Returning to the Adjudication Court in the afternoon, Su Chen headed straight to the Class Storage Department, preparing to extract a 4th-tier class.
A few days ago, he had approached Chong Jingtian regarding this matter, and without a second word, the other party had granted him the opportunity to extract one.
Entering the hall, Su Chen familiarly stated his request and reviewed the class requirements.
'Discovered 4th-tier superior classâCalamity Walker. You may advance upon completing the requirements.'
'Advancement Requirement #1: Elevate three types of body forging methods to the Master level.'
'Advancement Requirement #2: Wrap yourself in lightning elements and survive in a thunderstorm for three days.'
'Advancement Requirement #3: Summon a natural disaster thunderstorm to strike an area inhabited by ten thousand people, causing over a hundred casualties or destroying more than thirty percent of the living area.'
Standing before the virtual screen, Su Chen rubbed his chin, his gaze unfocused. "The requirements are getting harder and harder."
Mastering three standard body forging methods and acting as a lightning rod to survive in a thunderstorm for three days was manageable, but he also had to summon a natural disaster to strike others.
And this was after the panel had corrected it. According to the Adjudication Court's records, Requirement #3 originally necessitated causing no fewer than five hundred casualties and destroying more than fifty percent of the area.
At the 3rd-tier, it was simply impossible to create such a large-scale natural disaster thunderstorm. He would have to rely on nature or the help of others.
This required resources, money, and status; he couldn't afford to be lacking in any of them if he wanted to complete it as quickly as possible.
'The Calamity Walker arrived callously, intending to spread fear and despair, until he saw the Great Exalted. A hint of a smile squeezed out from his callous cheeks, and he restrained his aura. Advancement Requirement #2 has been weakened, and the survival time is reduced to one day.'
The usual Great Exalted face-giving segment.
"However, even though it's been weakened, it's not that crucial anyway," Su Chen muttered.
As his tier increased, these classes gradually went from prostrating themselves to merely trembling in fear.
Regardless, he still hadn't used his Evil God Power, so there was no rush. He continued to read the next class.
'Discovered 4th-tier superior classâLaw Envoy. You may advance upon completing the requirements.'
'Advancement Requirement #1: Elevate three types of meditation methods to the Master level.'
'Advancement Requirement #2: Endure for six hours in the Trial of Whispers.'
'Advancement Requirement #3: Gain control over an organization with a population of no fewer than a thousand people, and establish a harsh, heavily resisted set of laws that remains unbroken for more than half a year.'
"A heavily resisted set of laws? I'd be torturing them and torturing myself, and it would consume a massive amount of time, energy, and resources to prepare." Su Chen scanned it and couldn't help but frown.
"Let's see what it weakens itself to. This last requirement is quite troublesome."
He pondered, 'The eradication effect of the Faceless Ghost Power is also a one-in-three chance. It might not necessarily erase this one, and I only have one portion. With no believers left in Yingfeng, I'm afraid it will be very difficult to find another.'
"Should I gamble on the Law Envoy or the Calamity Walker?"
He was hesitant, but after waiting a moment, there was completely no reaction on the panel.
"Huh?" Su Chen was slightly taken aback. Usually, the moment a class was captured, the "face-giving" routine from the Great Exalted would trigger immediately, with almost no gap in between. He had grown used to it.
"Could it be?" His heart palpitated slightly, and after waiting another moment, text slowly surfaced on the panel.
'The Law Envoy wore a stern expression. As a defender of the rules, he was unsmiling and permitted no actions that violated the rules to occur.'
He didn't give face. Su Chen felt a hint of excitement. A reckless youth had arrived!
This was the first time one had refused to give face, and he was very curious to see exactly what would happen.
'The Law Envoy stood perfectly straight. The other classes looked over sideways and stepped back. The Great Exalted lowered his gaze slightly, and a sound like a thunderclap echoed. The Law Envoy stumbled to the ground, and all advancement requirements are considered completely fulfilled.'
