Speed? Meaningless

"I haven't even told you what I want you to do!"

Bai Wei's almond-shaped eyes flew wide, exposing two little canine teeth. She looked exactly like a wild kitten whose tail had been stepped on.

"Besides, was that kick supposed to be for nothing!?"

Chu Sheng glanced at her, his tone utterly flat.

"Otherwise? As members of the Jingwu Bureau, you didn't even notice three familiars right under your noses. If it had been someone else, they'd have already succeeded."

"By that logic, not only do I owe you nothing, you owe me a favor instead!"

Bai Wei froze, and her tone immediately softened.

"There were so many people in the training ground. How could we possibly keep an eye on everyone..."

Sun Youya cut in. "Xiaowei, stop talking. Chu Sheng is right. This really was our negligence."

"Today, we were lucky to have him. Otherwise, people really might have died."

After that, no one spoke in the carriage again.

When they arrived at the Jingwu Bureau,

Long Liang could not help speaking up.

"These are going to be your colleagues in the future. Is it really okay to make things this awkward?"

"If a relationship needs the truth to be whitewashed in order to survive, then I'd rather not have it. That goes against the justice in my heart."

Long Liang gave a bitter smile and raised a thumb.

"I can tell you really have a strong sense of justice. I hope you never forget this original intention..."

After someone notified them,

Long Liang led Chu Sheng into the Jingwu Bureau.

At the same time, news of the newcomer's arrival spread like wildfire.

The moment they entered, the two were separated.

Chu Sheng was taken to the assessment grounds, while Long Liang was brought to Bureau Chief Lu Huaimin's office.

Thinking that someone of Chu Sheng's strength should have no problem passing the assessment, Long Liang was not too worried.

Outside the assessment room, quite a crowd of onlookers had already gathered.

When some people who did not know the full story learned that Chu Sheng only needed to pass the strength assessment to be hired, they immediately turned sour with envy.

Back then, they had gone through eighty-one tribulations just to enter the Jingwu Bureau—it would not have been an exaggeration to say so.

"Some people are born to toil like oxen and horses, while others are born already sitting on horseback. Chu? I don't remember any Worldly Family surnamed Chu in Great Xia."

"If he's already going through the back door, why not just arrange the job directly? Why bother putting on this little show?"

"This assessment is definitely just for appearances. If it isn't the same strength assessment we had back then, I'm filing an anonymous report!"

"Pfft! Anonymous? The moment you submit that report, they'll dig up your ancestors for eight generations. Believe it?"

Amid the discussion, a cool female voice interrupted everyone.

"The bureau chief isn't the kind of person you think he is."

When they saw who had arrived, everyone's eyes widened.

"Hongzhao, weren't you carrying out that B-rank mission? Why are you back?"

As the Jingwu Bureau's only legendary figure to reach the rank of Silver Patrolman with Qi Sea Realm cultivation,

Lin Hongzhao was famous throughout the bureau. Everyone knew her.

"Because I accepted an even more important mission."

"To screen recruits for the Jingwu Bureau!"

While everyone was pondering the meaning behind Lin Hongzhao's words, she strode straight into the assessment room.

Only then did they understand.

So she was today's examiner!

Remembering Lin Hongzhao's illustrious record of conducting several assessments without a single person passing,

everyone finally understood that the bureau chief was still the same bureau chief, and the supposed back-door entry was nothing but a baseless rumor.

There was absolutely no way this Chu Sheng could pass!

Bai Wei was also among the crowd. She curled her lips.

"What are you acting so smug about? Chu Sheng will teach you a lesson soon enough."

Though her voice was not loud, the people standing beside her heard every word clearly.

Everyone knew about the grudge between her and Lin Hongzhao.

What they did not understand was,

why Bai Wei would say something like that when she clearly knew Lin Hongzhao's strength.

Someone asked curiously.

"Bai Wei, have you seen this kid's strength? What realm is he in?"

