Deputy Headquarters Second Update!

Even during the day, his bats are unaffected.

According to records, this dark secret technique becomes unstable or even collapses when exposed to sunlight.

But Chen Xia's bats are condensed from Blood Yang, so there's no difference between day and night. However, they can currently only fly about 250 meters before losing their connection.

He tried to condense a second one, but it wasn't successful. Still, he was happy; having one bat makes things much more convenient.

If the number increases, he'll essentially have countless eyes in the future.

This evil technique is quite powerful.

It's just that normal people can't cultivate it, as the price is to first cultivate the Eternal Night Blood Scripture and become a Blood Slave before being able to practice it.

Chen Xia has no such concerns and can enjoy the power of the evil technique.

As for Blood Soul Bewitching Heart, he also tried it a few times this morning. With the foundation of the first secret technique, he learned it quickly, but the effect is unclear as he hasn't experimented with it yet.

For the past two days, he hasn't gone to the Patrol Inspection Office, dedicating his time to training his spirit techniques.

However, he didn't neglect his work.

He separately reported all the information gathered by Xiao Qiang and his subordinates responsible for intelligence, including the matters Zhang Feng had previously explored regarding the blood shadow in the alley, to Jiang Xinglan.

He specifically highlighted the contributions of Zhang Feng and Xiao Qiang, and now it's up to the Headquarters to make arrangements.

Since Jiang Xinglan had asked him for this information, he didn't need to go through the Branch Office.

Two days later, at noon.

Chen Xia stood by the window on the second floor, seemingly observing the street outside, but in reality, he was visualizing his own back and profile in his mind.

In his room, two bats were present: one in the corner of the back wall, and the other suspended in the air to his right. However, the right one was more ethereal, requiring more effort to condense.

As Chen Xia turned and extended his hand, the two bats returned to his palm, transforming into blood mist and merging into his body.

"With my current Blood Yang power, condensing one bat allows it to fly farther and have a wider field of vision than two. It's sufficient."

Chen Xia mused. He opened his eyes, a faint red light flashing in his pupils, carrying a hint of bewitchment.

After everything subsided and returned to normal, Chen Xia went downstairs to eat a meal prepared by his mom. Then, he called out, "Mom, I'm going out."

"Will you be back for dinner this afternoon?"

"Yes, I'll be back for dinner."

"Okay, Mom will make your favorite pig's trotters. Come back early."

"Thanks, Mom."

After leaving, Chen Xia took a taxi to the Central District of Yijiang City and arrived at the entrance of the office on the seventh floor of the Headquarters.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Come in!"

Jiang Xinglan's voice came from inside.

Chen Xia pushed the door open and entered.

As the Chief Director, Jiang Xinglan was still in uniform while at work, wearing her director's cap. She held a penholder in her right hand, writing beautiful characters on a document before stamping it.

After finishing, Jiang Xinglan looked up, pondered for a moment, and then said, "The Patrol Inspection Office has cleared out the supplies from the Tongxin Village incident a couple of days ago. There was over three million in cash. Since you investigated this case, the Headquarters has issued you a bonus of 300,000."

As she spoke, Jiang Xinglan picked up a bag from the floor beside her and handed it over.

"Director..."

"This is the Federation's rule. Cases that escalate to endanger the entire city are rewarded upon completion. Everyone involved in this case receives a bonus, but yours is a bit more. I've given this money to you separately."

Hearing this, Chen Xia took the bag. 300,000 was not a small sum, and he wasn't foolish enough to refuse. He thought to himself that he now had money for the drug expenses.

"Additionally, this is your appointment document."

Jiang Xinglan didn't hand the document to Chen Xia. She said, "You will be promoted to Deputy Headquarters of South City, in charge of Team One of Mengtang Street and Team Two of Baiyu Street. They will be under your command from now on!"

With Jiang Xinglan's words, Chen Xia's promotion was announced. Despite being mentally prepared, he was still a bit shocked.

