Silence!
Deathly silence!
Inside the ward office, you could hear a pin drop!
Pair after pair of eyes stared at Fang Xing in the middle of the room.
At that moment, only one thing echoed in everyone's minds: what he had just said.
He wanted the position!
Good grief, was he really that bold?
To become Deputy Constable, you had to reach the Bright Force realm!
Had he entered the Bright Force realm?!
As they stared at Fang Xing, all sorts of thoughts flashed through their minds. They wondered if they had misheard him.
Xu Le stood where he was, staring at Fang Xing. At that moment, he felt his whole body go stiff.
Come on, brother. With your strength, what are you jumping into this for?
Xu Zhengxiong sat in his chair, looking at Fang Xing. Hearing what he had said, he wondered if he'd misheard.
"Repeat what you just said." Xu Zhengxiong looked at Fang Xing, breaking the silence.
Fang Xing raised his head and looked at Xu Zhengxiong, his expression serious. "Boss, I said I want to try for the position!"
Every word rang out clearly.
Now everyone had heard him. They hadn't imagined it.
Fang Xing really had the nerve!
"You want the position? Do you know what it takes to become Deputy Constable?" Xu Zhengxiong asked, looking at Fang Xing with an incredulous smile.
He admitted that Fang Xing was pretty good.
A month ago, he had reached his Blood-Qi Limit.
Reaching the Blood-Qi Limit at eighteen wasn't exactly outstanding, but it was still pretty good in the North Ward Office.
He had a chance of breaking through his Blood-Qi Limit and entering the Bright Force realm.
But it was only a chance.
Whether he could actually do it was another matter.
Meeting Xu Zhengxiong's gaze, Fang Xing calmly nodded. "I know. To take this position, you have to be a Bright Force martial artist."
"I've reached it."
He said it calmly, but to everyone listening, the words crashed like thunder, raising towering waves.
He had reached the Bright Force realm?!
Th-this was impossible!
Shock, doubt, disbelief...
All eyes were fixed on him, every gaze tangled with the others.
Bright Force!
He had reached Bright Force!
He had knocked at the gate and leaped through the Dragon Gate!
Those words struck everyone present to the core.
"Fang Xing has reached Bright Force..."
At that moment, that was the only thought in Xu Le's mind.
It felt as though his heart had stopped beating.
The instant Fang Xing said it, Xu Zhengxiong shot to his feet. His tiger-like eyes fixed on him.
"You're saying you've already reached the Bright Force realm?"
Xu Zhengxiong studied his face.
Fang Xing nodded. "Mm. I just broke through."
"Whoosh—!"
Xu Zhengxiong lunged forward and instantly reached him, grabbing his wrist with a broad palm.
"Release your Internal Force. Let me see." Xu Zhengxiong's expression was serious.
"Buzz!!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Fang Xing immediately activated his Internal Force.
His power surged!
Feeling Fang Xing's Internal Force, Xu Zhengxiong's pupils instantly contracted.
Seeing his reaction, everyone's expressions changed.
Judging from Xu Zhengxiong's expression, Fang Xing really had reached the Bright Force realm and become a true martial artist.
A fish leaping through the Dragon Gate, soaring straight into the heavens!
"Good! Good! Good!"
Xu Zhengxiong suddenly let go and praised him three times in a row, his face breaking into a radiant smile.
Looking at Fang Xing, he was genuinely happy.
Like everyone else, he had always hoped one of their own would rise to the position.
If someone from another ward office took it, then after he stepped down, the North Ward Office would fall under another office's control.
But if one of their own took the position, everything would be different.
"So he really did it... He's shot straight to the top in one leap." Xu Le stared at Fang Xing, dazed, but he was happy for him.
Fang Xing taking the position was definitely a good thing.
It might seem like a small step, but once you took it, everything changed.
If he became Deputy Constable, he'd be the second-in-command of North City!
That step was a qualitative leap!
Everyone came back to their senses and looked at Fang Xing, their expressions complicated.
Some were happy, some envious, and some jealous.
No matter what, taking this step would change everything.
"You brat, not bad. You reached Bright Force without saying a word." Xu Zhengxiong looked at Fang Xing and teased him with a smile.
Fang Xing replied modestly, "It was all luck. I was fortunate to succeed."
"Luck... There's no such thing as luck in martial arts cultivation. You're quite modest, brat."
Xu Zhengxiong chuckled.
"You flatter me, Boss," Fang Xing replied, neither servile nor arrogant.
