My profession is too unique.

Chapter 165 The Peril of the Faceless Ghost: Xia Hanshi Returns

Upon hearing this, Chongjingtian's expression darkened, and he remained silent.

Suddenly, the bracelet started vibrating incessantly. Looking down and pulling out the virtual screen, Chong Jingtian glanced at it, his brows furrowing. "Xia Hanshi is back."

Upon hearing this name, Pu Zhenghong's expression became unnatural, and he let out a cold snort.

Chong Jingtian pretended not to hear and frowned, saying, "There's urgent news. I'll go back first."

He returned to the entrance, shutting down He Kang and the others' senses again, and went straight back to the courtroom.

In the office, Xia Hanshi, Jiang Shumo, and You Shan were already waiting.

Aside from Xia Hanshi, whose face was as cold as iron, Jiang Shumo and You Shan also looked quite unpleasant.

As soon as Chong Jingtian entered, he sensed the subtle atmosphere, while Jiang Shumo said irritably, "The chief is here, you can speak now."

"What urgent news?" Chongjingtian asked as well.

Xia Hanshi's voice was cold, "The Faceless Ghost followers have gathered a considerable force, and they are less than 10,000 kilometers away from Yingfeng... including the time I spent traveling."

If there were subordinate cities under Ying Feng's command, contacting him would be easier, but in the wilderness, it was impossible to contact him at all, so he could only return to inform him first.

"Hmm!?" Chong Jingtian's expression changed, and his pupils trembled.

"Are you sure?" Jiang Shumo suddenly stood up and asked repeatedly, "Where did you get this information?"

Xia Hanshi's voice was cold and hard, "I saw it with my own eyes, Yuan Poshan is still following them."

"If you don't believe me, I can take you there to see, but by then they should be at the door by the time we get there."

Jiang Shumo ignored the second half of Xia Hanshi's sentence, still finding it hard to understand, "Weren't the followers of the various evil gods preparing for a holy banquet? Why would the followers of the Faceless Ghost suddenly attack?"

Chongjing Tian was also thrown off balance by this sudden news, his expression shifting between light and dark. "In that case, we must keep the enemy out."

"The power they've gathered is extraordinary; they possess a divine statue that stands thousands of meters tall," Xia Hanshi added. "At the very least, a vessel for a mysterious god will appear."

"They want to perish together with Ying Fengyu?" You Shan asked in surprise and doubt. "If that's the case, won't they be out of the game?"

If they expend their strength attacking Yingfeng, what will happen to the Holy Banquet?
“Or perhaps…” she thought of another chilling possibility, “that the followers of the Faceless Demons can defeat us without the aid of the Holy Feast.”

No one could give her an answer. Chongjingtian's expression was solemn. "This matter needs to be reported to the Council of Elders. I estimate... if we don't deal with it with all our might, it will be difficult to eliminate this threat."

“Faceless Ghosts…it’s them again.” Jiang Shumo looked worried, but also reminded, “Be careful, just like last time. And Wu Chenpei, we also need to find a way to control him.”

"Wu Chenpei?" Xia Hanshi suddenly looked at Jiang Shumo, his two sunken eyes seemingly flickering with ghostly fire. "Is he the one Yuandu sent?"

The last news he received was about Wei Yinshuo's death.

Later, he and Yuan Poshan followed the Faceless Ghost's army to investigate their purpose, and had not communicated with Ying Feng for a long time.

All we know is that Yuan Du sent someone, but we don't know exactly who it was.

“Not bad…” Jiang Shumo nodded, glancing at Xia Hanshi, feeling inexplicably jealous. How could this old guy get a student like Su Chen?

“More than thirty years ago, when we were fighting for the stone tablet in those ruins, I killed his brother. He roared to the sky, vowing to avenge this, and I still remember it.” Xia Hanshi’s tone was cold and gloomy. “Yuan Du sent him here with ulterior motives.”

“Never mind…” He shook his head again. “With the Holy Feast approaching, the most urgent task is to contact other cities and join forces to wipe out the followers of the Evil God.”

Chong Jingtian said helplessly, "A few months ago, I contacted Lieyang and Tianqing. They have already taken some action, but the fog in the wild makes it difficult to find any trace of the believers of the Ghost God."

Traces are hard to find... Xia Hanshi was taken aback, and then he heard Chong Jingtian say helplessly, "If it weren't for this fog, those believers of the evil god would have been wiped out long ago, and it wouldn't have developed into the danger of the Holy Banquet."

“Then let’s ask the royal court for help.” Xia Hanshi said decisively. “The only problem is whether they are willing to help.”

Hearing this, Xia Hanshi and the other two exchanged glances, and Jiang Shumo spoke up, "Yuan Du has indeed proposed a solution."

He briefly summarized the message that Wu Chenpei had conveyed.

“The Crimson Flame Thunder Venerable…” Xia Hanshi pondered, “So that’s his name.”

"Yes, Yuan Du has been training a young man named Hong Xuan, with the Crimson Talent..."

