Longcheng, The Wang Group Chairman's Luxurious Villa.
Wang Dingtian leaned back on the sofa, his face paler than his grandson, Wang Lei, who lay immobilized in his room. The official medical report cited: "Non-physical external force, highly suspected to be a stress-induced neurological disorder."
He ignored the report, his gaze fixed on the coffee table. There lay two pieces of damning evidence: the mangled remnants of the limited-edition watch, and a fractured tip of a bamboo skewer, which had been chipped from the wall at the Elite Academy. Even now, inspecting the piece of wood, Wang Dingtian touched it lightly, and a pinprick of blood instantly beaded on his fingertip.
"Father, what on earth happened to Wang Lei? Why did he suddenly kneel to that poor boy?" Wang Lei's father asked, completely lost as to the source of his son's trauma.
Wang Dingtian didn't answer. He snatched up the destroyed watch—the very symbol of his family's previous act of atonement.
"That fool!" Wang Dingtian slammed the watch fragments onto the table, his voice hoarse with unconcealed terror. "I exchanged that watch for ten years of the Wang family's peace! He dared to provoke the Great Master again!"
He needed no further explanation. The non-physical injury, the undeniable power behind the simple skewer, and the immediate correlation to his past encounter solidified the reality.
"Immediately! Freeze all of Wang Lei's accounts and publicly announce he has fallen gravely ill and been sent overseas for secret convalescence. At the same time, prepare the contracts for ten percent of the Wang Group's shares. I am going to Dragon's Hidden Mountain to see Miss Su!" Wang Dingtian stood, his decision final. This was the Wang family's only path to survival.
Dragon's Hidden Mountain, Courtyard Annex.
Wang Dingtian was led into the side hall, adopting a posture of near-sacred humility. He sat respectfully before the mahogany table, his brow slick with anxious sweat, facing the array of asset deeds he had brought.
Su Qingxue, dressed in simple cultivation robes, looked transcendentally calm. She did not even glance at the documents.
She gently placed her jade teacup back on the table. Her voice was serene yet imbued with an unmistakable, ethereal coldness. "Chairman Wang, there is no need for this."
Wang Dingtian's heart sank.
"The Master does not collect the trivialities of the mortal world. Take your money back," Su Qingxue commanded, her tone devoid of emotion. "Your Wang family need only abide by the law and never trespass on Dragon's Hidden Mountain again. If you adhere to this, you will remain safe. Should there be a next time, you will not need to come here to beg for mercy."
Wang Dingtian felt immense relief. He knew the Master had shown him great mercy in letting the family survive.
He performed a deep kowtow three times, gathered the unwanted wealth, and stumbled away from the Cultivation Estate, his fear now replaced by an absolute reverence for the power that resided within.
The Capital, Ye Family Study.
Ye Qingcheng stood facing Old Master Ye, the family patriarch. She was no longer the arrogant fiancée, but an executive reporting a critical strategic finding.
"Grandfather, these are the high-resolution photographs brought back by the security detail."
The image showed a close-up of the bamboo skewer embedded in the reinforced concrete.
Old Master Ye adjusted his reading glasses, tracing the lines of the fracture in the photo.
"The skewer penetrated the cement, yet the force did not spread; it was perfectly channeled to the tip." Old Master Ye put the photo down, his expression grave. "This is not mere brute strength. This is the application of Internal True Qi controlled to the microscopic level. And the invisible suppression… that speaks of a spiritual crushing, something impossible for anyone below the Peak Grandmaster rank."
A flash of complicated emotion crossed Ye Qingcheng's face. She recalled Shan Hu's dismissive statement: "Our world is too small."
"My assessment, Grandfather, is that he is a reclusive Great Martial Way Master, likely having already touched the Innate Realm." Ye Qingcheng continued her analysis. "He rejected my contract to establish his value. Had he intended hostility, that skewer would have claimed my bodyguard's life."
Old Master Ye smiled with satisfaction.
"Excellent, Qingcheng. You understand now. He is not a bodyguard to be hired with money; he is a power to be partnered with."
The Old Master's tone shifted, laden with high-level strategy. "Since he follows his own path, we cannot use the engagement as a threat. The waters of the Capital run deep, and he, as a solitary warrior, will inevitably be drawn into the whirlpool. The Ye family can be his ally, offering him the resources, intelligence, and even the key to higher martial realms."
He looked toward the blue-robed elder standing quietly in the corner of the study.
"Qingyun, prepare a Martial Alliance Pact, and travel to Longcheng."
The elder, Ye Qingyun, slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was calm, yet contained the boundless energy of his Internal Qi.
"Old Master, am I to test his limits?"
"No. You are to exchange knowledge," the Old Master countered. "Show him the Ye family's sincerity, and our influence in the martial world. Your mission is recruitment, not confrontation."
Ye Qingyun bowed, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Qingyun accepts the command. I look forward to meeting the young expert who can suppress a Grandmaster with a simple bamboo skewer."
Dragon's Hidden Mountain, Dusk.
Shan Hu sat on the mountain peak, crushing the jade slip in his hand. The information, compiled by Su Qingxue, detailed the Wang family's desperate retreat and the Ye family's abrupt strategic shift.
"A Martial Alliance Pact… that saves me a few steps." Shan Hu smirked softly.
He knew that the "emissary" dispatched by the Capital was undoubtedly a genuine martial powerhouse. This arrival was the perfect signal he needed before departing Longcheng.
Shan Hu rose, his gaze turning north.
"Since it is a fellow practitioner, I will personally host this Innate Master from the Capital."
He walked toward his meditation chamber. Before setting off for the Northern Ice Fields, he had to complete his final preparation.
Shan Hu sat cross-legged, a flawless raw jadeite block floating before him. He closed his eyes, and his spiritual energy surged like a tide, pouring into the jade. He was beginning the refinement of a Protective Clan Artifact, potent enough to make any Innate Master turn and flee.