The visitor then took a profound breath of the seemingly normal air wafting from Ming State, letting out a heartfelt sigh. "HISS... Such a rich smell! HEH HEH HEH, I suppose you have been waiting for a long time..."

No one knew who was waiting for whom.

Undoubtedly, as this figure stepped into the Ming State Underground City, a sudden, pervasive fragrance filled the air, its source and destination unknown. However, if anyone were to stand before this person, they would find that no matter how they looked, they could only see the figure's eyes—bloodshot and strangely devoid of pupils, a sight that sent shivers down one's spine.

「Finally.」

After three groups of newcomers had entered, the representatives from the Lu Family, who had been constantly on the move, gathering information and advancing rapidly, made their timely appearance.

Leading them was an old man with white hair. Judging from his aura alone, any Martial King-level expert present would instantly realize he was actually a Level Nine Martial King! However, due to his advanced age and declining internal energy, it was evident to everyone that he had lost all hope of advancing further.

"Ninth Grandpa, are we going in now?" a youth following the old man asked curiously, tilting his head up. He bore no trace of a Martial Artist's aura, clearly an ordinary person. Unquestionably, this group from the Lu Family regarded him as absolutely central to their mission.

The old man, addressed as Ninth Grandpa, suddenly looked down and asked, "Lu Jade, can you sense the martial arts atmosphere that once existed here?"

After all, Lu Jade was the first ordinary person to perceive the profound intent within the martial arts techniques that posed such a deep threat to the Lu Family. Many among the Lu Family's older generation hoped Lu Jade could perform another miracle for them.

However, Lu Jade merely lifted his head, gazing at the wide-open entrance. No one barred the way, yet the surroundings were eerily devoid of people, as if they had vanished without a trace. Then, he shook his head and said, "Ninth Grandpa, my intuition tells me it's very dangerous down there. But I can't sense any intent from other martial arts."

But, to Lu Jade's surprise, even such an answer made Ninth Grandpa's face break into a wide smile. He couldn't help but ruffle Lu Jade's hair. "No worries, that's very good. Lu Jade, you must remember, since you can feel the call of martial arts, you can definitely walk the path of martial arts! So, go in. Find the person behind all this for the Family, and see if he can become a guide for your journey ahead..."

After all, although the thirty-odd martial arts Wang Zhan had disseminated seemed ordinary, they contained a certain profound 'way'. This 'way' had, unprecedentedly, taken root in Lu Jade. This signified Lu Jade's incredible affinity with the inheritors of those martial arts. If they could only find him, perhaps the Lu Family could even turn this misfortune into a blessing, using that person's direct guidance to achieve the Lu Family's resurgence.

But this old man likely never imagined that just as he, having failed to find his descendant Lu Pan, was preparing to enter the most perilous Ming State Underground City, his descendant, Lu Pan, was at that very moment hiding in a dangerous place, looking at a dangerous person with a bitter smile.

Lu Pan asked the person before him, his tone complex, "Young Master, did you target my family from the very beginning?"

Before him, a young man sat cross-legged, casually reading a book. His expression unperturbed, he smiled at Lu Pan and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Lu Pan replied helplessly, "If not, why would you imprison me here!"

「Three days.」

It had been three full days. In fact, ever since Lu Pan met Wang Zhan, he had enjoyed a few final days of freedom. With Yang Zecheng personally assisting, he had even managed to send an important message back to his family. But Lu Pan had never imagined that less than half a day after the operation began, he would be escorted here by Yang Zecheng, unable to take a single step away!

Moreover, Lu Pan was certain Wang Zhan hadn't imprisoned only him. In this dim, damp, seemingly sunless underground place, there had to be other young masters from noble families trapped in dire straits, as if in a prison. Wang Zhan's schemes were too profound, like a vast ocean—not only unpredictable but also cunning and ever-changing.

Thus, no matter how Lu Pan tried to fathom Wang Zhan's thoughts, he couldn't grasp any of it. He only grew more certain: this was an unfathomable man, even if he had only just come of age this year.

But Wang Zhan just laughed it off, saying, "You're overthinking. Actually, if it weren't for the martial arts you possess, which made me feel we had a basis for cooperation, I wouldn't have imprisoned you. I would have chosen to let you go."

Wang Zhan then picked up a remote control.

CLICK.

Clusters of figures suddenly appeared one after another on the screen. Only then did Wang Zhan smile at Lu Pan and say, "Look, your family also thinks there's a possibility of us cooperating. Otherwise, why would they bring along a child who is, well, nothing?"

