Like Splitting Bamboo
Lin Qing and the other four nodded slightly. Each local Soul-Calming Office has its own unique rules and regulations, and the Shannan Prefectural City Soul-Calming Office has always used this method to select Constable Chief, which is fair and just.
"Now, the five of you will each choose a path," Qiu Changming said in a deep voice.
"Yes, sir!"
The five people immediately dispersed and each stood in front of a mountain path.
Fifteen minutes later, Qiu Changming shouted, and the five of them started climbing the mountain at the same time.
Lin Qing used his Lightness Skill to quickly ascend the steps and arrived in front of the first person blocking his way. The latter was a burly man with a thick beard. Upon seeing Lin Qing approach, he didn't hesitate and immediately threw a punch.
He was extremely confident, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. Although Lin Qing was Gold Token Constable and a genius, he felt no fear whatsoever. He had been in the Pill Embrace Realm for eighteen years, but due to limitations in his Talent, he was unable to advance further into the True Gang Realm. So he turned to studying various Core Pill Embrace Realm cultivation methods, and had made remarkable progress in the past few years.
Therefore, he considered himself a top expert in the Pill Embrace Realm.
"Lin Qing, I'm sorry, you're unlucky to have run into me. If you want a Constable Chief, wait until next time!" he shouted.
To prevent anyone from letting the mountain climber win, the higher-ups of the Soul-Calming Office set up a high reward: whoever could defeat the mountain climber would have their monthly salary increased fivefold. Therefore, every guard Constable the mountain was determined to win.
Lin Qing remained calm, then suddenly strode forward and threw a punch.
Snap!
The burly man with the thick beard was completely defenseless and was sent flying by a single punch, crashing into the nearby woods.
Lin Qing didn't stop, using his Lightness Skill to head straight for the next mountain guardian.
In the woods, a burly man with a thick beard clutched his arm, his face contorted in pain.
Lin Qing's seemingly effortless punch broke his arm. The force was terrifying; he was completely unable to resist, as if a hundred-foot-tall wave was crashing down on him.
"What kind of monster is that?" He couldn't help but mutter, watching Lin Qing's rapidly receding figure.
At that moment, two figures rushed up to him. "Liu Shan, how badly are you hurt?"
"Quickly, the injuries are severe, I need the Life-Restoring Pill!" Liu Shan shouted.
The newcomers looked suspicious. The two of them were responsible for rescuing the wounded and had been nearby just now. They had seen the entire fight between Lin Qing and Liu Shan clearly. Lin Qing had sent Liu Shan flying with just one punch.
He genuinely suspected that Liu Shan was deliberately holding back; could there really be such a large difference in strength between two cultivators at the same level of the Pill Embrace Force?
Besides, Liu Shan looks like he's half-dead. Is it really that serious? Can one punch kill someone? Or is he faking illness to scam some medicine?
Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and in that moment of hesitation, Liu Shan suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted.
"What? He's unconscious! Quick, help him!" The two were shocked and immediately made arrangements to take Liu Shan down the mountain for treatment.
At this moment, Lin Qing had already arrived near the second person blocking his way, and he was still reflecting on his battle with Liu Shan.
He felt that he had gone too far, sending the man flying more than thirty paces away; the man must have been seriously injured.
This is just an assessment. These people blocking the way are all Soul-Calming Office Constable Division. We'll run into each other all the time. It's never a good thing to hurt someone too badly.
But he was also helpless. He had already held back his strength and only used 30% of his power, but he didn't expect that even so, the other person couldn't withstand it.
This time, he decided to use only 20% of his strength. So, when he rushed in front of the second Martial Artist, he raised his hand and threw a punch.
Instead of a direct confrontation, the latter dodged to the left and then pressed in close, trying to seize the opportunity when Lin Qing retracted his fist to launch an attack.
However, he underestimated Lin Qing's adaptability and speed. When his punch missed, Lin Qing raised his knee and thrust it forward, hitting him squarely in the chest. The latter was immediately sent flying and fell to the ground in front of him, where he lost consciousness.
Lin Qing was startled, thinking, "I didn't hold back again. Could I have killed him?"
Without a second thought, he immediately used his Lightness Skill to continue rushing up the mountain.
Thus, he continued upwards, defeating six more who stood in his way. Five of them were sent flying with a single punch, their fighting power completely gone. Only the eighth man, who was Hardening Art, managed to block the first punch, but he immediately chose to admit defeat and did not dare to take the second punch.
Even though Lin Qing was holding back, the first punch still caused his entire body's Force Net to collapse and his blood and qi to become disordered. If he were to receive another punch, he would be seriously injured if not killed.
At this moment, on the mountaintop, the high-ranking members of the Soul-Calming Office were watching the battle. Upon seeing this scene, they all showed strange expressions, especially Ao Xiong.
He initially thought that Ao Ziyi would be the fastest climber, but unexpectedly, Lin Qing appeared out of nowhere and was more than a hundred steps faster than Ao Ziyi.
"Lin Qing defeated all eight of the mountain guardians with a single punch. Lord Wang, has Lin Qing already entered the True Gang Realm?" Ao Xiong couldn't help but ask.
This is because these eight people blocking the way are all Martial Artist with the Pill Embrace Force, and their strength increases continuously from the foot of the mountain to the summit.
He simply couldn't understand how Lin Qing, if he was also Pill Embrace Martial Artist, could possess such formidable combat power. The only explanation was that he had already entered the True Astral Force.
"No, but Lin Qing has privately cultivated many low-level cultivation techniques to Perfect Mastery, so his combat strength cannot be judged by common sense," Wang Ling said calmly.
"This—" Ao Xiong frowned. This explanation was indeed reasonable, because many people who had no hope of advancement would choose to cultivate multiple low-level training methods to improve their combat power. Moreover, he also knew about the Unity Heaven Art. It was rumored that this martial art required hundreds of different types of energy just to learn it. Wang Ling had always wanted to find someone who could cultivate the Unity Force. Now that Lin Qing had been chosen by him, it was normal for him to cultivate multiple low-level training methods.
"But, to have such combat power, how many low-level cultivation techniques must one have mastered to Perfect Mastery?" Ao Xiong glanced around and saw Lin Qing rushing towards the last mountain guardian at an extremely fast speed, and a look of anxiety flashed in his eyes.
If Lin Qing easily defeats this Martial Artist again, he will reach the summit and obtain the position of Constable Chief.
He naturally didn't want to see this happen. Although Ao Ziyi wouldn't lose anything even if he lost the competition, he knew his grandson's personality very well. He was competitive and always wanted to be one step ahead of others. He had never experienced setbacks since he was a child. If he failed this time, he might not be able to accept it for a while.
"The last guardian of the mountain is True Gang Realm; Lin Qing will likely be stopped!" Zhu Mingtong suddenly said.
"I think he can win," Qiu Changming said with a chuckle.
"Dare to make a bet? If I lose, Qiu Changming, I want you to teach me your Family-Heirloom Bow Art." Zhu Mingtong's gambling addiction had kicked in again.
"What if I win?" Qiu Changming asked with a smile.
"I will pass on the Zhu family's Primal Chaos Body-Hardening Art to you!" Zhu Mingtong said, patting his chest.
"Alright, I accept!" Qiu Changming said with a smile.
"How dare you! You dare to accept this? You're doomed to lose. I don't believe Lin Qing can defeat True Gang Realm Martial Artist!" Zhu Mingtong was extremely confident.