"First level Qi Sea Realm, but he's very strong."

The moment she finished speaking, laughter erupted around her.

First level Qi Sea Realm, very strong?

Could those two things even be mentioned in the same breath?

The Jingwu Bureau's minimum requirement was first level Qi Sea Realm. This young man had merely just met the threshold.

How was there even the slightest connection to the word strong?

"So you mean he can pass the assessment?"

Without even thinking, Bai Wei nodded.

"Of course."

That kick from Chu Sheng had already reached the level of peak Qi Sea Realm.

Who knew whether he had any other trump cards...

Passing the assessment was as certain as a nail driven into a board.

And it would be even better if he could give Lin Hongzhao another savage beating!

This time, the people around her could no longer hold back their laughter.

Someone even declared outright that if Chu Sheng could pass the assessment, he would stand on his head and shit.

What a joke. Even someone at the fourth level of the Qi Sea Realm had failed Lin Hongzhao's assessment.

He was only at the first level of the Qi Sea Realm, and so young at that. One look showed he had no combat experience. What gave him the right to pass?

Everyone simply took it as a joke.

Inside the assessment room,

Lin Hongzhao slowly walked to stand directly in front of Chu Sheng.

The moment she saw Chu Sheng's appearance, her pupils shrank sharply, her face filled with astonishment.

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"I wasn't asking about your size!"

"...I wasn't talking about size either."

Lin Hongzhao was so shocked that she could not speak for a long while.

An eighteen-year-old at the first level of the Qi Sea Realm!?

With talent like that, why had he come to the Jingwu Bureau? To show off his superiority?

After taking quite a while to calm herself, Lin Hongzhao finally steadied her emotions.

She introduced herself.

"My name is Lin Hongzhao. I'm your examiner."

"The assessment is simple. Within three minutes, you pass as long as you can touch me. Of course, I won't leave this room."

Chu Sheng was somewhat puzzled. "That simple?"

Lin Hongzhao gave a soft, mocking laugh.

"That's right, it really is that simple. I think highly of you."

"Maybe you'll be the first person to pass my assessment."

Chu Sheng's reaction was exactly the same as those people before him.

Little did he know that he would not even last three minutes. At most, within one minute, he would give up on his own and leave in shame and anger!

After all, no one liked being toyed with like a monkey.

But there was no helping it. The bureau chief had given her a death order: she absolutely could not let this back-door recruit pass the assessment.

"You may begin."

The instant Lin Hongzhao finished speaking, a purple arc of lightning flashed past.

The next second, she felt a fierce gust of wind rushing at her face.

"Ha!?"

Caught off guard, Lin Hongzhao instinctively bent backward at the waist.

Yet Chu Sheng immediately followed with a sweeping whip kick.

Lin Hongzhao reacted with astonishing speed, spinning and shifting her steps. She tapped the ground with her toes to borrow force and slid sideways, narrowly evading it again.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Before the onlookers had even seen clearly what happened, the two had returned to their previous stance, facing one another.

At that moment, only one thought remained in everyone's minds.

Strong—ridiculously, explosively strong, this young man!!!

At the first level of the Qi Sea Realm, he could actually contend with Lin Hongzhao in movement techniques.

In the past, this was something they would not even have dared imagine.

Bai Wei excitedly shoved open the assessment room door.

She shouted:

"Master Chu, attack her lower body! Attack her lower body!!"

The two people in the room both turned a deaf ear.

Lin Hongzhao could not hide her amazement.

"That movement technique has to be at least Heaven-grade, doesn't it?"

"But unfortunately, no matter how fast you are, you can't escape these eyes of mine."

"For someone at the first level of the Qi Sea Realm to have this kind of speed, I acknowledge you."

Chu Sheng frowned slightly.

"You really like showing off?"

"I understand."

Since he could not win through speed, then he would have to crush her with sheer strength.

The next moment—

Thunder shattered the darkness!!!

Secret Art • Thunder Marsh