Chapter 314: Rewards for Three Major Achievements

Chapter 314: Rewards for Three Major Achievements



November 12, 2024

Eastern Yard.

As the others left, only Jiang Ning and Bai Luoyu remained in the courtyard.

Bai Luoyu flicked his right hand, and the folding fan in his hand snapped shut with a "swish."

"Brother Jiang, you truly make me envious. By killing two Fifth Rank Warriors from the God Worship Sect, you've earned a million Contribution Points, approved by the higher-ups."

As he finished speaking, Bai Luoyu waved his hand.

Instantly, a palm-sized cloth bag appeared on the table.

Bai Luoyu pointed the fan in his hand towards the bag on the table.

"Brother Jiang, please count these. Ten Spirit Stone Jade Discs, each representing ten thousand Contribution Points."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning reached out and picked up the cloth bag from the table. He untied the drawstring at the bag's opening and saw that it contained jade discs, each slightly larger than an ordinary copper coin.

On the jade discs were intricate patterns and designs that Jiang Ning couldn't decipher.

Seeing this, even his usually calm heart couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

A million Contribution Points, equivalent to at least a million silver ingots in value, would be a tremendous help to him now.

With this million Contribution Points in hand, he wouldn't lack resources for a long time.

If he used them sparingly, they might even last until his cultivation reached the Grandmaster level.

As for the resources needed to reach the Grandmaster level, one could get a glimpse from Lin Qingyi's situation.

A drop of Hundred Spirit Blood, according to Lin Qingyi, was worth ten taels of gold, or a hundred silver ingots.

Ten drops would be worth a thousand silver ingots.

Lin Qingyi was just one step away, and the resources required for that final step were unknown to Jiang Ning.

These thoughts flashed through his mind as he put the cloth bag, worth a million Contribution Points, into his pocket.

"Thank you, Brother Bai!" Jiang Ning said with a bow.

Bai Luoyu smiled, "No need to thank me! If you want to express gratitude, thank Marquis Zhao of Dongling City for granting this reward."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning bowed in the direction of Dongling City to express his gratitude.

Bai Luoyu smiled and continued, "Brother Jiang, besides these, you have two more major achievements."

"The first is that a single person with a single bow guarded Luoshui County, greatly enhancing the reputation of the Inspection Office. This is a major achievement."

"The second is resolving the hidden threat of County Magistrate Li Hong. You are the primary contributor, and this is the second major achievement."

"For this achievement, you have two choices. One is to receive an additional four hundred thousand Contribution Points as a reward, and the other is an unconditional promotion to a half-rank official."

Jiang Ning said, "I want the Contribution Points!"

"A wise choice!" Bai Luoyu nodded.

He waved his hand, and another cloth bag appeared on the table.

"Brother Jiang, please count these. There are four hundred thousand Contribution Points inside!"

Jiang Ning picked up the bag and put it into his pocket.

"Thank you, Brother Bai."

Bai Luoyu smiled, opening his fan and gently waving it, "Next, I'll talk about the last matter!"

"Brother Jiang, you single-handedly guarded Luoshui County and suppressed the rebellion of the Black Mountain Army."

"Regarding the achievements you've made, I have two choices for you."

"The first is that Marquis Zhao of Dongling City intends to promote you. You will be appointed as a Deputy Commandant, a Sixth Rank official."

"Before taking office, you will be sent to the Martial Academy for cultivation and training. All regular expenses will be waived until you reach the Fifth Rank of the Martial Path, at which point you can take up your post."

A Sixth Rank official? Hearing these words, Jiang Ning's heart trembled.

In a strict sense, officials below the Seventh Rank were considered insignificant and not worthy of attention.

Hence, the Seventh Rank was often referred to as a 'Sesame Seed Official.'

Only officials above the Seventh Rank were considered truly significant.

The Deputy Commandant of the Inspection Office was a Sixth Rank position.

For the masses, such an appointment could be considered a leap to the heavens.

Moreover, the offer included cultivation at the Martial Academy, with all regular expenses waived.

Such a reward could indeed be considered generous.

First, cultivation, then appointment.

This was very reasonable and indicated that the higher-ups genuinely intended to promote him.

This also showed that, in their estimation, Jiang Ning was still at the Sixth Rank of the Martial Path.

The reason for his achievements was his exceptional archery skills and his balanced cultivation of both internal and external aspects.

But Jiang Ning knew his own situation.

He had officially entered the Fifth Rank of the Martial Path some time ago.

With thirty years of cultivation, he had reached the level where his inner breath was like the sea.

Moreover, he had unblocked the meridians throughout his body.

At the Fifth Rank, he was already no weaker than the older generation.

With some more time, he would be able to refine his inner breath into Prana.

