The Art of Chaotic Divinity
Chapter 960: Rank Crushes All

Chapter 960: Rank Crushes All

"Of course. However, with battles erupting so frequently along the border, the commander-in-chief likely doesn't have much spare time at the moment."

Deputy General Ding said slowly, "How about this. I'll first arrange a temporary assignment for you. There's a place nearby where many elite students from Tianwei Academy are stationed. You may even run into a few of your friends."

Ling Feng nodded. "That's probably the best option for now."

"Then I'll send someone—"

"Wait." Ling Feng suddenly recalled the Ninth Prince, Mo Feng, who had been dispatched to the Southern Military Region six months ago as an imperial supervisor. He asked, "Where is His Highness the Ninth Prince now?"

"The prince?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Deputy General Ding's eyes before he forced a smile. "Lord Ninth Prince is residing at the Jingwang Mansion."

"Whoa, Big Brother Feng has his own mansion now?"

Behind Ling Feng, Jiang Xiaofan could not hold back his excitement. A royal mansion had to be far grander than a general's mansion.

Ling Feng, however, caught something in Deputy General Ding's eyes. He asked casually, "There's a mansion inside Tianmang Fortress?"

"The Jingwang Mansion isn't inside the fortress. It's in Iron Wolf City. His Highness is royalty after all. He couldn't possibly be expected to suffer alongside rough soldiers in this place. So, half a year ago, the commander-in-chief personally ordered the construction of the mansion. The Ninth Prince moved in soon after. It's safer and far more comfortable than staying here. Wouldn't you agree?"

Ling Feng narrowed his eyes slightly. Mo Feng had come to supervise the army, yet the commander-in-chief had immediately reassigned him to Iron Wolf City. That made a joke out of any talk of military oversight!

Given what he knew of Mo Feng, the man wasn't someone who shied away from hardship. Officially, the mansion had been built for the Ninth Prince, but in truth, the Southern Military Region's higher-ups likely refused to give him any authority and had isolated him on purpose.

Ling Feng raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

It seemed these past six months had not been easy for Mo Feng.

Deputy General Ding glanced at Ling Feng and spoke in a solemn tone. "General Ling, will you be staying in the fortress for now, or would you prefer to visit the Ninth Prince in Iron Wolf City? If you'd like to visit the Jingwang Mansion, I can arrange an escort."

"No need. I'll wait here in the fortress until the commander-in-chief returns."

Ling Feng touched the bridge of his nose and spoke calmly.

"Very well, very well!" Deputy General Ding smiled flatteringly. He turned to Li Bufan and the others, then said respectfully, "Please provide your names and backgrounds so I can record them properly."

Before long, everyone had reported their basic information. When he learned that Li Bufan was the son of the Grand Commandant's family, Deputy General Ding was visibly stunned.

After the registration was complete, he said cheerfully, "General Ling and Young Master Li have special circumstances. Your official assignments will come directly from the commander-in-chief. As for Young Master Jiang, you can serve as an assistant general[1] in the vanguard camp. How does that sound?"

"Assistant general? I think I'll just stay by Big Brother's side." Jiang Xiaofan scratched his head and grinned foolishly.

Deputy General Ding swallowed hard. Assigning someone an assistant general post right after arrival was already highly unusual, yet this kid had no interest at all.

Most Tianwei Academy students who joined the military began as centurions. The title of assistant general was already two ranks above that.

Standing nearby, Zhao Dabiao could not hide the envy on his face. After seven or eight years of slogging through the ranks, he had only managed to become a vice-commander of the patrol unit. Meanwhile, Jiang Xiaofan had just arrived and was already being offered a far superior post, and he was turning it down!

The gap between people really could be enormous!

"Then let's wait a bit longer," Deputy General Ding replied with a laugh. He looked toward the three young women and said, "Ladies, the Southern Army also has positions for women officers, perhaps you—"

"We don't need to be assigned."

Lin Xian'er interrupted before he could finish. With Ling Feng here as a general, there was no need to follow anyone else. Better to stick with him!

"Hehe..."

Deputy General Ding let out a bitter chuckle. In all his decades as deputy general, he had never seen anything quite like this.

They had marched straight in with a general's rank and joined the army without going through any proper channels. That had to be a first in history!

As the saying went, a higher rank crushes all. Ling Feng was a full general, countless levels above someone like Deputy General Ding. In front of Ling Feng, he didn't even have the right to speak.

"Very well."

Deputy General Ding coughed a few times and looked to Zhao Dabiao. "Vice-Commander Zhao, take General Ling and the others to the Tianwei Academy barracks and get them settled."

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Dabiao nodded and led the group out of the command building.

...

Before long, Ling Feng and his group arrived at a relatively remote section of the camp. This area was filled with new recruits who had yet to be officially assigned, but since most of them were future officers, the living conditions were better than average.

Even before they entered, they spotted a crowd gathered on a nearby field. A duel seemed to be underway.

This area housed students from the four major academies who had recently graduated. Naturally, those from the same academy tended to band together, and with so many thrown together in one place, conflicts were inevitable—especially over things like the better barracks.

After all, young blood always burned hot.

"My apologies if this looks a bit chaotic, General Ling," said Zhao Dabiao with an awkward smile. "These days the top generals have all been swamped with duties, so many students haven't been officially assigned yet. They've ended up congregating here. Sometimes they fight over the larger rooms. The higher-ups have allowed it to go on since, well, soldiers need a bit of fire in their veins."

He quickly added, "But you don't have to worry. Your status is different. You won't need to take part in these petty skirmishes."

"Why not?" Ling Feng shrugged and looked toward the makeshift dueling ring with a faint smile.

Among the two fighters trading blows on the stage, one of them was very familiar. Flames surged around him. It was none other than Mu Liufeng, the sword genius from the Central Court's sword team!

The loudest voice cheering from below belonged to Lu Qingshan, the team's vice-captain. And among the crowd was Li Yunting, that guy as loud as ever.

"So they all joined the Southern Army!"

Ling Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose and laughed easily. "Let's go take a look!"

"Alright. My Sword of Silent Awe is itching for action!" Jiang Xiaofan's blood was already boiling from the noise. He had always been a battle maniac at heart.

Li Bufan looked just as eager.

"Ugh..."

Mu Qianxue and the other two women exchanged a smile. They knew Ling Feng and the others had spotted some old rivals and could no longer hold back their excitement.

Zhao Dabiao quickly followed behind. In his mind, Ling Feng had already become a once-in-a-lifetime benefactor. He had decided to follow Ling Feng with absolute loyalty. One day, he would rise far above the lowly post of vice-commander!

1. Deputy General is higher ranking than Assistant General in this context. ☜

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