"No."
Han Tianyi shook his head, cutting through the usual pleasantries like a cold wind. He didn't care for small talk; his mind was still vibrating from the performance he had just witnessed in the quiet room.
"Dongfeng, I'll be blunt: Zhangting's talent is the most terrifying thing I have ever seen. His 'hexagonal stats'—his mental force, combat instinct, spirit power, and creative logic—are all maxed out. He has the potential to not just surpass me, but to catch up to the legendary founders of the Spirit Pagoda itself."
Qian Gu Dongfeng stood frozen. He had always known his grandson was a prodigy, but hearing it from the number one mental master of the continent changed the weight of that truth.
"The only flaw," Han Tianyi continued, his eyes narrowing, "is his physical vessel. His spirit is a dragon, but his body is still just a child's cage. To sustain the Ultimate Single Soul Spirit path, he needs a foundation of iron. And since ancient times, no one refines the body better than the Body Sect."
Han Tianyi was the living proof of this path. Born a commoner, he had been recruited by the Spirit Pagoda and later sent to the Body Sect as a trade-apprentice. It was their forbidden arts that had allowed his brain-based spirit to survive the rigors of Rank 98 cultivation.
But the Body Sect was in a pathetic state of decline. Their greatest masters had either left or were serving other powers. Han Tianyi was a Spirit Pagoda pillar, and the other—the "Smiling Tiger" Hu Jie—had fled to the Tang Sect after a bitter rivalry over a woman. The Body Sect was starving for fresh blood, and Han Tianyi knew they would jump at the chance to cooperate with the Spirit Pagoda.
However, as he prepared to argue his case, he noticed a strange, almost surreal expression on Qian Gu Dongfeng's face.
"Elder Han..." Dongfeng said, his voice laced with a bizarre mixture of pride and utter bewilderment. "Someone has already suggested a 'cooperation' with the Body Sect. And it's far more... comprehensive than just a student exchange."
He handed a thick, leather-bound document to the Elder.
The title was embossed in gold: "Comprehensive, Multi-Angle Mutually Beneficial Cooperation — Spirit Pagoda's Proposal for the Body Sect."
At the bottom, the signature was written in a sharp, elegant hand: Qiangu Zhangting.
The Six-Year-Old Strategist
Han Tianyi felt a genuine jolt of shock. His hands trembled slightly as he flipped through the pages.
"How old is he again?" Han Tianyi muttered, his beard twitching. "Six? He's barely taller than a cultivation stool, and he's already calculating the geopolitical landscape of the continent?"
"He has submitted dozens of these," Dongfeng explained, sounding like a grandfather who had just realized his grandson was a secret mastermind. "He isn't just asking for lessons. He's planning to pull the entire Body Sect onto the Spirit Pagoda's chariot."
As Han Tianyi read the details, the sheer audacity of the plan took his breath away. Zhangting had identified the Body Sect's Achilles' heel: Talent Acquisition.
The Spirit Pagoda branches were everywhere. They awakened spirits for millions of commoners every year. They were the ultimate filter. Zhangting's proposal offered the Body Sect a "Priority Recruitment" pipeline—in exchange for their most guarded Body-Refining techniques and absolute loyalty to the Spirit Pagoda's interests.
"But look at this," Dongfeng pointed to a specific clause. "He intends to go to the Body Sect himself. As a 'hostage.' He calls it a gesture of good faith to put their elders at ease while he learns their arts. He's using himself as a pawn to win the entire board!"
The Pagoda Master began to pace, his voice rising with emotion. "Ambition is one thing, but this level of courage is terrifying. He's a child with no real self-protection! How can I let him out of my sight? Since he was small, he hasn't listened to a word I've said. I'm his grandfather! I only want to protect him, but he's already acting like the Sovereign of the Continent!"
The Dao Protector
Han Tianyi listened to the Pagoda Master's complaints, but his mind was already miles ahead. He saw the future—a world where Zhangting sat at the center of a web that connected the Spirit Pagoda, the Body Sect, and perhaps eventually, the world itself.
"Pagoda Master, listen to me," Han Tianyi interrupted, his voice calm and absolute. "Your worries are valid. You fear for his safety, and you fear the chaos he will cause once he is free. There is a simple solution."
He looked Dongfeng directly in the eyes. "I will go with him. I will act as his Dao Protector."
The room went silent.
Qian Gu Dongfeng gasped. This was unheard of. Han Tianyi was an Rank 98 Super Douluo, a Four-Word Battle Armor Master, and the supreme master of illusions. On the entire continent, there were perhaps only five people who could challenge him. For a powerhouse of this caliber to deign to act as a bodyguard for a six-year-old was a move that would send shockwaves through every major sect.
"Safety is no longer an issue," Han Tianyi stated. "And as for the 'chaos' you fear... Pagoda Master, have you considered that Zhangting isn't 'causing chaos'? He is simply more excellent than you can imagine. This kind of genius isn't limited by age. It is a gift from the heavens."
Han Tianyi's voice grew heavy with a prophetic weight. "If you do not take what Heaven offers, you will instead be punished for it. Zhangting is a god-given weapon. If we try to dull his edge with 'overprotection,' we are the ones committing a crime against our clan."
Qian Gu Dongfeng shuddered. The phrase hit him like a physical blow. He looked at the proposal—the work of a six-year-old boy who saw the world as a game of chess—and then at Han Tianyi, the legendary guardian.
"If you do not take what Heaven offers..." Dongfeng whispered, his eyes finally clearing of doubt.
The decision was made. The Spirit Pagoda wasn't just sending a student to the Body Sect. They were sending a wolf in sheep's clothing, protected by a dragon.
Deep in the quiet room, Zhangting felt a faint ripple in the air. He didn't need to be there to know he had won. The Body Sect was the first piece of the puzzle. Next would come the iron-blooded refining, and then... the true game against Shrek would begin.