Chen Tianxin

As Yang Chen's gaze swept over, it felt as though a terrifying energy was constantly gathering within the slightly lean frame of the scholar-like middle-aged man.

It was as if a primordial beast were draped in human skin; even that seemingly harmless smile felt fraught with danger to Yang Chen.

This person is terrifying!

These words immediately surfaced in Yang Chen's mind.

The middle-aged man seemed to sense Yang Chen's gaze. The corners of his mouth twitched, he tilted his head, and with a look of interest, he locked his eyes onto Yang Chen's.

Boom!

An invisible explosion seemed to erupt between them.

Yang Chen suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over his mind, accompanied by a terrifying shockwave that detonated directly within his consciousness.

In an instant, Yang Chen felt as if his soul had been shattered, and stars began to dance before his eyes.

"Mr. Yang, are you alright?"

Wild Wolf, standing to the side, noticed Yang Chen's distress. With a look of confusion in his eyes, he lowered his head and asked softly.

Yang Chen shook his head, then looked at the middle-aged man with a solemn expression. "I'm fine. You must be the head of Jiangnan, right?"

"And you must be the little genius from Hancheng!"

Before Wild Wolf could speak, the scholar-like middle-aged man walked slowly toward Yang Chen, coffee in hand, a smile as gentle as a spring breeze hanging on his lips.

It was as if any negative emotion would vanish entirely in the presence of his smile.

Even Yang Chen, upon seeing that smile, temporarily forgot the damage caused by their earlier clash of gazes.

Beside them, Wang Teng's eyes were filled with intense adoration.

This was the head of Jiangnan! A legendary figure throughout the entire region! To think he could see such a person today, and at such close range!

Wang Teng was trembling with excitement, his shoulders heaving slightly as his eyes glowed with fervor.

The middle-aged man merely smiled, then led the three of them into the office.

Stepping out of the elevator and into the office, Yang Chen finally understood the meaning of luxury.

The entire space was constructed of glass—specifically, two-way glass that allowed those inside to see out, while remaining opaque to those on the outside. This ensured excellent privacy, though the cost was undoubtedly exorbitant.

But then again, this man was the head of Number 98 in Jiangnan.

He was arguably the most prestigious person in the entire region, so having such a luxurious office was only natural.

Still, a hint of envy flickered in Yang Chen's eyes.

Having lived in hardship for so long, he couldn't help but envy the lifestyle of these high-ranking individuals, who not only had no worries about their basic needs but could elevate their quality of life to such heights.

A moment later, the middle-aged man led the three of them into another room. It was still quite spacious, but this time, there were several other figures inside.

Yang Chen found one of them strangely familiar.

One of the figures, an old man, waved and smiled at him.

Yang Chen paused, his eyes filled with surprise. Wasn't that the same old man who had restrained the islanders on the first floor earlier? He was a Grandmaster! Yang Chen knew that clearly.

The middle-aged man closed the door, produced another cup of coffee from somewhere, and nodded slightly toward the figures.

"These are the Grandmasters of our Jiangnan. You came here wanting to see what a Grandmaster is like, didn't you? Well, I'll let you see enough of them today."

Yang Chen scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. He might have been unruly toward Wild Wolf earlier, but he knew he had to show the proper respect to someone of this stature.

Among the figures, aside from the old man he recognized, there were three others. One carried a large, blood-red blade on his back, and a faint scent of blood seemed to permeate the air around him, much like the ability of the Blood Butcher. However, compared to the Blood Butcher, this man's aura was far more intense.

Another was a gaunt, skeletal man who looked as though he were merely skin stretched over bone, with no visible flesh. An eerie, chilling aura radiated from him, causing the temperature in the room to drop.

The last was a stunningly beautiful young woman. Every look and smile she cast was filled with endless charm. She even teased Yang Chen, causing his face to flush bright red.

