Chapter 353: Chapter 339 What About Me?

The many disciples had not yet awakened from the shock of the stars appearing before them.

All the children without the Seed of True Qi had stars filling their eyes, slowly fading away.

Some children scratched their heads, feeling as if they received a special power in their martial arts perception, but upon sensing again, it vanished.

Not far away, disciples who had already joined the Ancient River Sect smiled.

The previous initiation had been somewhat hasty.

This formal initiation truly revealed the might of the Ancient River.

Liang Baiyin watched the silhouette of that senior brother gradually walking away, her mind filled with doubts.

This person felt very familiar to her, but upon careful recollection, she could never remember seeing a martial artist with such a peculiar physique.

To call him robust would indeed be accurate.

Yet his whole body was encased in that kind of fleshy bulk; rarely do martial artists have such bodies, most likely due to absorbing huge amounts of power that hasn’t been fully transformed.

However, this kind of physique seems to offer more of a sense of security.

“Pfft…” Liang Baiyin looked around, unable to find Brother Zhou Leng, whom she wanted to chat with.

She would soon take her entrance exams and return to Xiongjing after the test.

Zhou Leng stepped out of the grand plaza, entered an office, removed his mask, and carefully took out the Tiger Talisman from the Magic Spirit Bag.

Although the jade Tiger Talisman held powerful energy, Zhou Leng always feared it might shatter, handling it with care.

The surface of the Tiger Talisman was originally pale with black patterns.

Now, it had a golden pattern on each side.

The whistling sound from the initiation ceremony earlier was triggered by the Tiger Talisman.

Zhou Leng silently chanted “Tiger Talisman” in his heart.

A light screen appeared before his eyes, similar to what he had seen atop the highest peak in Hundred Peaks Valley.

On the light screen, Divine Text whirled.

A red prompt emerged.

“The following disciples harbor ill intentions, suspected of inheriting the Ancient River’s great enemy ’Foreign God’s’ legacy, to be judged by the senior brother whether to punish them.”

Beneath the red prompt appeared the images of sixteen people.

Among the two to three thousand people, there were only sixteen traitors.

Zhou Leng contacted Wang Boxiong and requested access to all the disciples’ records.

Soon, he found these sixteen people from the disciples’ data.

Six from the Martial Valve Race.

Seven from various major forces.

Three ordinary people.

Wang Boxiong arrived, looking at Zhou Leng.

Zhou Leng said, “As the acting senior brother of the Ancient River Sect, I have some small special abilities. For example, I can identify who among the newly initiated disciples have problems. I found sixteen people in total.”

Zhou Leng sent those sixteen individuals’ information back to Wang Boxiong.

As Wang Boxiong reviewed the information, his expression grew increasingly cold.

Zhou Leng said, “The first nine plotted malicious intent and should theoretically be considered internal enemies, though it’s unclear if they are domestic or foreign. The other seven are believed by the Ancient River Sect to possess powers of an alien race, though precisely what isn’t clear to me. But without a doubt, they might be related to the Demon Worship Sect and demons. There could also be hidden unknown forces, although that seems unlikely.”

Although the specific nature of the Foreign God was unclear, instinctively it drew associations with the Demon Worship Sect and Demon Purgatory.

Zhou Leng continued, “According to the Ancient River Sect’s rules, they should be eliminated directly. However, I hope to follow the clues upstream, capturing and killing when possible, especially the latter seven. As for the first nine, I need a definitive explanation.”

Wang Boxiong flipped through the information again, saying, “If the latter seven are involved with the Demon Worship Sect, as long as evidence is found, no matter who is behind them, even if they’re from a Martial Clan household, the pursuit will not end. But the first nine, they are most likely from domestic and foreign major forces trying to steal the Ancient River legacy, these people are very difficult to deal with.”

Zhou Leng said, “So, the first nine are beyond the competence of your Martial Guard Department?”

“Just like the Fifty-Ninth Middle School case, there’s nothing to be done. Espionage charges, especially for spies with ties, as you’ve likely seen in the news. Although some are used to trade for benefits, still…” Wang Boxiong sighed softly.

The Martial Guard only had the power to apprehend and combat, not to judge, and he often felt a deep sense of helplessness when seeing the outcomes of some cases.

“Since your Martial Guard can’t handle these nine, I’ll take care of it.”

“As the senior brother, it’s your decision,” Wang Boxiong replied.

“To be safe, invite the Demigod Demon Spirit Master to enforce the triple prohibitions of oaths, decrees, and oracles, with everyone participating, focusing mainly on those sixteen people. Then, under the pretext of closed training, forbid these sixteen from contacting the outside. When you finish investigating the latter seven, I’ll find a chance to publicly execute those nine, to let those behind them know that the Ancient River Sect is not to be insulted.”

Wang Boxiong said, “Some among them come from extremely high backgrounds, even a Grandmaster; the pressure will be immense when acting. However, we will firmly insist that Marshal Huang Xuan is involved, to share the burden.”

“Aren’t you afraid Saint Huang will beat you up? I’ve heard he’s quite temperamental.”

“It’s fine, just keep a low profile,” Wang Boxiong said.

“Senior brother, I didn’t expect you to be so reckless… I mean, so righteous. I believe that when you’re getting beaten, you won’t give me away.”

“Rest assured, as long as I can endure, I won’t give you away.”

“Thank you, senior brother,” Zhou Leng said without a hint of a smile.

“It’s what a senior brother should do,” Wang Boxiong said earnestly, “Moreover…”

Wang Boxiong took out one black plastic bag after another from the Magic Spirit Bag.

“These are pills from the Martial Guard Department’s Divine Eagle Plan.”

“These are pills from the New Qing University fund.”

“This is an extra reward for Senior Brother of the Ancient River.”

