The moment Han Su appeared.
The discussion that had just erupted around the arena immediately died down.
He walked without hurry.
His gray-gold robe was perfectly smooth, not a single crease in sight. His cuffs were tightly fastened, and even his boots looked unnaturally clean.
The man was like a blade hidden in its sheath.
Its edge was unseen.
But just looking at him made people uncomfortable.
The Chief Instructor stepped forward to greet him.
"Vice Hall Master."
Han Su didn't respond.
He merely raised his eyes, first looking at the platform, then at the spear-shaped gash in the ground that hadn't yet been filled in.
At last, his gaze settled on Su Chen.
"Your Highness the Holy Son."
He addressed Su Chen properly, but his tone was flat.
"You certainly made the special recruitment assessment in Suotuo City lively."
Xiao Wu stood at the edge of the platform. Hearing that, she immediately frowned.
"What do you mean, he made it lively?"
"It was your people from Suotuo City who started trouble."
Only then did Han Su look at her.
His gaze was neither heavy nor light, as if he were looking at a child who had interrupted.
"You beat Zhou Ling."
"Not bad."
"But winning one match doesn't mean you can break the rules of the Suotuo Branch Hall."
Xiao Wu was about to fire back on the spot.
But Su Chen raised a hand first.
She snorted, but ultimately held her tongue.
Su Chen stood at the edge of the arena, looking down at Han Su.
"You didn't come here to hand out compliments, did you?"
Han Su's lips curled slightly.
"Of course not."
"I came to remind Your Highness the Holy Son of one thing."
"This is Suotuo City, not Spirit City."
"You may watch the matches, and you may enter the arena."
"But you can't change the assessment process at will, much less put personal rivalries above the rules of the branch hall."
He delivered those words without emphasis.
But many people around the arena understood perfectly well.
Han Su was trying to regain some ground.
Zhou Ling had lost, and Lu Qingci had lost too.
He didn't dare say outright that the people of Suotuo City were no good, so he switched to accusing Su Chen of breaking the rules.
Xiao Wu laughed when she heard that.
"Your people called others out first, and now you're talking about rules?"
"Are the rules in Suotuo City made up on the spot after you lose?"
A few people around the arena couldn't help laughing under their breath.
Han Su's expression didn't change.
Only his eyes turned a little colder.
"Little girl, a sharp tongue isn't a skill."
"Being the last one standing—that's a skill."
Xiao Wu lifted her chin.
"Then you should make sure your people can stay on their feet first."
"Stop rolling around under the arena."
At that, several students from Suotuo City darkened their expressions.
Even Shen Zhi turned his head and tried to suppress a smile.
Han Su finally stopped looking at Xiao Wu.
He fixed his gaze on Su Chen again.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, I've seen for myself how sharp-tongued your people are."
"Now, to business."
"The special recruitment assessment originally had three rounds."
"The first round was individual arena matches."
"The second was a comprehensive evaluation."
"The third was Soul Power testing and combat records."
"You've only completed the first half so far."
"The rest must follow the Suotuo Branch Hall's regulations."
Su Chen looked at him.
"Go on."
Han Su raised a hand, and a Deacon behind him immediately stepped forward with a volume of records.
"According to the rules, special recruits must be retested in front of the branch hall's Soul Testing Stone, have their Martial Soul type registered, and be entered into the records for future reference."
"Additionally..."
He paused.
"If a participant has a special status, the Vice Hall Master of the branch hall must personally conduct the review."
Hearing that, Xiao Wu laughed outright.
"So that's what all this was about."
"You just wanted to interfere yourself."
Han Su replied coolly.
"I'm simply following the rules."
"The rules?"
Su Chen finally smiled.
"Why didn't you talk about the rules when Zhou Ling changed the first match at the last minute?"
"Why didn't you talk about the rules when Lu Qingci volunteered to take someone else's place?"
"Now that you've lost both matches, you suddenly remember the rules?"
Han Su's eyelid twitched.
"That was a spur-of-the-moment decision between students."
"The branch hall had no need to—"
"No."
Su Chen cut him off at once.
"It wasn't that you had no need."
"You were happy to see it happen."
The arena fell silent.
Han Su hadn't expected Su Chen to be so blunt.
