There’s an old saying that true understanding only comes after a fight, and Zhang Yang and Huang Longshi found themselves in just such a situation. A mere sparring session had, in an unseen way, drawn them closer. As they looked at each other now, a shared sense of heroic camaraderie blossomed between them.

Hearing Huang Longshi’s earnest reply, Zhang Yang threw back his head and laughed heartily. He was a man forged by the military, endearingly straightforward in his nature, failing to catch that Zhang Yang had only been teasing him.

“Brother Zhang, I am truly not lying to you. You cannot casually use Fifth Layer skills. This is…” In his urgency, Huang Longshi nearly blurted out the name of that person, managing to stop himself just in time to keep that individual’s identity concealed.

“This is what?” Zhang Yang pressed.

“Nothing. Just know that you lack the strength for the Fifth Layer right now. Rashly using Fifth Layer techniques will significantly impact your ability to break through to that level in the future. Just trust me on this,” Huang Longshi insisted with stubborn conviction.

“Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you then,” Zhang Yang sighed, shaking his head. In truth, aside from the Energy Blast, a Fifth Layer attack that left him feeling unwell after use, employing the Heaven-Shattering Sword Technique brought Zhang Yang nothing but benefit.

“Enough. You came to me for something important. The competition is over, so let’s get down to business.”

Zhang Yang stood up, dropping the issue. He then said to Huang Longshi, “Let’s talk in my study; it’s quieter there, better suited for discussion.”

Huang Longshi rose as well, nodding in agreement. He then turned to the three silver-robed men and instructed, “You stand guard here. Prevent anyone from eavesdropping.”

Zhang Yang shook his head upon hearing this. He felt Huang Longshi was being overly cautious. This was his home, and with two Grand Perfection cultivators present, who could possibly eavesdrop beneath their very noses?

“Yes!”

The three silver-robed men dared not think as Zhang Yang did. They understood that whatever Huang Longshi and Zhang Yang were about to discuss must be of major consequence; they themselves weren't even qualified to listen in, much less leak the information to a third party. They immediately acknowledged the order and prepared to guard the perimeter of the villa.

They now had nothing to say about Zhang Yang. Even Huang Longshi had been defeated by this young man. Any lingering dissatisfaction they held had to be swallowed down, lest they bring trouble upon themselves. Obediently following orders was currently the wisest course of action.

The three great spirit beasts, seeing the excitement had concluded and knowing Zhang Yang had matters to discuss with his guests, decided not to disturb them and left to amuse themselves elsewhere.

Although Huang Longshi and Zhang Yang had jointly erected an Energy Shield over the villa courtyard to prevent destructive impacts during their spar, the fight on the lawn had still taken a toll. The once flat expanse of grass was now a chaotic mess, with patches of yellow earth showing through where the turf had been torn away.

Zhang Yang glanced at the lawn, thinking he would need to instruct Qu Meilan to tidy it up later. Perhaps fighting inside the house wasn't such a good idea next time.

“By the way, Brother Zhang, could you trouble yourself to notify Elder Zhang Pinglu? Since we are here, let’s invite Elder Zhang Fei out as well, so we don't have to ask Elder Zhang to make the trip himself later.”

On the way back into the villa, Huang Longshi inquired after the old man, Zhang Pinglu.

Cultivators affiliated with the state, like them, typically never interfered in the affairs of the cultivation world in Huaxia. Regardless of how high one’s seniority was within that circle, they were all treated the same upon meeting them. Huang Longshi knew Zhang Pinglu was a senior of the Medical Saint Zhang family and was aware of his relationship with Zhang Yang. Because of Zhang Yang, he used the honorific 'Elder' when referring to Zhang Pinglu—a courtesy he had never offered before.

“The Old Master? You don't need to worry about that, Brother Huang. With the ruckus we made, the old man has surely noticed already.”

Zhang Yang paused, then smiled faintly. How could his sparring match with Huang Longshi be hidden from the Old Master, who resided in Changjing? He surmised the Old Master was likely already on his way, perhaps even appearing by the time they reached the study.

As he spoke, Huang Longshi suddenly sensed a powerful aura emanating from outside the villa. Elder Zhang Pinglu had arrived, accompanied by the former Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect.

