Chapter 120: Dragon Fights Tiger? Battle Of Archenemies?
Wherever the two passed, discussions continued nonstop.
“I thought he wouldn’t come.”
“It’s a pity, Chu Xuan risked it all for a Top Tier Profession, but this one has made no moves…”
“It’s easy to talk when you’re not the one hurting, can you just fight for a Top Tier Profession like that? If you die, you’ve got nothing.”
“At Second Order, Chu Xuan couldn’t match Su Chen, but at Third Order, Chu Xuan caught up… now that’s dragon fights tiger.”
Normally, top Judges rarely discussed Core Seeds in public, not wanting to invite trouble.
But in the current situation, with everyone discussing and the crowded, restless atmosphere, they couldn’t help but voice what was on their minds.
The venue was already packed, and even below the arena, it was full of people standing.
Ming Lin didn’t forget to tease as he looked back: “See? Mention Chu Xuan, and you’re bound to come up; mention you, and Chu Xuan is bound to come up.”
Su Chen was completely speechless, but he couldn’t control others’ mouths.
Seeing his speechless look, Ming Lin couldn’t help laughing:
“No way around it… you both entered the Court of Justice the same year, both have Ink Jade Talent, both were exceptionally made Core Seeds, and happened to coincide with the reform—this kind of bundled discussion will probably last a long time.”
Unlike these other Core Seeds, Su Chen and Chu Xuan were similar in age, carrying more of a sense of comparison.
Previous Core Seeds had large age gaps, so there was basically no such discussion; it was rare to see these two, and the novelty was strong.
Their viewing area didn’t require squeezing with the crowd; at the very top of the seats on both sides, there was a sparsely occupied spot.
Even though the surrounding seats were packed, no one approached that side.
“All familiar faces…” Su Chen narrowed his eyes and scanned: Wei Yufan… Zhong Ming, Feng Ze, plus Ming Lin and himself, and Chu Xuan who hadn’t taken the stage yet—the Core Seeds were all here.
“Su Chen’s here…” He Kang whispered in Wei Yufan’s ear.
His gaze swept toward the passageway, spotting Ming Lin and Su Chen ascending the steps, his expression subtly shifting.
“I thought he wouldn’t come.” Wei Yufan’s voice was barely audible, “Does he think he’s hidden well?”
He Kang twitched his thick eyebrows and couldn’t help saying: “He probably really has no interest in getting involved in the struggle; even when Liu Chen cut off the Gu Family’s Thunder Core, he said nothing.”
“It’s precisely because he said nothing that his tolerance is evident.” Wei Yufan’s voice was cold, “Besides, since Chu Xuan is now on our side, we have to give him some benefit.”
At this point, Wei Yufan couldn’t help thinking of Liu Chen, a sharp blade—ambitious, but still very capable.
And he had plenty of flaws, making him easy to control, but Chu Xuan was far harder to control than Liu Chen.
“But it’s not a bad thing…” He glanced at Feng Ze not far away; if Liu Chen really became a Core Seed, willing or not, he’d have to fight him in the arena, and some of his forces would split off.
Reform, the Chief is really scheming.
The newly promoted Core Seed Feng Ze stood at the railing, overlooking below; even though he restrained it well, that high-spirited air still shone through.
“So this is a Core Seed…”
Even though he’d been a Core Seed for a while, at moments like this, he still voiced such sincere sigh.
In the past, he stood behind Liang Jingcheng or in the unseen crowd below, but now he was one of the foci, drawing everyone’s attention.
A glance from the corner of his eye caught Ming Lin and Su Chen drawing nearer.
His gaze lingered slightly on Su Chen; originally, his target was one of Su Chen or Chu Xuan.
After all, they were newcomers, easy to bully, but the multiple battles among the four Core Seeds showed him another opportunity.
That was his former boss—Liang Jingcheng; after his strength was suppressed to Third Order, his performance wasn’t as impressive as imagined.
Moreover, he had a unique advantage: his understanding of Liang Jingcheng.
Years of following had let him grasp almost all of Liang Jingcheng’s abilities, but Liang Jingcheng didn’t know him that well.
Because of their different statuses, Liang Jingcheng always looked toward the other three Core Seeds or even higher, forgetting to look down.
“You’re lucky…” He withdrew his gaze from Su Chen.
The two were now close; no matter what they thought, greetings were still in order.
