Elder Sun on the rocking chair roared, "You little brat, your wings have hardened, haven't they?"

Seeing that Grandpa seemed genuinely angry, not just teasing, Sun Miaomiao immediately changed her tune, saying with a grin, "I know, I know, but Grandpa, hanging out with Yuanshi Tianzun is very profitable, even better than running into a sucker. Look, I just cleared an S-level instance dungeon. You just said those tokens would allow me to fight beyond my level. They're all life-saving trump cards."

Elder Sun sized up his granddaughter. Her face was round and lovely, with a bit of baby fat. When she smiled, she revealed a row of small, white teeth, and her eyes were round and bright. Unknowingly, she had grown into a young woman.

"Ah!" Old Sun sighed. "Miao Miao, how old are you this year? 24?"

"Yup," Sun Miaomiao said, pinching the face of the girl in her arms. This was a child from the locust tree, her childhood playmate.

"It's the age of being boy-crazy," Elder Sun said. "What do you think of Yuanshi Tianzun? Young, talented, and looks not bad. He seems like a good match."

Sun Miaomiao suddenly straightened up and vigorously shook her head. "Of course not. That kid is lecherous, greasy, and a philanderer. Any girl who falls for him is blind."

"When I was playing dumb in front of your grandmother, your dad wasn't even born yet."

"Okay, maybe a little bit," Sun Miaomiao conceded, holding up her pinky finger, looking dejected.

She thought her mischievous grandfather would tease her, but Elder Sun just stared at the darkening night sky, remaining silent for a long time.

"Grandpa?" Sun Miaomiao asked tentatively.

Elder Sun sighed. "If the entanglement goes too deep, a piece outside the chessboard will eventually be pulled in. I really don't know if it's a karmic debt."

"I don't understand at all," Sun Miaomiao pouted.

"You've been stupid since you were little, of course you don't understand."

"You old coot."

I'll cyberbully you tonight.

Japan, Ginza.

The headquarters of the Chizuru Group, Oyama House.

Oyama House is where the Chizuru Group's executives entertain guests. As an official organization in Japan, the Chizuru Group certainly can't take people out to eat.

Oyama House has Japan's finest vintage wines, the most beautiful waitresses, and with one phone call, Japan's freshest ingredients will be delivered to the Oyama House chef's cutting board within an hour.

In Oyama House's "Nankaido" private room, the Chizuru Group's executives were gathered. Asano Ryo had just taken her seat when the stern and dignified leader, Kambe Ichiro, gave a smile that could be called gentle.

"Congratulations to the pearl of our Kanun Group for clearing the S-level instance dungeon. Ryo-chan, you are already the most experienced executive among us."

The impetuous Kamagun Hotsutsu of the Fire Demon asked, "Ryo-chan must have gained many treasures, right?"

"I obtained consumables for fighting beyond my level and superior-quality Saint items," Asano Ryo replied truthfully.

The Chizuru Group executives showed envious looks. Having partnered with the legendary Yuanshi Tianzun, Ryo-chan's future achievements will surely surpass them. Asano Ryo enjoyed such looks. She took out the Yata no Kagami and placed it on the sake table. "Leader, Yuanshi-kun has returned the Yata no Kagami."

Kambe Ichiro's eyes lit up slightly. He waved his hand, and the Yata no Kagami flew into his hand on its own.

The executives also exhaled a breath of relief, showing relaxed smiles.

The current Yuanshi Tianzun is different from before. After leveling up twice, Yuanshi Tianzun is already a figure they can't afford to offend.

Therefore, the Kanun Group executives were anxious, fearing that Yuanshi Tianzun would become ruthless and take possession of the Yata no Kagami.

Asano Ryo's next words slowly erased the smiles on everyone's faces. "The second item Yuanshi-kun wants is the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi."

Ryuzo Ichi was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Ryo-chan, you know very well the meaning of the three items retrieved from Takamagahara to the Chizuru Group. Yuanshi Tianzun is now very different from before. Even if he borrows them and doesn't return them, the Chizuru Group can do nothing. We would like to ask you to intercede and cancel the original agreement."