“And this is an incense burner applied for earlier from the Martial Resources Bureau, to light Concentration Incense in for great benefits in the future.”

“In addition, there are some national rewards that were previously applied for and expedited to confirm.”

“This is the National Mansion’s special allowance.”

“This is the ’Innate Secret Warfront Subsidy’ from the Demon City Army.”

“This is the ’Hidden Heroic Model’ from the Martial Guard Department. These two honors do not award much, totaling only two million.”

“However…” Wang Boxiong looked at Zhou Leng and said, “When you need it, because of these two honors, some people will stand up.”

Zhou Leng’s heart moved, vaguely understanding the true purpose of Wang Boxiong applying for these two honors for him.

Zhou Leng slowly nodded.

“You are now the senior brother of the Ancient River Sect and the honorary director of the Ancient River Research Bureau, so a special quota for ’personal pill purchase and conversion,’ abbreviated as individual allocation certificate, has been specially approved.”

“As long as you have money, for any Innate-level pill, you can directly buy up to 100 pills, and you can also exchange them for any other pills without loss.”

“No matter what you want to buy, Quanru City, or even the whole country, will prioritize procurement for you.”

“As for those non-special Hundred Pills, which can be consumed indefinitely, you can buy them in large quantities.”

“Even for the Dragon and Tiger Pills, which even a Grandmaster would vie for, you have a full 20-pill priority quota.”

“Neither Zhang Xinglie nor Elder Song holds this qualification, and among your young generation, perhaps only Li Shenkong has this privilege.”

“However, he doesn’t need it.”

“In addition, preparations are being made to apply for the Outstanding Youth Fund, which is higher than the New Qing University Fund, for you.”

“Furthermore, it is believed by Ruda that you managed to secure a place at the Divine Literature Academy via Zhao Nandi’s help, and a new reward is being prepared. I know you are low-key, so let them convert it into pills or money, and the commendation conference can wait until you become a Grandmaster.”

“Moreover, since you have now advanced to Innate, and since you don’t want to join the Martial Guard, then sign a ’Special Martial Guard’ contract. The money is secondary; the identity is important.”

“With the identity of a Special Martial Guard, you will have the power to command lower-tier Martial Guards in wartime, and even request nationwide Martial Guard assistance.”

Zhou Leng instantly understood, as this would grant him the power to search and mobilize Martial Guards in the future.

“More rewards are forthcoming, which you can directly obtain through trials and rankings on Innate Mountain.”

“There are also some rewards that are too conspicuous, temporarily not applying for them. When you advance to Grandmaster, more Grandmaster-level honors and rewards will supplement you, with benefits ten times what they are now.”

“Currently, the Divine Text Bureau, Demon City Army, Martial Guard Department, and even the Martial Mansion, all owe you a great deal of favor. This is the most important.”

“As the number of disciples in the Ancient River Sect continues to grow, on the day your identity is revealed, the Ancient River Sect disciples will be one of your greatest assets.”

“Plus, with the identities of the Steel Dwarves, Ice Snow Divine Sect, and Giants, these martial arts resources are already on par with the direct lineage of top financial conglomerates, probably second only to Li Shenkong and a few others.”

“I await your advancement to Grandmaster.”

After Wang Boxiong finished speaking, he waited for Zhou Leng to complete the signature, then turned and left.

Zhou Leng examined the pills and certificates in each plastic bag.

Having previously spent all the money, and with the auction still some time away, he hadn’t expected Wang Boxiong to come so providentially.

These rewards are extensive.

In addition to various bonuses, there were 20 Embracing Essence Pills, 20 Concentration Pills, and 10 Nourishing Essence Pills.

There was also a reward completely unexpected.

A Dragon and Tiger Pill.

One reward, exceeding the sum of all others.

In the same realm, having a Dragon and Tiger Pill versus not having one equates to two different Innates.

After organizing and storing away the pills, Zhou Leng continued to examine the materials while exploring the various functions of the Tiger Talisman.

Seeing Lou Fei Qiong, Zhou Leng felt quite relieved as he wasn’t among the sixteen, indicating that he harbors no disloyalty.

Within the Tiger Talisman, the over three hundred children not yet enrolled were marked as pure Ancient River Sect disciples.

The remaining ones belonged to those who had brought their skills to seek mentorship.

Among them, three individuals were specially noted.

One was Mountain and River Origin, marked as a “Starry Giant Bloodline,” a bloodline capable of cultivating martial arts, extremely rare even in the endless universe.

Another was Song Juesi, marked with “Cloud Pattern Dharma Body” and “Unparalleled Will,” designated for focused training.

The last one was Zhang Xinglie, bearing an “Innate Martial Body” and “High-Level Civilization Inheritance,” with limitless prospects.

These three individuals, even within the star-studded Ancient River Sect, could each sustain an era.

“What about me?”

Zhou Leng patted the Tiger Talisman, forcefully.

The Tiger Talisman showed no response.

“The tiger eyes look down on people, thirty years in the east of the river, thirty years in the west… never mind.”

After conducting the entrance ceremony, Zhou Leng left the Martial Guard Bureau in Rucheng, continuing his usual cultivation, preparing for the counterattack.

Elder Song, Li Yuanhe, the Demon City Army, together with the Martial Guard, cultivated disciples.

Meanwhile, the Martial Guard and Demon City Army discreetly moved to investigate those seven individuals.

With targets locked, in the face of the vast national machinery, nothing could remain hidden.

In just five days, the relationship chain of the seven individuals was thoroughly investigated.

The Martial Guard and Demon City Army joined forces to eradicate a large number of traitors, including even Grandmaster families and high-ranking figures of various major powers.

After the purge, the Ancient River Research Bureau Plaza held another disciple assembly.

Thousands of disciples lined up in the plaza, reminiscent of students during recess exercises.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep