48: Chapter 48: The "Master" from the Mountains

Dongfang Shuo walked toward the base's main gate, while the command center was incredibly tense.

Director Zhao Lixin took advantage of the remaining time to quickly "brief" the two senior chief engineers, Chief Engineer Wang Heshan and Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo.

He connected an encrypted terminal to the large screen and pulled up a classified file.

"Elder Wang, Chief Engineer Wang, take a look."

On the screen was an old map of China marked with over a dozen red dots, most of them hidden in deep mountains and forests where no one ever went.

"These red dots represent the territories of the few remaining Ancient Martial Arts Families and Schools in the country that we know of. The Dongfang Family is located in the Kunlun Mountains area."

Director Zhao Lixin clicked on a red dot, and the Dongfang Family's information popped up. Everything was clearly detailed, from their ancestors' deeds and famous figures to their signature techniques and even the current number of family members.

Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo clicked his tongue in amazement. "My goodness, Director Zhao, your Ninth Bureau's reach is too broad. You've even done household registrations deep in the mountains?"

"It's not that we want to interfere, but we have to." Director Zhao Lixin gave a bitter smile, his expression turning serious. "The existence of these people is inherently an unstable factor. They possess power far beyond that of ordinary people, yet they don't recognize our current laws. Their minds only follow a set of 'Jianghu rules' where the strong prey on the weak."

He flipped to the next page, which listed the troubles caused by ancient martial artists that The Ninth Bureau had handled over the decades.

In some cases, two families fought so fiercely over a place called a 'Grotto-Heaven' that they nearly leveled a mountain peak.

In others, young members of a School came down the mountain, lacked common sense, and injured over a dozen ordinary people over a minor friction.

Even worse, some relied on their fighting prowess to commit crimes and act lawlessly in local areas.

"So, decades ago, the state, through the predecessor of The Ninth Bureau, made a verbal agreement with several of the largest families and Schools," Director Zhao Lixin explained. "We recognize their existence and don't interfere in their family matters. But they must also follow the rules: they cannot come down the mountain to cause trouble, and they are absolutely forbidden from attacking ordinary people. To put it simply, 'you play in your Jianghu, and we live our lives; well water does not intrude on river water.'"

"Then they've been quite well-behaved. I haven't heard of any major incidents in all these years," Chief Engineer Wang Heshan said, stroking his chin.

"It's not that they're well-behaved," Director Zhao Lixin shook his head and spoke the blunt truth. "It's that they... can't do it anymore."

He pulled up a chart showing the changes in the concentration of 'Heaven and Earth Essence' in the country over the past hundred years. The line dropped steadily, nearly touching the bottom.

"We call this 'Heaven and Earth Essence,' they call it 'Spiritual Qi,' and the Chief Consultant calls it that as well. Regardless of the name, it's a fact that this substance is becoming increasingly scarce."

"Without this, their cultivation becomes difficult. In the past, an expert might emerge every ten years; now, there might not even be one in a hundred. Many small Schools have withered away on their own. Those like the Dongfang Family that can still hang on are just barely surviving."

"To put it simply, it's not that they don't want to come out, but they lack the ability. These days, it's not just about having strong fists. No matter how high his martial arts are, can he withstand a missile?"

Chief Engineer Wang Heshan and Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo were filled with emotion. It was as if they were seeing a group of people left behind by the times, clinging to their ancestors' old ways while slowly rotting away in a corner.

"But now, the situation has changed," Director Zhao Lixin's expression darkened again.

"The appearance of the Chief Consultant, especially her Foundation Establishment this time, caused a small but distinct fluctuation in the Spiritual Qi of this region. To us, this change is nothing. But to those people who are nearly dying of thirst in the desert, this is equivalent to a torrential downpour from the heavens!"

"They will think a legendary great opportunity has arrived. Like sharks scenting blood, they will crawl out from the mountains and desperately search for the source of the Spiritual Qi."

"This Dongfang Shuo is just the vanguard. I daresay that before long, people from other families will also come knocking."

