummeting even further.
Su Chen was speechless. Noticing that she wasn't quite right, he asked, "What's wrong?"
"I lost." With a hint of anger, she said deeply, "In the selection match, I lost to Liang Jingcheng!"
"That guy seems to have assumed another special profession; he has more tricks up his sleeve now."
"So that's how it is..." Su Chen wasn't too surprised. Liang Jingcheng had sat in the Core Seed position for so many years, so he definitely had some skill.
Seeing Su Chen's completely unsurprised attitude, Bai Fengxi looked like a frostbitten eggplant as she sighed: "I was too hasty. Ultimately, I'm not you."
"Don't say that." Su Chen shook his head. "If you could be like me, that would truly be logic-defying."
"Hahâ" Bai Fengxi laughed despite her anger. "You really know how to comfort people."
After exchanging a few bantering words, Bai Fengxi managed to adjust herself. Her mentality wasn't that easily broken. It was just that her expectation had been to become a Core Seed, so losing naturally caused a sense of disparity.
"Those guys really aren't simple. Their experience, strength, and profession synergies can be deemed perfect..." Bai Fengxi started to review her performance, concluding she had underestimated her opponent.
"After all, having been in that position for so many years, they have dedicated people adjusting their profession combinations for them." Su Chen comforted her somewhat. "You've only been in the Adjudication Court for half a year, yet you wanted to challenge them."
"Then what about you?" Bai Fengxi retorted. "We came here together."
"I've told you, don't compare yourself to me, I'm using hacks." Su Chen was helpless. Old Bai was very competitive. After all, she had also climbed up from being a refugee and had the same background as him, so it was unavoidable that she would compare herself to him.
Bai Fengxi said wistfully: "Only after fighting those Core Seeds do I understand how formidable you are. No wonder you forced Wei Yufan to advance to the 5th-tier."
She had always been keeping tabs on news regarding Su Chen, especially after his battle with Chu Xuan. However, she hadn't witnessed that battle with her own eyes; she mostly heard about it through word of mouth.
Many people were saying that if they stepped onto the challenge ring, no one among the Core Seeds would be a match for Su Chen.
Intangibly, this caused her to underestimate those guys quite a bit. But once she stepped onto the challenge ring to face Liang Jingcheng...
Only then did she suddenly realize Su Chen's profound strength and the sense of oppression he brought to others.
"Forget it. I can't compare to you. Sooner or later, I'll be able to arm-wrestle with those veteran Core Seeds. I'm going back to train." With those words, Bai Fengxi left stylishly, tossing back over her shoulder, "Next time there's a good deed like beating you up, remember to call me."
"She'll become a Core Seed sooner or later," Su Chen remarked as he watched Bai Fengxi's retreating back.
Old Bai didn't lack the right mentality, and her talent was sufficient. Once she made up for her foundational deficits, a Core Seed position would inevitably have her name on it.
After reaching the initiate stage with the meditation method, Su Chen tidied up a bit and headed to the Class Decoding Department. This time, to assist with the translation, he extended his resonance time significantly. It had already been nearly two months before they were close to translating it completely.
"Once this translation is done, I can just use it to trade with Ming Lin for that [Glutton]..."
Today was the wrap-up work. Qin Qiyuan had basically integrated almost all the profession information and made a tentative grade evaluation.
"Tentatively evaluated as B-rank. With two top-level professions as one of its prerequisites, and requiring the fusion of metallic materials, the enhancement to the physical body should be quite substantial."
Qin Qiyuan mused, "But as for the specific professional abilities and the limitations after assuming it, we'll have to wait until someone assumes it to conduct an analysis."
"Or, you can come and tell us whenever you assume it. Having two top-level physical professionsâyou definitely satisfy that. The rest aren't too difficult; it just requires enduring some hardship."
Prior to assuming a profession, its professional abilities could only be known through deduction. Based on his experience, Old Sang could deduce the abilities of the [Spatial Storage Adept], and the previous [Potion Tester] was also relatively easy to guess.
But clues from the professional information of the [Armored Bone Adept] made direct deduction very difficult.
If Su Chen hadn't already assumed the profession, it would be extremely difficult to know that its ability was to fuse external armor to enhance physical defense.
"B-rank..." Su Chen nodded. This also meant that he could exchange for a B-rank profession from the Class Decoding Department. He casually asked Qin Qiyuan about it.
Qin Qiyuan chuckled in spite of himself. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. There aren't that many special professions that can aid in combat strength to begin with."
