As instructed by the old man, Zhang Yang finally sealed the Demon Blade Muramasa and the White Flame Demon Ginseng in separate, airtight boxes and stored them in a corner of the alchemy room.

Placing the White Flame Demon Ginseng and the Demon Blade Muramasa in the same sealed environment naturally allowed the ginseng to absorb the malevolent, evil energy emanating from the blade.

Sealed within the box and unnoticed, the faint, blood-red light occasionally shimmering on the Demon Blade Muramasa was entirely absorbed by the White Flame Demon Ginseng. The once pure white ginseng gradually took on a slight reddish tint, its subtle, fragrant aroma intensified, and a layer of white frost formed along the edges of the sealed container.

After Zhang Yang secured the Demon Blade Muramasa, the old man bid his farewell and departed.

A night's delay meant that a sliver of pale light, like fish-belly white, now appeared on the edge of the sky; dawn was barely breaking.

The old man left Zhang Yang's villa without pausing his steps. Soon, he was outside Changjing City, atop a small incline offering a commanding view of the metropolis.

"Hmm, strange. I distinctly felt something, yet there isn't a soul around. Have they already left?"

Zhang Pinglu stood on the low hill, a look of doubt on his face, as if searching for someone.

He scanned the surroundings, confirmed no one was near, and shook his head, preparing to leave.

"Eh?"

But just as he turned to go, a sharp glint flashed in Zhang Pinglu's eyes. He lowered his gaze, focusing on the ground at his feet. There, he noticed a shallow footprint, as if someone had intentionally left it.

A faint smile crossed Zhang Pinglu's face. He turned around, and the old man looked toward the distant towering buildings, murmuring as if addressing someone far away, or perhaps only himself.

"My Huaxia has been dormant for perhaps too long, so much so that those who once harbored designs against us have forgotten the lessons of the past. Yangyang, I eagerly await the day you reach the fifth layer of Internal Strength..."

That night, while Changjing City appeared outwardly calm, in certain corners, absolute turmoil brewed.

In Seoul, South Korea, within a lavish mansion, more than a dozen men dressed in traditional Hanbok knelt on the floor. Before them stood a massive, sheer gauze screen, behind which sat an elderly man with snow-white hair.

"Lord!"

After a long silence, one of the men stepped forward from the kneeling group, positioning himself directly opposite the screen.

"Kim Hyun-chun is dead?"

The voice from behind the screen showed no tremor; though aged, it resonated with absolute authority.

"Yes."

Swallowing hard, the man kneeling at the forefront offered a single word, yet he was already drenched in sweat.

"Does that mean our plan has been discovered by people from Huaxia?"

The elder's tone remained steady and unhurried, yet the pressure on everyone present intensified sharply.

The responding man dared not wipe the sweat from his brow; he could only keep his head lowered, answering anxiously, "My Lord, I believe... no!"

"What do you mean, 'I believe'!"

The aged voice suddenly rose in pitch, and almost simultaneously, every bowed head sank even lower; not a single person dared to utter a sound.

The elder's voice echoed faintly in the room for a long time before he finally spoke again, his tone measured. "Give me the most accurate answer."

"Yes!"

The man who had spoken before let out a sudden sigh of relief and continued his report. This time, he avoided any words like 'possibly,' 'probably,' or 'perhaps.'

"Reporting to My Lord, Kim Hyun-chun sent a message back to the country yesterday. In Changjing City, Huaxia, he discovered three Spirit Beasts, each at least at the third layer or higher. Furthermore, all three were under the control of the same person—a man named Zhang Yang. He is a rising genius in Huaxia's cultivation circles, barely in his twenties, yet possessing at least the fourth layer of Internal Strength. There are even rumors that he is Huaxia's newest Great Perfection cultivator, thus earning him the title of the foremost figure in the cultivation world."

"According to Kim Hyun-chun's report, he believed those three Spirit Beasts had pledged allegiance to this Zhang Yang. On that very same day, this Zhang Yang had a confrontation with the visible representative of the Japanese faction this time, the young master of the Ishino Zaibatsu, Ishino Kantaro, at a restaurant."

"On the same day, Kim Hyun-chun invited Ishino Kantaro to the Kyoyang Four Flowers Hotel where they were staying, dismissed everyone else, and met with him accompanied only by Park Young-jun. Afterwards, because Ishino Kantaro's subordinates waited long without seeing him emerge, suspicion arose, leading to the discovery that Ishino Kantaro and several ninjas were found simultaneously dead in the hotel's rear garden."

"Based on the scene, no outsiders appeared to have intervened. The situation looked like a conflict between Kim Hyun-chun and Ishino Kantaro resulted in mutual destruction."

