Left Chiliarch

For procedural justice.

Zuo Qianqiu first promoted Chen Fan from Chief Squad Leader at the Ping An County Brocade Guard Precinct to Centurion, then transferred him to Dragon Abyss Prefecture as the Vice Chiliarch in charge of logistics.

This was because the two Vice Chiliarchs at the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard Chiliarch Office had both been promoted from within the Chiliarch Office.

Therefore, to avoid suspicion, Zuo Qianqiu had promised long ago that the third Vice Chiliarch would be selected from among the Centurion Offices in the counties under Dragon Abyss Prefecture.

Thus, Chen Fan's promotion to Vice Chiliarch was reasonable, lawful, and compliant—utterly and completely procedural justice.

If not for the prior agreement with the many Centurions stationed in the counties, this Vice Chiliarch post in Dragon Abyss Prefecture would never have fallen into the hands of people like them.

Generally speaking, the Centurions stationed in county towns were mostly at the fifth stage of the Divine Treasury Realm. Few possessed Divine Aperture Realm cultivation, and even if they broke through to the Divine Aperture Realm, they would still be at the very bottom of the food chain among Divine Aperture Realm martial artists.

However, the frontline Centurions of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard Chiliarch Office were all Divine Aperture Realm martial artists. Those promoted to Centurion within the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Chiliarch Office could advance through accumulated merit without breaking through to the Divine Aperture Realm.

But such Centurions could not command a squad on the front lines. In logistics, however, they could oversee certain duties under the command of the Vice Chiliarch in charge of logistics.

This was both being responsible for the individual and being responsible for those Brocade Guard brothers who risked their lives.

Without Divine Aperture Realm cultivation, forget about leading a team to Purple Mountain to slay demons and eliminate devils—you would merely be delivering yourself onto the demons' dinner table.

"The courtyard is nice. It's a detached residence, spotless, with every daily necessity provided—and all of it new."

"You can cook for yourself here, or eat at the Chiliarch Office camp."

Chen Fan looked around. The side residence was not large, with two courtyards. The front courtyard had a kitchen, a storage room, and a servant's room, while the rear courtyard had two bedrooms and a reception hall.

Though the sparrow was small, it possessed all five organs.

For one person, it was already far from cramped. Even if he took another wife and kept a cook and beautiful maidservants, there would still be enough room.

As he was wandering around the courtyard, Wang Teng and a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties or fifties knocked on the door and entered the front courtyard.

Though Wang Teng was a Vice Chiliarch, he trailed half a step behind the middle-aged man. The visitor's identity was therefore obvious.

The Chiliarch of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard, Zuo Qianqiu, at the peak of the Divine Aperture Realm!

"This subordinate, Chen Fan, pays respects to Left Chiliarch!"

Chen Fan stepped forward of his own accord, clasped his fists, and bowed.

"Vice Chiliarch Chen, you truly are a young talent of outstanding ability."

"You turned the tide and saved tens of thousands of people in Ping An County. The foremost merit should be yours!"

"If there is anything you find uncomfortable or unfamiliar after coming to the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Chiliarch Office, feel free to seek out Xue Ning or Wang Teng. Of course, if I am at the Chiliarch Office, you may come directly to me."

"It is only that I remain stationed at Purple Mountain all year round, confronting the demon hordes there. I often leave for several months at a time and am rarely at the Chiliarch Office. I hope you can understand."

Zuo Qianqiu wore a mustache and a goatee. He looked thin and withered all over, yet Chen Fan sensed a deadly threat from him.

This Chiliarch of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard might be even stronger than ordinary peak Divine Aperture Realm experts. Otherwise, the Cloud Prefecture Myriad Household Garrison would not have entrusted him with such an important duty, allowing him to guard an entire prefecture.

"I would not dare trouble Left Chiliarch. Everything is well for me here."

Chen Fan replied upon hearing this.

"I heard Xue Ning say that, in order to save the people of Ping An County, you risked cultivating the Blood Fiend Art. Moreover, in an extremely short time, you cultivated the Blood Fiend Art to perfection and opened thirty-six acupoints throughout your body."

"May I examine your physical condition? Perhaps I may be able to think of a way to resolve it."

