My profession is too unique.

Chapter 110 The Influence of the Faceless Demon's Power: Inner Court Reform
Egg? Divine blood? Seed?
Su Chen's eyebrows twitched, and he instinctively wanted to throw it away; this thing looked disgusting.

"This is something given to Wei Yinshuo. On the surface, it can prolong life, but in reality, it secretly erodes him to achieve control?"

He couldn't help but speculate that he should first put it into the storage space.

Even the chief judge's lifespan is unlikely to exceed two hundred years, and lifespan has always been a powerful tool used by the cult of the Deceitful Gods to corrupt its higher-ups.

The higher one's position, the greater one's power and influence, the more one desires to live longer.

“But this lifespan is poisonous…” Su Chen couldn’t help but shudder as he thought of the fanaticism the Black Tuo believers had shown him earlier.

Longevity without willpower is nothing more than being a puppet.

After glancing around and making sure he hadn't left any traces, Su Chen left.

When Su Chen returned to the courtroom, it was already dawn. Bu Siqi and the others had not yet returned, which relieved Su Chen. Otherwise, he would have had a hard time explaining why they returned first but arrived later.

However, the events of last night have already escalated, and many people on the street were whispering among themselves.

"The Pang family was wiped out just like that?"

"Yes, one of their ancestors was a presiding judge, and Pang Hui himself was the deputy minister of supervision. They just disappeared like that."

"Judge Xia is still as ruthless as ever."

"I heard that Judge Wei also stepped in, putting righteousness before family."

"Sacrificing one's own family for the greater good? It sounds nice, but what do the people under you think? Even if they do something wrong, they don't want to be the 'family' that gets destroyed."

When they saw him, everyone looked surprised.

"It's said that this newly promoted core seed has a private conflict with Pang Xingwen. The night before last, someone saw him crying in front of Su Chen's door. Could it be that Judge Xia took action because of this?"

"Don't talk nonsense. It's because the Pang family colluded with the Ghost God Cult. You didn't know that?"

"Brother Su..." someone greeted him, sounding very obsequious. Su Chen felt the face was familiar, as if he had seen him at Chu Xuan's banquet, but he didn't know his name.

He nodded in response.

Perhaps it was Xia Hanshi's ruthless actions that reminded some people of the judge's authority, as many people greeted him on the street.

Many high-ranking judges have shown their amiable side.

"Sure enough, might makes right, who cares about reputation?"

Su Chen sighed inwardly and went to Lao Xia's villa to talk about the "blood sacrifice," only to find it empty and no one had returned.

"Old Xia's intuition wasn't wrong after all. The Demon God Cult is indeed up to something in the dark, a blood sacrifice in ten cities... How long has it been since something like this happened?"

Back in his villa, he ate the breakfast prepared by Zero, the meat juices bubbling in his mouth.

Before me was a projected virtual screen, displaying densely packed text—a compilation of information about the Ghost God.

Su Chen scanned the area; the monstrous gods and the mutated species in the mist were constant threats.

However, thanks to the invention of the Dome Light System, the threat of the mutants has been temporarily weakened, as those creatures dislike appearing in places without fog.

On the contrary, the population growth has led to an increasing number of followers of the Twisted God Cult, which has gradually become the primary threat.

“When the population was sparse, the Ghost Gods were hardly a threat. Many Ghost Gods only appeared after the population grew.”

"What exactly is this 'Strange God'? Are they powerful life forms? Their true forms don't seem to be on this planet, and we don't know where they are,"

He thought of the “scarlet corruption” he had seen in the trial of delirium.

"We must sacrifice ten cities; we must find a way to inform the Inquisition, no matter what..."

You can't pretend you don't know about this, otherwise it will come back to haunt you one day.

"The Old Ghost God Cult is making big moves, but Ying Feng is not to be underestimated either. He must have been aware of something about such a major event as the blood sacrifice of the ten cities."

"I'll try to sound him out if I get the chance. If Lao Xia finds out, I won't need to show my face. Otherwise, I'll think of another way."

After making up his mind, Su Chen returned to his bedroom after a hearty meal, closed the door, and opened the control panel.

"The power of the Faceless Demon, let's see what you're really good for..."

Su Chen took a deep breath and decided to use it on the [Swift Wind and Thunder Envoy], which had not yet been affected by the power of the Black Pagoda.

