’So it seems,’ Nie Xuanfeng thought, a faint, almost imperceptible smile gracing his lips.

Chen Sheng’s powerful rise was the perfect way to silence the criticisms within the Jingwu Bureau about his alleged nepotism. All Chen Sheng needed to do now was rack up a few more accomplishments, and he could completely shut the mouths of all the gossips.

And this young man wasn’t just from a clean background; his abilities and strength were outstanding.

He found himself increasingly looking forward to seeing what kind of waves this young man would make in Ning’an Prefecture.

His gaze inadvertently swept over to a somber figure on another rooftop several hundred meters away—Vice Envoy Sun Yuzhi. A cold glint flashed in Nie Xuanfeng’s eyes. The corner of his mouth curled up slightly, and then his figure flickered, seeming to melt into the wind as he vanished without a sound.

Sun Siniang was indeed finding it hard to calm her roiling emotions. Her brows were knitted tightly as she stared with a dark, profound gaze in the direction Chen Sheng had disappeared. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

She had never imagined that the young man Nie Xuanfeng had promoted would be so powerful. She was well aware of Zhan Fusheng’s strength, yet he had been suppressed with such ease...

It was far beyond her expectations.

But what was done was done. There was no point in saying more.

Sun Siniang now understood that Zhan Fusheng had completely lost any chance he might have had.

’However, the techniques this young man displayed... they seem very much like a Buddhist Cultivation Technique.’

At this thought, an uncertain light flickered in Sun Siniang’s eyes, as if she were weighing something in her mind.

Meanwhile, the other Peacekeeper Envoys and Deputy Captains from various camps, who had rushed over to watch the fight after hearing the news, were now abuzz with discussion, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"Incredible. This Deputy Captain Chen is a true Zhenren who hides his strength."

"Tsk, tsk. Madman Zhan really kicked an iron plate this time. He was so utterly defeated. If Captain Chen hadn’t shown mercy at the end, he probably wouldn’t have kept his life. Just for that act of sparing him, hehe, I doubt Madman Zhan will be able to act tough ever again."

"Before, I thought his promotion was too fast and couldn’t help but feel it was unfair. But seeing him today, I realize how blind we’ve been. In this world, having a background is important, but without real strength of your own, you’re just mud that can’t be plastered on a wall.

"This Deputy Captain Chen... he’s a fierce dragon crossing the river."

"The Cultivation Technique he uses is fierce, domineering, and indestructible. It has the air of a Buddhist Sect’s Vajra arts..."

All the discussions revolved around the name ’Chen Sheng’.

And after this battle, his reputation had already spread rapidly among the upper echelons of the Ning’an Prefecture’s Jingwu Bureau.

...

「Inside the G Camp Headquarters.」

Chen Sheng closed the door behind him, shutting out the world.

The instant the door clicked shut, the calm composure he had been forcing himself to maintain suddenly crumbled. An unnatural flush rushed to his face, a trickle of dark blood escaped the corner of his mouth, and his complexion paled.

Chen Sheng quickly raised a hand to wipe away the blood. He then sat down cross-legged and silently circulated the Six Extremes Golden Bell Technique, seeking to regulate the chaotic True Qi within his body.

This was the price one had to pay for forcibly boosting one’s strength by consuming a Vitality Pill.

Zhan Fusheng was truly no easy opponent. His strength far surpassed that of Yu Qiantong from the Cyan Flood Dragon Alliance, whom he had previously killed.

Without the aid of the Elixir, he might still have gained the upper hand in today’s battle, but he could never have won so cleanly, so satisfyingly, suppressing Zhan Fusheng with such overwhelming force.

To establish his dominance, he had specifically chosen to use the Innate Protective Golden Bell to withstand Zhan Fusheng’s tempestuous barrage. The consumption of True Qi had been enormous, but compared to the rewards, the cost was clearly worth it.

After this battle, within G Camp, Zhao Changqiu had become a die-hard confidant. Lu Cheng was thoroughly intimidated and wouldn’t dare make any moves in the short term. As for Zhan Fusheng, the public oath he swore was like a set of Shackles. Unless he wanted to give up his career in the Jingwu Bureau, and indeed in the entire Great Jin bureaucracy, he would never dare to openly oppose him again.

Moreover, with his severe injuries compounded by the backlash from his Secret Technique, it would take him several months to recover. By then, the gap between them would only have widened, and Zhan Fusheng would no longer have any right to challenge him.

Of course, this battle also made Chen Sheng keenly aware of his own shortcomings.

During the fight, Zhan Fusheng’s bizarrely swift Body Technique had made it awkward for him to respond on several occasions. If not for relying on the Golden Bell Shield’s powerful defense to counter movement with stillness and wear down his opponent, the outcome might have been uncertain.

