Daqian Martial Saint

Most importantly, given Gu Qingchan’s age, she was still considered part of the younger generation among the Grandmasters. The potential of her Martial Dao was far from exhausted!

For someone like her to reach the Mid-Jade Balance Stage at such a young age meant she was entirely capable of advancing even further. If she could truly take that next step, it would have an extremely profound impact on the entire Canglong State!

It was foreseeable that in the coming days, Gu Qingchan would become a true celebrity in Canglong State. This wasn’t a matter of juniors playing house; it was a consensus among the real powers that be!

As such, Chen Ping’an, who was held in high regard by Gu Qingchan, saw his status rise with the tide.

This was the core reason for Fan Zheng Heng’s many actions today! Heavens knew how shocked Fan Zheng Heng was when he first heard the news.

Given the talent Gu Qingchan had displayed in the past, no one doubted her ability to break through to the Mid-Jade Balance Stage. But no one had ever expected it to happen so quickly!

After all, even before this, her combat strength was already comparable to the Mid-Jade Balance Stage. Now that she had officially broken through, no one could say for certain what level her power had reached.

”You jest, sir! It’s not that I kept my mouth shut, but I simply never knew about this. Naturally, I had nothing to say!” Chen Ping’an said with a wry smile, hastily pleading his case.

Looking at the absurdly young Deputy Commander-in-Chief before him, Fan Zheng Heng couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

’Little fox!’

’Rumors say that this Mang Blade is reckless and acts without considering the consequences. So how is it that his mind is more cunning than anyone’s!’

Seeing that Chen Ping’an’s answer was flawless and that he couldn’t probe any further, Fan Zheng Heng changed the subject to other matters.

Regardless of the details, with Ice Soul Silver Needle Gu Qingchan’s breakthrough, Chen Ping’an’s rise in status was a foregone conclusion. He was valued by the Gu Family; as long as he didn’t fall along the way, his meteoric rise was guaranteed.

Given the talent Chen Ping’an had displayed, he would probably be heading to the State Garrison Command to take up a post in just a few more years!

Although Fan Zheng Heng was Chen Ping’an’s direct superior, he was exceptionally polite to a rising star like this, who possessed both powerful backing and proven ability.

For a time, their conversation was extremely cordial. During their chat, Fan Zheng Heng mentioned the recent encirclement and suppression of the Evil and Heterodox Dao. They had achieved new victories, and their efforts against the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, in particular, had been incredibly fruitful.

In a recent operation, for example, they had captured a group of Ten Thousand Demon Thieves. The prisoners had already been escorted to Weishui County City to be made a public example of, a move intended to deter outlaws and boost public morale.

Chen Ping’an hadn’t expected the State Garrison Command’s large-scale operation to go so smoothly. Since Fan Zheng Heng had brought it up, he couldn’t help but ask a few more questions.

Fan Zheng Heng was happy to oblige and shared quite a bit of classified intelligence.

The joint encirclement had inflicted heavy losses on the Evil and Heterodox Dao. Although no Grandmaster Level masters had been captured yet, they had already netted a few ”big fish”—all top-tier experts who held significant status within the Demon Sect and the Evil Dao.

Furthermore, they had confirmed that a Ten Thousand Demon Sect Branch was indeed inside the dragnet. According to current intelligence, the branch was located within a seven-county area including Li Yang, Earth Fire, and Weishui. Its exact location still required further investigation. All forces were now tightening the cordon, preparing to assault and destroy this Ten Thousand Demon Sect Branch in one fell swoop.

If they could truly annihilate this branch, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, which had run rampant through Canglong State for years, would be severely weakened.

Unfortunately, the State Garrison Command had other commitments and couldn’t dedicate all its energy to this matter. It would still take some time to pinpoint the Ten Thousand Demon Sect Branch’s exact location.

From his conversation with Fan Zheng Heng, Chen Ping’an had gathered quite a bit of new intelligence.

”A Ten Thousand Demon Sect Branch!” Chen Ping’an’s gaze sharpened, a faint light flickering in his eyes.

’I have never forgotten my revenge for Old Chen! The battle at Red Maple Mountain was merely a small down payment on that debt!’

”Oh, right, Ping’an. Your request to exchange for that Body Technique Divine Skill has been reported to the State Garrison Command. It should be delivered in a little while.”

”Thank you, Sir!” Chen Ping’an replied with a smile, cupping his fists.