"Each profession can only be registered once. Once it's ruined, it's ruined. The Arcane Weaver has already been affected by the power of the Black Tortoise. It would be a huge loss if something went wrong."

Having made up his mind, the grayish-white, semi-transparent power of the faceless demon immediately transformed into invisible chains, coiling around the [Swift Wind and Thunder Envoy].

[The Swift Wind and Thunder Envoy, affected by the power of the Faceless Demon, went mad and lost consciousness, even forgetting who he was; his third requirement for advancement was erased.]

"The promotion requirements were simply removed?"

Su Chen looked at the panel with a very interesting expression. The third requirement for the advancement of [Swift Wind and Thunder Master] is to become a "lightning rod" and survive in a thunderstorm area for half an hour. Now that requirement is gone.

"The Faceless Demon's ability is to randomly remove one of the job requirements? Tsk tsk... Not bad... Not bad..."

Su Chen couldn't help but grin; he was well aware of the bizarre and varied job requirements.

The time, resources, and effort saved by directly eliminating a job requirement are immeasurable.

Even if the requirements for the [Swift Wind and Thunder Master] have been weakened, it will still take some effort.

"However, the Faceless Demon's power can erase a requirement without any additional cost, but upgrading a profession requires extra effort..." Su Chen also noticed the difference and secretly speculated:
"It might be because removing a requirement is relatively easy, while career advancement is more difficult."

Black Tortoise's power was almost exhausted by the time it discovered the upgrade requirements.

"Black Tuo, Faceless Ghost... these are only two ghost gods. I wonder what the powers of the other ghost gods are?"

Thinking of this, Su Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. While others feared the mysterious and treacherous as if they were snakes and scorpions, he wanted to get to know them better.

However, he suppressed the thought as soon as it surfaced, secretly warning himself: "The mysterious and unpredictable are to be approached with extreme caution; arrogance is tantamount to courting death."

Su Chen calmed himself down. The events of the past few days had been overwhelming, from becoming a core seed to the massacre of the Pang family, and then tonight's gains. It was all quite dazzling.

"Stability is the key to success."

He let out a long sigh and then turned his gaze to another [Low-Tier Black Tortoise Power].

Fortunately, the power of the Demon God can be applied to a single profession repeatedly.

[The Swift Wind and Thunder, imbued with the power of the Black Tortoise, sees a path ahead in a hazy vision, yearning for even greater power.]

[Draw upon the power of three "Thunder Cores" to complete your class upgrade.]

“Thunder Core…” Su Chen frowned. It was something he had never heard of before. He had Zero look it up before he could roughly understand it.

This is a highly condensed elemental core of lightning. Due to the instability of the element, it can give rise to exotic lightning cores such as "Flame Lightning" and "Ice Lightning", which are quite precious and rare.

“No need to kill anyone, but it will cost money…” Su Chen shook his head and could only write it down in his notebook for the time being.

After breakfast, Su Chen went to the gym to torture himself for a while. It was only mid-afternoon when Bu Siqi rushed over.

"Senior brother, what happened? Who beat you up so badly?"

When Su Chen opened the door, he was shocked to see that Bu Siqi's eyes were swollen like light bulbs and his clothes were tattered.

"It's good that you're back." Bu Siqi breathed a sigh of relief and complained, "Who else could it be but the teacher? I was lying there sucking blood when he kicked me."

“You’re a grown man, nothing bad will happen to you, why is he so anxious?”

Su Chen understood and could hear the resentment in Bu Siqi's voice. He immediately said, "No, I have to go and explain this to the teacher. It was my own request to leave, and it has nothing to do with my senior brother."

He made a move to get up, but Bu Siqi grabbed him, saying, "There's no need to explain. That's just how teachers are. I'm used to it."

Seeing Su Chen's seriousness, her resentment lessened, and she sighed, "Actually, I understand. You're not only the teacher's darling, but also the court's darling. It's only natural to care about you."

But ultimately, there's a sense of being neglected, like "Teacher, you've never shown me that kind of care before."

This kind of mentality can only be adjusted by oneself, and Su Chen couldn't say anything about it.

Fortunately, Bu Siqi seemed to adjust quickly, and then said, "The Pang family has almost finished, and some scattered members have been imprisoned. Your share should be delivered soon."

