The domain of influence thrummed; the expression of surprise that had momentarily flickered in the eyes of the Nine Heavens Xuannü vanished without a trace upon hearing Qin Fen's curt reply. Her face betrayed no hint of grievance, and the initial air of calm, aloof majesty once again settled upon her elegant features.

"To slay two sect-founding Martial Grandmasters in a single day at such a young age... Qin Fen," the Nine Heavens Xuannü rested her delicate, slender fingers on her chin. "Truly remarkable! A talent like this is precisely what the Heavenly Gate needs. He might be the most suitable person to draw out the 'mysterious Si Luo Heavenly Son' of the Underworld."

Manager He sat stunned on the floor, watching the chain of rapid emotional shifts on the face of the Nine Heavens Xuannü. For a moment, he couldn't discern her true intentions, silently labeling her a veritable demoness in his heart. Only mythological spirits could shift their demeanor so easily, making their true thoughts and identities impossible to fathom.

Qin Fen's figure receded into the distance. The Nine Heavens Xuannü lowered her hand from her chin and quickened her pace to catch up, murmuring softly, "Since you have a bottom line and won't kill wantonly, I will simply follow you. There will always be a way to find your weakness and drag you into the Heavenly Gate." Yes! I must drag him into the Heavenly Gate! The Nine Heavens Xuannü repeatedly increased her speed, and the news from the Saturn Heavenly Gate regarding the Underworld surfaced in her mind once more.

The Underworld's influence on Saturn had always been the strongest faction next to the Heavenly Gate itself, yet it always lagged just slightly behind. This subtle gap was only perceptible to the great Noble Houses and the Divine Beast Warriors.

However, in recent years, the Underworld had somehow recruited a powerful new martial artist, successfully defeating the former Yanluo Heavenly Son and ascending to become the new Yanluo Heavenly Son. The hierarchy of Underworld warriors mirrored the Ten Yama Kings; excluding the foremost master, Ksitigarbha, the strongest was the First Hall's King Qinguang. The Yanluo Heavenly Son was ranked only fifth among the Ten Yama Kings, but those familiar with mythology understood the truth.

The Yanluo Heavenly Son originally governed the First Hall. He was later demoted to the Fifth Hall among the Ten Yama Kings because of his excessive benevolence, frequently acting in violation of the Underworld's regulations.

But his true strength was not that of a mere fifth-ranked Yama King! Strictly speaking, the Yanluo Heavenly Son was a supreme entity qualified to contend with King Qinguang for the top ranking among the Ten Yama Kings.

The Nine Heavens Xuannü was acutely aware that, in the current Underworld, while the Yanluo Heavenly Son might not be the absolute strongest among the Ten Yama Kings, he was certainly a terrifying figure with immense potential.

This Yanluo Heavenly Son, mysterious even within the Underworld, was clearly the martial artist with the greatest future prospects.

The martial arts world understood well that established, long-renowned masters were not terrifying; their development had largely entered a plateau phase, allowing for a general projection of their true strength.

The most terrifying warriors in this world were those who suddenly rose in prominence, whose ultimate potential remained entirely unknown!

The Yanluo Heavenly Son was clearly one such unknown quantity, and this worried the Heavenly Gate immensely. They had deployed all channels to gather intelligence on him; his identity and location were high priorities for the Heavenly Gate.

The Heavenly Emperor's directive was crystal clear: regardless of whether this mysterious Yanluo Heavenly Son was the rumored legendary figure from Mars, Shangguan Chuanqi, the son of Vermilion Bird—once found, he was to be personally executed!

The Underworld was naturally well aware of the Heavenly Gate's intentions, taking extensive measures to conceal the Yanluo Heavenly Son's identity and location. No matter how the Heavenly Gate searched, they could not locate him unless the Heavenly Gate committed its full might to an open conflict with the Underworld—a scenario that would likely become impossible to control.

How could the Si Luo Heavenly Son be found and killed? Countless members of the Heavenly Gate were vexed by this problem.

The moment the Nine Heavens Xuannü saw Qin Fen, she was almost certain that if anyone in this world could provoke the Yanluo Heavenly Son into revealing himself, it would be this current, intensely famous Martial Grandmaster.

"Induct Qin Fen into the Heavenly Gate, protect him with our elite masters. Then, challenge the Underworld's forces everywhere. I’m sure the Yanluo Heavenly Son will be forced out! Since he bears the title of Heavenly Son, he must possess the spirit of one! Facing older masters, he might defer due to insufficient foundation, but if he refuses to fight peers of his own generation, that title of Yanluo Heavenly Son can be changed." The Nine Heavens Xuannü solidified her plan and, before Qin Fen could close the taxi door, reached out and pulled it open again.

