Discharged from the hospital! Deputy Director Qin Fen is out!

The news spread like wildfire throughout the police headquarters in Tianbei City. Han Jing sat in his comfortable office chair, yet felt not an ounce of ease.

Ever since Qin Fen was injured, public order in Tianbei City had never known a moment's peace. After failing several assassination attempts on Qin Fen, the forces from the Golden Triangle had decided to take the city on instead.

They constantly schemed to send operatives into Tianbei City to rob banks and carry out all sorts of criminal activities. In less than three months, the number of cases in Tianbei City had increased by over five hundred percent compared to the average, pushing it close to becoming one of the top ten most criminal cities in all of Zhongzhou.

Ding-dong-ding A polite yet firm series of knocks sounded slowly. The knitted brows of Han Jing relaxed considerably; that particular manner of knocking was unique in the entire police department.

It had been nearly three months since he had last heard it. “Is that Xiao Qin?

Come in,” Han Jing said with a warm smile, watching Qin Fen enter the room, gesturing for him to sit. “Young men certainly recover quickly!

Suffering such a grave injury, yet bouncing back so fast. Boundless prospects, truly boundless prospects.” Qin Fen settled into the newly upholstered leather sofa in the Director’s office.

“I still have to thank the Director for his concern. The efficacy of that He Shou Wu was of great help to me.” Han Jing’s laughter carried a faint tone of pride.

That He Shou Wu was a product of high-tech cultivation. Although it had only been grown for five years, its effects were equivalent to a century-old specimen.

“It’s good to have you back, good to have you back,” Han Jing nodded repeatedly, a shadow of worry crossing his smiling face. “Xiao Qin, the public order in Tianbei City has deteriorated terribly during your absence…” Qin Fen bowed slightly.

“Director, this situation is all because of my personal affairs. I bear the primary responsibility for the current state of affairs.” Han Jing nodded silently.

Everyone knew the truth behind the matter. Qin Fen’s willingness to admit it aligned with his character, but simply acknowledging it wouldn't make the problem vanish.

“Heh, let’s not talk about that, let’s not talk about that,” Han Jing waved his hand with a light chuckle. “I have something else I wish to discuss with you.” Qin Fen straightened his posture slightly.

Could there be anything more urgent than dealing with the city’s current crime wave? “Here is the situation,” Han Jing opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a file.

“Considering your outstanding achievements during the recent city-wide anti-vice operation, and your exceptional performance at the concert, the bureau has decided, in order to grant you greater scope for development, to approve a special one-year period of external independent investigation. You will study the advanced experiences of various other cities and integrate them with your own…” Qin Fen slowly leaned back against the sofa.

He had heard whispers for days about Tianbei City's deteriorating order due to the Golden Triangle. Eliminating all those hidden operatives would not be easy.

He had actually intended to request a leave of absence to draw the Golden Triangle’s attention away from Tianbei City. A faint smile played on Qin Fen’s lips.

Before he could even mention requesting leave, Director Han had devised a method that offended no one while successfully redirecting the Golden Triangle’s focus to other cities. An external investigation?

Qin Fen sighed softly. In plain terms, this was paid vacation, with the bureau even covering travel expenses.

“I will follow the Director’s arrangements entirely,” Qin Fen stood up and gave a crisp salute. “May I ask when my external investigation is scheduled to begin?” Han Jing was momentarily stunned.

He had expected this young man to cling to his position, not agree so readily. All the prepared speeches he had lined up were suddenly useless.

“Effective immediately,” Han Jing smiled, rising and walking over to Qin Fen, patting him lightly on the back. “Xiao Qin, I have very high hopes for you.

Do not worry about time running short during this investigation. If, after a year of observation, you feel there are still areas requiring further study, just give me a call, and you can continue investigating.” Qin Fen understood the unspoken message from Director Han.

It clearly hinted that the duration of this government-sponsored tour was not strictly limited to one year; if he felt like traveling more, he should simply stay out longer and not return so soon after twelve months. “Director, I understand,” Qin Fen replied with a serious expression.

“I will conduct my investigations diligently. If necessary, I hope to also take the opportunity to examine the police systems of several other planets and learn as much as possible.” Han Jing’s spirit instantly flared with unprecedented vitality.

He was secretly delighted that Qin Fen was indeed a sharp young man; if he went on to investigate other planets, one year would clearly not be enough time. “Excellent, excellent!” Han Jing clapped Qin Fen heartily on the shoulder.

“A young man with ideals and ambition—that is a wonderful thing. I fully support you!” Qin Fen stepped one leg out the door, turning back to look at Han Jing.

“Director, I shall start making preparations then. As for my comrade’s two younger sisters…” “Rest assured, rest assured!

You can put your mind at ease,” Han Jing puffed out his chest and repeatedly guaranteed. “As long as I am here, if anyone dares touch a single hair on those sisters’ heads, the entire municipal bureau will flatten anyone who causes trouble for them.” Qin Fen offered Han Jing a slight bow, omitting the formal police salute this time, and murmured, “Then, Director, I will go prepare now.” “Mmm.” Han Jing watched Qin Fen’s retreating back, letting out a silent sigh of relief: this young master was finally leaving, for now.