"No!" Xia Hanshi snapped out of his daze and shouted sternly, "Yuan Du has ulterior motives. If they succeed, we will all turn to dust!"

He strongly opposed this, saying, "It's better to bet on the King's Court to do good deeds than on the Yuan Du to do good deeds."

Chong Jingtian coughed lightly: "Actually, we are also preparing to nominate one person."

"Who?" Xia Hanshi asked subconsciously, his eyes narrowing. "Crimson talent, you're confident you can compete? You've discovered another promising talent while I was away?"

Hearing this, all three looked somewhat embarrassed. Jiang Shumo stammered, "It wasn't someone else... it was..."

"It's Su Chen!" Seeing the others' reactions, Xia Hanshi spoke Jiang Shumo's name for him, then stood up abruptly, his eyes cold. "Absolutely impossible!"

"You Shan's student also has the talent of Ink Emerald, so why not let him take the risk, but instead send Su Chen? Is it because I'm not in the courtroom?"

He originally wanted Su Chen to try looking at the stone slab before venturing into the ruins, but later, after discovering that Su Chen's talent had improved to the level of Black Jade, he regretted it.

He's already lost three men; if he loses another one with a bright future, he'll find it hard to forgive himself.

And now, the things he wouldn't even let Su Chen do, Chong Jingtian and the others actually want to do.

The three of them immediately realized that Xia Hanshi had misunderstood.

You Shan said coldly, "I would like to let him take the risk, but he is not qualified and he can't beat Hong Xuan."

Xia Hanshi frowned, realizing that things didn't seem to be going as he had expected.

"Old Xia, sit down, sit down..." Jiang Shumo forced a smile that even he found disgusting.

Based on his speculation about Su Chen's personality, Xia Hanshi's opinion might actually play a significant role, and it needs to be clarified.

"Pushing Su Chen out is not because we're picky, but because we have no other choice."

Immediately, he asked Xia Hanshi to be patient and recount in detail what had happened after Hongxuan's arrival.

After hearing this, Xia Hanshi was also somewhat dazed, "That kid, he actually became so powerful?"

Xia Hanshi knew that with Su Chen's hard work and talent, plus the resources of the court, he couldn't be weak.

But Hongxuan, who made the other core seeds unable to raise their heads, was defeated by Su Chen without much effort.

The significance of this still surprised him.

It's no wonder that Chongjing Tian and others would have the idea of ​​betting on Su Chen.

Jiang Shumo pressed on, "The spiritual essence we traded with Yuandu will arrive soon, at which time... Su Chen's talent can be further improved."

So there really is some hope, and Xia Hanshi felt a surge of excitement.

Chongjingtian added, "Once you gain approval, you can go to that ruin, enter the deepest part, reunite the stone slabs, and try again."

No one knew what Xia Hanshi was thinking, but after a moment, he composed himself and said calmly, "Then let's do it your way for now." The three of them breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, Xia Hanshi hadn't had a relapse.

Jiang Shumo said with a hint of teasing, "Old Xia, you've been hiding this really well. You prepared Su Chen's Tier 3 top-tier profession for him, didn't you? What were the requirements? He completed them way too quickly."

Xia Hanshi glanced at him and said indifferently, "What's it to you?"

Jiang Shumo was taken aback and his expression turned sour. Chong Jingtian had no choice but to smooth things over and then prepared to go and convene the elders' meeting.

But before he could leave, Xia Hanshi stopped him and said in a deep voice, "I'm not going to defend against the enemy this time. I'll stay and guard Yingfeng."

“You…” Chong Jingtian was taken aback. He naturally did not think that Xia Hanshi was afraid. He pondered and said, “Very well, you have been gone for a long time this time. There should be someone left in the court of judgment. At that time, you will not be allowed to enter.”

.........

"You've advanced to the fourth rank?"

In the living room, Su Chen looked at Ming Lin, who was radiant with excitement, a stark contrast to his usual composure.

“Yes… I’ve finally been promoted.” Minglin exclaimed with a sense of catharsis. “I started preparing for this job a year and a half ago.”

“A year ago, my development progress had already reached 100%, but I held back for a whole year.”

Career advancement and a higher level of life are irresistible desires for professionals.

Especially after development reaches 100%, the feeling of fullness that overflows from the inside out constantly stimulates them.

Similarly, the anxiety of wasting their prime years urges them to get promoted as soon as possible, and this feeling is even stronger for someone like Minglin.

However, professional requirements cannot be met overnight; one can only complete them one by one with patience.

After overcoming numerous difficulties, Minglin finally met the requirements and was promoted.

He also wanted to vent to someone, and after thinking it over, he realized that Su Chen was the only one he could share it with.

"Congratulations, congratulations." Su Chen sincerely congratulated him and said with emotion, "It wasn't easy. Ever since I entered the Tribunal, I've heard that you were going to advance to the fourth rank. You've finally achieved your wish. It wasn't easy at all."

"Haha..." Minglin laughed loudly.

