After seeing off Xiao Xiao, Zhang Qianyu, and the others, An Yi was left alone. Before leaving, Xiao Xiao had insisted on exchanging contact information with him.
She must have a crush on me.
An Yi was utterly convinced of this.
The night sky was quiet and still.
Hands in his pockets, An Yi tried to calm his thoughts.
The Gui Snake from the Hundred Ghosts Sect was clearly a demonic beast from the ancient continent.
Moreover, the envoy he had slain with a single sword strike turned out to be an emissary from the Tower of Babel Prison.
Who were they?
Where did they come from?
Where were they going?
The three great philosophical questions of life now loomed before An Yi.
Whatever. Who cares about them?
If soldiers come, I’ll block them; if water rises, I’ll cover it with earth.
Once his Asura Sect grew stronger, he’d just storm the Hundred Ghosts Sect’s hideout and wipe them out!
His car was still parked at Yilan Corporation’s building, and he hadn’t driven it over.
At this hour, there were no buses, and given the remote location, hailing a cab wasn’t convenient either.
But fortunately, he found an unclaimed luxury car at the club’s entrance.
So, he effortlessly picked the lock, got in, and drove off in style.
Go home?
That huge villa, all by himself—how boring.
Might as well go find Qin Yao.
"On this windy day, I tried to hold your hand, but the wind just kept blowing—"
A soft melody rang out.
Yep, it was An Yi’s own voice.
Shamelessly, he had downloaded the song he’d recorded that morning and set it as his ringtone.
"Hello, who is it?" An Yi answered, puzzled.
"It’s me, Lin Chen!"
A thick Hong Kong accent came through the phone.
An Yi rolled his eyes. "Speak properly, I can’t understand you!"
"I’m Lin Chen!"
Lin Chen’s icy voice cut through, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of gunfire in the background.
Screams and shouts were everywhere.
An Yi’s eyebrow twitched violently. "Old Lin, what the hell are you doing right now?"
"Fighting. Last night, I infiltrated a gang, took out their boss, and now I’m their new leader. We’re fighting for control of Yuen Long. Almost done."
Lin Chen spoke as casually as if he were discussing the weather.
"Damn it!"
This troublemaker! Hong Kong wasn’t even that far—just take a damn flight back!
Why play gangster and fight over territory?!
Is this what they call the protagonist’s privilege?
An Yi marveled silently.
Unlike him, who’d worked all night and gained absolutely nothing!
"You’re so busy, why call me in the middle of the night? Don’t tell me it’s just to say hi." An Yi scoffed.
Say hi? Hah. That poker-faced bastard wasn’t that considerate.
"I’m worried about Yao Yao."
Lin Chen’s voice was calm.
An Yi chuckled. "Relax, I’m taking good care of her. I’ll watch over Qin Yao for you."
Lin Chen: "..."
This idiot clearly didn’t get the point of his call.
An Yi could practically hear Lin Chen’s knuckles cracking through the phone.
"I just wanted to remind you—I planted landmines around the villa. Forgot where, though." Lin Chen’s voice was breezy.
An Yi: "..."
What the hell?!
What was this poker-faced bastard implying?!
Did he think An Yi was the kind of guy who’d sneak into a girl’s room in the middle of the night?!
Absolutely infuriating!
"Got a little careless just now—took a bullet to the arm. You’re on your own. Got things to handle here."
Lin Chen hung up before An Yi could respond.
An Yi: "..."
This guy, calling in the middle of a shootout?!
Glaring at the GPS marker for the Qin family villa, An Yi was furious.
After all our brotherhood, you don’t even trust me?!
Fuming, he made a U-turn and changed course.
Going home!
An Yi’s battle with the Gui Snake sent shockwaves through the martial world.
The editors of the Martial Alliance app worked overnight, churning out articles glorifying the event.
"The True Top Young Talent of Our Generation!"
"With Jiang Cheng Outmatched, An Yi Steps In, Single-Handedly Battles the Gui Snake!"
Naturally, few took these sensationalized pieces seriously.
After all, Jiang Cheng, the Law Enforcement Bureau’s crown prince, was widely recognized for his terrifying strength.
Claiming that some nobody—a small-time thug nobody had heard of six months ago—was stronger than Jiang Cheng? Impossible!
Still, An Yi became a hot topic among martial artists.
For days, he dominated discussions.
