Chapter 325: Chapter 196 Celestial Gate Fourth Stage, Freedom of the Strong!
Why does it feel like Old Zhang is entrusting his orphaned child to me?
When Qin Shi received that extraordinarily significant iron token, his mind went blank.
Logically speaking, wasn’t he the one being “entrusted”?
“Master Zhang, are you alright?”
Qin Shi asked anxiously.
Nanhuang Daoist School was his biggest support at the moment.
Without Master Zhang, a grandmaster level figure, Ying Clan could crush him with just one finger.
Of course, he could also seek refuge with Old Chen and willingly become a door-in son-in-law as another way out.
Old Zhang lifted his drooping eyelids and smiled, saying:
“I can still live for a few more years.”
Qin Shi spread his hands and looked down at the iron object.
It was an ancient-looking palm-sized token, with a metallic sheen on the surface, and the words “Boundless and Unforbidden” engraved on it in an archaic script, void of any sharpness.
“You just need to input your identity information into it. Dongxia’s ‘Legal Net’ will no longer restrain you. You can complete any action first and provide reasons later.”
Old Zhang’s voice was hoarse:
“Holding such power, you are destined to be listed on all official registers of New Dongxia as a ‘dangerous character’. This is not the chaotic era of martial turmoil. Every Daoist School is either co-opted or feared. I have only used it twice till now.
Little Qin, remember, being boundless and unforbidden relies on your strength. It is only a legitimate excuse for you to wield your power.”
Qin Shi nodded, indicating his understanding.
The most valued asset of any powerful regime is stability.
Armed and permitted to do anything, though it sounds formidable,
it is, in fact, the most unstable factor in this solid system.
No one likes a sword hanging over their head, and no one wants to be overseen by a third party.
The existence of a Daoist School master’s permit is not in everyone’s interest.
This is why the Martial Arts Association’s headquarters is constantly thinking about reclaiming it.
“Master Zhang, is there anything else you need to tell me?” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ noⅴelfire.net
Qin Shi was about to head to Central City, the stronghold of the Education Department and the Ying Clan, where the risks were high.
“Ying Lin won’t touch you again. You only need to beware of Mo Qihuan. He is very skilled in the ways of power and manipulation.”
Old Zhang said slowly:
“As for safety, Little Fish is enough to deal with open and covert attacks. This time, getting the first place in Heng Province’s Top 100 Competition and being awarded by the Governor’s Mansion makes you a prominent figure.
Under the spotlight, even those with the guts of a bear or a tiger, who want to curry favor with the Ying Clan and attach themselves to the powerful, would not dare to act rashly.”
Qin Shi nodded. Heng Province was not a lawless place; it was still under the watch of the Nine Marshals of Dongxia.
If something happened to him, the Planet Governor who had been retired for years would surely turn Central City upside down.
Otherwise, in the aftermath, no one could shoulder the responsibility!
“Master Zhang, aren’t you planning to check out the Central District?”
Qin Shi pondered for a moment, still feeling uneasy. Without Old Zhang, his strong backing, he was never fully at ease.
“I’m too old; my body can’t handle the strain anymore. I’d rather stay in Tai’an, nourish myself, and try to breathe a few more times.”
Old Zhang shook his head, refusing to act as Qin Shi’s bodyguard.
The latter felt slightly disappointed but also sensed something was amiss.
Knowing Old Zhang’s personality, such a great opportunity to bring honor to Nanhuang Daoist School and suppress those New Martial Sect members of the Martial Arts Association, how could he choose to keep a low profile?
Nevertheless, hearing Old Zhang say this, Qin Shi did not press further. He took up the position of Executive Deputy Head of Nanhuang Daoist School and entered his identity information into the token-like permit.
With a buzzing sound, the news quickly spread through the oscillation of the radio waves, being known by the official channels of Heng Province’s New Star.
All departments got the message: a new “dangerous character” armored and boundless reappeared in the local area!
In the underground machine room of the Inspection Department.
Old Feng, who was appeasing the Mechanical Soul, dismantling some hardware for cleaning, suddenly widened his eyes.
His mind seemed to connect to a certain frequency, hearing the sonic vibrations from the enormous Mechanical Soul.
“The succession ceremony at the Nanhuang Daoist School is complete?”
Old Feng paused, then stopped his actions and walked to the workbench.
Sure enough, he saw the information updated on the key monitoring list.
This “blacklist” issued by the Judicial Court of Dongxia, highly confidential, detailed the current Daoist School masters holding permits and their related inheritors.
Each name was marked in striking red with different levels of danger.
Among them, Nanhuang Daoist School surprisingly ranked in the top three of the entire list!
“Master Qin’s teacher is truly bold.”
Old Feng, in charge of the machine room’s maintenance, glanced with the corner of his eye, spotting part of the content.
[…Nanhuang Daoist School, first-generation master, Zhang Qiang. Beyond the specialized domain, close to ‘King Tier’, with extremely powerful survival and combat abilities, once breached Heng Province’s Iron Curtain defenses, invaded Songgu River Manor, killed seventy-seven direct descendants of the Ying Clan, and beheaded three General-level elites from the battle group…]
Old Feng clicked his tongue twice, thinking Master Qin’s teacher was incredibly fierce.
At such an old age, he could still maintain such a slaughterous state!
The extraordinary level beyond the specialized domain was referred to as “Celestial Gate Fourth Stage”.
In ancient times, it wasn’t classified in such detail and was uniformly called “Grandmaster Level”.
With the establishment of New Dongxia, the military had extensive drills and felt the term was too vague and old-fashioned.
So they changed it to “Celestial Gate Fourth Stage”.
The division was pretty simple: “Soldier Level”, “General Level”, “King Sealing Level”, and “Emperor Level”.
“A ‘Emperor Level’ combat force that lived from the era of the first ten elites to now. Truly terrifying!”