Although Chen Fei was filled with considerable doubt, Old Master Xuu had personally spoken. He naturally couldn't be disrespectful, so he nodded at once. "I understand. I'll make a call as soon as I get back and have them release her." He had already given her a proper lesson the other day, so he felt it didn't matter if he let her go now.

"Alright, let's leave it at that." Old Master Xuu nodded slightly, his murky, aged eyes flickering as he brought the conversation to a close. Not long after, Chen Fei left the Xuu Family Courtyard and headed for the Central Guard Bureau.

「...」

"A challenge to the Celestial Group?"

In the director's office of the Central Guard Bureau, even Old Man Huang Xing was taken aback upon hearing the purpose of Chen Fei's visit, his weathered face showing a hint of surprise.

The Four Departments of Capital City all belonged to the Republic's most elite and privileged organizations. As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, let alone four. Their relationships were naturally not good, and they often engaged in open and covert struggles. Over the course of a year or two, there would always be several "friendly competitions" or clashes intended to shame the other side.

Yet for Chen Fei to propose such a thing, Old Man Huang Xing hesitated for two reasons. First, strictly speaking, Chen Fei was not part of their Central Guard Bureau. If they went ahead with this and it was exposed, it would lack legitimacy and open them to criticism. Second, considering Chen Fei's freakish strength, wouldn't it be bullying to have him participate?

At this thought, Old Man Huang Xing lifted his head and gazed at the smiling young man in the black T-shirt before him.

"Kid, are you sure you want to do this?" Old Man Huang Xing asked, his eyes flashing as he looked at Chen Fei.

If they could suppress the Celestial Group's younger generation, it would indeed be a good thing for their Central Guard Bureau. Since he had stepped down decades ago, their bureau's ranking among the Four Departments of Capital City had been steadily falling. Now, it had dropped to the very last place, while the Celestial Group was ranked second. Therefore, if they lost, it would be expected. After all, the Central Guard Bureau was ranked last; losing to anyone wouldn't be a surprise. On the other hand, if they won, the Celestial Group, ranked second, would suffer a serious blow to their pride. And if the victory was decisive and the opponent's defeat was humiliating, it would be a true loss of face they couldn't just brush aside. At that point, as the 'culprit,' Chen Fei would surely be despised by the old guard of the Celestial Group. So, does this kid really want to go through with this?

"Heh, Elder Huang, since I came to find you personally, it's clear I've already made up my mind. Besides, this benefits the Central Guard Bureau too, doesn't it?" Chen Fei replied with a slight smile, his gaze sweeping over Elder Huang's aged face before he suddenly grinned. "I've already had someone notify Bureau Chief Zheng to come over."

"You kid…"

Hearing this, Elder Huang's expression froze. He then shook his head, the look on his weathered face slowly turning serious. "Since that's the case, I'll arrange it. But I can't help you for nothing."

"Elder Huang, how about I owe you a favor? What do you say?" Chen Fei immediately interjected.

"Owe me a favor?"

Elder Huang was taken aback again. He hadn't expected his casual remark to make the young man willingly offer to owe him a favor. He was well aware that although Chen Fei was young, the weight of his words was something even he couldn't ignore, let alone a favor from him.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but wave his hand and ask Chen Fei with a solemn expression, "What exactly did those guys from the Celestial Group do to provoke you so much? To the point that you'd even offer to owe someone a favor?" With all his experience, he suddenly sensed that this matter was not as simple as he had initially thought.

"It's nothing much. Elder Huang, you should be aware of my background, right?" Chen Fei asked, picking up a cup of tea and sipping it as he spoke.

"Your background? I do know a little," Elder Huang nodded slightly.

"That's good. It makes explaining easier. My mom told me that when she was driven out of Capital City twenty years ago, she was nearly killed by a group of mysterious people. And that group, if I'm not mistaken, was their people," Chen Fei said pointedly.

Ever since he had heard from his mother about what happened back then, he had set his sights on the so-called Celestial Group. People like Chen Weishan and Yii Xiao were merely pretexts; even without them, he would have found a chance to strike. At the very least, the events of that year had to be answered for. After all, according to his mother, he and his mother had nearly died.

"Uh..." Elder Huang's expression stiffened, not expecting such a backstory.

"Elder Huang, you were looking for me?" Just then, someone knocked and entered. Chen Fei and Elder Huang looked up to see none other than the Central Guard Bureau's current director, Zheng Weiguo. When he saw Chen Fei was also present, he raised a hand in greeting. "Mr. Chen is here, too."

"Bureau Chief Zheng, hello," Chen Fei greeted him with a smile.

