Chapter 119

Chapter 119

Ling Fang had received the notice too. Early that morning, he knocked on Xie Qingling’s and Shen Huaizhou’s doors and called them together for a brief departmental meeting.

“The Selection Tournament’s format is very simple,” he said. “Essentially, you fight in pairs. The winner moves on to the next round; the loser is eliminated. The winners fight in pairs again, and the winners of those matches advance, until we have our final winners. Then the tournament can end.”

“There are five places for second blessings this time, and thirty-eight people entering the tournament. In other words, each of you will need to fight at least two matches to secure a final victory.”

Only thirty-eight?

That sounded like far fewer than she had imagined.

For such a precious opportunity, she had thought a great many people would enter.

“What are the qualifications for entering?” Shen Huaizhou asked. Clearly, he too had noticed how few participants there were.

“Entering the Selection Tournament is very simple. You only have to meet two conditions,” Ling Fang explained. “First, you must be an Innate Spirit. Second, you must not have received a second blessing yet.”

He reminded them, “Most of headquarters’ veterans have already received a second blessing. Those remaining are mostly newcomers who haven’t been with us long. Add a points threshold to that, and when all the requirements are taken together, only thirty-eight people qualify.”

“Newcomers entering the tournament don’t need to go on duty today. In a little while, you’ll come with me to compete. The tournament is also a chance for you to familiarize yourselves with headquarters quickly. Don’t miss it.”

Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou nodded. “Understood!”

When the three reached the circular training ground, they discovered that in just one night it had changed completely.

The flat, circular plaza had become a sunken, funnel-shaped arena, its sides sloping down to a flat bottom.

Around the circular ground were concentric rings of seats: the spectators’ stands.

This was where the Selection Tournament would be held.

Quite a few people were already sitting in the stands.

Xie Qingling spotted a familiar face among them and immediately said, “Isn’t that Senior Tang Yuanxiao?”

Shen Huaizhou saw him too and nodded in greeting.

Tang Yuanxiao: “Hmph!”

“…”

Ling Fang went over and chose a seat quite close to him.

“What are you doing?” Tang Yuanxiao said. “All these seats, and you have to pick this one. Not all the newcomers I’m bringing are here yet. Where are they supposed to sit when they arrive?”

Despite what he said, there were plenty of empty seats. Finding somewhere to sit was no problem at all. Tang Yuanxiao simply did not want to see the three of them. They were aggravating.

Like Ling Fang, Tang Yuanxiao had to bring the Operations Squad’s newcomers to compete.

Strictly speaking, then, they were rivals.

Ling Fang said, “I’m bringing newcomers, and so are you. Why not sit together? We can discuss things and share what we know.”

Then he turned and said quietly to Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou, “He might have some inside information. Listen carefully.”

Tang Yuanxiao: “…”

Fuck. He had told them all his so-called inside information last night!

And they were scheming about him right in front of him. Did they really think he was deaf and couldn’t hear?

Tang Yuanxiao turned and glared fiercely at them. “You’re so annoying! Can’t you be a little more independent, stand on your own feet, and stop coming to me?”

“Why would we come to you if you weren’t so capable?” Ling Fang said.

“…” Tang Yuanxiao fell silent.

The devious Ling Fang. He had absolutely no way to argue with that.

Reluctant as he was, Tang Yuanxiao still said, “The three elders are coming to watch this year. They’ll be here shortly.”

Ling Fang nodded.

Hearing this, Xie Qingling asked, “The three elders?”

“The Special Incident Response Department’s three founding elders – Elder Meng, Elder Han, and Elder Chen. Back then, they and their companions founded the department, allowing it to grow to its present scale. We’ve also moved forward step by step on the foundations they laid through trial and error. The elders are now approaching sixty and have retired from the front lines. But they still keep an eye on everything behind the scenes and lead our struggle against the Eleventh Realm.”

“You’ll see them shortly. They rarely appear in public now. They only come out for occasions like induction ceremonies for newcomers and the Selection Tournament.”

“Do they still handle affairs?” Shen Huaizhou asked.

“Major matters,” Ling Fang said. “They’ve weathered all kinds of storms. They’ve eaten more salt than we’ve eaten rice.”

The department’s founders…

Xie Qingling had not expected to be able to meet them.

If you only listened to stories without learning the actual history, you might feel that the two groups lived in different eras.

In fact, that was not the case.

They were still very much alive in this world, able even now to gather under the same roof as the young.

At that moment, Xie Qingling had a wondrous sense of different times converging.

Footsteps suddenly sounded behind them. A man and a woman approached, nodding to Ling Fang and his two companions in greeting before sitting beside Tang Yuanxiao.

These were the newcomers Tang Yuanxiao was bringing.

Both were clearly sober and quiet in manner. After nodding, each found a seat. Tang Yuanxiao said discontentedly, “Why are you paying them any attention? Once the draw’s done, they might be your opponents. Why nod hello? Just ignore them.”

The two newcomers: “…”

Squad Leader, we aren’t as willful as you!

Besides, they had only recently joined. Today they were here to gain experience and broaden their horizons. They had no hope of beating all these highly skilled fighters!