"Furthermore, just these two professions alone will take you at least three or four years to accomplish."
Hearing this, Su Chen could only drop the matter. After chatting casually to build a better relationship as usual, Su Chen headed back.
As it turned out, the moment he descended from the laboratory building, he saw Cheng Lang waiting for him. Su Chen raised an eyebrow and said happily, "Deputy Director Cheng, long time no seeâ"
Seeing Su Chen's enthusiastic demeanor, Cheng Lang felt highly sickened internally.
Last time, Su Chen had shamelessly swindled three Mystic Energy Crystals from him. While they weren't exactly anything precious, there had been no follow-up whatsoever.
They had originally wanted to wait for this kid to be defeated by Chu Xuan, only for him to come crawling back to them seeking help. Yet the result had been Su Chen cleanly and decisively crushing Chu Xuan, causing a massive sensation.
Heaven knows how long he had remained silent when he first received that news.
Later, the higher-ups realized that if things progressed at this trend, even without their help, Su Chen still had a very high probability of becoming the Chief Inquisitor.
So they temporarily halted any actions to add icing on the cake and paused their contact.
They simply shifted their targets to the other individuals. But those veteran Core Seeds were all shrewd as monkeys; they were all the type who wouldn't release the hawk until seeing the hare.
As for Chu Xuan, who lacked a foundation, he died inexplicably after merely two instances of contact.
Later, Meng Qi was promoted, yet he disappeared after only one instance of contact, leaving them extremely exasperated.
For the Core Seed selection match held this time, the ones elevated were Feng Ze and Liang Jingchengâtwo seasoned veterans. Cheng Lang didn't even want to bother with them.
Looking left and right, the only one left without a foundation who could potentially become a puppet was Su Chen.
"I had no choice. I've been too busy recently and truly couldn't find the time. I've wanted to arrange a meeting with you for a while," Cheng Lang sighed, then added, "Have the three Mystic Energy Crystals from last time been working well for you?"
"No problems at all. They were absolutely fantastic," Su Chen nodded repeatedly. "I was just thinking about thanking you in person."
Do I look like I'm lacking your 'thank you'?
Displeased internally, Cheng Lang lowered his voice and asked: "I heard that on the day Meng Qi died, a Believer of Black Buddha appeared and entered the Adjudication Court to testify."
"What was the specific situation?"
Su Chen frowned, looking troubled. "The Chief issued a gag order regarding everything that happened that day."
If there weren't a gag order, I wouldn't even be asking, Cheng Lang muttered internally. In truth, he already knew the general gist of what happened that day.
But when cultivating a defector, one couldn't begin by asking highly classified questions right awayânine times out of ten, it wouldn't succeed. One had to start with these inconsequential pieces of information.
Seeing Su Chen still sporting a look of difficulty, Cheng Lang felt a burst of annoyance. This guy ate his gifts, yet refused to divulge even this widely circulated information.
He sighed helplessly: "Last time, because of that incident at Amongst the Sea of Clouds, the higher-ups in the Supervision Department questioned me heavily. That was a nest of Evil God Cultists, yet I let you have it for nothing."
"I've helped Your Excellency, and I hope Your Excellency can help me as well. Mutual assistance."
Hearing him bring this matter up, Su Chen hesitated, looking extremely conflicted. After a long while, he finally nodded with great difficulty: "Alright."
Su Chen lowered his voice: "A Believer of Black Buddha did indeed come, and the whole affair felt bizarre. I can confirm that Meng Qi had major issues."
"Confirm Meng Qi had issues?" Cheng Lang's eyes lit up slightly.
He actually didn't know much about Meng Qi's situation. The events in the Judgment Hall that night had been warped and twisted through rumors, making it difficult to discern truth from falsehood.
The entire Adjudication Court remained extremely secretive regarding Meng Qi's affair, as it involved the dignity of several Chief Inquisitors, after all.
"How did he manage to deceive Chong Jingtian and the others?" Cheng Lang pressed further.
"I'm not clear about that," Su Chen shook his head.
Although he didn't receive an answer, he had at least managed to pry something out. Cheng Lang felt much more comfortable, his smile becoming significantly more amiable: "We are all people of Yingfeng, so we should naturally help each other out. If there's any area where I can be of use in the future, just speak up."
The two exchanged a smile, their eyes filled with magnanimity for the sake of Yingfeng.
