Chen Xia pushed the door open and entered.
The office was simply furnished, with a desk and several brown wooden chairs to the side. Behind it, the wall on the right was lined with bookcases filled with various documents and books.
Several pots of green plants sat by the street-facing windows. The room was well soundproofed; the noise of cars outside was barely audible, leaving it very quiet.
A young woman in a dark blue uniform, with an olive branch and a Four-pointed Star insignia on her shoulder, sat at a brown chair, head lowered as she worked.
She wore the patrol inspectors' distinctive peaked cap, adorned with a silver-white badge. She hadn't looked up. Her slightly slender figure and features nevertheless carried an air of solemnity that brooked no offense, while her slender, fair right hand wrote something on a document.
"Chief Director!"
As a subordinate, Chen Xia gave a crisp military salute.
"Mm."
Only after finishing her writing did Jiang Xinglan set down her pen and look up to examine Chen Xia. Then she said, "I just reviewed your résumé and video. After graduating from Yijiang University, you were at the fourth stage of Ningyuan. A few months ago, you were still at the seventh stage of Ningyuan and couldn't advance. But recently, you broke through two stages in a row, became a martial artist, and even killed Hu Biao, who had taken a Gene Potion. That's rather unusual. What cultivation technique do you practice... to have advanced to martial artist so quickly?"
Jiang Xinglan had just recounted Chen Xia's life history. As Chief Director, investigating him was a matter of a single order.
There was no way Chen Xia would reveal the secret behind his progress.
But the Seven Injuries Fist had such serious flaws that it wasn't a technique circulated on the market, so there was no harm in mentioning it.
Jiang Xinglan, however, didn't believe the Seven Injuries Fist could make someone this strong.
Jiang Xinglan rose and walked over to Chen Xia. Her jade-like fingers darted several times between his wrist, chest, abdomen, and dantian.
Chen Xia instinctively wanted to fight back, but she was too fast. He felt several spots on his body go numb with a jolt, and shivered all over. This woman is incredible! He nearly lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Chen Xia felt a chill in his heart. He'd heard that Chief Director Jiang Xinglan was a genius who'd graduated from a prestigious university. She had already been a Grade 3 martial master when she left school, and came from a powerful financial magnate family whose Lineage held great standing throughout the Federation.
She had parachuted into the Patrol Inspection Office as a handpicked candidate for special cultivation by the higher-ups. She was destined for a high position in the future, and her strength was surely even greater now.
Just those two simple moves were enough to make Chen Xia admit defeat. A genius from a great family and a prestigious university really was formidable.
"Hm?..." Jiang Xinglan's eyes flickered. After probing Chen Xia, she was somewhat surprised.
Her energy had entered his body just now, and she'd detected Fist Force. As for the specific reason behind his sudden, rapid progress, she couldn't tell.
But Chen Xia had advanced to martial artist in such a short time and fought Hu Biao. Seeing such astonishing progress in an ordinary person made Jiang Xinglan think of one possibility.
"Have you noticed any unusual changes in yourself lately?"
Jiang Xinglan returned to her seat and looked at Chen Xia with bright, dark eyes.
Chen Xia seemed a little puzzled. "Unusual... I just feel like I've been making faster progress in martial arts lately, and I've gained some insights I didn't have before."
Jiang Xinglan nodded. "Martial artists can awaken talents, either innate or acquired after reaching a certain stage. For example, enhanced strength, speed, Star Essence, or the rare Spiritual Talent!"
"Talent? Do you mean..."
"Among ordinary people, one in a thousand can become a martial artist. Awakening a talent is rarer still—one in ten thousand."
"I examined you just now. There's nothing else unusual about you, and you haven't practiced an Evil Technique. But someone who's been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time, then suddenly makes rapid progress in martial arts over a short period, fits the profile of someone with an acquired awakening. You should have some kind of Spiritual Talent or physical talent that's letting you advance so quickly."
Jiang Xinglan smiled. "But that's a good thing. It means you can advance to a Grade 2 martial artist in the future, and you have a bright future ahead."
As she spoke, Jiang Xinglan took a book and a commendation document from the files on her desk.
"This is your reward for completing the mission. I'll have Xiao Lin notify Finance to transfer the one hundred thousand yuan bonus to your account. Also, this book, the Vajra Bone Tempering Technique, is my gift to you."
Chen Xia took the book, its cover bearing the title Vajra Bone Tempering Technique, and stared at her in astonishment.
"Chief Director, this..."
He'd never dreamed someone would give him something so precious. And she was a woman, his superior, at that.
He knew a little about martial arts. Grade 1 and Grade 2 were both about training the whole body and building up strength.
At Grade 3, one had to temper the bones specifically. By following a special technique and using Silver Dust Powder to forge all the bones in the body into Silver Bones, one could become a much stronger martial artist.
The skeleton was the foundation of human strength. Without bones to brace against, people couldn't exert their strength; they were like a lump of soft flesh. But if a person's bones were as strong as steel, naturally they could unleash greater power throughout their body.
Martial artists relied on their own bodies, so a bone-tempering technique was the foundation of Grade 3. Those who reached this stage could be called martial masters.
But techniques for Grade 3 bone tempering like this cost over two hundred thousand yuan. She was just giving it to him?
Jiang Xinglan read Chen Xia like an open book. She'd seen how rapidly he'd advanced lately and recognized his potential: he was an acquired genius. She'd also studied the video of him killing Hu Biao.
What shocked Jiang Xinglan most was that Hu Biao's internal organs had been pulverized. That took a special kind of Fist Force, one that even a Grade 2 martial artist might not have mastered.
All she could say was... Chen Xia might have a talent for martial arts, and that talent had real potential.
There was no way someone at Chen Xia's stage should have been able to kill Hu Biao, but he'd done it.
It was a calculated move.
She meant to win him over, and that usually worked remarkably well.
Jiang Xinglan had taken charge of the Patrol Inspection Office less than a year ago and already secured her position as Chief Director. She relied on more than just authority. A technique worth two hundred thousand yuan was nothing to her.
Jiang Xinglan said, "Take it. You're close to becoming a Grade 2 martial artist, and after that you'll have to temper your bones for Grade 3. You'll need a technique like this. But first, you have to build a solid foundation at Grade 2. Once you've tempered all your bones into Silver Bones, that's when you'll truly begin to grow powerful as a martial artist."
"Of course, I'm not giving you this technique for nothing. I've already ordered the South City Branch Office to make you a team leader when you get there. There's a conflict between Mercenary Groups in your South City, and I suspect the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group is involved with an Evil Cult."
"So once you're back, if you notice anything unusual over there, you can report it to me directly. As Chief Director of the Inspection Chief Office, I won't allow any Evil Cult organization to commit crimes in my jurisdiction. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Understood! I'll keep an eye on the Gathering Justice Mercenary Group's movements. You can count on me." Looking at the Chief Director he'd never met before, Chen Xia couldn't help feeling a stirring in his heart.
Whatever her reasons, he felt that Jiang Xinglan had taken special care of him.
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