My Professions Have Too Much Personality

Chapter 123: Chapter 103: Mo Cui! The Strong Are Innocent

’Tsk… So this is Old Xia’s power. No wonder his reputation is so bad, yet he’s still firmly seated as a Chief Judge,’ Su Chen mused to himself.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Chong Jingtian asked, his face impassive. “Are you planning to rebel against the Judicial Court?”

Xia Hanshi’s voice was heavy. “If the Judicial Court is unjust, can it still be called the Judicial Court? And if it cannot be called a Judicial Court, how can there be any talk of rebellion?”

Su Chen secretly gave Old Xia a thumbs-up.

Chong Jingtian took a deep breath, his gaze shifting between Su Chen and Zhu Xuan before finally settling on Zhu Xuan. He let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

’Was he supposed to blame Su Chen for being too strong, which had now put him in a difficult position?’

’The strong are never at fault. So, the only one to blame was Zhu Xuan for not being strong enough.’

Zhu Xuan’s breathing grew heavier, and he kept his head low.

“In that case, we won’t make an exception for now.” Chong Jingtian had made his decision. To maintain stability, the Chief Judge chose not to break precedent.

Zhu Xuan exhaled. He had expected this, but now that it was confirmed, he couldn’t help but feel a little resentful.

Wei Yinsuo’s expression was also grim, but he could tell the Chief Judge had more to say.

“However…” Just as expected, Chong Jingtian’s tone shifted. “You two can be given provisional seats. If your performance is outstanding enough to win everyone over, we can make an exception and promote you to Core Seed.”

’So the rule was broken, and yet it wasn’t. Like a Schrödinger’s exception!’

Su Chen understood the implication. The Chief Judge still wanted Zhu Xuan to become a Core Seed.

’The reason probably wasn’t targeted at him or Xia Hanshi; it was purely because of Zhu Xuan’s Talent.’

’Just as those Chief Judges had said, in the later stages, the gap of a single Tier was something that couldn’t be overcome no matter how many Red Gold Talents you had.’

’It was just that Zhu Xuan had screwed up, so he couldn’t win everyone over.’

Xia Hanshi was somewhat displeased, but he knew this was the best outcome they could hope for. Chong Jingtian was, after all, still being fair.

“Chief Judge…” Su Chen spoke up. “If I also had an Ink Jade Talent, would that be enough to convince everyone and warrant an exception?”

“Obviously,” Wei Yinsuo sneered, assuming Su Chen was just bitter.

“Sigh…” Xia Hanshi let out a breath. Though his eyes were downcast, he exuded a terrifying aura, and the very air around him seemed to shimmer and warp. “Old Four, does a single question get under your skin that much?”

Wei Yinsuo froze. He snorted coldly but took a step back nonetheless.

“Don’t dwell on it…” Chong Jingtian’s tone was gentle as he tried to console him. “Talent is just one metric. What the future holds ultimately depends on you. It doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be weaker than others.”

This wasn’t a lie. Talent was merely a way to extrapolate future potential theoretically.

It’s just that someone with a theoretical upper limit of Tier Five would always be regarded more highly than someone with a theoretical limit of Tier Three.

But he had seen countless people who either fell along the way or wasted their talent and ended up as mediocrities.

“Keep working hard,” he said encouragingly. “The assessment isn’t over. You two may leave for now.”

“Understood.” Su Chen nodded thoughtfully, his eyes shifting to the Talent Detection Device sitting off to the side.

On his status panel, the two words “Acquire Class” dissolved into streams of light.

[Successfully acquired the Saint class. Gained Professional Ability—Saint’s Stance: Skill Proficiency acquisition rate increased by 50%.]

Zhu Xuan had already turned to leave, and Chong Jingtian had turned his attention to the training grounds below.

However, Yuan Poshan’s gaze flickered. He watched as Su Chen walked to a corner of the room and reached out his hand.

’The Talent Detection Device? What’s he trying to do…’ Yuan Poshan wondered, then his pupils abruptly contracted.

“Hm?” Noticing the stir, Chong Jingtian turned around in surprise.

Zhu Xuan, hearing the commotion, turned back. His expression changed drastically as he stared in utter disbelief. “This… this… this…”

The detection device in Su Chen’s hand was emitting a black light, its edges faintly tinged with green, rippling without end.

It wasn’t black, but a deep, profound cyan.

“Mo Cui!”

“It’s really Mo Cui!?”

“Physical or Spirit?”

The various Chief Judges shot to their feet, their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

“How is that possible!” Wei Yinsuo cried out in disbelief.

Xia Hanshi was the quickest to react, darting in front of Su Chen. Even though he was just as shocked, the corners of his mouth were already pulling back, gradually forming his signature ugly grin.

