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From the information he had just received in his mind, Jiang Zhe was certain that this Divine Crystal came from the Manghuang World and was a "body part" belonging to an expert above the World Realm.

He had searched the four-hundred-square-meter clearing in a grid pattern, yet found nothing besides the Divine Crystal.

Jiang Zhe pinched the bridge of his nose, troubled. "Then how am I supposed to use this Divine Crystal?"

According to common cultivation knowledge from the Manghuang World, Divine Crystals left behind after the death of experts above the Dao Lord of Life and Death realm could open up a Chaotic Realm. Moreover, the creatures within would possess greater talent than those born in Chaotic Realms nurtured by ordinary Hearts of the World.

When a whale falls, all things flourish. Nothing described it better.

Its other use was as an equivalent substitute for a Heart of the World, used to cultivate the renowned Thousand Body Scripture of the Desolate Primal Chaos Universe.

That had been Jiang Zhe's first thought, but unfortunately, it was nothing more than a daydream.

"I can slowly study its uses later..."

"But one thing is certain now. My Inner World can most likely block the Primal Universe's detection."

Jiang Zhe looked up at the enormous tree canopy covering the four-hundred-square-meter area, suspecting that it was the source of this effect.

"In essence, this Divine Crystal should be on the same level as the Primal Universe. If it appeared within the Primal Universe, that thing would definitely go berserk."

"I can't imagine what the Primal Universe might do... I need to be prepared to hide this Divine Crystal in my Inner World for the rest of my life."

Jiang Zhe shook his head, feeling a headache coming on over how to deal with the Divine Crystal.

Looking at the Golden Leaf Pages and Crystal Stone on the stone table, both were hot potatoes. His cheat really was a "trouble-making machine."

Holding the Divine Crystal, which was as large as both his fists, he carefully stroked it, hoping to discover some other use for it.

While Jiang Zhe was studying the Divine Crystal in his arms, he had no idea that the world outside was already in an uproar because of him.

No secret could stay secret within the Fu Tai Mahjong Club.

The previous night, Jiang Zhe's mother and his two aunts had shown off their son and nephew to their close friends. By the next day, the entire upper class of Lanling Base City knew of Jiang Zhe's achievement—becoming a Pre-Martial Warrior at the age of sixteen, an unprecedented feat!

The news spread like a virus. Before noon on the twenty-seventh, nearly every high-ranking figure on Earth knew.

Detailed information on the Jiang Family and Jiang Zhe lay on the desks of Earth's two greatest experts, Hong and Thunder God. Soon afterward, two Invitation Letters were sent to Lanling Base City in Hanxia Nation.

Earth's Fourth Chairman and foremost Psychic Master, Ister, stared silently at the documents on his desk.

After a long while, he muttered, "An Intermediate Student in the morning, then a Pre-Martial Warrior by night. That familiar growth curve..."

"A Psychic Master?"

Ister vaguely sensed that a challenger capable of threatening his position was about to emerge. It was the intuition of a Psychic Master.

And yet, they belonged to the same camp.

"Looking at it another way, perhaps I can gain a Councilor Level disciple? The people of Hanxia Nation respect their teachers above all else..."

Europa, HR Alliance headquarters, Chairman's office.

Isadora, a silver-haired white woman in her fifties and a legend within the HR Alliance, was also reading the news sent back from Hanxia Nation.

Two War God Level bodyguards and a secretary stood respectfully at either side, awaiting her orders.

"The Jiang Family? Their current Family Head seems to be called... Jiang Lie? His strength is at the Invincible War God level, isn't it? I remember that assessment was made a long time ago. After that, I never heard of him taking action again."

"You have an excellent memory, Chairman!" The War God on her right praised her before saying, "He truly has not acted for a long time. We suspect he may have already advanced to the Councilor Level, only without revealing it. After all, the people of Hanxia Nation are best at hiding their strength and biding their time."

"His three sons are all War Gods too, aren't they?"

"Yes. Especially his eldest son, Jiang Chengbai. He is practically Jiang Lie in his youth. He excels with the Overlord Spear, fights with an overbearing style, and particularly enjoys smashing apart his targets' skulls." The War God shuddered faintly, recalling some unpleasant memories.

"Ah, what a family blessed by God."

Isadora could not help sighing as she turned toward the dignified female secretary at her side.

"Una, how is the Jiang Family's business empire doing?"

