Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

"A...a nominal disciple?" Ah Xing's eyes widened instantly: "You...you mean, I've been accepted as a nominal disciple by the sect leader?!"

"Otherwise, why do you think the cult leader would pass on his teachings to you?" Wang Ai said with a smile.

Ah Xing nodded, then recalled the scene of seeing Zhang Zhiwei earlier, and said, "Before I dreamed, I seemed to have seen the cult leader, but at that time I didn't realize it was the cult leader..."

He paused, then asked uncertainly, "Has the cult leader really arrived? Was the scene of encountering the cult leader earlier a dream or reality?"

Wang Ai looked at A Xing. The scene from before was indeed real, but the kid hadn't seized the opportunity.

After thinking for a moment, he didn't give Ah Xing a clear answer, but instead gave him the answer of the cult leader Tathagata.

“The Lord Tathagata…” Ah Xing murmured to himself. Over the years, he had attended classes at a church school and naturally knew the meaning of the words “Tathagata”.

This refers to a Buddha in Buddhism. The name of that Buddha has two meanings. A direct translation would be "seems to have come" and "seems not to have come." Whether he came or not is unknown. So the translation is Tathagata.

After hearing this explanation, Ah Xing stopped asking questions. Whether he came or not, it was a fact that the cult leader transmitted his skills in his dream, which meant that the cult leader had always been there. So there was no point in dwelling on whether he came or not.

He's now focusing on a different point.

"Bishop!" Ah Xing leaned closer and asked in a sneaky whisper, "Is that nominal disciple... really true?"

Wang Ai nodded: "That's right, you have to work hard as a disciple. You might become the sect leader's personal disciple in the future. That would be amazing!"

"Oh?" Ah Xing quickly asked, "Then let me ask another question, what are the benefits of becoming the leader's personal disciple? For example... is there a monthly salary?"

"Salary?" Wang Ai almost choked on her own saliva: "What are you thinking about, kid! You need to broaden your horizons! You need to open your mind!"

“What’s a salary? A salary is a benefit I’m giving you. The benefits the leader gives you are enormous. Our leader is nicknamed ‘Human Opportunity.’ Everyone who receives his guidance benefits for life! If you really become his personal disciple, why would you be afraid of not getting any benefits?” Wang Ai said with a smile.

Ah Xing asked thoughtfully, "Will the cult leader appear frequently?"

He had only recently attained Qi and was unaware of the true identity of the Heavenly Tong Sect Leader.

“Of course you will. Our leader is a living, breathing person. You will have the opportunity to meet him in the future,” Wang Ai said.

A living, breathing person? Ah Xing was taken aback, recalling the towering figure he had seen in his dream. He wondered what kind of presence the cult leader would have in reality.
"Bishop!" Ah Xing straightened his chest and said with a serious expression, "The Pope said that maintaining world peace depends on me! But... how exactly should world peace be maintained?"

The goal of maintaining world peace is too grand and futuristic, and the world is too chaotic; he simply couldn't think of a way to carry it out.

This question stumped Wang Ai as well. Although the Tiantong Church's main purpose was for justice and world peace, that was all from a holistic perspective. If it came down to the individual...

Suddenly, Wang Ai recalled the scene when she went to Liaodong with her senior brother Zhang and others. That must be it.

However… Wang Ai glanced at A Xing. This seemed a bit too much to ask of A Xing. One must eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time. One must start from the beginning.

Wang Ai said, "The world is very big, but it is also very small when it comes to each individual. When the world you are in contact with is very small, maintaining the world you are in contact with is also a way to maintain world peace."

“To protect the world I come into contact with…” Ah Xing murmured to himself, but soon, he had an idea.

“I know what to do,” he said.

"So what do you plan to do?" Wang Ai asked curiously.

Ah Xing said, “When I was working as a laborer at the docks, there was a foreman who often bullied people. He was a small leader of the Crocodile Gang. Relying on his connections, he did all sorts of evil things. Withholding wages was commonplace for him. If anything displeased him, he would beat and kick the workers. These gangs are simply a cancer. I plan to wipe them out.”

Speaking of this, Ah Xing's eyes lit up: "And the Axe Gang, they were also a bunch of scourges. In the past, these people did things with some sense of morality. Although they also took money, they would protect the area."

"But after the old leader of the Axe Gang disappeared, this new brother Chen has been committing arson, murder, robbery, rape, and kidnapping—he's a beast among beasts! They're all a cancer! I'm going to wipe them all out!"