"I don't even know how many times the Security Bureau has performed similar acts." Sitting in the back seat of the hovercar, Su Chen couldn't help but speculate. The strife between the Security Bureau and the Adjudication Court could be traced back very far.
This time, they took advantage of the inner court reforms to pull off a few minor tricks. But these were probably just a few idle moves. If they proved useful, great; if not, they would simply wait for the next opportunity.
Shifting his thoughts, he considered, "Hmm, I wonder how things are going on Gu Bing's end. I hope she managed to secure it."
The Resource Depository was Yingfeng's resource distribution center, falling under the direct jurisdiction of the Resource Reserve Management Bureau. Over 90% of all resources gathered here before being allocated according to category.
It was situated in the core district of Yingfeng, occupying a vast area of land. Ultra-heavy cargo hovercraft drove along the main roads, their containers stamped with the insignias of different cities and resource types.
â
Under the guidance of dispatchers, they were diverted to corresponding areas. A massive number of gantry cranes stood in the unloading areas, an electromagnetic suction cup effortlessly extracting standardized cargo containers from the transport bellies and stacking them precisely onto automated guided vehicles for storage.
On the top floor of the central high-rise, Gu Bing and Tie Feng stepped out of an elevator.
"Is the money we prepared enough?"
Gu Bing swept her gaze down the corridor. Many people were coming and going here; there were people from the Crafting Department, Potion Department, and Supervision Department.
Tie Feng replied, "I've studied the records from recent years. The price of the Fragment of the Void Star is quite stable."
"The estimated price is around 150 million, but we've come as representatives for Your Excellency Su Chen. Others will give a bit of face, so the price won't be jacked up too high."
"The 130 million we prepared should be enough."
Gu Bing nodded and followed the crowd into the bidding hall, finding seats to sit down among the large number of people.
"That's Gu Bing. Su Chen actually has things he needs too?"
In a corner, someone's gaze swept over Gu Bing, an indescribable emotion flashing through his long, narrow eyes. The person next to him, He Kang, wrinkled his signature 'jiong' (ć§) shaped eyebrows and said in a low voice: "Xiao Ying, don't stir up trouble. Don't forget Old Wei's instructions; he needs the 'Jade-Hidden Flowing Light' to stabilize his profession right now."
"Relax, am I the kind of person who stirs up trouble for no reason?" Xiao Ying chuckled.
He Kang didn't feel relaxed at all. Just as he was about to say more, he noticed Xiao Ying had already stood up and was greeting a person next to him: "Uncle Zhou, it's you coming for the Supervision Department this time."
"Yeah..." The person being greeted wasn't tall and sported a beard around his chin. Looking highly capable, he gave a wry smile upon hearing this: "There are so few good items, and fighting with others easily causes tempers to flare. No one else wanted to come, so it had to be me."
Zhou Honglang, the logistics director of the Supervision Department. He Kang also knew him and exchanged pleasantries.
"Why are you two here? Looking for something?" Zhou Honglang sat down next to them and asked.
"Yeah," Xiao Ying nodded, smiling. "Uncle Zhou, let's coordinate with each other later and try our best to secure all the things we want."
"Sure thing," Zhou Honglang responded with a chuckle.
Everyone here was thoroughly familiar with the bidding process. After the person in charge of the Resource Depository appeared and exchanged the usual pleasantries, the first item appeared on the large screen.
It was translucent and dark green throughout, looking as though flowing dawn light had been sealed within it.
"Jade Meat from Jinbi City. Only this much has been produced over several months." He gave a brief introduction. "Everyone knows its uses. Bidding starts at 15 million."
"20 millionâ" Someone immediately called out a price. It was a person from the Potion Department, evidently preparing for in-depth research to see if they could create potions with extremely potent effects.
"30 millionâ" The people from the Crafting Department also called out a bid, perhaps possessing their own ideas.
The two groups only exchanged a glance before the scent of gunpowder permeated the air.
"Why didn't anyone from the Adjudication Court come?" Sitting in the audience, Gu Bing looked left and right.
"The vast majority of these items come from the lower-tier cities. The Adjudication Court has already completed a round of harvesting," Tie Feng evidently understood the inside scoop.
Gu Bing blanked out for a moment before suddenly understanding.
Items were competitively won and taken away piece by piece, only for new ones to be displayed. There were weapons wrought from special metallic materials from the Crafting Department.
There were also potions blended using rare herbs from the Potion Department. Every single item saw a high bid.
And it wasn't just Yingfeng's official institutions; there were also quite a few family buyers and private buyers.