When Zhang Yang and Huang Longshi were fighting, the Old Master was at the Changjing National Security Bureau office. When those people informed him that someone had personally gone to Zhang Yang's residence, he happened to sense the massive energy fluctuations coming from Zhang Yang’s direction—clearly two Grand Perfection cultivators engaging in a match. After a moment’s thought, the Old Master knew it had to be the hidden Grand Perfection cultivator from the Bureau sparring with Zhang Yang.

Although certain that these individuals posed no threat to Zhang Yang, the Old Master remained deeply worried about his safety. After all, Zhang Yang was the key successor in the glorious rise of their Medical Saint Zhang family. Thus, the Old Master and the former Spirit Beast Sect Master left the National Security Bureau office immediately, heading straight for Zhang Yang’s villa.

The Old Master slowed his pace somewhat to accommodate the former Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect. This was why he only appeared at Zhang Yang’s house after the sparring match had concluded. Nevertheless, when the Old Master finally stopped inside the villa, the former Sect Master looked pale and gasped for breath several times, clearly finding the forced pace set by the Old Master extremely taxing.

“Is this the Grand Perfection cultivator hidden within the National Security Bureau?”

The Old Master looked at Huang Longshi, sizing him up from head to toe, and asked.

Huang Longshi had already pulled down the hood of his cloak, revealing his true features.

“Yes. My name is Huang Longshi. Brother Zhang and I were merely engaging in a small exchange of techniques. I hope Elder Zhang will not take offense.”

Huang Longshi sensed a hint of hostility emanating from the Old Master, knowing it stemmed from Zhang Pinglu’s concern for Zhang Yang. Regardless, showing up and immediately fighting Zhang Yang without prior explanation could easily be perceived by an outsider as an act of provocation. To avoid planting any seeds of resentment in Zhang Pinglu’s heart, Huang Longshi made sure to offer this explanation.

Hearing this, the Old Master’s expression softened. He nodded and led the way into the villa.

The others followed closely behind, making their way toward Zhang Yang’s study.

Qu Meilan knew Zhang Yang had matters to discuss with his guests, so she had prepared four cups of tea in advance and placed them in the study. Although Zhang Yang never treated her like a servant and had explicitly told her to focus solely on her cultivation rather than continue with domestic chores, Qu Meilan was still very happy to assist him with these small tasks, finding nothing improper about it.

Once everyone was seated in the study, Huang Longshi coughed twice and addressed Zhang Pinglu, “Elder Zhang, you must have sought us out regarding the incident of the Korean cultivators hunting spirit beasts on Huaxia soil.”

Zhang Pinglu snorted and nodded, his demeanor decidedly cold. The fact that Huang Longshi and his colleagues had remained inactive regarding this matter was truly disheartening.

Huang Longshi offered a helpless expression, then explained, “We were aware of the Koreans’ purpose in coming to Huaxia, but we lacked sufficient evidence, so we couldn't act even though we knew. We represent the nation; every action must have proper justification. But in reality, those Koreans were incredibly cunning and left no proof whatsoever.”

“And now?”

Zhang Yang pointed to the former Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect standing nearby and addressed Huang Longshi, “Brother Huang, this time, we have caught them red-handed. We have both eyewitness testimony and physical evidence!”

The former Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect immediately nodded at Zhang Yang’s words. His accompanying Elder Zhang Pinglu from the Purple Gold Mountain Grotto-Heaven this time was specifically to serve as the witness. Moreover, Zhang Yang possessed the corpse of that mutated Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox. All these elements were sufficient to prove the egregious actions of the Korean cultivators in Huaxia.

When Zhang Yang produced the corpse of the mutated Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, Huang Longshi’s entire face changed!

The nine black tails alone were enough to confirm the creature's identity!

“A Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox? No, why does this Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox corpse look like this?”

Huang Longshi exclaimed in astonishment. As a Grand Perfection expert, he couldn’t fail to notice the abnormality of the corpse. Even ordinary spirit beasts retain some residual Heaven and Earth energy after death and do not immediately decompose. Yet, before them, the Nine-Tailed Spirit Beast corpse was completely devoid of any energy residue. Furthermore, the wounds on the body showed signs of decay and emitted a faint, foul stench.

“This Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox was mutated and depraved in life, having fallen to become a demonic beast. That is why these changes occurred after its death,” the former Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect immediately clarified, seemingly worried that Huang Longshi wouldn't understand what a demonic beast was, and went on to explain the reason for the fox’s mutation.

After hearing the former Sect Master’s explanation, Huang Longshi’s face grew extremely grave, his brow tightly furrowed. He gasped, “You mean that fellow, Park Seung-eun, came to our Huaxia, and actually brought a mutated Fourth Layer spirit beast, a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, with him?”

