In the training ground.
Among the Martial Academy students.
Looking at Jiang Ning standing on the stage, Lin Jia'er couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
With Jiang Ning's strength, he was bound to secure the position of team leader.
A team leader in the Inspectorate was a rank-nine official of the Great Xia Empire.
Although the difference between rank nine and rank eight was just a matter of "regular" and "associate," the gap between them was like heaven and earth.
An associate rank-nine, as an Inspectorate guard, was merely at the lower level of the power structure, doing the dirty and exhausting work.
But a regular rank-nine team leader had the authority to command nine rank-nine martial artists in the Inspectorate.
This was a true rank-nine military officer with real power.
In other words, from today onward, Jiang Ning would no longer be an ordinary commoner but a rank-nine military officer with substantial authority.
The status that came with such power could rival that of most associate rank-eight officials.
After all, even in Dongling Prefecture's capital, a rank-eight official held a respectable position.
The prefect of the capital was only a rank-six official, after all.
Thinking of this, Lin Jia'er felt even more regretful.
Such a young martial artist, comparable to a rank-eight official, had a bright future ahead.
He was undoubtedly an ideal match in her eyes, a partner with immense potential.
But she also knew it was impossible for her now.
After that day when she pushed him away, it was over!
On the other side.
He Jinyun, with his sallow complexion, stared blankly at Jiang Ning on the stage.
"Isn't this a bit too much?"
"It is a bit much!" Qin Xuan, dressed in a black robe with gold accents, nodded slightly and then added, "I know Lü Renyao's strength well. There's no way I could have withstood that punch head-on."
Then he glanced at He Jinyun. "Not just me, but any normal martial artist at the peak of rank eight in the Martial Academy wouldn't be able to do it either. That punch of his isn't something a normal person could deliver."
He Jinyun asked, "Why are you looking at me?"
Qin Xuan replied, "I feel like this kid is like you born with immense strength."
Hearing this, He Jinyun shook his head. "Even with my natural strength, if I were to face Lü Renyao unarmed, I couldn't have crushed him like that kid did."
"In my opinion, all of you are still underestimating him."
"His overwhelming victory wasn't just due to his strength surpassing Lü Renyao's. It was also because his martial arts skills far exceeded Lü Renyao's. He must have mastered a mid-tier or higher martial art, which is why he had such explosive power."
Hearing He Jinyun's words, Qin Xuan's eyes narrowed.
"A mid-tier or higher martial art?"
"Yes," He Jinyun nodded. "That's my assessment."
"If that's the case, then he'll be a tough opponent for you later, Brother Jinyun," Qin Xuan said.
"He is a tough opponent, but that's what makes it interesting, isn't it?" He Jinyun licked his lips, his face filled with excitement.
On the other side.
On the stage.
After Lü Renyao, the Martial Academy student was defeated, no one dared to challenge Jiang Ning's stage.
After the time it took to burn an incense stick.
"Take it," the man overseeing the competition said, handing a silver identity token to Jiang Ning.
Then he added, "How about joining my team in the future?"
Jiang Ning took the token and smiled.
"Thank you for your kind offer, sir, but I plan to compete for the deputy commander position later."
"Ambitious!" The man praised.
As Jiang Ning jumped down from the stage, the crowd made way for him, looking at him with admiration.
Defeating an elite Martial Academy student with a single punch made the people of Luoshui County feel a sense of pride.
Before this, when the three Martial Academy students had intimidated the crowd and easily secured team leader positions, everyone had felt disheartened.
They had thought that with the Martial Academy students' strength, all the team leader positions would be taken by them.
After all, if someone from their hometown held power, they would at least consider local ties.
But outsiders like the Martial Academy students had no such connections.
So when they saw Jiang Ning secure a team leader position, they felt no jealousy, only joy.
Some were even thrilled.
If one could do it, so could others.
If Jiang Ning could secure a team leader position, it meant the Martial Academy students from Dongling City weren't invincible. They too had a chance to win.
Below the stage.
"I didn't let you down," Jiang Ning said to Wang Jin with a smile.
"Good!" Wang Jin nodded heavily, his face beaming.
Then he turned to Yu Yuan beside him. "Master Yu, what do you think of my disciple?"
Hearing this, Yu Yuan gave Wang Jin a sour look.
"You just got lucky, stumbling upon such a martial arts prodigy."
As the head of a martial arts school, Yu Yuan could see the immense potential hidden within Jiang Ning.
After only three months of training, Jiang Ning had reached this level.