It has to be Su Chen. He doesn't need to think to know that the other core seeds are probably already feeling envious when they hear that he has successfully advanced to the fourth-tier top profession.

“I’ve been there myself, so I really have to give you a piece of advice,” Minglin said. “If you want to save time, you really can’t wait until you’re seventy or eighty years into development to start preparing.”

"I suggest you start preparing for the promotion requirements when the development is 50% complete. If I had started preparing for the promotion requirements when the development was 50% complete, it might have taken less time than it is now."

“Hmm…” Minglin then realized, “You’re definitely over 50%, so you need to start preparing now. If there’s anything I can help you with, just let me know.”

"I've learned a lot," Su Chen said gratefully.

When people are in high spirits, they can't help but chat with Su Chen for a few more minutes. He mysteriously brought up something: "Recently, several promising talents from the inner court have been taken by the chief to see some stone slabs."

"Huh?" Su Chen was taken aback, then realized that Chong Jingtian was taking a chance.

“I’ve also heard about that stone slab…” Minglin said with some speculation. “It is said that it records a legendary profession, and the chief seems to be selecting people who can take the job.”

“However, they only brought fourth-tier seeds, and didn’t bring a few third-tier seeds. I guess they have some requirements.” Minglin pondered. “But the people from Yuandu haven’t left yet. Isn’t the Chief afraid of leaking information by doing this? Or did the people from Yuandu already know about this?”

He guessed a few times, and seeing that Su Chen didn't respond, he asked hopefully, "I wonder when it will be my turn."

Clearly, he has a certain degree of confidence in his talent.

Su Chen glanced at him and said, "It should be soon, you're already at the fourth level."

"Haha..." Minglin laughed again, remembering that he had already advanced to the fourth level, and did not forget to reassure him: "You will definitely be fine too. I wish you all the best in advance."

Su Chen nodded repeatedly, seeing off the excited Ming Lin. He was still muttering to himself, "Even Ming Lin is this excited about a rank advancement, tsk tsk..."

As his rank increased, he became increasingly aware of the value of the panel, as it could easily cost him several years' worth of resources and energy.

It's also because he hasn't been held back by professional requirements for too long that he finds it hard to understand Minglin's excitement.

"I still need to hide for a while longer. My speed of advancing to the fourth rank is a bit too fast."

Su Chen advanced to the next level around the same time as Ming Lin, which, even though it seemed to be a fourth-tier advanced profession, was still too fast.

"First, have the analysis department prepare for a thunderstorm environment. The Calamity Inspector still needs to be struck by lightning for a day..."

As Su Chen was walking towards the underground gravity chamber, his eyebrows suddenly twitched, and he abruptly turned his head, shouting sharply, "Who!?"

Upon seeing the gaunt figure that had suddenly appeared in the living room, Su Chen's fierce expression quickly vanished, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Teacher?"

The person who suddenly appeared was Xia Hanshi. The old man narrowed his eyes and looked at Su Chen suspiciously. "Such keen perception. You've advanced to the fourth level?"

When he left last time, he stood in a corner for a long time and even deliberately took a breath before Su Chen noticed him.

This time, as soon as he entered the villa, Su Chen realized that even a third-level cultivator couldn't do it.

"Uh..." Su Chen paused, quite speechless, "Teacher, when did you get back?"

How could he be promoted so quickly?

Xia Hanshi calculated the time and found it unbelievable. When I left, this kid was still a second-tier professional.

According to Jiang Shumo and the others' description of the scene when they defeated Hongxuan, their professional strength must have been top-notch, and the requirements must have been very difficult.

The requirements for a top-tier Tier 3 profession were met without much trouble.
What about the fourth level?

Xia Hanshi remained silent, but Su Chen felt a chill run down his spine.

When Lao Xia wasn't around, we could push all the work onto him. Now that Lao Xia is back, we can't just push it onto Chong Jingtian, can we? Lao Xia really dares to ask him.

"Don't be nervous." Xia Hanshi suddenly spoke up, saying calmly, "You're a hot commodity right now. If anyone dares to do anything to you, Chong Jingtian will fight them to the death."

"You're joking." Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "I'm your student, and I have nothing to do with the chief."

It would have been one thing for Bu Siqi to say that, but Su Chen seemed to find it rather comforting.

Xia Hanshi nodded: "You're hardworking, so it's normal that you get promoted quickly."

This was an endorsement of him, and Su Chen nodded repeatedly: "It's all because of your exemplary conduct."

"Alright." Xia Hanshi waved his hand. "I know the general situation. How confident are you?"

"I'm not sure." Su Chen shook his head. Who knew what was going on with that stone slab?

“Hmm…” Xia Hanshi was not disappointed. “Now that you have advanced to the fourth rank, there is no danger in viewing the stone slab. Once you have the spiritual essence and become a spiritualist, go and take a look.”

Since Old Xia has vouched for it, we can barely get by for now. There's no need to hide anything, Su Chen thought, as he listened to Old Xia continue:
"Once I know the results, I can make a decision."

(End of this chapter)