His voice grew heavier.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, you should have evidence before making accusations."
"Evidence?"
Su Chen slowly walked down from the arena.
His boot brushed the edge of the black stone, making a faint sound.
"Zhou Ling is one of your men."
"Before Lu Qingci went up, your people had already set aside a section of the spectator stands."
"I'd just arrived in Suotuo City when someone at the gate delivered a message for Zhou Ling."
"And now you're telling me all of that was a coincidence?"
Han Su narrowed his eyes.
"Even if it was, so what?"
The words had barely left his mouth.
Many people around the arena changed expression.
Even the Chief Instructor instinctively lowered his head.
That was practically an admission.
Xiao Wu was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"You really dare to admit it?"
Only then did Han Su realize that he had let the words slip.
His expression darkened completely.
"I meant, even if that's what you think, so what?"
"The Suotuo Branch Hall has its own way of doing things."
"As Vice Hall Master, I'm perfectly within my rights to review you."
Su Chen had already stopped three steps away from him.
Nothing stood between them.
The wind swept through the middle of the Training Ground, making the hem of Han Su's robe flutter slightly.
Su Chen looked at him, his voice calm and faintly cold.
"I don't care who you review."
"But you'd better not overstep."
Han Su let out a cold laugh.
"Is Your Highness the Holy Son threatening me?"
"It's not a threat."
Su Chen raised his hand and took a token from his sleeve.
Purple-gold.
Its markings were clear in the light.
It wasn't an ordinary command token.
It was the Pope Token Deputy Plate.
Han Su's pupils contracted sharply.
All around them, people drew in sharp breaths.
The people of the Suotuo Branch Hall might never have seen the Pope Token from Spirit City itself.
But they recognized this deputy plate.
To see the plate was to see the Pope's decree.
Han Su's Adam's apple bobbed.
At last, a crack appeared in his composure.
Su Chen turned the token over and tapped it lightly against his palm.
"Didn't you want to conduct a review?"
"Then I'll give you two choices."
"First."
"Follow the rules, finish the Soul Power test and paperwork, and stop wasting everyone's time."
"Second."
"I'll take over this special recruitment assessment at the Suotuo Branch Hall right now, and you can stand aside and watch."
Han Su's face gradually turned ashen.
These weren't choices.
Su Chen was roasting him over a fire.
If he backed down, he'd lose face in front of everyone.
If he pushed further, he'd be defying the Pope Token.
That wouldn't be trying to regain lost ground; it would be courting death.
Shen Zhi stood nearby, his eyelids twitching as he watched.
He'd been worried Han Su would use the rules to cause trouble.
But Su Chen hadn't given him any chance to twist things around.
He'd simply flipped the whole table.
Han Su remained silent for a full three breaths.
At last, he slowly lowered his head.
"Of course. We'll do as His Highness the Holy Son wishes."
Xiao Wu stood behind them, her eyes lighting up at once.
She tilted her head toward Su Chen, barely able to keep the corners of her mouth from rising.
"You really are something..."
"Something what?"
"You really know how to leave people speechless."
Su Chen didn't answer her. He only looked at Han Su.
"Then clear the way."
Han Su stood motionless.
Su Chen's gaze cooled slightly.
"Do I have to say it again?"
Han Su's jaw clenched tight.
In the end, he still stepped aside.
It wasn't a big movement.
But everyone present saw it clearly.
The Suotuo Branch Hall Vice Hall Master had made way in front of everyone.
That was even more hair-raising than Lu Qingci conceding just moments ago.
The area around the field was too quiet.
Even the wind rustling the flags sounded unusually loud.
Su Chen put away the token, his tone returning to normal.
"Instructor."
Chief Instructor jolted and immediately stepped forward.
"Present."
"Begin the rest of the proceedings now."
"Yes, yes."
Chief Instructor hurriedly nodded, then turned to order someone to bring over the Soul Testing Stone and Registration Ledger.
Shen Zhi approached then and said quietly, "People in Suotuo City will remember what you did today for a long time."
"Good. Let them remember."
Su Chen said blandly.
"That way, every Tom, Dick, and Harry won't dare leap out of nowhere in the future."
Xiao Wu nearly laughed aloud beside him.
"You sure have a way with insults."
"That doesn't count as an insult."
