The four humans and one demon sat down at a Dai Flavor Restaurant outside the school, choosing a table in the corner farthest from the counter.

Xiao Hua meticulously wiped the grease off the table with a napkin and carefully placed the ancient book down. She was about to help clean the others' spots when she saw Zhou Li already wiping for Brother Nan and Huai Xu, so she began wiping the area in front of Su Jue instead.

Su Jue, at a loss, hastily expressed his thanks.

Xiao Hua didn't respond, only turning her head to survey the restaurant.

It was peak dinner time in the evening, yet only three tables were occupied. The courtyard was quite large, which made the restaurant feel strangely empty. The street outside was also eerily empty, with hardly any cars.

Xiao Hua retracted her gaze. "How did you find this out-of-the-way place?"

Brother Nan, looking at the menu, said, "This restaurant has high ratings online, but 'even fine scent fears deep alley.' If it were located in a busy area like Wuhua District or West Mountain District, it would have been packed. Does anyone have any dietary restrictions? Any particular flavors you like? Can you handle spicy food?"

"No dietary restrictions, not picky," Xiao Hua said.

"I... I'm easy," Su Jue said.

"She has a little notebook filled with Chunming's delicacies," Zhou Li said, sitting beside her.

"Shh!"

Brother Nan immediately furrowed her brows, stopping him. She looked around cautiously before easing up slightly and said solemnly, "Don't talk about that. It's our club's core secret manual, closely guarded to prevent outsiders from prying and coveting it!"

"So cringy..."

"Any more cringy than you doing Tai Chi?"

"..."

Zhou Li knew it would be like this. This 'blemish,' he figured, was something he could never shake off, only to be possibly overshadowed by an even bigger one. Explain? Brother Nan wouldn't hear of it.

Zhou Li stole a glance at Xiao Hua, who was smiling, and quickly changed the subject. "Why didn't you bring Doudou out?"

"He went out. Said he was touring the Capital."

"Oh..."

"You didn't bring Lord Dumpling out either."

"She's at home watching Cat and Mouse and playing with mud. I'll bring her some food later," Zhou Li paused, then glanced towards the ancient book placed at the edge of the table. "How has this week been for you? Have you learned a lot?"

"Yes!" Xiao Hua declared, nodding emphatically. She nudged Su Jue with her elbow.

Su Jue quickly nodded as well. "Yes, we have!"

Then Xiao Hua continued, "Although we haven't learned much practical stuff yet, we understand Heavenly Masters much more. It's different from what we imagined."

"What did you imagine it to be like?"

"We thought... like in those cultivation novels. That we have the talent for cultivation and gradually start to cultivate to become more powerful," Xiao Hua said, scratching her head in embarrassment. "It turns out a Heavenly Master's spiritual power is predestined from birth, and we just need to learn how to control it."

"A lot simpler, right?" Zhou Li smiled.

"Not at all! It's way harder! People in novels learn a spell in minutes, but this is even more difficult than coding boot camps!"

"But you don't need to learn as many as in the novels."

"I don't believe you for a second!"

After a brief chat, Zhou Li felt he had, more or less, regained some of his image. Satisfied, he finally picked up his tea and took a sip.

Brother Nan had already ordered, choosing several signature dishes that were quite spicy. She figured Xiao Hua, being from Luzhou City in Guizhou Province, would likely enjoy that kind of flavor.

The tables and chairs in the Dai Flavor Restaurant were mostly very low; the tables weren't even as high as the coffee table at Zhou Li's house. They were made of bamboo, topped with a glass plate, and matched with similarly low bamboo chairs. Sitting required tucking in one's legs, which was somewhat cramped, especially for someone with long legs like Brother Nan.

Brother Nan wore long pants today, a very ordinary pair of sweatpants, but they still couldn't conceal the curve of her long legs. Especially when her legs were curled up, the fabric of the pants stretched taut over them, giving off a matte texture.

Unfortunately, with outsiders present, Zhou Li felt it was improper to stare too much.

The dishes arrived quickly.

Xiao Hua indeed enjoyed her meal immensely, continually praising it.

Su Jue, however, couldn't handle spicy food very well. His lips quickly turned red from the heat, and he kept drinking water, too embarrassed to say anything.

They continued to eat and chat, talking about the demons they had encountered as children and those terrifying moments—experiences Brother Nan had never had. She struggled to join the conversation, which, as a chatterbox, made her feel somewhat uneasy.

But what could she do? She knew it wasn't that Xiao Hua and Su Jue were inconsiderate. They had only recently found their own kind; some emotions had been bottled up for over a decade, and some topics had never resonated with anyone before—you couldn't expect them to hold back. Zhou Li must have felt the same way, so no matter what they talked about, he tried hard and responded earnestly, even though he usually spoke very little. So Brother Nan understood. And even if she didn't, what could she do? Even if her boyfriend was being inconsiderate, forgiveness was the only option!

Brother Nan could only bury her head in her food.

Luckily, the food was rather tasty.

Especially watching Huai Xu beside her, who was also eating intently and without distraction, she found herself influenced by him, the food tasting better and her pace quickening.

Huai Xu also quickened his pace.

Brother Nan sped up in response.

Huai Xu too accelerated.

Soon, Huai Xu was eating at a speed that could only be described as wolfing down his food—far beyond a normal person's pace. Brother Nan had to put down her chopsticks and ask, "Why are you eating so fast?"

Huai Xu paused his frenzied scooping, rice grains still clinging to his mouth, and looked at Brother Nan in surprise. "I thought you were racing me."

Brother Nan: …

She caught Zhou Li's amused gaze from the side. Then, Zhou Li placed a hand on her knee.

