"Chen has always respected the old and cared for the young. Old Mr. Xu, if you have any last words... any words at all, just say them." Chen Yuan stood about two lengths away from Xu Changming, his long saber resting on the ground.

He didn't seem to care much.

Xu Changming's face darkened, and he said softly:

"Since ancient times, martial arts competitions have been the domain of the martial arts schools, and the yamen should not interfere. The imperial court has its rules, and the Jianghu has its own.

"It would be best if Officer Chen didn't try to be a busybody. Otherwise, if County Clerk Zhao of the county yamen finds out, he might say that Officer Chen is being ignorant..."

Xu Changming subtly threatened him by bringing up the county clerk.

"Old Mr. Xu, are you threatening this officer?" Chen Yuan asked in a deep voice, not surprised that Xu Changming had someone backing him.

The relationships within Ping An County were complex. To make a name for oneself, one either had to have great personal strength, or... someone behind them.

But Zhao Shuping, an eighth-rank civil official, didn't intimidate Chen Yuan.

Although he was third in rank within the county yamen, his power was not great. He basically had to rely on the county magistrate and had little to do with the Six Departments.

"It's not a threat, it's a warning. Officer Chen, you've been promoted to the position of constable at such a young age, your future is limitless. Why antagonize us for the sake of the Sanhe Martial Arts School?"

Chen Yuan scoffed:

"The saying 'The old who do not die are thieves' is indeed true. Very well, the yamen will not interfere then."

"Excellent..."

Xu Changming nodded, but before he could finish speaking, he heard Chen Yuan's next words:

"Chen learned some things from the Sanhe Martial Arts School. Surely that means I can't break these rotten rules."

Saying that, Chen Yuan picked up his saber and walked to the center of the circle, looking directly at Xu Changming and the others, "Isn't this a competition? Come on, who's first?"

"Officer Chen, are you really going to interfere?" Xu Changming asked in a stern voice.

"Do we need to waste any more words?"

"Very well, since Constable Chen is so confident, then I, Sun, will test Constable Chen's skills." The burly man in yellow robes slowly took off his clothes, revealing the strong muscles underneath.

His chest throbbed slightly, showing the extraordinary vitality of his blood and Qi.

Sun Xiong glanced at Chen Yuan, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. The reprimand from before would finally be repaid. Although he was somewhat wary of Chen Yuan's strength,

He wasn't too nervous. At the end of the day, Chen Yuan was just a Blood Refining martial artist, while he had already refined his blood three times and was only one step away from Bone Refining.

Sun Xiong raised his hand, and a long spear was thrown by one of his disciples, landing perfectly in his hand.

"Constable Chen, please."

Sun Xiong cupped his hands, flicked the spear, performed a flourish, and took a step forward, thrusting straight at Chen Yuan's chest.

Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed, and the strength of his entire body surged instantly. As Sun Xiong thrust forward, Chen Yuan tilted his head to dodge, then gripped the hilt of his saber and drew it suddenly.

A white light flashed.

"Pfft."

Half of Sun Xiong's face was sliced off, and blood spurted half a meter high.

"Bang!"

Soon, his burly body crashed to the ground with a muffled thud.

The onlookers were silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Chen Yuan repeatedly wiped the blood-stained saber on Sun Xiong's body, then put it back into its scabbard and said in a low voice:

"You know, you really shouldn't have acted so cocky."

His gaze swept across the field, Chen Yuan's expression calm, as if he had just killed a small chicken. He said loudly:

"Who's next?"

Silence. Everyone in the crowd seemed to be stunned.

Sun Xiong, an extremely powerful Blood Refining martial artist, even capable of withstanding Bone Refining experts for a short time, had been killed by this newly appointed Constable Chen with a single saber strike.

Now he was sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, the half of his face that had been sliced off covered in blood, his eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace!

A strange light flashed in Zhao Nanshan's eyes. He had guessed that Chen Yuan must be strong to become a constable, but he had never imagined that he would be this strong.

With the strength he had just displayed, he could probably compete with Bone Refining experts.

He was definitely not far from the Bone Refining realm.

In fact, that was indeed the case. Refining the blood four times with a top-tier body refinement skill, if one still couldn't easily kill a Blood Refining martial artist who had refined their blood three times, then it wouldn't deserve to be called one of the top body refinement skills in the Jianghu.

Plus, with the instantaneous burst of power from the Quick Draw Technique, it wasn't surprising that he could achieve such a feat.

But the shock it gave to the crowd was unparalleled.

The yamen runners that Chen Yuan had brought were amazed by the constable's divine display of power. His strength was so terrifying that their previous complaints were replaced by reverence.

Martial artists, after all, worshipped the strong.

Wang Ping's lips curled up, seemingly even more proud than Chen Yuan himself.

Seeing that no one spoke, Chen Yuan turned his gaze to Xu Changming, who was dressed in white:

"Old Mr. Xu, how about you and I have a match?"

Xu Changming's face was full of solemnity as he cupped his hands and said:

"This old man is old and my strength is not what it used to be. Naturally, I am no match for Officer Chen. I concede."

Xu Changming conceded very decisively, not caring at all that it would be embarrassing to concede to a junior. Sun Xiong's body was lying right there. He was old and didn't want to end up like Sun Xiong.

If he died, what would happen to his concubines at home?

"What about you?" Chen Yuan turned his gaze to another burly man.

That man quickly waved his hands and said with a smile:

"Officer Chen's strength is amazing, his power is unmatched. This one is truly unable to compare with you. I'll take my leave..."

Saying that, he cupped his hands towards Zhao Nanshan, didn't even look at Xu Changming, and hastily wanted to leave the Sanhe Martial Arts School with a group of martial arts school disciples.

"This old man... this old man will also take his leave."

Xu Changming cursed inwardly at how quickly he ran away, but he didn't want to be left behind either.

"Wait..."

Chen Yuan said.

Xu Changming and the other burly man froze in place and asked with forced smiles:

"Does Officer Chen have any other instructions?"

"This officer doesn't want any more disputes to arise at the Sanhe Martial Arts School in the future, otherwise... it will be just like this tree." Chen Yuan walked to a tree in the courtyard that was as thick as a bowl.

Underneath the sleeves of his right arm, golden paint instantly spread. Chen Yuan gathered his strength and punched out suddenly.

"Bang!"

The tree was directly broken in half by the punch!

Chen Yuan slowly turned around, glanced at Xu Changming and the burly man, and his gaze was slightly cold.

"Officer Chen is right. From now on, our three martial arts schools will definitely support each other." Xu Changming forced a smile, cupped his hands, and turned to leave.

The burly man followed closely behind him.

After getting far away, the burly man looked back with lingering fear and sighed:

"Brother Sun was really unlucky, he was used as a stepping stone by Chen Yuan."

"Old Xu, why didn't you suppress that kid's arrogance? With your strength, you should have been able to do it, right?"

"This old body of mine doesn't want to be torn apart. Even if I won, I wouldn't be far from death. Besides, one martial arts school has already disappeared, so why be brave like a reckless fool?"

Xu Changming recalled the scene of Sun Xiong's death and the power of that punch, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

"Then do you think I could have blocked him?"

"That punch, at least comparable to twenty years of this old man's cultivation. Do you think you could have blocked it?"