Director Zhao Lixin looked at the two senior chief engineers and voiced his greatest concern: "This breaks the decades-long tacit understanding we had with them. A group of 'Jianghu people' who have skills but don't know the rules will suddenly burst in to snatch what they see as a 'treasure.' If this isn't handled well, it will cause a major mess."

Only now did Chief Engineer Wang Heshan and Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo fully understand the gravity of the situation.

They had thought they were just working on a massive project, but they hadn't realized they were standing at the critical junction of a transition between the old and new eras. The base beneath their feet was the center of the storm.

"Then... what about the Chief Consultant..." Chief Engineer Wang Jianguo asked worriedly.

"The Chief Consultant knows what she's doing," Director Zhao Lixin sighed. "All we can do now is trust and cooperate with her. At the same time, we must also make the state's stance clear. Let them understand that the times have indeed changed. In this new era, the rules will be set by us. Anyone who wants to cause trouble won't get away with it!"

...

At the top of the high tower.

Jiang Ning wasn't thinking about the issue of eras at all.

After her Foundation Establishment, her Divine Sense could spread over dozens of kilometers. As soon as that young man named Dongfang Shuo approached the base, his every move, and even how the little bit of energy in his body flowed, were perfectly clear in Jiang Ning's perception.

"Seventy to eighty percent of his Meridians are blocked; what a waste of a good physical foundation."

"The path of his Internal Breath is a mess, taking wrong turns in several places while thinking he's taking a shortcut. If he keeps practicing like this, he'll be paralyzed before he's fifty."

"The energy is mixed and impure, leaking like a sieve. With this level of skill, he has the nerve to be called a 'genius'?"

Jiang Ning's Divine Sense swept over Dongfang Shuo like a top-tier engineer looking at a machine haphazardly assembled by an apprentice that was about to fall apart.

Her evaluation was: the materials are okay, but the blueprints are wrong, and the craftsmanship is even more abysmal. The whole thing is just a defective product.

However, she also saw something useful from Dongfang Shuo.

"So the 'martial artists' of this world have a physical foundation so much stronger than ordinary people. If they use the right methods to train, they could save a lot of effort in building a foundation. He's a good prospect for a 'worker.'"

In her eyes, Dongfang Shuo was neither a threat nor a guest.

He was just a decent quality 'sample' and future 'laborer' who had delivered himself to her doorstep.

At that moment, she "saw" that Dongfang Shuo had already reached the base's main gate.

He wore a set of clean white silk robes and carried an ancient Sword Case on his back. Standing there with his chin tilted up, he had the air of someone waiting for people to come out and bow down to him.

The two young soldiers on guard at the gate were also completely bewildered as they looked at this person dressed as if he were filming a period drama.

"Hello, comrade. Please show your identification." One young soldier followed the rules, stepped forward, and saluted.

Dongfang Shuo glanced at him sideways and didn't bother to respond at all.

He felt that speaking to such a 'mortal' was beneath his status.

The young soldier felt uneasy under his gaze but still braced himself and repeated, "Comrade, please show your identification, otherwise you cannot enter."

Dongfang Shuo's brow furrowed.

What was going on? He had already sent his formal notice, yet he was being blocked by two gatekeepers? The master of this place was far too ignorant of the rules!

Just as he was losing patience and intending to walk straight in, Director Zhao Lixin hurried out from inside to greet him.

"Mr. Dongfang, welcome, welcome. I am Zhao Lixin, one of the people in charge of this project." Director Zhao Lixin wore a standard smile and proactively extended his hand.

Dongfang Shuo only glanced at him. Feeling no sign of training from him, he saw only an ordinary middle-aged man. The disappointment and contempt in his heart grew even stronger.

He didn't even look at Director Zhao Lixin's extended hand. With his hands behind his back, he asked in a commanding tone:

"You are not the master of this place."

"The one I wish to see is the expert who can stir the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, not someone of your sort."

"Have him come out to meet me. My patience is limited."