Where he would go from here, Yu Yuan didn't dare to speculate, nor could he even imagine.
But Yu Yuan knew that a talent like Jiang Ning was a once-in-a-century find in Luoshui County.
Having such a disciple was the dream of countless masters.
Including himself!
"Haha," Hearing Yu Yuan's words, Wang Jin couldn't help but chuckle.
Yu Yuan's envious and jealous gaze made him feel immensely satisfied.
What was the point of running a martial arts school, teaching widely, and taking in disciples?
Wasn't it mainly to have successors and to feel the satisfaction of nurturing talent?
Now that Jiang Ning had become the first person from Luoshui County to secure a team leader position, Wang Jin felt a deep sense of accomplishment.
Recalling all the decisions he had made earlier, Wang Jin felt extremely wise.
"Junior Brother Jiang, congratulations!" Zhou Xing came up to Jiang Ning, offering his congratulations.
"Junior Brother Jiang, congratulations!" Li Qing smiled at Jiang Ning, her eyes sparkling like stars.
Jiang Ning exchanged pleasantries with them.
Time passed quietly.
Even with Jiang Ning's earlier success, Zhou Xing still didn't dare to take the stage.
Zhou Xing knew very well that he was no match for Jiang Ning, nor could he defeat the two people Jiang Ning had beaten.
Xie Xiaojiu, the ninth daughter of the Xie family, and the elite Martial Academy student who had taken the stage Zhou Xing had no confidence in defeating either of them.
Under these circumstances, Zhou Xing could only wait patiently.
Normally, the later one took the stage, the weaker the opponents would be.
Because true experts wouldn't bother waiting.
Like He Jinyun, who had taken the stage first, and the others who followed.
As one challenger after another took the stage.
Everyone realized how difficult it was to hold the stage against the Martial Academy students.
Even when their physical strength wasn't inferior, they were no match for the elite rank-eight Martial Academy students.
Because the Martial Academy students' martial arts skills were too advanced.
Almost all of them had mastered several lower-tier martial arts to perfection, and some had even mastered mid-tier martial arts.
When facing opponents of similar physical strength, they would inevitably fall behind and lose.
After waiting for a long time, almost an hour.
Zhou Xing finally took the stage.
However, after barely holding his ground against a Martial Academy student, he was easily knocked off the stage by the next challenger.
"As expected, it's not that simple. I'm far from being a match for Junior Brother Jiang," Zhou Xing said to Jiang Ning.
Seeing Zhou Xing's dejected expression, Jiang Ning was about to say something.
But Zhou Xing perked up and said, "It's fine, Junior Brother Jiang. No need to comfort me. I expected this."
Then he turned to Wang Jin.
"Master, I've let you down."
Wang Jin stepped forward and patted Zhou Xing on the shoulder.
"You've done well! Just joining the Inspectorate means you haven't wasted your father's efforts."
Hearing this, Zhou Xing smiled at Wang Jin.
Though his smile was forced.
Then Zhou Xing quickly adjusted his mindset.
He turned to Jiang Ning. "Junior Brother Jiang, after I join the Inspectorate, can I work under you?"
"Of course!" Jiang Ning replied.
"Then I'll be counting on your guidance, Junior Brother Jiang!" Zhou Xing clasped his hands and bowed.
"No need for that!" Jiang Ning quickly helped Zhou Xing up.
As for Zhou Xing, Jiang Ning knew he was a deep thinker. Back when Cheng Ran had invited Zhou Xing to invest in him, Zhou Xing had refused.
But Jiang Ning didn't dislike Zhou Xing.
After all, Zhou Xing had helped him a lot.
On his first day at the martial arts school, Zhou Xing gifted him wild ginseng.
Although it was a move to win people over, it had undoubtedly been a great help to Jiang Ning.
Later, the batch of wild ginseng he bought from Zhou Xing had been practically given to him at a discount.
All these things made it hard for Jiang Ning to dislike Zhou Xing.
Not to mention, Zhou Xing, as a rank-eight martial artist, was a capable individual.
Once Jiang Ning joined the Inspectorate, he couldn't handle everything himself.
After all, advancing his martial arts was his top priority.
The Inspectorate was, in Jiang Ning's eyes, a sanctuary where he could grow.
He didn't want to deal with all the miscellaneous tasks.
In such a situation, he needed capable people.
Zhou Xing was a good candidate.
After all, he was a rank-eight martial artist.
At this moment.
Zhou Xing looked at Jiang Ning, his feelings mixed.
