The faction's various organizations were incredibly complex. In the Copper Core and its three neighboring satellite cities, law enforcement was handled by the Disciplinary Hall's Enforcers.
This was the faction's core territory and naturally the most strictly governed. Even Ming Lin didn't dare distribute his goods around here; he only visited the relatively close life-bearing planets.
Using the warp stargates, a round trip would barely take a few days. And those responsible for law enforcement up there were the Disciplinary Hall's Patrol Squads.
"Having an official identity makes it much easier to cover up a lot of things."
Su Chen naturally understood this logic and looked thoughtful.
"Right, there's one more thing," Ming Lin hesitated slightly before adding. "I've been looking into it lately, and I have a rough idea of who's secretly investigating me."
"Who?" Su Chen asked, his interest piqued.
"Meng Shiyu," Ming Lin replied in a deep voice. "His family isn't particularly eye-catching within the faction; they mainly have deep roots in the Patrol Squads. I had to mingle with those guys for quite a while to pry the information out of them."
"He also has a close relationship with Qin Tianlin," Ming Lin added, a look of worry flashing in his eyes.
"Meng Shiyu?" Su Chen's expression turned strange, though he quickly masked it. To think it was that guy... but on second thought, it wasn't too surprising.
"Understood. I'll figure out a way to get you a Patrol Squad identity."
Ming Lin nodded. They chatted for a bit longer before he returned to the training room.
'Who should I look for in the Disciplinary Hall?' Su Chen pondered inwardly. He had only been in the faction for a little over three months. Furthermore, he primarily stayed in the core area and genuinely wasn't too familiar with the peripheral organizational structure.
As for the Disciplinary Hall itself, he didn't know anyone there either.
'I can only find a third party to pull some strings...' He took out the wristband he had put away earlier, preparing to send a message to Wan Chen.
The moment he opened it, he noticed a message from Wei Zhenghong inviting him to a gathering and asking if he had the time.
Su Chen took a look. It had been sent yesterday, and the gathering was scheduled for tomorrow.
Thinking about the matter regarding the Patrol Squad, Su Chen replied: "I'll be there on time."
After packing up slightly, Su Chen left the floating island and headed toward the Copper Core, making a beeline for the central bronze tower.
Requesting a Holy Vocation was an extraordinary process that had to be done through the bronze tower.
Along the way, many people he bumped into greeted him. Su Chen had already grown accustomed to this. Near the plaza, some cast glances his way, their eyes inevitably flashing with surprise.
"Su Chen? Why is he at the bronze tower?" someone muttered, staring at his back. There weren't many uses for the bronze tower, so it naturally drew curiosity.
A voice next to them chimed in, "He's probably pulling a Holy Vocation. I heard that this Star Seed immediately requested one the moment he arrived."
"Calculating the time, it's been over three months. The initial class for a Holy Vocation isn't that difficult, so he should be just about ready to assume the role."
"A Holy Vocation..."
The person who spoke revealed a look of deep yearning. For Sanctum members without profound backgrounds, only those who broke into the top thirty were qualified to select a Holy Vocation.
"Sigh, why couldn't I be a Star Seed..."
"Nonsense, who doesn't want to be a Star Seed?" someone beside him scoffed. "Rather than daydreaming, you'd be better off honestly developing your class."
"Hey, I'm just saying," the man muttered, yet he couldn't help but speculate. "I heard that this Star Seed Su is already at the fifth tier, but he hasn't updated his leaderboard ranking yet. Do you think he can become the head of the sixth tier?"
"What are you thinking?" another person laughed aloud. "The sixth tier is full of old fogeys in their thirties and forties. Their special classes have practically formed complete systems, and some of those guys are already nearing the end of their Holy Vocation sequences. It won't be that simple."
The group continued their discussion as they gradually walked away.
Su Chen naturally knew that his arrival here would inevitably cause a stir, but taking three months to assume an initial class was quite normal.
