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"Finally promoted to Jinyiwei Baihu."

"And I get to fight demons and monsters with Chen Fan again!"

Lu Xuenning said happily.

"Cough, cough, cough."

"Baihu Lu, mind your surroundings."

Wang Teng coughed lightly, then glanced at Chen Fan, finding him still calm.

Perhaps he's just pretending to be calm.

Chen Fan had indeed made a great contribution this time. The best outcome was his promotion to Jinyiwei Baihu and reassignment to Longyuan Prefecture.

But he was a genius martial artist. To save tens of thousands of people in Ping'an County, he ruined his future by cultivating the Blood Sha Skill, possibly forever stopping at the third level of the Spirit Aperture Realm.

To compensate him, his master, Zuo Qianqiu, overruled all objections and promoted him two ranks to Deputy Commander of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Office, in charge of logistics.

Logistics was a comfortable position with plenty of opportunities for personal gain.

His master also considered that Chen Fan was still young and his passion hadn't cooled, so he might desire to be on the front lines fighting demons and monsters. Thus, he also assigned him to lead a squadron of Jinyiwei.

It had to be said that his master had considered every aspect to take care of Chen Fan's feelings.

However, Wang Teng still felt it was a pity for Chen Fan.

If not for this incident, Chen Fan might have been taken in as a disciple by his master and meticulously trained.

With his talent, it wouldn't have been impossible for him to succeed the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander in the future, or even be promoted to Yun Prefecture Jinyiwei Myriad Commander.

But now, he might spend his entire life in the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Office as a Deputy Commander until he died of old age.

Yet, he was still so young.

To live out his days counting down, watching his peers far surpass him while his martial arts cultivation stagnated, would be torture for a genius martial artist like him.

"He's also a pitiable person!"

Wang Teng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Chen Fan didn't understand Wang Teng's thoughts, nor did he need to apprentice himself to a martial artist at the peak of the Spirit Aperture Realm. What he needed was a profound cultivation method to improve his strength.

Even if he were to take a master, he would find a true powerhouse to learn from!

After the matter in Ping'an County concluded, Chen Fan, along with Wang Teng and the others, set off for Longyuan Prefecture.

The group was exceptionally skilled and rode their horses at full speed. After a day and a night of frantic travel, they finally arrived at Longyuan Prefecture City.

Longyuan Prefecture City, nestled against mountains and water, sits on the vast alluvial fan plain at the foot of Purple Mountain.

The prefecture city covers a massive area. Its city walls are ten feet thick and a hundred feet high, with inner and outer walls nested together to form a single entity capable of withstanding beast tides.

The Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office is located in the northern district of the outer city, facing Purple Mountain. Upon entering through the north city gate, it wasn't long before they saw the Jinyiwei Commander's Office barracks.

The Commander's Office occupies a large area, capable of housing over a thousand people. It includes facilities like camps, a training ground, a large mess hall, and an administrative area, appearing like a scaled-up version of a Jinyiwei Baihu Office.

To Chen Fan, it held a sense of unfamiliar familiarity.

Along the way, Lu Xuenning had told Chen Fan a great deal about the situation in Longyuan Prefecture, which, overall, was not optimistic.

Yun Prefecture is located in the northern part of the Great Zhou Dynasty, belonging to the northern frontier. Further north lies a wilderness, a land of demonic creatures, making Yun Prefecture a frequent target of demonic incursions.

The Great Zhou Dynasty is separated from the demonic lands by the Monster Beast Mountain Range. Purple Mountain, where Longyuan Prefecture is located, is actually a natural extension of this mountain range.

This shows that the entire Longyuan Prefecture is essentially built at the foot of the Monster Beast Mountain Range, surviving under the watchful eyes of countless demonic creatures.

Purple Mountain is surrounded by demons. Zuo Qianqiu leads the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office in guarding Purple Mountain, standing in opposition to the demons there!

Unlike Cao De, Zuo Qianqiu despises evil and is upright and incorruptible. He is irreconcilably opposed to demonic creatures and would never collude with them or harm the populace.

