The combat arena was fully enclosed by barriers on all four sides. The energy waves scattering from their collisions could not escape, instantly swept up into the next clash.
'This guy is too fast. Speed has never been my strong suit. I really cannot afford to keep dragging this out,'
Even an Apex Profession had its specific strengths; it was incredibly difficult to be perfect in every aspect.
After missing multiple times, a vicious glint flashed in Hong Xuan's eyes. He stomped heavily on the ground, and scorching liquid fire erupted simultaneously from his pores. The tips of his hair danced wildly in the rising heatwaves, every strand crackling with purple and white electrical sparks. Lightning and fire intertwined, forming a spiraling pillar of light that shot into the sky.
In an instant, he was clad in a ferocious armor of Crimson Flames and lightning, radiating an awe-inspiring, murderous aura.
A terrifying aura surged outward, causing the surrounding air to turn viscous. Even the wandering streams of energy light stalled, as if completely intimidated.
'This is similar to my Azure Thunder Sovereign state, but it feels somewhat different...' Su Chen stared intently at his opponent, noticing slight discrepancies that left him amazed.
'It seems to be mixed with mental energy. He might have actually achieved true fusion of Dual Professions.'
Amidst the bursting lightning and fire, Hong Xuan's figure suddenly blurred, leaving behind only a slowly dissipating afterimage of crimson lightning.
The ionizing sparks generated as his hands tore through the air trailed behind him in a ten-meter red and white stream of light, highly condensed lightning aura compressed between his fingers.
'Let me observe his state a little more...' Su Chen's interest was piqued. Everyone claimed Hong Xuan had fused his Dual Professions, but in reality, Su Chen had no idea how that actually worked.
Yet, the guy right in front of him seemed to have pulled it off.
Right at the moment when Hong Xuan's claws, interwoven with lightning and fire, were about to pierce through his body, Su Chen's flesh suddenly erupted with blinding Thunder Light.
His physical form broke down into countless dancing electrical ions, scattering like a shattered prism before reassembling several meters away. The crackling arcs of lightning outlined a semi-transparent humanoid shape.
'Just a bit more. He actually dared to use Elementalization here. What incredible solidity, to not be disrupted at all.'
Hong Xuan looked like a general stepping out from the Crimson Flames and Thunder Light. In this state, his strength had surged drastically once again.
However, what astounded him was that his opponent had the audacity to undergo Elementalization, perfectly evading his attack.
'Still just a bit short...'
After missing several more strikes, Hong Xuan finally realized something was wrong and halted his assault, standing firmly in place.
Unlike the slow-to-realize Hong Xuan, Su Chen had effortlessly dodged several consecutive strikes.
In the private rooms, Wu Chenpei's expression shifted. He shook his head and sighed. "Risking the life of a Core Seed... is this what the Chief is thinking?"
In his eyes, daring to use Elementalization in a closed environment like the combat arena, amidst the chaotic disturbances of various energy flows, was simply to seek one's own path to death.
But it was indeed a valid method. Following Elementalization, Su Chenâwho already excelled in speedâsaw his dodging abilities skyrocket once more. If Hong Xuan could never land a hit, the match would ultimately end in a draw.
Unfortunately, this combat arena was far too small.
"If something goes wrong with an Elementalization like this, no one will be able to save him in time," Wu Chenpei remarked apathetically.
Chong Jingtian furrowed his brows deeply, his fingers rubbing together incessantly.
'What exactly is he trying to do...'
A moment later, yet another strike missed its mark. The pent-up frustration and rage within Hong Xuan could no longer be contained. "Let's see how long you can keep dodging!" he roared.
Hong Xuan suddenly vaulted into the air, unleashing his full power. The armor of Crimson Flames and lightning on the surface of his body shattered with a massive bang, its countless fragments recombining amidst the explosive detonation.
The fragments of his shoulder guards morphed into a single-horned dragon head, the scales of his chest plate spliced together to form a winding serpentine body, and the components of his arm guards melted down in the thunderous fire to forge razor-sharp claws. Crimson Flames and Thunder Light converged and fused from all directions.
A dragon of Crimson Flames and lightning tore through the air, rapidly coiling around Hong Xuan.
'This is it! It's mixed with mental energy. How in the world did he do it?' Su Chen's eyes lit up, as if he were staring at a fascinating new toy.
Every scale of this lightning dragon crackled with purple and white electricity, and its draconic eyes burned with hellish flames.
The surrounding Tribunal Officers watching the match were filled with absolute horror. This aura had already surpassed the boundaries of the 3rd-tier; even an ordinary 4th-tier professional would find it difficult to resist.