’My Body Technique... that’s the weakness I need to shore up next.’

’And that Hundred-Year Earth Heart Lotus from the Han Family,’ Chen Sheng mused. ’I need to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Raising my Cultivation is the most fundamental thing.’

Just as he was deeply contemplating his next steps, the sound of footsteps approached from outside the Government Office Hall.

A glint flashed in Chen Sheng’s eyes. He quickly used his Inner Breath to calm his turbulent qi and blood. His expression returned to normal, as if his earlier weakness had never happened. He then stood up, walked back to his desk, picked up a brush, and began reviewing official documents with a focused expression.

"Captain, you were truly magnificent today! This subordinate is in absolute awe!" Zhao Changqiu exclaimed as he pushed the door open, his face flushed with excitement and his tone full of reverence.

Li Huai Sheng, Xu Shenzhi, Yan Ming, and his other confidants followed close behind, all speaking at once, their words filled with admiration and congratulations.

Chen Sheng looked up, his calm gaze sweeping over them as he said flatly,

"A mere jumping clown, couldn’t even withstand a single blow. Hardly worth mentioning."

"The Captain is right!"

The men echoed in unison.

"Shen Zhi." Chen Sheng’s gaze turned to Xu Shenzhi.

"Subordinate is here!" Xu Shenzhi quickly stepped forward, bowing to receive his orders.

"Go and gather every detailed file and piece of intelligence the Jingwu Bureau has on the Han Family. Bring them all to me. Do not miss a single thing."

Chen Sheng’s voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable finality.

Hearing this, Xu Shenzhi’s body trembled violently. A light, woven from excitement and vengeance, instantly erupted in his eyes.

He knew the moment he had long been waiting for had finally arrived.

The humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Han Ling’Er, the recent slander his family had endured—perhaps he could soon wash away all that shame.

He immediately suppressed his surging emotions, took a deep breath, and cupped his fist, his voice low and solemn.

"This subordinate obeys."

...

「Meanwhile.」

News of the battle between Chen Sheng and Zhan Fusheng began to spread with incredible speed.

In an instant, Chen Sheng’s name and prestige soared within the Jingwu Bureau.

With so many spectators that day, word of mouth painted the battle in thrilling, vivid detail.

The scene of Chen Sheng, wreathed in his Golden Bell, suppressing Zhan Fusheng became a hot topic of discussion for many.

After all, Chen Sheng’s recent promotion to Deputy Captain of G Camp had already drawn a lot of attention. This was especially true because of Zhan Fusheng, who had been acting as if the position of G Camp’s Deputy Captain was already his before the official appointment was even announced.

Many had assumed it was a done deal. After all, Zhan Fusheng’s strength was not weak; though he hadn’t reached the Earth Fiend realm, he had seniority, sufficient merit, and a backer to rely on.

But in the end, the position was snatched away by a young man who had been parachuted in, one with an even deeper background. Zhan Fusheng instantly became a laughingstock within the Jingwu Bureau.

Many had expected a fierce struggle between the two, a fight between a dragon and a tiger.

But no one could have imagined that what followed wasn’t a fight between a dragon and a tiger at all, but a completely one-sided rout.

With all this news piling up, Chen Sheng instantly became something of a ’celebrity’.

For the first time, many people in the Jingwu Bureau realized that this young man, promoted from a county below, was no simple character.

His name even began to circulate quietly within Ning’an Prefecture City itself. To say his fame shook the Prefecture City might be an exaggeration, but it was true that his prestige had soared.

「Several days later, deep within the Iron Sword Sect, the stone door of a seclusion chamber slowly swung open.」

Gao Yuanzhao, who had been in seclusion for several months and had successfully condensed his Earth Fiend qi, stepped out with a self-satisfied smile.

However, just as he was about to accept the congratulations of his fellow disciples and announce to the sect that he had successfully broken through to the Earth Fiend realm, a piece of disastrous news, delivered in a trembling voice by a sect disciple, struck him like a clap of thunder from the heavens:

The Changshan Gao Clan—the family of his birth—had been... completely annihilated several months ago!

And the one who committed this act of annihilation was none other than the newly promoted Deputy Captain of the Jingwu Bureau’s G Camp—Changshan Chen Sheng!

The smile on Gao Yuanzhao’s face instantly froze, then twisted into endless ferocity and a towering killing intent. The aura of his recent breakthrough surged out of control, causing the surrounding stone walls to hum and vibrate.

"Chen... Sheng!"

A roar of fury shot up into the sky from the back mountain of the Iron Sword Sect, startling countless birds into flight.