With the call terminated, the man could no longer contain himself, a smug, wicked smile spreading across his face. He casually shoved the phone into his pocket, then turned to glance back at the Western-style restaurant behind him. Through the clear glass, his gaze landed directly on Zhang Yang.

It was precisely this moment of uncontrollable satisfaction that caused a fraction of his perfectly concealed aura to leak out.

Inside the restaurant, Zhang Yang suddenly frowned and looked out toward the window.

Just moments ago, Zhang Yang had felt a fleeting wave of energy near the entrance of the Western restaurant, gone as quickly as it appeared.

This energy fluctuation could absolutely not have been caused by those departing Japanese individuals; moreover, this specific wave was utterly unfamiliar.

It was during this single glance that Zhang Yang’s eyes met those of the man.

This man was profoundly ordinary, the sort you could drop into a crowd and instantly lose. Yet, upon seeing Zhang Yang’s scrutinizing gaze, his brow furrowed, and he quickly turned, leaving without hesitation, moving with surprising swiftness.

No one noticed that as he melted into the bustling flow of traffic and pedestrians, the man walked faster and faster, until he vanished into the sea of people like a scattering gust of wind, managing to draw no attention whatsoever.

Sensing that something was amiss with Zhang Yang beside her, Mi Xue anxiously reached out and tugged at his arm, asking, “Zhang Yang, what is it?”

Zhang Yang immediately realized the man’s furtive behavior was deeply suspicious. After a moment’s thought, he quietly said to Mi Xue, “Someone was watching us just now, Mi Xue. I need to step out for a moment.”

“Ah?” Mi Xue’s heart tightened. She quickly gripped Zhang Yang’s hand, filled with worry, not wanting him to leave.

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Yang patted her hand, giving her a reassuring look before saying, “I’ll go see what’s going on.”

If that man hadn't inadvertently let slip a trace of his aura that alerted Zhang Yang, Zhang Yang might never have noticed him at all. This suggested that the man had likely been following Zhang Yang for quite some time.

Zhang Yang couldn’t fathom who, within Changjing City, besides Old Master Zhang Pinglu, could track him so closely without detection.

However, the man had finally exposed himself. Zhang Yang was confident that based on the faint clues left behind during his departure, he could track him down.

“Director Huang, I sincerely apologize for today. I have an urgent matter suddenly arise, and I need to leave for a bit.” Zhang Yang immediately said to Huang Ze, who naturally had no objection to Zhang Yang’s departure.

“Zhang Yang, you need to be careful…”

Seeing that Zhang Yang had made up his mind, Mi Xue no longer opposed him, placing great trust in his abilities, yet she couldn’t help but offer a final warning.

“Mhm. Then you two head back with Qu Meilan first.”

With that, Zhang Yang ignored the looks of admiration from those around him and rushed out of the Western restaurant, fixing on a direction and striding quickly in pursuit.

This was a noisy street. Zhang Yang was wary of attracting unnecessary attention and dared not act too recklessly here. Fortunately, unlike before, the man, in his haste to leave, hadn't perfectly concealed his aura; the residue of the energy fluctuation he left in the air was quite distinct, so Zhang Yang had no fear of losing him.

One man ran ahead, and Zhang Yang followed close behind. Although the distance between them was significant, Zhang Yang doggedly stayed on the man's heels, gradually locking onto his specific energy signature.

The man who had been following Zhang Yang was now slick with sweat. He never imagined that a momentary lapse in concealing his aura would draw Zhang Yang’s attention, making escape from the pursuit impossible.

Around a sharp corner, just as Zhang Yang was about to close the gap, he suddenly paused. The locked-on energy signature had vanished in that instant. However, Zhang Yang’s steps immediately quickened once more.

The man ahead stopped, his entire body trembling. He looked suddenly weak, yet he didn't halt. He brought a hand to his face, tearing off a mask of skin. Quickly, he affixed another prosthetic layer, and instantly, his entire appearance transformed!

What an astonishing technique of disguise!

After changing his mask, the man stopped fleeing. Instead, he turned and walked slowly along the side of the street toward the corner, appearing exactly like any ordinary passerby.

The next moment, Zhang Yang’s figure appeared at the intersection of the corner and walked straight ahead!

They brushed past each other!

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

The man could clearly hear his own heartbeat accelerate, but he dared not allow any extraneous expression on his face, acting as if the sudden gust of wind passing him by was completely unnoticeable.

Relying on his flawless art of disguise, he had narrowly evaded Zhang Yang’s pursuit.

Zhang Yang abruptly stopped. A look of confusion crossed his face. He had completely locked onto the man’s aura moments ago, but how could the man have vanished the instant he rounded the corner?

