Could you say that again

The Maybach came to a smooth stop in front of the Super Martial Alliance's Jianghai Branch headquarters, its sleek body reflecting the distorted neon glow from the glass curtain walls. Wang Yanran removed her sunglasses and clipped them to her collar, her fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel as she prepared to drive into the underground garage. Just then, a guard in a black uniform approached with measured steps, the sound of his tactical boots striking the pavement echoing sharply beneath the towering building.

"Miss, do you have an appointment?" The guard saluted, the cold glint of his sidearm visible in the twilight.

"I'm Wang Yanran of the Wang family," she replied.

"Please proceed." The guard seemed to recognize her and promptly raised the parking gate.

However, he couldn't help but notice the man sitting in the back—Ye Chuan. This was the Wang family's young mistress, yet she was acting as his chauffeur? Who exactly was he?

The guard found Ye Chuan vaguely familiar but didn’t dare ask further, simply waving them through.

After parking, Wang Yanran led Ye Chuan toward the elevators.

"This is the Jianghai Branch of the Super Martial Alliance," she explained. "Every province has a branch responsible for overseeing super martial artists."

"The headquarters is in Yanjing City, up north."

Ye Chuan listened silently, offering no response. Moments later, the elevator halted at the thirty-second floor. As the doors slid open, his gaze landed on a familiar face—a slender man wearing glasses.

"Assistant Li," Wang Yanran greeted. The man was none other than the assistant to the director of the Jianghai Branch.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Ye," Assistant Li said, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.

Ye Chuan gave a slight nod.

Seeing that Ye Chuan had arrived, Assistant Li stepped aside slightly. "The Minister is waiting inside."

With that, Ye Chuan followed him into a conference room.

The moment the doors swung open, the brilliance of a crystal chandelier illuminated every detail of the room. Around the circular table sat several heads of super martial families. Wang Ba was pouring steaming pu-erh tea into white porcelain cups, the rich aroma mingling with cigar smoke in the air.

At the head of the table, Minister Shen wore a deep blue Zhongshan suit. To his right sat a young girl clutching a fluffy rabbit plushie, her blue hair ribbon starkly out of place in the room’s tense atmosphere.

"Hmm?" Ye Chuan recognized the girl.

Wasn’t she the one who had been mimicking his movements at school a few days ago? The same girl who had been utterly awed by his Iron Mountain technique.

"Brother Ye, take a seat!" Wang Ba stood up with a hearty laugh.

Wang Yanran considerately pulled out a leather chair for him. As Ye Chuan sat, Minister Shen’s pen paused mid-stroke on a document. His sharp gaze, magnified by gold-rimmed glasses, scanned Ye Chuan from head to toe like a precision instrument.

Unfazed, Ye Chuan settled into a comfortable position.

As expected, the Wang family treated him with the utmost respect—almost as if he were some priceless treasure.

After a moment, Minister Shen finally spoke. "I assume everyone here understands the reason for today’s meeting?"

"Of course, it’s about the rifts, isn’t it?" Wang Ba said.

"Correct. The existence of these spatial rifts is no secret within our circles. In the past, they appeared briefly, with few—if any—monsters emerging."

"In fact, there were only a handful of sightings over several years."

"But this time, these bizarre rifts have appeared globally. Countless monsters are destroying buildings and harming civilians."

Minister Shen picked up a laser pointer, its red dot landing on a nearby projector screen.

"While urban areas have been secured for now, places like the Alaskan glaciers, the Sahara Desert, and the Himalayas... The rifts there remain beyond our control, and the creatures within are proving difficult to handle."

His expression darkened. "Moreover, these monsters are growing stronger at an alarming rate."

"In just a few days, they’ve already become several times more powerful!"

Several times stronger?

The heads of the super martial families exchanged uneasy glances. While they hadn’t struggled against the creatures so far, if this growth continued unchecked, the future consequences could be catastrophic.

And their numbers were already overwhelming.

"Is there no way to eradicate them completely?" Wang Ba asked.

"Not unless we destroy the rifts themselves. Smaller rifts have vanished on their own, but the larger ones show no signs of disappearing..."

"Though no major rifts have appeared in our country yet, overseas, an entire small nation has already fallen to one in mere days."

A fallen nation?

The unfamiliar term sent a chill through the room.

"Which is why we must prepare in advance," Minister Shen continued. "We need to find a way to dismantle these rifts. For that, we require the assistance of the super martial families—specifically, live specimens of these creatures."

"But don’t we already have samples?"

"Not enough. Far from enough."

Minister Shen paused, then shifted his focus to Ye Chuan. "There’s one more matter—regarding you, Mr. Ye."

Ye Chuan raised an eyebrow.

"This footage... is that you?" The projector displayed a video of Ye Chuan wielding a single sword to suppress a horde of rift monsters. Clearly, his power surpassed anything the others had imagined.

None of the super martial family heads present could confidently claim to handle so many creatures with such ease. Yet for Ye Chuan, it seemed as effortless as drinking water.

"That’s me," Ye Chuan acknowledged.

"Your abilities... are you truly a super martial artist?" The simple question made many in the room reconsider.

Right—was Ye Chuan even a super martial artist?

Those sword techniques didn’t seem like anything within their realm.

"Did you summon me here for an interrogation?" Ye Chuan asked.

"You could interpret it that way," Minister Shen said, narrowing his eyes. "You have an obligation to answer."

"I have no interest in discussing anything about myself."

"You will answer!" Minister Shen barked.

At that, Ye Chuan’s lips curled into a faint smile.

In the next instant, a dark energy erupted from him, spreading outward like an invisible force. Every person in the room—except the Wang family—found themselves immobilized under crushing pressure.

Minister Shen stiffened in shock. He couldn’t move a single finger.

He was a peak-level super martial artist! How was this possible?!

Only now did he realize—Ye Chuan’s strength far exceeded his wildest estimations.

Wang Yanran and Wang Ba barely had time to react before they noticed the others frozen in terror, unable to move.

"What’s...?" Wang Yanran turned to Ye Chuan.

"Say that last part again," Ye Chuan murmured, interlacing his fingers on the table as he smiled at Minister Shen.