Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 142 - 138: Invitation

After finishing his conversation with Daoist Bailong, Zhou Yuanjue settled into an empty room in the courtyard.

The next morning, Daoist Bailong had quietly disappeared, likely to make his final preparations.

And he wasn't idle either. Using the high-level security clearance he gained from his nominal affiliation with the Secret Inspection Bureau, he accessed a large amount of the Bureau's data on the Saint Awakening Level.

Since his promotion to Saint Awakening, most of his time had been spent either unconscious or in cultivation. He hadn't yet had the chance to study the relevant information in detail, making him almost a complete novice on the subject. Now that he finally had the opportunity to sit down and review the data, he felt a strange sense of novelty.

Although only a few short months had passed since he resigned from his job at Wuhai University, it was undeniable that he had experienced more in this period than in the entire previous twenty-five years of his life.

Martial Artists, Celestial Demons, Spirit Guardians... Beneath this world's seemingly peaceful and calm surface, a turbulent undercurrent was surging. Hidden within the ordinary were many extraordinary mysteries.

While he was reading the documents related to the Saint Awakening Level, the data Daoist Bailong had collected on the Saint Awakening masters they might encounter was also delivered to him.

This file was composed entirely of text, without a single picture.

For those at the Saint Awakening Level, appearances could be changed at will by controlling and distorting facial muscles. They could even alter their height by controlling their bones. As such, physical appearance was of little use for identification.

After briefly looking through the data, Zhou Yuanjue's expression grew slightly solemn.

Beisha Country, Starry Sky Country, the nearby Bosha Country, and the Holy Land Organizations from the Silan Region...

The data alone listed four or five Saint Awakening Level individuals from various nations. According to Daoist Bailong, these were only the ones who had previously revealed themselves. Now that the ancient palace's trail had been discovered, there was no telling how many other hidden figures would be drawn to it.

In this modern era of advanced technology and abundant resources, the world population had reached seven to eight billion. Even if Saint Awakening Level individuals were as rare as phoenix feathers—strategic-level assets—such a massive population base meant one might emerge for every few hundred million people. This alone was a terrifying number. It was no wonder Daoist Bailong believed that in this era, ordinary people would propel civilization to the next level.

What's more, the current scale of the Kunlun Mountain Relic was rare even on a global scale, so it was inevitable that it would attract attention from many different parties.

Now, he had a much more direct understanding of what Daoist Bailong meant by "lively."

However, with so many masters gathered, and their side having only four people—including himself and Daoist Bailong—it didn't seem like it would be an easy matter to handle...

...

...

「Tianlu Prefecture, Chen Chong City.」

Yuehe Manor.

This was a health resort owned by the Yuehe Pharmaceutical Group of Tianlu Prefecture. As a private pharmaceutical enterprise, the Yuehe Group was well-known throughout Tianlu Prefecture and even the entire country. The company maintained a low-key profile, but its financial strength was formidable.

Its behind-the-scenes chairman was a low-key billionaire who almost never appeared in public. The company's general affairs were handled by professional managers, and this true owner was rarely seen.

But only the top executives within Yuehe Group knew the truth. Although their boss didn't handle day-to-day matters, nothing that happened within the company, big or small, escaped his notice. He was a man who rewarded and punished with perfect clarity. All who had met him felt he possessed an authority that ordinary people found difficult to resist. Just by being in his presence, they would unconsciously follow his words, as if he were a born leader.

Therefore, even though he rarely made an appearance, when it came to major decisions, the boss's word was law within the group, and no one dared to object.

At this moment, within Yuehe Manor, nestled by the mountains and water, was a private estate belonging to the behind-the-scenes owner of the Yuehe Group.

The estate's courtyard featured pavilions and terraces, flowers and trees, rockeries and fountains. Every element of the scenery was designed and crafted with great care, and their placement was exquisitely precise. Anyone who entered this courtyard would feel their entire body relax, their mind refreshed. They would forget their troubles, feeling utterly at ease and content.

Over time, even minor ailments would be naturally healed, keeping the body in a constant state of health.

If Zhou Yuanjue were to enter this courtyard, he would know that it was designed by a master. The arrangement of the scenery subtly adjusted the surrounding Natural Magnetic Field—this was the profundity of "Feng Shui" and "Arrays."

And every blade of grass, every tree in this courtyard, was personally designed by that behind-the-scenes owner of the Yuehe Group.

A lesser hermit hides in the wilds; a greater hermit hides in the city.

This behind-the-scenes owner of the Yuehe Group was just such a master, hidden in the hustle and bustle of the city.

At this moment, in the courtyard, a handsome middle-aged man sat on a lounge chair. The warm morning sun scattered down, and under the regulation of the courtyard's magnetic field, everything around him seemed to be coated in a layer of radiance, brimming with a vibrant aura.

"Dad, you're up so early?"

A young girl in cute pajamas with messy hair walked out of the villa's main hall. She was barefaced, yet her skin was still fair and tender, and her expression was drowsy with sleep.

It was none other than Zhou Yuanjue's former student, Yu Yajie.

"What time do you call this? The sun's been up for ages, and you're just now getting out of bed. And you have the nerve to ask why I'm up so early?"

Yu Guanhai said helplessly.

"It's vacation, vacation! What's wrong with a young person sleeping in? You old people can't sleep well, so you get up early and then blame us?"

Yu Yajie made a face at Yu Guanhai and rubbed her sleepy eyes as she headed toward the kitchen in the back, apparently planning to make some breakfast.

Yu Guanhai sat on the lounge chair and shook his head helplessly. 'Kids these days,' he thought. 'The moment vacation starts, they sleep in. They just hole up at home binge-watching shows or playing games. Can't they find something meaningful to do?'

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

Just then, the phone beside him suddenly rang.

He picked up the phone, and his brow furrowed. His expression suddenly turned grave. He glanced back at Yu Yajie's silhouette and, seeing she was still in the kitchen, answered the call.

"Getting a call from you is a rare occasion indeed."

Yu Guanhai said calmly, his tone lukewarm.

"Little Yu, there's something I need your help with."

Daoist Bailong's cheerful voice came from the other end of the line.

"I'm afraid I can't afford to help an old-timer like you. I am bound by the 'ancestral precepts,' and they aren't something I can violate just because I say so. Don't even try to persuade me. Unless the higher-ups agree to stop all research on Celestial Demons and find a way to destroy every single one that has been captured, there is no possibility of us cooperating."

"In fact, you should know better than I what kind of things will be released by opening this Pandora's box. I don't quite understand why a figure like yourself isn't holding firm to the stance we are supposed to uphold."

Yu Guanhai said flatly.

"Heh heh, Little Yu, don't be so quick to refuse. I know you've been searching for a baptismal object for that daughter of yours, one that is worthy of her Bloodline. That's why you've waited until now."

"What do you think... of using the 'Jade Pool Water' as that baptismal object?"