The executives looked at Asano Ryo expectantly.

"No!" Asano Ryo shook her head slightly.

"Why not?" Kamagun Hotsutsu said angrily, "Aren't you on good terms with Yuanshi-kun? Otherwise, why would you join his gang? But don't forget that you are an executive of the Chizuru Group. Japan is your motherland. You shouldn't betray your own people."

"Kamagun-kun, please be calm." Kambe Ichiro looked at Asano Ryo. "Ryo-chan, tell us your thoughts."

Asano Ryo pursed her lips and straightened her back. "Leader, my intercession may not work. Moreover, Yuanshi-kun is a trustworthy person. He will never take possession of the Chizuru Group's items, nor will he allow us to break our promise. Besides, you all underestimate Yuanshi-kun's wealth."

"Underestimate his wealth?" Kambe Ichiro was stunned.

Asano Ryo said seriously, "Yuanshi-kun has more treasures than we imagine. The Chizuru Group's three Sovereign items may just be useful weapons to Yuanshi-kun... Kamagun-kun, don't be angry. I will slowly tell you all..."

She immediately told the Chizuru Group executives in detail about her experiences in the Mo Sect's Mechanical City.

From the Saint Infant to the Purple-Gold Hammer, and then to the Sacrificial Heaven Set and the Yin-Yang Grinder, every item was top-notch, a divine artifact that the Chizuru Group could pass down as a family heirloom.

Even if their level wasn't comparable to the three items in Takamagahara, as Asano Ryo said, Yuanshi Tianzun didn't lack top-quality items.

"As far as I know, Yuanshi-kun also has a Sovereign-level item, but he didn't bring it to the instance dungeon," Asano Ryo added.

The executives exchanged silent glances, filled with surprise and apprehension.

"He truly is the official legendary genius," Kambe Ichiro said with emotion, no longer hesitating. He took out the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was a two-foot-long bronze sword. The copper rust on the sword's body had been wiped clean and oiled. The bronze patterns on the sword's spine were bright and beautiful.

Kambe Ichiro reluctantly tossed it to Asano Ryo. "Take it."

Asano Ryo took the divine sword and uploaded it to the Wanderers' Homecoming gang warehouse.

Finally done... she thought happily.

"Ryo-chan!" Kambe Ichiro said, "In a few days, the Level 1 Executioner of Celestial Punishment will lead a team to Japan. All the Chizuru Group executives must meet with them. You won't be going into instance dungeons these days, right?"

"Ah, I still have to go to the gang instance dungeon tomorrow." Asano Ryo frowned in distress. "What is the Level 1 Executioner doing in Japan?"

Kambe Ichiro said in a deep voice, "I can't say yet, but it's not related to us. They're going to the mainland. You'll know when the time comes. Postpone the gang instance dungeon."

"Yes!" Asano Ryo said.

Jiangnan Leather City.

Xiahou Aotian swaggered and kicked open the family elder's study.

"Uncle-Grandpa, I'm here again!" Xiahou Aotian shouted.

"Grandpa, that guy barged in again!" the old family head's grandson shouted.

"Get lost."

Xiahou Aotian kicked him away.

The old family head, who was sitting at his desk writing the "Materials Science" manual, sighed, looked up, and forced a smile. "Are you going to the treasure vault again?"

"No, I'm here to discuss a business deal with Uncle-Grandpa," Xiahou Aotian said. "But before discussing business, I think Uncle-Grandpa should first ask about my level."

The old family head was stunned and blurted out, "You're Level 6?"

Xiahou Aotian raised his chin.

The old family head was both surprised and delighted, but also worried. Among the younger generation of the Xiahou family, there were only a handful of Level 6 Saints. It should have been a joyous occasion, but it was this blockhead.

Seeing Xiahou Aotian maintaining the pose of looking down on people, the old family head asked tentatively, "So, what's this business you're talking about?"

Xiahou Aotian took out a few blueprints from his pocket. "Uncle-Grandpa, take a look at these."

