"Hmm? It's Captain Wang's order." Shen Zhui lowered his head and took a look.
"You received it too?" Zhao Hu asked.
"Indeed." Han Mao and Yan You both nodded.
The four exchanged glances.
"Let's go to the Martial Class Hall."
"Let's go."
When Shen Zhui and the other three arrived at the Martial Class Hall, more than a dozen people had already gathered.
The moment Shen Zhui walked in, he immediately noticed that something was amiss.
As far as Shen Zhui knew, including him and Zhao Hu—the two newly advanced Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artists—the Martial Arts Department had only twelve people.
Yet now, every single person here was at the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm!
"Rong Zimo, y-you've already reached the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm?" Shen Zhui stared wide-eyed at a baby-faced young man.
He knew this man very well. They had entered the county government office together three years ago. Not long ago, Rong Zimo had only been at the Fourth Stage of Acquired Realm and had always handled logistics inside the county government office, rarely going out to investigate cases.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he had become a Ninth Stage martial artist?
"Shen Zhui, you think you're the only one who can reach the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm? Don't look down on people!" Rong Zimo said, feigning displeasure.
"Your big brother here is a martial arts prodigy. I leaped five stages in a single day. Well? Are you convinced?"
Shen Zhui was rendered speechless. Rong Zimo was obviously talking nonsense, yet the man standing before him really was at the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm.
"Zimo, stop bluffing." Another person walked over from the side.
"Brother Ziyu, you reached the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm too?" Shen Zhui was startled. This man was named Wang Ziyu. When Shen Zhui had seen him a month ago, he had only been at the Postnatal Third Stage, but now he had also become a Ninth Stage martial artist!
Wang Ziyu smiled. "There's no need to hide it from you now. My progress has always been very fast. The county magistrate simply ordered me to keep it secret and helped conceal my cultivation. In truth, I reached the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm long ago."
"So that's how it is." Shen Zhui immediately understood and sighed. "You hid it deeply. Not a word leaked out."
"Haha, but you know now, don't you?" Rong Zimo said with a laugh.
The others might not have cared, but Rong Zimo had truly been holding it in for far too long.
He had entered the county government office in the same year as Shen Zhui and was only a few years older than him, yet he had been forced to keep hiding his strength all this time. It had been unbearable.
"It looks like something major is about to happen." Shen Zhui was secretly shocked.
There were twenty people present in total, and every one of them was at the Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm! There were even five Peak Houtian experts!
What did that mean? It meant that if every one of these people reached the level of the First Summon of Deity, they would be equivalent to Xiantian Masters for a short period of time!
A Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artist could be used in place of an Early-stage Xiantian martial artist.
A Peak Houtian expert, meanwhile, possessed the strength to slay an Early-stage Xiantian martial artist! Of course, that Early-stage Xiantian martial artist would have to stay put and not wear some heaven-defying treasure.
"Especially those five Peak Houtian experts. I'm afraid every one of them possesses the strength to slay an Early-stage Xiantian martial artist."
Ever since his trip to the City God Temple, Shen Zhui had known that the county government's confidence lay in the power of Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artists who summoned deities. Their strength could rival that of Xiantian Martial Artists.
But he had never imagined there would be so many of them!
All the large and small households in Heyuan County combined had only around thirty Xiantian Masters!
The twenty people here at the county government were a united force, unlike the cooperative relationships between the various households, which made unified action impossible.
Seen in this light, the county magistrate had practically become the most powerful force in Heyuan County in a single leap!
"To suppress the large and small households for three years, he truly lives up to his reputation. Without some confidence, how could the county magistrate have calmly watched events unfold for more than twenty days?"
"Now that he's revealed this strength, something major must be about to happen!" Shen Zhui felt faintly excited.
Clearly, revealing strength that had been hidden for three years could not be for some minor matter. It was highly likely that they were targeting those Xiantian Martial Artists.
"Look, Captain Wang is here." Suddenly, someone shouted.
Wang Long walked out from the rear and stood before the platform at the front of the hall.
"Greetings, Captain Wang."
"Captain Wang."
"The captain is here."
"..."
Everyone spoke up in greeting. Usually, Wang Long treated his subordinates with a lenient and easygoing attitude, so everyone felt quite close to him.
The one responsible for strict training was actually Deputy Head of Department He Tong. However, He Tong's betrayal was now known to everyone, and it had dealt a heavy blow to them all.
"Silence." Wang Long shouted, no longer displaying his usual easygoing manner. His expression was solemn.
"I summoned everyone here today under the county magistrate's decree. We have an important matter to attend to!"
Wang Long said in a deep voice, "I presume all of you already know what has happened these past few days."
"The masterminds behind this are the Li and Yang households. They have sown terror within the city and oppressed the common people outside it, causing more than a thousand people to be displaced. Their crimes are heinous beyond measure. They must be eliminated, or the people's resentment cannot be appeased!"
"The twenty constables present are all people the county magistrate trusts deeply. I will now divide you into four groups of five. You will travel to various locations and eliminate the vicious criminals."
"The purpose of this operation is to destroy the Yin God Branch Shrines hidden in various places. Each of these locations has at least one Xiantian Master stationed there!"
"The mission must be completed within ten days."
"I'll say no more. Begin dividing into groups and taking action!"
"Lu Guangshan, Zhu Liang, Xu Wu..."
"Gu Changhua, Hua Liu..."
"Yan You, Han Mao, Shen Zhui..."
"..."
The groups were formed quickly. Each was led by a Peak Houtian expert, and Shen Zhui was assigned to Yan You's group.
His group consisted of Han Mao, Zhao Hu, and Rong Zimo.
Once the members of the five groups had been assigned, Wang Long waved his hand, and one green token after another flew into the hands of the twenty Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm martial artists.
"Whoosh~" It seemed as if a faint breeze swept past.
Shen Zhui clasped the token in his hand. Very soon, he discovered that only the five members of his own group remained in the hall. The auras and figures of the other fifteen people had all vanished!
"This token can conceal your figures and auras. If you do not circulate the elemental energy within your bodies, martial artists below the Spirit Bridge Realm will be unable to see through your disguises, except for the members of your own group!"
"Of course, it can only be used twice, with each use lasting half an hour. It will ensure that you can safely enter and leave the city."
"I have already ordered people to prepare horses and ten days' worth of provisions for you ten li outside the city. The mission locations and targets are also stored within the tokens. You'll know everything once you leave the city and take a look."
Wang Long swept his gaze over everyone and warned them, "Remember, once the elemental energy is activated, the effect will disappear. Once the duration ends, the effect will also disappear. Do not waste your time! Understood?!"
"This subordinate understands!" The voices of the crowd echoed through the hall.
"Depart!"
"Understood!"
Please recommend and bookmark!