The tower doors closed, and the Copper Spirit's voice echoed: "Star Seed Su Chen, how may I assist you?"
"I need to request the next class in the special vocation line of the Eternal Body."
"Have you already assumed the role of the Endurer?" the Copper Spirit asked.
"That's right," Su Chen nodded.
"My apologies, but I will need to conduct a test," the Copper Spirit responded.
Su Chen was somewhat curious. "How will you test it?"
"The Endurer's ability is to squeeze out the body's hidden potential to gain sustained combat stamina after normal physical energy is depleted. Please proceed to the second floor."
Against the backdrop of a silent starry sky, a staircase suddenly materialized.
Su Chen stepped up. The second floor resembled a challenge room. A beam of light projected onto his body as the Copper Spirit's voice sounded again, "You simply need to deplete your physical stamina."
'It can actually detect it?'
Su Chen muttered inwardly, but he didn't utilize his Holy Hands. Instead, he continuously unleashed his power upon the training projections that appeared.
Energy fluctuations surged. Venting recklessly, his stamina was rapidly drained to near exhaustion. Just as he began to pant heavily, a warm current welled up from deep within his body.
"Assessment complete. Abilities match. Verification passed. Congratulations on assuming the role of the Endurer."
Listening to the Copper Spirit's voice, Su Chen came to a realization. It seemed this test wasn't extremely detailed after all; it merely confirmed the results based on his body's physiological reactions.
A virtual screen slowly unfolded before his eyes, displaying the new special class.
["Special Class Discovered: Hundred-Forged Smith. You may assume this role upon completing the class requirements."]
["Class Requirement 1: Assume at least four physical-oriented classes, three of which must be top-tier classes."]
["Class Requirement 2: Temper your body with a massive hammer in an environment of no less than one thousand degrees, for at least three hours a day, sustained for a minimum of six months."]
["Class Requirement 3: Find the embers of a furnace fire that has burned unextinguished for at least a century, and fuse them into your body during the tempering process."]
["Vitality like iron requires a thousand hammer strikes and a hundred forgings. Though resolute, the Hundred-Forged Smith is not obtuse and holds deep reverence for the Great Exalt. Class Requirement 2 is weakened: you only need to temper yourself for one hour per day."]
'Hundred-Forged Smith... The difficulty is pretty standard. The only troublesome part is this specific time limit.'
Glancing over the interface, Su Chen left the area and returned to the floating island.
He currently had two special classes in hand. As for the physical enhancement classes of the Blood Burner, he could request those from the faction at any time without any fixed requirements.
Because of this, he actually wanted to consult with that class analysis team to select a path that suited him best.
Deep in thought, Su Chen arrived at the training room.
The moment he circulated his body-tempering and meditation techniques, he immediately sensed a difference. The flames that had just surfaced around his body suddenly retracted, burrowing back into him at an astonishing speed.
It wasn't a slow permeation, but rather a tyrannical rush. They forcefully squeezed their way in through every open pore and the weakest points of his skin.
His body trembled slightly. Although there were no visible flames on his skin, it radiated an unnatural, flowing dark-red halo.
'This efficiency is terrifying. Oh right, I also have the extra 100% boost bestowed by the Great Exalt. I wonder if I've reached the Divine Radiance level?'
Su Chen mused to himself, feeling quite delighted. Ever since reaching the fifth tier, his development efficiency had significantly dropped. Now, not only had it recovered, but it was even more terrifying than before.
'Sigh...' Su Chen couldn't help but sigh in realization. 'No wonder Qin Tianlin insists on keeping an eye on me. To possess such staggering development efficiency without being a Chosen... if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't be able to hold back either.'
Until the quintessence was in place, he didn't plan on attempting to fulfill any class requirements. Otherwise, if the Faceless Ghost just wiped them out later, wouldn't that be a massive loss?
After training until the following day, Su Chen tidied up slightly, took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and prepared to head to Wei Zhenghong's gathering.
