Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Divine Skill
Despite Guan Baxian’s ferocious demeanor, his mind was racing with doubt as he headed outside.
’The men from the Garrison Commandant’s Office... how did they get here so fast!?’
By his reckoning, the Garrison Commandant’s Office had just finished off the Quicksand Gang. Shouldn’t they be resting for a few days, digesting their spoils? Why had they come rushing over here so quickly?
’For one measly Duan Peng, is it really worth all this trouble?’
’This new Deputy Commander is truly ruthless!’
"How many men from the Garrison Commandant’s Office are here!?" Guan Baxian demanded anxiously.
"Five in total! They’re shouting for you outside right now!" the underling replied.
"What!? Five men!" Guan Baxian’s steps came to a sudden halt. "You motherfucker, why didn’t you say so sooner!"
When the underling first reported that men from the Garrison Commandant’s Office had arrived, Guan Baxian had put on a calm front, but he’d actually been scared out of his wits. He truly believed they had been surrounded!
With the Quicksand Gang serving as a cautionary tale, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t afraid.
His Crocodile Gang’s strength was on par with the Quicksand Gang’s, so of course he was afraid the Garrison Commandant’s Office would flip the table regardless of the consequences.
If a real fight broke out, the Garrison Commandant’s Office would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses, but his gang would also end up just like the Quicksand Gang.
But now, after all that worrying, it turned out he was overthinking it. The Garrison Commandant’s Office had only sent five men!
’I knew it! How could they have gotten here so fast otherwise!’
Indeed, his previous analysis had been correct. After wiping out the Quicksand Gang, there was no way the Garrison Commandant’s Office would antagonize his Crocodile Gang over a single Duan Peng!
The Garrison Commandant’s Office had already flipped the table by forcefully eliminating the Quicksand Gang, disrupting the balance of power. If they were to offend the Crocodile Gang now, how could they possibly stabilize the situation?
Under these circumstances, the major powers in White Stone City would simply put aside their usual conflicts, band together, and crush the Garrison Commandant’s Office’s prestige first.
’They wouldn’t dare!’
’For a measly Duan Peng, the Garrison Commandant’s Office absolutely would not dare to make an enemy of my Crocodile Gang!’
Besides, with the Quicksand Gang gone, a huge chunk of profit was now up for grabs. The Garrison Commandant’s Office should be frantically scrambling for it, not wasting time on other matters.
As Guan Baxian analyzed the situation, he grew ever more certain that the Garrison Commandant’s Office wouldn’t dare to provoke a conflict.
The reason the Garrison Commandant’s Office sent people was undoubtedly just to go through the motions, to have an answer for their superiors and save face. This move wasn’t even a proper bluff!
When Guan Baxian reached the entrance of the Crocodile Gang’s headquarters and saw the five pathetic-looking men from the Garrison Commandant’s Office standing outside, he couldn’t help but laugh.
"’Face the consequences yourselves’!? To hell with that! Get the fuck out of here!"
"If you don’t scram now, I’ll kill you all myself, and the Garrison Commandant’s Office won’t be able to do a damn thing about it!"
Confident that the Garrison Commandant’s Office wouldn’t dare to act, Guan Baxian’s words were extremely harsh.
’Hmph, hmph...’
’With the Quicksand Gang gone, I’m acting this domineeringly. Who can say my Crocodile Gang isn’t impressive now? And...’
Guan Baxian glanced at the surrounding Crocodile Gang members, feeling immensely pleased with himself.
’Now, these boys will probably admire me even more!’
...
Confiscated from the Quicksand Gang were over ten Martial Arts Techniques, most of them Lower Grade Techniques. They included Fist Techniques, Palm Techniques, Leg Techniques, Sword Skills, Staff Techniques, Axe Techniques, and various others.
Chen Ping’an flipped through them at a good pace, and the dozen or so Cultivation Techniques were quickly recorded one by one into the Golden Finger Panel.
Looking at the many Cultivation Techniques on the panel, Chen Ping’an was suddenly reminded of the first technique he ever obtained, the Iron Cloth Shirt, which he had also acquired during a mission to suppress a gang.
Back then, he was just an unlisted temporary constable. After great difficulty finding the Iron Cloth Shirt Martial Arts Technique, he only dared to peek at it secretly, terrified someone would find out. In the end, he had no choice but to dutifully hand it over before leaving.
Barely a year had passed, and now he was the Deputy Commander of the Garrison Commandant’s Office in a major city, a true giant within the city’s Governor System.
Now, he no longer needed to be sneaky. Forget one book—even if he read through all of these Cultivation Techniques, no one would dare say a word.
Not only would they not dare say anything, but while he was in the middle of reading, everyone else had to wait obediently, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
Power!
