Recruitment by the Powerful

The female host of the melee season tournament rushed to the general manager's office.

"General manager! General manager!"

Disregarding all etiquette, she knocked on the door and called out.

"Come in."

Hearing permission from inside, the host immediately pushed the door open.

"General manager, a dark horse has appeared in the melee season tournament. He's only at the early Third Realm, but his strength has already surpassed the Fourth-Realm Peak and reached the quasi-Fifth Realm."

"At present, aside from whether he's crossed the threshold into the extraordinary, which is still unclear, he meets all the requirements from above."

She quickly conveyed the important information, speaking at a breakneck pace but enunciating every word with exceptional clarity.

After hearing the host's report, the regional general manager could no longer sit still.

The balding middle-aged man's face filled with surprise. He sprang to his feet and headed for the melee arena outside without looking back.

As he walked, he said to the host following him, "Go notify the Chen Family. Tell them we've found a candidate for the bodyguard."

The host understood. After softly assenting, she immediately turned and ran in another direction.

By then, Shisui had left the fighting cage and was preparing to leave the arena.

The title of rookie king who had just won the tournament was enough to draw attention on its own.

On top of that, Lou Shisui had never taken off his large, heavy hood since his first match, making him as mysterious and talked-about as could be.

A tournament champion of unknown identity, even if he had only won the melee division, was enough to claim a share of Meifeng County's front-page headlines in the coming days.

The fanatical spectators from the stands and the reporters chasing hot stories were probably already lying in wait at the entrance, watching like hawks.

So Lou Shisui did not take the usual exit. Instead, he changed direction, intending to avoid the crowd and leave through the staff passage.

He had only taken a couple of steps when he ran into the regional general manager, who had come in a hurry.

The manager hurriedly called out to stop Shisui.

"Mr. Owl, please wait!"

He recognized the person approaching at a glance. After all, not many people wore hoods inside the dim underground cavern.

"I'm Chen Shu, general manager of the melee division of the Silverglow Underground Fighting Arena. First, congratulations on winning our division's season tournament. Might I have the honor of inviting you for a couple of drinks?"

Oh, here it comes. He couldn't sit still after all.

Lou Shisui watched the fat on Manager Chen's face bunch up into a falsely obsequious smile and accepted his invitation. "The honor is mine."

I just don't know which power behind the arena has come.

Not long after they left, an inconspicuous tall, thin young man slipped backstage at the arena. He walked briskly, looking from side to side as though searching for someone.

"Leader, we've stationed people at every exit. Owl hasn't come out, and I haven't seen him backstage."

The tall, thin young man raised a hand to cover his mouth as if coughing. His faint voice entered the communication ring on his finger.

A moment later, the one-way earpiece in his ear vibrated slightly.

"Come back. Those people from the aristocratic families have most likely beaten us to him. We'll find another chance to make contact. Don't alert him."

"Yes, leader."

Although he was deeply unwilling to see someone with potential whom he had set his sights on long ago snatched away, he had been too slow, and staying here any longer would do no good.

The tall, thin man turned decisively, blended into the busy stream of people, and quietly left the underground arena.

"Gurgle..."

A kettle of Spirit Resonance River water came to a boil over a small stove. Wisps of Psychic Energy escaped from the bubbles on the surface, forming a swirling white mist around the spout.

This was proof that the water contained a great deal of Psychic Energy, and it was also how the Spirit Resonance River had gotten its name.

A maid picked up the kettle, first using a little boiling water to warm the cups, then adding tea leaves, pouring in water, and steeping the tea in one seamless sequence.

Her movements were graceful and fluid, her slender, pale fingers dancing among the carved celadon wares.

A short while later, the jade-green tea was served to Chen Shu and Shisui in turn. The maid quietly rose and backed out of the tea room.

The tea room's heavy door closed. Chen Shu first picked up his cup and took a sip before slowly saying, "Do you not intend to show your true face, sir?"