Seeing Ah Xing's indignant and eager expression, Wang Ai nodded with satisfaction. Having drive and goals is a good thing.

Moreover, sending him to clean up these shady gangs is a good opportunity for him to practice and familiarize himself with his own power, while also bringing fame to the Tian Tong Church—a win-win situation.

Speaking of gangs, the Tiantong Church originally had considerable influence here, namely the Yongxin Company and the Caoqing Gang.

However, Wang Ai later felt that being entangled with a gang was a disgrace to his reputation, so he completely cut off his business in that area, became legitimate, and distributed this force to various places.

The Tian Tong Sect's charitable activities, such as setting up soup kitchens in various places, were mostly carried out by them. They managed to get a group of former thugs to willingly go to various places to do charity work, which is indeed a remarkable achievement.

Where there is white, there is black. With Yongxin Company abandoning its gang power, coupled with the passing of the Axe Gang leader and many elders, the two giants of the underworld were gone at the same time. The vacated power immediately gave rise to many new small gangs, which began to expand wildly. Gang fighting and killing naturally had a great impact on the lives of ordinary people.

But now, just as Wang Ai was preparing to use them as a whetstone for Ah Xing, Ah Xing needed some achievements to convince the public before he could take up the post of the chief protector of the religious department, and those gang forces were the best targets.

The most powerful of these gangs is Brother Chen of the Axe Gang, who was a minor leader under the former Axe Gang leader, Wang Yuqiao.

This person has little strength, but he is very shrewd, ruthless, generous with money, has strong organizational skills, and is good at using people. Therefore, he quickly integrated the previously fragmented Axe Gang. In order to increase the cohesion of the gang, he even dressed the Axe Gang's thugs in suits, making them look respectable. Now, it is the largest gang force.

However, the Axe Gang's current reputation is only in the eyes of ordinary people. In Wang Ai's view, they are just a group of insignificant characters who cannot be brought to the table.

This time, Senior Brother Zhang and he came not only to set up the church and sell the light factory, but also to carry out a purge and eliminate the influence of the clan.

Originally, he planned to have Fire Cloud Evil God do it, but now it seems that it is most suitable to hand it over to Ah Xing. Fire Cloud Evil God's methods are too violent and it is easy to cause corpses to be scattered everywhere.

So Wang Ai patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Good! That's ambition! This is exactly what the leader wants to see! Go ahead and do it, don't be afraid of causing trouble. Remember, you are now the Grand Protector, and the entire Tiantong Sect is your support!"

"Yes, Bishop!" Upon receiving confirmation, Ah Xing felt a surge of power coursing through his body.

He bowed deeply to Wang Ai, then turned and, like an arrow released from a bow, charged out with an indomitable spirit.

His first stop was Pier 16!

Ah Xing's figure appeared like a ghost in the Crocodile Gang's territory.

"Hey! Kid, get lost!" A thug with a fierce face glanced at Ah Xing and spoke in an unfriendly tone.

Ah Xing didn't say anything, but kept walking towards the Crocodile Gang's headquarters.

"Damn it, you're asking for it!"

Seeing that he didn't know what was good for him, the thug cursed and threw a punch.

Ah Xing simply reached out, grabbed the other person's wrist, and twisted it upwards.

"Crack!"

A sickeningly clear sound of bones cracking rang out. The thug's scream had barely left his lips when Ah Xing's foot stomped down like a hammer, landing precisely on the instep of his foot.

"Ah!" An even more piercing scream shattered the noise of the dock. The thug's foot was crushed into a puddle of mud, clearly ruined.

This scene stunned the other thugs and the nearby workers.

"Those who cause trouble, all of you, attack him and cripple him!" The remaining thugs were both shocked and furious. They drew their short axes and swarmed forward.

However, in front of Ah Xing now, these thugs who only knew how to fight were no different from chickens and dogs. He weaved through the crowd, stepping on their feet one by one.

One by one, the thugs fell to the ground with cries of pain, clutching their trampled ankles, completely incapacitated.

These injuries wouldn't kill them; they could even return to work after a period of rest. But the excruciating pain and the lifelong limp would render them incapable of fighting and violence, effectively ending their gang dreams.

The commotion alerted the Crocodile Gang's headquarters. Soon, the gang leader arrived with more than a dozen core henchmen, some of whom were even carrying guns.

"Just one person?"

"Who else!!"

The Crocodile Gang leader roared, and at the same time, he pulled out a pistol and pointed it directly at Ah Xing.