This fellow Star Seed also resided on a floating island. Strictly speaking, the distance between them wasn't that far; it was merely a ten-minute hovercar ride away.
Wei Zhenghong had invited quite a few people. Hovercars had already filled up almost the entire port, and more guests were continuously arriving.
"Star Seed Su, you're here too?"
The moment he stepped out of his standard hovercar, he heard someone speak, their tone tinged with surprise. "It seems Senior Brother Wei really has a lot of face."
Su Chen didn't recognize the person, so he returned a vague greeting.
Upon entering this floating island, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. The architectural style here was rather rugged and completely devoid of any specific pattern. There were also quite a few scantily clad attendants walking around. All of them were women, and none were mimicry androids.
'Didn't Old Wei say he never dared to rest for even a moment? Are these all just for show?' Su Chen muttered internally.
Many people recognized him and attempted to strike up conversations.
Led by an attendant, he entered the main building. The first floor had already been arranged into a banquet hall, with a wide assortment of food and drinks laid out.
Wei Zhenghong hosted these kinds of gatherings every so often. It was likely one of his methods to display his "prestige"
and establish dominance.
Shen Yi'an...
As soon as Su Chen entered the hall, his gaze locked onto a particular figure. Clad in a white robe with his hair tied back, his style stood in stark contrast to everyone else.
Many people were clustered around him. This man was ranked first on the Sanctum Leaderboard. He had forged his Holy Vocation at the seventh tier, and it was a combat-oriented one at that. He possessed formidable strength and an illustrious reputation.
Seeming to notice someone observing him, Shen Yi'an cast his gaze over. Seeing that it was Su Chen, he paused for a brief moment before giving a slight nod in greeting.
Su Chen nodded back. Meanwhile, someone beside him had already looked over, a trace of surprise in his eyes.
"So it's the little martial granduncle," the person said. He appeared quite young and carried himself with a somewhat frivolous and casual demeanor, yet he addressed Su Chen by his senior generational title.
It had been a while since Su Chen last heard that title; lately, almost everyone simply addressed him as "Star Seed" or "Your Excellency."
The guy walked straight over. "When you first arrived at the faction, I was busy completing a certain class requirement, so I missed the chance to witness the glory of someone acknowledged by the Ancient King Stele. What a pity."
"It was just a fluke," Su Chen replied out of habit.
The other party took the initiative to introduce himself, "My name is Chu Ran."
Hearing the name sparked Su Chen's memory. This seemed to be one of the top twenty rankers. He hailed from the Chu family, the same lineage as Venerable Chu Lingyuan.
"Come on over. A few of us have been curious about you for a long time." Behaving as though they were old friends, he led Su Chen into Shen Yi'an's circle. Everyone here was a core member, totaling seven or eight people.
The group introduced themselves one by one. Nearly all of them were ranked in the top twenty. Nobody gave him the cold shoulder; their attitudes were quite friendly, and they even exchanged contact information.
"I heard you advanced to the fifth tier. When are you planning to beat us old folks down?" Chu Ran teased.
"The gap between the fifth and sixth tiers is like heaven and earth. I don't have that kind of confidence," Su Chen smiled bitterly. This wasn't a lie.
"Now you're just being modest," Chu Ran grinned. "Crushing a few dead-last sixth-tiers will definitely be a breeze for you."
"If I end up losing, wouldn't that be humiliating?" Su Chen threw his hands up.
Everyone chuckled, forming a fairly good impression of this new Star Seed.
"A fifth-tier fighting a sixth-tier—how is losing humiliating?" Chu Ran's expression grew exaggerated.
Indeed, quite a few people were curious to see exactly how far the fifth-tier Su Chen could go.
After all, sweeping the top of the fifth-tier rankings as a fourth-tier was truly astonishing. Now that he was at the fifth tier himself, it was inevitable that people would subconsciously project him as a potential leader among the sixth tiers.
However, they also knew full well that Su Chen was unlikely to claim the top spot in the sixth tier. But just as Chu Ran said, suppressing a few bottom-feeders shouldn't be much of a problem.
