Chapter 480 - 462: Nomination Order and Assessment Task

Qian Zhiyuan was a resolute and vigorous man who never dragged his feet. In just a short while, he had already delegated the various tasks regarding the merger of the two bureaus.

The Public Security Bureau had a lot on its plate. The first priority was relocating the Government Office. Most of the officials and files from the Outer City’s Public Security Bureau needed to be moved to the Inner City as quickly as possible, followed by a reallocation of offices and workspaces for all levels.

Next, the identification Tokens, Merit systems, personnel rosters, and even the warehouse ledgers previously used by the two separate bureaus had to be re-verified and unified into a single archive.

Any one of these tasks trickling down the chain of command was enough to leave the subordinates up to their necks in work.

Finally, it was time for the highly anticipated item on the agenda: the distribution of rewards!

His voice was not loud, but it echoed clearly throughout the Conference Hall. "The Black Lotus Sect’s wild ambitions led them to attempt to destroy the Hanging Mirror Gate and sabotage our grand plan to merge the Outer City and the Inner City.

"Had Commanders Shi Yueshan, Liu Wu, and Su Yu not set up defenses in advance and fought to the death to stop them, the Hanging Mirror Gate would have collapsed. The Celestial Mirror River Water would have poured down, and the civilians along the banks would have suffered catastrophic casualties!

"In this battle, the three Commanders slew several Senior Incense Masters of the Black Lotus Sect. Their contributions are undeniable.

"Each of them shall be rewarded with ten thousand Merit Points!"

As his words fell, suppressed murmurs of discussion instantly broke out across the hall.

Ten thousand Merit Points was no small sum! Even with their status as Great Commanders, their monthly salary was only a little over a thousand points.

Qian Zhiyuan paused briefly before his gaze landed on Su Yu.

"Among them, Su Yu delivered the intelligence in advance and turned the tide at the Hanging Mirror Gate. He has made the greatest contribution.

"From now on, the eastern district of Wanbao Street shall be placed under Commander Su’s jurisdiction."

Another heavy silence fell over the hall at this announcement.

The Wanbao Street district! This was undoubtedly a massive cash cow!

Wanbao Street was lined with a dense array of businesses. Taverns, apothecaries, weapon smiths, and Exotic Beast material shops stood row upon row. The crowds were endless, bringing in gold by the bucketload every day. Although its prosperity couldn’t quite rival the most elite commercial districts in the Inner City, it sat firmly in the second tier.

Even if it was only the eastern district, the taxes, connections, and numerous hidden benefits it generated were enough to make any Great Commander turn green with envy.

Previously, three Great Commanders had fought both openly and in the shadows for control of this very district, with none willing to back down. In the end, Qian Zhiyuan had made the final call himself, denying it to all of them and temporarily handing it over to Master Jin to manage personally. Only then was the dispute quelled.

Now, this long-coveted prize had actually fallen into the hands of a young Commander who had only recently transferred from the Outer City to the Inner City.

The expressions of many in the room instantly became subtle. Some were envious, some were jealous, and those who felt indignant made up an even larger number.

As a newcomer, Su Yu didn’t yet have a deep understanding of the true value of Wanbao Street’s eastern district. However, Zhao Sen and the others couldn’t be any clearer about it.

He glared at Su Yu, his eyes unabashedly filled with jealousy and even anger. Yet, he couldn’t speak up. Not to mention that Pavilion Master Qian had personally assigned this territory, Su Yu had also taken the most credit in the previous arena matches. According to their agreement, he was always meant to have the first pick of the districts anyway.

Li Jingxuan quietly nudged Su Yu, unabashed envy showing in his eyes. Seeing this, Su Yu realized that his reward this time seemed to be quite substantial.

"The Martial Examination will be hosted by our Zhenwu Mansion this time. The age and identity requirements for participants will follow the rules of previous years, and Cultivation must be below the Profound Bone Realm... Unlike previous years, there will be a preliminary round first to filter out the young Martial Artists who are truly qualified to step onto the Martial Examination arena," Qian Zhiyuan explained.

