The sedan soon drove out of Hancheng and onto the highway at incredible speed. Fortunately, the black sedan didn't have an ordinary license plate, so it wasn't subject to the speed limit.
The ride inside was comfortable. Even on rough stretches of road, the black sedan remained fairly steady.
There was plenty of space inside, too.
Yang Chen, Wild Wolf, and Wang Teng sat in the back of the black sedan without feeling cramped at all. There was still plenty of room to spare.
Yang Chen took a chilled drink from the sedan's mini-fridge and gulped it down.
Even though it was morning, that didn't make it any less refreshing.
"Not bad!"
Yang Chen nodded faintly.
Wild Wolf spoke up.
"By the way, Mr. Yang, let me tell you about our chief here in Jiangnan!"
Yang Chen set down his drink, a faint interest showing in his eyes.
He was rather curious about the chief in Jiangnan.
Jiangnan was a vast region in Huaxia. Anyone capable of serving as the chief of Number 98 across all of Jiangnan had to be quite capable.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to command the respect of the many ability users in Number 98!
Yang Chen had met some ability users from Number 98. They were all an unruly bunch. And really, after Spiritual Energy Recovery granted people extraordinary abilities, who wouldn't get carried away?
The only way to bring ability users to heel was with someone even stronger to lead them.
Wang Teng's expression grew serious, too.
Though he was a prominent figure in Hancheng, even one of the best, he was still nobody special across all of Jiangnan. Even Wild Wolf had only just made it into Jiangnan's first-rate ranks.
But the chief of Jiangnan was different. He was considered one of the strongest people on the entire planet!
A Grandmaster!
That's right. The chief of Jiangnan was a Grandmaster.
And he had been at that level for a long time.
Grandmasters were rare, but Huaxia was vast, with a population of over a billion. It was only natural for one Grandmaster after another to emerge.
That was why, after the Spirit Energy Storm, Huaxia had become one of the three top nations on Earth!
It was the Grandmasters who had earned Huaxia its formidable reputation in its contests with the other nations.
Jiangnan held a place of importance in Huaxia, so it, too, had its Grandmasters. And the chief of Jiangnan was among the very best of them!
Wild Wolf cleared his throat, his eyes burning with admiration. "Grandmaster Chen is the strongest person in Jiangnan. He ranks among the top ten in all of Huaxia's Number 98 branches. Even other Grandmasters at the same level wouldn't stand a chance against him unless several of them teamed up!"
Yang Chen's expression gradually turned grave.
It would take several Grandmasters to challenge Grandmaster Chen?
As someone whose body had reached the Grandmaster level, Yang Chen knew that realm inside out.
The body alone could stand up to any S-Class ability user, to say nothing of the differences in spiritual energy and abilities.
Even Yang Chen might not be a match for a Grandmaster. Yet Grandmaster Chen could only be defeated if several Grandmasters joined forces.
That was terrifying.
If that was the case, he couldn't afford to reveal certain things.
Like the Devour Ability!
Wild Wolf didn't seem to notice Yang Chen's expression. He continued, his voice full of admiration.
"Grandmaster Chen is only forty, yet he's already surpassed all other ability users. He's the one and only genius in all of Jiangnan!"
Forty!
Yang Chen seized on the word.
The Grandmaster realm was immensely powerful, but reaching it was incredibly difficult. Generally, even an ability user with the talent to become a Grandmaster needed decades to get there.
Many Grandmasters were already in their seventies or eighties by the time they reached that level. Grandmaster Chen was different. Becoming a Grandmaster at forty made him an extraordinary genius.
Yang Chen didn't know much about this world yet, but he was sure that those who reached the Grandmaster realm were generally quite old. At his age, almost no one could do it.
Even those more than a decade older might not manage it!
So Grandmaster Chen really was a genius.
Even Wang Teng's expression changed.
As a member of a wealthy family, he knew quite a bit about these matters. Yet even his family had never heard of anyone becoming a Grandmaster at forty.
Wild Wolf glanced at Yang Chen's expression, then explained, "Grandmaster Chen used to lie about his age because he was afraid people from other nations would target him. Now he's reached the top, so there's no need to keep it secret!"
Yang Chen nodded. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he leaned back in his seat. "Now I'm a little interested in meeting Grandmaster Chen!"
Yang Chen was quite intrigued by someone like him.
He was already eager to meet this legendary figure!
The black sedan was fast. In just an hour, it had traveled a hundred or two hundred kilometers from Hancheng.
If an ordinary car drove that fast, traffic police would have arrested the driver long ago. But this one was different. It had a license plate exclusive to Number 98, and as long as it didn't cause a major accident, the authorities generally turned a blind eye even if they noticed it.
That was one of the privileges of belonging to Number 98!
Before long, the sedan exited the highway. Through the window, Yang Chen could already see skyscrapers rising one after another before him.
A magnificent city stood amid the vast landscape, radiating a powerful presence.
Yang Chen had always lived in a small city like Hancheng. He had never even seen a provincial capital like Jiangnan City.
He hadn't seen one on television, either. His life had once been so precarious that he'd had no time to learn about such things.
"So big!"
A faint bewilderment filled Yang Chen's eyes. This really was the first time he'd ever seen a city like this!
But neither Wild Wolf nor Wang Teng heard him.
The black sedan soon entered the sprawling city. As it weaved through the endless traffic, a series of wings unfolded from its rear, and blue flames burst out.
Before everyone's eyes, the black sedan lifted into the air.
The only strange thing was that the people of Jiangnan City seemed used to it. No one seemed to find it out of place.
Yang Chen, however, looked on in surprise.
"This car can fly?"
"All the cars belonging to Number 98 have been specially modified. Sometimes, when we're in a hurry and don't want to sit in traffic, we can just fly instead," Wild Wolf explained.
The black sedan streaked across the sky and soon arrived in front of an enormous building. Large black characters were displayed across its facade.
Number 98!
In Hancheng, Number 98 was built beneath a small hill outside the city. Hancheng was simply too small for them to build it within the city.
Jiangnan City was different. As a provincial capital, it had plenty of space, so Number 98 had built its headquarters right in the city.
The black sedan slowed to a stop in a parking space reserved for Number 98. Wild Wolf then led Yang Chen and Wang Teng out of the car.
Looking at the enormous entrance, Yang Chen was stunned.
The doors were made of glass, and two soldiers in uniform stood ramrod straight outside. When Yang Chen sensed their strength, he discovered that both of the guards were D-Class ability users!
In Hancheng, a D-Class ability user was already someone with a certain degree of fame!
Yet here, they were only guards!
Everyone going in and out of the Number 98 building was at least a D-Class powerhouse!
E-Class ability users were rare here!
Most of the people were D- or C-Class powerhouses.
There were B-Class ability users, too, but far fewer of them than the other two ranks.
Even so, the sight was enough to shock Yang Chen.
Back in Hancheng, it had been difficult for Yang Chen to even meet an ability user. Number 98's tight control was part of the reason, but it really was difficult.
"Let's go!" Wild Wolf called to Yang Chen with a smile.
Then he led Yang Chen and Wang Teng straight into the Number 98 building.
The moment they entered, the scenery shifted, and all kinds of high-tech devices came into view.
Screens glowed with details of various ability-user missions. At the very center of the first floor sat a drowsy-looking old man, staring blankly into space.
Every ability user who passed by him gave him a respectful look.
Wild Wolf led Yang Chen and Wang Teng over to the old man, but before he could say anything, a strange, sarcastic voice rang in their ears.
"Well, well. If it isn't Wild Wolf, our A-Class ability user?"
Before you continue