Su Chen let out a wry smile and clinked glasses with the group.
Chu Ran winked playfully and asked in a low voice, "Little martial granduncle, your talent isn't Dark Emerald, is it?"
"Um..." Su Chen, having just lowered his glass, wore a hesitant expression.
Although Chu Ran had lowered his voice, they were standing far too close to one another, making the question virtually public. Many perked up their ears, and even Shen Yi'an glanced over.
Normally, the talents of people at their level were hardly a secret.
But Su Chen kept his exceptionally well-hidden. Especially after his ascension to the fifth tier, it sparked a flurry of speculation and rampant gossip.
"It's not Dual Dark Emerald, right? The baseline has to be Dual Crimson, and it's highly likely to be Mystic Purple. Am I guessing correctly?" Chu Ran couldn't help but press.
"Enough."
A deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out. It belonged to Wei Zhenghong, who was striding in from outside with the vigor of a dragon and a tiger. His brows were tightly knitted, and he appeared to be in a foul mood. He said gruffly, "So many questions. Since Master Qing said it's Dual Dark Emerald, then it's Dual Dark Emerald!"
Chu Ran twitched his lips. "Don't take your anger out on me."
"Hmph." Wei Zhenghong let out a cold snort, casually swiped a glass of liquor from the side, and downed it in one gulp.
Chu Ran then asked, "What did Qin Yuezheng say?"
"What else could he say?" Wei Zhenghong snapped sourly. "It has absolutely nothing to do with me. I didn't even set foot in the Nether Domain a couple of days ago. He's just looking for trouble over nothing."
Su Chen's eyes flickered slightly. He took a sip of his drink, quietly listening.
"If you ask me, that Fan Zhao is just too useless. He managed to lose a Spirit Fire, and now he's trying to pin the blame on you," Chu Ran remarked without restraint.
"This matter is indeed quite strange," Shen Yi'an commented leisurely. "Not only was the Spirit Fire lost, but Meng Shiyu also died in the Nether Domain."
Everyone started speaking at once, chiming in with their own thoughts. Listening quietly from the sidelines, Su Chen finally pieced together the situation.
The turmoil in the Nether Domain was far from over. Fan Zhao had realized that someone snatched the opportunity to use the Spirit Fire right from under his nose. He suspected it was a faction member who desperately needed to forge a Holy Vocation.
He had started his investigation with Wei Zhenghong, but the fact that Wei Zhenghong hadn't successfully forged his Holy Vocation was the best proof of his innocence.
Not only that, but Wei Zhenghong had cursed Fan Zhao out to his face, resulting in a fierce argument between the two.
Then there was the matter of Meng Shiyu. The fallout was much larger than Su Chen had imagined. Both the Hall Master and several Vice Hall Masters of the Disciplinary Hall were actively investigating it.
Chu Ran spoke of the ongoing investigation, "Lan Hao is sticking to his story, insisting that Meng Shiyu died trying to save him. Since there are contract restrictions within his spiritual body, outsiders can't simply search his memories."
"This situation is definitely going to be a fun spectacle to watch."
This gathering was not just about eating, drinking, and chatting; it served as an intelligence exchange hub. Standing on the sidelines, Su Chen absorbed plenty of confidential information.
Halfway through the event, another person rushed over with tightly furrowed brows. He also appeared to be one of the core members of their small circle.
Chu Ran was very familiar with him and greeted loudly, "Old Jiang, what took you so long? We've been waiting for our resident know-it-all."
Old Jiang walked straight over, his gaze sweeping past Su Chen with a hint of surprise. He grabbed a glass of scarlet liquid, downed it to steady his nerves, and finally spoke in a grave tone. "Something happened."
"The Star-tier cultivators sent by the five major factions to attend the Vast Sea Emperor's birthday banquet... they've all disappeared."
As his words fell, a deathly silence swept across the hall.