"However, one fish managed to slip through the net. That young man named Pang Xingwen escaped. We found the secret passage, but we can't find him anywhere." "After all, it's in the city, so our court can't really operate there," Su Chen casually added.

To everyone's surprise, Bu Siqi looked deeply impressed and said angrily, "Yes, when we were investigating people through the secret passage, those guards tried to stop us in every way, saying that it was disturbing the residents and that it had a bad influence. It made me so angry."

"Yes, it's not good for us to take action in the city, but the problem is that Pang Hui is their deputy minister. How can we trust them when they're harboring a ghost in their own home?"

His thoughts, to some extent, also reflected the thoughts of the vast majority of people in the courtroom.
Our court is helping you to rid the world of evil spirits, and you're still trying to stop us. You really don't know what's good for you!
After complaining for a while, Bu Siqi left; he had other things to do.

The news of the Pang family's demise has spread, causing quite a stir.

It wasn't just because the Pang family had stood for hundreds of years, but also because it involved a current deputy minister of the Ministry of Supervision. There was a lot of discussion in Yingfeng City, and all sorts of rumors were flying around.

Meanwhile, some people or forces that had some connection with the Pang family in the past have all severed ties with them.

……

"Where did the Pang family get the audacity?!"

Chu Yunze's face was ashen. This was a gathering centered around Chu Xuan's small group. "How can they be so ungrateful! They dare to collude with the Ghost God Cult!"

He felt no regret, only anger, because they had also been affected to some extent.

Meng Qi shrank back, unsure whether she was afraid of Chu Yunze or the Ghost God Cult.

"Some people have already politely indicated that they want to leave and join the ranks of other core seeds," someone whispered nearby.

Their once-powerful little group was dealt a heavy blow by Su Chen before they even entered the courtroom.

Now, Pang Xingwen, one of the internal members, is involved with the Ghost God Cult, causing panic among the members. The already weak cohesion has almost completely dissipated.

"Let them go." Chu Xuan said indifferently. "Since we're not on the same path, we'll part ways sooner or later."

Chu Yunze calmed himself down and sighed, "Now those core seeds in the inner court will probably have to intensify their efforts to deal with us again."

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but think of Su Chen. Back then, he seemed to be all alone, but now he has a unique advantage. He can just take care of himself and not care about the world.

"I think there's something fishy going on here," Meng Qi whispered.

"Oh?" Chu Yunze looked over.

All eyes turned to Meng Qi, making her even more flustered.

"Speak up if you have any ideas. Now is the time to brainstorm," Chu Yunze reassured him.

Meng Qi cautiously asked, "Brother Chu and Su... Su Chen..."

Mentioning this name made everyone present look awkward, but no one took Meng Qi seriously.

"...They were all recruited by the Chief Judge as an exception. The commotion among the other core candidates is essentially due to their dissatisfaction with the Chief Judge, and yet the Chief Judge hasn't made a move. I feel like he's just letting things slide..." Meng Qi spoke more fluently and faster as she spoke:
"Furthermore, Minglin, as the only remaining Dark Jade-level being, hasn't made any move or participated in the attack against us..."

Chu Xuan's expression shifted slightly: "You mean, the Chief Judge has another trick up his sleeve?"

Meng Qi whispered, "I'm just guessing... just guessing..."

Chu Xuan pondered for a moment and gave the final instruction: "In that case, let's hold our ground for now and let them rant and rave. If necessary, we can suffer some losses."

……

“This is it…” Su Chen got out of the specially made hovercar and looked at the small manor in front of him. It wasn’t in the core of Yingfeng, but it was enough to show the former glory of the Gu family.

"Grandpa said we won't go to those noisy places this time." Gu Bing spoke cautiously and nervously, seemingly dressed up deliberately, her black hair draped over her shoulders, her lips, painted with plain lipstick, slightly pursed.

The Su Chen before me is no longer the little guy from Nanfeng back then.

Rather, he was a core member of the court, a student of the presiding judge, and someone who had just participated in the massacre of the Pang family.

The Pang family was far more glorious and prosperous than the declining Gu family.

"A family dinner is fine too." Su Chen hadn't taken two steps when he saw the manor gate open, and a large family was waiting behind it.

The leader was an elderly man with white hair and beard, his face covered with age spots. He walked forward shakily, seemingly intending to bow, "Gu Zhengyang of the Gu family welcomes Your Excellency Su Chen."

