62: Chapter 62 The Youngest Leader in History

The Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Tournament is a grand event held every three years by the officials of Qingzhou in the Great Xia Dynasty.

It aims to select young talents under the age of thirty from within the province, providing fresh blood for major Sects and core Dynasty institutions.

Those who can distinguish themselves at the tournament are all dragons and phoenixes among men, with limitless futures.

One could say this is the best stage for the younger generation of the entire Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division to reach the heavens in a single bound and make a name for themselves.

The Chief took a sip of tea. "According to previous years' custom, our Nanyan Prefecture Demon Suppression Division will send five of our most outstanding Bronze Medal Envoys to participate, to compete against geniuses from the other eight major prefectures for resource quotas."

"Not interested."

Lin Feng's answer was simple, blunt, and decisive.

The Chief almost choked on his tea. He glared at Lin Feng with a 'kid, are you kidding me?' expression.

"What did you say? Not interested?! Do you know how many people fight tooth and nail for this spot? Do you know what kind of rich rewards you can get for a good ranking in the tournament? Cultivation Techniques, divine weapons, Heaven And Earth Treasures—everything! You might even be scouted by a Gold Medal Commander from the Imperial City and be directly transferred to the Demon Suppression Division headquarters!"

"Going would be a waste of time."

Lin Feng's reason was equally simple and crude.

The martial arts tournament was, to put it bluntly, a sparring match where strikes were held back.

Not being able to kill meant no critical hit points would be earned.

Without critical hit points, why would I go?

To be a mascot?

Looking at Lin Feng's cold face, which practically screamed 'Don't touch me, I'm not interested in playing house,' the Chief felt his blood pressure spike for the first time.

He had lived for decades and seen all kinds of geniuses—arrogant and unruly ones, deep and calculating ones.

But he had never seen a 'martial idiot' like Lin Feng, who treated 'slashing people' as life's greatest pleasure.

"Cough, cough..."

The Chief forced down his speechlessness and waved his hand. "Who said I'm letting you participate?"

Hearing this, Lin Feng finally lifted his eyelids, revealing a hint of curiosity.

"This year's situation is a bit special."

The Chief's gaze turned solemn. "In the battle against the Moon-Worshipping Cult, although our Nanyan Prefecture Demon Suppression Division won a great victory, it also exposed a serious problem: delayed information transmission and insufficient coordination."

He looked at Lin Feng, a glint of old-fox-like amusement flashing in his eyes.

"So, while you are very strong, you aren't going there to compete."

The Chief slowly stood up.

"Lin Feng, in the name of the Chief of the Nanyan Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, I officially appoint you as the... Leader of the Nanyan Prefecture representative team for this 'Hidden Dragon Martial Arts Tournament'!"

At these words, even Lin Feng was stunned for a moment.

Leader?

The big brother in charge?

He was a 'newcomer' who had just been promoted to a semi-Silver Rank status and was not even twenty years old, yet he was being asked to lead five Bronze Medal Envoys whose seniority and age far exceeded his own to participate in Qingzhou's highest-specification martial arts tournament?

This was beyond absurd; it was preposterous!

"Chief, isn't this against the rules?"

"Rules are dead, people are alive."

The Chief waved his hand. "Your current strength already far exceeds that of ordinary Bronze Medal Envoys. If you lead the team, who would dare to object?"

He paused and added, "Going to the provincial capital this time is called leading the team, but in reality, there are three tasks."

"First, hand this secret letter personally to the Gold Medal Commander of the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division. This matter is of great importance and there must be no mistakes."

"Second, regarding the Moon-Worshipping Cult matter, although I have tried my best to suppress it, news always travels. It has likely already caught the attention of the provincial capital. Your trip is also on behalf of Nanyan Prefecture to show the provincial capital that we know nothing."

"As for the third..."

A meaningful smile appeared on the Chief's face. "Young man, traveling more and seeing the world is good for your cultivation. Incidentally, let those self-righteous fellows up there see what a true 'Yama' looks like."

Lin Feng understood.

The Chief was using this Opportunity to let him make a name for himself and establish a solid foothold within the entire Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division system.

"As for the team members you'll be leading..."

The Chief pulled a list from his robe. "I've already selected them for you. Chu Mengxi, Meng Kuo, Wu Yong, and Liu Qing. These four have fought alongside you, are fully convinced of your abilities, and are strong enough. As for the last one..."

The Chief's expression became a bit strange. "It's the recently returned Wei Tiancheng."

That cowering dog Wei Tiancheng?

Lin Feng didn't care in the slightest.

...

The Chief escorted him to the courtyard gate, like seeing off a Junior from his own family on a long journey, giving him repeated instructions.

Once Lin Feng left this time, the odds were he wouldn't return to Nanyan Prefecture.

Although they hadn't known each other long, the Chief quite admired him.

"That yellow weasel of yours has gained an Opportunity, but it is still a demon. The provincial capital is not like Nanyan Prefecture; it's a den of dragons and snakes with many capable people, and their attitude toward demons is even more extreme. Do not let it reveal its true form in public, lest it brings unnecessary trouble."

"I understand."

"And one more thing."

The Chief hesitated for a moment before finally taking out a plain-looking, even slightly chipped wooden plaque from his robe and handing it to Lin Feng.

"This Qingzhou, and even the entire Great Xia, are far more complex than you imagine. The undercurrents beneath the surface are enough to overturn everything. Your trip will inevitably touch upon certain people's interests. If you encounter truly unsolvable trouble, your current status might not be enough to suppress it."

"At that time, you can show this wooden plaque and then give them my name."

Lin Feng took the light wooden plaque and saw a name written on it in the most ordinary Cinnabar.

Zhang Cheng.

The corner of Lin Feng's mouth twitched uncontrollably.

Zhang Cheng?

This name was just too ordinary, wasn't it?

So ordinary that if you threw it into a crowd, it wouldn't even make a splash.

Are you serious, sir?

This is your ultimate trump card?

Are you sure that if I give this name, I won't be treated as a fraud and beaten even harder?

The Chief seemed to see through his thoughts and glared at him irritably.

"Just remember it."

After saying that, he waved his hand and turned back into the courtyard, leaving behind only a lonely silhouette.

"This old man is being so mysterious."

Lin Feng curled his lip and casually tossed the 'Zhang Cheng' wooden plaque into the deepest part of his Storage Pouch.

In his view, this thing's usefulness was probably inferior to a single leg hair from Huang Fugui.

In this world, was there any trouble that he, Lin Feng, couldn't solve with one slash?

If there was, then two slashes!