The next day!

The sky was bright and clear.

Zhao Rui officially assumed his post as the Martial Arts Chief Instructor.

His subordinates included not only other Social Grandmasters like himself but also four Grandmasters from the military.

His department likely boasted the highest Combat Power in the entire military command.

Having accepted the position, Zhao Rui had no intention of slacking off.

First thing in the morning, he gathered all the Grandmaster instructors to discuss the training curriculum.

"Whatever you say, goes. After all, you’re number one. It’s only natural you’d be so confident."

The discussion had just begun when one of the Grandmasters spoke up, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Hearing this, the other Grandmasters present shared knowing smiles.

Zhao Rui’s expression turned cold. ’Looks like they’re not happy about this,’ he thought.

"Instructor Sun is right. Since I’m number one and was personally chosen by the Mongolian Army Commander for this post, I should naturally be confident. However, I’m a pretty democratic person. It’s good to talk things over."

Zhao Rui smiled faintly, stood up, and walked over to the Grandmaster named Sun Qinzong. "I’m so pleased you’re being so supportive, Grandmaster Sun," he said. "As it happens, I have a few private words for you as well."

With that, Zhao Rui turned and left the conference room.

The others exchanged glances, and a moment later, contemptuous smiles appeared on their faces.

’Just as expected of someone so young,’ they thought. ’He can’t take a bit of provocation.’

This so-called "private talk" was obviously just an excuse to speak one-on-one. The outcome was clear: either Zhao Rui would back down, or they would end up arguing.

Either way, the moment Sun Qinzong showed the slightest defiance, Zhao Rui’s prestige and authority would be shot.

’A little punk like him wants to lead us? He should take a piss and look at his own reflection to see what he’s made of.’

’Who does he think he is? Xu Wenlei of the Dharma Realm?’

’Even when Xu Wenlei was in charge, everyone just paid him lip service. Who really wants to be an instructor, anyway?’

They were powerful figures in their own right. Why come to a military camp to be treated like grunts, ordered around by everyone?

’They couldn’t defy Xu Wenlei, so what’s wrong with taking their frustrations out on this kid?’

The men exchanged glances, all tacitly waiting for the drama to unfold.

In contrast, the four Grandmasters who belonged to the military wore solemn expressions. They held a rather high opinion of Zhao Rui.

He might be young, but his teaching was clearly beneficial to the military, and he was serious about fulfilling his duties as a soldier.

Besides, they had heard that this kid once stayed behind to cover a retreat all by himself, saving many soldiers.

For that reason alone, they considered him one of their own.

While everyone in the conference room was lost in their own schemes, Sun Qinzong was in the Chief Instructor’s office next door, lounging insolently in a chair.

He tilted his head back to look at Zhao Rui and said with a slight smirk,

"Talk about what? There’s nothing for us to talk about. You’re the leader. You call the shots."

Sun Qinzong was in his thirties and had been a disfavored junior leader in a unit directly under the Court.

He had thought that coming to the military would be a chance to finally wield some real power.

Instead, not only was he stuck doing "grunt" work, but he had to take orders from a kid.

He had long been bottling up his resentment.

Besides, he wasn’t the only one who felt this way.

Seeing this, Zhao Rui showed no sign of anger. He calmly walked over and closed the door.

Then he walked up to Sun Qinzong and looked at him with a smile.

Sun Qinzong stared back, not showing the slightest weakness.

He sneered inwardly. ’What, you think staring at me is going to make me submit?’

’Pathetic. Is this all a young punk like you has got?’

Just as he was feeling smug, his Divine Soul suddenly trembled. An overwhelming pressure, as if the very heavens were crashing down, instantly descended upon his sea of consciousness.

Before he could even react, his entire Divine Soul was plunged into darkness.

"Obey me. Submit to me!"

A voice rose from the depths of his being, echoing through his consciousness as if it were etched into his very flesh and bones.

"Obey you... submit to you..."

Just a moment later, Sun Qinzong opened his eyes. The instant his gaze met Zhao Rui’s, he quickly lowered his head.

He spoke with a newfound respect. "Chief Instructor. Did you need something from me?"

His words suggested he had forgotten everything that had just transpired.

"Mm. Do you support me as Chief Instructor?"

"I certainly—no, I absolutely support you! I can’t speak for the others, but I deeply admire you, Chief Instructor."

Sun Qinzong spoke with righteous conviction, as if he had always been Zhao Rui’s staunchest supporter.

Watching his performance, a flash of amazement crossed Zhao Rui’s eyes. He nodded and said,

"Good. Go back and we’ll continue the meeting."

With that, he turned and left the office.

He really couldn’t be bothered to argue and play political games with these Grandmasters, who were all used to acting like primadonnas.

He had simply used a Demon Sect Technique mixed with the Six Yi Charm Immortal Technique, a two-pronged attack to influence the man’s perceptions and cognition regarding him.

Unlike methods that directly scrambled a person’s mind, this one involved subtly manipulating the target’s consciousness with the Cultivation Technique, causing them to unknowingly alter their judgment and views on a matter.

It left no after-effects and was not easily detected.

Zhao Rui had only been testing it out, but he hadn’t expected the results to be so surprisingly effective.

’The Heavenly Demon Technique truly is gifted when it comes to charming the minds of others,’ he thought.

Seeing Zhao Rui leave, Sun Qinzong quickly got up and followed, sticking close behind him.

Back in the conference room, the others were eagerly waiting for the fireworks. After some time had passed without the sound of any argument, they started to get confused.

Just as they were wondering what was going on, they heard footsteps. A moment later, Zhao Rui and Sun Qinzong walked back in, one after the other.

Sun Qinzong’s expression was normal as he went directly back to his seat.

"I just had a chat with Qinzong, and he’s quite supportive of my ideas. Isn’t that right, Qinzong?"

Zhao Rui said with a smile, looking at Sun Qinzong.

"Yes. I’ve always felt that Chief Instructor Zhao has a real talent for teaching students. I support him completely."