Mount Yun Ding was located in North Hong Kong. The northern area of Hong Kong was relatively large.
The south island only occupied about one-tenth of Hong Kong, while Mount Yun Ding was located in the Jiantang District of the northern area, separated from the Eastern District by a bay. Thus, it was not far from the south island.
Mount Yun Ding, which was overgrown with luxuriant clusters of trees, was more than 500 meters above sea level. There was a winding road leading from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside.
On the mountainside, which was more than 300 meters above sea level, was a parking lot and some facilities. If people parked their car there, they had to climb the mountain. On top of the mountain was a south-facing platform where everyone could stand and enjoy the scenery of the Jiantang District, as well as the view of the bay between the Jiantang District and the south island. This was indeed a place with a pleasant scenery and fresh air that attracted many mountain climbers.
On this day, more than a dozen men in black suits guarded several intersections at the foot of Mount Yun Ding, for a small party for martial artists was being held that day on Mount Yun Ding.
Those who attended this party were all wealthy and respectable. The guards allowed rich people to pass and asked unfamiliar people to hold the dynamometer. Only if their indicators were up to martial artist standards could they get through. Meanwhile, mountaineers were kept out.
On the platform at the summit…
Two rows of chairs had been placed in a semicircle. Jiang Zonghao was sitting in the most central position, tasting the freshly-brewed tea slowly.
There were about seventeen or eighteen people sitting next to him.
Some of them were strong men in their early twenties, some were old martial artists over sixty that appeared ten years younger, some were women between thirty and forty, some were young ladies at seventeen or eighteen, and others were teenagers about thirteen or fourteen years old.
The people who came the earliest were from martial artist families. Some of them had been brought there by their elders to broaden their horizons, while others had come to communicate with their peers.
“Master Jiang, I heard that you have stepped into the Earth stage. Congratulations.” A middle-aged man in a Tang suit saluted Jiang Zonghao with a smile.
“I was so lucky to reach this stage. I went to a snow mountain in the mainland to fulfill a task and gained insight on the top of the snow mountain before finally breaking through to the Earth stage.” Jiang Zonghao shook his head slightly, feeling somewhat proud.
In this circle, most martial artists’ strength was about the same. When he had been at the Profound stage, he had been a relatively powerful figure. However, now that he had broken through to the Earth stage and his value had risen dramatically, it was much higher than these people’s. Therefore, he would have an opportunity to come into contact with people of superior circles.
“I have been stuck at the peak of the Profound stage for three years. Although I tried to both seclude myself and walk around the world, I failed to find a way to improve. Can you advise me, Mater Jiang?” the middle-aged man in the Tang suit asked.
Jiang Zonghao glanced at him.
This person was called Mu Wu. When he had been young, he had obtained an opportunity to be a martial artist. However, he had neither taken part in any forces nor led the family to engage in business. He was only interested in martial arts, so he could be considered a martial arts addict.
As soon as Mu Yu finished speaking, three other people’s eyes brightened.
They were all at the peak of the Profound stage, so there was only one step left before they became Earth-Stage Masters. However, they had failed to find a correct way to break through, as the distance was as thin as a window paper and extremely mysterious.
After hearing what he said, Jiang Zonghao got lost in thought.
“Tell you the method?”
“Bullshit!”
“These skills are indeed precious!”
“This is my own opportunity and experience. Why should I tell you?”
After thinking about how to speak to them, Jiang Zonghao found the right remedy. He glanced at Mu Wu and said, “I can tell you, but I actually have a condition. You should join the National Security Agency and be my direct subordinates. Only under this condition will I inform you about how I broke through in detail. I can promise that you will reach the Earth stage within two years. What do you think?”
He was about to be promoted to deacon of the National Security Agency, and he would become a custodian in the future. When that time came, he would gain even more resources. In fact, this was the true starting point for people who wanted to be superior, so there was a qualitative leap from being a deacon to being a custodian.
However, if he wanted to be promoted to a custodian, he needed at least five direct subordinates over the Profound stage. Jiang Zonghao had come to Mount Yun Ding early for the sake of this matter. