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Translator's note: Power didn’t just come from the top; it came from below. Just like an emperor, it wasn’t the title that commanded respect, but respect that granted the title. —Well I say it's not necessarily so.
“Xiu, I heard you’re about to become the Chief Commander! When you get the position, don’t forget about me. Make me a captain too, okay?” Xiao Chuxia said in a syrupy sweet voice, her enthusiasm barely contained.
Fang Xiu shot her a flat look. “No.”
“Xiu, check this out! You’re trending on the Global Specter Forum!” Zhao Hao exclaimed, practically shoving his phone into Fang Xiu’s face.
Fang Xiu glanced at the screen and saw sensational headlines: “The First Fifth-Tier Psychic: Thanks to That Man!”
“Behind the Fifth Tier Powerhouse.”
“World’s Top Ability Belongs to a Third Tier Psychic.”
“A Single Man Can Match Three Legions.”
The outrageous exaggerations almost made him laugh.
“Can you believe it? They’re saying you’re strong enough to take on three legions!” Zhao Hao said, eyes wide with excitement.
“You know how to flatter,” Yang Ming chimed in, giving Zhao Hao a mock thumbs up.
Fang Xiu maintained a blank expression. “Do you have anything else to do? If not, please leave; I need to sleep.”
“Xiu, aren’t you even a little excited? Your achievements are known worldwide! There’s a vote for the world’s number one psychic, and you’re at the top! Fang Moli is only second!”
Yang Ming scoffed. “Fang Moli? He only hit the fifth tier because of Xiu’s help. It’s obvious who truly deserves to be first.”
“Xiu,” Yang Ming said, flashing a grin reminiscent of Li Xiaoru’s. “Since we’re friends, can you help me break through too? Just to the fourth tier—no need for fifth tier. I’m not greedy.”
“Get away from me,” Fang Xiu said, pushing the door closed.
“Xiu, don’t listen to him! You just helped Fang Moli break through to the fifth tier. Helping Yang Ming to the fourth would drain you! But the second to third tier is way easier, right? How about helping me first?” Zhao Hao added.
BANG!
Fang Xiu shut the door, cutting off their eager faces.
“Xiu! The forum is going wild, saying you can help psychics break through levels! The Investigation Bureaus from different countries are sending us invitations. You have to help me break through first! I want to be ahead of those foreign guys!” Yang Ming shouted from outside.
Once he dismissed the group, Fang Xiu returned to bed. Despite the chaos on the forum, he felt completely unfazed.
The next day, headquarters convened again, a serious air filling the room.
The Director took his place at the head table, ready to address the gathering. “I believe you all know the purpose of today’s meeting. The Chief Commander position is still undecided, but after careful consideration, we have decided to appoint Fang Xiu as…”
“Acting Chief Commander, right?” Fang Xiu calmly interrupted, cutting in before the Director could finish.
The Director blinked in surprise. “Did you foresee this?”
Fang Xiu nodded slightly, scanning the room and the faces around him. “I will be appointed as the Acting Chief Commander for a one-year probation period. If I don’t make any major mistakes and prove my capability to lead the psychics at headquarters within that year, I will be promoted to a permanent position.”
“You even foresaw what I was going to say at the meeting?” The Director looked completely stunned. He knew this was confidential info that hadn’t leaked, which meant Fang Xiu must have truly seen it.
“I foresaw my appointment as Acting Chief Commander, and I also predicted that your upcoming speech would last an hour. To save time, let me take over,” Fang Xiu interjected smoothly.
The Director was momentarily at a loss for words, while the others in the room stifled laughter at his flustered expression. They were all too familiar with the Director's lengthy speeches, often testing the patience of everyone present.
“Sir, the next agenda item is for me to speak, right? Let’s move on to that,” Fang Xiu said, confidently taking the microphone from in front of the Director.
Just then, Xiao Zhenhua, who had been standing behind the Director, couldn't hold back any longer. He prided himself on maintaining discipline above all else.
“Fang Xiu! Don’t go too far! You—”
Before Xiao Zhenhua could finish his thought, Fang Xiu cut him off. “You’re being arrogant. Just because you’ve been appointed as Acting Chief Commander, you think you can disrupt the meeting? Sir, Fang Xiu is young and impulsive; I suggest we keep an eye on him.”
Xiao Zhenhua was taken aback. 'That’s my line!' he thought, momentarily speechless.
Fang Xiu then pulled out a small notebook and waved it in front of the room. “This notebook contains what you are all going to say during this meeting. I predicted it in advance and wrote it down. My intention is clear—I need to establish authority. I know some of you doubt my ability to be Acting Chief Commander, but that’s irrelevant. The future will prove everything.”
Fang Xiu wasn’t shy about his intentions; he aimed to assert his dominance and build credibility at headquarters. Power didn’t just come from the top; it came from below. Just like an emperor, it wasn’t the title that commanded respect, but respect that granted the title.
In the same way, being Chief Commander didn’t mean he could command everyone; he had to earn their trust. If everyone believed in him, he would truly be the Chief Commander.
While respect could be built over time, Fang Xiu didn’t want to wait. With the Specter invasion escalating, he had no time for power struggles.
He planned to use the simplest and most direct method to intimidate everyone, quickly taking control of headquarters and establishing his own authority.
His words sent the room into an uproar.
Amid the noise, Fang Xiu opened the notebook and revealed the first page, showcasing a written statement.
Xiao Zhenhua: “You’re being arrogant. Just because you’ve been appointed as Acting Chief Commander, you think you can disrupt the meeting? Sir, Fang Xiu is young and impulsive; I suggest we keep an eye on him.”
“How is this possible?” Lin Tianhe exclaimed loudly from the crowd. He was the only fourth-tier among the trainees and one of the few who had been frozen into an ice sculpture by Luo Qingxin.
Among those present, only a few captains, like Fang Moli, had witnessed Fang Xiu's precise predictions firsthand. Others knew he could predict the future but had never seen it done with such accuracy.
Their understanding of foresight had always been shaped by movies and TV shows, filled with cryptic prophecies and vague images of future events.
But Fang Xiu’s display was nothing like that. There were no riddles or ambiguities; it was pure precision.
Fang Xiu calmly declared, “Nothing is impossible. Everything reflects the future. The Foreseer... can see the future.”