No, that wasn't right!

Zhang Yang suddenly frowned. The pedestrian who had just brushed past him, while maintaining no change in gait or expression, had exhibited a significantly accelerated heart rate!

More importantly, although the face of the person who just passed was different from the one Zhang Yang had locked eyes with at the restaurant entrance, the style of dress was identical!

Could it be a disguise technique?

Zhang Yang spun around abruptly and doubled back!

The man, who had just allowed himself a brief moment of relief, suddenly sensed his aura locked onto once again. Knowing his latest attempt at disguise and concealment had failed, he gave up all restraint and ran with desperate energy!

However, after this renewed burst, he managed to widen the distance between himself and Zhang Yang once more!

The man weaved through the complex network of streets in Changjing City, but no matter the route, he could no longer shake off Zhang Yang’s lock. His stamina was beginning to wane significantly. Previously, he could still mask the majority of his aura while running, severely interfering with Zhang Yang’s tracking, but now, he was essentially unable to hide his presence at all. Being caught by Zhang Yang was only a matter of time.

Driven by desperation, just as Zhang Yang was closing in again, he resorted to the same trick, using the fastest technique to switch to yet another unfamiliar facial layer, masquerading as an ordinary pedestrian. Zhang Yang, chasing after him, passed by the newly disguised figure once more.

This time, Zhang Yang’s figure quickly disappeared from the man's sight.

He had succeeded in escaping!

The man paused for a beat, then became elated. This time, he noticed Zhang Yang had not reacted, but had continued chasing straight ahead.

“Is that all the strength he has? And they call him the foremost expert in the cultivation world? Bah. It seems rumors truly can’t be trusted. I knew it—how could a mere boy in his twenties possibly reach the Great Perfection Realm!”

The man wiped the sweat from his brow, casually tearing off the mask he had hastily applied, revealing his true face as he muttered dismissively.

Afterward, he swaggered confidently in a specific direction and strode away.

Zhang Yang, who had continued chasing straight ahead, suddenly stopped in a spot beyond the man’s view. Then, he completely concealed his entire aura!

A faint smile suddenly appeared on Zhang Yang’s face.

It turned out Zhang Yang had intentionally allowed himself to brush past the man, letting him believe he had once again evaded capture using his marvelous disguise technique.

At the very moment they passed, Zhang Yang, employing dual focus, had imperceptibly left a trace of his own energy on the man.

Now, no matter where the man fled or how well he hid, Zhang Yang could locate him instantly, anytime, anywhere.

Zhang Yang was curious to see exactly who was backing this man with such incredible skills in disguise!

In Changjing City, there was a particularly run-down alleyway, mostly inhabited by impoverished families. As dusk began to settle, this alleyway appeared desolate.

At the end of the alley was a row of small, single-story houses. In the open ground before these houses, three or four children were happily playing together.

The man who had spent so much effort evading Zhang Yang’s pursuit entered this alleyway after confirming he was no longer being followed.

After walking a few steps and spotting the children playing in front of the small houses, he finally let go of the tense anxiety he had been holding. He called out to one of the children,

“Huzi, stop playing, it’s time to go home and do your homework.”

“Okay!”

Among the playing children, a small boy heard the call. The joy instantly faded from his face. He immediately looked up, clapped the dirt off his hands, and reluctantly began shuffling his feet back to the man’s side, occasionally casting longing glances at the other children still playing.

The man affectionately patted the little boy’s head, just about to speak, when his entire body suddenly seized up stiffly!

“Uncle, what’s wrong?”

The little boy noticed the anomaly in the man beside him and asked in confusion.

The man took a deep breath, forced a rigid smile, and then said to the boy, “Huzi, why don’t you go play with your friends for a little longer? Uncle has something else to do today, and we might eat late. I’ll come back to call you later.”

“Great!” Hearing this, the little boy didn’t think twice, happily agreed, and ran back to his group of friends to resume playing.

The stiff man stared ahead. At the entrance of the alley, Zhang Yang stood there, smiling at him.

“Why aren’t you running anymore?”

Zhang Yang walked closer. He looked at the man he had chased across the city, certain that this time, there was no escape.

This man’s voice sounded like he was in his early thirties, but judging by his wrinkled face, he could easily be mistaken for fifty.

Zhang Yang took one look and confirmed the man possessed only the strength of the late third layer of Inner Strength. However, his skill in concealing his aura and his mastery of disguise were what truly impressed Zhang Yang.

“Can I still run away?”

He managed a bitter smile at Zhang Yang, his peripheral vision glancing at the little boy playing happily nearby, and asked resignedly.