If that happened, wouldn’t his post become a powerless, titular position?
"Director, I also feel this matter warrants reconsideration," a captain said, stepping forward with a grim face. "The men put their lives on the line every day for Demon Slaying. If we’re put under a rookie’s command, no one will feel safe."
Instantly, the old-guard elites and a number of skeptical guards in the crowd began to murmur their agreement.
Meanwhile, the few loyalists County Magistrate Qian Shen had stationed in the Evil Suppression Department kept their heads down, neither voicing support nor opposition as they waited to see how the situation would unfold.
The two sides were at a stalemate.
Pang Song’s brows furrowed in anger, and he was about to retort when he saw that Chu Bai remained perfectly calm.
Chu Bai took a step forward. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he looked neither at Hee Yan nor at the dissenting captain.
The Little Five Elements Cycle within his body silently quickened, and a faint yet sharp aura began to emanate from him.
"Everyone."
Chu Bai spoke, his voice cool and firm:
"The Demon-slaying Team doesn’t need seniority; it needs someone who’s hard to kill. My life was already put to the test under the Sanmu River."
He turned, his gaze sweeping over the captain like a blade. "If any of you feel unsafe following my lead, feel free to step up and challenge me here and now."
"A position in the Demon-slaying Team is earned with Demon Blood and battlefield merits."
"If you don’t accept it, come and take it from me."
A murderous aura instantly filled the air before the Main Hall.
Standing on the raised platform, Zhang Cheng watched the commanding presence of Chu Bai, a slight smile gracing his lips.
He knew this fire was now burning bright.
The atmosphere before the Main Hall, which had frozen solid after Chu Bai’s speech, suddenly exploded like a lit powder keg.
"Fine! Since Banner Inspector Chu has the guts, then I, Feng, will test your mettle!"
A low roar, like muffled thunder, rang out.
Feng Qin, the original captain of the first squad, stomped forward. His burly frame was like a small mountain, and every step he took made the ground hum.
Feng Qin was a veteran of the Evil Suppression Department. His Cultivation was at a solid Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, and he specialized in Earth Element Techniques, renowned for his formidable defense and lasting stamina.
His large, calloused hands clenched into fists as he stared fixedly at Chu Bai, his voice booming, "The Demon-slaying Team is where the men risk their lives for a future. If you can defeat these fists of mine, then I, Feng, will be the first to acknowledge you as the Demon Slaying Officer!"
On the high platform, Zhang Cheng made no move to stop them. Instead, he leaned back with great interest and even beckoned a Clerk to bring over a few chairs. Smiling at Hee Yan and the others, he said, "Since everyone is feeling unsettled, let’s settle this on the Martial Arts Arena. The men of my Evil Suppression Department would rather fight than talk."
Hee Yan sat down, his face dark. He snorted, his eyes fixed on the unfolding scene with great anticipation—he hoped Feng Qin would knock this arrogant, overreaching kid off his pedestal.
In the Martial Arts Arena, more than two hundred Evil Suppression Guards had formed a massive circle.
"Watch yourself, Younger Brother Chu!"
Feng Qin let out a low yell as the Spiritual Power within him erupted.
A thick, earthy-yellow light enveloped his body—it was the Rock Armor Technique, a Magic Technique he had honed for years. As his Spiritual Power surged, rock-like patterns materialized on his skin, making him look impenetrably dense.
"Please, Captain Feng, I await your instruction."
Chu Bai’s right hand formed a loose grip as he stood quietly in place.
"Here I come!"
Feng Qin stomped hard, shattering the ground beneath him. He charged at Chu Bai like a rampaging rhinoceros, his momentum overwhelming.
"Earth Spike!"
While charging, Feng Qin’s hands blurred through a series of seals. The stone slabs at Chu Bai’s feet suddenly exploded, and several sharp stone spikes shot up like vipers from their dens, aiming straight for his footing.
"Fire Step Ascension!"
A faint glimmer flashed under Chu Bai’s feet. He moved like a phantom, leaving a trail of afterimages as he dodged the stone spikes in the nick of time.
Moreover, he used the explosive burst of the Fire Element to instantly close the distance to Feng Qin.
"Formless Cloud Hand!"
Chu Bai thrust out a palm. Gentle water vapor swirled around it, but the instant it touched Feng Qin’s Rock Armor, it fiercely transformed into the sharp edge of Innate Geng Metal Qi.
With a dull THUD, Feng Qin’s charging body was brought to a momentary halt by the palm strike. His pupils contracted in shock. ’Such terrifying penetrative power! How can this kid’s Spiritual Power conversion be so fast?’
"Up!"
Feng Qin reacted instantly, slamming both fists into the ground.
"Heavy Earth Realm!"
A heavy Earth Element fluctuation instantly covered a five-zhang radius.
Chu Bai felt his body sink as if his legs were filled with lead, and the speed of his Body Technique was drastically reduced.
Overjoyed, Feng Qin channeled the full might of his Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer Magical Power. His fists became a blur of countless millstone-sized afterimages as he unleashed a frenzied barrage on Chu Bai.
"Continuous Landslide!"
This was his signature move. Combined with the gravitational suppression, any ordinary Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer Cultivator caught in his range would have their bones shattered within three exchanges.
Yet, Chu Bai’s expression remained as serene as ever.
Faced with this airtight assault, he chose not to meet force with force. Instead, his body swayed like a willow catkin in the wind.
Each time the force of a punch was about to land, he would slip past it at an impossibly strange angle.
Fifty moves.
Seventy moves.
Ninety moves.
The spectators on the sidelines were dazzled. Pang Song clenched his fists tightly, cheering silently.
He could see that while Feng Qin’s assault was as relentless as the tide, Chu Bai was like a leaf bobbing on a stormy sea—no matter how fierce the winds and waves, he remained utterly unharmed.
"Something isn’t right..."
On the platform, Hee Yan’s brows were tightly furrowed.
Feng Qin was consuming massive amounts of Magical Power, and sweat was already beading on his forehead. Chu Bai, however, still had a healthy complexion, his breathing not even slightly disturbed.

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