"Grandpa, you're too kind of me." Su Chen grabbed the old man's arm, preventing him from actually bowing.

“It’s only right…” Gu Zhengting grasped Su Chen’s hand in return, and said with heartfelt gratitude, “It is an honor for the Gu family to have you here…”

He led Su Chen at the front, with the rest of the Gu family following behind, some older and some younger, all their eyes curiously fixed on Su Chen.

The banquet was ready. Su Chen sat to the right of the old man, while Gu Bing sat to the left, looking rather uneasy.

"Try this..." The old man pointed to the plate in the center, which held a small, bright red suckling pig.

Su Chen tasted it, and it was indeed delicious. A warm feeling welled up in his stomach and gradually spread throughout his body.

It was indeed a family dinner. Gu Zhengting simply introduced him to the main members of the Gu family, then had him eat and chatted about some interesting things. As for things like protection and transactions, which were too vulgar, not a word was mentioned.

Xia Hanshi had just wiped out the Pang family, and Su Chen's arrival was a clear indication of his stance. Those other families that were eyeing the family with covetous intent would probably have to think twice.

After several rounds of drinks, many people had already left, but Old Master Gu suddenly brought up something: "There will be a major change in the inner court."

"Oh?" Su Chen looked surprised.

“I’m from the same generation as the chief judge, so I still have some connections.” Gu Zhengyang’s cloudy eyes cleared up considerably.

"Compared to decades ago, when a single Crimson Gold Seed was cherished, there are now far too many Crimson Gold Seeds. But even the most outstanding ones have to choose their faction before entering the Inner Court."

"The four-core structure of the inner court can no longer keep up with the times, but the forces surrounding those core seeds are complex and intertwined. The chief judge has to consider this carefully. And you and that Chu Xuan are the spearhead he has been waiting for to break the deadlock."

Su Chen seemed to be deep in thought. Ming Lin had also mentioned this matter, and Gu Zhengyang had also noticed it.

Gu Zhengyang added, "Your Excellency should also be prepared that the core seed will not be so secure in the future."

"However, in any case, my Gu family will do everything in our power to help."

He said all this to express his sincerity: even if Su Chen encounters an accident in the future and is no longer a core seed, the Gu family will not make any underhanded moves.

.........

The next morning, Su Chen woke up in bed, rubbing his slightly throbbing head. He glanced at the time; it was already nine o'clock. He couldn't help but complain, "What kind of wine was that? It made me dizzy."

Zero had already brought the hangover soup that the cafeteria had prepared in advance; the greenish liquid didn't look very appealing.

After swallowing it, Su Chen quickly felt much better.

"Phew..." Su Chen put down the bowl, but looked at Zero standing to the side, "I don't think I asked you to prepare this last night."

“Yes.” Zero nodded, placing his hands on his lower abdomen and responding gracefully, “This is the best choice I’ve deduced based on the data.”

"What's the absolute limit of your control over my life?" Su Chen's expression shifted slightly.

"According to the guidelines, this is limited to basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Furthermore, I will only make the best prediction based on available data if you haven't given specific instructions." Zero thoughtfully provided an example:

"If you gave specific instructions last night, then I will do as you request."

"His intelligence is quite high." Su Chen nodded and continued listening to Zero's information summary.

"...At 6:00 AM this morning, the Chief Judge issued an updated announcement regarding the adjustment of the core seed pool, stating that due to recent internal discussions, it was decided to adjust the core seed pool, and the six core seed slots will no longer be fixed, initiating a challenge system..."

Zero's voice is gentle and beautiful, making you want to keep listening, but because of this, there is no emotional fluctuation.

She herself may find it hard to understand just how impactful this content is.

Su Chen was stunned for a few seconds before Zero projected the specific content. The content was very long, and he read it word by word, his expression becoming very strange.

Most of it was nonsense. The general idea was that since you were unhappy with my exceptional recruitment of two core seeds, I would give you the opportunity to bring them down.

But don't expect things to be easy for you either.

He turned on his bracelet, pulled up the virtual screen, and sure enough, while he was sleeping, he was overwhelmed by background messages.

Not only the contacts he added in the inner courtyard, but even Du Yu was asking about the situation.

The core seed is one of the foundational systems of the court. This adjustment will affect the interests of countless people and will impact all aspects of Yingfeng.

(End of this chapter)