The conference room instantly fell silent.
Ji Xiuneng's hand stiffened slightly around the communicator.
Han Qianshan also raised his head.
Although he could not hear everything being said on the other end, the change in Ji Xiuneng's expression made it clear this was no small matter.
Ji Xiuneng asked slowly.
"Are you sure?"
Liu Cheng gave a bitter laugh.
"Captain Ji, I'm sure."
Ji Xiuneng took a deep breath.
"Check the historical records."
"What was the previous fastest time for Frost Cavern on Hell difficulty?"
The clatter of a keyboard came from the other end.
A few seconds later, Liu Cheng sounded even more strained.
"Found it."
"The previous Jiang City record was set five years ago by a four-person team with an average level of 15."
"The team consisted of a shield warrior, a priest, a fire mage, and an archer. A standard, fully rounded party."
"The clear time..."
Liu Cheng paused.
"3 hours, 17 minutes, 42 seconds."
Ji Xiuneng fell silent.
Han Qianshan's brow furrowed even more deeply.
"What happened?"
Ji Xiuneng lowered the communicator and looked at Han Qianshan, his expression utterly conflicted.
"Lu Fang went to run a dungeon."
Han Qianshan froze.
"Lu Tianxiong and Su Qingyu's son?"
"Yes."
"He just soloed Frost Cavern on Hell difficulty."
Han Qianshan's gaze shifted slightly.
"Frost Cavern? The one with a level 13 entry requirement?"
"That's right."
Ji Xiuneng spoke slowly.
"Solo."
"SSS rating."
"29 minutes, 48 seconds."
Han Qianshan's pupils contracted sharply.
Even as a city lord who had seen countless geniuses, he could not help showing his shock.
"What about the previous record?"
"A fully rounded four-person team averaging level 16."
Ji Xiuneng's voice was low.
"3 hours, 17 minutes, 42 seconds."
The conference room fell silent again.
Only after a long while did Han Qianshan slowly utter a single word.
"Monster."
Ji Xiuneng gave a bitter laugh.
"That's an understatement."
Han Qianshan leaned back in his chair, a trace of complicated emotion flashing through his eyes.
Just yesterday, Jiang City had lost its Three Pillars.
For the entire city, that devastating news had been almost like the sky falling.
Yet on that very same day, Jiang City had also produced Lu Fang.
Someone who could kill a level 100 expert just after awakening.
A monster who had soloed a Hell dungeon at level 13 and broken the all-time record in half an hour.
Han Qianshan remained silent for a long time before finally speaking quietly.
"If Lu Tianxiong and Su Qingyu knew, they would probably be very proud."
Ji Xiuneng did not respond.
Those words carried too much weight.
Han Qianshan looked out the window and sighed.
"Jiang City's situation is terrible right now."
"Truly terrible."
"But at least..."
He paused, a faint glimmer finally appearing in his eyes.
"Lu Fang's monstrous talent is the only good news this city has right now."
"Speaking of which."
Han Qianshan tapped his fingers lightly against the table, his gaze flickering.
"Lu Fang's greatest value right now isn't just his own talent."
"It's also the resources he's about to attract."
Ji Xiuneng froze.
"You mean..."
Han Qianshan raised his head.
"The Five Great Academies."
"With the feats Lu Fang demonstrated yesterday, there's no way the Five Great Academies wouldn't be interested."
"If the Five Great Academies send people to recruit him, perhaps we could ask Lu Fang to set a condition."
Ji Xiuneng's brow shifted slightly.
"Have the Five Great Academies arrange for experts to be stationed in Jiang City?"
Han Qianshan nodded.
"Even if it's only temporary."
"As long as we can get through this most dangerous gap, Jiang City will have a chance to catch its breath."
Ji Xiuneng's eyes brightened slightly.
That really was an option.
But soon, he frowned again.
"That doesn't add up."
Han Qianshan looked at him.
"What doesn't?"
Ji Xiuneng spoke gravely.
"I already submitted Lu Fang's information through the highest-level encrypted channel last night."
"There's no way news like this would go unnoticed."
"But so far, not a single person has contacted me to verify it."
Han Qianshan frowned as well.
Ji Xiuneng continued.
"It's not just the Five Great Academies."
"Even the top universities a little below them haven't made any moves."
"This is strange."
The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly grew quiet.
It really was strange.
With talent like Lu Fang's, once the news got out, under normal circumstances, the academies' admissions offices should already have been fighting over him like mad.
Never mind contacting Ji Xiuneng to verify the information.
It would not even have been surprising if someone had come straight to Jiang City through a teleportation array.
Han Qianshan was silent for several seconds, a grave look flashing through his eyes.
"Could someone have suppressed the news?"
Ji Xiuneng's heart jolted.
"Who has that much authority?"
The words had barely left his mouth.
A calm voice suddenly rang out in the conference room.
"Someone with the authority to suppress it, of course."
Boom!
Ji Xiuneng and Han Qianshan both stiffened.
They whipped their heads around.
A figure had appeared by the conference room window at some unknown point.
It was a man wearing a long black trench coat.
He looked about thirty, with an ordinary face, and gave off no earth-shaking aura whatsoever.
Yet that was precisely what made him even more terrifying.
This was the highest-security conference room in the city lord's residence.
Layers of guards stood outside.
Energy detection arrays were installed inside.
Runic wards against spatial infiltration also covered the surrounding area.
Yet this man had appeared without a sound.
No alarms had been triggered.
There had been no energy fluctuations.
Even Ji Xiuneng and Han Qianshan had failed to notice when he had begun standing there.
What did that mean?
It meant that if he had wanted to kill them just now, they probably would not even have had a chance to react.
Ji Xiuneng shot to his feet, his hand already on the weapon at his waist.
"Who are you?!"
Han Qianshan stood as well, his eyes filled with shock and wariness.
The man in black did not answer and simply took out a token.
The token was pitch-black.
A golden true dragon was carved on its front, coiling as it soared.
A faint reddish-gold light flowed through the dragon's eyes.
There were only two words on the back.
[Heavenly Dragon]
Ji Xiuneng frowned deeply.
He did not recognize the token.
But beside him, Han Qianshan's expression changed completely the instant he saw it.
Shock, fear, reverence.
There was even a trace of scarcely believable, wild joy.
Almost without hesitation, he immediately bowed deeply to the man in black.
"Han Qianshan, city lord of Jiang City, pays his respects, sir!"
Ji Xiuneng was shaken to his core.
What was Han Qianshan's status?
The city lord of Jiang City.
Even before high-ranking provincial officials, he would not lose his composure like this.
Yet now, he was actually bowing to this man in black, even addressing him as "sir"!
Just who was this man?
The man in black put away the token, his tone even.
"No need for formalities."
Han Qianshan straightened, but remained respectful.
"Have you come for Lu Fang, sir?"
The man in black nodded.
"I happened to be carrying out a mission near South Province."
"My superiors issued an assessment order on short notice, so I stopped by on the way to take a look."