"Hmm?" Zhong Yun seemed to sense something, turning his head just in time to catch a glimpse of a somewhat familiar back disappearing through the main entrance.

How could there be an acquaintance here? He couldn't immediately recall who the person was.

Just then, Chen Wen tugged at his sleeve, signaling it was time to leave. The two walked out of the gate with composure, under the gaze of the assembled crowd. As soon as they departed, the people inside buzzed with discussion.

While the crowd at the Martial Arts Association was deep in animated conversation, a nearby door was pushed open. Two youths, no older than seventeen or eighteen, stepped out side-by-side. Seeing the usually quiet hall so lively, they both looked somewhat surprised.

The one dressed in white chuckled, "Looks like we missed something."

The other, clad in red, pouted. "We'll know if we ask."

Although the pair frequented the place for training, they had never really interacted with the regulars. The white-clothed youth caught the arm of a man who looked somewhat familiar and asked with a smile, "Brother, did something interesting just happen here?"

The man, who often saw the two training there and admired their poise at such a young age, felt a fondness for them. He replied with a smile, "Someone just successfully challenged for a promotion."

The man glanced at the two boys, then continued, "That boy, about your age, is already at Level Four. Truly remarkable." His tone was filled with envy; he was almost thirty and had only just reached Level Four himself.

The two youths exchanged a look, seeing astonishment mirrored in the other's eyes. A martial artist their age reaching Level Four—when had another genius like this appeared in Mingzhou City?

They both mentally scanned the peers from the major families in Mingzhou, but none fit the description. Could it be a genius rising from the common folk? The thought struck both of them simultaneously, their gazes flickering.

Soon after, the two departed. Not long after they left, two separate groups arrived, inquiring about the appearance of the Level Four martial artist boy.

Many members of the Martial Arts Association had a feeling that the boy's path to prominence was not far off.

"Are we not waiting for Tianhai?" Zhong Yun asked as he and Chen Wen stood side-by-side in the automated walkway.

"He left me a message saying we should head back first. Then I couldn't get through to him by phone. I wonder what he's up to," Chen Wen admitted, also finding the situation strange.

"He acts carefree on the surface, but he’s actually quite astute. No need to worry about him," Zhong Yun said.

Chen Wen shrugged. Tianhai wasn't a child; there was nothing to fret over, and he quickly dismissed the thought.

After a while, Zhong Yun suddenly inquired, "Xiao Wen, if I recall correctly, you mentioned your family deals in organic metals?"

"Mhm, Starfall Group is the enterprise of our Chen family," Chen Wen didn't hide it.

"Do you remember when I brought up cooperation last time?" Zhong Yun said apologetically, "Because I couldn't free up the time, I never managed to visit your..."

"No worries about that," Chen Wen interrupted with a smile. He genuinely didn't mind. When Zhong Yun first proposed the collaboration, Chen Wen was thrilled primarily because he hoped the partnership would solidify their relationship; making money was secondary.

"It's always me breaking our appointments." Seeing his magnanimity, Zhong Yun felt even more awkward. He paused, carefully choosing his words before speaking again, "I have another idea now, perhaps we could collaborate on this."

"Oh? Tell me about it," Chen Wen was intrigued. The longer he interacted with Zhong Yun, the more he felt the young man was enveloped in a layer of mystery. The more he thought he understood him, the more he realized that what he saw was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Take the time Zhong Yun disappeared for over a month while on leave, for instance. Chen Wen had used some connections to search for him, but to no avail—it was as if the man had vanished from the face of the earth.

Later, he even found out that the two major powers in Dawo were also searching for Zhong Yun, and likewise, they hadn't located him. Finally, Zhong Yun reappeared near the edge of the desert, all by himself. But had he truly gone on a desert expedition? Chen Wen remained convinced there were deep suspicions surrounding that disappearance...

"I was conducting experiments a few days ago," Zhong Yun began spinning another tale. Aside from this, he truly couldn't find any other plausible explanation. After all, his home was stacked with advanced experimental machinery, so it was a workable excuse. "And I unintentionally synthesized a new alloy..."

"An alloy?" Chen Wen frowned. There were thousands of types of alloys, but not all of them held value. Only those with exceptionally superior performance or indispensable unique characteristics could generate enormous wealth. Many ordinary alloys were inferior to common metals.

"I just performed some basic tests," Zhong Yun continued. "The strength, hardness, tensile strength, and impact toughness of this alloy are all slightly inferior to 'Feikong Steel' (Note)."

Chen Wen nodded. His family were giants in the metal industry and were intimately familiar with 'Feikong Steel.' It was a high-end metal; although called steel, its performance far surpassed ordinary steel, making it widely used in aerospace aircraft and spacecraft.

If Zhong Yun wasn't exaggerating, this new alloy indeed held promise for widespread adoption—provided the cost was low enough.

"However, it possesses one outstanding characteristic: its melting point reaches a staggering thirty-two thousand degrees."

"What?" Chen Wen was visibly startled. He stared intensely at Zhong Yun, his facial muscles taut from extreme seriousness. "Are you telling the truth?"

Though he knew Zhong Yun wasn't one to speak nonsense, the matter was too significant to allow for any carelessness. If what he claimed was true—that this alloy's melting point reached 32,000 degrees—and its other properties were even two-thirds that of 'Feikong Steel,' it would be a civilization-altering invention.

The element with the highest melting point found in the Davo territory was 9,121 degrees, and the highest known melting point alloy currently was 'Ganghe Alloy,' with a melting point of 23,000 degrees. This latter alloy was extensively used in mecha casings and the barrels of large particle cannons.

As a side note, both 'Feikong Steel' and 'Ganghe Alloy' were invented by members of the Fei family. These two metals brought the Fei family not only massive profits but also immense influence.

The Chen family's assets and corporate scale were in no way inferior to the Fei family's, but in the high-end metal sector, they consistently lacked this core technology, leaving them overshadowed by the Feis.

This was why Chen Wen reacted so dramatically when Zhong Yun mentioned a metal melting point reaching 32,000 degrees. The Chen family had craved such high-end metal technology for far too long.

Seeing Chen Wen's reaction, Zhong Yun knew he had struck the Chen family's weakness; this collaboration seemed almost guaranteed. Partnering with the Yang family first, and now bringing in the Chen family—his father would probably be ecstatic.

"The sample is in my backpack. I'll get it for you in a moment," Zhong Yun said with a smile.

"Why is this damned passage taking so long?" Chen Wen was growing impatient. Zhong Yun’s backpack was resting on his shuttle car.

(This steel is named after its inventor.)

P: If one-third of the readers who have favorited this book vote, I can make it onto the charts. Please try to vote for me if you can. The next chapter update is scheduled for eight in the morning.