Zhang Yuanqing removed the five-clawed golden dragon from his arm, transforming it into a golden eagle the size of a palm, and threw it far to Jiang Jingwei. "It's grown so quickly in just six months!" Zhang Yuanqing gently stroked Jiang Jingwei's head. Last year, Jiang Jingwei's height had only reached his chest; now, he's up to his shoulders. Children these days grow fast—like green onions, growing steadily. Jiang Jingwei happily touched the five-clawed golden dragon, reading its properties while lifting his toes, and exclaimed, "I'll be taller than you by the end of the year!" He crossed his arms, lifting his pointed chin. You're so thin—time to strengthen your frame," Zhang Yuanqing said, just as he reached for the golden dragon. Jiang Jingwei flashed his tiger teeth and chuckled, "I really like this item—I'd like to keep it. No, I'll trade it with you for my father's prized possession." "I won't trade it unless it's a master-level rule-based item," Zhang Yuanqing insisted. "I'll steal it!" Jiang Jingwei declared, puffing out his chest with confidence. "The old man's treasures are all deep within the mountain's molten core—what you can get are just the little things from the rooms behind." This voice was firm and decisive, just like its owner. Jiang Ju, dressed in deep red practice robes, strode forward, first snatching the golden dragon from Jiang Jingwei's hands and returning it to Yuan Shi Tian Zun, then summoning the estate's head steward: "Prepare a shuttle bus." A shuttle bus? Zhang Yuanqing watched as the steward brought out a shuttle bus and asked, "Isn't Jiang Master currently at the estate?" "My father is down in the mountain's core, taking hot baths every day," Jiang Jingwei pointed toward the mountain peak. The estate was situated on the mountain's slope. Jiang Ju took over the driver's seat himself, personally driving the shuttle bus, taking them both away from the estate along the winding, upward path toward the peak, only then saying: "This estate is for our children and wives to live in—we don't stay here often. We come for a few months each year. As for him, most of the time, he resides at the peak." "You should know that when a Spirit Realm traveler reaches the peak of Sovereign Rank, their very presence embodies a portion of authority— their aura influences the surrounding areas, and over time, the regions where they reside undergo noticeable changes. My father is the current Fire God; wherever he has lived for long, it either turns into a sea of flames or becomes molten lava." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Got it!" The Sovereign Ranks of the Five Elements Alliance are typically solitary, and half-gods are even more so. Evil-aligned half-gods often remain in limbo within 'faction dungeons' or, like the head of the Bio-Alchemy Guild, retreat to secluded islands. Jiang Ju drove steadily, chatting with Zhang Yuanqing about the recent disappearance of moral points. Jiang Jingwei actively participated. "School has been closed, and even our private tutors have had to join the aftermath efforts—I haven't written a single assignment in several days," Jiang Jingwei said. Jiang Ju chuckled coldly. "Once you have time, you'll have to catch up on all the work you've missed—don't even think of getting away with it." The more academically struggling families, the more they push their children to study! Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath, asking, "How has Jing Wei been practicing lately?" After Jing Wei was promoted to the rank of Sage, he was assigned back to the capital by Jiang Buzhong, where he began undergoing grueling training tailored to match the expectations of a half-divine descendant—combat! "Just one more A-level quest, and I'll reach level 6. Hey, my dad says I'm better than my brother." Jing Wei beamed with pride. "Look at you—so ungrateful!" Jiang Ju was furious. "Was it because I've been too gentle with my punches, or because my flying kicks missed the mark, making you look so flustered? I went from level 4 to 6 in just eight months—we're about even. By the time you reach level 6, you'll realize just how tough the combat quests are." Jing Wei: "Well, not really..." "You're just plain rude," Jiang Ju turned around and raised his fist, charging straight at his sister. Jing Wei didn't flinch at all. "Come on, come on!" Zhang Yuanqing blocked Jiang Ju with one arm while gripping the steering wheel to prevent the shuttle bus from plunging off the cliff, shouting, "You two stop gabbing! Do you think I'll't be able to pin you both down with just one hand?" Though it was only a joke, Jiang Jingwei believed him and punched him squarely in the face: "Come on!" Jiang Ju's body erupted in flames, blazing fiercely: "Try it!" ... Zhang Yuanqing