Up in the viewing stands, Ming Lin and the others wore solemn expressions. They hadn't even come close to forcing Hong Xuan to use such a trump card.
Hong Xuan swung his arms, and the lightning dragon let out a deafening roar. Explosive claps of thunder violently shook the combat arena. This was a massive area-of-effect attack, carrying an incredibly potent Lightning Element. If he continued to maintain his Elementalization, even Su Chen felt he would be in grave danger.
'But if it comes to this, it looks like I can finally defeat him.'
Boom!
With a mere thought, Su Chen's body instantly solidified, rematerializing countless times faster than Zhou Xian's transition from Elementalization back to a physical state.
At that exact moment, the Crimson Flames and Thunder Light unleashed by the lightning dragon had completely sealed off every possible avenue for him to dodge or retreat. Carrying the devastating momentum of a falling meteor, the attack plunged down from the heavens!
But this time, Su Chen never intended to dodge anyway.
Bang!
'He's finally stopped dodging.'
Hovering in mid-air, Hong Xuan looked down with cold detachment. This strike contained his absolute full power. It was an offensive technique born from combining Professions that simply did not exist on this planet.
If anyone else were standing in that combat arena, they would merely be utterly obliterated on the spot.
'It's about time for the Tribunal's reinforcements to step in and save him... Hmm?'
As the lightning dragon descended, Hong Xuan's heart remained completely tranquil. He truly didn't excel in speed, and if this were out in the wilderness, he likely wouldn't be able to catch his opponent.
However, if they actually were out in the wilderness, his power wouldn't have been suppressed down to the 3rd-tier either.
But then, his heart gave a sudden lurch, and a bone-piercing chill rose from within.
'What is this?!'
Even faster than him, Wu Chenpei, watching from the private rooms, had already sensed that something was dreadfully wrong. Revealing an expression that found the situation completely unimaginable, his gaze locked tightly onto Su Chen.
After returning to his physical form, Su Chen's aura abruptly shifted. His hair transformed into flowing azure electrical sparks, and rotating nebulas of lightning crests emerged deep within his pupils.
Countless electrical arcs spread out from beneath his feet, constructing a phantom throne behind him and outlining a majestic crown above his head.
This transformation was so overwhelmingly intense that not only Wu Chenpei, but also Chong Jingtian, Jiang Shumo, and You Shan all stared intently in absolute focus.
Extracting all his mental energy, Holy Hand enhancementâAzure Thunder Sovereign!
Origin Reverser extracted his Stamina, converting it directly into mental energy. The Nutrients accumulated by his Glutton profession were rapidly consumed.
Holy Hand enhanced once again!
The Indestructible Thunder Aura Armor layered itself over the Violet Gold Scale Armor hidden beneath his skin.
Immediately after, the sound of clashing metal and stone rang out as the segments interlocked across the surface of his body. Thunder Light wound and climbed along his arm bones, forming a tangible set of armor, with azure Thunder Light flowing fluidly through the gaps between the plates.
Boom!
The Crimson Flames lightning dragon crashed against the Indestructible Thunder Aura Armor with devastating momentum, erupting into a deafening roar as chaotic energy of intertwined lightning and fire splattered wildly.
The instant the dragon's head made contact with the armor, it shattered into thousands of streaming flames, gnawing at the azure lightning crests on the armor's surface. Water-like ripples rippled outward across the plated surface from the point of impact, yet the armor itself remained unshakable.
Even when a few minor cracks managed to form, they were fixed in the blink of an eye, mended by the Power of Thunder absorbed directly from the attack.
"This! How is this possible?!" Hong Xuan's face contorted in sheer disbelief. What level of defense was this?
'To think he could face this strike head-on!'
'He excels in speed and also in defense, and the crucial point is that both are horrifyingly strong. How could such a Profession possibly exist?'
Su Chen's eyes shifted slightly. Holy Hand enhancementâAzure Thunder Cloud-Crumbling!!
His arms abruptly swelled with thousands of streaks of azure lightning, transforming into two heaven-supporting lightning pillars that securely imprisoned the Crimson Flames lightning dragon.
The lightning dragon let out a mournful, world-shaking cry. Its serpentine body writhed violently within the Thunder Light, but it was forcibly compressed by Su Chen's far more berserk Power of Thunder.
The dragon's horns splintered under the immense crushing pressure, and its scales of Crimson Flames peeled off piece by piece.
Ultimately, by utilizing the Azure Thunder Sovereign's absolute mastery over the Lightning Element, compounded by the fact that the Crimson Flames lightning dragon had already expended much of its energy...
