Later Stage, Operation

That old fox definitely had something up his sleeve...

The thought flashed through Fang Xing's mind. Looking at Ning Jiangbo's beaming smile, he said without giving anything away, "Patriarch Ning, to be frank, I already have someone I admire. She is from the Heavenly Supervision Bureau."

With no other choice, he could only invent someone out of thin air.

Though he did not know what Ning Jiangbo truly intended, he had no desire to become entangled with the Ning Family.

At those words, Ning Jiangbo and his wife's expressions stiffened, but they quickly returned to normal.

Ning Jiangbo let out a sigh. "In that case, I will not force the matter. Should Lord Fang have the opportunity, please visit Ning Residence more often. Ning Residence will certainly welcome you."

Fang Xing gave a slight nod.

Once the meal ended, Fang Xing left. Before he departed, Ning Jiangbo gave him several banknotes.

Banknotes worth five hundred taels!

Fang Xing did not stand on ceremony and accepted them.

He could take the money. If something came up in the future, he would handle it accordingly.

Of course, unless necessary, Fang Xing still did not wish to clash with the three great families.

After all, the three great families had connections behind them as well.

If he wanted to move against them, it would be difficult to bring them down without strength surpassing Transformation Force.

Fang Xing understood that very clearly.

Time flowed on, and the New Year arrived.

These past few days, aside from cultivating each day, Fang Xing had also received many people who came to offer New Year greetings.

Besides colleagues and subordinates, several other factions had come calling as well.

Compared with ordinary days, his New Year had instead become even busier.

It was not until several days after the New Year that things returned to normal.

After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the festive air of the New Year completely faded away.

Early spring arrived, and the ice and snow melted.

After the New Year, apart from occasionally showing his face at the County Yamen, Fang Xing spent all his other time cultivating.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

Late at night, in Linxi Courtyard of Tong District, Fang Xing sat cross-legged inside his room, circulating the cultivation method of the Longevity Art.

Dense force shrouded his entire body.

Bursts of thunderous noise came from within him, like muffled thunder rolling through the clouds.

His blood flowed like a surging river, its waves crashing high.

The immense force continuously hammered against his five viscera and six bowels.

"Buzz—!!"

An invisible ripple spread from within his body, and the surrounding air currents whirled.

His force washed through his five viscera and six bowels as if breaking through some limit. A crisp sound rang out within him, and an acupoint suddenly burst open.

A vast, majestic aura swept out from his body.

In an instant, his eyes snapped open.

"Late-stage Transformation Force!"

Feeling the mighty force within him, Fang Xing clenched his fist.

Under the impact of countless resources, he had finally broken through this barrier.

In the three months since entering Transformation Force, he had advanced almost every month.

Late-stage Transformation Force—his strength had climbed another level.

By cultivating the Longevity Art, his force had become even denser and purer.

The Longevity Force within his body surged and churned.

Compared with when he had first entered Transformation Force, it was a transformation from a stream into a great river.

Aside from the growth of his cultivation, his five viscera and six bowels, flesh, bones, and tendons had all improved.

This was another powerful trait of the Longevity Art.

It developed the potential of the body!

The deeper one cultivated, the greater the body's potential that could be developed.

The power of top-tier martial arts was beyond comparison with superior martial arts.

Between them lay an immense gulf.

Feeling the changes in his body, that sense of fullness put him greatly at ease.

Strength was the most fundamental guarantee!

Everything else was empty illusion.

According to his agreement with Shen Ye, he had already been qualified to join the Heavenly Supervision Bureau when he broke through to Transformation Force.

With his current cultivation, it was even more set in stone.

But Fang Xing was in no hurry.

His cleansing plan had yet to be completed.

Whenever Shen Ye came again, it would not be too late to go then.

The more his strength increased, the greater his progress could become.

Closing his eyes, Fang Xing circulated the Longevity Art and began stabilizing his cultivation.

The night passed swiftly.

As dawn broke and the morning sun rose into the sky, Fang Xing stepped out of his room.