"Have you guys been in touch with Yin Le these past two days?" Zhou Li asked.

"Yes," Xiao Hua nodded. "We sent Yin Le a WeChat message yesterday, but he hasn't replied yet. He must be very busy."

"He has indeed been quite busy these past two days," Zhou Li said.

"We know, so we haven't bothered him again," Xiao Hua said.

"Yeah," Su Jue added.

This topic piqued Brother Nan's interest. She vaguely remembered Yin Le seeming like a bit of a coward and couldn't help but ask, "What's keeping him so busy? Did another demon appear that needed reasoning with?"

"No." Zhou Li, his left hand still on her knee, feeling her warmth, explained, "He's very capable. It's likely he'll be the one to establish the Heavenly Master organization for this era."

"OH!!!"

"..."

「Meanwhile, in the Capital.」

Yin Le sat calmly in his chair. After getting somewhat used to things over the past few days, he felt the negotiations weren't as complicated as he'd imagined, though they were still complicated.

Before arriving, he had imagined political negotiations would be full of strategic cunning, with talks laden with hidden messages difficult to comprehend at first listen. But after arriving, he realized it wasn't entirely so. In this meeting, at least, every top government official spoke concisely and efficiently, full of sincerity. They were willing to accept most of their ideas and discuss them openly, without arrogance. They also laid out the government's thoughts very straightforwardly, rarely beating around the bush. Only when expressing particularly strong stances did they consider the youthful nature of the few novices present and use more tactful expressions.

Yin Le was somewhat surprised at first, but after thinking about it, he soon found it sensible. This matter was of great importance. They had even met with the highest leader, indicating the level of urgency, so naturally, it couldn't tolerate any flaws. He'd heard that at EU meetings, presidents sometimes even slammed tables and threw books at each other.

As a result, the process progressed particularly rapidly.

The Heavenly Masters participating in the conference included not only Yin Le but also four others. All of them had proactively contacted the government. One of them had even contacted the government before him.

They all met several criteria:

They were among the first to awaken.

They had encountered Heavenly Master culture early on, mastered some spells, and were familiar with the secret ancient history of the Heavenly Master's Office.

They all possessed a 'drive for improvement.'

The person at the head of the table spoke, "The charter is almost set. We will establish the department soon. In the meantime, do any of you comrades know any particularly capable Heavenly Masters? We are in dire need of talent, so please recommend them. Don't be modest."

"I know one. He awakened quite early, even earlier than Yin Le..."

"I have a friend who has dealt with demons since childhood..."

"I know of someone..."

The remaining four individuals spoke in turn. As they provided contact information, someone beside them noted it down.

It seemed no one was truly alone. That was nice...

In Yin Le's mind, two faces emerged: one calm but seemingly uninterested in anything, the other handsome, occasionally flashing a polite smile. Both had limited interactions with him, but their appearances lingered in his mind. They were also his light in the dark, especially Zhou Li.

It was Yin Le's turn now, and everyone looked towards him.

Yin Le spoke in a very calm tone, "I've only recently met two people from the school next to mine. They're not particularly capable yet; I'm still teaching them to understand their own abilities."

Immediately, a middle-aged man smiled and said, "That's alright. We're urgently short-handed and need all the help we can get."

Yin Le then provided their contact information.

He did not mention Zheng Zhilan. He knew that even if future disputes in the Heavenly Master Department didn't involve fighting, there would still be disagreements. The Heavenly Masters they recruited now would likely become supporters for these initial members; even out of friendship, they would offer some backing. In comparison, Su Jue and Xiao Hua were indeed too weak. But Zheng Zhilan didn't like these things; she was content living in her small mountain village, safeguarding her deity. Yin Le knew this too. Possibly, Zheng Zhilan would also be discovered eventually, but that was a matter for the future.

But there was another person he had to mention. Yin Le had spoken to Zhou Li a couple of days ago. He initially thought Zhou Li might be reluctant and was prepared to persuade him. However, as soon as Yin Le began speaking, Zhou Li already knew what he intended to say and expressed his understanding. This was somewhat unexpected. Zhou Li was too special to conceal; if he did, there was no way he could justify it.

"I also know one other person..."

"Oh? A very formidable Heavenly Master?" the person at the head of the table asked, their mind sharp.

"Yes. The contemporary Master Ming."

"Master Ming!!"

The other four Heavenly Masters' expressions all tensed.

Clearly, these four recognized the significance behind the name "Master Ming." Even the government officials, who had come across this name during their preparations, now realized its extraordinary nature when they saw the reactions of these young people and recalled their confidence in this unknown field over the past few days.

"Master Ming?"

Inquiring gazes focused on the young Heavenly Masters.

"The first Heavenly Master," one of them spoke first, "also the foremost among Heavenly Masters. Rumor has it he alone could fight an entire army of the Demon Kingdom."

"He's not a Heavenly Master; he's a BUG."

"A humanoid, mobile nuclear arsenal."

"If you describe the Will of the World, as mentioned by demons, as the Heavenly Dao," Yin Le finally said, "then Master Ming is the Heavenly Dao's representative walking the earth, or perhaps the only deity beneath the Heavenly Dao. However, he... is a peace-lover."

"I heard he betrayed humanity!" one person exclaimed.

"Don't judge a historical figure without considering the historical context," Yin Le glared coldly at that person before continuing. "The current Master Ming is also a peace-lover. He doesn't want to come here; he's very lazy. But he promised me he would join the organization and do some other work."

"Alright, alright, let's pause for a moment," the senior official interjected. "This matter is very important. Let's discuss it carefully."

Yin Le's face was stern. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Then, he lowered his head, quietly drafting his arguments in his mind, preparing for the impending verbal battle with the group.

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