Chapter 525 258: Cleaning House
Considering the anger Xiao Nianci had just displayed, anyone observant could figure it out.
This acting Director of the Inspection Department's decision to heavily promote and utilize Chen Cheng was likely just a smokescreen.
Her true intention was probably to use these four Chiefs of the Imperial Guard to kill Chen Cheng on the spot.
After all, these four Chiefs of the Imperial Guard were all Martial Artists of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, a full major Realm above Chen Cheng.
The five Body Refining Realms are Skin Grinding, Muscle Strengthening, Bone Forging, Marrow Cleansing, and Organ Refining. With each advancement to a new Realm, one's power increased dramatically.
In a life-or-death battle, a confrontation between a high-Realm and a low-Realm Martial Artist was almost always a one-sided slaughter!
Even a Martial Artist at Small Success in the Muscle Strengthening Realm could easily defeat three to five Martial Artists at Skin Grinding Realm Perfection.
The same held true for a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist against one from the Muscle Strengthening Realm.
Cultivating the Marrow Cleansing Realm after the Bone Forging Realm was exceedingly difficult. Many spent their entire lives unable to make the breakthrough.
Among the tens of millions of people in the entire Linji Prefecture, Martial Artists of the Marrow Cleansing Realm were few and far between.
Once a Martial Artist entered the Marrow Cleansing Realm, the power gap between it and the Bone Forging Realm became even more immense, growing into an almost insurmountable chasm.
A Martial Artist of the Marrow Cleansing Realm had undergone a complete transformation by Purifying the Marrow. The magnitude of their Qi Blood Power far surpassed that of a Bone Forging Realm Perfection Martial Artist, and they had mastered True Force.
It was no exaggeration to say that in a pure contest of Power, a Bone Forging Realm Perfection Martial Artist stood almost no chance against a Martial Artist of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.
If a Martial Artist of the Bone Forging Realm wished to contend with the True Force of a Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artist, their only hope was to rely on their Realm Power.
However, a Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artist's bone marrow had been refined, making their senses extremely attuned to the Power of Heaven and Earth Origin. As a result, almost all of them could cultivate a Realm.
Even if both had cultivated a Realm, the Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artist could leverage their far greater Qi Blood Power to mobilize more of the Power of Heaven and Earth Origin.
The Realm Power they could unleash was thus far more formidable than that of a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist, allowing them to maintain their crushing advantage.
With overwhelming Realm Power and the advantage of True Force, no matter how powerful a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist was, it was nearly impossible for them to stand against a Martial Artist of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.
Simply surviving an encounter with a Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artist was an incredibly difficult feat.
Of course, nothing was absolute. The world still had its share of monstrously talented geniuses who, while in the Bone Forging Realm, could contend with—and even gain an advantage over—Martial Artists of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.
To achieve this, one had to cultivate the Skin Grinding, Muscle Strengthening, and Bone Forging Realms to their absolute peak, forging the legendary Profound Gold Hide, Dragon Tendons, and Perfect Flawless Jade Bone.
This would allow the magnitude of their Qi Blood Power to far exceed that of their peers, reaching a level comparable to a Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artist.
But across the entire world, with its trillions of people, a person capable of cultivating to such a degree might not appear even once in several centuries.
Another possibility was to possess an exceptionally deep comprehension of one's Realm, allowing for superior control and the unleashing of a stronger Realm Power to contend with a Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artist.
While this was more common, it was still a feat few could accomplish.
Among the tens of millions in Linji Prefecture, only Zheng Hun had reached this level in the past several decades.
Although Chen Cheng was hailed as the foremost Martial Dao practitioner of Linji City's younger generation, his reputation was built mostly on his feats of slaying Demon Beasts.
His only clear advantage over Jiang Lang, the previous holder of that title, was his Realm.
Chen Cheng might be powerful for a Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist, but against a Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artist who had also mastered a Realm, he would likely be outmatched.
Moreover, these four Chiefs of the Imperial Guard were no ordinary Martial Artists of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.
To have been selected as Chiefs of the Imperial Guard, they were undoubtedly the cream of the crop among Marrow Cleansing Realm Martial Artists.
They might even be Marrow Cleansing Realm Perfection Martial Artists.
The odds of Chen Cheng surviving an encounter with them were incredibly slim.
As for whether the four would actually strike a killing blow and assassinate Chen Cheng, only they and Xiao Nianci knew for sure.
If Chen Cheng were to agree recklessly, his life would be entirely in their hands.
Upon this realization, everyone present secretly broke out in a cold sweat for Chen Cheng.
"Poison Lady, you've gone too far!"
Xia Lingfeng's eyes widened as he roared furiously.
He didn't call her Miss Xiao or Lord Xiao, but used her full name—a clear sign of his fury.
Though Xia Lingfeng hadn't spent much time with Chen Cheng, he had taken a real liking to the young man and felt a genuine connection with him.
Xia Lingfeng had fought within the Great Dao Sect to secure Chen Cheng the position of Vice Director of the Linji City Demon Suppression Department, making his intention to mentor this junior perfectly clear.
Xia Lingfeng could tolerate Xiao Nianci's dislike for Chen Cheng over the matter with Zheng Hun. He could even endure her subtly ostracizing and embarrassing the young man!
After all, Xiao Nianci was the Great Dao Sect's infamous Poison Lady; Xia Lingfeng had no desire to provoke her.
But for Xiao Nianci to plot against Chen Cheng's life—that crossed Xia Lingfeng's line!
No matter how tyrannical and overbearing she was, he would not let her succeed!
Xia Lingfeng resolved that even if it meant tearing away all pretense and coming to blows with Xiao Nianci in front of everyone, he would not hesitate!
"Heh!" Xiao Nianci chuckled, her voice calm and unhurried.
"Big-bearded Xia, why the rush?"
"Am I not simply asking for Chen Cheng's opinion?"
"If he wants to become a Chief of the Imperial Guard for the Linji City Inspection Department, he needs to prove he has the skills to win everyone's sincere admiration."
"Otherwise, if word of this got out, people might think I promoted him for personal reasons!"
"Furthermore, I have no objection to Chen Cheng's promotion to Inner Sect Disciple of the Great Dao Sect for the Merit he earned by slaying a Demon Beast."
"His appointment as Vice Director of the Linji City Demon Suppression Department, however, is another matter."
"As the acting Director of the Inspection Department, I have a duty to investigate whether Chen Cheng's promotion to Vice Director of the Linji City Demon Suppression Department was a result of someone abusing their authority for personal gain!"