"Do you believe that?"

Behind the screen, the elder closed his eyes and said impatiently, "Just tell me your suspicions directly."

"Yes."

A cold, sinister look crossed the man's face as he continued, "Your subordinate believes that all of this was orchestrated by this Zhang Yang. Only he possesses the skill to infiltrate the Kyoyang Four Flowers Hotel silently and kill both Kim Hyun-chun and Ishino Kantaro."

Upon hearing the report, the elder slowly rose and stepped out from behind the screen.

"Park Seung-eun, I know you grieve for your son, who died violently."

The elder slowly approached the man at the forefront and stopped beside him.

"Your subordinate dares not," the man instantly prostrated himself, his forehead touching the ground, speaking loudly, "Park Young-jun, as a citizen of the Great Han, was long prepared to sacrifice himself for the Great Han!"

"Heh."

The elder let out two cold snorts without smiling and ignored the assembly of men, slowly walking toward the exit. He paused only when he reached the row furthest back and stated, his voice utterly devoid of emotion, "Huaxia's Spirit Beasts all originated from the lands of our Great Han. Their wandering abroad means they should rightfully be brought back. That young man named Zhang Yang very likely possesses bloodline from our Great Han; he must be Korean. That is the only way to explain why he could command the allegiance of three incredibly powerful Spirit Beasts simultaneously."

"Park Seung-eun, change our initial plan. You will go and bring this young man and his three Divine Beasts back to Korea."

"Yes!"

The man kneeling at the front, named Park Seung-eun, immediately responded affirmatively.

"No..."

The elder suddenly frowned, then slightly altered his instructions: "Don't rush. When you go to Huaxia this time, conceal your identity first. Keep a close watch on the Japanese faction. They lost the national treasure, the Demon Blade Muramasa; they will be more anxious than us."

With that, the elder departed gracefully.

"Yes!"

All the kneeling men prostrated themselves in reverence until the elder was out of sight.

Tokyo, Japan.

Within a stately residence, a middle-aged man stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Before him lay a purely black Japanese sword.

"Iga, I can feel the weeping heart of Muramasa in that blade!" the middle-aged man spoke softly to the sword before him. "Kantaro is dead, and Muramasa is lost. This is all my failure!"

A voice responded from behind him.

"Master, it was the Young Master's disobedience that led to his death. Your subordinate is certain that this affair was not the doing of those Koreans; they lack such audacity!"

Though only one middle-aged man was physically present in the room, this voice did not originate from his mouth.

Behind the middle-aged man, an ethereal silhouette gradually emerged, finally solidifying into a ninja clad in a tight black suit, kneeling on one knee before the man.

"Iga, the Huaxia side has already given me an unofficial explanation: Kantaro engaged in a private dispute with the Korean representative, Kim Hyun-chun, resulting in accidental deaths on both sides."

The middle-aged man extended his hand, lifted the black Japanese sword, scabbard and all, and stared at the blade as he slowly spoke: "This indicates that Huaxia absolutely does not intend to press the matter. But it also confirms that the one who killed Kantaro and seized Muramasa is someone else entirely!"

"Master, Iga suspects that everything was done by the man the Young Master intended to deal with earlier—Zhang Yang!" the ninja stated without emotion, his head lowered. "And now, since Iga's Eight-Headed Serpent Ninjutsu has reached completion, I volunteer to personally travel to Huaxia to find the real culprit and retrieve Muramasa!"

Clang!

In an instant, the middle-aged man drew the black Japanese sword, which bore a striking resemblance to the Demon Blade Muramasa. With the scabbard still on, he brought it down in a single strike, cleaving the sword rack set before him in two!

"Baka!"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth, his face contorted into a terrifyingly savage expression. After a long moment, he slowly calmed his violent emotions and spoke plainly: "Iga, all nations are now aware of this incident. When you go to Huaxia, do not act rashly. Your primary objective is to locate Muramasa. Whoever holds Muramasa now is the true murderer of Kantaro. I want you to bring me his head along with Muramasa!"

"Yes..."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the black-clad ninja dissolved back into an ethereal form and vanished behind the middle-aged man.

The events that transpired that night at the Kyoyang Four Flowers Hotel were transmitted through countless untraceable channels to various nations surrounding Huaxia.

For a time, those countries that still harbored ambitions toward Huaxia simultaneously halted their movements, choosing instead to watch and wait quietly.

The Sino-Foreign Medical Exchange activities, which were on the verge of public announcement, also ground to a halt because of this.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang, the epicenter of this maelstrom, saw no change in his daily life.

Likewise, Zhang Yang was waiting—waiting to deliver an unforgettable lesson to any scoundrel who dared set foot in Huaxia!