A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

Under the gaze of countless eyes with complex meanings, Su Bai took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He started walking, feeling a little unsteady at first, but quickly regained his balance and made his way through the automatically parting crowd toward the platform.

He could feel those gazes burning his back, as if they were tangible.

"Good, not bad! Su Bai, you're very good."

When Su Bai walked to the front of the stage, he bowed respectfully.

Wei Zhiyao showed the first gentle smile of the day, and even nodded slightly.

"Last night was so dangerous, with powerful enemies all around. You were able to maintain your courage, deal with them, and successfully warn them. This is a great achievement!"

This promotion was personally overseen and specially approved by Lord Ning. I hope you will remain humble and diligent in your duties, further refine your martial arts, and not disappoint Lord Ning's expectations, nor the Zhenfu Division's cultivation of you!

Wei Zhiyao's words were resounding, deliberately emphasizing the phrase "special approval from Lord Ning".

Although Wei Zhiyao was a county chief clerk, an eighth-rank military officer...

In front of ordinary people, he is very imposing.

But in the face of those truly powerful families and sects, they are simply not good enough.

Although he only received a few casual compliments from Lord Ning about Su Bai yesterday, he naturally had to carefully ponder the implications behind them.

If Su Bai can truly catch Lord Ning's eye because of this, his future prospects may be limitless.

At this moment, it would be easy to do someone a favor by going with the flow.

Perhaps in the future, I will still need to rely on this "idle piece".

At this moment, Su Bai naturally had no idea about the intricacies involved.

"Thank you for your guidance, Chief Constable! I, Su Bai, will certainly do my utmost, fulfill my duties diligently, and never fail to live up to the high expectations of Lord Ning and the Chief Constable!"

Su Bai bowed respectfully.

Under the watchful eyes of Chief Constable Wei Zhiyao, Deputy Chief Constable Xing Lie, three constables, and nearly a hundred constables from the entire agency,

Su Bai stepped forward steadily and solemnly received the full set of equipment symbolizing his official status as a constable from a personal attendant.

A standard goose-feather knife with a sheath, the sheath wrapped in dark brown leather, the copper parts polished to a high shine, gleaming with a calm luster in the morning light.

A brand-new elmwood waist tag, engraved with a number and the words "Fenjiang Town Pacification Office", tied with a dark blue tassel.

In addition, two books bound with blue cloth and tied with thin rope were also handed over—the very rewards that Wei Zhiyao had just mentioned: the "Blazing Sun Force" martial arts manual and the "Suppressing the Mountain" sword technique manual.

When Su Bai received these items with both hands, he could clearly feel the heavy weight of the goose feather knife, the smooth texture of the wooden waist tag, and the faint scent of ink emanating from the cover of the manual.

All of this unmistakably proclaimed the change in his identity.

Wei Zhiyao watched him accept the reward, his face once again showing an encouraging expression. He nodded slightly and said, "Cultivate diligently, do not fail this sword and this technique, nor fail the expectations of the court and the Zhenfu Division."

"I will follow the instructions of the Chief Constable! I will certainly study diligently and tirelessly to repay your great kindness!" Su Bai's voice was loud and clear as he bowed again, a surge of heat rising in his chest.

This scene made the eyes of the many constables below the stage almost spit fire, and emotions such as envy, jealousy, and disbelief surged in their hearts like boiling water.

Many people work hard for years, accumulate seniority, and cultivate their skills, yet they may never even get close to obtaining a formal position.

This kid managed to get all of it just by taking a "lucky" warning!

Chen Dongquan, standing in the taxi queue, had turned somewhat pale.

He stared intently at Su Bai, who was holding the reward and slowly descending the side steps of the high platform. His gaze was like a poisoned nail, as if he wanted to pierce several holes in Su Bai's back.

His jaw clenched, his cheek muscles twitched slightly, and the venomous fire of jealousy burned fiercely in his heart:

"Damn it! How could this peasant have such good fortune! Rising to the top in one step... We absolutely cannot let him gain power and establish himself!"

He was not the only one who shared this view.

Chen Chatou's face was gloomy, his eyes were dark and unfathomable, and his fingers unconsciously twisted his cuffs.

Li Cha let out a barely audible hum from his nose and looked away.

Wang, the constable, looked at Su Bai, then at Chen and Li, with a strange smile on his face, seemingly lost in thought.

Su Bai's sudden promotion was like a boulder thrown into a calm pond, stirring up the interests and plans they had been scheming in their hearts.

Only Xiang Quan, standing at the edge of the crowd, kept his head down the whole time, staring at the toes of his worn-out boots as if trying to see through the ground. He didn't dare to glance in Su Bai's direction at all. His figure was slightly hunched, completely out of place with the atmosphere of excitement or jealousy around him.

"My God! Brother Su! You...you've really become a formal constable?!"

As soon as Su Bai returned to his original position in the line, Sun Hou couldn't contain himself any longer and grabbed his arm. His face was a mixture of excitement and disbelief, and his voice was trembling with emotion.

He shook Su Bai's arm vigorously: "Incredible! Absolutely incredible! This is the most joyous occasion imaginable! You...you have to treat us! We have to celebrate properly!"

Old Wang and their direct subordinate, Constable Li, also gathered around. Both of them stared wide-eyed at Su Bai's sword, waist tag, and secret manual, as if they were seeing him for the first time.

Old Wang clicked his tongue and muttered, "Good heavens... Su Bai, your luck is truly unstoppable!"

Li, the constable, patted Su Bai on the shoulder. Although he didn't say much, the shock and complex emotions in his eyes were clearly visible.

Feeling the warmth of his colleagues, Su Bai felt a surge of joy. The pent-up frustration and anxiety of the past few days transformed into a triumphant sense of triumph.

He laughed heartily, his voice brimming with a rare sense of high spirits:

"It's all luck, all thanks to the kindness of the Chief Emissary and Lord Ning! I never expected to be here today! No doubt about it, after I finish my duties today, I, Su Bai, will be hosting a dinner at Chunfeng Tower. All of you brothers must do me the honor of attending; we won't leave until we're completely drunk!"

"good!"

"Brother Su is so straightforward!"

"Spring Breeze Pavilion! We'll remember that!"

Even after finishing their meal at Chunfenglou, Su Bai's face remained beaming with an undisguised smile, his brows and eyes relaxed, and even the wine he drank seemed exceptionally refreshing.

Even when he was paying the bill, the bill of fifteen taels of silver made his heart clench—it was almost all the savings he had accumulated from working as a temporary servant for more than half a year!

But at this moment, he felt no heartache whatsoever; instead, he felt a sense of pride and exhilaration at the thought that even if he lost a fortune, he could regain it.

Su Bai felt his steps were a little unsteady, not from being drunk, but from a light, dizzying feeling, as if he were floating on clouds.

Stepping out of the restaurant, the cool evening breeze helped to calm the feeling, transforming it into a warm, grounded joy.