Can He Crush Companion Ghosts Barehanded

Northern District of the city.

In a gated estate within the urban sprawl, Wang Yanran sat composedly on a sofa in the conference room. The space was crowded, yet she remained still, her gaze fixed silently on the elderly man before her.

The old man was slender in build, but despite being in his early eighties, he appeared remarkably robust, his jet-black hair betraying no signs of aging. He squinted at his phone, watching a video—

In the footage, Wang Li was seen commanding his spectral familiar to attack Wang Yanran, each venomous word from his mouth cutting into the old man’s heart like a knife.

After a moment, he set the phone down with a disdainful snort, his voice laced with fury.

"What a madman Wang Li has become, daring to lay hands on Yanran!"

"If anything had happened to Yanran, did he truly believe I wouldn’t trace his spectral familiar’s remnants? Fool! Absolute fool!"

The old man’s chest heaved with ragged breaths, as if he couldn’t fathom his own son committing such an idiotic act. His anger was tinged with an indescribable grief.

Then, a fit of violent coughing overtook him. Wang Yanran hurried forward to soothe him.

"Grandfather, please calm down. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you."

"Where is Wang Li now?!" someone beside him asked.

"Reporting to the family head, we’re still tracking him. There’s no trace yet."

After all, it had only been a single night. If Wang Li was determined to hide, uncovering his whereabouts wouldn’t be easy.

"Double the efforts! Dig him out even if you have to tear the earth apart!" the old man growled, his narrowed eyes finally settling on a young man in the corner.

"Wang Teng, did you know about your father’s actions?"

The young man, Wang Teng, paled instantly, shaking his head frantically. "Grandfather, I had no idea! Even if Yanran is stronger than me, I’d never resort to such underhanded tactics. My father must have lost his mind—"

Before he could finish, the old man cut him off with another cold snort.

Once he’d steadied himself, the old man turned back to Wang Yanran. "Yanran, rest assured, I will see justice done in this matter. But you mentioned a young man saved you?"

His tone carried skepticism.

What kind of young man could possibly rescue Yanran from a third-tier superhuman?

Wang Yanran nodded. "Grandfather, he looked young—maybe even younger than me, probably under twenty."

"Wang Li is a third-tier superhuman," the old man mused. "To force him into retreat…"

He was stunned. An eighteen-year-old third-tier superhuman? Such prodigies could be counted on one hand.

"Indeed, he might be a hidden genius from one of the great families," someone chimed in.

But before the old man could respond, Wang Yanran added, "No, he was far beyond third-tier. He crushed Wang Li’s spectral familiar with one hand."

"?!"

The room fell into stunned silence, as if they’d misheard.

Crushed a spectral familiar with one hand?!

Both concepts were understandable, but pairing "young man" with "crushing a spectral familiar barehanded" made the statement sound utterly alien.

"This…" The old man’s face twitched, and he sucked in a sharp breath. "To shatter a third-tier spectral familiar with bare hands—even a fourth-tier superhuman couldn’t do that."

"A fifth-tier superhuman… at eighteen?"

Was that even possible?

The old man sought confirmation. "Yanran, think carefully. Was it truly crushed directly?"

"Yes. There was a flash of lightning, and then it was crushed," Wang Yanran recalled. The young man’s hand had gleamed for an instant before the spectral familiar disintegrated.

"Lightning? Could he be a prodigy from the Lei family?" the old man wondered aloud. But that couldn’t be—the Lei family’s standing was comparable to the Wangs. None of their younger generation had such a monstrous talent.

"Oh, and he called himself a 'Qi Refining Great Master,' saying something like, 'Who dares challenge me?'"

"A Qi Refining Great Master? What’s that?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Could this young man be a hidden genius from some ancient, reclusive sect?

"Yanran, you said you paid a million for the video through his phone?"

"Yes. I still have his contact details." She pulled up her payment app, showing the recipient’s name as "Ye," with a Pikachu as the profile picture.

"Ye?" The old man frowned. "Are there any superhuman families with the surname Ye?"

"None that we know of, Family Head."

"Then… he must be from an ancient sect. Otherwise, I can’t imagine where else such a youth could emerge." The old man sighed. "But those sects have been in seclusion for years. Their younger members rarely descend into the mortal world."

"Family Head, perhaps we could investigate this person’s account."

"No!" the old man snapped. "A youth who can obliterate a third-tier spectral familiar in an instant—his backing must be unfathomable. Moreover, he saved Yanran. We mustn’t act rudely and invite disaster upon the Wang family."

After a pause, he turned to Wang Yanran.

"Yanran, try to establish contact with him. If he needs money, we’ll provide it without hesitation. Building a connection would be ideal."

Wang Yanran nodded.

"Enough. Everyone, disperse. Capturing Wang Li is our priority now."

"Yes."

The dozens in the conference room filed out, their expressions varied. Wang Yanran did the same.

Shortly after leaving, a voice called out from behind her. "Yanran."

She turned to see Wang Teng. Her tone turned icy.

"What do you want?"

"I apologize on behalf of my father. I never imagined he’d do something like this." Wang Teng’s face was contrite, but then he lowered his voice.

"But this story about a young man crushing my father’s spectral familiar barehanded—that’s a lie, isn’t it?"

Wang Yanran’s brows knitted. "What are you implying?"

"There’s no such thing as a young man that powerful. Admit it, Yanran—did you and Uncle conspire to ambush my father? The video only shows you being controlled by him. There’s no footage of what happened after."

To Wang Teng, the "young man" was nothing but a fabrication, part of Wang Yanran’s scheme.

"Are you stupid? I had no idea your father would ambush me. How could I have prepared in advance?" Wang Yanran let out a derisive laugh, her voice dripping with scorn.

"Seems you’ve inherited your father’s stellar intellect—utterly hopeless."

The words twisted Wang Teng’s face into a snarl. "Fine. Very well. I’ll expose your lies, Yanran. Just wait—I’ll find the proof."

With that, he spun on his heel and stormed off.