Hashimoto watched with a degree of surprise as the Nine Heavens Xuannü stepped gracefully into the car and settled down with an air of unruffled composure.

Qin Fen, glimpsing her reflection in the rearview mirror—that quiet, serene face in the back seat—frowned slightly.

The psychological knowledge inherited from Squad Leader Hao offered him no insight into this woman who shifted from weeping to laughing to icy coldness, yet somehow ended up in the taxi with them.

The taxi driver turned back to the Nine Heavens Xuannü. "Miss, I already have paying customers in my car..."

"It doesn't matter," the Nine Heavens Xuannü said, clasping her hands over her chest, an extreme confidence radiating from her placid expression. "Wherever they go, I go."

The taxi driver reluctantly turned to Qin Fen. "Sir..."

Qin Fen stared straight ahead without turning back. "I don't treat uninvolved people to a ride."

The Nine Heavens Xuannü straightened her waist, her eyebrows momentarily furrowing before she instantly reverted to her detached calm. She decisively retrieved a banknote from her bag and handed it to the taxi. "The fare is on me."

Hashimoto, witnessing the sudden transformation beside him, couldn't help but let out a laugh. The fleeting surge of anger just moments ago had clearly not been feigned.

The Nine Heavens Xuannü leaned back against the seat, arms crossed, and shot Hashimoto a fierce glare. When Qin Fen had stated he wouldn't treat her, she had genuinely intended to retort. But through the rearview mirror, the Nine Heavens Xuannü had acutely caught the implicit message in Qin Fen's eyes: if she had dared to suggest riding for free, she had no doubt Qin Fen would, in the next instant, lift her out of the taxi like a chick and perhaps toss her a considerable distance for good measure.

He'd do it! The Nine Heavens Xuannü was certain this Qin Fen was capable of such actions.

The taxi sped off. The Nine Heavens Xuannü remained silent, neither inquiring about their destination nor mentioning the Heavenly Gate. A strange quiet pervaded the car.

Upon reaching the Military Command, Qin Fen got out and entered. Hashimoto found a nearby coffee shop to sit in. As a Martial Grandmaster, he could manage to arrange connections with the Military Command to gain entry into the Shengjing Military Command, but Hashimoto lacked the inclination to socialize with military personnel and chose to wait outside instead.

The Nine Heavens Xuannü naturally could not enter the Military Command either, so she reluctantly followed Hashimoto into the coffee shop to wait.

Having frequented the Shengjing Military Command many times, Qin Fen was quite familiar with the layout. This time, he headed straight for Zhao Huzi's office. The three people he had sent to handle the moving had been attacked by Chi Zhongjin—this matter needed discussion. Furthermore, as a soldier, arranging his personal affairs through Song Wendong's proposal required a necessary courtesy briefing with the higher-ups.

Although the Military Command had yet to issue a formal arrangement, Qin Fen knew that as a soldier, he must adhere to military rules and avoid causing undue trouble for those above who supported him.

"Kid, you've made quite a name for yourself!" Zhao Huzi greeted Qin Fen's entry with his usual bear hug. The stubble on his cheek made Qin Fen consider activating his protective divine technique for defense.

After the embrace, they sat down. Zhao Huzi maintained a soldierly posture on the sofa and chuckled.

"Congratulations on defeating two Martial Grandmasters in one day! Right now, forget the younger generation; you are the most famous person in the entire martial arts world, along with the Underworld's Yanluo Heavenly Son on Saturn—who might be Shangguan Chuanqi—and Hades, the Little Pluto, who caused an uproar immediately upon returning to Venus."

"Yanluo Heavenly Son? Shangguan Chuanqi? Little Pluto Hades? What did he do?" Qin Fen was slightly taken aback. His nearly two months of secluded martial cultivation in the Sahara seemed to have caused him to miss a lot of news.

"The Underworld on Saturn has produced a mysterious new master in recent years. All we know is that he is the Yanluo Heavenly Son among the Ten Yama Kings, and his ascent has been incredibly swift." Zhao Huzi's voice carried deep admiration. "If he maintains this momentum, not only will the Military Command have no chance on Saturn, but even the Heavenly Gate might face difficulties. Alas! Does the Military Command truly have no destiny to produce Divine Beast Warriors or Divine Beast Factions?"

"Yanluo Heavenly Son," Qin Fen's eyebrow twitched. "What about that Little Pluto Hades? Has he returned to Venus?"