After breakfast and washing up, he left home and headed for the County Yamen.

Now that he had broken through to Transformation Force, it was time to begin the next stage of his cleansing plan.

He did not have many Enhancement Points left either. This was the perfect time to reap another harvest and build up abundant resources for his continued cultivation.

With late-stage Transformation Force, the Longevity Art he cultivated, and his mastery of two superior martial arts, he had nothing to fear even from a peak Transformation Force martial artist.

Even setting martial arts aside, his astonishing force alone could suppress them.

The Internal Force of the Longevity Art far surpassed ordinary force.

The difference between cotton and refined iron.

They might be the same size, but their quality was entirely different.

County Yamen, Central Ward Office.

By the time Fang Xing arrived, Chen Shan was already waiting for him.

At the sight of Fang Xing, Chen Shan inexplicably felt an invisible pressure.

It was not the pressure of a superior official's rank, but pressure born of strength.

Though Fang Xing revealed no aura whatsoever, something told him that Fang Xing's body contained an utterly terrifying power.

Like a fierce tiger, one only needed to sense it to know how terrifying it was.

Pressure upon the mind!

This only emerged when the gap in strength had reached an astonishing degree.

Could he have already entered Transformation Force?

A bold thought flashed through Chen Shan's mind.

Transformation Force!

Transformation Force at nineteen—merely thinking of it made him feel it was absurd.

Such a startling genius, even if not in a place like Qingshan County, would still be an absolute genius in the provincial capital.

"What is it? Why are you standing there in a daze?"

Fang Xing's voice came from beside his ear. Chen Shan immediately came back to himself and stepped forward to salute.

"My lord."

Fang Xing glanced at Chen Shan, then sat in the seat of honor. "How are the factions I had you watch?"

Chen Shan recovered himself and nodded. "My lord, everything is under control. Please rest assured."

"Then today, we close the net. These festering tumors cannot be allowed to remain any longer."

Fang Xing spoke calmly.

!!!

At those words, Chen Shan's heart jolted. Looking at Fang Xing, he asked, "My lord, you mean we take them all down?"

"What else?"

Fang Xing said blandly.

Chen Shan: "..."

Chen Shan lowered his head. Looking at Fang Xing, he hesitated. "My lord, doing this may cause quite a stir, no? Several of those factions have ties to the five great powers behind them."

Fang Xing raised his eyes to look at him, his expression calm. "We are eliminating evil for the people. What are you afraid of?"

I'm afraid...

How could I not be afraid?

There are several Transformation Force martial artists behind them!

"If anything happens, I am here. I will personally lead this operation. You only need to bring the men."

Fang Xing said.

Hearing this, Chen Shan nodded.

Fang Xing had given the order. He had no choice but to obey.

He had thought Fang Xing was merely targeting those factions to squeeze some money out of them, but he had never imagined that Fang Xing intended to pull them out by the roots!

Still, with Fang Xing personally leading the operation, he only needed to assist.

"Go gather the men. Have them wait directly outside the County Yamen."

Fang Xing issued the order.

"Yes!"

Chen Shan nodded, then turned and left.

Watching Chen Shan depart, Fang Xing picked up several documents from the table and glanced through them. Then he headed outside the County Yamen.

Outside the County Yamen, a group of Yamen Runners stood in neat formation.

There were a full fifty of them!

All were Yamen Runners under Chen Shan's command.

"My lord!"

Their voices rang out in unison. Fang Xing gave a slight nod. "Move out."

The moment his words fell, Fang Xing headed toward South City.

Chen Shan and the group of Yamen Runners followed close behind. The procession moved mightily toward South City.

In South City, outside a residence, dozens of Yamen Runners had surrounded the compound so tightly that not even water could seep through.

"My lord, this is the place," Chen Shan said from beside him, looking at the residence.

"Boom!!!"

Before his words had faded, Fang Xing raised a hand. An invisible force shot forth and blasted the residence gates open by sheer force.

He strode into the residence in great strides.

Seeing this, Chen Dong followed closely behind, with several Yamen Runners trailing after him.