"Weiguo, are there any outstanding young people in the bureau? Find a few and bring them over. We're going to the Celestial Group for a 'friendly competition'," Elder Huang spoke up directly.

"A competition with the Celestial Group?" Zheng Weiguo was taken aback and asked with surprise, "Elder Huang, why so suddenly…"

"Bureau Chief Zheng, it was my idea. I asked Elder Huang for this favor," Chen Fei explained.

"Your idea?" Zheng Weiguo was even more astonished. He then hesitated. "Elder Huang, Mr. Chen, going over to the Celestial Group for a match isn't a problem, but… but our chances of winning aren't great." The Central Guard Bureau had been in decline for the last decade, and its ranking had remained low. Consequently, the new generation of recruits was also relatively average, so he wasn't very confident.

"Chances aren't great?"

At these words, Old Man Huang Xing gave Chen Fei a strange look before turning back to Zheng Weiguo. "You don't need to worry about the odds. This young man here plans to take action himself. What you should be thinking about now is what to do if the Celestial Group loses too badly and can't save face."

"Uh…"

Bureau Chief Zheng Weiguo was stunned, and he looked at Chen Fei with a mix of shock and suspicion. If the Celestial Group lost too badly and couldn't save face? He had heard that Chen Fei was extremely skilled, far surpassing his peers. Even their bureau's most outstanding young elite, Cao Qiguo, had admitted he was no match. However, their opponent this time was the Celestial Group, the second-ranked department among the Four Departments of Capital City... Does he really have such capability, such confidence?

"It seems you don't quite believe in this young man's strength," Old Man Huang Xing said. "Fine, let's do this: gather the people first, then let young Cao test his skills against him. The results will speak for themselves. What do you say, kid?"

"I have no problem with that," Chen Fei naturally agreed.

"Then… then alright." With things having reached this point, Zheng Weiguo no longer objected. He immediately stood up, excused himself, and went to give the order to assemble the team.

About half an hour later, the young elites of the Central Guard Bureau received their orders and gathered in a Martial Training Field within the bureau.

"Mr. Chen, I await your instruction. But please, go easy on me," Cao Qiguo said from the Martial Training Field. Dressed in a tight black athletic shirt, he wore a bitter smile with the distinct air of someone being forced into an unwelcome task. As someone who had personally assessed Chen Fei's strength, how could he not know the gap between them? In his opinion, this match was completely unnecessary. He had absolutely no chance of winning, but now he could only bite the bullet.

Outside the training field, a low murmur spread through the crowd.

"What's gotten into Brother Cao? Why would he ask that kid to go easy on him? Don't tell me even he's no match for that kid?"

"It's probably just a formality," someone else whispered. "Don't forget, Brother Cao is the strongest person in our bureau under forty, with an S+ Rank strength assessment. How could that kid possibly be his opponent?"

"Let's just watch and see. But why did Bureau Chief Zheng suddenly want us to spar with the Celestial Group? Aren't we just asking for a beating?"

「...」

While they were still talking, Cao Qiguo had already made his move inside the Martial Training Field. His fingers clenched into eagle claws, tense and ready, as if a powerful force had instantly welled up within them, creating ripples of energy. With the momentum to pierce gold and shatter stone, he lunged at Chen Fei.

Clearly, Cao Qiguo was also a master of external techniques. All his power was concentrated in his hands and claws, buried deep within his bones rather than displayed on the surface. He was quite impressive.

CLANG!

A sound like clashing metal rang in everyone's ears. Then, somehow, Cao Qiguo had been forced back several steps. Staring at Chen Fei's faint smile, he swallowed hard before gritting his teeth. "Again." Although he knew his strength couldn't match Chen Fei's, he hadn't expected the gap to be so vast. The realization left him feeling indignant.

ROAR!

"Take this!"

At that thought, Cao Qiguo's eyes sharpened. He adopted an incredible stance as a terrifying, wild aura surged from him, making his gaze piercingly sharp. With a spin, he launched another claw attack at Chen Fei, tearing through the air with a domineering presence.

"Not bad."

Chen Fei squinted slightly and smiled. Then, his muscles tensed. He clenched his hand and, with complete subtlety, threw a punch.

A loud, resonating clang echoed as their attacks collided. The resulting shockwave visibly erupted, sending Cao Qiguo tumbling back two to three meters before he managed to regain his footing.

This scene stunned the onlookers, especially Zheng Weiguo, whose mouth twitched uncontrollably. Although he had been mentally prepared, the reality of it still overturned his perception of the world.

How old is that kid? How could he defeat even Cao Qiguo so ridiculously easily?

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