"Not well. They are constrained by the Wang Family in many areas, and their performance ranks near the bottom among Hanxia Nation's twelve great families."

After a brief silence, Isadora said, "Give the Jiang Family a larger share of commercial resources. This is an era where martial artists reign supreme. If resource distribution cannot satisfy powerful martial artists, serious trouble will follow."

Una hesitated. "But the Wang Family..."

"Have the Wang Family deal with the Jiang Family. If those two fight, our Alliance will benefit all the more."

"Yes, Chairman. I'll make the arrangements immediately."

"Wait." Isadora added, "Pay closer attention to the matter of winning over Councilor Far. Don't let anything go wrong."

Hanxia Nation, Kyoto Base City, within an underground building.

Third underground level.

Inside an elegantly decorated office, a lean man in loose training clothes lightly tapped the desk with one hand while flipping through the information sent from Lanling Base City with the other.

"Old Jiang Lie isn't at home, is he?"

"No. Yesterday morning, he left the Base City with his three sons and headed to the Tai River, intending to hunt a Taihe Carp Dragon," the secretary beside him answered.

"I knew he wouldn't be so high-profile. That old bastard understands hiding his strength and biding his time better than anyone."

"I need to talk to him. Let me be his grandson's teacher. A talent like that can't be snatched away by the Two Great Martial Arts Academies, much less the HR Alliance."

The secretary said faintly, "Boss, he belongs to the HR Alliance."

The lean man waved a hand. "The Jiang Family doesn't bully merchants, oppress men and women, or engage in malicious competition... What kind of HR Alliance members are they supposed to be?"

The secretary did not answer, inwardly grumbling: You're taking a jab at a certain neighbor in Kyoto Base City, aren't you?

Along the Tai River.

Old Master Jiang and his three sons swam ashore from the muddy river, intending to rest briefly before moving to another area to continue searching for the Taihe Carp Dragon.

After activating their communication watches, the four of them stared at screens full of missed calls and fell into deep thought.

—Did someone rob our house? Why are you all in such a hurry to find the four of us?

Virtual World, War God Palace.

The members who logged in today were all discussing the Jiang Family's lucky youngster. For the first time, the name Jiang Zhe spread across the globe.

That was right—"lucky youngster."

That was how many people described Jiang Zhe.

According to the news from Lanling Base City, he had first become an Intermediate Student, then suddenly crossed the Boundary Line into a Pre-Martial Warrior that night. The Jiang Family would never allow a direct descendant to do something so short-sighted. Any knowledgeable martial artist could guess what that meant.

—Psychic Master awakening!

Some praised him, some envied him, some were jealous... all manner of human reactions.

If Jiang Zhe had come from an ordinary background, he would already have lost his personal freedom. He would have been forcibly taken away, made to choose a faction to join, and then subjected to endless training to become stronger.

Luo Feng had concealed his identity as a Psychic Master because he did not want to lose his freedom.

But Jiang Zhe was different. The Jiang Family openly had four War Gods and also had the HR Alliance behind them. Who would dare barge into the Jiang Family to seize someone?

Inner World.

Jiang Zhe held the Divine Crystal, a delighted smile spreading across his face.

He had finally figured out part of the Divine Crystal's uses.

In the Manghuang World, the Chaotic Realms nurtured by the Divine Crystals of experts above the Dao Lord realm were highly unusual, with a greater proportion of powerful beings born within them.

This was especially true of Supreme Divine Crystals. Every creature born within the Chaotic Realm they nurtured was extraordinary, containing a trace of a Supreme's essence of origin. They were the finest seeds for cultivating the Dao.

What he had not expected was that a Divine Crystal that had not yet evolved into a Chaotic Realm possessed a similar effect.

After holding and rubbing it for a long time, Jiang Zhe felt a cool energy flow from his palm into his mind. His thoughts instantly became clear, his hearing and vision sharpened, as though a dust-covered mirror had suddenly been wiped clean.

Wonderful! Comfortable! Utter freedom!

The entire world felt different. Once he fully calmed his mind, he could vaguely sense an unusual fluctuation.

It was a fluctuation of the vast Universe Source!

However, this unusual fluctuation seemed to be veiled beneath layer upon layer of thick gauze, making it difficult for him to perceive.

Sorry, the pacing hasn't been very good. I've noticed it, and I'll speed things up later.