With a suspicious expression, the old family head took the blueprints. His turbid eyes suddenly shone with brilliance, and the hand holding the paper trembled slightly. "Wonderful, wonderful..." The old family head trembled with excitement. "Such exquisite puppet designs, whose hand is this from?"

Mechanical puppets were nothing to a Sovereign-level scholar. What excited the old family head was the design ideas and internal structure of the blueprints, the technical aspects.

"Uncle-Grandpa, you look like you've never seen the world," Xiahou Aotian said, looking at this elder with his nostrils. "I have a whole book of blueprints like this."

Hearing the words "a whole book," the old family head's gaze suddenly sharpened, so sharp that Xiahou Aotian was a little scared. "A whole book? Is it a complete mechanical manual? Where did you get it? Quick, quick, bring it out for Uncle-Grandpa to see."

The old family head of the Xiahou family grabbed Xiahou Aotian's arm. His withered hand burst out with great strength. This man, who was always gentle and calm, known for his great magnanimity—because he was one of the few elders in the family who could tolerate Xiahou Aotian.

But at this moment, he was as excited as a young man whose wife had just given birth to their first child.

The saying goes, "From one leaf, you can see the coming of autumn." One exquisite mechanical puppet blueprint foreshadowed the quality and level of the entire manual.

Mechanical techniques were a good thing. Items were not universally available; their numbers were limited. But mechanical techniques could be mass-produced, like equipment for an army.

It could completely change the structure of the lower and middle levels of a force, allowing the Xiahou family's grassroots power to surpass other Spiritual families, even to the point of making the officials fearful.

But mechanical techniques were the accumulation of generations of technology. You couldn't just create and develop them with money and power.

How could contemporary Wayfarers expect to catch up in a hundred years with the technology that ancient cultivators had accumulated over thousands of years?

Therefore, the value of a manual that recorded various mechanical creations was self-evident.

Xiahou Aotian gasped. "Uncle-Grandpa, you look like a villain right now. I'm getting angry."

The old family head was stunned, then realized he had lost his composure. He quickly let go, glared, and said, "Speak!"

Xiahou Aotian's mind raced, and he replied fluently, "I entered Yuanshi Tianzun's gang instance dungeon this morning."

"You entered the instance dungeon? You even joined Yuanshi Tianzun's gang?" The old family head said blankly, "I didn't know... well, that's not important. Continue."

"The instance dungeon is called Mo Sect's Mechanical City, S-level. The mechanical manual is one of the spoils of war. It's currently being kept by Yuanshi Tianzun, but the people in the gang have the right to read it at any time," Xiahou Aotian said.

S-level instance dungeon, Mo Sect's Mechanical City... The old family head frowned, quickly going through the database in his mind. The scholar's ability to remember everything he saw allowed him to quickly capture relevant words.

"There was indeed such a Immortal Sect in the Song Dynasty. It's in our database, but the difficulty level is only C-level, and there's only one such instance dungeon. It's called the Trial of Mo Sect," the old family head said. "The rewards for low-level instance dungeons are also very sparse and ordinary."

"That's because the Mechanical City was destroyed during the Southern Song Dynasty. It had a short history, so there aren't many corresponding instance dungeons. Our main quest this time is to investigate the reason for its destruction," Xiahou Aotian said.

The old family head of the Xiahou family nodded. For an S-level instance dungeon, this kind of reward was understandable.

"Aotian, you said that members inside the gang can share the mechanical technique manual, right?" The old family head's eyes were filled with hidden hope. "The family is willing to buy it, just name your price."

"That depends on the family's performance," Xiahou Aotian said.

... The old family head, probably because of the blueprints, or because he knew this kid's character, took a deep breath and endured it, saying kindly, "Then how much are you going to sell this blueprint for?"

Xiahou Aotian said, "The debt I owe the family is written off, and I also used up an energy pack, also written off."

"Okay!" the old family head agreed immediately.

Xiahou Aotian said suspiciously, "Uncle-Grandpa, am I selling it too cheaply?"

"This blueprint isn't worth 150 million, but the family is willing to pay a premium for outstanding juniors."

"Uncle-Grandpa is wise. The outstanding junior thinks that the family should pay another 150 million premium?"