However, countless clashes with the demons of Purple Mountain have also resulted in heavy casualties for the Jinyiwei of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office. Those with ability are promoted quickly, but they also die quickly.

You might be an ordinary Jinyiwei member today, and tomorrow, during an assault on Purple Mountain, your direct superior and your superior's superior both die. By the day after tomorrow, you could be promoted to Zongqi Officer.

The Jinyiwei Baihu Officers on the front lines in Longyuan Prefecture are all Spirit Aperture Realm Martial Artists, so they don't die easily. However, it's inevitable that one or two of the Baihu Officers leading ten brigades annually sustain casualties.

Just like Lu Xuenning, who has now been promoted to Baihu Officer of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, leading the Tenth Brigade. Where did the previous Baihu Officer who led the Tenth Brigade go?

He was seriously injured not long ago during an encirclement of demons on Purple Mountain and is now recuperating in logistics. If he recovers and can return to the front lines, he can lead another brigade. If the severe injury leaves him with lasting after-effects and he can no longer fight, he will retire to logistics.

Such an outcome is considered quite fortunate. Many Baihu Officers have died on Purple Mountain, their remains sometimes too scattered to even piece together.

Longyuan Prefecture.

Jinyiwei Commander's Office.

Zuo Qianqiu's office.

Zuo Qianqiu is somewhat thin, even gaunt. His black hair is streaked with silver, and he sports a goatee. His eyes are sharp and commanding, exuding an aura of authority even when he's not angry.

"Disciple Wang Teng (Lu Xuenning) pays respects to Master!"

Wang Teng and Lu Xuenning have temporarily settled Chen Fan in the separate courtyard of the Jinyiwei Deputy Commander before going to report to Zuo Qianqiu.

"Sigh!"

"How many times have I told you? When you're on duty, address me by my title!"

Zuo Qianqiu looked at his two disciples and sighed before speaking.

"Yes!"

"Your subordinate greets Commander!"

Wang Teng and Lu Xuenning cupped their fists and bowed again, speaking loudly.

"You've met Chen Fan?"

"How did you find him?"

Zuo Qianqiu looked at his Senior Disciple, Wang Teng, and asked.

"He's not old, two years younger than Xuenning, but very steady. Perhaps because he's from Ping'an County, his experience is too shallow, and he doesn't yet know the seriousness of the situation."

"According to Xuenning, he cultivated the Blood Sha Skill not using Myriad Spirit Essence Blood, but his own essence blood. He only took a very short time to cultivate the Blood Sha Skill to completion, opening up thirty-six acupoints all over his body."

"Judging by this, he is a true Peerless Genius!"

"It's a pity he's stuck in a small place like Ping'an County!"

Wang Teng couldn't help but say regretfully.

"Did he show any signs of falling into demonic possession?"

Zuo Qianqiu asked with a grave expression.

He understood the Blood Sha Skill very well. It had a low cultivation threshold and a fast cultivation speed. Anyone with a bit of talent could break through to the Spirit Aperture Realm before the age of forty.

However, after entering the Spirit Aperture Realm, the longer one cultivated and the more acupoints they opened, the easier it was to be corrupted by the blood sha, leading to a loss of control.

Although Chen Fan had cultivated the Blood Sha Skill for a short time, he had opened too many acupoints and cultivated the Blood Sha Skill to completion. By all rights, he should have started acting erratically by now?

Could it be that he was hiding it too well?

The reason he sent his Senior Disciple, a master at the Spirit Aperture Realm Seventh Heaven, to Ping'an County for this trip was to bring Chen Fan back.

Firstly, it showed how much he valued Chen Fan. Secondly, if Chen Fan showed any signs of losing control, Wang Teng could immediately apprehend him!

If his mind had already been corrupted by the blood sha, and he had lost control, then Wang Teng would personally deal with him!

The Jinyiwei monitored noble families and sects, and they executed Demonic Creatures. Those who fell into demonic possession would be executed!

They could not indulge him falling into demonic possession because of Chen Fan's achievements, especially since he was a Monstrous Genius. If he were to fall into demonic possession and walk the Blood Demon's Old Path, it would be a disaster for the entire Longyuan Prefecture.