Daqian Martial Saint

News that the Long’an Trade Route was officially open spread through every county and city in Canglong Province in an incredibly short time.

For a time, every major power was shaken!

Even as the Long’an Trade Route was being established, the various influential powers within Canglong Province had been watching closely. Each had long since analyzed and deliberated on the opportunities and challenges the new route would present.

For families or chambers of commerce that had hit a developmental bottleneck, the emergence of the Long’an Trade Route was a golden opportunity for growth.

Anticipating this, some powers had already assembled suitable caravans and made their strategic preparations in advance.

The moment the news broke, caravans set out one after another, embarking on their journeys! They would traverse the Canglong Mountain Range via the Long’an Trade Route to reach Cyan Spirit Province and exchange goods!

Aside from the publicly known powers, whispers also passed between factions of the Heterodox, Evil, and Demon Daos. They all began to make their moves, intending to seize the opportunity to stir up chaos and profit from it!

...

Not far from the Five Peaks Mountain Residence was a small hillock. On one side of it grew an exceptionally sturdy tree. Beneath its lush, verdant canopy, a young man sat cross-legged on a branch.

’So many days, and he’s still not back?’

The young man’s eyes were open, staring straight ahead. With his superb vision, he could just faintly make out the situation at the Five Peaks Mountain Residence from his vantage point.

This man was none other than Li Pingjiang—an Elder of the Celestial Net Sect and a disciple of the Seven Extremes Elder!

Ever since that day, he had been waiting here for Chen Ping’an’s return. He had originally thought he would complete his mission quickly, but he never imagined he would end up waiting for over half a month without so much as a glimpse of Chen Ping’an.

’I really didn’t think you’d stay in Weishui County City for so long. If I’d known, I would’ve gone there to corner you! Then I wouldn’t have had to sit here bored out of my mind for half a month!’

A flash of annoyance crossed Li Pingjiang’s face, but it vanished in an instant.

’However... now that the Long’an Trade Route is officially open, all sorts of monsters and fiends are crawling out of the woodwork. With so much turmoil around the trade route, you, Chen Ping’an, as the Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy, have a duty to keep order. You should be on your way back! It’ll probably be in the next day or two!’

A glint surfaced in the depths of Li Pingjiang’s eyes, and a faint trace of Killing Intent emerged.

’You really are lucky, getting to live a few extra days! But no matter, Chen Ping’an. In the end, you are a dead man!’

On the branch, Li Pingjiang slowly closed his eyes and settled in to wait.

...

"Hyah!"

Several riders on swift horses galloped along the main road before Five Peaks Mountain City, kicking up a trail of dust.

A city guard constable was about to step forward and stop them when a voice rang out.

"The Lord Commander-in-Chief is about to arrive at Five Peaks Mountain City! Are you not going to hurry and prepare a respectful welcome?"

’The Lord Commander-in-Chief is arriving?’

’Lord Chen is here!’

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the city guard constables tightened. They exchanged glances, each seeing the gravity of the situation reflected in the others’ faces.

A quick-witted constable immediately began reporting the news up the chain of command.

Several riders had gone ahead to announce his arrival, so by the time Chen Ping’an reached Five Peaks Mountain City, the gate was already crowded with people.

"We respectfully welcome Lord Chen back to the city!"

After leaving Weishui County City, while still halfway on his journey, Chen Ping’an received news that the Long’an Trade Route was officially in operation. Now that the trade route was running, the burden on his shoulders grew even heavier.

However, Chen Ping’an was naturally prepared for this. In addition to his role as the Outer Trade Road Patrol Envoy, he also served as the Commander-in-Chief of Five Peaks Mountain City.

He was already more or less familiar with the situation at the Five Peaks Mountain Residence. The specific circumstances in Five Peaks Mountain City itself, however, were another matter; he was not quite clear on them. Now that the trade route was open and he was responsible for the region, he naturally needed to take stock of the resources at his disposal. Only then could he properly begin his work.

That was why, after leaving Weishui County City, Chen Ping’an had come to Five Peaks Mountain City instead of returning to the Five Peaks Mountain Residence.

"All of you, rise!"

Astride his tall steed, Chen Ping’an entered Five Peaks Mountain City under a sea of reverent gazes. As he passed through the gates, he briefly surveyed the crowd. Aside from the upper echelons of the Five Peaks Mountain Town Pacification Bureau, there were also representatives from the city’s other major powers. As the number one family in Five Peaks Mountain City, the Wei Family was naturally among them.

Chen Ping’an gave them only a cursory glance before looking away. The people who had come to welcome him were almost all at the Inner Qi Realm of Cultivation. Among the various powers of Five Peaks Mountain City, this already ranked them among the absolute core leadership.

In the eyes of the common folk, any single person in this crowd had the power to decide their life or death. These were all lofty figures, completely beyond reach—the most powerful people they could imagine!

Yet these very figures now stood at the city gate with humble, fawning smiles, respectfully welcoming Chen Ping’an.

Unlike when he had first taken up his post in White Stone City, with his current status and position, Chen Ping’an faced absolutely no opposition within Five Peaks Mountain City.

Never mind the Inner Qi Realm cultivators present—even the number one expert in Five Peaks Mountain City, the Wei Family Ancestor Wei Zhixing, a Profound Light Realm Cultivator, would not dare show the slightest disrespect in his presence.

For one, he had the famed achievement of slaying the Profound Light Realm prodigy, Soul-Breaking Spear. For another, there was the status he represented.

One could say that as long as Chen Ping’an willed it, his word would be law in Five Peaks Mountain City. He could act like a tyrant within its walls and no one could stop him.

Any casual word from him would be met with a chorus of agreement. Anything he wanted done, people would exhaust every means to accomplish for him.

This was a temptation not just anyone could resist.

Before taking such a seat of power, no one thinks they will become intoxicated by it. But once you are truly in that position, you discover it is not as simple as you imagined.

Amidst the fawning and flattery of the masses, you gradually lose yourself, until you eventually rot from within.

The rank might be the same, but the experience of holding regional power was completely different. Guan Yu Ping, for instance, had contributed greatly to the establishment of the Long’an Trade Route and had distinguished himself. But when he was put in charge of a region, he gradually became lost in the allure of power.

On the very first day Chen Ping’an arrived in Five Peaks Mountain City, numerous factions sent lavish gifts, and Wei Zhenheng, the Patriarch of the Wei Family, even came personally to the Five Peaks Mountain Town Pacification Bureau to call on him.

It was a reception that could easily go to one’s head. But at that moment, Chen Ping’an’s heart was as placid as still water.

He was no longer the same Chen Ping’an who, upon seeing the authority of a mere Constable, would muse that "a true man should be like that."

After two years of rising and falling within the Garrison Commandant’s Office, his perspective and horizons had been thoroughly broadened.

Though he served as the Commander-in-Chief of Five Peaks Mountain City, his vision was not confined to a single city. His sights were set on Weishui County City, on the Long’an Trade Route, and on the whole of Canglong Province!

A young man should have ambitions that pierce the clouds, soaring freely across the boundless sky!

On the very day he arrived in Five Peaks Mountain City, Chen Ping’an declined the Wei Family’s invitation and entered a small cabin in the rear courtyard of the Garrison Commandant’s Office to begin closed-door Cultivation.