"Teacher…"

Gu Shen breathed a deep sigh of relief.

His mood was incredibly complex. The instant Chen Mei unleashed the Time Dilation Field, the Blazing Fire within his brow throbbed.

Logically, Gu Shen's mental strength shouldn't have allowed him to react in any way within the Time Dilation Field. He shouldn't even have been aware that he was being "slowed." Yet, the Blazing Fire had somehow restored Gu Shen's clarity.

If he had to find a reasonable explanation…

It could only mean that the chaotic power of "Time Dilation" was also within the order reconstructed by the Blazing Fire.

However, the Blazing Fire's power was merely enough to make Gu Shen realize that… his time had been slowed.

What was even worse was that he had been holding his breath, concentrating all his mental energy on the large sniper rifle that Qi Lu had set up in the distance. The moment the violet-silver bullet bloomed with sparks was supposed to be the moment he retaliated.

Time Dilation Field…

Made it impossible for Gu Shen to retaliate.

He watched helplessly as the violet-silver bullet burst into flames, and then watched helplessly as Chen Mei rushed towards him.

Until the Time Dilation Field ended…

Gu Shen's "high-stakes gamble" on the Jiangtan Beach had come to an end.

Gu Shen wasn't sure if he was the winner. He had successfully confirmed his idea, but only halfway.

Because there was indeed someone watching him. The killing intent directed at him on Jiangtan Beach was stopped at the last moment, but the person who intervened was his teacher.

Mr. Shu.

Gu Shen had originally guessed that Cui Zhongcheng would maneuver behind the scenes, leading to the termination of tonight's incident on Jiangtan Beach.

However, the current scene exceeded Gu Shen's expectations. He hadn't expected that two councilors from the Capital would arrive on the scene. Tonight's farce was a disagreement within the Chengxin Society, and at its root, a dispute in the Underground World, which should be resolved by the Underground World.

With the appearance of the two councilors… things might not be so simple.

Gu Shen sized up both sides. The middle-aged man draped in a black woolen overcoat looked like a pampered and privileged figure. Even without uttering a word, his face was imposing, inspiring awe. And the woman with snow-white skin at his side was clearly another legendary woman in the Capital, second only to the Madam in terms of status and influence, Ye Ningqiu.

What attracted Gu Shen's attention the most was the old man under the Madam's umbrella.

Dressed in a jet-black suit, he looked somewhat gaunt, because the body's owner was already too old. His face was obscured in the shadows beneath the umbrella, revealing only his withered hands. He sat in a wheelchair, his hands gripping the handles as if he were gripping the entire world.

The shattered ice on the river reflected the majestic scene of the old man wielding supreme power.

Hua Zhi, Zhao Clan, the biggest decision-makers in the Capital in terms of power, status, and identity.

……

……

Even though Gu Shen had vaguely guessed earlier that the arrival of the two councilors tonight must be for something significant, he was still somewhat surprised when Mr. Shu spoke.

First, he pretended to be "flattered" by Mr. Shu's introduction.

The big figures on both sides were actually old acquaintances.

Gu Shen knew that they had all seen his file… Saying this now would sound arrogant, but it was also the truth.

Although he didn't know them, they knew him.

The matter of infiltrating the Nanwan Building could be big or small. Gu Shen was wary of Chen Mei because this guy didn't play by the rules. If he had been caught earlier and executed first before reporting, he wouldn't have had any way to deal with it. But now it was different. Mr. Shu personally came forward and revealed his identity as a "disciple," and even added the word "closed-door" to ensure its importance.

Chen San's status was extraordinary; he wouldn't pursue "minor matters." This kind of thing could only be handled by Ye Ningqiu. If she wanted to continue pursuing it, it would involve the issue that Cui Zhongcheng mentioned.

Evidence.

Chen San's people couldn't produce any evidence.

Gu Shen's infiltration of the Nanwan Building was done so cleanly and efficiently. The surveillance was damaged, and no identity information was left at the scene. Even using mental profiling wouldn't be able to uncover any traceable transcendent logic.

Wanting to hold him accountable was likely a dead end.

Let alone after tonight.

But what truly surprised Gu Shen was what Mr. Shu said to Chen Mei… He subtly glanced behind him at Cui Zhongcheng, who was holding the wheelchair, and saw a slight upward curve at the corner of Little Cui's mouth.

Over the years.

Cui Zhongcheng had always suspected that the Changjiu Foundation had planted a landmine. He had no evidence and searched desperately, but in reality, this game had begun before he even entered the Capital.

Once he had the clues from the Compass Master, it was no longer Gu Shen fighting alone.

Clearly, Cui Zhongcheng's forces had immediately taken action. The reason why the Zhou Yu case could be merged must have been because someone provided sufficient arguments.

Gu Shen immediately thought of who that person was.

It could only be Judge Tang Qingquan.

In such a short period of time, to be able to merge these cases and restart the investigation… Cui Zhongcheng's efficiency was astonishing. He had thought he was fighting alone, but now it seemed that there was a meticulous "god teammate" behind him.

That's right.

Gu Shen instantly thought of the scene he had seen on the nineteenth floor of the Nanwan Building. If the Nanwan Building was connected to the Compass Master, then it could be explained why Chen Mei noticed his infiltration of the building so quickly.

