Chapter 505: Chapter 394: In Full Swing, Candidate Deliberation

Not a single person dared to speak aloud until Chen Ping’an had left the assembly hall. Xiong Sanrang, his expression alight with excitement, followed closely at Chen Ping’an’s heels, looking as though he shared in the glory.

The hall was so silent you could hear a pin drop—a stark contrast to the raucous laughter that had filled it moments before!

L? Boxu of the Qiankun Bureau was deathly pale. He was gravely injured, his vitality clearly drained, unable to comprehend how things could have ended this way.

Xu Dejun of the Earth Fire Town Suppression Bureau was barely clinging to life thanks to a medicinal pill, but he remained in a deep coma. His deputy officer was continuously infusing him with True Qi to maintain his vital signs.

Xu Chongyuan of the Li Yang Town Guard Office stood rooted to the spot, completely dazed. The image of the Blood Demon Hammer, Shi Tianpo, his head severed and hovering in mid-air, was seared into his mind.

As the crowd watched Chen Ping’an depart, their eyes betrayed not only shock but a profound and deep-seated fear.

One palm strike, and L? Boxu of the Qiankun Bureau was gravely wounded! One slash of his blade, and Xu Dejun of the Garrison Commandant’s Office was left on the verge of death!

With a single palm and a single slash, he had suppressed two masters of the Peak Realm!

The Ten Thousand Demons Sect master, Blood Demon Hammer Shi Tianpo, had died by his hand!

Mang Blade Chen Ping’an was, without a doubt, a top-tier combatant of the Peak Realm! And most critically, he was only twenty-two years old!

Such power, such talent, such potential... Who would dare to cross him!?

Anyone who did would just be courting their own humiliation!

"To have such power before the age of thirty! A peerless prodigy! A truly peerless prodigy!" Zhong Zeyu’s expression was solemn, his eyes filled with awe.

"If he isn’t cut down, give him time, and he’ll surely become a Jade Balance Grandmaster!"

...

After reinforcements from Weishui arrived at the Sanqi Mountain garrison, a portion of the elite troops were dispatched back to defend Li Yang County and curb the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s rampage.

Three days after this first group of elites was sent out, the southern encirclement front also reassigned some of its personnel back to the Sanqi Mountain garrison. All told, the number of elite forces at the Sanqi Mountain garrison had not decreased, but had actually increased.

The reason was that, due to the increased scale of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect’s stronghold for this encirclement operation, the State Garrison Command had issued an urgent order. Reinforcements were expanded from the original three counties to nine. Forces from counties like Chiyang and Qi Yun had joined the various encirclement fronts.

After the events in the assembly hall that day, Zhong Zeyu, the chief commander and coordinator of the Western Front Team, paid a special visit to Chen Ping’an.

The many elites from the Weishui reinforcements were all quartered in tents within the Sanqi Mountain garrison. But Chen Ping’an, as the commanding officer of this support contingent, was given the highest-grade accommodation: a wooden cabin.

Of course, even this top-tier cabin couldn’t compare to Chen Ping’an’s official quarters back in Weishui. However, for the front lines, such conditions were already exceptionally comfortable.

Upon seeing him again, Zhong Zeyu was exceedingly polite. He showed none of the bureaucratic airs befitting a chief coordinator, nor the superior attitude of a top-level Peak Realm master.

Throughout their entire meeting, he acted like a good-natured old man trying to smooth things over.

Strictly speaking, however, Zhong Zeyu had no high horse to get on in front of Chen Ping’an. For one, there was no clear chain of command between them. For two, the power Chen Ping’an had displayed seemed to be a cut above his own! In such a situation, Zhong Zeyu was naturally as polite as could be—he was laying the courtesy on thick.

Zhong Zeyu began by apologizing for the events in the assembly hall, expressing his hope that Chen Ping’an would be the bigger person and not hold a grudge. In addition to his words, he also presented a gift to Chen Ping’an on behalf of the others.

The gift was quite heavy. It was a total of two hundred Yuan Crystals, pooled together by the various factions! It was a clear sign of their sincerity in apologizing.

Two hundred Yuan Crystals was nearly the entire net worth of an ordinary Peak Realm master! For the various powers to offer this as an apology, it was a gesture of considerable sincerity!

No one there was a fool. Given the power Chen Ping’an had displayed, who would dare harbor any ill will toward him?

Forget his future potential; the Chen Ping’an of today was already someone they couldn’t afford to cross.

During the earlier confrontation, most of them hadn’t said much. But when L? Boxu had called him a "little brat," they had all joined in the raucous laughter, their voices dripping with mockery.

At that distance, forget someone like Chen Ping’an, whose Martial Arts Realm had already reached the Peak Realm—even an ordinary Inner Qi Realm practitioner would have heard them loud and clear!

And since Chen Ping’an had heard them, they weren’t foolish enough to believe the matter would simply be forgotten.

Anyone who truly knew anything about the name "Mang Blade" wouldn’t dare think that!

Rather than suffer the consequences later, it was better to back down now and bury the hatchet.

There was no shame in backing down to someone stronger than them! In fact, if they spun it right, they might even earn a reputation for being flexible and pragmatic.

As the saying goes, sometimes it takes a fight to get to know someone. Since they hadn’t become mortal enemies, with a bit of maneuvering and a willingness to pay the right price, it wasn’t impossible that Mang Blade Chen Ping’an could even become their ally one day.

Sometimes, this was how connections were forged!

Some people have good intentions but only make things worse, usually because they can’t control their mouths. Their heart is in the right place, but the outcome is disastrous.

But Zhong Zeyu was a chief coordinator for a reason. As he apologized to Chen Ping’an on behalf of the others, his words and actions were impeccable, putting one at ease as if caressed by a spring breeze.

As the saying goes: The right words can calm half the anger, and the right gift can get you an invitation to dinner.

Zhong Zeyu didn’t start by bringing up the encirclement of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect and asking Chen Ping’an to bury the hatchet for the sake of the greater good. Had he done so, even though the logic was sound, it would likely have provoked a defiant reaction, and the situation would have only worsened.

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