silently released his grip on the wheel, a golden sun rising behind his head, watching the two siblings through his nostrils: "Even with my father here today, it's no use. I said so!" Half an hour later, the Jiang siblings, now with bruised noses and swollen eyes, led the refreshed Zhang Yuanqing on foot to the mountain peak. "Honestly useless. Both of you have ascended to the rank of Sovereigns, yet you still can't match Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn," Jiang Jingwei said, holding his swollen left face and glancing sideways at his brother. Jiang Ju scoffed, "Don't underestimate him. I'll bet that, at the same level, Fu Qingyang wouldn't stand a chance against him." The advantage of a fire master is that he stands firm when struck, and willingly accepts defeat when he's beaten. Zhang Yuancheng paid no attention to his siblings' murmuring, and turned his gaze toward the distance. There, a vast chasm stretched out over a hundred meters away, with faint pulses of deep red light shimmering within its depths. Jiang Ju halted and shouted directly into the deep fissure extending straight into the mountain's core: "Grandfather, Master Yuanshishen wishes to see you." He called three times, but received no reply. Jiang Ju explained: "My father might simply be asleep." Taking a deep breath, he then roared, "Grandfather, the Master of the Water Deity's Palace has invited you to settle scores." The red glow within the chasm surged, spewing black smoke and molten lava. A dark figure shot forth like a projectile, halting in mid-air, causing the fire-based spiritual energy in the atmosphere to boil and stain half the sky crimson. The broad, fiery-haired figure suddenly opened his eyes and lowered his gaze. The very next moment, Zhang Yuancheng heard a loud "thud" beside him—the image of Jiang Buzheng vanished from the sky, while Jiang "You little rat, dare you fool me? Are you trying to die?" Cradling his upper body bare, Master Jiang spoke with rough, blunt authority. Zhang Yuanqing stiffened, turning his head with a sense of stiffness, gazing at the broad, sturdy man whose skin was flushed crimson, molten lava flowing over him. He felt as though he were being pressed against his skull with a spear, or perhaps alone in the wilds, unexpectedly encountering the White Tiger with its piercing gaze. His adrenaline surged, his muscles contracted, and his legs trembled. He hadn't been directly addressed or singled out by Jiang—only the mere act of stepping beside him, a slight overstep in status and dignity, had brought such pressure. "Dad, Yuan-Shi Tian-Zun is looking for you," croaked Jiang Jing-Wei, his face swollen and bruised. Jiang Master nodded, satisfied, and murmured, "Good spirit!" Turning back to Zhang Yuanqing, he gently suppressed the fiery spiritual energy radiating outward, and instantly, as if the domain had been lifted, the profound sense of soul-pressure vanished. "You're not supposed to be part of the Five Elements Alliance anymore. What brings you here?" "Master Jiang didn't have much patience, saying, "Well then, you simply don't get along with those nine elders—just step down and leave." Zhang Yuanqing retreated two steps, bowed deeply, and said, "I have one thing I'd like to ask Master." Although he had been daily insulting the fire masters, he knew that before the current fire deity, a proper bow was still due. "What would that be?" "I'd like to inquire about the Tongzhou Association," Zhang Yuanqing said straightforwardly. Master Jiang immediately narrowed his eyes, giving Zhang Yuanqing the sensation of being stared at by a fierce tiger, and a cold sweat broke out on his back—though this gaze lasted only for a moment. Master Jiang then turned to Jiang Jingwei and his son, who was nearly eight hundred li away, and said, "You two go back first." After the children had departed, Master Jiang fixed his sharp gaze on Zhang Yuanqing, asking, "Why have you been investigating the Tongzhou Association?" Zhang Yuanqing informed Master Jiang about the assassination of Hu Zhengkui, saying: "The hidden force behind the Tongzhou Association is the Free Alliance. Now it makes sense that they orchestrated Hu's assassination—to delay the establishment of the second major regional official organization and thus obstruct the development of spiritual realm powers in that region. In fact, the Free Alliance's objective has indeed been achieved. The Wuxing Alliance was founded over twenty years ago. Since then, official power has rapidly expanded, and the number of spiritual realm practitioners has surged, resulting in the scale and depth we see today. Prior to this, the five organizations operated independently, maintaining only the basic order among spiritual realm practitioners. If the official organization in the second major region had been established decades earlier, the most powerful lawful organization in the world might have been something other than Tianfa. Master Jiang shook her head: 'That's not right. The Tongzhou Association was dissolved the very year it was established in Xinhuaguo. The assassination of Hu Zhengkui you mentioned happened several decades later.' Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback: 'Then the Tongzhou Association had already dissolved before that?' He suddenly understood why such a powerful organization had vanished from the scene later on—it had actually dissolved long before. Thus, Lu Yue-shuang's assumption was incorrect; the attack on Hu Zhengkui hadn't been carried out by the Tongzhou Society? Lu Yue-shuang had returned to the Lingjing Realm for sixty years now, and even now it's difficult to trace how she came to suspect the Tongzhou Society. Logically, however, since the Tongzhou Society was a body primarily driven by the Free Alliance, it had ample grounds to have orchestrated the assassination of Hu Zhengkui. Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Why did the Tongzhou Society dissolve?" Given the Tongzhou Society's significant contributions during the Second World War, there was no logical reason for its dissolution—after the founding of the nation, it naturally became an official institution. "Nonsense!" Jiang Master boomed, "Our patrons are foreign powers—how could we possibly allow the Tongzhou Society to grow and thrive?" "Please elaborate. Elaborate." Master Jiang recalled: "The headquarters of Tongzhou Association is located in the Free Federation, with numerous branches throughout Huaguo. I joined only one of these branches. After the end of World War II, the headquarters wished us to negotiate with the government and become the official body of Huaguo. At that time, the local spiritual realm practitioners within the organization were divided into two factions. One faction favored the West, believing that with guidance and support from Western spiritual realm practitioners, we could achieve faster international integration, secure funding and resources, and swiftly establish authority over domestic practitioners to establish order. The other faction, however, refused to follow the headquarters' directives, seeking to reclaim sovereignty, yet unwilling to confront the headquarters directly. The two factions continued to debate fiercely, and the headquarters remained unyielding. In the end, the organization was dissolved. I was among the first to leave Tongzhou Association. What a joke—after all our efforts, we fought so hard just to avoid becoming mere servants." "By the way, the Tongzhou Association hadn't dissolved back then—only a large number of members had left. I remember a branch in the north experienced a major incident where the entire senior leadership suddenly returned to the Spiritual Realm overnight. This dispute reportedly sparked the crisis, ultimately leading to the Association's dissolution. After that, Tongzhou officially disbanded." "Who, in your opinion, had the capability to assassinate Huo Zhengkui back then?" "Back then, there were only a few masters of such caliber. Among them, who were both powerful and members of Tongzhou—well, the Midcourt Master, the President of the Hundred Flowers Association, and Elder Zhao from Taimen Gate." Master Jiang looked wise and composed. "I know of only these three. However, due to the limited communication between different branches of Tongzhou, I couldn't possibly be aware of all the master-level members." Zhao? The elder from Taimen Gate named Zhao—only Zhao Chenghuang's grandfather, Zhao Yuanqing. He sighed, and suddenly decided he didn't want to look any further. Keep investigating. If it's Zhao Elder who orchestrated the assassination of Huo Zhengkui, then he and Xiao Zhao will have to part ways. If it's either of the other two Grand Masters, then further investigation would mean certain death—though none of the five Grand Masters are likely to be mere pawns cultivated by the Free Alliance. Find an opportunity to inform Fu Qingxuan or the Master of Taiyuan Sect, and let the half-divine ones deal with it. Zhang Yuanqing bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Master, I have no further questions." Crane Master gave a dignified "Hmm," which then transformed into a stream of flowing fire, vanishing into the chasm's depths. Zhang Yuanqing picked up his hand card, tossed it gently in his palm, and smiled, "The Master won't come here personally, but as long as someone taps that prop, it means the Master is the buyer behind the scenes. Then I just need to follow the trail." Saying this, he snapped his hand card in two with a crisp sound.