64: Chapter 64 The Mole's Test

When Lu Tao's Divine Kingdom core dimmed and he was teleported out, the entire Nanjiang City main arena fell into a three-second silence.

Immediately after, deafening cheers soared into the sky, nearly lifting the arena's roof!

"He won! He won again! Jiang Xun won again!"

"My god! Using someone else's ultimate flood move to generate electricity—only he could think of that! This is literally rubbing his opponent's Face into the ground!"

The commentator's Face was flushed red as he waved his arms, his voice already hoarse: "Ladies and gentlemen! We have witnessed history! Jiang Xun has once again shown us that the core of Divine Kingdom battles lies in a contest of wisdom! He has given us all a lesson with his staggering engineering knowledge!"

In the VIP seats, Xu Qingran's clenched fists finally relaxed. She let out a long breath and smiled, the pride in her eyes impossible to suppress.

Old Baitou stroked his gray beard, his eyes full of approval. What he valued most was Jiang Xun's ability to truly transform civilization knowledge into power.

However, while the entire crowd was immersed in this staggering victory celebration, Jiang Xun himself remained very calm.

He merely felt the new body of water in his Divine Kingdom and the changes as the core of the Water-Marsh Civilization was absorbed, making the entire Divine Kingdom's ecology more balanced.

The match ended. Just as Jiang Xun stepped off the field and before he could speak to Xu Qingran, a serious-looking middle-aged man in a black suit walked over and stood before him.

"Hello, Contestant Jiang Xun."

The visitor's tone was formal, but his eyes held a hint of scrutiny.

"I am from the Jiangnan Province Deity Administration Bureau. Our Deputy Director Qian wants to meet you and have a chat."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding noise seemed to quiet down significantly.

A Deputy Director of the Deity Administration Bureau? That was a truly powerful figure, someone with a say in the entire Jiangnan Province deity circle.

He actually wanted to meet a contestant in person?

Xu Qingran's brow furrowed slightly, her eyes filled with more caution. She took a step forward, wanting to say something, but was stopped by Jiang Xun's gaze.

Jiang Xun looked at the man with a gentle smile on his Face, appearing flattered.

"Deputy Director Qian wants to see me? That is truly my honor. May I ask where?"

"Don't worry, Contestant Jiang Xun, it's just for a cup of tea. The car is already waiting outside."

The middle-aged man made a "please" gesture. His attitude was polite, yet it carried a sense of something that could not be refused.

Half an hour later, Jiang Xun sat in a private club room decorated in a classic, elegant style.

The air was filled with the scent of expensive sandalwood. A man in his fifties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking very refined and easygoing, was personally brewing tea for him.

"Come, Little Jiang, try this. This year's Pre-Qingming Longjing. You young people drink all those messy beverages every day now; you should also learn to appreciate the good things passed down by our ancestors."

The man was indeed the Deputy Director of the Jiangnan Province Deity Administration Bureau, Deputy Director Qian An.

Jiang Xun quickly stood up and took the teacup with both hands. "Thank you, Deputy Director Qian. I truly don't deserve to have you brew tea for me personally."

He behaved respectfully and humbly, but in his heart, he understood perfectly.

He was all too familiar with this routine. First, use a senior's posture to close the distance, then use words to knock them down a peg, and finally throw out benefits to make them comply. This was basically the process used by powerful officials in history books to deal with disobedient meritorious subjects.

"Ah, sit, sit down and talk." Deputy Director Qian An smiled and pressed his hand down. "I didn't seek you out for anything else today. I simply admire you, young man!"

Deputy Director Qian An suddenly changed the subject, his tone full of praise. "I haven't missed a single match of this Prodigy Tournament. Little Jiang, you have truly given me a huge surprise! To stand against the entire socialite circle by yourself and still achieve such results is remarkable! You are truly the pride of our Jiangnan Province!"

Holding his teacup, Jiang Xun simply smiled and said, "Deputy Director Qian, you flatter me. I was just lucky."

"Luck? Haha, this is definitely not luck." Deputy Director Qian An waved his hand, leaned forward, and lowered his voice. "However, Little Jiang, as an elder, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Deputy Director Qian An looked at Jiang Xun, his gaze becoming earnest and well-meaning. "The tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. Your performance this time was too sharp. Especially today against that kid from the Lu Family—you even plundered his Divine Kingdom. Wasn't that a bit too harsh? Now all those children of the great families feel threatened and treat you as a public enemy. If this continues, it will be very unfavorable for your future development."

Jiang Xun blew on the steam of his tea, using the rising white mist to hide his gaze. He followed along, saying, "Deputy Director Qian is right. I was indeed young and impetuous before, and I didn't consider things thoroughly."

"It's good that you can understand this." Deputy Director Qian An nodded with satisfaction and threw out his true purpose.

"How about this, I'll be straight with you. You are a Junior I value. As for those great families, I'll help you keep them in line to ensure they don't dare trouble you again. However, you must also give me some Face. In the upcoming matches, especially the semi-finals, stop when appropriate and don't be so harsh. Leave everyone some dignity. As for the guaranteed admission spot to Taichu Academy, as long as you are obedient, I guarantee there will be one for you. How about it? Not a bad deal, right?"

He finally revealed his true intentions.

Jiang Xun sneered in his heart.

What a "stop when appropriate," what a "give me some Face." To put it bluntly, he wanted Jiang Xun to give up his resistance and obediently lose the match so he could go and make deals with those great families.

Jiang Xun knew very well, but his Face showed a look of gratitude. "Thank you for the guidance, Deputy Director Qian! I understand! From now on, I will definitely follow your lead!"

"Hahaha, good, good! A child worth teaching!"

Deputy Director Qian An laughed heartily and drained his teacup in one gulp.

The moment Deputy Director Qian An raised his hand, Jiang Xun's gaze suddenly froze.

Jiang Xun saw that under Deputy Director Qian An's expensive watch, there was a hidden black tattoo on the skin of his wrist.

It was a pattern of a strange snake connected head to tail, devouring its own tail!

Jiang Xun's heart skipped a beat!

Jiang Xun had seen this pattern in the materials about Ancient God Civilizations given to him by Old Baitou! It was a mark of corruption related to Evil God sacrifices!

After leaving the club, Jiang Xun immediately contacted Lame Zhang via encrypted communication.

He described the contents of the conversation just now and the snake pattern in full detail.

On the other end of the line, Lame Zhang was silent for a long time before his voice rang out again, carrying a cold killing intent.

"Winning people over, making promises, painting grand visions, and then threats if that fails... These scumbags' methods haven't changed a bit in over ten years."

"Jiang Xun, remember, if you ever see this kind of person again, don't believe a single word they say!"

Hanging up the communication, Jiang Xun stood under the brilliant night view of the provincial capital, his gaze deep and heavy.

The Li Family, the Lu Family—these enemies on the surface were merely minor irritants.

Pests like Deputy Director Qian An, who hid within the system, waving beautiful banners while secretly colluding with Evil Gods to corrode the Foundation of the Human Race, were the true grave dangers.

"It seems that toppling the Li Family was just pulling out the radish."

Jiang Xun adjusted his glasses and whispered to himself.

"Now, the mud that came with it is only just beginning to show."