A private room in a large restaurant in Yunlin County was brightly lit.
Zhou Jiang stood with a wine cup in hand, a broad, delighted smile on his face. "Old Man Yi, Brother Zhao, I sincerely wanted to offer you both a toast tonight."
He raised the cup above his head, the wine shimmering amber in the candlelight.
"Old Man Yi has become the master of Sunbright Tower, and Brother Zhao has advanced another step in Cloud Pattern Town. Two happy occasions arriving at once! Though I only earn my living at the County Office, I know how hard it is to climb the ranks of the Heaven Patrol Office. I watched the assessment two days ago, too. You both got where you are today through genuine ability."
Yi Yang sat in the seat of honor, his hands resting on his knees, then picked up his bowl and took a sip of tea.
"You're too kind, Official Zhou."
He set the bowl down and said unhurriedly, "I'm just an ordinary old martial artist. Getting to this position was all down to good luck."
Zhou Jiang waved a hand with a smile and offered his congratulations. "Now you're treating me like an outsider, Old Man Yi. I saw it with my own eyes at the Quarterly Ranking Battle. You fought beautifully in those matches. With your cultivation at the qi-blood fourth level, you're already a figure of real standing in Yunlin County."
At the same time, Zhou Jiang cursed inwardly. *Old fox, still putting on an act in front of me. You're clearly at the qi-blood fifth level, yet you wouldn't reveal your strength even during the assessment. Are you trying to trick me into believing you're only at the qi-blood fourth level so I'll make a move against you? Do