Wei Yufan even teased: “Junior Brother Su appears and disappears like a dragon, it’s been nearly half a year since entering the Court of Justice, and we’ve met… uh… fewer than three times total?”
Su Chen shook his head helplessly: “I’ve seen Senior Brother Wei from afar several times; Senior Brother Wei probably didn’t notice me.”
“Haha… looks like I need to improve my eyesight from now on.” Wei Yufan laughed.
Apart from Wei Yufan, Feng Ze and Zhong Ming greeted him and then fell silent.
As they chatted, a burst of shouting came from below—Chu Xuan had taken the stage, leaping up and landing steadily on the arena.
His appearance hadn’t changed, but the aura between his brows was vastly different from months ago, carrying a touch of ferocity.
He scanned around, then looked upward, spotting Su Chen at first glance.
“He’s here…” Chu Xuan exhaled; he’d thought Su Chen would avoid this fight, “Does he really think this challenge has nothing to do with him?”
Thinking this, the ferocity on his face eased a bit; there was great terror between life and death, and in this promotion to Top Tier Profession, he’d truly brushed death closely, facing it more directly than ever.
Plus advancing to Third Order had matured his mindset, but his obsession hadn’t diminished at all—instead, it grew stronger.
“Today is the time to wash away the shame.”
In the life-and-death crisis of promotion, it was only the obsession to wash away the shame that kept him alive.
Chu Xuan withdrew his gaze, eyes sharp, faintly regaining the high-spirited air from the assessment entrance.
……
“So that’s Chu Xuan, Wei Yinshuo’s student, Ink Jade Talent.”
The top floor of the Challenge Hall was a ring of sealed rooms; in one, Chong Jingtian stood by the window, watching the arena below.
The speaker was a refined, easygoing middle-aged man wearing black-framed glasses; his gaze on Chu Xuan in the arena led him to nod: “Indeed, he has an impressive bearing.”
“Shumo, you just got back and don’t know some inside stories.” Chong Jingtian smiled: “This kid hadn’t even entered the Court of Justice when, with help from a few under Old Four, he gathered a large group, quite a momentum.”
Jiang Shumo, Ninth Chief Judge of the Court of Justice, had just returned not long ago.
“Chief…” Jiang Shumo chuckled, “I’ve just returned, but I’m not deaf; he wanted to make a splash, but Su Chen stole his thunder, went quiet after entering the Court of Justice, and recently got tangled with Wei Yufan.”
“You, still the same.” Chong Jingtian sighed: “Wherever you go, you have to know everyone inside and out, or you’re uneasy.”
“I’d love to be deaf, but these two guys are mentioned too much; I can’t help it.” Jiang Shumo spread his hands, “It even feels reminiscent of the Chief and Old Xia back in the day, both dragon fights tiger.”
“Pity, the Chief can’t take students.”
To keep the Chief Judge position in relatively fair competition, no Chief Judge was allowed to take students; it was the rule.
“Back then…” Chong Jingtian’s eyes grew distant, as if recalling, then he smiled bitterly: “Previous Core Seeds fought among themselves, but it never broke; rarely any deep grudges.”
“But now…” He sighed, “Too many talents isn’t necessarily good; the forces Wei Yufan can now mobilize probably rival any Chief Judge.”
“The covert frictions are getting fiercer; if we don’t break them up soon, problems are inevitable.”
Chong Jingtian shook his head helplessly; Ying Feng had nearly a decade as Core Seed maker, but he wasn’t the only one.
These matters were sensitive; Jiang Shumo was silent for a moment, then asked: “Has that Su Chen arrived?”
“That’s him next to Ming Lin.” You Shan pointed from beside him.
“…This one’s even better.” Jiang Shumo’s eyes lit up, “Handsome features, dashing; how’d he end up with Old Xia, to be led astray.”
Chong Jingtian had a meaningful look: “This kid… sly as a fox, hides deep; guess how many times he’s interacted with other Core Seeds since entering the Court of Justice.”
“Not even ten times total, all of them combined.”
Jiang Shumo was surprised, “He’s quite different from Old Xia; which Top Tier Profession is he preparing to promote to?”
“Top Tier Profession?” Chong Jingtian’s expression was odd, “Who told you he’s promoting to a Top Tier Profession?”
Jiang Shumo frowned: “Not choosing an Upper Tier Profession would be admitting defeat to Chu Xuan, and with that talent, Old Xia wouldn’t allow him to back down.”
