Bai Pu becoming a standing member of the council sounds somewhat startling, but to put it bluntly, the reason is quite simple.

The biggest reason is that Bai Pu is extremely formidable in combat.

Having only been awakened for a year, he can go toe-to-toe with the Dragon King (as described by Xiang Yinghua himself), which shows his immediate combat prowess, not just potential.

Being able to fight with the Titled Strong Person, Dragon King, and escape unscathed indicates that Bai Pu at least possesses the strength of a "title contender," akin to that of the Dai Sect level.

In Huaxia, the five pinnacle titles in combat are Dragon King, Power King, Sword Saint, Celestial Being, and Divine Throne.

Each pinnacle title has one bona fide titled strong person, plus five to ten "contenders."

These are the peak Awakened of all Huaxia, just a few dozen people. Of course, this doesn’t rule out some hidden masters with sufficient strength who do not participate for various reasons.

Anyway, Bai Pu, at such a young age, has already reached this level, indeed worthy of a position as a standing member of the council.

Other titled strong persons and contenders also have formidable strength, but their growth paths are intricately linked with family forces and guild forces.

Bai Pu, however, joined the Divine Strategy Army right from the start of his awakening, and later the Special Service Bureau, making him a "one of us" from the roots.

The authorities urgently need a top-notch enforcer like Bai Pu, a sufficiently sharp sword to clear out some "overstepping" powerful awakened entities.

For example, this time, in taking over all the Boundary Lands of the Superstar Alliance, if not for Bai Pu, the authorities would have had to deploy a National Destiny-level Artifact, which would be too costly.

Some influential figures in the council even privately discuss that within less than two years, Bai Pu might grow into a true Titled Strong Person, fully deserving the identity of the youngest standing member.

Of course, there is also the other possibility, that Bai Pu might not withstand the frenzied attacks of the Dragon King and the Elders of the Star-Picking Tower, and perish in the Spirit Realm.

If dead, there needn’t be a consideration of whether the identity matches.

Anyhow, the official position of a standing member given to Bai Pu was worthwhile.

Bai Pu is well aware of this.

He doesn’t mind being the authorities’ blade, which indicates his value.

Moreover, being a blade for the authorities is temporary, Bai Pu will not, like many top-level Awakened, linger at Level 10.

His goal is to become an Evolver, to ascend to a higher world, and witness more wonders.

After becoming an Evolver, the status relationship between him and the Jiangnan Region authorities will naturally change.

A status upgrade signifies a power upgrade.

As Bai Pu’s Practical Officer, amid many people’s envy and jealousy, Li Ling successfully entered the power central hub of the Jiangnan Region—the Jiangnan Government Affairs Council, and even obtained the qualification to vote on behalf of Bai Pu.

She only needs to be accountable to Bai Pu and implement Bai Pu’s will.

Bai Pu also authorized Li Ling to help him gather intelligence on the Silver Heart Great World and other worlds.

Currently, only a part of the data can be obtained from official databases, but it’s incomplete. Much intelligence about the great worlds is kept secret and passed down through generations among major top forces.

As for Bai Pu, he continues his cultivation peacefully.

Since returning from the Professional Plane, he hasn’t been able to cultivate peacefully.

He first descended to the Celestial Hero World, then dealt with rampant activities by Awakened criminals from the Superstar Alliance upon return.

This led to Bai Pu’s Combat Specialization and Skill Level being stuck at Level 6.

Fortunately, the existence of the "Limit Breaker" hidden title allows Bai Pu to enjoy the enhancement special effects of Level 7 skills and specialization in advance.

However, Bai Pu still intends to cultivate diligently.

The Awakened’s skill and specialization level need to keep up with the professional level! Because when the Spirit Realm Will judges the difficulty of tasks and determines treasure chest drops, what matters most is the Awakened’s level and template.

Having only the level, but falling short in specialization, skills, and equipment, is just empty fat, which is disadvantaged in the Spirit Realm.

Using the imitation Holy Thorns, Bai Pu engages in simulated battles in the Genetic Heart Image with masters like Youyan Guest, Red Emperor, Gustav, etc., visibly enhancing each specialization.

Of course, skill proficiency and Mystical Arts cannot currently be practiced within the Genetic Heart Image and have to be practiced externally, inevitably making them much less efficient.

But the "low efficiency" of skills and Mystical Arts is compared to the speed of specialization improvement. Compared to other Advanced Awakened, Bai Pu is still incredibly efficient, as he naturally has high comprehension, plus the brutal admonition bonus from the imitation Holy Thorns.

...

"Beep beep."

A communication request came through his personal wristwatch.

While Bai Pu was cultivating, he was shirtless, his body surface shimmering with a steel-like sheen.

He glanced at the caller ID and chose to accept the call.

The communication screen lit up, displaying Li Ling’s image.

Li Ling could naturally see the shirtless Bai Pu, and the sharply defined muscles made her slightly shy, shifting her gaze away.

"What is it?"

"It’s like this," Li Ling quickly got to the point, "Fengzi Auction House sent an invitation asking you to attend the peak auction taking place in a month."

"Peak auction? Isn’t that an annual program of the Miracle Auction House?"

Bai Pu squinted his eyes, "I remember the general manager of Fengzi Auction House is a woman called ’Enamored.’ Does she have the capability to host a peak auction?"

A peak auction isn’t a title to be used lightly.

Only top Spiritual Essence items among Advanced Awakened can enter the peak auction.

Advanced Dark Gold Equipment, Gold Level Famous Relic Equipment, Gold Level Artifacts, Spiritual Marvels containing Mystical Arts...

You could say, every item at the peak auction is extraordinary, with the highlight items enough to make titled strong persons take notice.

The Miracle Auction House is the world’s number one super auction house, holding a peak auction every year-end with heads of various factions eagerly attending.

Though Fengzi Auction House is also among the top five auction houses in Huaxia, it’s still a large margin behind the Miracle Auction House.

This time, they want to hold a peak auction too?

Can they really live up to the name ’peak’?

"So, tell me, what are the details of this peak auction by Fengzi Auction House?" Bai Pu knew Li Ling must be aware of more insider information.

Li Ling said, "Fengzi Auction House is also adopting an ’invitation-only’ entry system this time. Only Awakened with a considerable status and sufficient financial strength can get an invitation, similar to the rules of the Miracle Auction House."

"How high must the status and how strong must the financial power be to gain entry?"

"Status-wise, you need to be at least a regional standing member, or a representative of a large regional power. Financially, the starting point is one million Spiritual Points, with a screenshot of your Spiritual Essence account for proof."