The clerk had only just begun wondering what Huang Tian was here for when he saw him walk in.
After all, the Registry Office was only responsible for recording each Martial Guard's name, hometown, and Martial Path cultivation level, as well as sorting and organizing various documents for storage in the Archives.
It had no authority over personnel matters, nor was it qualified to meddle in the distribution of logistical supplies. He had no idea what Huang Tian wanted here.
But he hadn't expected Huang Tian's very first words to leave him completely stunned.
He stared blankly for a moment, then shot to his feet, craning his neck like a turtle poking its head out. "C-Could you ask Chief Huang to repeat that? I'm afraid I heard wrong!"
Huang Tian was very patient. He repeated himself. "I've broken through. I'm now at the seventh tier of the Martial Path, and I've come to update the Registry."
"Ah~~"
The clerk let out an almost disbelieving sigh and murmured, "Another breakthrough! Another breakthrough!"
He seemed to have fallen into a dream—or a nightmare.
Only after standing dazed for a long while did he pull out a ledger, take up his brush, and change Huang Tian's information, updating him from the eighth tier of the Martial Path to the seventh.
Once the entry was complete, he said with difficulty, "Since Chief Huang has reached the seventh tier, you should report to your direct superior. He'll arrange a post for you."
Huang Tian's direct superior was technically Xia Hong, though only barely. By convention, there should have been a Hundred-Household or Acting Hundred-Household above him, but Huang Tian had never been assigned to any particular location, so he had no immediate superior.
After a moment's thought, Huang Tian asked, "Has Xia the Thousand-Household returned?"