Daqian Martial Saint

Regardless of the reason for Feng Shixian’s death or who was pulling the strings behind the scenes, a very practical problem lay before everyone: the position of Commander-in-Chief of White Stone City was now vacant.

First, the Deputy Commander had died mysteriously at home. Now, the Commander-in-Chief had died while on an outer trade road patrol. If this situation wasn’t resolved quickly, the repercussions for the Weishui Garrison would be dire.

The most urgent priority was to select a suitable candidate to fill Feng Shixian’s post as Commander-in-Chief of White Stone City as soon as possible.

”For the White Stone City Commander-in-Chief position, I think that Chen Ping’an is an excellent choice! He made quite a stir recently and has earned merits. Promoting him would be perfect!”

”Elder Wu has a point. That Chen Ping’an just took office, and in the blink of an eye, he wiped out the two biggest gangs in White Stone City. Most importantly, he did it without causing a major disturbance. Although he leveraged the power of our Weishui Garrison, it still shows his capability! According to reliable intelligence, his Martial Arts Realm should be at the Second Stage of Inner Qi. He has also cultivated at least two superior cultivation methods to a state of profound mastery, and their power is formidable.”

”If I recall correctly, isn’t Chen Ping’an only in his early twenties? To be in charge of a town’s Garrison Command at such a young age... won’t that cause problems?”

”What problems could there be! His youth, paired with his skillful methods, only further proves his extraordinariness. I think this is feasible!”

Within the Weishui Garrison, a considerable dispute arose over whether to promote Chen Ping’an.

With his impressive methods, experienced handling of affairs, and a Martial Arts Realm at the Second Stage of Inner Qi, he was indeed qualified to hold the position of a city’s Commander-in-Chief.

White Stone City was a small city. The post of Commander-in-Chief there was only equivalent to the Chief Duty Officer Level.

Promoting Chen Ping’an shouldn’t have been a problem.

However...

”This is inappropriate. Given Chen Ping’an’s experience and methods, I wouldn’t object if it were any other city! But White Stone City is different. Its location is special; it’s one of the small cities in Weishui County City closest to the starting point of the Long’an Trade Route.

The Long’an Trade Route is about to be finalized and operational. At this critical juncture, for the Commander-in-Chief and Deputy Commander of White Stone City to die one after another—it’s hard not to suspect a conspiracy targeting the Long’an Trade Route. This is very likely a crucial part of that conspiracy!

Chen Ping’an’s Martial Arts Realm at the Second Stage of Inner Qi is impressive, but it’s far from enough to face a situation of this magnitude! To say nothing of the external threats, he can’t even suppress the various riffraff within White Stone City! Let alone the powers and gangs on the outskirts of the trade route.”

”Furthermore, I ask you all to consider this: if Chen Ping’an takes the post of Commander-in-Chief in White Stone City and also dies unexpectedly, how is our Weishui Garrison supposed to maintain its standing?! How will these other powers view our Weishui Garrison? Wouldn’t our prestige be utterly swept away?!”

”Considering all the current factors, I recommend we select another suitable candidate to serve as both the Commander-in-Chief of White Stone City and the Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy. As for Chen Ping’an, we can continue to observe him. If he continues to perform exceptionally, we can focus on grooming him as a reserve candidate for a city commander position.”

Amidst the heated discussion among the members of the Weishui Garrison, an extremely senior elder stood up.

”Elder Liu is right! I agree!”

”I agree with Elder Liu. I suggest we dispatch someone directly from the Weishui Garrison for the position!”

”That’s right, I think that Fu Wanyu is a great choice!”

”Fu Wanyu... No, that’s not right. I suggest we...”

”...”

Elder Liu’s words were met with a wave of agreement. In the end, the idea of promoting Chen Ping’an was completely dismissed. He was merely placed on a list for observation, to be considered again should a suitable opportunity arise in the future.

In truth, this was just a fig leaf. When a truly suitable opportunity arose, if candidates were of similar strength, wouldn’t it all come down to connections and favors?

If not for Chen Ping’an’s exceptional performance previously, he wouldn’t have even been brought up for serious consideration during the discussion.

Reaching the Second Stage of Inner Qi in his early twenties was an extremely outstanding achievement, even in a place like Weishui County City. He could truly be called a genius of the Martial Dao.

With such talent, within Weishui County City, he was likely second only to the Four Young Masters of Weishui, easily ranking among the top five!

But...

Talent was ultimately just talent, not absolute strength. Before that talent could be fully converted into power, those who should lay low must continue to lay low, and those who should bide their time must continue to do so.

Of course, it would be a completely different story if he had the backing of a family. Someone in Chen Ping’an’s situation, with a family’s influence, could easily be transferred to a city to serve as Commander-in-Chief. After a period of gaining experience in a small city and burnishing his credentials, he could then be maneuvered into a position within the Weishui Garrison. In terms of rank, he would start at the Vice Commander Level, at a minimum. It wouldn’t be like his current predicament, where he had merits and sufficient strength but no suitable post to be transferred to.

After intense debate, the Weishui Garrison finally decided on the new Commander-in-Chief for White Stone City: Fu Wanyu of the Weishui Garrison!

Fu Wanyu, a disciple of the Fu Family—one of the four great families of Weishui County City—had cultivated his Martial Arts Realm to the Third Stage of Inner Qi, Celestial Rain Descending Realm Perfection. He had been stuck at the bottleneck before the Profound Light Realm for many years, unable to make any progress.

However, Fu Wanyu had not been idle all these years. It was rumored that he had mastered six different Superior Martial Arts. In terms of combat power, he ranked among the top five of all cultivators in the Inner Qi Realm within Weishui County City!

Fu Wanyu was to be appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the White Stone Town Pacification Bureau and concurrently as the Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy. His rank: Standard Commander Level!

For his appointment, the Weishui Garrison had specially raised the position’s rank by one level, making it higher than Feng Shixian’s former rank as Commander-in-Chief. (Note: Rank and title are different. The Commander-in-Chief of a small city is typically Chief Duty Officer Level, but the title is still Commander-in-Chief.)

Once the candidate was confirmed, the Weishui Garrison’s official appointment notice was dispatched by express horse to the White Stone Town Pacification Bureau.

Naturally, Chen Ping’an would not receive news of these matters for some time. But even if he had, he wouldn’t have been too concerned.

’The mere position of a city’s Commander-in-Chief is nothing I’d lose sleep over.’

He had long understood a fundamental truth: he knew the true source of power and authority in this world.

’As long as one has enough strength and a righteous cause, whether it’s the so-called Chief of the Patrol Office or Commander-in-Chief...’

’They are all readily within reach!’

At this moment, Chen Ping’an was in the Canglong Mountain Range, following the records on his Treasure Map in search of the Treasure Land.

His journey had been almost absurdly smooth. He encountered no Demon Beasts along the way, nor did he run into any robbers or murderers. After a few days, he followed the Treasure Map’s guidance with extreme ease and found a clear pool.

The pool’s water was deep and tranquil, like a giant mirror. The Clear Pool was surrounded by a dense forest, and sunlight filtered through the canopy, scattering across the water’s surface like countless golden fragments dancing lightly.

”This is the place!”

Comparing it to the Treasure Map, a hint of joy appeared on Chen Ping’an’s face.