The entire lightning dragon was forcibly kneaded and molded by Su Chen into a magnificent lightning war lance completely wrapped in Crimson Flames.
He struck a reverse grip, grabbing the spearhead formed by the dragon's skull. The dragon's tail still thrashed unwillfully at the end of the shaft. With a thrust of his powerful arm, the tamed lightning dragonâperfectly blending its original master's Crimson Flames with his own azure lightningâtransformed into a dual-colored red and azure rainbow beam, piercing straight toward Hong Xuan.
"Not good!"
At that split second, Wu Chenpei's expression changed wildly. Chong Jingtian hesitated for a brief moment; although his gaze grew infinitely sharper, he made no move to intervene.
Down in the arena, a fatal crisis descended upon him. A chilling dread exploded in Hong Xuan's heart and rapidly spread throughout his entire body, causing all his hairs to stand on end and his pupils to contract to the size of pinholes.
The long lance came rushing in with terrifying urgency, already right before his eyes!
'I absolutely cannot let that hit me!'
He frantically squeezed every last drop of power from his body, but the Crimson Flames lightning dragon had already been his strongest outburst. At this critical moment, it was inevitable that his strength was hollowed out.
Clang!!!
The resonant sound of clashing metal struck like a clap of thunder, causing Su Chen to raise an eyebrow.
That azure and red long lance had been firmly caught by a figure. It was precisely the Holy Envoy from Yuandu. Neither joy nor anger could be seen on his weathered face. He merely crushed the lightning lance in his grip bit by bit, reducing it to powder that scattered into streams of light. His eyes were as still and dark as a pool of dead water.
Behind him, Hong Xuan had completely lost his usual calm demeanor. He panted heavily, his face thoroughly plastered with terror.
"This... he won?"
The area below the combat arena was deathly silent for a moment before bursting into a massive uproar. Many people hadn't actually caught the rapid details of the clash between the two sides; they could only hear the deafening crashes and witness the sky-filling streams of energy light.
But in the end, it was blatantly obvious that Hong Xuan was about to suffer a grievous injury, which was why the Holy Envoy from Yuandu had intercepted the blow.
"His Excellency Su Chen won!"
"Hong Xuan has been defeated! Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"
"They have no sense of martial honor! Previously, when His Excellency Feng Ze was beaten until he coughed up blood, none of the Justices intervened. What is the meaning of this?!"
The spectating Tribunal Officers flushed bright red. It was as if they had been injected with a shot of adrenaline, and they hollered in unabashed excitement.
Hong Xuan had stood on that arena stage for over a month. Although he hadn't voiced any blatant words of contempt, his continuous string of victories had been sharper and far more piercing than any spoken mockery.
And Su Chen had finally shattered this nightmare.
Up in the high-level viewing stands, An Ming and the others remained entirely speechless, staring in utter shock at the solitary figure remaining on the combat arena.
"He... defeated... Hong Xuan?" someone managed to squeeze out with great difficulty, seemingly still unable to process it. "But... but..."
Not only that, but looking at Su Chen's composed and utterly unbothered posture, one could almost call the victory a complete one-sided crushing. This made the reality even harder for them to comprehend.
"But what?" An Ming withdrew his stunned expression, though a suppressed glimmer of excitement danced in his eyes. "Who ever decreed that Hong Xuan was entirely invincible?"
Hearing him spout such words, the few people nearby shot him bewildered looks. An Ming realized he had misspoken, yet he offered no excuses, opting to meet their stares with cold silence.
"It really had to be Su Chen, huh..." Ming Lin murmured, his gaze filled with a complex blend of awe and excitement.
"Thank goodness, we finally managed to salvage our pride." Liang Jingcheng let out a massive sigh of relief and spoke from the bottom of his heart. "No wonder the Chief placed such high hopes in him. He truly lived up to everyone's expectations."
As the first Core Seed to be challenged and knocked down from his position, only to claw his way back up to become a Core Seed once again, the coldness and cynicism he had endured was far beyond what anyone else could understand. Because of this, he had learned to take things entirely in stride.
Wei Yufan's facial muscles twitched as he stared coldly at Hong Xuan. What an absolute piece of trash.
Yet, looking at the entire stadium cheering their lungs out, a profound wave of sorrow suddenly washed over him.
He had served as a Core Seed for so many long years. He had done so much, yet all the prestige he had painstakingly accumulated couldn't even compare to what Su Chen had earned in a single day.
'Exploding with my full power, and I finished him off in three moves...' Su Chen thought to himself, feeling quite thoroughly invigorated. He hadn't had a proper chance to fight with absolutely everything he had. This encounter served as a flawless test for all his current methods and abilities.