Qin Fen walked out of the office building to find Yu Xiao and the others already waiting at the entrance. The usually carefree members of the Special Public Security Team all wore unusually solemn expressions today.

Although Han Jing’s actions were discreet, they still required coordination with other departments, making it impossible to keep the matter entirely secret from everyone. “Captain…” Yu Xiao forced a slight smile.

“You haven’t forgotten about us, have you?” Qin Fen raised his hand and gently patted everyone’s shoulders. “Remember one thing: the cultivation method you are practicing now must absolutely not be revealed to anyone.

If anyone manages to advance their heart technique to the tenth layer first, remember to call and notify me. I will never change my number.” “Nor will we,” the group nodded in unison.

They all understood clearly that once Qin Fen walked out the gates of the Tianbei City Police Bureau, it meant saying goodbye to that station forever. Even if the investigation concluded, he would absolutely not return to the Tianbei City Police Bureau to serve as Deputy Director again.

A dragon cannot remain coiled in a small mud pond forever! Qin Fen again tapped each of their shoulders with his fist, like a nagging older brother, repeating his instructions.

“Remember, don’t slack off while I’m gone. I can practically calculate your progress rate.

If anyone doesn’t meet the standard when we meet next, I’ll make them pay.” Yu Xiao suddenly stepped back, and the police officers of the Special Security Detachment simultaneously followed suit. All their gazes locked onto Qin Fen as Yu Xiao suddenly called out in the most standard police tone: “Attention!

Salute!” At the command, the twenty-plus young officers of the Special Security Detachment snapped into a perfectly clean and sharp salute. Qin Fen surveyed these officers he had spent nearly half a year with, nodding in satisfaction.

“Let’s go! Time to train.” There was no drawn-out, sentimental farewell.

Qin Fen pushed off slightly with his toes, and his body instantly covered ten meters. Leaving the police compound, Qin Fen glanced back one last time at the police station that had marked a significant chapter in his life.

He then turned and walked towards Xue Tian and the others waiting outside the gates. Xue Tian leaned against a large tree, casually watching the pedestrians on the street.

“Old Qin, are we heading to the Saint Martial Hall now?” “No,” Qin Fen shook his head, sweeping his eyes over Solomon and the rest. “We’ll wait a few more days, then go together.” Solomon, who had been visibly tense, and Brooks breathed a long sigh of relief.

If those who had completed the Blood-Swapping Rebirth left first, the morale of the other young martial artists remaining in Tianbei City would become incredibly bleak. “Wait a few more days?” Xue Tian walked past Qin Fen, patting his shoulder.

“Buddy, then you go handle your business. Since I’m already at the police station entrance, I should at least go check on the police flower.” Caesar glanced at the departing Xue Tian, then back at Qin Fen.

“What about us?” Qin Fen raised his eyebrows, gazing into the distance, his eyes betraying an undisguised longing. “The seaside.

Nature is the best place for training. Those of you who haven't undergone Blood-Swapping Rebirth can also experience the surge of the ocean waves, the resonance with the blood churning in your bodies.

It might help you considerably.” Solomon darted to the roadside, hailed several taxis, and beckoned with his thumb toward those behind him. “What are we waiting for then?

Let’s go!” The group exchanged knowing smiles and took the cars to the wild beach where they had trained that day. Those who had not completed the Blood-Swapping Rebirth were even more eager, rushing into the sea in an instant.

Qin Fen stripped off his clothes, leaving only his swim trunks, and looked at Jizhen Xuanyi, who was guarding his garments. “I’ll trouble you.” Jizhen Xuanyi smiled simply.

Being able to follow such a master was already deeply fulfilling. Now that his foundation was solid, with his master’s guidance and his own effort, even if his martial path in the future couldn't match Caesar's, he believed he still possessed an incomparably bright future compared to others.

Qin Fen returned to the sea, feeling the ocean currents against his skin, and walked step by step toward the deep water. One hundred meters, two hundred meters, three hundred meters, five hundred meters, eight hundred meters, one thousand meters, thirteen hundred meters… fifteen hundred meters, two thousand meters.

Qin Fen finally halted his advance. Positioned two thousand meters beneath the sea, this was no place for a Ten-Star Martial Artist; even a Twelve-Star Martial Artist could not survive in the environment two kilometers beneath the ocean.

Qin Fen quietly absorbed the pressure of the deep ocean and the immense force of the undercurrents. Transformed!

Qin Fen clenched his ten fingers into fists. The Marrow Transformation Nirvana Great Innate truly brought about a complete metamorphosis!

These nearly three months of recuperation in the hospital bed had not delayed his martial path; instead, they had become an incredibly vital cornerstone. The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill slowly circulated within his body, the vibration of his True Qi sending transient ripples across the surrounding undercurrents.

