Upon leaving the Judge’s office, Ning Xuan went straight to the Drunken Moon Tower. Of course, he kept a low profile, discreetly selecting a room and treating it like an inn.

One day, Ning Xuan had just finished studying the ancient method on the sheepskin scroll when a knock sounded at his door. Three long taps and two short—their agreed-upon secret signal. The moment the person entered, they brought Ning Xuan good news.

"Young Master, we have news about the person you’re looking for."

Ning Xuan was overjoyed. "Where is he?" he asked immediately.

"He’s in Lingchi City now, and just like you, he’s also a Law Enforcement Officer."

Upon hearing this, Ning Xuan’s heart sank.

Zang Peng actually became a Law Enforcement Officer? What the hell am I supposed to do now? No one is coming to rescue me from this sea of misery.

Just then, a voice came from outside. "The Judge is back!"

Hearing this, Ning Xuan’s spirits lifted, and he left the Drunken Moon Tower at once.

"You rascal, you really are... eh? You actually reached the Holy Realm!" On Gold Dissipation Street, Zhou Nian spotted Ning Xuan emerging from the Drunken Moon Tower. He was at a loss for words, but when he noticed Ning Xuan’s advancement in Realm, he was left utterly shocked.

"It’s all thanks to your patronage, my lord."

Zhou Nian was thrilled. He slung an arm around Ning Xuan’s shoulder and said, "You really helped me out a lot, lad!"

Ning Xuan didn’t understand what Zhou Nian meant until they returned to the Judge’s office. It turned out that on his trip to the Realm Capital, Zhou Nian hadn’t met the True Saint. However, the Realm Lord and the judges from the various cities had reached a consensus. They would select the ten strongest Law Enforcement Officers from across the realm to serve the True Saint whenever he was found. To ensure fairness, the Realm Lord had ordained that all Law Enforcement Officers from the cities of the Dali Realm must participate.

The Law Enforcement Officers from the other major cities were all in the Holy Realm. If Ning Xuan had gone to the Realm Capital and been discovered to be a mere Martial Artist, Zhou Nian would have been in deep trouble.

"Excellent, excellent! I was right about you!" With this problem solved, Zhou Nian was in a great mood.

"Eh, where are Yue Hua and Cai Qing?" Zhou Nian was about to instruct the four of them to prepare for immediate departure but couldn’t find the other two.

Ning Xuan lowered his head and said nothing.

Leng Yi had no choice but to brace himself and explain what had happened.

"Those two damn fools!" Amidst the curses, Zhou Nian disappeared.

「Half a day later.」

News spread from the Judge’s office: two new Law Enforcement Officers were to be selected. Due to the urgency, the selection trial would be held in front of the Judge’s office in just half an hour.

As soon as the news broke, the entire city went into a frenzy.

This time, Zhou Nian presided personally. Without Ning Xuan’s interference, the selection trial was exceptionally thrilling. The ultimate winners, however, left Ning Xuan speechless—they were the other two men who had planned to ambush him at the Drunken Moon Tower.

They were already quite strong. Upon winning, they also inherited Yue Hua’s and Cai Qing’s Element Force, making them even stronger.

As the two donned their black robes, Ning Xuan immediately received their transmitted message.

"So it was you who killed him! Not bad, not bad! We’ll settle all our scores, new and old, at the same time!"

Ning Xuan’s face remained expressionless. After all, once they reached the Realm Capital, these two wouldn’t dare lay a finger on him before the selection of the ten finalists began.

Zhou Nian was already laying down the law.

"I don’t care what feuds you had before, but if you dare to fight amongst yourselves, then don’t bother coming back!"

With that guarantee, Ning Xuan wasn’t the least bit afraid of them. Besides, he now had more time to improve his Cultivation Realm. Even if he didn’t improve, as long as he could meet Zang Peng, he would have a way to end these two men’s lives.

"You four, each of you drop a bit of blood into this." After his speech, Zhou Nian produced a lamp. "This is your Everbright Lamp. The selection trial is a matter of life and death. If your Everbright Lamp goes out, it means you have perished, at which point I can select new Law Enforcement Officers."

Hearing this, the two newly promoted officers, who had just been so excited, turned pale. There were hundreds of cities in the Dali Realm! Their strength might be enough to deal with Ning Xuan, but if they had to compete against other Law Enforcement Officers, they feared they would die a horrible death.

Seeing their expressions, Zhou Nian became incensed. "What’s with that look? Look at Ning Xuan, then look at yourselves!"

The two men submitted meekly, but the hatred in their hearts for Ning Xuan deepened.

"Alright, the journey to the Realm Capital is long, and we’ve already wasted enough time. Set off immediately! Oh, and these are the competition Tokens. Don’t lose them, or the rules of the trial will obliterate you on the spot!"

Zhou Nian then handed four Tokens to them. As the two men took their Tokens, a sharp light glinted in their eyes. They decided to kill Ning Xuan on the journey.

This guy had actually cuckolded them. For the past two days, he had been staying at the Drunken Moon Tower, and they had seen their former lovers enter his room on more than one occasion.

"Ning Xuan, those two have murderous intent. I have a way to shake them off," Leng Yi’s voice suddenly sounded in Ning Xuan’s ear via a voice transmission.

"Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Leng, but let’s set off together. I’ll just keep a close eye on my Token."

After a moment’s thought, Leng Yi agreed. "Actually, this might not be a bad thing for you. They’ll be good for tempering your skills."

"That’s exactly what I was thinking," Ning Xuan immediately replied.

After a few more words of encouragement from Zhou Nian, the four set off. They rode on Thousand Mile Snows that Zhou Nian had prepared for them. These horse-like beasts were extremely fast, leaving no tracks in the snow.

As the four riders thundered across Gold Dissipation Street, two women watched Ning Xuan wistfully from the top of the Drunken Moon Tower until the riders disappeared from sight.

「Outside the city.」

"Ning Xuan! Get down here! I challenge you to a duel!"

"Me too! I can’t stand it for another second!"

The two newly promoted Law Enforcement Officers, their faces twisted with rage and brimming with killing intent, shouted their challenges.

"I won’t fight. If you have the guts, just attack me directly." Ning Xuan remained perfectly composed, acting as if they didn’t even exist.

"Zhang Hu, Zhao Long, don’t act rashly! If you dare to attack him, you’ll absolutely be the first to die!"

The two were furious, but Leng Yi’s words made the color drain from their faces, and they no longer dared to make a move.

"Cowards..." Ning Xuan’s voice drifted back from up ahead.

Leng Yi felt a headache coming on. This guy is truly lawless! He quickly interjected to smooth things over. "Enough bickering. We’re a team, remember? Let’s get going!" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Zhang Hu and Zhao Long’s expressions shifted, but in the end, they held back. However, the two were already hatching a new plan in their minds.

"Zhao Long, you’re always the one with the devious plans. Think of something, fast! I really can’t take this anymore!"

"How do you think I feel! Stop nagging and let me think... I’ve got it! We have to pass through the Desolate Ridgeline to get to the Realm Capital, right?"

"Right! So what?"

"The Desolate Ridgeline is haunted!"

"What do you mean? I don’t get it!"

"Idiot! The hauntings at the Desolate Ridgeline are a ruse, fabricated by the Corpse Moving Sect as a cover for their treasure hunting! What do you think they’d do if they found out Ning Xuan has treasure on him?"