The room was utterly silent. Su Chen subtly swept his gaze around the room.

’If Chong Jingtian had guaranteed no exception would be made today and Zhu Xuan would never become a Core Seed, then the large faction gathered around him would have scattered.’

’And it also involved Chief Judge Wei Yinsuo. Since that path would have caused his opponents a much greater loss, Su Chen wouldn’t have minded hiding his trump card for a bit longer.’

’But Chong Jingtian hadn’t completely shut the door. Zhu Xuan still had a chance, which meant the faction backing him probably wouldn’t suffer any losses.’

’In that case, why waste time with all this talk about provisional seats?’

“It’s actually Mo Cui!?” Yuan Poshan couldn’t stop himself from roaring, “That rebellious disciple, Yuan Chenyang, what in the world was he thinking!”

“Something this huge, and he didn’t even report it to me!?”

The Chief Judge clutched his chest. The loss was too great, far too great!

Losing a Red Gold or even a Double Red Gold Talent was something he could accept. After all, what was done was done, and Yuan Chenyang had secured the position of City Lord.

But a Mo Cui Talent was on a completely different level, and Su Chen’s performance had been nothing short of outstanding.

He was full of regret, but one glance at the wiry Xia Hanshi forced him to swallow it back down. He said resentfully, “Old Liu, oh, Old Liu, you really know how to play your cards close to your chest. An Ink Jade Level Talent, and you just abandoned him in Ying Feng for so long!”

“Mo Cui?”

After his initial shock, Chong Jingtian broke into a satisfied, warm smile. “What a devilish kid. Excellent, excellent, truly excellent!”

His repeating “excellent” three times was a clear sign of the Chief Judge’s great mood.

However, he quickly added, “Discovering two individuals with Ink Jade Level Talent is a blessing for Ying Feng. In light of this, no one will object to making an exception and promoting you both to Core Seeds.”

This was clearly said to spare Zhu Xuan’s feelings. But for this supposed chosen one, who should have been the star of the show, it was now difficult to even force a smile in response to the Chief Judge’s kindness.

’To be the center of attention, to be valued by the Chief Judge, to become a Core Seed by special exception…’

’This was the scene he had originally envisioned. Everything had been going according to his plan, right up until Su Chen landed that one blow during the assessment.’

’But after that single blow, everything had changed.’

’Now, even though he had become a Core Seed, he was, in a way, just riding on Su Chen’s coattails.’

Wei Yinsuo felt the same, but his Qi Cultivation Skill was clearly superior to Zhu Xuan’s. In any case, the objective had been achieved.

Amidst the peaceful atmosphere, another person arrived on the high platform, carrying another Talent Detection Device.

“Both of you, test it again,” Chong Jingtian said, his expression still gentle. “Just to avoid any discrepancies.”

’He doesn’t quite trust me. He didn’t make Zhu Xuan re-test just now,’ Su Chen thought, seeing the man’s true intentions.

’Chong Jingtian appeared gentle, but Su Chen’s reveal had been sudden, and the Talent Detection Device in the room wasn’t one he had personally arranged. It was only natural for him to be suspicious.’

’More importantly, there was now an error in the Judicial Court’s records. He was probably wondering if the Talent had been hidden all along, or if it was a Postnatal improvement.’

Although Xia Hanshi’s expression soured, he didn’t say anything.

However, nothing unexpected happened. Both Zhu Xuan and Su Chen produced pillars of inky light.

Chong Jingtian nodded in satisfaction. “Zhu Xuan’s is a Physical Talent, and Su Chen’s is a Spirit Talent. Good, very good…”

“Su Chen’s Physical Talent is also Red Gold,” Xia Hanshi reminded him.

Chong Jingtian faltered for a second before it registered. He nodded. “Ah, yes. That means his future prospects are even broader.”

Since their peak Talents were the same, it came down to breadth. And in that regard, Zhu Xuan was now undeniably a step behind.

At the same time, the other Chief Judges who had previously been cool toward Su Chen now wore warm, gentle smiles. They even managed to direct a few strained smiles toward Xia Hanshi.

“Su Chen, we share a certain bond, you and I. In the future…” Yuan Poshan had barely said a few words when Xia Hanshi, his expression grim, pulled him away.

“You may leave for now,” Chong Jingtian said with a wave of his hand. “We will announce this publicly after the assessment is complete.”

Only then did Su Chen and Zhu Xuan take their leave.

Watching the two depart, Chong Jingtian couldn’t help but remark, “It’s a rare day that we have three individuals with Ink Jade Level Talent in the Judicial Court at the same time.”

“The stagnant waters of the Inner Courtyard are finally about to be stirred.”