Xu Zhengxiong studied him closely, then nodded. "Not bad. Now that you've broken through to Bright Force, you're qualified for the position. But it won't be that easy."
The smile faded from Xu Zhengxiong's face, and his expression turned serious.
Fang Xing looked at him. "Boss, what else do I need to do?"
Xu Zhengxiong said, "The candidates have already been chosen. I'm afraid the only way to truly take the position is through a real fight."
"I can recommend you, but there'll definitely be a fight. Lord Lin already said the two candidates would spar. Now that you've joined in, we'll have to go through with it."
"Boss, Fang Xing just broke through. D-do you think he can win?" Xu Le asked, the first to recover.
The others all looked at Xu Zhengxiong, their faces full of concern.
Some of them might be jealous of Fang Xing, but when it came to competing against the other ward offices, they would certainly rather see Fang Xing take the position.
There was no doubt about that!
"I can't say for sure. It's up to him." Xu Zhengxiong shook his head and looked at Fang Xing.
"I have no problem sparring. I'll take them on," Fang Xing said with a nod.
Xu Zhengxiong looked at him. "This isn't child's play. You could get hurt."
"It won't hurt to try. Even if I lose, at least I gave it my best. The result doesn't matter," Fang Xing said calmly.
This brat really takes things in stride... Hearing him say that, Xu Zhengxiong couldn't help feeling a little more admiration for him.
He might not win, but having this much confidence was already impressive.
At least he was willing to fight. He wouldn't be a laughingstock for the other ward offices.
"All right. Then come with me to see the county magistrate's deputy later. We'll know the result today."
Xu Zhengxiong didn't waste words and said it outright.
Fang Xing nodded.
Then Xu Zhengxiong swept his gaze over everyone. "The rest of you, go back to your duties."
Everyone nodded and left the ward office.
Quite a few of them also offered Fang Xing encouragement.
It would be best if he won.
If he lost, that would be normal too. After all, Fang Xing had only just entered the Bright Force realm.
One by one, they left. Before long, only Xu Zhengxiong and Fang Xing remained in the ward office.
Xu Zhengxiong looked at Fang Xing and said, "I'll test you first. Give it everything you've got."
"All right." Fang Xing nodded and stepped back, his expression turning serious.
It was only natural for Xu Zhengxiong to test him!
That would also give him a chance to gauge Fang Xing's true level.
Xu Zhengxiong looked at Fang Xing, his expression calm. He clasped one hand behind his back, and his aura gathered.
In an instant, he seemed like a ferocious tiger. Even the air around him trembled faintly.
"Attack!"
Xu Zhengxiong had barely spoken when Fang Xing struck with Capture Hand!
After practicing tirelessly, and thanks to his heaven-gifted talent for understanding, Fang Xing had long since mastered Capture Hand to perfection.
He charged forward, fingers curling as he reached for Xu Zhengxiong's shoulder.
Xu Zhengxiong reacted with astonishing speed. He turned slightly and dodged the grab in an instant.
Yet in the very next breath, Fang Xing's attack landed squarely on him.
"Thud!"
The blow landed. Xu Zhengxiong's body jolted, and his heart gave a slight start.
With his peak Bright Force cultivation, he still hadn't been able to dodge the attack completely.
This brat had a remarkable talent for combat!
Xu Zhengxiong didn't dare let his guard down. He brought his other hand into play.
"Bang, bang, bang!!!"
In the spacious hall, two figures collided and exchanged blows at tremendous speed.
Fists, claws, fingers!
The air rang with the sound of their strikes.
Capture Hand specialized in attacking techniques.
Both of them fought using Capture Hand.
Although Fang Xing's cultivation was lower than Xu Zhengxiong's, his understanding of Capture Hand was greater.
As they exchanged blows, his mastery of the technique even let him gain a slight advantage.
"Thump—!"
A dull sound rang out, and the two figures parted.
Xu Zhengxiong reined in his aura and stopped. Fang Xing quickly stopped too.
Xu Zhengxiong looked at Fang Xing, shock impossible to hide in his eyes.
He had practiced Capture Hand for years, so why did it feel like Fang Xing understood the technique better than he did?
Could this brat actually be some kind of martial arts prodigy?!
Aside from lacking a little combat experience, Fang Xing had surpassed him in Capture Hand. Xu Zhengxiong had to admit it.
Luckily, his cultivation was a level higher, and he had practiced for longer. Otherwise, if they'd kept fighting, Fang Xing might have found even more openings.
Before you continue