And an ordinary person at that, Wang Zhan noted. He could tell with a single glance that the boy carried the trace of the ancient martial arts he himself had disseminated. Clearly, these Lu Family members hope to use the child to establish goodwill with me, the disseminator behind the scenes. Or, to put it simply... the fish are starting to bite!

However, when Lu Pan saw Lu Jade, his heart suddenly sank. He looked up at Wang Zhan, realizing Wang Zhan's expression had become even more sinister. Even the Lu Family's subsequent reactions were all part of his calculations! And he used my own hand to draw the Lu Family into this trap!

Especially upon seeing the Lu Family ensnared, Lu Pan understood with chilling clarity. Therefore, he wanted to speak again. "Young Master Wang..."

I can't just stand by and watch; I have to change this.

But just then, a stunningly beautiful figure in white clothes unexpectedly walked slowly to their door and said to Wang Zhan, "Wang Zhan, dinner is ready!"

Wang Zhan grinned. "Okay!"

Then, amidst Lu Pan's complex emotions, who seemed to be hesitating, wanting to say something to salvage the situation, Wang Zhan slowly walked out.

「Beyond Lu Pan's line of sight.」

In a small tea room, Wang Zhan sat before Yao Yao like a child just learning to eat, then painstakingly picked up his chopsticks.

Yet, Lu Pan, sitting in his cell, had long since realized that unless Wang Zhan let him go, he would never be able to leave. Even after overcoming the heavy dread and fear in his heart, he would never witness this scene, destined as he was to remain in the palm of Wang Zhan's hand.

「Here. The Ming State Underground City.」

Yao Yao smiled as she watched Wang Zhan. She observed him painstakingly picking up grains of rice one by one and bringing them to his mouth. Whether in Chu State or the Federation, her favorite thing was watching Wang Zhan eat the food she had cooked; it brought her great satisfaction. But when she saw Wang Zhan's hand suddenly tremble and his chopsticks snap, she immediately asked with concern, "Still having problems?"

Wang Zhan laughed, waving the broken chopsticks in his hand. "It's nothing, just give me some time. Besides, even though they've arrived, I've left a few 'exciting' gifts for them underground! I might not be great at fighting right now, but I'm good enough to stall for time..."

No one knew that at this very moment, dramatic changes were occurring on Wang Zhan's attribute panel.

Host: Wang Zhan

Domain: 1 (1/3)

Essence Energy: 15,743-

Limit: 0

Strength: 10,201

Agility: 10,201

Physique: 10,201

Charm: 480

Wisdom: 600

Mental Energy: 157,430+

…

This was Wang Zhan now; his attribute points had officially surpassed 10,000.

He had broken through!

Not long after his birthday, he had truly become an incredibly powerful Martial General. This not only signified he hadn't died but also that his strength had once again advanced rapidly, undergoing a dramatic transformation.

After all, when ordinary Martial Generals faced Grandmasters, Great Grandmasters, and Martial Kings, even if formidable, their destructive power was limited. But Wang Zhan was different! His 10,000 attribute points, under extreme conditions, were practically equivalent to another's 100,000 attributes—simply incomparable—and his destructive power only continued to grow.

At the same time, what brought Wang Zhan an even greater pleasant surprise was the massive impact of this breakthrough. On the surface, his awakened mental energy seemed to have plummeted from a high of 200,000-300,000, barely maintaining around 150,000. But only Wang Zhan knew that the mental energy attribute on his system panel now not only temporarily eliminated the risk of him being overwhelmed by it, but also gave him a new option: essence energy.

This was the System's third change, signifying a new form of power. Therefore, for the past three days, he had spent most of his time studying the nature and application of essence energy. Furthermore, and most importantly, unlike the "+" sign after mental energy, essence energy had a "-" sign after it.

Only after several failures did Wang Zhan realize that essence energy likely represented the limit of the total mental energy he himself possessed. However, unlike mental energy, it was constantly declining, and it was currently unknown if it could be restored. According to Wang Zhan's speculation, perhaps only when his mental energy once again broke through its limit would this essence energy data, through the System's conversion, become the essence energy attribute on his System Panel.

This is just like a game!

Mental energy brought the harvest reaped from pioneering and the potential for continuous progress. Essence energy, on the other hand, represented the total value of all output after exhausting everything in this wilderness—essentially, money.

In other words, pioneering could bring a sense of achievement and eternal gains, but the added value itself was a finite figure with its own limitations.

And so it was with the System. After a particular consumption related to his essence energy—associated with a small '1' on his panel—had occurred nearly three times, Wang Zhan made a discovery.

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