It was exactly seven in the evening.
Shan Hu left his home under the worried gaze of his parents.
"Xiao Hu, are you really going to that 'Martial Arts Club'? Don't get into any fights!" Wang Fang called out from the doorway.
Shan Hu waved casually. "Don't worry, Mom. I'm just going for a cup of tea and a chat. I promise to 'win with virtue.'"
He wore his white T-shirt and casual pants, looking as though he were merely headed out for a regular dinner date.
The Longcheng Martial Arts Hall was situated on an isolated hill on the outskirts of the city. Its architecture was grand, featuring traditional sweeping eaves and upturned corners, sharply contrasting with the modern buildings surrounding it.
When Shan Hu reached the entrance, four Martial Association disciples in uniform stood guard, their auras noticeably stronger than the thugs from yesterday.
Seeing Shan Hu approach in such casual attire, they exchanged looks of confusion and slight contempt.
"Stop! This is a restricted area for the Martial Hall; no loitering!" one disciple shouted.
Shan Hu stopped, speaking calmly. "My name is Shan Hu. I have an appointment."
Before the disciple could retort, a hurried voice crackled in his earpiece: "Let him through! Immediately! Greet him with respect!"
The four disciples' expressions changed instantly. They snapped to attention, saluting stiffly as they ushered Shan Hu inside.
"Mr. Shan, please follow me. The Chief Executive has been awaiting your arrival."
Shan Hu was led into an elegantly furnished reception room. An antique tea set sat in the center of the table, and behind it sat the Chief Executive of the Huaxia Martial Arts Alliance, Longcheng Branch—Qin Muyue.
Qin Muyue, a man in his forties with a square jaw and steady, piercing eyes, exuded an air of natural authority. His aura was several times stronger than Elder Chen's from the day before, clearly placing him at the peak of the Half-Step Grandmaster realm—the limit of mortal martial arts.
Seeing Shan Hu's relaxed clothing, Qin Muyue's heart sank, yet he didn't show the slightest lack of respect.
He immediately stood up, cupped his fists, and bowed. "Mr. Shan, welcome! I am Qin Muyue. I have heard much about your reputation!"
"Let's skip the formalities," Shan Hu said, walking to the table and pulling out a chair, his movements as casual as sitting down at his own kitchen table.
"Get to the point. Did you call me here about yesterday's 'sneeze,' or are you here to recruit me?"
A flicker of shock crossed Qin Muyue's eyes. He had expected to spend some time talking circles, but his guest had gone straight to the chase, acting with an arrogance that completely dismissed the authority of the Chief Executive.
He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, and said respectfully, "Mr. Shan, the power fluctuation yesterday stunned the entire Alliance. That power level surpasses every martial arts boundary we currently know. We sought you out to ask you to serve as an advisor and help us cope with the impending crisis."
"Crisis?" Shan Hu raised an eyebrow, pouring himself a cup of tea and gently blowing on the steam.
Qin Muyue's respect deepened at the sight of his composure. He knew he had to show commitment immediately; otherwise, this man wouldn't take them seriously.
"Yes, Mr. Shan. You may not be fully aware of Earth's current situation. Starting ten years ago, the global spiritual energy, though minute, began showing signs of resurgence."
"The true purpose of our Martial Arts Alliance is to monitor and counter the ancient forces awakening with this resurgence: this includes certain hidden Cultivation Sects, Evil Practitioners, and even Supernatural Organizations from overseas."
As he spoke, Qin Muyue took out a delicate jade box and placed it on the table.
"This is a 'Low-Grade Spirit Stone' that our Longcheng Association spent ten years retrieving from deep underground. Though its energy is faint, it's enough for a Grandmaster to cultivate for three years! We offer it as a gift in exchange for your promise of neutrality and some guidance for Longcheng's martial arts community!"
Shan Hu glanced at the jade box. His Immortal Consciousness confirmed it contained a fingernail-sized, low-grade Spirit Stone. In the Immortal Realm, such an item was only good for a baby's rattle or as scrap material for cheap artifacts.
He didn't bother opening it. Instead, he simply extended one finger and gently tapped the surface of the tea table.
"Too slow," Shan Hu stated flatly.
That was all it took.
Qin Muyue felt an incomprehensible surge of terrifying power explode from the tabletop. The energy didn't disperse; instead, it was precisely focused on the spatial structure of the meeting room.
To his horror, the Spirit Gathering Array located in the four corners of the room instantly failed. The faint spiritual energy that the room had struggled to accumulate was completely annihilated in that moment!
Qin Muyue shot to his feet, staring at Shan Hu in utter disbelief. That Spirit Gathering Array had cost the Association enormous resources and two years of labor by several formation masters! Yet, it was instantly nullified by one tap!
This was no martial artist! This was a true Immortal!
Qin Muyue completely abandoned all attempts at testing him. Cold sweat poured down his forehead as he bowed again, showing tenfold the respect he had shown before.
"Senior! Our eyes were blind! Please forgive our ignorance! I, Qin Muyue, humbly beg for your guidance!"
Shan Hu nodded, pleased. He enjoyed the effect of 'dimensional crushing.'
"Your formations are crude. Spiritual energy is meant for cultivation, not for decoration," Shan Hu said with a hint of disdain. "I don't need to join you. But what you said about the Spiritual Resurgence—that interests me."
"As a trade, I can give you some basic instruction." Shan Hu picked up the Spirit Stone, played with it in his hand, then crushed it into a wisp of pure spiritual energy, injecting it into the teacup.
"This tea will be enough for everyone in your Martial Hall to cultivate for three days. Drink it, and your formation will begin to function again."
Qin Muyue's mind was utterly blown by the magical sight.
"Senior! What do you require? Though our Association lacks resources, we have some knowledge of the national distribution of spiritual materials and some secluded ancient locations!" Qin Muyue offered sincerely. This was the Alliance's greatest bargaining chip.
Shan Hu allowed a satisfied smile to play on his lips. This was why he had come to the Martial Hall.
"Good. I don't need your spiritual materials. I need a map."
"I want to know the ten most spiritually dense locations in all of China. Especially ancient battlefields, famous Daoist mountains, and any secluded areas where a natural array core might exist."
Qin Muyue didn't dare hold anything back and immediately ordered someone to retrieve the classified map.
Less than five minutes later, an ancient and detailed map was presented to Shan Hu. The map clearly marked every anomaly of spiritual energy the Alliance had discovered across the country.
Shan Hu's gaze swept across the map, finally settling on the Dragon's Hidden Mountain (Longyinshan) in the eastern suburbs of Longcheng. The Alliance had also marked it as a 'minor spiritual energy anomaly.'
"This Dragon's Hidden Mountain truly is a decent Array Core," Shan Hu thought to himself.
He looked up at Qin Muyue. "Fine. I'll take this map. In return, Longcheng will be under my protection from now on. Your Alliance must focus on maintaining mortal order and leave my family undisturbed."
Qin Muyue was nearly moved to tears. "Thank you, Senior! Thank you!"
"Remember: don't send anyone to bother me again. Otherwise, I can't guarantee my 'sneeze' won't disintegrate your entire Martial Arts Alliance Branch next time."
With that final, chilling warning, Shan Hu rose and calmly walked out of the Martial Hall, leaving Qin Muyue staring after him in awe.