On the Hidden Dragon Rankings, An Yi skyrocketed to third place!
Right behind Jiang Cheng of the Law Enforcement Bureau’s Azure Dragon Division and Monk Ji Chen!
For a time, An Yi basked in the spotlight.
The Asura Sect, once dismissed as a joke, was now taken seriously by the upper echelons.
In a skyscraper in the capital...
"Yuanfang, what do you think?"
Han Bing, head of the Law Enforcement Bureau, stood with his hands behind his back, rolling two silver balls in his palm. His sharp gaze pierced through the glass, surveying the city below.
The cold reflection showed his stern face—and his bald head.
"In my opinion, there’s more to this than meets the eye."
Li Yuanfang adjusted his glasses. "Jiang Cheng’s strength is undeniable, Chief. If even he couldn’t handle the opponent, how could some kid named An Yi?"
Li Yuanfang, Han Bing’s right-hand man, was a Void Realm expert himself—ranked 35th on the Heavenly Leaderboard.
"Jiang Cheng is indeed exceptional, but calling him peerless might be a stretch. The Paradise Organization already has a 25-year-old assassin who’s reached SSS-rank. The Land of Shadows has a young Shadow-level ninja. And word is, the ancient Order of the Holy Knights has inducted a girl in her early twenties."
Han Bing’s tone was contemplative.
Li Yuanfang’s expression darkened.
"How?!"
An SSS-rank assassin, a Shadow-level ninja, a Holy Knight—all comparable to Void Realm warriors in Daxia!
"Thankfully, the War God and the Pantheon hold the borders, keeping these forces at bay."
Han Bing sighed.
"The world’s peace is built on the shoulders of those who bear its weight."
War God Long Aoyun was Daxia’s true guardian.
As for Han Bing, his duty was to maintain order within.
Those disgusting, restless pests—they had to be eradicated!
"Jiang Cheng is on the verge of a breakthrough. Don’t pressure him too much," Han Bing rumbled.
Li Yuanfang nodded. "Understood, Chief!"
"Also, send an invitation to the Asura Sect."
Han Bing rolled the silver balls in his hand.
Li Yuanfang’s eyes widened.
He knew exactly what Han Bing meant—this was a recruitment offer!
"What does that brat even—"
Li Yuanfang’s voice was tight.
The Recruitment Decree was one of the Law Enforcement Bureau’s rarest privileges. And now, it was being extended to the Asura Sect?!
"Because they are Daxia’s future."
Han Bing sounded resigned.
An Yi—already matching, if not surpassing, Jiang Cheng in strength.
Lin Chen—single-handedly annihilated a syndicate that had ruled Hong Kong for half a century. Even the Void Realm expert Black Crocodile fell to him in direct combat. Now carving out his own empire there.
Chen Bing—no need to elaborate. His true terror wasn’t his power, but his strategic genius. Even Han Bing found him chilling. Currently embedded in several northern nations, dismantling a transnational mercenary group.
Bai Xiu—unassuming, yet effortlessly defeated Yang Tian. Another ruthless figure. Now in the hellish Demon Valley, slaughtering his way through. Somehow mastered terrifying lightning techniques, even crushed the valley’s monstrous Earth Dragon.
Fang Jueming was relatively low-key.
After Cold-Faced Axe Fist Wu Tong was injured, he started challenging every dojo in the city.
So far, three Transformation Realm martial artists have been injured!
One of them is even the face of the Law Enforcement Bureau in the Southeast Province—Liu Feng, master of Xingyiquan!
The others include Xiao Yike of the Yin-Yang Demon Sect, Han Liang of the Blood Fiend Sect, two prodigious warrior monks from the Lantuo Temple, Qin Shan of the Cannon Fist Qin Clan, and Liu Dachao of the Floating Cloud Hand Liu Family.
Not to mention, Shangguan Qianqian, business prodigy Wang Yuan, and Lan Ruoxi are managing the company, providing a steady stream of financial support from behind the scenes.
After a rough tally, Han Bing was shocked by the numbers.
The Asura Sect has only been developing for half a year—still in its infancy, without even a basic organizational framework.
Yet its growth speed is downright terrifying!
He knows full well.
Once the Asura Sect takes shape and officially establishes itself, a single spark could start a prairie fire!
Han Bing took a deep breath, crushed the iron ball in his hand, and growled in a muffled voice:
"Recruit them! We must recruit them!"