"Yes! Back to Venus!" Zhao Huzi raised his thumb high as he spoke. "That kid, worthy of being the White Tiger's son. According to our intelligence, he returned to Venus through a secret channel we couldn't access. He immediately killed Gui Jin Yang’s most capable subordinate—Gui Jin Yang being one of the White Tiger's Star Constellation Generals—and then vanished, lying low on Mars. In less than two months, Gui Jin Yang and Niu Jin Niu, both formerly under the White Tiger, have each lost two key subordinates. Keep in mind, those were powerful Martial Grandmasters!"

Zhao Huzi took a deep, sharp breath, his expression full of awe. "Martial Grandmasters are scarce resources! They are equally scarce for the Star Constellation Generals. This kid killing two Martial Grandmasters who served a Star Constellation General for years in under two months is already astonishing. But that's not all. You must know, the second person he killed was a Seventeenth-Star Martial Grandmaster!"

"Seventeenth-Star? A Great Star level?" Qin Fen's usually calm expression revealed a trace of shock. Two months ago, the Little Pluto Hades couldn't even defeat Pei Chengjun or Ji Zhen Haotian, let alone kill a Seventeenth-Star Great Star level martial expert. How could he have become so powerful overnight?

"Ah!" A phrase from Lin Liqiang flashed through Qin Fen's mind: these Insect Warriors were highly unusual, capable of stimulating a person's potential for super bursts, especially when combined with the biomechanical beasts on his body.

"Kid, I'll tell you the truth," Zhao Huzi said with gravity. "I don't know who is stronger between you and the Yanluo Heavenly Son. But She San said that if the current you encountered the Little Pluto Hades, you would lose 99% of the time." Qin Fen remained silent, his curiosity about Insect Warriors intensifying. If such things could cause such an explosive increase in strength, was there truly no drawback?

"I suppose if the White Tiger knew his son, after being crippled by you, had stood up again so fiercely, he could die in peace," Zhao Huzi clicked his tongue repeatedly in admiration. "Although I heard that after killing the Seventeenth-Star expert, he himself was heavily wounded and disappeared from sight while evading pursuit from the Star Constellation Generals, one still has to admire him! A fierce father produces no weak sons!"

"Why aren't you talking?" Zhao Huzi asked, looking at the quiet Qin Fen. "Oh right, you came to see me for something, didn't you?"

"Oh?" Qin Fen nodded. "Two things. The first is about the people you sent to help me move..."

"I know about that," Zhao Huzi waved his hand dismissively. "They were beaten up by people from the Heavenly Gate, right? I was planning to send men to flatten those thugs, but then I got word you were coming back, so I decided not to interfere."

"The second thing," Qin Fen paused thoughtfully. "I want to ask Big Brother Zhao for a favor—to arrange some vacation time for me soon. I have some private matters to attend to."

"Private matters?" Zhao Huzi's coarse eyes lit up, and his large head nodded vigorously. "Vacation is fine! I was planning to tell you to quickly handle any business you have, as Snake King mentioned something important might happen soon. Although Martial Grandmasters are qualified for nominal positions in the military, the Snake King doesn't seem inclined to let you be idle."

"Oh!" Zhao Huzi's eyes gleamed even brighter, his expression full of gossipy amusement. "Tell me, what are these private matters? Can you share them with your old brother?"

Qin Fen considered briefly before nodding. "Big Brother Zhao knows about my relationship status. The fundamental reason I'm leaving the Sacred Martial Hall this time is to go to the Song Family to propose marriage. If Pei Chengjun and the others hadn't caused trouble, I would have handled the proposal by now."

"Propose marriage to the Song Family?" Zhao Huzi's robust frame visibly shook. His large eyes darted back and forth, examining Qin Fen intensely. "You plan to go in person? Are you sure you want to meet...?" Zhao Huzi lowered his voice conspiratorially. "...meet Jianlin?"

Qin Fen took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "Yes. I've thought it through. Some things cannot be avoided, and avoiding them is useless. Besides, remaining passive like this isn't a solution. I want to visit the Song Family to see what Jianlin is thinking, what his demands are. At the same time, I want to convey my stance: I will marry Song Jia! Even if I have to face Jianlin's opposition, I must! Even if I have to steal her or snatch her away, Song Jia will become my Qin family's daughter-in-law." As he spoke, Zhao Huzi suddenly sensed an aura emanating from Qin Fen—an aura that could be summed up in four words: absolutely relentless momentum.

My apologies to all readers. My uncle has three tumors on his liver, one reportedly about two centimeters in diameter.

I accompanied my mother to visit him, and afterward, my mother became depressed over my uncle's situation—she was either silent or weeping alone. I genuinely feared it; I worried about my mother's depression and stayed by her side speaking constantly to comfort her, leaving me absolutely no time or mental state to write.

My mother has finally slept. I managed to revise this chapter during this brief respite. My sincere apologies for the delay and any inconvenience caused.