Instead, it was Ling Fang who smoothed things over. Looking at the two newcomers, whose faces suggested they had swallowed flies, he said, “Don’t mind him. He’s just like that.”
…So who exactly was supposed to be leading them?

Ling Fang’s voice was gentle, and he seemed easy to get along with.

The two newcomers took a very favorable view of this man, who held the same rank as their own squad leader, and gave him grateful looks.

“Hello,” Xie Qingling greeted them with a broad smile. “Friendship first, competition second.”

The girl had just opened her mouth to speak when Shen Huaizhou added from beside them, “If we do end up facing each other, don’t go easy on us. Win or lose, our friendship will last.”

Tang Yuanxiao: “…So annoying! Don’t listen to them! It’s all a pack of lies!”

With that, he took the two newcomers to a place farther away from the three of them and sat down again.

Peace at last.

Ling Fang did not eagerly follow them over. He simply stayed in his seat and turned to wink at his two team members, a barely perceptible gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. Quietly, he said, “Apart from the dais, these are the best seats in the whole arena. We’ve come out ahead. Let them leave if they want. We’ll stay right here.”

Xie Qingling: “…”

Shen Huaizhou: “…”

Their Director certainly lived up to his title.

As they talked, the other participants arrived one after another.

Some were veterans bringing newcomers to compete.

Others had finished their night shifts and come to watch the tournament and join in the excitement.

After a little over ten minutes, the seats were half full.

Everyone looked enthusiastic. Some had a steamed bun in one hand and soy milk in the other; they had brought their breakfast here to eat.

There were more spectators than she had expected.

“Even for people who aren’t competing, watching others fight is a way to learn. Opportunities like this don’t come often, so everyone who’s free comes to watch,” Ling Fang remarked.

Xie Qingling asked, “Director, what happens if someone is injured or killed during a match? Blades don’t know whom they’re cutting. If someone accidentally…”

What if someone accidentally killed their opponent?

Especially someone like Xie Qingling, who instinctively struck at the body’s weak points – arteries, eyes, joints. Her attacks were meant to kill or cripple.

They were all colleagues. Surely that would not be good.

“That won’t happen. At worst, they’ll need to lie down for half a day to recover.”

“Huh? Why? Does Gu Liansheng have some amazing treatment?”

“You’ll see when the matches start.”

Since he said so, Xie Qingling asked no more and simply waited patiently.

Before long, people began arriving at the dais as well.

She recognized the first to appear: Yang Baduan, whom she had met once outside the cafeteria.

He was still in a black suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, a gold pen clipped in his pocket. Everything about him suggested meticulous precision.

This time he did not have two imposing contingents following him. Even walking over alone, however, he commanded attention.

Xie Qingling noticed that the badge pinned to Yang Baduan’s chest differed from Ling Fang’s.

It was a completely black sun, with only the eye-like pattern in its center picked out in gold.

“The Directors of the various departments at headquarters will all attend, as will the head of headquarters, Fu Zihua,” Ling Fang reminded them. “A lot of people will be appearing today.”

Xie Qingling nodded to show she understood.

Ling Fang held the same rank as Operations Squad leaders like Tang Yuanxiao. But judging by how elaborate their badges were, the Directors at headquarters ranked above him.

As they spoke, more people arrived. The next arrival also headed toward the dais.

She was a tall woman in a black trench coat, walking at a brisk, forceful pace. Her shoulder-length hair was gathered into a small bunch at the back of her head, neatly combed without a strand out of place.

Her black uniform was trimmed with gold, and large golden feathers were embroidered on her trench coat, gleaming brightly. As she walked, they appeared and disappeared like a pair of wings.

“That’s Ye Chaoyun, Director of the Operations Department,” Ling Fang said. “I used to serve under her. She was the one who brought me into the department.”

Shen Huaizhou studied her for a few moments. “Whose Chosen is she?”

“The Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens.”

The goddess of war, the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens.

“Wow,” Xie Qingling said. “She must be a great fighter, then.”

Ling Fang nodded. “She’s very formidable.”

Then another person approached the dais.

Another woman.

Xie Qingling took a closer look and froze for a moment.

This was the first person she had seen at headquarters who was not wearing a uniform.

Her clothes were extravagantly colorful. Below, she wore an ankle-length skirt; above, a short top with a strong ethnic-minority flair and very intricate embroidery. A sash was tied around her waist, with strip after strip of multicolored silk hanging from it. The silk strips were vividly colored. Reds, greens, and yellows together could easily have looked garish, but on her they had a remarkable artistry. Rather than clashing, they were beautiful.

She wore her glossy hair in two braids, which swung as she walked.

Jewelry covered her ankles, hands, and neck.

Gold, silver, and every color imaginable.

Apart from her overly striking clothes, the most eye-catching thing was a plump white cat curled on her shoulder.

With so many bright colors on her, it took Xie Qingling considerable effort to find the badge at her collar.

It too was completely black, with golden runes.

A Director’s badge.

Seeing the astonishment on Xie Qingling’s and Shen Huaizhou’s faces, Ling Fang sighed inwardly and introduced her. “That… is the Director of the Technology R&D Department.”