One could say that if he chose this option, he could immediately go to Dongling City and take up the position of Deputy Commandant, a leap to the heavens.

However, thinking of what Bai Luoyu had just said, he couldn't help but turn to Bai Luoyu, wanting to hear the second option that Bai Luoyu would give him.

"Brother Bai, I'd like to hear the second option." Jiang Ning then spoke up.

Bai Luoyu smiled, "The second option is to give Brother Jiang a chance to obtain a sixth-rank official position in the Inspection Office."

"A chance?" Jiang Ning was surprised.

Bai Luoyu nodded, "Just a chance."

Hearing these four words, Jiang Ning immediately became curious.

The previous option was to be appointed as a sixth-rank official in the Inspection Office of Dongling City, serving as the Deputy Commandant, with the benefit of receiving cultivation in the Martial Academy and having all basic fees waived.

This option, also a sixth-rank position, was merely a chance.

There was obviously something more to this.

At the same time, Bai Luoyu noticed the unconcealed astonishment on Jiang Ning's face, and he couldn't help but smile.

Then he said, "Brother Jiang, do you know the rank of my position as an Inspector?"

Jiang Ning shook his head, "I don't know!"

He truly didn't know.

After joining the Inspection Office, he had mostly been a figurehead, not paying much attention to the organizational structure of the Inspection Office.

So he only had some understanding of the Inspection Office in Luoshui County, and not much beyond that.

Bai Luoyu explained, "Brother Jiang should also know that the power granted to the Inspection Office at its establishment was immense. With the privilege of executing first and reporting later, whether in a county, a prefecture, or a city, the local Inspection Office undoubtedly held the top power and military might. The local Marquis was like an uncrowned king."

Hearing Bai Luoyu's words, Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.

Not to mention elsewhere, just in Luoshui County, what major events had the Inspection Office accomplished since its establishment? The local power, the Cao family, was exterminated by Hong Minghu at his word, and the combination of power and might left others powerless to resist.

A single Inspection Office, in terms of military strength, was several times that of the entire county's local forces.

A single Hong Minghu, a fifth-rank martial warrior, could suppress the entire county.

Not to mention the sixth-rank martial warriors among the four Commanders, and the seventh-rank martial warriors among the four Deputy Commanders.

The ten-odd team leaders were all outstanding eighth-rank officials, and even ordinary team members had entered the rank system.

Furthermore, all formal members had also entered the rank system.

Such a force was enough to suppress the various powers within the city.

At the same time, the Inspection Office held privileges and occupied the law and justice.

Law referred to the legal system, and justice to truth.

Might was truth.

Jiang Ning had long known that the Inspection Office's system was problematic and could not last; chaos would inevitably arise sooner or later.

But this did not affect his decision to join the Inspection Office.

As the saying goes, one's position determines one's thoughts.

Being ruled by a privileged class is naturally unpleasant.

But becoming part of the privileged class is quite enjoyable.

The current Inspection Office was a typical example of a privileged class, standing above other bureaucratic institutions.

From Hong Minghu's act of executing Li Hong without prior approval, one could see how outrageous the privileges of the Inspection Office were.

A county magistrate, in theory, was the local Earth Emperor, holding the power of life and death.

But now, he was at Hong Minghu's mercy, to be executed at his word, with only the need to report and provide evidence afterward.

If one were to think about it seriously, it would become apparent that there were too many opportunities for abuse.

Framing and entrapment, deliberate scapegoating, the methods were numerous.

With the Inspection Office's excessively exaggerated privileges and power, in Jiang Ning's opinion, it wouldn't take many years for it to rapidly descend into corruption.

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Then Jiang Ning nodded in agreement.

"Brother Bai is right, the power of the Inspection Office is too great."

Bai Luoyu said, "This is well-known among the officials, and there have been countless objections. But because the Inspection Office is headed by a Martial Sage who also holds the position of the Capital City Marquis."

"Faced with such a transcendent existence beyond gods and immortals, the officials can't say much."

"But the Inspection Office is not without oversight."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning suddenly realized and looked at Bai Luoyu.

"Does that mean you're part of the oversight body?"

"Indeed!" Bai Luoyu nodded with a smile, "I'm a Prefectural Inspector, an inspector for an entire prefecture, holding a sixth-rank official position. Even half a rank higher than the highest official in any county."

"Dongling Prefecture is considered a small prefecture because most of its area is mountains and forests."

"But even as a small prefecture, Dongling Prefecture has jurisdiction over four counties, including Luoshui County."

"If any county has an emergency, as the Prefectural Inspector of Dongling Prefecture, I have the authority to station in a county, command the military and civil affairs, and give orders."

"This is the power of the Prefectural Inspector."

