Jingming began looking back over his life.
He didn't seem to have done anything wrong.
So why was his luck so terrible?
Ling An's overwhelming aura bore down on him like black clouds over a city, leaving him struggling to breathe.
If the gap between him and his opponent hadn't been too great, he might have felt some pressure, but he wouldn't have lost hope.
Right now, though, all he felt was a quiet certainty of death.
It was like entering a boxing match.
He stepped into the ring, only to discover that the man slowly climbing in opposite him was the boxing champion Tyson.
Fine. Tyson it was.
Just as he finished psyching himself up and prepared to fight, Tyson stopped him and said he was only the referee. Your opponent isn't me.
The opponent you'll be facing next is-
Taro.
Jingming stood motionless.
A voice inside him told him, Jingming, you're under no obligation to face an enemy you can't possibly beat.
Yet a second later, he roared, "Can't possibly beat him? I don't understand those words!"
Jingming strode forward, braving the pressure as he charged at Ling An.
Ling An watched him silently.
Jingming's actions made him think more highly of the young man.
If even Jinzhou's recruits were warriors like this, why would they ever fear being unable to hold off the Tacet Discords?
Of course, those Tacet Discords didn't include Ling An himself.
He extended a claw and tapped lightly.
His overwhelming aura converged on a single point and pressed down ahead of him.
Jingming's vision went black, and he fainted.
The moment he collapsed, that overwhelming aura vanished.
Like a wind that suddenly died, it stopped dead.
As though nothing had happened, Ling An yawned nonchalantly in full view of everyone.
No one had ever imagined a cat could be so carefree and effortlessly cool.
"Damn it, I feel like he's way cooler than me." One recruit clenched both fists.
"Is Jinzhou's world about to be turned upside down?" someone asked in disbelief.
Yan Yan watched the scene in silence.
At that moment, he was filled with emotion. The Magistrate must have had a deeper purpose in doing this.
Sure enough, no one should ever be underestimated-not even a cat.
He let out a long breath and declared, "Ling An wins. Assessment passed!"
Ling An wasn't the least bit surprised by the result.
With his strength, losing would have been the real surprise.
He had no idea what those recruits were huddling together and muttering about. A few looked as though they were about to cry.
Still, this assessment really had been easy.
He'd only shown a little of his strength. With Jinhsi backing him, they could explain it however they liked.
If all else failed, they could just say he was a cat who had awakened intelligence.
That might sound a little abnormal, but a world with Tacet Discords didn't seem all that normal either.
Chixia came over from the side.
Tears glimmered in her eyes. Even now, she could hardly believe the result.
She suddenly scooped Ling An into her arms and cheered, "Ling An, you're amazing!"
Ling An nearly had the breath squeezed out of him.
Chixia, what are you getting so emotional about?!
Could you look any more like a parent waiting outside the college entrance exam hall?!
As she cheered, Chixia's gaze slowly met Ling An's.
Looking a little puzzled, she asked, "Why did that aura just now feel kind of familiar?"
Ling An froze.
Could this silly girl have figured something out already?
Still, it probably wouldn't be a problem if she learned that he was the one who had saved her outside the city.
Ling An puffed out his chest, ready to accept her praise.
Instead, Chixia pondered for a moment and murmured, "Could it be because we've spent so much time together?"
Ling An felt helpless.
Forget it. With reflexes that slow, she can figure it out herself.
Meanwhile, Yan Yan had already submitted the assessment results.
Chixia wasted no time either, taking Ling An to the Patroller Administration to report for duty.
She seemed even more excited than Ling An.
The cat she usually teased and played with-or so she thought-had suddenly become her coworker.
The feeling was simply extraordinary.
At the Patroller Administration, Ling An was officially entered into Jinzhou City's Patroller records.
He also received a little gourd.
Though they called it a gourd, it was actually a Pangu Terminal.
It could be used not only for communication, but also stored his identity information, including important details such as access permissions.
"The Border Fortress asked the academy to send over this miniature gourd. Its functions are pretty much the same as the one I'm using. From now on, every system in Jinzhou will recognize you."
Chixia shook her own gourd, then threaded a cord through Ling An's miniature one and hung it around his neck.
She clapped her hands in satisfaction. "All done, Patroller Ling An! We're coworkers now. Give me a paw!"
Ling An obligingly held out his paw.
Just then, Chixia suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right! There's one more thing!"
Ling An looked at her in puzzlement.
"Considering who you are, the academy seems to have added some special functions when they made your miniature gourd. Want to try them?" Chixia asked eagerly.
Ling An lowered his head and examined his terminal.
Driven by curiosity, he reached out with the tip of a claw and tapped it.
An emotionless mechanical voice came from the terminal:
"For the glory of Jinzhou City!"
Ling An turned a baffled gaze toward Chixia.
What... was that supposed to mean?
Chixia scratched her head and explained, "Sanhua told me that since you're a kitty and can't talk, she asked the academy to record some audio clips. She said you're smart enough to understand them, so now you can use those clips to communicate with us!"
She paused, then added, "Sanhua also said they recorded some clips you can use in combat, taken from the Huaxu Academy's database accumulated over the years. Apparently, some of them sound really impressive!"
The encouragement and anticipation on Chixia's face gave Ling An a sinking feeling.
He examined the terminal closely. There seemed to be far more than just one prerecorded clip.
He decided to keep tapping and listen to them one by one-
"I am Ling An. You may also call me the Bloodhound Cat, or a Patroller of Jinzhou."
Wait, what was that? What the hell was a Bloodhound Cat?
He listened to the next line.
"Your butt's on fire!"
Ling An froze. Sure, he did use purple flame, but why did that sound so strange?
Then he began tapping frantically-
"Go, commando cat!"
"Any who trespass upon Jinzhou's lands shall be struck down by this cat."
"A Tacet Discord tide is approaching. Take cover."
"Jinzhou, Huanglong-our spirits shall never die!"
"Total madness!!!"
"Jinzhou is under my protection. Got it?"
"I, your humble general Ling An, shall brave fire and water for Jinzhou through the ages."
"My power seems to be returning little by little. Not much, but enough."
"Power itself is not frightening. Its master is."
"Starlight sweeps across the universe, and this cat shines within it."
"My turn!"
"Save me, save me!"
Ling An went numb.
This was absolutely Sanhua's revenge on him. Blatant revenge!
What exactly are you people researching at the Huaxu Academy?!
Isn't the stuff in this database a little too...
Eclectic?
In a daze, he tapped the final voice clip, and a voice came from the terminal:
"See ya~"
Before you continue