"Hah..." Su Chen couldn't hold it back. The Great Exalted didn't even bother arguing. Since the guy insisted on being stubborn, the Great Exalted simply shocked him into a concussion.
"As expected of the Great Exalted, taking care of it all in one step."
This way, there was no need to worry about the Trial of Whispers either. Last time, facing Black Buddha directly had left him with lingering fear.
He also didn't need to care about any harsh laws. When the time came, he could just advance directly.
Soon after, Su Chen immediately utilized his 'Mid-tier Black Buddha Power' to corrupt the classes.
'The amnesic Law Envoy has been corrupted by the Black Buddha Power and remains devoid of worldly desires.'
'The Law Envoy has transformed intoâWord Spirit Lord.'
"?" Su Chen blanked out for a moment, barely suppressing a laugh. It actually transformed just like that. Badass, truly badass.
Su Chen sincerely hoped, "I hope these reckless youths show up more often in the future."
'The still-terrified Calamity Walker has been corrupted by the Black Buddha Power. His desire for destruction has grown stronger, necessitating the acquisition of a clear Eye of the Thunder God to suppress his urges.'
"Eye of the Thunder God, no idea what kind of thing that is."
Su Chen was in a good mood and invoked his 'Mid-tier Faceless Ghost Power' once more.
'The Calamity Walker has been corrupted by the Faceless Power. In a state of delirium, he seems to have forgotten who he is. Requirement #3 has been erased.'
"Not bad luck at all, erasing the most troublesome one right away." Su Chen grinned, extremely satisfied. "Wasn't all my hard work for this exact moment?"
Through his series of operations, along with the panel's "insignificant" assistance, the advancement requirements for the two classes had been whittled down to a point where they could be easily fulfilled.
"All that's left is the requirement to get struck by lightning, and it only takes a single day. I can knock that out whenever I have some free time. That way, once my development reaches one hundred percent, I can advance straight away."
Being able to advance straight away upon reaching one hundred percent development sounded ordinary, but for the vast majority of professionals, it was an unattainable dream.
Advancement requirements were bizarre and diverse, rarely aligning smoothly with one's development progress. In a sense, having a forging method requirement take up one of the slots could already be considered a reduction in difficulty.
However, the other requirements weren't so simple to fulfill.
Other people generally had to start preparing their advancement requirements when their development reached around ninety percent, forcing them to slow down their progress.
As their tier increased, the preparation time varied, with half a year, a year, or even two years being quite common.
Take Ming Lin, for example. Su Chen had heard he was about to advance to the 4th-tier from the moment he joined the Adjudication Court, yet even now, he was still in the same state.
Then there was Wei Yufan. Just to advance to a peak 5th-tier class, he had been preparing for two or three years and still hadn't met the conditions.
"It's a pity, why can't these Evil God Powers affect special classes?" Su Chen was still a bit greedy, muttering to himself. "Maybe I just haven't found the right Evil God yet."
Pondering all the way, Su Chen returned to his residence and went straight into the Gravity Room, beginning to sweat profusely.
The Adjudication Court and the Security Bureau issued a joint announcement explaining the cause behind the massive rift that had been visible throughout all of Yingfeng a few days ago.
At the same time, they emphasized that the Evil God Cultists in Yingfeng had essentially been eradicated, earning widespread praise.
The Adjudication Court's investigation into Wei Yinshuo's death, however, had not concluded. It was being conducted implicitly to prevent the news from spreading too much, but there had been no conclusive findings yet.
Meanwhile, some well-informed individuals had already begun to make their moves. The businesses and assets left behind by Wei Yinshuo were gradually being encroached upon. Without their greatest patron, the Wei family could only cut off their own flesh to save their lives.
Even though Chong Jingtian had covertly stepped forward, it couldn't stop the Wei family from proactively liquidating their assets, causing many to sigh in continuous lamentation.
...
Nearing the end of February, Su Chen let out a long breath in the Gravity Room. The faint chanting ringing in his ears faded away, and his mental energy felt purer than ever.
'The Profound Ice Soul-Cleansing Meditation Method has been elevated to the Master level. Acquired abilityâIce Soul: slightly increases mental resilience.'