Tonight's Jiangtan Beach duel hadn't even drawn Chen Mei away.

It was too unreasonable… Perhaps this guy was the believer who entered the nineteenth floor?

This guess might not be entirely correct, but it was highly likely that Chen Mei had established contact with the Compass Master.

Thinking of this, Gu Shen couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.

He felt that the opponent he was facing at this moment… was truly too terrifying. Chen Mei, a transcendent at the peak of Level Eleven, was just a pawn?

"…"

Facing Zhou Jiren's interrogation, Chen Mei said nothing. He simply turned his head slowly and looked deeply at his father, and at Ye Ningqiu, who was standing beside him.

Ye Ningqiu lowered her eyebrows slightly and sighed softly.

Chen San said, "Just tell the truth."

"I… have nothing to say."

Chen Mei turned his gaze to Zhou Jiren and said indifferently, "No one taught me physical techniques. I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Over the years, the Changjiu Foundation has challenged the Council and disrupted order. As the Grand Arbiter of East洲, I have been tracking the whereabouts of its masterminds." Zhou Jiren glanced at Chen Mei, came to Chen San, and said, "Councilor Chen, you should also be very clear about the style of those lunatics, right? They don't care about their own lives; they just want to create panic and destruction."

"Of course, I'm clear," Chen San said coldly. "Are you trying to say… Mei'er is that kind of person?"

"…I need to take him away," Zhou Jiren said calmly.

"Evidence," Chen San said faintly. "I need evidence."

"Alright."

Zhou Jiren raised his palm, and instantly hundreds of vines emerged from the bottom of the river.

This scene was truly horrifying.

Gu Shen's eyes narrowed… The last time he saw Mr. Shu take action was when he subdued A-009. The methods he used then were far from as grand as they were now.

Was this a bit of… a show of skill?

These vines rushed upwards from the bottom of the river, and were about to surface from the river in the next moment.

At this moment, the old man behind Chen San also took action. He leaned slightly and pressed down with his palm. The surging water droplets of the entire river instantly condensed into ice, and the ice surface spread rapidly downwards, with a tendency to form an iceberg internally.

"Zhou Jiren… do you want to attack a councilor?" the old man's voice was hoarse.

"Don't be nervous," Mr. Shu said softly. "I just want to… find a secluded environment and have a good chat with Chen San."

The next moment.

"Rumble—"

A gale howled.

Gu Shen felt himself being lifted up. It turned out that the entire river within a hundred meters had been condensed into an iceberg, and this iceberg was being lifted by a giant vine hand. After climbing high into the sky, the expression of Chen San's attendant old man clearly changed. He pressed down with his palm again, trying to press the iceberg down, but he could only slightly slow down its speed of rising and suspending in the air.

The withered wooden hand slightly joined forces.

The ice surface shattered.

The black-shirted old man's expression was somewhat pale. He looked at the Grand Arbiter Zhou Jiren on the opposite side with a look of disbelief… Countless water droplets fell with a crash, like an inverted waterfall, seeping down from the palm of the wooden hand and dripping from the gaps between the fingers.

After the withered wood wrapped around and crushed the iceberg, it slowly descended.

Chen San frowned, and Ye Ningqiu's expression was somewhat ugly.

They probably hadn't expected that a dispute would arise.

On the other side, Zhao Xilai, who was sitting in a wheelchair, lowered his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression, but the Madam who was holding the umbrella seemed somewhat surprised as well. Only Cui Zhongcheng's expression was calm as usual.

Seeing this scene, Gu Shen was thoughtful… In front of the two councilors of the Capital, his teacher and the titled powerhouse who Chen San brought with him exchanged a blow, and there was no doubt that his teacher had the absolute upper hand.

He had originally thought this was just a show of skill.

Now it seemed that there was a deeper meaning.

Was this a warning, or a declaration?

His teacher was the Grand Arbiter of East洲, and everything he did had a pivotal impact.

Gu Shen guessed that perhaps because of the recent impeachment incident, many ambitious enemies remained in the Arbitration Tribunal, staring at his teacher's position as "Grand Arbiter." Tonight, Zhou Jiren took action in front of the two councilors, first to "repay" Zhao Xilai for suppressing the impeachment storm, and second to show his tough stance to the outside world.

From the calm expression on Cui Zhongcheng's face… Gu Shen got the result he wanted.

Cui Zhongcheng was indeed watching him.

His teacher's action was likely the result of his operation. The matter was getting bigger and bigger, and it was already difficult to end. His teacher's action was one of the few options to resolve tonight's situation, and it was a brilliant move.

"Please."

Zhou Jiren reached out and invited Chen San to step forward.

The vines rose from the bottom of the river once again, this time turning into a withered wooden palm nearly ten meters wide, lifting the two of them up and gradually condensing into a round wooden ball.

In the wooden ball, no one could hear what Zhou Jiren said to Chen San.

It was a very short conversation.

Only less than five minutes.

The wooden ball reopened, turning into a palm again, and slowly descended, putting the two of them down.

Chen San's expression was obviously much more tired.

He looked at his son one last time, waved his hand, and spoke to the old man beside him.

"…Let's go."