His immediate thought was to notify Old Xia and have the person arrested as soon as possible.

But just as quickly, the feeling abruptly vanished.

’It’s gone?’

Su Chen frowned. Although his sensory range didn’t cover the entirety of Ying Feng, it seemed impossible that the person had suddenly moved beyond his perception.

’This has never happened before. I could even sense Meng Qi clearly.’

He didn’t think his perception was infallible. Ultimately, this sense of his relied on the connection that existed among the Deceitful God’s Followers—a connection rooted in the Deceitful God.

Placing a Deceitful Artifact inside a metal box forged from meteorite material could obscure this sense, proving that it was possible to block it entirely if one had the means.

It was just that before him, no Believers had ever used this sense against their own kind, so naturally, no one had bothered to defend against it.

’This Divine Son is different from Meng Qi. Could it be their true body?’ Su Chen’s heart tightened. The true bodies of these creatures were anything but ordinary.

But he immediately dismissed the thought. It came back to the same logic: if they could have simply overwhelmed him, they wouldn’t have resorted to luring him away and sneaking in. They would have just taken the Stone Slab by force.

"The person is gone..." Su Chen murmured, letting his disguised form fade. "Then this isn’t the best time to notify Old Xia. Besides, my precognitive ability has never been tested on any artifacts related to the Deceitful God."

"I wonder if I can even sense this person anymore..."

For now, he couldn’t tell if this infiltrating Divine Son had detected him—a Priest who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere—and blocked his own presence as a result.

Or perhaps, the block was due to some other matter.

He would have to wait and see how the situation unfolded.

After a moment of thought, Su Chen opened his wristband and accessed the Judicial Court’s internal network. The necessary permissions had already been granted, allowing him to choose a C-level Training Technique.

’The Potion is on its way. Time to prepare the Body Refining Technique and Meditation Technique as well.’

He searched carefully and soon found what he was looking for.

[C-level Cloud Dragon Body Refining Technique] — Draws highly compressed Wind Elemental Power into the bones to vibrate the marrow, gradually infusing flesh, blood, and tendons.

[C-level Mirage Sea Meditation Technique] — Visualize a boundless, illusory sea, using one’s spirit to construct phantasms that blur the line between real and unreal.

Both the difficulty and depth were significantly greater than their D-level counterparts. After making his selections, he still had to go through a formal process before the data could be sent to him, but that was just a matter of time.

While he waited, Su Chen continued browsing. There were far fewer C-level Body Refining and Meditation Techniques; combined, there were less than fifty available.

’I’ll probably need to use external devices for assistance by the third time I have to switch techniques. After all, different Body Refining Techniques require different types of Energy,’ Su Chen thought.

Previously, with the wide variety of Low-level Body Refining Techniques, he could still pick one that suited him perfectly.

But now that the techniques were becoming rarer, he would inevitably have to rely on external means.

’However, by that time, I might have already gone to the Royal Court,’ Su Chen couldn’t help but wonder. ’I wonder what the Royal Court is like.’

Gu Bing moved quickly. The first batch of Potions had already been delivered—enough for one day’s use, with more still being procured.

"Profound Tiger Potion..." Su Chen murmured, holding the glass bottle. An orange-yellow medicinal fluid was suspended within the bottle’s translucent liquid, swirling into various fascinating shapes as it moved.

A single bottle cost nearly 300,000 Gold Coins. Using it was practically the sound of gold pouring away.

Tier Four Professionals were the pillars of society in Ying Feng. If assigned to an outlying post, they would take the position of a City Lord, ruling over a territory with a revered status.

If their potential was exhausted, their upkeep wasn’t very high.

But to fully support a high-potential Tier Four Professional cost nearly 50 million Gold Coins a month. Even for the three great families, this was an expense they could barely manage.

’However, I can have the Judicial Court shoulder a larger portion of the cost,’ Su Chen thought. Given his current standing, he knew that with a wave of his hand, countless families would be eager to flock to his side, but he couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.

He increased the multiplier in the Gravity Chamber, only feeling a significant effect when he cranked it up to twenty-seven or twenty-eight times normal gravity.

"This is nearly the same standard that Senior Brother Teng Liang uses." Su Chen stretched his limbs, feeling the viscous resistance in his joints. He couldn’t help but marvel, "A regular Tier Four’s limit should be around twenty times gravity. The gains from constant accumulation are truly terrifying."

’Then again, Senior Brother Teng Liang had Top-tier Professions at Tier Two and Tier Three, and Superior professions at Tier One and Tier Four. Since it’s a Giant Race profession, his normal human form isn’t that strong; he has to activate his abilities.’

After chugging the Potion, Su Chen began to practice his new Body Refining and Meditation Techniques. He got the hang of them surprisingly quickly.

A violent cloud of mist billowed around him, and milky-white vortexes of air coiled around his limbs. Highly condensed Wind Element formed into Crystal Needles that pierced through his pores and into every corner of his body.

Amidst a faint, stinging pain, his muscle fibers were repeatedly torn and regenerated. A faint, clear ringing sound emanated from his bones.

A moment later, Su Chen was surprised. ’...Even though it’s much more difficult, my efficiency is about the same as when I was Tier Three, all thanks to my improved Talent.’

’The higher my Tier, the more obvious the effects of my Talent become.’

As the misty clouds swirled around him, Su Chen’s figure was gradually hidden from view.

......

「A short while earlier.」

In Yingfeng South City, the Heshan Hotel was considered one of the better establishments in the area.

In the finest private room, a group of people was feasting. They were split into two parties, seated on the left and right. The group on the left, led by a one-armed middle-aged man, consisted of anxious-looking youths. They were the ones from Ancient River City who had come to take the assessment.

On the other side were people from Ancient River City who had been established in Ying Feng for many years. They appeared far more composed and were dressed in glamorous attire. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Seated at the head of the table was none other than He Kang. His thick brows twitched and his cheeks were flushed as he looked at the timid young man before him, who was cautiously offering a toast.