He checked his panelâ
'Azure Thunder Sovereign: 57%'
'Mystic Holy Hand: 65%'
'D-rank Thunder Aura Body Forging MethodâProficient: 70%'
He had reached fifty percent in 'Azure Thunder Sovereign' a while ago. Its awakened ability merged with 'Azure Thunder God Walk', spawning a new ability named 'Thunder Walk', which allowed him to briefly elementalize his bodyâa common ability among 3rd-tier elemental-type classes.
It was similar to what Zhou Xian had achieved back then, but the intensity was far higher, causing his speed to skyrocket once again.
If he used 'Holy Hand' to enhance the ability, strictly in terms of explosive speed, even a 5th-tier professional like Senior Brother Teng Liang, who didn't excel in speed, might not necessarily be able to catch him.
Su Chen pulled up his new meditation method, namedâ'Return to Ruins Meditation Method'.
"This is probably the absolute last D-rank meditation method."
Although 'Word Spirit Lord' no longer had any requirements, the meditation method could still improve his foundational strength, so Su Chen didn't give up on learning it.
Su Chen couldn't help but think about how he had always been curious as to why forging methods weren't categorized by tiers, but rather by letter grades.
It was only after asking Teng Liang some time ago that he learned forging methods maxed out at A-rank. Even 7th-tier professionals, like Chong Jingtian and the others, still used A-rank forging methods.
"A-rank essentially corresponds to the 6th-tier. After the 6th-tier, they still have to use low-level body forging methods. The efficiency must be appallingly low."
When Su Chen got this answer, he was also quite surprised and a bit worried at first. But then he thought againâhe was only at the 3rd-tier. There was bound to be a path forward when he reached the mountain, and it was too early to worry about it now.
After initiating the meditation method, Su Chen didn't continue exercising. He checked the time, packed up briefly, and left, taking a hovercar straight out of the Adjudication Court.
His destination was a tall building. There were quite a few hovercars parked downstairs, brandishing signs from various organizations and departments like the Adjudication Court, the Class Decoding Department, and the Security Bureau.
"Your Excellency Su Chen..." Someone greeted him. Su Chen had never seen the man before, but he still nodded with a smile.
Many people greeted him along the way, and he responded to each of them.
"Su Chen..." someone called out, the voice sounding familiar. Turning his head, it indeed turned out to be Cheng Lang.
"Deputy Director Cheng..." Su Chen greeted as well, stepping into the elevator guided by a staff member in a black suit.
"In the end, this news still couldn't be kept under wraps," Cheng Lang sighed emotionally. "Chief Inquisitor Wei Yinshuo, dead just like that."
"Have they figured out what happened?" he asked.
The relationship between the two seemed much closer now, thanks to Su Chen leaking the news to Cheng Lang just a few days after Wei Yinshuo's death.
His investment had yielded a return, so Cheng Lang didn't feel as disgusted when seeing Su Chen anymore.
Su Chen shrugged. "It's pretty much certain that it was the work of Evil God Cultists. Basically luring the tiger out of the mountain, trading the lives of every Evil God Cultist in Yingfeng for Wei Yinshuo's life."
"Chief Inquisitor Wei can be considered to have died a worthy death." Cheng Lang sighed, not surprised by this outcome.
His eyes flickered, and peering up at the surveillance cameras overhead, he whispered, "I heard a corpse went missing that day too?"
Compared to Wei Yinshuoâs death, which was genuinely impossible to cover up, the number of people who knew about Meng Qi returning from the dead was far too few. Even Cheng Lang had only heard vague rumors.
"Just a minor detail. It's already been destroyed," Su Chen said casually.
Cheng Lang couldn't help feeling disappointed. With a ding, the elevator arrived at the twenty-fourth floor.
The two adjusted their clothes and stepped out of the elevator, heading straight for the hall a short distance away.
Simultaneously, they each took out a white paper-wrapped envelope and left it with the staff stationed outside the hall.