Judging by Huang Longshi’s reaction, while he knew Park Seung-eun had secretly arrived in Changjing, he was unaware that Park Seung-eun had brought a mutated Fourth Layer Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox along.

“Exactly. To conceal his tracks, Park Seung-eun used the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox to hunt spirit beasts, which is how he avoided exposing his own aura,” Zhang Yang continued. He then recounted everything that had transpired the previous night, including Park Seung-eun’s death. Judging by Huang Longshi’s current state, he clearly did not know what happened the night before. As Huang Longshi listened, anger increasingly flooded his features until he heard that Zhang Yang had killed Park Seung-eun and the mutated Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, saving both the spirit beast Phantom Wolf and the spirit beast Azure Hawk, as well as the entire Spirit Beast Sect residing in Purple Gold Mountain. Only then did his expression slightly improve.

Now, Huang Longshi finally understood. Zhang Yang hadn't ignored their notification simply because of the manner in which they chose to meet; a greater part of it was resentment that they, knowing the visitors were ill-intentioned, had done nothing at all.

After a moment, Huang Longshi abruptly stood up and bowed deeply towards Zhang Yang and the others.

“I, Huang Longshi, on behalf of all cultivators in the Huaxia National Security Bureau, express our highest gratitude to the Medical Saint Zhang family!”

Finishing, Huang Longshi straightened up, and a palpable killing intent suddenly erupted from him, bringing a chilling gust of wind into the study, signifying that his rage was escalating rapidly.

“I understand. Please allow me to take the corpse of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox back with me,” Huang Longshi managed to suppress his intense fury with a deep breath, saying to Zhang Yang. He then turned and bowed deeply to everyone once more, assuring them, “Please rest assured, we absolutely will not remain silent any longer. With such eyewitness testimony and physical evidence, we will immediately expel all Korean cultivators from Huaxia territory and forbid them from setting foot on our soil again.”

“Expulsion alone?”

Zhang Yang and Zhang Pinglu both snorted coldly. This outcome seemed far too lenient for those cultivators who plotted misdeeds on Huaxia soil.

Even the former Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect expressed dissatisfaction, saying to Huang Longshi, “Isn’t that letting them off too easily? How many of our Huaxia spirit beasts have they hunted before this? And it appears they hunted these beasts to raise mutated ones—committing such an act against natural law, who knows how many spirit beasts must have died!”

Korea was such a small place; how many spirit beasts could it possibly harbor? Raising mutated spirit beasts required a large foundation of lower-level spirit beasts. Since Korea lacked a sufficiently massive number of spirit beasts, they naturally had to come to Huaxia to poach them.

Huang Longshi’s fingers cracked audibly, but he was helpless. He represented the entire nation of Huaxia. As a nation of etiquette, Huaxia could not afford to commit acts unbecoming of its status.

Moreover, the true culprit, Park Seung-eun, was already dead. And they lacked evidence proving that Korean cultivators in other regions of Huaxia were involved. Promising the expulsion of all currently present Korean cultivators was the maximum effect he could achieve under the circumstances.

Zhang Yang and Zhang Pinglu exchanged a look, both showing disappointment in their eyes.

The study fell silent for a moment; everyone stopped talking.

Huang Longshi, deep in thought, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and broke the brief tranquility of the room.

“This matter cannot wait. Could we first ask my subordinate to take the corpse of the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox and the Sect Master here to report back, urging them to quickly approve the handling measures?”

“No problem. I’ll go with you immediately.”

The former Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect sighed. He understood that the larger the prominent families and sects, the more layers of cumbersome rules and regulations restricted their actions. It was the smaller sects like his that had fewer rules and less restraint, allowing them to act more freely. Huang Longshi represented the state, which was infinitely larger than even the top-tier influential families, meaning their rules and considerations would naturally be exponentially greater.

Huang Longshi nodded, then suddenly offered a very strange smile. He said he was leaving, but he made no move to rise; he showed no intention of departing at all. To be continued. PS: The next update is around 11 o'clock; a third chapter should be available around 12 o'clock. Those who can’t wait can go to sleep first and read tomorrow. Also... could you throw me a monthly ticket? Without monthly tickets, Little Yu really lacks the motivation for a four-chapter burst... I’ll strive for three chapters today, so as not to disappoint the friends who are working hard to support Little Yu!