He estimated that his Profession abilities, after being enhanced by his Holy Hand, were roughly on par in raw strength with his opponent's Crimson Flames lightning dragon. However, due to his opponent's suspected Class Fusion, Su Chen's raw attack might have actually been slightly weaker.
However, the combined defense of an Armored Bone Adept and the Indestructible Thunder Aura Armor was simply far too astonishing.
Furthermore, factoring in the excess Nutrients stored by his Glutton profession, and then utilizing his Origin Reverser to convert them, he could consecutively unleash the Holy Hand enhancement up to four times in a row.
In stark contrast, Hong Xuan had completely wilted after just one solitary outburst.
"Your Excellency, Holy Envoy, does this mean I've won?" Su Chen raised his head and asked aloud.
Countless gazes from all directions gathered on them. From up in the private rooms, Chong Jingtian's intense stare was visibly palpable.
"I accept defeat gracefully in this bet," Wu Chenpei slowly spat out these words after a long, drawn-out silence.
The excited cheers echoing from their surroundings grew even more deafening.
Su Chen's mind, however, whirred slightly. A bet?
'What exactly did they bet on?'
'No wonder Old Chong was in such a frantic rush to find me. It turns out he made a Wager too.'
Hong Xuan gritted his teeth. Glaring down at the completely indifferent Su Chen, an uncontrollable sense of shame and burning irritation welled up inside him, casting a dark, gloomy shadow over his eyes.
Without Wu Chenpei appearing to make any physical movement at all, the two of them instantly vanished from the combat arena.
"Brilliant work, Su Chen!" In the private rooms, Jiang Shumo couldn't help but shout out loud. He paced excitedly back and forth, a difficult-to-suppress thrill dancing in his eyes.
He had originally believed that forcing a draw would have been an exceptional outcome. He had never expected Su Chen to deliver such an overwhelmingly massive surprise.
"He really won?" You Shan murmured, her expression still looking slightly dazed.
"This... how could this be possible?" Tang Chen stumbled backward again and again, mumbling in a completely lost voice.
How on earth could Hong Xuan lose to Yingfeng, to someone hailing from such a lower-tier city?
"Anything and everything is possible in this world," Chong Jingtian remarked, seemingly placid. However, his tightly clenched palms fully betrayed the turbulent excitement raging within his heart.
Defeating Hong Xuan wasn't simply a matter of winning a Wager. This momentous victory signified that they, too, might finally have a real chance.
"Gentlemen, I... I shall take my leave first." Tang Chen finally snapped back to reality, forcibly squeezing out an incredibly strained smile.
"There's no need to rush. We still have a Wager to settle." Chong Jingtian waved his hand, and the door to the room swung open. An utterly expressionless Wu Chenpei was already standing right at the threshold.
Hong Xuan stood rigidly behind him, his face intensely drawn and tight.
"The Holy Envoy truly keeps his word."
Wu Chenpei's expression remained dark and profound. He stepped into the room and shot a deeply meaningful look at Chong Jingtian. "I never would have imagined that Yingfeng had kept such a formidable young man hidden away."
"When it comes to hiding things, we couldn't possibly compare to you folks," Chong Jingtian retorted with a shake of his head. He swept a passing glance over Hong Xuan before adding, "Let's hear it."
Wu Chenpei didn't ask Hong Xuan to step outside. It was evident that the youth was also privy to some of the secrets.
The heavy doors shut tight, completely sealing off everything being said inside.
Only after a long while did the doors swing open once again. Wu Chenpei walked out, leading both Hong Xuan and Tang Chen.
All three remained dead silent until they had fully departed from the stadium venue.
Tang Chen took a separate hovercar by himself, while Hong Xuan followed Wu Chenpei into another.
After boarding, an invisible energy barrier swiftly enveloped the two of them, turning their forms extremely blurry and utterly indistinct to anyone looking from the outside.
Only then did Hong Xuan, his face looking exceptionally awful, finally speak up in a hoarse voice. "This Su Chen is incredibly bizarre. At his age, he absolutely shouldn't be this strong. I could distinctly feel that he has taken up quite a number of Special Professions."
"Did you people seriously fail to notice him before this?"
Within his words, there wasn't the slightest trace of respect directed toward Wu Chenpei.
Sounding quite a bit like shifting the blame, Wu Chenpei shook his head and merely stated, "Although he defeated you and afforded Chong Jingtian a few extra slivers of hope, it is not a major issue. It's just slightly more troublesome now, that's all."
Despite his dismissive words, the way Wu Chenpei stared out the window still betrayed the fact that he was nowhere near as calm as he projected.
Su Chen...