57: Chapter 57 Fragment of a Heavenly Rank Cultivation Technique!

Wurong County, County Magistrate's backyard!

The night was as dark as ink, heavily shrouding the entire County Magistrate's office. Only one elegant room was brightly lit, the warm yellow candlelight filtering through the window paper, casting a slender and upright silhouette inside.

County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming sat upright behind an ancient, heavy pear wood desk. He wore a simple, pale green robe with clean, sharp hemlines. His temperament was gentle and restrained, yet carried the steady majesty of a local official.

He lowered his eyes, holding a wolf-hair brush dipped in thick, black ink, and was focused on writing. His gaze was fixed on the yellowed rice paper, meticulously reviewing the recent household registrations, grain tax records, and Martial Examination evaluation forms of Wurong County.

Looking at the Martial Examination rankings in front of him, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming's eyes flashed suddenly, and a figure from the arena today appeared in his mind.

"Chen An!"

He gently set down the brush in his hand, his gaze looking through the window into the pitch-black night, his fingers tapping lightly on the table as he muttered to himself.

"Could he be a Disciple of that Second Master of the Shen Family?!"

Whether it was the keen intuition honed by long years in the officialdom, or the instinctive sense of a powerhouse by an Innate Martial Artist, there was always an unshakeable strangeness in his heart.

That County Academy student, who only possessed a Mid-grade Martial Bone on his student record and had the cultivation of Condensing Qi Stage 6, appearing unremarkable, was not that simple.

Whether it was when he first stepped onto the arena, his strikes were ruthless, decisive, and clean, shattering the Dantian of a fellow student with one palm, destroying the other's lifelong martial Dao Foundation.

Or his subsequent rise against the trend, repeatedly fighting across Realms, defeating opponents whose cultivation was several small Realms higher than his own—all these actions were filled with peculiarity and extraordinariness.

Exquisite Martial Skills, a calm Heart-Nature far beyond his peers, and a decisive fighting style.

Only a Disciple of a Grandmaster Realm powerhouse could explain everything about him.

"What a pity!"

County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming sighed softly, a touch of regret flashing in the depths of his eyes.

As an Innate Martial Artist who also held the responsibility of martial education for the county, he had always cherished talent and was most willing to carefully cultivate good martial seedlings.

Chen An's calm Heart-Nature, exceptional combat power, and Comprehension Ability far exceeding ordinary people made him a rare piece of unpolished jade. If he could be taken under his own command and carefully trained.

Even if he only had a Mid-grade Martial Bone, perhaps he could be cultivated into a decent helper.

But unfortunately, the other party had a Grandmaster-level top powerhouse standing behind him, with an unfathomable background, so it was not his turn to recruit and cultivate him.

"Knock, knock, knock!!!~~"

Just then, a series of moderate knocks came from outside the door.

Hearing this knock, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming immediately came back to his senses, but before he could speak, he saw the slightly closed door being pushed open automatically.

Seeing this, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming's face sank slightly, and an imperceptible, majestic Aura rose from him.

As the leader of a county, in charge of the people's livelihood and martial affairs, possessing high power and status, coupled with the majesty of an Innate Realm powerhouse, everyone in the county office, from subordinates to runners, always followed the rules and were respectful. No one dared to enter without permission in the middle of the night, let alone barge in like this.

However, upon seeing the figure walking in from outside the door, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming's eyes narrowed.

"Who is Your Excellency?!" Seeing that the visitor was a strange middle-aged man, County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming frowned slightly, his eyes looking at the visitor with extreme sharpness.

The middle-aged man was dressed in a simple black long gown, with an upright figure and an ordinary face, not standing out in a crowd at all.

But his steps were light and slow, making not a single sound as he stepped on the ground, and the Qi around his body was as plain as water, as if he were an ordinary commoner.

However, seeing this, the alarm bells in County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming's heart rang loudly, and the Innate True Qi in his body quietly circulated.

As an Innate Realm Martial Artist, he understood very well that the more ordinary some people looked, the more dangerous they were.

Moreover, this was the backyard of the County Magistrate's office, the place where he lived and handled government affairs, with tight security. Ordinary idlers could not even get close, let alone break in silently like this and then calmly appear.

That the visitor could sneak into this place without disturbing any guards or sentries, this level of stealth and cultivation already proved that he was no Mortal.

The middle-aged man walked slowly into the room, his dark eyes sweeping lightly over the desk and the candlelight, finally settling on County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming, and then he said calmly with a smile, "County Magistrate Zhang, there is no need for caution. This seat has come without any malice."

"This seat heard that you have a Heaven-Grade Martial Technique Fragment in your possession. This seat is quite curious, so I came to visit and see it tonight. I hope County Magistrate Zhang will not take offense!"

Hearing the intention of this strange middle-aged man, a strange color flashed in County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming's eyes.

The Heaven-Grade Martial Technique Fragment was his trump card treasure, rarely shown to others, and even his confidants in the county office did not know about it. How did this person in front of him know?!

Ancestor Zhou Tong?!

At this moment, the figure of Ancestor Zhou Tong suddenly appeared in County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming's mind.

Could it be that Ancestor Zhou Tong was unwilling to accept his loss today and spread the news?

Or, was this person in front of him the one behind Ancestor Zhou Tong? Was he the one who truly knew that he had the Heaven-Grade Incomplete Manual in his hands? Was it him who made Ancestor Zhou Tong gamble with him, and after Ancestor Zhou Tong lost the bet, he came down personally?

"Who exactly is Your Excellency?!"

County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming's tone was cold and stern, looking directly at the middle-aged man without being humble or arrogant. The Innate True Qi around his body erupted, and a powerful and terrifying Innate Aura instantly swept through the entire study, causing the candlelight to sway violently from the airflow.

"How rare and precious is the Heaven-Grade Martial Technique Fragment? For Your Excellency to rashly break into the backyard of the county office in the middle of the night and demand to see it, is that not being too unreasonable?!"

Facing the Innate Aura suddenly released by County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming, the middle-aged man's expression remained calm and waveless, and he smiled indifferently. A vast, ocean-like, and unfathomable energy spread out from his body.

"County Magistrate Zhang, no need to be angry!"

The Innate Aura that County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming had erupted with suddenly melted away like snow meeting the blazing sun.

County Magistrate Zhang Xuanming's heart shook violently, his pupils contracted sharply, and his entire body's blood and Qi were suppressed by this vast energy, leaving him unable to move.

He could clearly feel that the other party's cultivation Realm was far beyond his own as an Innate Realm Martial Artist; the two were simply not on the same level.

"This seat knows it was a bit presumptuous to come here, but Heaven-Grade Martial Techniques are hard to come by. This seat only felt an itch after hearing about it!"

"If County Magistrate Zhang is willing to fulfill this, this seat will naturally not let you suffer a loss for nothing!"

As he spoke, the middle-aged man reached into his bosom, then took out a Cultivation Technique, and said, "This is an Earth Rank Low Grade Cultivation Technique. If you are willing to lend that Heaven-Grade Incomplete Manual to this seat for a look, I will give you this Earth Rank Cultivation Technique as a reward. How about it?!"