Chapter Fifty: The Protectorate Manor

Chenlong was dumbfounded.

He was supposed to join Jiang An in surrounding and killing Ou Xingkong, but Jiang An moved too swiftly. As soon as he engaged Ou Xingkong, his movements were a blur—while Chenlong could barely follow with his eyes, his body simply couldn't keep up. In just a few moments, Ou Xingkong was already sprawled lifeless on the ground, reduced to nothing but scraps.

Pride gave way to a sudden wave of despair, for Jiang An was far too strong. What was even more peculiar, he didn't seem to use any internal energy or the typical techniques of martial grandmasters. Instead, he relied solely on his bare hands—it seemed he was a master of external hard training.

“Chenlong, what’s wrong?”

The members of the Divine Dragon Squad gathered around him, concern written on their faces as they saw his absentminded expression.

Chenlong looked at his dear teammates, meeting each of their gazes one by one, finally resting his eyes on Wen Wan. He sighed, “Everyone, from now on let Wen Wan take my place. I’ve decided to leave the Divine Dragon Squad and focus all my efforts on breaking through my bottleneck and advancing to grandmaster!”

The team was stunned, falling silent. After a moment, Si She looked at Chenlong with eyes full of warmth. “Yes, Brother Long, it’s time for you to pursue your dream. It’s a shame none of us are as talented as you—our combat ability never even came close. You’ve been holding back, not wanting to leave us behind and lower the squad’s strength. But you’ve suffered enough, and you’ve underestimated us too. Today’s battle opened our eyes—there’s always someone stronger out there. Our past achievements seem insignificant now. From today, we’ll train twice as hard to catch up to you. We’ll always be comrades-in-arms! Divine Dragon Squad, huzzah!”

“Divine Dragon Squad, huzzah!” The group, stirred with emotion, stacked their hands together and shouted their oath with conviction.

“Thank you, brothers!” Chenlong said, moved. “Once I advance to grandmaster, I’ll be joining the National Guardian Manor to continue serving our country. Only there can I meet even stronger existences and make greater progress! Also, I have a suggestion—try to keep that man here, best if he can be your instructor. If you could learn even a fraction of his skills, it would be invaluable.”

Everyone knew exactly whom Chenlong meant, and instinctively looked toward his back, determination shining in their eyes.

“Haha—Zi Shu, Chou Niu, Yin Hu, Mao Tu, Si She, Wu Ma, Wei Yang, Shen Hou, You Ji, Xu Gou, Hai Zhu—I’m off to report to the commander!” Chenlong suddenly laughed heartily. “I’ll be waiting for you all ahead. And you, Wen Wan, Chenlong was the strongest in our squad—I hope that after you inherit his position, you won’t let it go to waste!”

Wen Wan’s heart surged with emotion, her nose stinging with the urge to cry. She stood tall and saluted. “Understood, Chenlong!”

“Good. I, Du Wuliang, thank you all!” Formerly known as Chenlong, now Du Wuliang, returned the salute, then left without looking back.

The sound of explosions had faded.

A terrifying crater had formed in the battlefield. Within a radius of more than ten meters, the ground was in ruins. At the very center, a battered figure lay amidst rising black smoke—it was the Stone Man, Croft. He had reverted to normal size, half his body missing, blood pouring out as he gazed skyward, as if he wanted to speak. But in the next instant, his pupils dilated, and he died.

Even transformed into the Stone Man, Croft’s immense strength and stony resilience couldn’t withstand the combined delay tactics of a sorcerer and the bombardment of military heavy weapons. His death was not in vain.

Thus, two members of the Dominion Organization perished here, while the number of casualties among the Huaxia military did not even exceed twenty! Two grandmaster-level experts had fallen for such a small price! Before long, the news spread like wildfire, causing a global sensation. Organizations large and small around the world were truly shaken, issuing urgent orders to steer clear of Huaxia for the time being. Yet at the same time, anticipation grew—they waited to see how the Dominion Organization would retaliate. They knew retaliation was inevitable. Once, a major multinational corporation’s boss offended them; it wasn’t long before the entire family of this billionaire—one of the world’s top fifty—was completely wiped out. In another case, a small country’s royal family offended them; a month later, the nation was overthrown and every royal member was hung from the rafters and bled to death.

