The dust on the Martial Arts Arena had yet to settle. In the light of the setting sun, the Demon Slaying Officer’s token in Chu Bai’s hand gleamed with a faint, cold light.
Facing the more than two hundred pairs of eyes with their varied expressions, Zhang Cheng didn’t dismiss the crowd. Instead, he waved his sleeve and gave the order:
"There’s no time like the present. This reorganization cannot wait. Pang Song, Chu Bai! Right here on this Martial Arts Arena, you will select your officers and establish your new units!"
At his words, a solemn silence fell over the arena.
Chu Bai’s expression was calm, but he already had a plan. ’The Demon-slaying Team has a unique purpose, one that deals with the bizarre and the lethal. If I don’t have a few reliable subordinates, then even if I personally possess Heaven-Reaching Ability, I won’t be able to protect the peace here by myself.’
He was the first to speak, looking toward Pang Song not far away. Cupping his fists, he said, "Captain Pang, since we’re choosing our men on the spot, I’ll be bold and ask you for the first pick. I need one of your men."
Pang Song laughed heartily, his tone magnanimous. "Younger Brother Chu... no, Captain Chu, feel free to ask! As long as you’re not asking for my head, I’ll have no objections."
"I want Hu Hao."
Chu Bai’s voice was clear as his gaze fell upon Hu Hao in the crowd.
Hu Hao started, then his eyes lit up with intense joy and gratitude.
He had distinguished himself during the recent Purification and had just been promoted to Deputy Captain, so he’d assumed he would remain under Pang Song’s command.
"Done!" Pang Song was a straightforward man and slapped his thigh in agreement. "Hu Hao is a meticulous kid, and he attended the same Daoist School as you. He’d be a perfect fit to manage logistics and internal affairs for you."
Chu Bai gave a slight nod, his gaze then shifting to land on Feng Qin, who looked dejected after his recent defeat.
"Captain Feng."
Chu Bai walked over to Feng Qin and said something astonishing. "In a friendly duel, winning and losing are just part of the game. Captain Feng, you’ve been with the Evil Suppression Department for many years. You’re not only familiar with every inch of Anping County’s Earth Veins, but you also have practical experience leading troops in Demon Slaying."
"I wonder if you would be willing to accept the position of Deputy Captain for the Demon-slaying Team and lend me your aid?"
Feng Qin’s head snapped up. He had assumed that after gaining power, Chu Bai would push him aside, perhaps even shelve him completely.
He never imagined that Chu Bai would invite him to join his command, right here in front of everyone.
With one for internal affairs and one for field operations—Hu Hao for logistics and Feng Qin for combat—Chu Bai had assembled his core team. Watching from the high platform, Zhang Cheng couldn’t help but nod to himself in approval of Chu Bai’s shrewd appointments.
"Given Captain Chu’s magnanimity, if I were to hesitate now, it would prove I, Feng Qin, am no man at all!"
Feng Qin’s expression grew solemn. He clasped his fists firmly and declared, "I am willing to serve you, Captain!"
And just like that, the foundational leadership of the Demon-slaying Team was established.
The earlier duel for command had already shattered any contempt the crowd held for this youth.
Now, when they looked at Chu Bai, their gazes held not only reverence, but also a newfound and profound unease.
"Everyone."
Chu Bai began to speak. His voice was not loud, but infused with Spiritual Power, it carried clearly to everyone’s ears.
"I’ve gathered you all for one purpose: reorganization."
His words sent a quiet stir through the men below.
According to the Evil Suppression Department’s usual practice, new teams were typically formed based on seniority or direct appointments from above.
To put it bluntly, it just meant shuffling the old veterans around, giving them a new team name, and letting them carry on as before.
But Chu Bai’s next words were like a sledgehammer, shattering all those unwritten rules.
"The Demon-slaying Team will not harbor idlers, nor will it keep the incompetent. From this day forward, all prior seniority, factional ties, and past merits are null and void here."
Chu Bai’s gaze, sharp as lightning, swept over several senior veterans from the former first team. "If you want to join the Demon-slaying Team and draw its pay, you will play by my rules."
"Everyone will be retested. Survival of the fittest!"
In the crowd, the faces of several veteran Evil Suppression Guards who prided themselves on their extensive experience turned foul.
They had assumed their experience would at least guarantee them a squad leader position in the new team. They never expected Chu Bai to flip the entire table.
"Captain Chu, isn’t this against regulations?"
A veteran at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer shouted defiantly, "We brothers have bled and suffered for this department! On what grounds must we be retested?"
Chu Bai shot him a cold glance, his right hand gently stroking the Official Seal on the table.
"Regulations? In this Demon-slaying Team, my word *is* the regulation."
"If you don’t meet the standard, you can leave."
"Next, we choose the men."
Chu Bai stepped onto the high platform, his torch-like gaze sweeping over the remaining Evil Suppression Guards.
"The Demon-slaying Team deals with supernatural forces and spirits of chaos. When our blades are drawn, they must draw blood. The survival rate is lower than that of the Demon Slaying Team. For those who wish to join this team, I don’t care about the level of your Cultivation. I only want people with resilient spirits, people who don’t fear death."
Chu Bai’s voice echoed through the large arena. "If you’ve made up your mind, take one step forward. If you’re looking for a stable post and a good name for yourself, then remain for Captain Pang."
A small commotion rippled through the crowd.
Soon, one by one, Evil Suppression Guards puffed out their chests and stepped forward.
Some were rookies from Humble Families who had been overlooked before. Others were tough veterans who had been suppressed by the Luu Family and the second team for years. And there were even some passionate youths who had witnessed the Sanmu River tragedy firsthand and now wanted nothing more than to slay every last Demon in the world.
Chu Bai scanned them one by one, relying on his keen intuition to quickly sort through the group.
"You, in the line."
"You, over there."
In just one short hour, Chu Bai had picked out more than seventy men from the crowd of over two hundred—men with fierce expressions and clear eyes.
Although among these seventy-odd men, only a handful were at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer or higher, with most being rookies at the first or second layer, Chu Bai was very satisfied.
’Combat prowess could be trained. As long as their dispositions were ruthless enough, this team would become the sharpest blade in his hand.’
Meanwhile, Pang Song cheerfully absorbed the remaining hundred-odd veterans into his Demon Slaying Team.
The Demon Slaying Team had to deal with complex human conflicts and the intricacies of bureaucracy; it needed the experience and cunning of these old hands.

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