Facing the gun barrel, Ah Xing stopped for the first time. He took a deep breath, and the Qi within his body began to surge. He clasped his hands together, then formed a mudra, and a pale golden light emerged from his palms.

"Buddha's light appears!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed a palm strike! This time, he was serious.

"boom!"

A highly refined golden palm print shot out, and wherever it passed, it was as if an invisible force had crushed everything. The Crocodile Gang leader, along with more than a dozen others, were sent flying backward, crashing into the cargo box behind them, and lying limply on the ground, lifeless.

Only a few slow-moving thugs, who hadn't had time to get in, stood frozen in place upon seeing this scene, not daring to move.

Ah Xing walked over, crushed one of their feet in turn, and left.

Today's news spread like wildfire.

However, before they could process this shock, an even more violent storm struck that night.

The Paramount Ballroom was the Axe Gang's biggest den of iniquity, a place of dazzling lights, revelry, and endless singing and dancing. Axe Gang members, dressed in suits, surveyed the scene with haughty swagger, while the dance floor resonated with decadent music.

"boom!"

The revolving glass door shattered with a crash! A figure walked in step by step amidst the flying glass shards.

The music stopped abruptly, and everyone's attention turned to the unexpected guest.

It was Ah Xing.

"Who is he? Looking for death!"

Dozens of Axe Gang thugs reacted, drew their gleaming axes, and surged forward from all directions.

Ah Xing sneered, like a tiger among sheep, unstoppable. All the Axe Gang thugs fell to the ground with their feet crushed by him. Some, after having one foot crushed, still tried to resist, but Ah Xing would crush their other foot.

Screams, cries, and the sounds of crashing filled the dance hall; the magnificent chandeliers swayed, and crystal ornaments shattered...

He fought his way up to the second floor, and finally, he found himself in the most luxurious private room on the second floor.

The ornate wooden door of the private room was smashed open with a single blow. Inside, Brother Chen, the new leader of the Axe Gang, was surrounded by women, his face pale with fright. Several bodyguards around him had just drawn their pistols, but before they could fire, Ah Xing approached and crushed their hands and stomped on their feet.

Then, he looked at Brother Chen and his advisor from the Axe Gang.

"Spare me! I have money, I'll give you everything..."

Brother Chen and the advisor collapsed to the ground, begging for mercy with tears streaming down their faces.

Ah Xing walked over and saw the person who used to be high and mighty kowtowing at his feet, and suddenly froze for a moment.

At that moment, Brother Chen suddenly attacked, taking an axe and chopping off Ah Xing's neck, but Ah Xing, who had reacted quickly, reached out and grabbed it.

Looking at the ringleader, Ah Xing slowly extended his palm.

"To maintain the peace that I have come into contact with..."

He muttered to himself, and then thrust out a palm strike.

With a "plop," Brother Chen fell to the ground, while the advisor, who had been begging for mercy, had his two feet crushed by him.

The next day, as dawn broke, an explosive piece of news spread.

The Crocodile Gang and the Axe Gang, two gangs that struck fear into the hearts of many, were completely eradicated! Core members were either killed or maimed, and ordinary members scattered like birds and beasts.

The only one who took action was a young man who called himself "the Messenger of Heavenly Communication".

Some say that his palms emit golden light, as if a god has descended to earth; others say that he is a protector sent by the Tiantong Church to cleanse the defilement.

Regardless of the rumors, the underground gangs experienced an unprecedented upheaval. The remaining petty criminals were terrified and kept a low profile, and the city's security suddenly improved temporarily.

At this moment, Ah Xing was standing alone on the roof of the Paramount Ballroom, looking down at the "peaceful" area he had created with his own hands, his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

An incident from many years ago flashed through his mind. Back then, he was just a child. To save a mute girl selling lollipops from a group of thugs, he mustered up his courage and rushed forward, only to be severely beaten and subjected to merciless ridicule and insults.

For many years afterward, he deliberately avoided that unpleasant memory and even despised his own overconfidence.

But now, he suddenly understood.

That seemingly foolish and impulsive boy, who follows his most primal sense of justice, is the real him.

Later, he simply lost his true self in his confusion.

And now, he has found himself again. He has found himself again, and finally found the cause he truly loves and is willing to dedicate his life to.

That is to uphold justice and maintain world peace.

With this thought in mind, he turned and walked towards the Tiantong Cathedral. Although the fat bishop was waiting for him, this time he was not going to see the bishop, but the head of the church. (End of Chapter)