This is power!
From being an unlisted temporary constable to a registered one, then a Preparatory Constable, a Constable, a Candidate for Deputy, the South City Prison Chief, and finally, a Deputy Commander (Vice Chief Duty Officer Level)... The reason his journey had been so smooth was not just his good sense and ability to leverage situations, but most critically, his own Martial Dao strength!
’The Martial Dao!’
Chen Ping’an closed the last secret manual, tilted his head back slightly, and closed his eyes.
Nearby, Shan Qiwang, Cheng Renjing, and the others watched Chen Ping’an’s actions. Although they didn’t understand, they still waited quietly.
The official’s code: It’s not your job to understand your superior’s business, just to wait patiently. If you understood, you’d be the superior. So don’t overthink it.
Chen Ping’an’s eyes were closed, his thoughts shifting. He had already stepped into the Profound Light Realm. Even in all of Weishui County City, he could be considered a master. For him, ordinary things no longer caught his eye. Even if a superior cultivation method was placed before him, he wouldn’t pay it much mind unless it was a perfect fit and could effectively supplement his strength.
The Profound Light Realm, where Divine Intent and Profound Light merge into one.
Those who step into this Realm have generally practiced several superior cultivation methods, cultivating each to an extremely profound level. Among the superior cultivation methods they’ve mastered, many are of the Top Level.
Some masters in the Profound Light Realm have even come into contact with and cultivated a Divine Skill!
If one achieves success in a Divine Skill, its power far surpasses that of so-called superior cultivation methods, possessing world-shocking abilities!
"One who masters a Divine Skill is no longer like a person of this world!" This statement is by no means an exaggeration.
Correspondingly, the threshold for cultivating a Divine Skill is extremely high, with strict limitations on one’s Martial Dao talent. An ordinary person, even with the original manual of a Divine Skill in front of them, would likely be unable to understand it, left to scratch their head in confusion and miss the opportunity.
The inheritance of a Divine Skill can typically only be passed down through its original martial arts manual. This is because the original manual contains a residual Mental Realm, making the Divine Skill extremely difficult to learn through other means. Only in very rare cases can a Grandmaster intervene, expending immense effort and spirit to directly imprint the Mental Realm, forcing someone to perceive the Divine Skill Realm and thus learn the Divine Skill.
But regardless of the method, there’s no guarantee one can master the Divine Skill. To truly learn a Divine Skill, one must first grasp its Mental Realm.
Without grasping the Mental Realm, one only has the form without the substance and will never even reach the Entry Level.
’A Divine Skill...’
Chen Ping’an mused.
’Even minor progress in an ordinary superior cultivation method yields considerable benefits with the help of the Golden Finger Panel. But for the most efficient improvement at my current level, the best way is to cultivate a Divine Skill.’
’But Divine Skills are incredibly precious and rarely circulate on the market. They occasionally appear at major auctions. A so-called Divine Skill, if inherited properly, is enough to determine the rise or fall of a power! Therefore, once one appears, it’s fought over frantically by all the major forces.’
’It’s not so easy for an ordinary person to get involved!’
’Divine Skills are rare and not easy to obtain! Besides opportune moments, one needs financial power and influence as support!’
’It seems I’ll need to pay more attention to news about Divine Skills from now on. If a suitable opportunity arises, I must plan carefully and proceed slowly.’
’Other than the large-scale auctions held regularly in Weishui County City, I’ve never heard of any other place in the Earth Realm organizing auctions of this scale! Those "unprecedented" auctions in the Black Market that are hyped to the heavens are, at best, medium-sized in scope and almost never feature a Divine Skill!’
’Hmm, I heard before that once the Long’an Trade Route is fully established, a massive auction will be held somewhere along it. I wonder if that’s true. The development of the Long’an Trade Route is in its final stages, so it should be within the next few months.’
’...’
Chen Ping’an contemplated with his eyes closed as various thoughts surfaced.
Just as Chen Ping’an was meditating with his eyes closed, someone came running into the hall from outside, a look of extreme anxiety on his face. Seeing Chen Ping’an, he scrambled to report loudly, but before he could speak, he saw Shan Qiwang at the side make a hushing gesture.
The newcomer’s heart tightened, and he quickly fell silent.
’When the lord is in deep thought with his eyes closed, who would dare to disturb him!’
Under these circumstances, if he were to speak rashly and interrupt the lord’s repose, even ten thousand deaths would not be enough to atone for it!
No one said a word; they all stood quietly. The focus of their gazes was on one person alone: Chen Ping’an, who stood in the center.
The hall was utterly silent.
After a long while, a voice spoke.
"What is it? Speak."
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