"Then what does it count as?"
"Classification."
Xiao Wu was taken aback at first, then laughed so hard her shoulders shook.
Lu Qingci hadn't gone far yet.
Holding the Wind-Splitting Spear, she glanced back at Su Chen.
Her gaze was even more complicated than before.
It wasn't defiance.
It was the silence that came after she finally saw the gap between them.
Han Su noticed her gaze, and his expression darkened further.
"Qingci, come here."
Lu Qingci didn't move right away.
Two seconds later, she finally walked over with her spear.
Han Su kept his voice low, but the anger in it was still clear.
"You talked too much today."
Lu Qingci's face was expressionless.
"I lost. Of course I have to admit it."
"You—"
"Vice Hall Master."
Lu Qingci looked up at him.
"If we don't even dare admit defeat, Suotuo City will look even worse."
The flesh on Han Su's face twitched slightly.
In the end, he said nothing more.
The Soul Testing Stone was brought over soon after.
It was a gray-white stone pillar half a person tall, its base set into an iron frame and its surface carved with fine patterns.
Two Registration Ledgers, an ink brush, and a newly opened box of seal paste were placed beside it.
Chief Instructor wiped the sweat from his palms, doing his best to keep his voice steady.
"According to procedure, we test soul power first, then enter it in the ledger."
"First up, Xiao Wu."
Xiao Wu took two steps forward, then looked back at Su Chen.
The meaning was clear.
Should I go now?
Su Chen nodded.
"Go ahead."
Xiao Wu swung her Scorpion Braid behind her and placed her hand directly on the Soul Testing Stone.
The pillar dimmed at first.
The next second, the marker inside shot upward.
Level ten.
Level fifteen.
Level twenty.
Level twenty-five.
At last, it stopped firmly in place.
Then it trembled upward once more.
Chief Instructor stared at the marker, his voice changing.
"Level twenty-seven."
The spectators burst into an uproar.
"Level twenty-seven?"
"Didn't she just finish fighting Zhou Ling?"
"She's level twenty-seven at that age? How's anyone supposed to compete with that?"
Xiao Wu herself was stunned for a moment.
She knew she wasn't weak.
But she'd always been rather haphazard about cultivating, and had never seriously worked out what level she'd reached.
Now that the result was right in front of her, even she was taken aback.
Su Chen looked at her and nodded.
"A little higher than I expected."
Xiao Wu immediately turned to him.
"Was that a compliment?"
"More or less."
"Then give me a couple more."
"Finish the procedure first."
Xiao Wu huffed, but her eyes were already curving with a smile.
Chief Instructor hurriedly recorded her name and level in the Registration Ledger.
Han Su stood to one side, his expression growing darker by the moment.
Level twenty-seven.
This was already about more than just winning a single match.
She'd outshone all those self-important young talents in Suotuo City.
Chief Instructor took a breath and turned to Su Chen.
"Second up, Su Chen."
The moment those four words were spoken, the spectators fell even quieter than before.
Everyone stared at Su Chen.
He hadn't summoned his Martial Soul or revealed his Soul Rings in either of his two matches. That alone was already outrageous.
Now everyone wanted to know what level he was really at.
Xiao Wu stopped smiling too.
She gazed at Su Chen, her eyes shining.
"Go on."
"Let me see just how much you've been hiding."
Su Chen walked up to the Soul Testing Stone.
He didn't raise his hand right away.
He simply glanced at the stone pillar first.
Chief Instructor felt inexplicably nervous.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, this Soul Testing Stone belongs to the branch hall and—"
He didn't finish.
Su Chen had already placed his hand on it.
The next instant, the markers inside the Soul Testing Stone seemed to be forced upward by some tremendous power, shooting wildly toward the top.
Level twenty.
Level twenty-five.
Level thirty.
Level thirty-five.
It still hadn't stopped.
Someone in the crowd had already gotten to their feet without thinking.
Chief Instructor's lips had gone white.
"It's still going up?"
Han Su stared at the marker, his eyelids twitching wildly.
Thirty-six.
Thirty-seven.
A muffled sound of strain suddenly came from inside the pillar.
Fine cracks burst from the top and raced wildly down its length.
Crack!
The entire Soul Testing Stone split apart on the spot.
Before you continue