Qin Fen’s mind was utterly clear. If he had endured rigorous practice for these past three months instead of being injured, he probably could have only submerged to a depth of one thousand meters today—that would have been his limit.

His star rank hadn't increased, but his body’s various functions and his martial path had advanced immensely! He was more than five times stronger than he had been five months ago!

Alas… Qin Fen sighed inwardly. He would never have the chance to spar with the White Tiger and personally use his fists to express his gratitude for that one palm strike.

Slowly, Qin Fen assumed a basic boxing stance, executing sets of techniques in the deep sea at a measured pace. Since he couldn't thank the White Tiger, he would express his gratitude to the Qilin instead!

A mutated Silver Shark, twenty meters long with skin shimmering with metallic luster, silently undulated its body and rapidly approached Qin Fen. This local overlord of the sea, apart from a few mutated Thousand-Hand Octopuses and the Roaring Blue Whales, was almost invincible in the ocean.

The massive body weighed only fifteen tons. It didn’t even need to use its sharp teeth, capable of biting through car plating; its heavy tail alone could smash countless creatures to death.

Qin Fen paused his forms, quietly sizing up the mutated Silver Shark. Rumor had it that this marine creature was not only ferociously aggressive but its skin was also covered in silver armor.

The Silver Shark leisurely swung its tail, its two small eyes staring curiously at Qin Fen, as if wondering why it had encountered such a bold, strange prey today. “Mutated Silver Shark?” Good!

Qin Fen chuckled, his waist shifting simultaneously as he reopened his boxing stance, looking quite excited at the ocean hegemon. Sparring with Caesar had been too unsatisfying!

Since he had run into this thing in the deep sea, he might as well fight with everything he had! The Silver Shark’s two small eyes suddenly emitted a faint gleam in the deep water.

A primal instinct told it that this prey offered none of the usual fighting caution and seemed ready to dispute the title of ocean overlord. The Silver Shark whipped its gigantic tail, its body resembling a submarine, churning the water with a muffled thunderous sound.

Its fifteen-ton mass slammed violently towards Qin Fen. The water below is different from the surface, and the two-thousand-meter depth is different from ordinary water!

Before the Silver Shark even arrived, the strong current it generated struck Qin Fen first, like a cannonball compressed from water. At two thousand meters deep, Qin Fen’s strength was just enough to counteract the water pressure.

He pushed both hands outward in front of his chest, resembling how an ordinary person closes a door or window, slowly pushing out the form known as Sealing Heaven and Earth (). Rumble… The impact of the current collided with Qin Fen’s palms.

The seabed sand instantly flew up, making the already dark depths even murkier. Qin Fen pushed off the sandy bottom with his toes, using the force of the impact to swiftly retreat.

The Silver Shark missed its target, twisting its body like a great snake, breaking through the water to pursue Qin Fen. One thousand eight hundred, one thousand five hundred, one thousand three hundred, one thousand… Qin Fen suddenly stopped retreating; the water pressure at one thousand meters was no longer an obstacle for him!

The moment his left foot rooted itself to the ground, his right foot stomped violently out of the sand, vibrating along with his body. His left arm shot out from the inside of his right arm, thrusting straight forward!

Whoosh… A dull thud echoed in the deep sea. Qin Fen’s body moved like a land tank; the seawater in front of him offered no resistance, acting like air.

He met the charging Silver Shark head-on with a punch! The water surrounding Qin Fen’s arm and body was forcefully compressed to the sides by the punch!

This was the third form of the Martial Emperor Dragon Fist (), created by integrating the Sky-Piercing Cannon Fist vigor of Hong Quan with the essence of Dragon Fist! The dragon forms the cannon barrel, the Dragon Core serves as the projectile!

The fist, arm, and body constitute the dragon’s body, and the True Qi fused into the tendons and bones is the Dragon Core! A single punch blasted apart the water, and a faint roar of a dragon echoed through the thousand-meter depths!

All of the Silver Shark’s attacks were instinctual; it never anticipated an attack from Qin Fen that would be so sharp and refined! It took the full impact directly on the forehead, between its two eyes!

The punch exploded against the iron-hard Silver Shark skin. The bone, as solid as steel, shattered into fragments.

Red and white fish blood instantly dyed the blue seawater crimson. The Silver Shark’s two small eyes flared with disbelief, much like human eyes.

The impact of its fifteen-ton massive body, which resulted from its final charge, only served to send the prey nearly a hundred meters away, without inflicting the slightest injury upon it. “What a ferocious Silver Shark!” Qin Fen gently shook his wrist, which felt slightly numb.

The impact force from the fifteen-ton shark charging at high speed was enough to make his wrist tingle. Truly worthy of being called the overlord of the sea.

A shark like this could easily kill a Twelve-Star Martial Artist. It seemed he had underestimated the power gained from the Marrow Transformation Nirvana and the combined three months of training.

But what a pity… Qin Fen shook his head slightly. It was a pity this fight took place underwater, giving the Silver Shark a positional advantage.

If they had fought on land, without the obstruction of water pressure, the combat outcome would have been even better!

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