Entering the hall, they were greeted by Wei Yinshuo's massive, elongated face. The black-and-white photo hung right in the center of the hall, accompanied by melancholy music drifting through the air.
Wei Yinshuo's death couldn't be kept a secret, so there naturally had to be an official conclusion.
As a Chief Inquisitor, the Adjudication Court granted him an exceptionally high-status funeral to honor his lifetime achievements, while simultaneously mandating that everyone above the rank of Grade Four Inquisitor had to attend the memorial.
The standard of this memorial was extremely high, and many important figures were present at the scene.
As a core seed of the Adjudication Court, Su Chen possessed the right to offer his condolences individually, whereas Cheng Lang could only wait his turn.
Glancing at Wei Yinshuo's photo, Su Chen inexplicably felt an urge to laugh. Walking across the black carpet, he arrived at the very front and gave a slight bow.
"The family returns the gesture," someone nearby called out. Su Chen turned and saw several middle-aged men; the one in the lead bore a forced smile meant to show goodwill.
His seat was in the third row. In the first row sat Chong Jingtian, alongside a few other middle-aged men who shared an identically composed demeanor.
When Su Chen arrived, they glanced over and began conversing.
"Is this the core seed the Adjudication Court took in last year? Su Chen, right? Looking like a man of striking appearance."
"I hear this fellow is unrivaled in the Inner Court, forcing Wei Yufan to advance to the 5th-tier just to avoid facing him on the challenge arena."
Chong Jingtian remarked apathetically, "Young people need to compete."
In the fourth row sat Wei Yufan, Zhong Ming, Feng Ze, Liang Jingcheng, and Ming Lin, each with a different expression on their face.
Chong Jingtian had issued a hard mandateâthey had to come, whether they wanted to or not.
Su Chen sat down beside Ming Lin and heard him sigh, "Having such a grand procession for his funeral, it was worth it."
"Yeah," Su Chen nodded, looking toward Wei Yinshuo's photo again. You walked one journey in life, and another journey in death; I've come to see you off both times, saving you the trouble of worrying about me.
"What use is glory after death?" Feng Ze shook his head. He had regained his status as a core seed but seemed much more composed now, capable of casually conversing and laughing with Liang Jingcheng.
"Better than being historically forgotten," Feng Ze said with obscure meaning. "Hardly anyone attended the Xiao family's funeral."
Wei Yufan's face instantly darkened.
"The people from Yuandu have arrived," Ming Lin suddenly stated, looking toward the rear flank.
Su Chen's eyes flashed, and he followed his gaze.
A group of people walked into the hall. The most eye-catching among them was an old man draped in a silver-patterned cloak. The crystal scepter floating in his hand continuously shed motes of light.
"That's the Radiant Holy EnvoyâWu Chenpei."
The people from Yuandu had already arrived in Yingfeng three days ago. Rumor and hearsay stated that the Council of Elders had personally gone to welcome them, but the commotion was minor and hadn't been publicized. Su Chen had only found out after the fact.
Today, Chong Jingtian mandated that all those at or above the rank of Deputy Department Director had to attend. That was why Su Chen had come to offer condolences, not expecting to see the people from Yuandu here.
Feng Ze lowered his voice. "I heard they're here for a major matter, not whatever 'cultural exchange' they're projecting on the surface."
"And that is the Chosen SonâHong Xuan."
Ming Lin raised his chin slightly, indicating a person following behind the old man. His pale blonde hair curled slightly, white as snow, with his head lowered and eyes cast down.
Liang Jingcheng was quite astonished. "He's even prettier than in the photos. Is that really a man?"
"I've heard he was only discovered by the Holy Court the year before last, and became a Chosen Son last year." At this point, Ming Lin lowered his voice, "Word has it that he might possess the Crimson talent, which has never appeared before."
"Not 'might'," Wei Yufan interjected again. "He unequivocally is a Crimson-talent 4th-tier professional."
Crimson talent? Su Chen was surprised. So this was the Holy Court's trump card to guarantee the acknowledgment of the Crimson Flame Responding Thunder Great Exalted?
(End of this chapter)