“Xia Hanshi is tolerant of him beyond your imagination.” Chong Jingtian recalled the day the Pang Family was wiped out; Old Xia had actually started using his brain.
“Really?” Jiang Shumo grew more shocked, but said: “The future is long; no need to fight over momentary gains or losses.”
“He might not lose…” Chong Jingtian shook his head, “Many have forgotten Su Chen can dual profession.”
“The arena has flaws, can’t precisely suppress mental resilience, which is disadvantageous for Mental Side Professionals, but Chu Xuan just advanced to Third Order.”
The arena wasn’t perfect; too high a Professional Rank couldn’t be suppressed, and mental resilience was hard to precisely suppress, being the most mysterious part of life.
For example, Fourth Order Professionals could have abilities suppressed to early Third Order, but mental resilience only to Third Order limit.
However, mental resilience affected only Mental Attacks, and many Mental Side Professionals didn’t rely solely on Mental Attacks—or had none—so the impact wasn’t great.
“Right…” Jiang Shumo nodded, a bit expectant, “Wonder when those two will fight; hope I’m still here then.”
……
“Xiong Tao, Fourth Order Professional… Crimson Gold Talent…”
Chu Xuan’s opponent had arrived, burly, over two and a half meters tall, with solid muscles.
But after mounting the arena, his size shrank to two meters, life force waning noticeably.
Ming Lin looked to Zhong Ming beside him, “Got a chance?”
Xiong Tao was their man, from a Lower Tier City; destined not Top Tier at one or two orders, he didn’t stand out usually.
“If he had a chance, he wouldn’t challenge Chu Xuan.” Zhong Ming was blunt; Ming Lin chuckled: “True.”
The arena fight had started; Xiong Tao was a Physical Profession, not elemental type; black mane visibly covered his body.
The mane gleamed with metallic chill on the surface, roots deeply embedded in swelling muscles, rippling in waves with movement.
Finger joints cracked and extended two inches, nails thickened into dark keratin, back-of-hand skin keratinized under fur, forming reptile-like defensive Scale Armor.
“Third Order Upper Tier—Iron Mane Frenzy Bear; challenges ban weapons, so he has some advantage.” Ming Lin commented.
Su Chen watched in surprise; the Physical Profession category included many sub-types, elemental one side, transformation another.
Most related to Mutants; higher tiers vaguely linked to ancient myths, like Teng Liang’s Ancient Spirit Giant and Bu Siqi’s profession.
Both types had pros and cons, but at least Third Order for transformation Professions; he’d never heard of any in Nan Feng before.
Chu Xuan’s changes were obvious too: hair turned blood-red, blood patterns spread from cheeks to eyes, hands condensing two blood-red butchering knives held by pythons.
“Bloody Butcher…” Ming Lin and the others’ expressions grew solemn.
Wei Yufan said: “Chu Xuan’s gone all out; we’re all Court of Justice people, what grudge can’t be resolved? No need to be so harsh on himself.”
“Heard in the Blood Frenzy Trial, his heart stopped for thirty seconds, nearly didn’t come back.”
Ming Lin frowned slightly; being this harsh on himself showed his “hatred” for Su Chen from the side; he couldn’t help saying:
“Anyone would hold back in the assessment; doesn’t Chu Xuan get that?”
Everyone’s expressions varied; bystanders could see it clearly, since it wasn’t their shame.
Wei Yufan said: “Maybe unintentional in the assessment, but last time I invited Junior Brother Su to mediate with me in the middle, he didn’t seem willing.”
Su Chen glanced at him; what was this guy’s deal, still pretending.
Not to mention He Kang’s message was off, and Liu Chen’s attitude when visiting later—he didn’t think that night was truly for mediation.
Seeing Su Chen silent, Wei Yufan frowned slightly and added: “Pity, too late to say anything now.”
Ming Lin subconsciously furrowed his brow; too late? What did that mean?
Before he could think deeper, a clamor rose from below.
Clang!
A crisp clash rang from the arena; the butchering knife wrapped in blood flame chopped down, Xiong Tao crossed arms to block, mane and blade friction sparking harsh noise.
“Roar!” He roared, right leg stomping hard, hips twisting to deflect the blade, left claw lunging at the opponent’s ribs.
Chu Xuan retreated, hurling both knives; blood pythons bit the handles, crossing in spin, left knife feinting low, right knife silently arcing behind Xiong Tao.
