The Jinyiwei Baihu Office.
Chen Fan's quarters.
By the time Chen Fan returned to the Baihu Office, the eastern sky was already turning pale. With his strength improved, staying up all night was nothing to him.
Wide awake, he focused his thoughts and opened his status panel, deciding to raise his strength.
Ever since he had derived the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist last time, he still hadn't practiced it!
Yesterday afternoon, killing seven wolf demons in Black Bear Gully Village had earned him more than seven hundred years of Demonic Creature Lifespan.
Combined with the 177 years he had gained earlier from killing the White Ape and its two subordinates at Spring View Pavilion, he had accumulated 957 years of Demonic Creature Lifespan!
[Name: Chen Fan] [Realm: Spirit Concealment Realm (Fifth Stage: Marrow Asura)] [Cultivation Methods: Body Tempering Fist (Perfected), Draw Sword Slash (Perfected), Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist (Not Yet Initiated)] [Remaining Lifespan: 58 years] [Demonic Creature Lifespan: 957 years]
"The Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist is also a Spirit Concealment Realm cultivation method, but its grade is far higher than the Body Tempering Fist's. If I use it in place of the Body Tempering Fist to retrain my Spirit Concealment Realm, perhaps I can improve my strength even further."
"Ping'an County is crawling with dangers and demons. Cao De also sees me as a thorn in his side. He'll probably announce today that I'm to become a Jinyiwei Zongqi Officer. There's no guarantee he won't come after me, just like Sun Jian did."
"Word is that he's at the peak of the fifth stage of the Spirit Concealment Realm. But who doesn't keep a card up their sleeve? Maybe he's already become a Spirit Aperture Realm Martial Artist."
"So I need to become even stronger!"
"In that case, let's derive it!"
Chen Fan focused his thoughts and began channeling his Demonic Creature Lifespan into the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist, using it to derive his martial arts.
[Year One: You begin learning the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist. Since it was derived from the Body Tempering Fist based on your own attributes, and you already possess considerable martial arts skill, you quickly master the basics!] [Year Three: After diligent practice, you finally bring the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist to the minor-achievement stage. You feel your strength and physical toughness improve.] [Year Ten: You keep practicing the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist. Then, one day, inspiration strikes and you suddenly achieve enlightenment, breaking through to the major-achievement stage. Your body improves greatly; you are now as robust as a young Fierce Beast!] [Year Twenty: You continue practicing the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist, but your lack of talent keeps you from reaching perfection.] [Year Thirty: You still make no progress. You feel like a silly crybaby; whenever you practice the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist, your head starts buzzing.] [Year Fifty: You've nearly given up, thinking you might as well leave things as they are. The major-achievement Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist has already made you invincible within the Spirit Concealment Realm. Even demons at the same realm are easy prey for you. But deep down, you're still unwilling to settle.] [Year One Hundred: You grit your teeth and persevere. You still remember that, if you could perfect the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist, you would be able to draw in the world's vital energy and use it as a grinding disc to temper and strengthen your body, ultimately condensing an Innate Body!] [Year Two Hundred: As you persist in practicing the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist, you suddenly feel a wisp of mysterious energy enter your body. More and more of it follows. You understand: this is the world's vital energy.] [The world's vital energy continually tempers your body. You finally reach the stages of training strength until it flows like silk, skin like copper, flesh like a bell, bones like iron, sinews like steel, blood like mercury, marrow like frost, organs like vessels, viscera like jade, and meridians like membranes. You name these the Ten Realms of Martial Dao, a system surpassing the traditional Five Stages of Spirit Concealment!] [At last, your body completes its transformation and condenses an Innate Body. Your natural aptitude improves as well, and the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist reaches perfection!] [Remaining Demonic Creature Lifespan: 757 years!]
Chen Fan slowly opened his eyes. Countless insights from his practice flooded his mind. With every breath, he could draw in the world's vital energy, and his body felt as if it had reached the limit of what it could bear.
He felt that he could now kill a Martial Artist at the same realm with a single punch—even a demon at the same realm!
"Now I'm terrifyingly strong!"
Chen Fan rose to his feet, like a ferocious beast awakening from a long slumber, his whole body radiating a fearsome pressure!
With his strength as it was now, even if Cao De was a Spirit Aperture Realm Martial Artist, even if he truly tried to come after him, Chen Fan had nothing to fear!
"Time to report for duty!"
Chen Fan got up, donned his Flying Fish Robe, buckled on his Embroidered Spring Blade, opened the door, and headed straight for the front courtyard of the Baihu Office.
Everyone at the Jinyiwei Baihu Office greeted him politely, though their courtesy was tinged with a hint of distance.
Yesterday, he had crushed Xiaoqi Officer Sun Jian, publicly humiliated Zongqi Officer Li Mo, and was about to take over Huang Chengyue's position as Zongqi Officer.
That position was a sensitive one. Sun Jian had originally been slated to take it, since he was Li Mo's trusted aide, and Li Mo was Cao De's right-hand man.
But Chen Fan was clearly not on the same side as Baihu Cao De. Still, his qualifications spoke for themselves, and with Zongqi Officer Huang Chengyue recommending him, he was more qualified than Sun Jian to become a Zongqi Officer.
You could say that, in front of all the Jinyiwei yesterday, he and Huang Chengyue had performed a two-man act, leaving Cao De—who hadn't even shown his face—in a bind.
If Cao De agreed to let him become a Zongqi Officer, he would be inviting trouble for himself. If he refused, he would be trampling the Jinyiwei rules underfoot.
It would also prove that the entire Jinyiwei Baihu Office was his one-man show: whoever he wanted to promote would rise.
That would completely chill the hearts of the Jinyiwei.
"By order of the Baihu Master, assemble at the Training Ground immediately!"
After roll call, none of the Jinyiwei went out on assignment. Instead, they all headed to the Training Ground to assemble.
Cao De sat on the viewing platform at the Training Ground, while Zongqi Officer Li Mo stood beside him, pouring tea and attending to him.
As the official in direct charge of the Jinyiwei Baihu Office in Ping'an County, the original owner of Chen Fan's body had seen this Baihu, Cao De, at a few functions.
But since Chen Fan had transmigrated, this was his first time seeing Cao De in person.
Cao De had a fleshy chin and a scar. His forehead was high, but the bridge of his nose was low. He had a hooked nose and a broad face; he was fair and plump, and not very tall. He wore a smile when he looked at people, but it wasn't warm. It seemed gloomy instead.
Those who knew him called him the smiling tiger behind his back!
The sweeter the smile, the deeper the schemes and the craftier the man; the more ruthless his methods, the duller his eyes—and the crueler his heart!
That was Cao De!
"Which one is Chen Fan?"
"Come up here. Let me have a look at you!"
Cao De took a small sip of tea, set down his cup, and smiled warmly at the Jinyiwei gathered below the platform as he spoke.
"Your subordinate Chen Fan pays his respects to the Baihu Master!"
At his words, Chen Fan strode up to the platform like a dragon or tiger, cupped his hands, and spoke in a clear voice.
"Fine clothes and a spirited steed, a young man of promise; humble yet confident, composed and unassuming."
"Good!"
"Very good!"
"The Jinyiwei needs talented men like you!"
"I heard that yesterday you killed seven wolf demons in Black Bear Gully Village and earned ten thousand merits, and that you also broke through to the fifth stage of the Spirit Concealment Realm. Old Huang came to see me first thing this morning, asking to resign and have you take over as Zongqi Officer. What do you think?"
Cao De narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Chen Fan, smiling without a trace of warmth.
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