Although Yang Chen had become a match for a Grandmaster through the system's power, he was, at the end of the day, still a young man in his prime. When faced with the seduction of the beautiful woman, he found himself momentarily caught in her spell.

But he snapped back to reality in an instant.

A flicker of surprise crossed the beautiful woman's eyes. She knew full well how powerful her charm was; even some veteran S-rank ability users could be ensnared by just a fraction of her power, let alone a youth of Yang Chen's age.

Yet, his reaction defied her expectations—he had regained his composure in a heartbeat.

Although Yang Chen hadn't even realized she had used an ability on him, this alone was an extraordinary feat.

Strong!

That was the young woman's assessment of Yang Chen.

Beside her, the middle-aged man's eyes flickered for a moment, mirroring the young woman's trace of surprise, but he quickly suppressed it and said with a smile, "You've already met that old man; just call him Elder Wang. The one with the blade is Shan Shou, and as for that walking skeleton, call him Gui Xing. As for this one—"

The middle-aged man paused, then said with a look of slight headache, "What was it again?"

The beautiful young woman shot the man a resentful look, then spoke with a fragrant breath, "Grandmaster Chen is so busy, of course he wouldn't remember a little girl's name. Little brother, listen well: I am Meng Yao."

Meng Yao glared at the man before looking away, seemingly sulking.

Yang Chen rubbed his nose and scanned the room, committing everyone's names to memory.

After all, he had come to join Number 98, and he would inevitably have to deal with these people in the future. It would be rather awkward if he couldn't even call them by their names.

"Heh, as for me, I'm Chen Tianxin. You can call me Uncle Chen or Grandmaster Chen—either works!"

Chen Tianxin chuckled and gave Yang Chen's shoulder a light pat.

"Introduce yourself and let these grandmasters see the talent we have in Jiangnan!"

Yang Chen nodded, then said with a hint of solemnity, "I am Yang Chen, a half-step grandmaster!"

Yang Chen paused noticeably when stating his strength, as he wasn't entirely sure if he truly counted as having reached the grandmaster realm, given that his spiritual energy cultivation was only at the A-rank.

Even so, his words exploded in the room like a bomb.

A half-step grandmaster!

All four grandmasters turned their gazes toward Yang Chen.

They had never heard of a half-step grandmaster at this age!

Elder Wang, in particular, felt a trace of disappointment in his cloudy eyes.

He could clearly sense that Yang Chen's spiritual energy was only at the A-rank. To exaggerate so much in front of them felt like nothing more than posturing.

Young people!

Elder Wang shook his head slightly, his favorable impression of Yang Chen diminishing.

At this moment, the skeleton-like man spoke up, "Kid, just because you say you're a half-step grandmaster, does that make it true? Young man, it's better not to be so arrogant!"

He didn't believe a word Yang Chen said. After all, anything associated with the word "grandmaster" was not to be trifled with.

He knew how much time he had spent trying to cross into the grandmaster realm, even turning himself into this half-human, half-ghost state. And Yang Chen? He couldn't be more than twenty, yet he claimed to be a grandmaster—it was too arrogant!

He felt it was necessary to let Yang Chen experience the weight of a true grandmaster.

Otherwise, any stray cat or dog would start claiming to be a grandmaster!

Yang Chen glanced at Gui Xing, then swept his gaze over Chen Tianxin, Elder Wang, and the others.

Seeing their indifferent, detached expressions, Yang Chen understood immediately: they wanted him to show them what he was made of.

Although he had defeated Wild Wolf, he couldn't definitively say he had reached the grandmaster or even half-step grandmaster level.

But if he could trade a few blows with a real grandmaster, his true strength would be self-evident.

As for Wild Wolf and Wang Teng, both were so stunned by the aura of these grandmasters that they were speechless, acting like invisible men.

Yang Chen took a deep breath, a gaze like that of a fierce lone wolf emerging in his eyes. He licked his lips, scanned the grandmasters once more, and a slight arc formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Since you all don't believe me, how about we have a fight?"

To be continued!