Chapter 459
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: [Unknown]
Chapter Title: Duties of the Small Flag Officer
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Lu Yang quickly parted ways with Zhao Xuhe.
"Goodbye, Senior Brother Zhao. We're not a good match—after all, you'll just be cannon fodder in the Capital Heaven Division from now on. You're no longer worthy of me. Let's break up."
"The contribution points you owed me in your sixth life? I won't ask you to repay them this time."
"I'm so magnanimous."
As for his new possession target, Lu Yang first cast a divination to trace the lines of causality before selecting one from among the Capital Heaven Division flag officers present.
"It's finally over."
Watching the latest batch of strongmen enlist, small flag officer Xu An couldn't help but sigh.
"What do you think—how many of this bunch will survive?"
"You've still got time to worry about them?"
Another small flag officer burst out laughing.
"We're about to be sent out to Lake Dongting. We might not last any longer than these strongmen!"
"Not necessarily."
Xu An shook his head.
"I've heard that those true dragons have been warned by some big shot in the court. They'll behave themselves and help the court manage Lake Dongting. We'll just be putting on a show there. It looks dangerous, but it's actually a cushy assignment. Otherwise, why would Commander Liu go?"
Xu An might hold a minor post, but he wasn't stupid.
If Lake Dongting were truly a death trap, Commander Liu would have steered clear. No way he'd volunteer for it.
With that thought, he was about to say more.
But at that moment, a beam of brilliant light descended from the "Capital Heaven Division Flag Officer" token above his head. Golden text instantly appeared in his vision:
[Warning: Small Flag Officer Xu An, this is "drill" time. Proceed to the training grounds immediately.]
[Failure to arrive at the training grounds within the time limit for the routine "drill" will result in preliminary lightning punishment under the Laws of the Immortal Kingdom.]
"Oh no!"
Xu An's face twisted in horror. He didn't dare chat with his colleague any longer, muttered a quick farewell, and shot off on a beam of escape light.
A Capital Heaven Division small flag officer was a seventh-rank official with late Qi Refining cultivation, enough to fly on escape light. Unfortunately, Xu An wasn't skilled at it. He still arrived a moment late, just steps from the training grounds, watching in despair as the deadline passed.
Boom!
The next instant, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky. Intense pain sent Xu An convulsing to the ground, hot steam pouring from his mouth.
Even Lu Yang, possessing him, was stunned.
'What the hell is this?'
Daily tasks, with electric shocks for failure?
Lu Yang delved into Wu Tai'an's memories again and finally unearthed the relevant information from the depths. It turned out this was a restriction inherent to Dao Court official positions.
'Official rank means power—and responsibility.'
'Every Dao Court position comes with corresponding [duties], mandatory daily tasks. Failure triggers punishment from the [Laws of the Immortal Kingdom].'
For example, as a Capital Heaven Division small flag officer, Xu An had three duties every day: [drill], [patrol], and [report]. All had to be completed.
These duties filled his schedule to the brim.
This was the Dao Court's method of rule: keep people busy. Exhausted from tasks, they'd only have energy to eat and sleep—no time for trouble.
Punishments for [neglect of duty] were recorded in one's official token. Every nine years, the Dao Court held an "official examination," tallying neglect records. Poor performers were demoted or stripped of rank; outstanding ones promoted.
"Hahaha, Xu An, late again?"
"Keep this up, and in a few years' official exam, you'll be done for. Forget small flag officer—you might end up as a strongman!"
"Get lost—don't jinx me!"
Brushing off his colleagues' teasing, Xu An staggered to his feet once he'd recovered from the lightning strike.
"I've got a bright future ahead!"
If his guess was right, this trip to Lake Dongting would net him some merit.
The big credit would go to Commander Liu, of course, but even scraps would wipe clean a few tardy drill marks.
Soon, the drill ended.
Next came [patrol]. Xu An didn't dare slack off. He grabbed a few strongmen under his command and left the yamen, patrolling the entire city.
Possessing him, Lu Yang got a real taste of the Dao Court's environment.
Xu An flew his escape light casually through the outer city's "commoner districts," confirming no major bloodshed before heading inward.
There were many such "commoner districts."
As the name implied, they housed mortals without cultivation—mere commoners. Their sole purpose was to be ruled by Dao Court officials.
Flying past these, Lu Yang soon felt a surge of potent spiritual energy rushing toward him. He'd entered the inner city, a world apart: a mustard-seed pocket realm of mountains, rivers, pavilions, towers, and cave mansions—a true immortal paradise.
This was the "cultivator district."
Each time he saw it, Xu An swelled with inexplicable pride. His own cave mansion sat at the heart of this "cultivator district."
Not only was the spiritual energy abundant, it was under special protection by the [Laws of the Immortal Kingdom].
Bolstered by those laws, not only was qi gathering faster than in remote backwaters, even innate comprehension improved!
He'd gone to great lengths to buy that cave mansion.
Sure, it came with over a century of mortgage, but it was worth it. Thanks to it, the female cultivator he'd recently started dating was talking marriage.
One more bride-price payment, and they'd formally become dao companions.
In time, once his child was born, they wouldn't have to struggle like he did. If the kid showed talent, they might even found a small clan.
Good days lay ahead!
That thought made Xu An even more eager for the Lake Dongting assignment. Whether he could scrape together the bride price depended on this mission!
But Lu Yang, possessing him, fell silent.
'This is...'
An indescribable strangeness filled Lu Yang's heart.
The Dao Court's rule was flawlessly efficient. All Jiangdong operated under the same order, squeezing maximum utility from its people.
In a word: grind.
Neglect meant lightning strikes; fail the official exam, and your cultivation dropped. It forced every Dao Court cultivator to grind relentlessly.
'...Underestimated the Dao Court!'
In that instant, Lu Yang sighed inwardly. None of the four great powers were pushovers. Dao Court cultivators might be weak individually, but they excelled in stability and order.
Because official rank was the foundation!
Outmatched one-on-one? Then two-on-one, five-on-one, ten-on-one! Lives were expendable; as long as ranks held, replacements lined up.
'From this angle, the Dao Court's war potential is actually the strongest among the four powers. The [Laws of the Immortal Kingdom] only cover Jiangdong, so they haven't expanded—but correspondingly, stirring trouble in Jiangdong is nigh impossible. It's an ironclad domain!'
Unless one integrated.
Join the Dao Court system and work from within to pry it open. Otherwise, it'd be like an egg smashing against a rock—utterly crushed.
That was why Lu Yang chose Xu An.
'Lake Dongting, true dragon clan... If things go as expected, this is a true dragon branch secretly sent into Jiangdong after Dragon Lord allied with the Dao Court.'
This was his chance!
A chance for a clean identity, to openly join the Dao Court, seize power, and prepare for attaining the [Heavenly Fire]!