Daqian Martial Saint

Xiaodie stood by Mu Wanjun’s side, quietly watching her mistress read a letter.

Chen Ping’an!

That name, once unfamiliar and strange, was now frequently on her mistress’s lips.

Not long ago, the owner of this name was just a temporary constable in Nanquan Lane, but now he was the powerful Commander-in-Chief of an entire city!

Thinking back on it now, Xiaodie found it all rather incredible.

She still remembered the first time she saw Chen Ping’an. He had been wearing the uniform of a registered constable: a blue, crossover-collared, narrow-sleeved long robe, with a red woven sash tied at his waist.

His features were handsome and his build was slim, but his smile was warm and friendly. He had greeted her respectfully, leaving a good impression. Overall, though, he had just looked like an ordinary young man.

What had left a deep impression on her back then was how incredibly respectful he had been during his entire meeting with her mistress.

Before he left, her mistress had prepared to offer him a gift.

There were three items in total, and he was to choose one for himself.

A Constable Token, representing the position of Constable; a deed to a property in South City Lane, the most central part of the South District; and any single item from the treasury of Merit rewards.

Having served her mistress for a long time and seen many people come and go, Xiaodie had met all sorts of individuals.

Any normal person, regardless of their true thoughts, would subconsciously choose the Constable Token!

If he had chosen it, with her mistress’s power, she could have certainly made him a Constable.

A Constable!

To command several squads! To be respected wherever one went in the lanes. Not only would he benefit, but his family and relatives would as well.

It was a temptation that no constable could refuse.

Besides the Constable Token, the deed to a property in a prime location in South City Lane was also a gift that was hard to refuse.

Even if he didn’t live there himself, he could easily sell it for a huge profit. That kind of money would be enough to drastically improve his life; if he lived a quiet life, he might never have to work for the rest of his days!

Both of these gifts, whichever he chose, were excellent options.

But she never would have thought...

In the end, Chen Ping’an had actually chosen a Cultivation Technique! And it wasn’t a Sword Skill, which he was good at, but a Horizontal Training Skill!

Horizontal Training Skill was famously arduous, and one couldn’t imagine the sheer amount of suffering required to achieve anything with it.

That kind of suffering... forget a young man, even a middle-aged man with an excellent Heart Nature might not be able to see it through to the end.

But Chen Ping’an... he chose that very Cultivation Technique.

From that moment on, Xiaodie had a stronger impression of Chen Ping’an.

Later, she heard that he had been promoted to Preparatory Constable.

She was happy for the young man. As the saying goes, only those who endure the harshest hardships can rise above others!

And things had indeed turned out as she expected. The next time they met, Chen Ping’an had already been promoted to the rank of Constable.

At that moment, he had also proven to her mistress that he didn’t need the gifted Constable Token; he could become a Constable all on his own!

The next step up from Constable was Preparatory Inspectorate. That was a position one couldn’t reach through sheer hard work alone.

’This must be the limit for the young man named Chen Ping’an,’ she had thought.

Who could have imagined...

Preparatory Inspectorate, South City Prison Chief, Deputy Commander of White Stone City...

His rise was unstoppable, his promotions as easy as eating and drinking.

Correspondingly, his Cultivation was also constantly breaking through and advancing.

He started at the Qi Blood Second Layer, far weaker than her, and broke through to the Qi Blood Third Layer, Fourth Layer, Fifth Layer... then all the way to the Inner Qi Realm, far surpassing her. Not long ago, he had even stepped into the Second Stage of the Inner Qi Realm, becoming her mistress’s equal!

Her own way of addressing Chen Ping’an had changed constantly as well: Chen Constable, Chen the Prison Chief, Lord Chen, Young Master Chen...

His was a story of a constant underdog, one of never giving up, of eternal passion and relentless drive!

In her mind, Chen Ping’an had become an almost inimitable paragon of the Garrison Commandant’s Office.

Just as Xiaodie’s thoughts were running wild, a look of shock—one she had rarely ever seen—appeared on her mistress’s face. It wasn’t just shock; it was a profound, extraordinary sense of awe.

"My lady..." Xiaodie couldn’t help but call out to Mu Wanjun.

Mu Wanjun didn’t respond. She stared at the letter, muttering to herself.

"The Third Stage of Inner Qi, the Celestial Rain Falling Realm!"

"Mastery of several superior cultivation methods!"

"Annihilation of several major powers in White Stone City!"

An unbelievable light flickered in Mu Wanjun’s eyes. She seemed dazed for a moment, her hands went slack, and the letter fell onto the table.

On the letter, lines of text were laid out, one after another...

A moment later, Xiaodie gasped, then quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"Young Master Chen... he’s reached the Third Stage of Inner Qi?!"

...

Although White Stone City was only a Small City, due to its geographical location, quite a few families were paying close attention to its situation.

News of Chen Ping’an’s awe-inspiring display of power in White Stone City—where he had slain several masters at the Perfect Second Level of Inner Qi in one fell swoop—soon reached the ears of the four great families of Weishui.

"Chen Ping’an? Reportedly killed several masters at the Perfect Second Level of Inner Qi in one go?! That kind of combat prowess..."

"The situation in White Stone City has been completely overturned! The Blood Oath Alliance and the Iron Fist Gang have both been wiped out, and the Commerce Alliance, the He Family, the Song Family, and other powers are in grave danger?!"

"The Commander-in-Chief of White Stone City, Chen Ping’an... is at the Third Stage of Inner Qi! And he’s not even twenty-one yet?! HISS—what kind of monstrous talent is that?!"

"Go investigate at once! I need the latest, most comprehensive information within twenty-four hours!"

"The Third Stage of Inner Qi at twenty-one, and mastery of several superior cultivation methods... The family needs to find out about Chen Ping’an’s connections as soon as possible and discuss the possibility of recruiting him!"

"..."

When the news reached the ears of the Mujia Elders, some were silent for a long time before letting out a long sigh. Others beat their chests and stamped their feet, filled with regret. Still others were visibly shaken, their hearts in turmoil for a long while.

"To think such a prodigy truly exists in this world! He tore through the Inner Qi Realm just like he did the Qi Blood Realm, completely unstoppable. How long has it been, and he’s already reached the Third Stage of Inner Qi!"

"The Third Stage of Inner Qi at twenty-one... that level of talent far surpasses Feiyu’s! A prodigy like that... he was once so close to becoming one of our Mu Family! We... we missed our chance!"

"A prodigy of the Martial Dao, a true prodigy of the Martial Dao,"

One of the Clan Elders looked out into the hall, his mind flashing back to a woman with bright eyes and pearly teeth, who had stood right here, passionately trying to persuade them.

"Distinguished Clan Elders, exactly! This young man is exceptionally talented, a candidate for the Rising Star Chart. In the future, he could very well become a true Martial Arts Master! If our Mu Family doesn’t act now, I fear we will break his heart! In the future, even a mountain of gold might not be enough to win him over."

"Sigh... It’s too late for regrets now!"

All their emotions—regret, unwillingness, and sorrow—mixed together, ultimately dissolving into a chorus of long sighs.

"No, we haven’t missed our chance! Nothing is set in stone yet. It’s not too late to win him over. Someone, go and bring Wan Jun here at once!"

"..."