"However, those listed as Martial Arts Seeds will be exempt from the preliminaries and will advance directly to the semi-finals. During the draw, Martial Arts Seeds will also receive a bye in the first round to prevent them from clashing too early."

At these words, the breathing of everyone present couldn’t help but grow heavier.

Being exempt from the preliminaries only saved some stamina. What truly mattered was the seed treatment that came after!

In the Martial Examination, powerful experts were as common as clouds. Even if one’s own strength was not weak, drawing a top-tier genius in the very first match meant a high chance of early elimination. But becoming a Martial Arts Seed not only conserved strength but also avoided formidable opponents in the initial rounds. This meant that as long as one didn’t have absolutely terrible luck, they were practically guaranteed to secure a top spot.

Qian Zhiyuan raised his hand.

An attendant beside him immediately stepped forward, holding four black wooden boxes.

"Zhenwu Mansion will issue four Nomination Orders this time. Those who hold these orders will become Martial Arts Seeds."

Although Pavilion Master Qian spoke calmly, the burning gazes of the numerous Great Commanders below had already locked onto the four wooden boxes.

The Inner City’s Martial Examination was the grandest event for the younger generation of Black Stone City. It was also an opportunity for countless young Martial Artists to skyrocket to prominence.

The last Martial Examination had been three years ago. The young geniuses who entered the top ten back then had, without exception, received massive resource allocations. Over the following years, these individuals had successively broken through to the Profound Bone Realm and become the true power holders of various factions.

Obtaining a Martial Examination Order meant that one had at least entered the top ranks. The guaranteed rewards alone were enough to make many salivate. If one could break into the top ten, they would not only receive even more precious Treasure Medicines, Cultivation Techniques, and cultivation resources, but they would also become a core talent heavily nurtured by Zhenwu Mansion.

"If you want to obtain a Nomination Order, you must register for the upcoming two assessments.

"The first is the governance of the Celestial Mirror River.

"Each competing Commander will be responsible for the dredging, defense, and civilian livelihood restoration of a section of the river. Anyone who completes the task within the specified time without any major errors will earn fifty points.

"The second is the encirclement and suppression of the Black Lotus Sect."

Hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed. The fervor initially sparked by the Martial Examination and the Nomination Orders was swiftly tainted by a layer of chilling killing intent.

Qian Zhiyuan’s gaze also turned icy.

"Previously, the Black Lotus Sect repeatedly attacked Black Stone City, treating our Zhenwu Mansion as if we didn’t exist. Now, we have discovered that they have two gathering points outside the city. One is hidden in the Black Water River Basin, though we have yet to lock down its exact location. The other is concealed within Tiger Roar Mountain. After days of investigation, we have roughly mapped out their area of activity.

"Next, what you need to do is head to Tiger Roar Mountain and kill! As long as you can find and eliminate members of the Black Lotus Sect, you will be rewarded with points based on your head count!

"Finally, in one month’s time, the top four in points will receive a Nomination Order!"

After Pavilion Master Qian finished speaking, thick killing intent flashed through everyone’s eyes. This time, Zhenwu Mansion was no longer on the defensive, but taking the initiative to counterattack!

With the Black Lotus Sect’s successive attacks on Black Stone City, everyone across all the bureaus had long been suppressing a bellyful of rage. Now that their area of activity had finally been discovered, there was naturally no reason to hold back any longer. Furthermore, the heads of the Black Lotus Sect Demons were directly tied to the precious Martial Arts Examination Nomination Orders.

For the glory and rewards of the Martial Examination, not a single young Commander present would easily pass up this opportunity. Among the hundreds of Commanders now, the younger ones made up the majority—at least seventy or eighty of them. Their lowest Cultivation was the Muscle Forging Realm, yet they were all vying for only four Nomination Orders.

For the next month, the competition was bound to be fiercely intense.