“Yes, this is the Dominion Organization—a vast, shadowy, demonic force that fears nothing. Even when facing a global superpower, though they might not win, they would still find an opportunity to bite a chunk off! So, the best solution is for you to join our National Guardian Manor!”

In a closed conference room, only Wang Bixuan and Jiang An sat together. Hours had passed since the battle. Wang Bixuan had sought Jiang An for a chat, explaining the Dominion Organization, before shifting his tone to recruit Jiang An for the National Guardian Manor.

Jiang An was taken aback. “Why the sudden invitation? I hardly know what kind of organization the National Guardian Manor is.”

“My decision is not mistaken!” Wang Bixuan chuckled. “Everyone knows Huaxia has a National Security Bureau, but few know that above it stands the National Guardian Manor! To put it simply, we only deal with grandmaster-level threats—everything else is left to National Security. Just a quick question—you should know who founded the National Guardian Manor, right?”

“I really don’t,” Jiang An shook his head.

Wang Bixuan looked at him in surprise, then understanding dawned. “Ordinary grandmasters would know, but I checked your file—you disappeared for five years, likely to study somewhere, so it’s no surprise you missed the news. Let me tell you: the National Guardian Manor is Huaxia’s guardian deity, founded by Lord Xiang Wang Chu, dating back to the founding era of the nation. Over all these years, it’s become a force that makes foreign adversaries tremble!”

Xiang Wang Chu?

Jiang An pondered and asked, “May I ask, what level has Lord Xiang reached now?”

“Lord Xiang is a peerless genius. Even during the era of the Great Patriarch, he was a grandmaster. Seventy years have passed—what realm do you think he’s reached?” Wang Bixuan’s face was filled with fanatic admiration.

So, Xiang Wang Chu must be well over a hundred years old—perhaps a peerless figure in the world. After all, it’s not too difficult for a grandmaster to live past one hundred and fifty. He was already a grandmaster seventy years ago—could he have broken through to an even higher realm after all this time?

“Well, are you not awed?” Wang Bixuan stroked his beard, smiling confidently.

“Forget it, I’m not fond of being constrained. But thank you for the offer, Grandmaster Wang,” Jiang An ultimately declined.

“That’s where you’re mistaken. Grandmasters hold such lofty positions—no one would treat you like a common soldier. In fact, we’re usually quite free, only called upon for the occasional mission. Our benefits are top-tier, our privileges unmatched—you wouldn’t trade even a provincial governor’s post for it. Look at me: I’m the lowest-ranking order-bearer in the manor, but my military rank is brigadier general! Of course, I don’t have any real command in the army, but still—the perks are substantial. Our Lord Xiang is called Marshal among us because he was personally granted the title by the Great Patriarch, though it’s never been made official.”

“Have you ever met Marshal Xiang?” Jiang An asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“Of course… not! The Marshal has been in seclusion for many years—we have no chance to see him,” Wang Bixuan replied with regret.

“In that case, let me think it over.”

“That’s only right—it’s a major decision. Take your time, but please give me an answer by tomorrow. I have to return to the capital then to report in, so I can take your letter of introduction and documents with me.”

“If I agree, do I have to go to the capital right away?”

“No need. With my referral and General Li’s recommendation, once your paperwork is approved, the manor will record you and issue identification. You must report to headquarters within three months at the latest.”

“All right, understood,” Jiang An nodded, then asked, “By the way, what is the Struggle of the Divine Rankings?”

“You mean the Divine Rankings? That’s a long story, but I’ll tell you since we have time. For grandmasters, there are two global ranking lists: the Divine List and the Heavenly List. Let’s start with the Divine List. There are only a handful of supreme grandmasters worldwide, and out of respect, the Divine List starts from the Origin Steel Grandmaster level, ranked from strongest to weakest. Of course, that makes for a long list, so now only Origin Steel Grandmasters are ranked. By the way, the leader of the Dominion Organization—the God King—was once number one on the Divine List! Rumor has it that a few years ago, he broke through to the grandmaster realm, but whether that’s true or not is unknown. In any case, he’s been taken off the list. Currently, number one is You Zai of our National Guardian Manor; number two is Nicholas Dora, the First Cardinal of the Western Holy See; number three is Yagi Qingfeng, head of the Flowing Water Sect in Japan. The rest, I won’t go into detail about…”