"At the same time, within the prefecture, I have the authority to oversee all personnel of the Inspection Office, even those of the fifth-rank Commanders and the seventh-rank Deputy Commanders. I can supervise them and have channels to report upwards."

"So, even though I'm only a Sixth Rank, within Dongling County, who wouldn't give me a little face?"

"Aside from the Marquis who has reached the Grandmaster level, the other two Deputy Marquises also have to treat me as an honored guest."

Speaking of this, Bai Luoyu felt rather proud.

In fact, he had every reason to be confident.

Whether it was strength or status, he was the charismatic leader of his generation in Dongling County.

"Brother Bai, I'm impressed!" Jiang Ning said with a bow.

Bai Luoyu smiled, "I believe you've also guessed the second option I'm about to offer you, Brother Jiang."

"I have my suspicions, but I can't be certain!" Jiang Ning replied.

"Your guess is correct, Brother Jiang! After my report, the higher-ups have also given you a choice—to become the third Prefectural Inspector of Dongling County."

"A Prefectural Inspector is also a Sixth Rank official."

"Do you have any thoughts on this, Brother Jiang?" Bai Luoyu asked again.

"Of course, I do." Jiang Ning nodded and then continued, "Brother Bai, what are the prerequisites?"

"Within a year, you must reach the Fifth Rank in martial arts and have an ocean of inner breath. This is the requirement for your strength." Bai Luoyu continued, "Without sufficient strength, you won't be able to suppress the Prefectural Inspectors of the various counties, and you won't be qualified to inspect an entire prefecture. That's reasonable, right?"

Jiang Ning nodded, "Reasonable."

"The second requirement will be a bit more challenging," Bai Luoyu said.

"Please speak frankly, Brother Bai," Jiang Ning said.

Bai Luoyu looked at Jiang Ning and said, "First, you need to obtain the Martial Scholar title."

"No problem!" Jiang Ning nodded.

Bai Luoyu smiled, "This test is indeed simple for your current strength! A Fifth Rank martial artist can easily obtain the Martial Scholar title."

Then, he continued, "But the second requirement is much more difficult. You need to participate in the Literary Scholar examination and obtain that title as well."

"Literary Scholar?" Jiang Ning was surprised, "Why is that?"

Bai Luoyu shook his head, "I don't know the specifics either! But according to the higher-ups, a Prefectural Inspector should not be a mere martial warrior, but someone who is well-rounded in both martial and literary skills, someone with a sharp mind, to be qualified for such an important role."

Hearing these words, Jiang Ning nodded slightly, reluctantly accepting this explanation.

However, he still felt there was something amiss, an indescribable issue.

Just then, Bai Luoyu spoke again, "Have you thought it through, Brother Jiang?"

"I have," Jiang Ning suppressed the doubts in his heart and nodded slightly.

"Which choice will you make, Brother Jiang?" Bai Luoyu asked.

"The second choice, of course," Jiang Ning replied without hesitation.

The second choice was in line with his preferences.

The status was also sufficiently high.

This was even more in line with his preferences.

Compared to the Prefectural Inspector, the Deputy Commandant would always be under someone else's command, and his freedom would be significantly reduced.

After all, the Prefectural Inspector's Office in the city would undoubtedly have far more responsibilities than the small county of Luoshui.

The more time he spent on official duties, the less time he would have for martial arts training.

But the Prefectural Inspector was different, with much more freedom.

Moreover, the challenges set by the higher-ups for him to become an Inspector were not difficult.

Reaching the Fifth Rank in martial arts and having an ocean of inner breath.

As for the Martial Scholar title, there was still over a month left, and obtaining it would be a mere formality.

In the Great Xia Dynasty, for the Martial Scholar Examination, whether it was the Preliminary, Provincial, or Imperial Examination, there was a prerequisite—one must be under thirty years old to participate.

Exceeding this age limit by even a day meant losing the qualification to participate.

Due to the age restriction, obtaining the Martial Scholar title in the Preliminary Examination was not difficult for him.

After all, the competitors were all young talents from the same prefecture.

Generally, a Seventh Rank martial artist already had a good chance of obtaining the Martial Scholar title.

Reaching the Fifth Rank in martial arts, the likelihood of obtaining the title rose to over ninety-five percent.

The remaining five percent were due to being eliminated in the written examination.

But for Jiang Ning, none of these were issues.

Obtaining the Literary Scholar title was also not difficult for him.

The Preliminary Examination for the Literary Scholar focused on memorization skills.

With his photographic memory, such a test of memory was effortless.

Regardless of the choice, there was no difficulty for him.

Naturally, he chose the second option given by Bai Luoyu.

A Prefectural Inspector, although also a Sixth Rank official, was on par with the Deputy Commandant, but the authority and status were evidently much higher.

In terms of freedom, it was even more advantageous.

He had no reason to choose the lesser option.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end