Zuo Qianqiu asked.

He was actually rather puzzled by Chen Fan as well. He had seen martial artists who cultivated the Blood Fiend Art: their eyes turned crimson, and the deeper their cultivation, the more they looked as though they had contracted red-eye disease.

Yet Chen Fan's eyes were black and bright, and there seemed to be no sign at all of Bloodfiend True Qi invading his body. It was truly rather miraculous!

"Thank you, Left Chiliarch!"

Chen Fan nodded.

He felt that he could not refuse Left Chiliarch's proposal, because he saw four words in Left Chiliarch's eyes: what he said, he would do.

Clearly, the other man was worried that cultivating the Blood Fiend Art would leave him with severe aftereffects. He was obviously not concerned for Chen Fan's health, but worried that Baleful Intent would enter his body, cause him to go berserk, and bring calamity upon one region.

"Excuse me."

The moment Left Chiliarch placed a hand on Chen Fan's shoulder, Chen Fan felt an ice-cold stream of true qi burst from Left Chiliarch's hand and enter his body. It coursed through his eight extraordinary meridians, then a final wisp of chill flooded into his dantian and vanished completely!

An Innate Body, with physical strength far beyond ordinary people. Perhaps he also possesses a hidden special constitution.

All thirty-six acupoints throughout his body have been opened, yet there is not the slightest trace of his flesh being eroded by Bloodfiend True Qi, much less Baleful Intent entering his brain and causing him to go berserk.

However, the black-red aura within his dantian clings like maggots to bone. It appears his dantian has already begun to be eroded. If this continues over time, it may spread from his dantian throughout his body within a few years, until Baleful Intent enters his brain and he goes berserk.

But if his physical body can continue to grow stronger and produce even greater bodily strength, then perhaps he can suppress the Bloodfiend True Qi within his dantian and prevent it from continuing to erode other parts of his body.

Moreover, Chen Fan possesses an Innate Body. If he also has some hidden special constitution or special bloodline, then he can continue down the path of strengthening the body.

If he can forge a Path of Incarnate Sainthood in the future, then mere Baleful Intent could be extinguished with a wave of his hand. He might even turn the Bloodfiend True Qi into nourishment to strengthen his body!

Furthermore, I suspect the reason this Bloodfiend True Qi affects him so little is inseparably tied to his use of his own blood essence to assist in cultivating it.

Although this Bloodfiend True Qi possesses intense corrosive properties, it was ultimately nurtured with his own blood essence, reducing the damage it inflicts upon his body to the lowest possible level.

This may be a path of martial advancement for Brocade Guards with poor aptitude who find it difficult to break through to the Divine Aperture Realm.

They could use their own blood essence as assistance, cultivate the Blood Fiend Art, break through to the Divine Aperture Realm, and then immediately stop cultivating it—thus extending their lives and increasing their strength.

This might truly be a viable path.

This Chen Fan is truly extraordinary. By stumbling upon it by chance, he may have opened a path for turning the useless Blood Fiend Art into something useful. If some senior master were to improve the Blood Fiend Art according to this line of thought and then spread it widely, how many more Divine Aperture Realm cultivators could Great Zhou gain each year?

Although Divine Aperture Realm cultivators who break through this way would generally have low combat power, with almost no room for further growth, that would still be enough.

If they did not take this path, they would remain trapped at the fifth stage of the Divine Treasury Realm and live only a little over a hundred years.

If they take this path and break through to the Divine Aperture Realm, then even if they become the weakest Divine Aperture Realm cultivators in history, their combat strength will still improve, and their lifespan will greatly increase. At the very least, they can live for two hundred years.

As Zuo Qianqiu examined Chen Fan's body, his thoughts drifted beyond the clouds.

"Cough, cough, cough."

"Left Chiliarch, are you done?"

Chen Fan coughed twice and could not help asking.

Only then did Zuo Qianqiu return to his senses. He nodded and said:

"Chen Fan, you are simply a genius."

"I do not know how you managed it, but even though you cultivated the Blood Fiend Art to perfection, the Bloodfiend True Qi has only eroded part of your dantian. At present, it has not caused any adverse effects on your body."