"Alright."

Xia Hanshi had already seen the outcome. The corners of his mouth twitched into an ugly smile.

’The Judicial Court can produce freaks like this now?’ 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Shi Yunzhou was secretly alarmed. He had first heard of Su Chen during the Judicial Court’s assessment, where he made a stunning debut and was specially recruited as a Core Seed.

He had heard news of him from time to time since then but figured he was just another Chong Jingtian. That changed when the people from Yuan Capital arrived a while ago, mentioning the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator. Afterward, Su Chen received its acknowledgment.

Only when it seemed his very future was tied to this young man did he bother to learn more.

But the power this Tier Four Professional had just unleashed was truly inconceivable.

But he soon broke into a smile. Although he had been prepared to act shamelessly, who wouldn’t want to save face if they could?

The victor was decided in a single blow. The aftershocks had yet to dissipate, and the continuous crackle of thunder filled the air. Nearly every eye was fixed on Su Chen and the giant axe in his hands.

"It’s over just like that?" Ming Lin blinked. The other onlookers also wore expressions of indescribable shock.

This wasn’t a staged duel, and both combatants were armed. Everyone had expected to see a spectacular, all-out battle. But instead...

This couldn’t even be called a battle. It was just Su Chen’s one-sided domination.

Su Chen let out a long breath. It was his strongest attack to date, and a feeling of exhilaration washed over him.

That one axe strike made all the grueling time spent in the Gravity Chamber feel worthwhile.

Just then, a panel slowly materialized before him—

[Having defeated the acknowledged one in a display of overwhelming violence, you have pleased the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator. For the next three months, your profession development efficiency will be doubled.]

’Huh?’ Su Chen’s eyes widened. This was the first time the panel had shown a proactive response since he had absorbed the Great Venerable’s power.

’Then again, maybe not the first time,’ Su Chen mused, looking closer. ’Technically, that reckless Word Spirit Law Master was the first.’

’It actually gave me a buff. Not bad, not bad at all...’

’So defeating someone with Spiritual acknowledgment proves my own strength, or maybe my desire for the Great Venerable’s power, which in turn pleases the Great Venerable.’

’Can I farm this?’

The thought of exploiting a loophole was the first thing to cross Su Chen’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. ’Not to mention the difficulty of finding people who are acknowledged in the first place.’

’And these Professions have emotional reactions. I don’t know where they come from, but they’re clearly not just automated scripts. Pissing one off would be a very bad idea.’

Not far away, a fissure over ten meters long scarred the ground, crackling with black arcs of electricity.

Hongxuan’s face was ghastly pale as he lay slumped on the ground. Blood gushed from his wound where his entire arm and half his shoulder had been sheared off. His long spear lay discarded a short distance away.

The intense pain caused his vision to swim with black spots, and the veins on his neck bulged taut.

"You... You... How... How is this possible..."

Hongxuan fought through the agony, his heart a maelstrom of shock, anger, indignation, and utter disbelief.

Su Chen’s strength far surpassed his imagination. He had assumed that his opponent had only advanced to a Tier Four Upper Profession and that defeating him would pose little problem.

The only real challenge, he had thought, was how to kill Su Chen before Shi Yunzhou and Xia Hanshi could react.

But now, with just one move, the man had left him utterly defenseless!

This was beyond what a single Top-tier Profession could accomplish. He had to have numerous support professions, maybe even a complete system of them.

"You can’t be... you can’t be from this planet! Who are you?! Where do you come from? Are you from the Chen Family? Or Dubhe Pavilion?!"

"The Hong Family has already fallen this far! You still won’t let us go?!"

Hongxuan screamed himself hoarse. The combination of physical agony and emotional turmoil had left his mind in chaos.

"The Hong Family?" Su Chen’s expression tightened as a thought struck him. "You’re not from Red Thunder Star?" he asked, surprised.

Su Chen truly hadn’t expected this. If it were true, a lot of things would suddenly make sense.

Why Yuan Capital knew so much, why Hongxuan had been so disrespectful toward Wu Chenpei—it was all because they weren’t locals.

’But don’t you have to be a native to be acknowledged and chosen? Is there a way to deceive the Spiritual power?’

Xia Hanshi’s expression tensed. Ming Lin looked bewildered. Not from Red Thunder Star? What did that mean?

Lu Kai’s face changed, and he immediately moved to act, but Shi Yunzhou was faster. A dark golden chain slammed down, pinning him in place.

With his other hand, he conjured a hazy mist that blocked the view of the ordinary Judges. He then sealed Hongxuan’s wound to stop the bleeding.

"You..." Seeing Su Chen’s reaction, Hongxuan struggled to his feet and let out a wretched laugh. "So you’re not... you’re not one of them..."

He had only lost control because he couldn’t accept the reality of his utter defeat.

In reality, now that he thought about it, it was highly unlikely Su Chen was from off-world. He simply knew too little.

"Ten years of hiding... lost in a single morning! All lost!" Hongxuan roared at the sky, his hair flying wildly.

"Are you from the Royal Court?" Xia Hanshi asked, his gaze cold. ’Everyone has their reasons for needing to win. If you die, it just means you weren’t skilled enough.’

"The Royal Court..." Hongxuan sneered. "The Royal Court is too vast. No single person can represent it."

Xia Hanshi pressed him. "Since you came to Red Thunder Star, why get involved with Yuan Capital instead of seeking out Ying Feng?"

Ying Feng was the strongest on Red Thunder Star, and he possessed the Stone Slab. Going to Yuan Capital made little sense.

"It seems you don’t know about Yuan Capital’s hidden secrets," Hongxuan said, as if realizing something. "Since things have come to this, I might as well tell you. We didn’t contact Yuan Capital. They contacted us."