Shisui did not touch the tea on the table. He still wore his hood, an act that undoubtedly made his host lose face.

But what did it matter? A slightly arrogant young genius with little experience of the world was all the easier to control.

Seeing the other man pretend to be angry and serve the host before the guest as a show of dominance, Shisui found it amusing.

The man was clearly quite satisfied with his green behavior.

Shisui ignored his question and went straight to the point. "Manager Chen, if there's something you want, feel free to say it directly."

"Mr. Owl, you're certainly a man of few words, so I won't beat around the bush either."

Chen Shu plainly paid no mind to Shisui's offense. Instead, it only reinforced his belief that Shisui was indeed new to the world.

"Our Chen Family hopes to establish a cooperative relationship with you, sir, and advance together!"

"The Chen Family will provide the heavenly and earthly spirit treasures you need for cultivation."

You pay.

"All you need to do is lend a hand when our Chen Family needs help!"

I do the dirty work.

As Shisui listened to Chen Shu paint a rosy picture, his mind automatically translated the implication.

"What do you think?"

Chen Shu smiled, certain he would succeed.

"Provide, you say. What resources exactly?"

"One thousand mid-grade spirit pills each month, and three opportunities to choose the mid-grade heavenly and earthly spirit treasures you need."

This package exceeded what the vast majority of Fourth Realm cultivators received and could even compare to what a few early Fifth Realm cultivators received. For someone in the Third Realm, the terms were rather overly generous.

But the next moment, Chen Shu's smile froze.

"Not enough."

Buddy, are you trying to fob off a beggar?

Disdain was written all over Shisui's face.

Even if he ate only one meal a day, he absorbed more Psychic Energy than a hundred mid-grade spirit pills contained.

These terms were top-tier for an ordinary Third Realm cultivator, but for him, a Third Realm cultivator with the strength of someone at the half-step Fifth Realm, they were somewhat useless.

Chen Shu was momentarily at a loss for words.

He had no authority to offer more resources. He was merely a frontman installed at one of the arenas, a member of a collateral branch of the family.

He had only been able to become general manager because he was on good terms with the young master of the main family.

Shisui saw his predicament and rolled his eyes, somewhat speechless.

Just then, someone suddenly pushed open the tea room door, and an arrogant voice broke the quiet.

"Owl, a thousand high-grade spirit pills to hire you for five days should be more than enough, right?"

The newcomer was a tall young man with a careless air. At a glance, Shisui spotted no fewer than five protective spirit artifacts on him—a real rich bastard.

Chen Shu immediately rose from the seat of honor and respectfully offered it to him. But the young man did not seem to appreciate the gesture, or rather, he paid no attention to Chen Shu beside him at all.

Peak First Realm, about seventeen years old, and hiring a low-realm fighter at a time like this.

Shisui had a guess.

"That is enough," he said, taking off his hood of his own accord. His silver-white hair was instantly exposed to everyone's view, giving him an eerie, inhuman air. "How should I address you, boss?"

"Chen Haoyu of the Chen Family in Yin City."

Seeing the silver hair and the half mask on Shisui's face, Chen Haoyu frowned slightly in discomfort.

Too conspicuous. But he's just a fighter, so as long as he's useful, that's fine. At worst, I can just tell him not to take off his hood afterward.

"What would you like to hire me to do, boss?"

"Just accompany me to a secret realm. Come here and find Chen Shu on October 3. He'll take you to the Chen Family to prepare."

Chen Haoyu gave no further details. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving Chen Shu to handle the rest.

Lou Shisui did not mind his attitude. Just as Chen Haoyu treated him as a tool, wasn't Shisui using him as a stepping stone?

"Mr. Owl, I look forward to working with you. I'll have the arena staff bring over the champion's reward shortly."

Shisui gathered his thoughts, curving his eyes and brows into a gentle expression that softened his inhuman air.

"I look forward to working with you."