"Aotian..."

"Uncle-Grandpa, what is it?"

"Get out!"

Xiahou Aotian was driven out of the villa. Before leaving, unwilling, he kicked the old family head's grandson a few more times.

On the way back to the villa, Xiahou Aotian felt light as a swallow, feeling relieved to be free of debt. But there was still one thing he wanted to do. If he didn't do it, he would feel like a fishbone stuck in his throat, unable to sleep.

Returning to his own villa, he took out a drone, hung up the prepared banner and loudspeaker.

"I've leveled up to Level 6, I'm going to do something big," Xiahou Aotian said.

A response came from the ring. "Are you going to notify the whole family again?"

The drone ascended, and two banners hung down straight, with the following written on them:

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully the young for being poor."

"Yesterday you ignored me, today you can't afford me, the day after tomorrow I'll crush you with one finger."

Xiahou Aotian held the remote control, controlling the drone to ascend, and said disdainfully, "The strong never flaunt to ants, they only provoke the stronger." In the astonished gaze of the old man in the ring, the drone flew towards the depths of the villa area, towards an old mansion.

"What do you want to do?" The Qin Dynasty alchemist's heart sank.

"Go around the place where the old ancestor is in seclusion. He used to bully and humiliate me. Today, I'll let him know that those who bully me will be abandoned by the heavens," Xiahou Aotian said with a look of heroic ambition, "Dining on the flesh of the barbarians with hunger and drinking the blood of the Huns with laughter. When I start anew, I will furiously slap the ancestor's face and ask the heavens."

"What's the level of the old ancestor of the Xiahou family?" The Qin Dynasty alchemist asked tentatively.

"Not much different from me."

"Sovereign?"

"Demigod!"

The Qin Dynasty alchemist was shocked. "Are you seeking your own death?"

International Building.

Annie, dressed in an exquisite L suit, sat in front of the computer, quickly writing emails.

Today was the day for her to report information to the headquarters of the Association of Beauty Gods. She wrote the information she had recently collected into the email.

"In the multi-person instance dungeon in August, Yuanshi Tianzun leveled up twice in a row, setting a record that has never been seen before or since. However, he was held accountable for killing the grandson of Elder Cai of the Five Elements Alliance headquarters in the instance dungeon."

"Because the leader of the Red Fire Gang intervened, this matter was eventually quelled. However, the gap between Yuanshi Tianzun and the Five Elements Alliance headquarters has deepened, and they are superficially united but actually divided. I believe that the Association should seize the opportunity to further win him over and develop Yuanshi Tianzun into a senior member. Annie is ready to dedicate herself at any time."

"According to reliable sources, the Heavenly King of the Demon Eye escaped from Songhai. In the incident, the Dark Night Rose is suspected of being deeply involved with the high-level members of the Taiyi Sect. The details are unknown. I originally wanted to inquire about information from Yuanshi Tianzun, but he turned a blind eye to my beauty. Although he has become a peripheral member of the Association, he never actively contacts me."

"Of course, this is not because Annie is not outstanding enough, but because this person is different from the Demon King. He cannot be seduced by beauty. He needs to be moved with emotion and slowly planned."

When she wrote this, Annie sighed, and her blue eyes, like the sea, flashed with loss.

She prided herself on her beauty, looking down on other women. Combined with her professional charm, she was always invincible, and few men could ignore her charm.

But she had to admit that beauty was not omnipotent.

Yuanshi Tianzun's act of putting her in the cold palace severely frustrated the confidence of this proud and beautiful diplomat.

After writing the email, she carefully checked it several times and sent it to the Minister of Foreign Affairs' mailbox.

Annie picked up her water glass, got up, and went to the water dispenser to get a glass of warm water. When she returned to her desk, she found that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had replied with an email.

She put down her water glass and opened the email.

"Peripheral Member Bounty Mission:

"A-level wanted criminal, Hades, has sneaked into China. Please find a way to secretly capture him.

"Bounty Reward: 6 million Federal coins, 160 points.

"Recommendation: Entrust it to peripheral member Yuanshi Tianzun."