Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill-Chapter 55: Path to Promotion

"It doesn’t hurt too much. I can handle it," Chen Cheng said gently with a smile.

After being tempered, his skin was naturally going to be damaged. These injuries couldn’t be healed just by soaking in an Herbal Decoction. They required absorbing the effects of oral medicine, combined with the body’s own natural healing, to slowly recover.

When Chen Cheng tempered his skin, he always pushed himself until he was near his body’s absolute limit before stopping, so the damage was also close to the maximum he could endure.

Even though the medicine had healed most of the damage, his skin still ached.

Chen Cheng remembered Xi’Er mentioning that the Refined Iron plates in his undergarments were starting to show some rust and gave off a faint metallic smell.

’If Xi’Er could smell it, then others probably could too. I should take them out, wipe off the rust, and while I’m at it, add more weight to speed up my Iron Armor Skill Cultivation Progress.’

’Fifty pounds is still too light. My Cultivation of the Iron Armor Skill is too slow.’

After a moment of thought, Chen Cheng continued, "Xiaowan, could you take the Refined Iron plates out of my undergarments and give them a wipe? While you’re at it, could you modify the clothing? I’ll buy some more Refined Iron at noon to add in."

"You’re adding more Refined Iron?" Mu Xiaowan was a little surprised. Chen Cheng worked for the City Guard Department, on duty for eight to ten hours a day, walking around with a fifty-pound load. Anyone else would likely collapse from exhaustion after just a few days.

Chen Cheng nodded slightly. "A little more."

"How much more weight are you adding? I’ll need to plan the measurements when I cut the fabric," Mu Xiaowan asked.

Chen Cheng thought for a moment. "Bring it up to seventy pounds."

With his current Martial Arts Power, even a hundred pounds wouldn’t be a problem. However, carrying too much weight would impact his speed significantly. If he ran into an emergency and had to fight, he would find himself at a slight disadvantage. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

For instance, when he fought that man from the Black Lotus Sect, he had a speed advantage even with the weights, but it wasn’t very pronounced.

’When I’m out, I have to maintain my speed no matter what.’

Of course, in an emergency, he could always strip off the weighted clothes and run, but that would be far too embarrassing.

Another consideration was that the undergarments with sewn-in iron plates were like wearing Iron Armor; they couldn’t be removed easily.

’The best solution is to maintain my speed while also having the defense of the Iron Armor. It’s an extra layer of security in a fight.’

"Alright," Mu Xiaowan said with a nod.

...

Chen Cheng was accustomed to waking up early for his Cultivation. He always arrived at the City Guard Department to clock in right on time, unlike the other constables, most of whom arrived a little early.

After breakfast, he arrived at the Ruyi District Sub-Department. The Government Office Hall was already crowded with constables, gathered in small groups and deep in heated discussion.

Once Chen Cheng had clocked in, Liao San, Li Ze, and a few other constables from his shift walked over. Liao San grinned. "Ah Cheng, I’ve got good news. The Ruyi District Sub-Department is recruiting again! There are a few open spots for official constables this time. With your power, you’ll definitely pass the assessment and become an official constable."

Chen Cheng’s heart leaped at the news. "When does the assessment start?" he asked.

Liao San replied, "It should be within the next few days. Mr. Liu just said that Lord Shen himself will be coming by later to announce the date."

Li Ze, standing to the side, added, "Ah Cheng, congratulations in advance."

Lai Yingchang chimed in, "Ah Cheng, once you’re an official constable, don’t forget to treat us brothers to a few rounds of drinks."

"Of course," Chen Cheng said with a laugh.

The group then started discussing the City Guard Department’s new recruitment drive.

Working as a constable for the City Guard Department seemed prestigious, but it was actually extremely dangerous.

After all, investigating cases, arresting criminals, and patrolling the streets to maintain order inevitably meant clashing with all sorts of bandits, thieves, and desperadoes from the Jianghu. If you ran into a powerful Martial Artist, getting injured—or even killed—was a common occurrence.

Over the past few months, of the more than two hundred official constables in the Ruyi District Sub-Department, two had been killed by criminals, and several others had been so severely injured they could no longer perform their duties.

The Government Office naturally provided compensation for those injured or killed in the line of duty, and the pension for a City Guard Department constable was considered quite generous.

An official constable in the City Guard Department earned a monthly salary of one tael and two maces of silver. Combined with various additional income, it was more than enough to support a family and live quite comfortably.

Furthermore, once a man became an official constable, he gained the right of hereditary succession. Even if he died in service or retired, a son or nephew in his family could inherit his position as a constable.

Of course, inheriting the position meant starting out as a Preparatory Constable first.

However, even these Preparatory Constables who inherited their posts were different from those recruited through other channels.

They were eligible to train in the City Guard Department under a Daoist Constable specializing in teaching the Martial Dao, and to cultivate the Great Yu Royal Family’s Saber Technique. Once they mastered this Saber Technique to the Great Success level, as long as they didn’t make any major mistakes, they would naturally be promoted to official constable.

Even after becoming official constables, they could continue to train in the Martial Dao with the Daoist Constable when off duty.

The benefits of being an official constable didn’t stop there. Any official constable who performed meritorious deeds while on duty could also earn Merit rewards from the City Guard Office.

This Merit from the City Guard Department could be taken to a special exchange office to be traded for all sorts of Martial Arts Resources, such as Medicinal Materials and Cultivation Technique Manuals.

These weren’t limited to Martial Arts Resources for the Skin Grinding Realm. With enough Merit, one could even exchange for a Muscle Strengthening Pill to break through to the Muscle Strengthening Realm, or even more powerful Elixir Pills.

In other words, becoming an official constable for the City Guard Department meant securing a stable government post and a clear path for advancement.

Among the constables on their shift, Liao San had already earned a great deal of Merit. By exchanging it for resources, he had successfully reached the Beginner Level of the Skin Grinding Realm.

This was a fact that many of his colleagues envied.

After all, Liao San was only in his twenties and was held in high regard by Chief Constable Liu Yunfeng. If his Martial Arts Cultivation continued to succeed, it was highly likely he would be promoted to Chief Constable in the future, at which point he’d be a truly important figure.

Besides Liao San, the most dazzling figure among the constables on their shift was Chen Cheng.

Although Chen Cheng was only a Preparatory Constable and didn’t even qualify to train in the Saber Technique under a Daoist Constable, his own Martial Arts Power had long since surpassed that of many official constables.

In their eyes, it was only a matter of time before Chen Cheng was promoted to official constable. When that happened, he might well become another Liao San. Because of this, Chen Cheng had always maintained good relationships with the others on his shift.

After all, who would want to get on the bad side of a colleague with the potential to become an important figure?

Chen Cheng himself had, in fact, been waiting for the chance to become an official constable for a long time. Even if he were to join an Inner City Martial Arts Hall in the future, he would still need to acquire various Martial Arts Resources through the City Guard Department.

Regarding this assessment for official constables, Liao San and the others knew some inside information. They said that although there were ten open positions, nine of them were already claimed by Preparatory Constables who had inherited their posts.

Ordinary Preparatory Constables could only compete for the single remaining spot.

This situation wasn’t surprising. After all, once someone became an official constable, unless they were a fool, they would groom a child or two from their family to take over, passing the position down from father to son, generation after generation.

Chen Cheng finally understood why Liu Yunfeng had said he was very lucky to have been accepted as a Preparatory Constable.

But even with only one spot left, Chen Cheng was confident he could defeat all the other competitors and successfully become an official constable.