After the assembly concluded, Su Yu left alongside Li Jingxuan and a few other Outer City Commanders. As they reached the door, Liu Wu’s crisp voice called out to stop him.

"Commander Su, wait a moment."

"You guys go on ahead."

Su Yu cupped his hands in a salute to Li Jingxuan and the others before following Liu Wu to the side. The two of them walked all the way to Liu Wu’s office.

The room was elegantly decorated. A few pots of lush green flowers and plants sat by the window, and a purple copper incense burner rested in the corner. Faint Spiritual Incense rose from the burner, swirling gently throughout the room.

Liu Wu personally brewed a pot of Spiritual Tea. As the steam rose, a refreshing and pleasant tea fragrance slowly permeated the air. She pushed the teacup in front of Su Yu, exhaled softly, and put away her usual playful demeanor.

"Brother Su!" she said, looking entirely serious. "I owe you a huge favor for the Black Lotus Sect’s attack on the Hanging Mirror Gate.

"If it weren’t for you, the Hanging Mirror Gate would have definitely been destroyed, and I would have become a sinner of Black Stone City."

"Then how does Commander Liu plan to repay me?" Su Yu asked with a smile.

Liu Wu was clearly taken aback for a moment. The next moment, her eyes curved in amusement. Resting her chin on her hand, she looked at Su Yu with a grin. "What, does Brother Su want me to pledge myself to you in marriage?"

"COUGH, COUGH... I was just joking."

Seeing Su Yu looking a bit embarrassed, Liu Wu instantly smiled so wide her eyes formed little crescents.

"Alright, I’ll stop teasing you, Brother Su.

"Wu heard that you’re looking for someone to concoct the Dragon Tendon Pill?"

"That’s right! How did you know?"

"Dragon Sinew Grass is extremely rare on the market. Every time it appears, it gets snatched up immediately. Since you went to the Medicine King Pavilion to ask about it with Dragon Sinew Grass in hand, it naturally couldn’t be hidden from those paying attention," Liu Wu explained.

Hearing this, Su Yu slightly raised an eyebrow.

"Does that mean the Dragon Tendon Pill is also monopolized?"

"Pretty much. Right now, aside from the Pill Masters belonging to the various families, only the Medicine King Pavilion can concoct the Dragon Tendon Pill. If you ask them to make it, the price will be exorbitant.

"Brother Su, I came to you this time precisely for this matter. Just leave the concoction of your Dragon Tendon Pill to me; there’s no need to go to the Medicine King Pavilion and get ripped off."

"Thank you, Wu!" Su Yu wasn’t one for fake politeness. Since Wu was willing to help, it couldn’t be better.

"However, Brother Su, I must remind you of something. If you plan to walk the path of the Dragon Tendon Mirror, you’ll need more and more Dragon Tendon Pills in the future. A single stalk of Dragon Sinew Grass won’t be enough.

"Even if Dragon Sinew Grass doesn’t reach the Profound Tier, its value isn’t much lower. If you want to rely on buying it from the market, I’m afraid emptying out a mountain of gold wouldn’t be enough to solve your problem."

Su Yu immediately sat up straight and carefully asked about other avenues.

"There is one—Tiger Roar Mountain!

"The mountains there are high, the forests are dense, and the Spiritual Miasma is thick. It’s also the place with the most Dragon Sinew Grass.

"Nowadays, most of the Dragon Sinew Grass used by the various families is harvested from Tiger Roar Mountain. Coincidentally, if you’re participating in the Martial Examination and the encirclement of the Black Lotus Sect, you’ll be entering Tiger Roar Mountain anyway. When the time comes, you might want to keep an eye out. You just might reap a harvest.

"Oh, right. Over at Tiger Roar Mountain, the Shi Family has recently been carving out a new herb-gathering route, and there’s news of Dragon Sinew Grass among it. Commander Shi is an honest and loyal person, but you did him a huge favor this time. He will definitely offer to help you!"