140: Chapter 140 Framing?

The white mist was thick, as if it could never be dissolved.

It swallowed all hostility and attacks behind the two of them.

"Sure enough, I guessed right."

Sensing that the pursuers behind him seemed to be blocked by something outside the white mist, Su Chen slowly let out a sigh of relief.

"These guys are truly a bunch of old monsters."

"They must have appeared here using some special means. Since they don't meet the hard requirements for entering the spirit realm, this white mist should be able to hinder them for a while."

The two passed through the white mist and looked ahead.

This was the central area of the spirit realm, and also the true core area of the Heroic Spirit Contract Ceremony.

The Court of Heroic Spirits.

Only the trial-takers who arrived here were qualified to wait for the descent of a Heroic Spirit and proceed with the final soul resonance and contract signing.

Su Chen raised his eyes and saw that within the spirit realm, dozens of figures were already sitting or standing, scattered everywhere.

These people had varying levels of aura strength.

But those who could walk here alive were undoubtedly the cream of the crop in this trial.

Most of their faces bore the relief of having survived a disaster and anticipation for the future.

Especially since many of the strong contenders near the top of the rankings had been killed or hunted down, the fact that these people could make it here not only represented strength, but to some extent, also meant they were the lucky type.

The intrusion of the two instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Jiang Luoli had long been famous.

And Su Chen himself, because of "Xiao Yan's" unscrupulous behavior in seizing opportunities and his terrifyingly high points, had also accumulated a certain reputation in the Heroic Spirit Contract Ceremony.

When they clearly saw that the newcomers were "Xiao Yan," who held the top spot on the leaderboard, and Jiang Luoli, who was in third, whispers immediately rippled out like water waves.

"Xiao Yan? That thief? He snatched opportunities from so many people, yet he still dares to come in?"

"It's Xiao Yan and Jiang Luoli. They actually arrived together?"

"Tsk tsk, this eldest miss of the Jiang Family actually has such a close relationship with this kid who popped out of nowhere."

"I think this guy's cultivation is just average. His points being able to soar so high, I reckon it's mostly because he's riding on Jiang Luoli's coattails. With the Jiang Family's resources piled up, what's so strange about them giving him some points to ensure he makes the list?"

"Exactly. Look at Jiang Luoli; her aura is unstable, and she's injured. She must have gone through a bitter battle."

"This 'Xiao Yan' is fine, though. He looks completely unscathed; perhaps he's been hiding behind the eldest miss of the Jiang Family, picking up scraps the whole time."

"When the Heroic Spirits descend later, who would take a fancy to a gigolo like him who relies on a woman?"

"Exactly. What's the use of racking up such high points? Could it be that any Transcendent Heroic Spirit would be willing to even glance at such a morally corrupt thing?"

The discussions were filled with undisguised jealousy, skepticism, and contempt.

In the world of martial artists, after all, one still values background and lineage.

The fact that Su Chen was first by a wide margin conflicted violently with their perception that "the strong should come from prestigious families with deep backgrounds."

And Jiang Luoli's obviously exhausted state, in stark contrast to Su Chen's relative composure, further confirmed their suspicions.

This top spot was obtained unfairly.

A few young martial artists who harbored secret feelings for Jiang Luoli exchanged glances, eager to make a move.

At the moment, everyone was just waiting here; the leaderboard hadn't been fully settled yet.

A large part of this Xiao Yan's points were obtained by forcibly robbing others.

If they could join forces to take down Su Chen and Jiang Luoli, even the organizers of the contract ceremony couldn't say anything.

After all, it was Su Chen who did such unscrupulous things first.

And according to the traditions of the Heroic Spirit Contract Ceremony, the contract quotas being divided among the children of the great families was already one of the traditions.

In previous years, even if some stunningly talented rogue cultivators appeared, they would often be mobbed by children of the great families and eventually eliminated, missing out on the final contract stage.

However, before they could take action, the edge of the white mist fluctuated again.

A young man wearing luxurious clothes with a sinister expression slowly stepped out.

A sharp, sarcastic smile hung on the corner of his mouth, and his gaze, like a venomous snake, instantly locked onto Su Chen in the crowd.

It was actually Su Zixi, whose quota for the contract ceremony had been snatched away by Su Chen himself.

"Xiao Yan?"

Su Zixi's voice was not loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire Court of Heroic Spirits, carrying heavy mockery.

"Heh, what a 'Xiao Yan'."

He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the confused crowd, and finally fixed on Su Chen's calm face.

"Everyone, you have all been deceived by him."

Su Zixi raised his hand and pointed at Su Chen, his voice rising sharply.

"This person is not named 'Xiao Yan' at all."

"His real name is Su Chen!"

After Su Chen's real name was exposed, the whole place fell silent.

It wasn't because he was that famous.

Most people's first reaction was—who is Su Chen?

"Everyone, you might not know who Su Chen is."

"Then you must know Su Weiqing!"

"Nineteen years ago, the former mad leader of the White Snake Cult who almost destroyed the Great Xia martial arts world, the one who was surrounded by sixteen 11th-tier martial artists and killed twelve of them in return."

"This Su Chen is his own son!"

In an instant, the whole crowd was in an uproar.

The martial artists who had originally just come to watch the fun changed their expressions drastically upon hearing this.

They retreated several steps one after another.

Even Jiang Luoli revealed a look of disbelief.

Su Chen's own head felt like it had exploded instantly.

What former leader of the White Snake Cult?

Before coming into contact with the Angel Investment System, he was just an ordinary…

"Su Zixi, how did you sneak into the Heroic Spirit Contract Ceremony? And what nonsense are you spouting here?"

"My parents were ordinary workers who passed away due to a work-related injury."

"I lived in such poverty when I was young, all thanks to you, my unscrupulous cousin who embezzled all their pension money. Who gave you the confidence to come here and shift the blame?"

"You look at their expressions, and you will naturally know whether what I said is true or false."

Su Zixi was very satisfied with the sensation he had caused, and he continued with a cold sneer.

"A poor kid from a family with a notorious reputation, guilty of unpardonable crimes, whose parents are both dead, and who is dragged down by a vegetative sister."

"I don't know what kind of good luck you had to awaken a slightly special superpower, and you dared to sneak into the Heroic Spirit Contract Ceremony and use a fake name?"

"Su Chen, you certainly have guts and methods, to be able to climb up to the eldest miss of the Jiang Family."

"If this were in the previous dynasty, the things your parents did would have made you unworthy of living in this world."

His words were vicious and precise.

Not only did he expose Su Chen's fake identity, but he also portrayed him as a deep-scheming villain who clung to the powerful.

The gazes looking at Su Chen turned into disdain and vigilance, even harboring hostility.

Facing the accusations of the crowd, Su Chen's expression remained calm.

Having gone through two rounds of investment, his mental state was already beyond what these young martial artists could compare to.

As for his background, he would naturally verify whether it was true or false later.

However, some vague premonitions made him feel that something was not quite right.

(Weekend happy! Bounty update delivered.)

(What's coming next is...)

(ps: After the recognition segment, the protagonist will continue to open new instances to become stronger. It is the Hehuan Sect Saintess Su Daji instance that everyone has been looking forward to.)

(The author is designing the outline now and needs the opinions of the readers.)

(Do you want to see something less tragic or more tragic than the previous two instances?)

(Readers who want to see tragic, fight pictures here.)

(Readers who want to see less tragic, fight pictures here.)

(Second edit: Tragedy is not as bad as reality; reality is all HE, only the stories inside the instances will be relatively depressing!)