Although the Headquarters in the High Martial Era held significant power, promoting him directly from a mere captain to Deputy Headquarters, skipping two levels, was quite astonishing.

After all, there were still the positions of Lieutenant Colonel and Deputy Captain above him. Now he was directly Deputy Headquarters?

This was an opportunity many people would beg for.

Jiang Xinglan continued, "Originally, I intended to nominate you for Director, but given your recent promotion, it's inevitable that some people might not be convinced or unable to hold the position. Therefore, I'll have you gain some experience as Deputy Headquarters for a period of time."

"Director, being promoted to Deputy Headquarters is already very high. Thank you for your cultivation, Director!" Chen Xia said.

Jiang Xinglan nodded. "Your promotion to Deputy Headquarters is not a major issue, but if you want to continue developing in the future, you'll need to improve your own strength. If you can't keep up, it will be very difficult. Do you understand what I mean?"

Jiang Xinglan intended to move to the provincial city in the future and naturally wouldn't be confined to the city.

This was almost explicitly telling Chen Xia that if he seized the opportunity, he could achieve greater development.

"I will definitely work hard to improve my strength!" Chen Xia's heart stirred, a sense of urgency rising within him.

"Based on your previous performance, you should be a Grade 2 martial warrior by now, right?" Jiang Xinglan asked.

"I'm already Grade 2, but I haven't been assessed by the Martial Warrior Alliance yet," Chen Xia said.

"Mm." Jiang Xinglan's eyes flashed with surprise. "Train well at Grade 2. After breaking through to Grade 3, if you can complete Bone Tempering soon, you'll truly be on the path of a Martial Warrior."

"As a Grade 2 Martial Warrior, to advance to Grade 3 and begin Bone Tempering, most people would need about five years. But you have some special talent. Can you finish in two years?"

"I'll try." Chen Xia didn't dare to make any promises, as he didn't understand many details of the martial path.

He asked, "Director, after starting Bone Tempering at Grade 3, is Grade 4 the Five Viscera realm?"

Jiang Xinglan nodded. "Entering the Grade 3 Silver Bones realm, you can be called a Martial Master. Once all two hundred and six bones in your body are tempered, you can step into Grade 4 Five Viscera, followed by Marrow Cleansing, Golden Body, Grandmaster... At the Martial Master level, you'll have considerable solid Martial Force. Besides amplified strength, being able to shatter walls with a single punch, you can break people's bones at will, bend steel and concrete, and your physical body can withstand cold weapons. It's not an exaggeration to call you a Humanoid Machine."

"The further you go, the stronger you become. Grade 6 Marrow Cleansing allows one to manifest Gang Qi and fly, becoming a Great Martial Master, capable of being a Governor of a Province! If you're even stronger, you could be in the Capital City, or even a high-ranking official in the Federation's House of Representatives or Senate. But for now, focus on what's in front of you."

Jiang Xinglan explained the process of Silver Bones to Chen Xia, including the reactions and potential experiences.

Chen Xia listened silently. Since he had embarked on this path, he was determined to advance, but for now, he needed to grasp every step carefully.

"Oh, right." Jiang Xinglan suddenly changed the subject, her beautiful eyes looking at Chen Xia. "When did you start cultivating Evil Techniques?"

Chen Xia's heart skipped a beat at Jiang Xinglan's sudden question.

If she discovered he was cultivating an Evil Technique, would she label him as a member of an Evil Cult and arrest him?

He thought to himself, it seemed unlikely. He was somewhat under Jiang Xinglan's wing. Besides, only Evil Techniques that harmed others were truly problematic. If a technique only harmed the user's body, many people practiced them, and no one would intervene as long as no one was harmed.

Moreover, Chen Xia didn't exude any evil aura, nor did he harm others or consume blood. He was cultivating an evolved version of the Eternal Night Blood Scripture. Could that be considered an Evil Technique?

With this thought, Chen Xia's gaze cleared, and he said with full confidence, "Director, you must be mistaken. I am not cultivating any Evil Techniques. I can guarantee this."