After his promotion to Deputy Commander-in-Chief, he had immediately paid a visit to the Weishui Garrison Treasure Vault. After a careful selection process, he had finally chosen to exchange his merits for a Divine Skill Body Technique.

Holding a city alone, the three Elders of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, the Evil Master Earth-Shattering Fist, Soul-Severing Saber Li Pingjiang...

Thanks to these and other accomplishments, Chen Ping’an had accumulated a great deal of Merit. With the additional amount granted by the State Garrison Command, he had more than enough to exchange for a Divine Skill. However, Chen Ping’an had specific requirements for a Body Technique Divine Skill. With his current standards, an ordinary Divine Skill was beneath his notice.

In the end, only after contributing several Treasure Artifacts—including the Fine Treasure Artifact, the Soul-Severing Saber—as well as over a hundred Yuan Crystals, did he finally manage to exchange for a body technique that was to his liking.

The Top Divine Skill, Wandering Dragon Body Technique!

If not for the fact that Body Technique Divine Skills were generally valued less than Attack Divine Skills, and if not for a slight deficiency in this particular technique’s Inheritance Realm, Chen Ping’an might not have been able to afford it with his apparent assets.

This Wandering Dragon Body Technique was one of the most elite and precious techniques in the entire Weishui Garrison Treasure Vault. The Divine Skill’s Inheritance Jade Scroll was not held at the Weishui Garrison but was personally safeguarded by the State Garrison Command.

Once this Body Technique Divine Skill arrived, Chen Ping’an would finally shore up his last remaining weakness. With his offense, defense, and evasion all accounted for, he was confident he could take on a Mid-Jade Balance Stage master and remain undefeated, even if his own Realm didn’t advance.

’However, with the help of the Golden Finger Panel, my cultivation techniques are constantly improving. It would be impossible for my Realm to stagnate and remain unchanged!’

”No need for thanks! It’s what you’ve earned. You’ve performed one great service after another; the Garrison Commandant’s Office can’t very well treat you shabbily!” Fan Zheng Heng said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively.

’Come to think of it, this boy Chen Ping’an is certainly ambitious,’ Fan Zheng Heng mused. ’He passed up those Divine Skill Body Techniques with perfect Inheritance Realms, choosing instead to spend a fortune making up the difference for the Wandering Dragon Body Technique, despite its flawed Inheritance Realm.’

’Among the several Body Technique Divine Skills, the Wandering Dragon Body Technique might be the highest Grade, but that also represents a much higher difficulty of cultivation.’

’An ordinary Martial Arts Cultivator might not even reach the Entry Level of a Divine Skill, even with the aid of an Inheritance Realm. If that’s true for ordinary Divine Skills, it’s even more so for a top-tier Divine Skill with a much greater difficulty.’

’Most importantly, the Inheritance Realm of this top Body Technique Divine Skill is flawed. The inherent difficulty of the Divine Skill, compounded by the deficient Inheritance Realm... even for someone as exceptionally talented as Mang Blade Chen Ping’an, mastering the Entry Level would require an immense amount of time and effort to grind it out.’

’It’s practically impossible to convert it into effective combat power in a short period! By choosing this Divine Skill, Chen Ping’an can basically forget about making any progress for the next few years!’

’If it were me, I would never choose a Body Technique Divine Skill with a flawed Inheritance Realm. I’d pick a different, mid-level one, and then use my remaining assets to acquire a powerful Fine Treasure Artifact. The combined effect wouldn’t be much different!’

’Most importantly, I could quickly convert it into effective combat power!’

However...

Thinking about Chen Ping’an’s situation, Fan Zheng Heng could somewhat understand his reasoning.

’Mang Blade Chen Ping’an’s combat strength is astonishing, but he doesn’t possess a single Divine Skill. He relies on his brilliant talent for Magical Combat and several Top Level superior cultivation methods that he has trained to Perfection.’

’Now that he has the chance to choose a Divine Skill, of course he would pick the one with the highest Grade! He’s willing to accept a flawed Inheritance Realm for it.’

’With Mang Blade’s talent, it’s just a matter of spending more time. And since he’s still young, the one thing he has plenty of is time. He can afford to wait.’

’That said, why didn’t he choose an Attack Divine Skill?’

Looking at the high-spirited Chen Ping’an before him, Fan Zheng Heng wondered to himself.