Originally, he had wanted to recruit Jiang Ning under his wing.
But now, the situation was completely reversed.
However, he didn't regret this decision at all. It was something he had carefully considered.
When he took the stage, he had already made up his mind.
If he failed to secure a team leader position, he would immediately pledge his allegiance to Jiang Ning.
Because after everything that had happened, Zhou Xing knew Jiang Ning was a once-in-a-century talent in Luoshui County.
With someone like this, it was better to be a friend than an enemy.
If you could align yourself with them, don't be arrogant.
After positioning himself correctly, he had made this decision early on.
But now, he still felt a deep sense of regret.
Thinking of the missed opportunity to invest in Jiang Ning, Zhou Xing was filled with regret.
If he had given Jiang Ning generous gifts back then, their relationship wouldn't just be that of fellow disciples. They could have been close friends.
The nature of their relationship would have been completely different.
Now that Jiang Ning had risen to prominence, the benefits he could bring Zhou Xing would also be entirely different.
"What a pity!!!" Thinking of that day, Zhou Xing sighed inwardly.
After Zhou Xing was knocked off the stage, several local martial artists from Luoshui County took the stage to challenge or defend.
But almost none succeeded.
By the time the competition for the thirteen team leader positions ended, including Jiang Ning, only three martial artists from Luoshui County had secured team leader positions.
One was Liu Zhaonan from the Liu family, and the other was a woman from the Fuyuan Escort Agency named Ruan Hongmei.
Her whip skills were like a dancing dragon, astonishing everyone.
This Ruan Hongmei was the second daughter of the Fuyuan Escort Agency's owner and had never been particularly famous in Luoshui County before.
She wasn't even as well-known as Jiang Ning.
But now, she had overshadowed everyone and secured a team leader position.
No one had expected this.
Once the dust settled.
All the team leaders took the stage again, totaling fifteen people.
Two of them were rank-seven martial artists.
Rank-seven martial artists automatically qualified for team leader positions.
"You... did well!" The man overseeing the competition scanned the fifteen people and nodded.
"Just announce the deputy commander competition already!" He Jinyun said lazily.
The man smiled, showing no displeasure.
After all, He Jinyun was the young lord of Dongling City, the son of a rank-four noble.
A rank-eight official like him couldn't afford to offend someone of He Jinyun's status.
Even if He Jinyun was being somewhat rude, he could only respond with a smile.
Then, the man's expression became serious.
"Now that the Inspectorate has been established, there are four deputy commander positions available. I believe you all know this."
He glanced at the crowd and continued, "The four deputy commanders will be chosen from among you."
"The rules for competing for deputy commander are simple."
"Step onto the stage, one-on-one. Defeat any team leader, and you advance to the next round."
"The final four winners will become deputy commanders."
Then he added, "Let me remind you, deputy commander is an associate rank-eight position. If you miss this opportunity, it will be extremely difficult to obtain such a position in the future."
After the announcement.
The man walked to a corner of the stage.
"Alright, you may begin!"
On the stage.
He Jinyun scanned the crowd, his face filled with excitement.
"I'll go first. Who wants to fight me?"
For a moment, everyone retreated to the sides of the stage.
No one stepped forward to challenge He Jinyun.
Jiang Ning also chose to stay back.
He knew he wasn't like He Jinyun, who came from a powerful background.
There was no need to be the first to step forward.
Even if he was confident he could defeat He Jinyun, it wasn't necessary.
Because defeating He Jinyun would only mean advancing to the next round.
Cutting off this young lord's path to advancement would mean offending someone from Dongling City.
Just the title "young lord" was enough to make Jiang Ning choose not to provoke him.
There was no need to make an enemy of someone with such a powerful background.
Moreover, competing with He Jinyun was unnecessary.
After all, there were four deputy commander positions.
After assessing the martial strength of everyone present today, Jiang Ning was confident.
Among the fifteen team leaders, only two were rank-seven martial artists, while the other thirteen were rank-eight.
In Jiang Ning's eyes.
Aside from himself, He Jinyun was likely the strongest among the twelve rank-eight martial artists.
After all, He Jinyun was born with immense strength, a talent that made him nearly invincible among rank-eight martial artists.
Not to mention, He Jinyun was a young lord.
With such a status, he lacked neither martial arts resources nor skilled mentors. How could he be weak?
So even without competing with He Jinyun, and without being able to defeat the two rank-seven martial artists, Jiang Ning only needed to secure one of the four deputy commander positions.
And with four positions available, how could he not secure one?
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