Finding the Wu family's lost secret manual would take time.
Within the Eternal Hall, countless secret manuals far superior to those of the Wu family were piled high, any one of which could drive martial arts families into a frenzy, even without them knowing.
When handling matters, Chu Fan always preferred the simplest, most direct approach.
If Wu Qiming wasn't an idiot, he wouldn't choose to waste time searching for the Wu family's secret manual.
After hearing Chu Fan's proposal, Wu Qiming fell into thought.
The Wu family's secret manual was the foundation of their development.
The quality of the manual determined the future strength of the family.
Therefore, Chu Fan gave Wu Qiming another choice: abandon the Wu family's secret manual.
In return, he would provide a more advanced, peerless cultivation method.
This was a matter of the Wu family's future.
Wu Qiming hesitated and said, "I need a moment to consider this!"
Chu Fan nodded, walked to the door with his hands behind his back, and gazed into the distance.
Three minutes later.
Wu Qiming approached Chu Fan from behind and asked hesitantly, "I want to ask something!"
"Speak!"
"Do you have a grudge against Lord Zhang?"
"Yes!"
"As long as I find him, I want him dead!"
In the span of a breath, the air in the room turned frigid.
Feeling the pressure emanating from Chu Fan, Wu Qiming's heart trembled.
He had initially thought Chu Fan was only a half-step Grandmaster.
Now, it seemed he was even stronger than a half-step Grandmaster.
No wonder he dared to trouble Lord Zhang.
Chu Fan slightly released his aura, giving Wu Qiming a sense of reassurance.
His previously hesitant expression immediately turned resolute.
"Alright, then I will cooperate with you!"
The Wu family indeed could not afford to offend Lord Zhang.
But Wu Qiming knew that he himself could not afford to offend Chu Fan.
Helping him would bring new vitality to the Wu family.
Conversely, what would he gain by siding with Lord Zhang?
Nothing at all.
Anyone with a sane mind would be able to weigh the options.
Wu Qiming also knew that once Chu Fan killed Lord Zhang, the Wu family would no longer face any crisis.
With his objective achieved, Chu Fan immediately asked Wu Qiming to provide information related to Lord Zhang.
"No one knows Lord Zhang's real name!"
"His strength is that of a half-step Great Grandmaster!"
"He came from another martial arts family and is stationed in Shan Hai City to oversee the major martial arts families, preventing them from colluding with secular powers and the wealthy."
"Since I became the head of the Wu family, I have only met him once."
"He is extremely cautious, always wearing a mask wherever he goes, so no one knows what he looks like specifically!"
Chu Fan was not very interested in this irrelevant information.
He directly asked, "How can I find him, or rather, contact him?"
At present, it wasn't that he lacked the power to kill, but rather the difficulty in locating him.
Wu Qiming shook his head, "Brother Chu, small families like ours, with insufficient strength, are not qualified to contact him."
"When there's a need, messages are relayed through the five major families of Shan Hai City to gather people."
"I believe that the five major martial arts families of Shan Hai City should have a way to know how to contact him!"
After a slight pause, he continued, "However, it is certain that he always resides within Shan Hai City!"
"He basically doesn't show himself unless there's something important."
Chu Fan nodded, then asked, "According to you, he was sent here to oversee Shan Hai City's martial arts families, meaning there's an organization behind him?"
"Yes!"
"Throughout the entire Dragon God Kingdom, every region has martial arts families and some reclusive sects."
"All these forces currently obey the Martial Gate."
"However, under normal circumstances, the Martial Gate does not interfere with the development of various families."
"The administrators of the Martial Gate have not shown themselves for many years!"
...
After the exchange, Chu Fan gained a deeper understanding of the power structure in the Dragon God Kingdom.
It was then that he realized the Azure Dragon Consortium's investigation had always remained on the surface.
Beneath the surface lay much more little-known information.
For instance, the overall strength of the Dragon God Kingdom was actually divided into two parts, one overt and one covert.
One part consisted of the forces visible on the surface, primarily the Battle Emperor Hall, which defended against foreign invasions, protected the people's livelihoods, and maintained order.
The other part was hidden beneath the surface.
This part of the forces was mainly composed of martial arts families from various regions.
The Dragon God Kingdom had developed for thousands of years, with countless deeply hidden martial arts families and sects.
A small fraction of these, who rarely appeared, possessed power at the level of Grandmasters and above, and they were the true power brokers of the Dragon God Kingdom.
The current rulers of the Dragon God Kingdom were merely figureheads, still beholden to the hidden martial arts families.
After gathering this information, Chu Fan fed it back to Ji Ningyue.
The Azure Dragon Consortium's information gathering direction needed to change; it would now focus primarily on the martial arts families and sects hidden beneath the surface.
His mother's disappearance was still unsolved.
Previous investigations also indicated that his mother was inextricably linked to a mysterious and ancient family.
It now appeared that this mysterious ancient family was a martial arts family.
However, it was a family of immense power, or perhaps a sect.
"Brother, this is all I know, and this, this..."
Wu Qiming rubbed his hands together with great embarrassment.
His meaning was clear: I've given you the information you wanted, now is it time for me to get what I want?
"First, tell me what kind of cultivation method you lean towards!"
The Eternal Hall was densely packed with countless manuals, each targeting a different direction.
Some focused on martial arts and footwork.
Some focused on offensive techniques.
Others focused on defense.
After Wu Qiming expressed his preferences, Chu Fan nodded, "In three days, I'll have Old Guan deliver it to you!"
After Wu Qiming left, Chu Fan asked Guan Hongyun, "You know where the Cao family is, right?"
"I do!"
"Take me there!"
Before long, Guan Hongyun stood with Chu Fan at the entrance of the Cao family.
"Sir, are we going to..."
Guan Hongyun was full of apprehension, feeling that Chu Fan's visit to the Cao family was not for a friendly purpose.
"To stir up trouble!"
Chu Fan uttered these words casually and walked through the gates of the Cao family.
As Lord Zhang was the one overseeing the martial arts families in Shan Hai City, it was safe to assume that the five major martial arts families in Shan Hai City definitely knew how to contact him.
If the Cao family was sensible and handed over the method to contact Lord Zhang, everything would be fine.
If they still wanted to protect Lord Zhang?
Too bad, then the Cao family would cease to exist.
The opportunity had already been given to the Cao family.
If they didn't cherish it, then there was nothing more to say.
"Stop!"
As soon as Chu Fan entered the gate, the lounging Cao family guards inside shouted angrily.
"Who are you?"
"Do you have an invitation?"
Chu Fan shook his head.
"If you don't have an invitation, please leave, otherwise..."
*Bang...*
Chu Fan had no intention of wasting time with these people.
Guan Hongyun swallowed hard as he looked at the unconscious guards, knowing that if the Cao family was sensible today, everything would be fine.
Otherwise, the Cao family truly might disappear.
One by one, the obstructors were dealt with.
Each one was subdued by Chu Fan.
In the deepest part of the Cao family courtyard, Cao Gongyi was chatting with Cao Cheng when the butler rushed in.
"Master, something's wrong, someone is here to cause trouble."
*Slap!*
Cao Gongyi slammed a palm onto the stone table.
"Who dares to provoke the Cao family? Are they tired of living?"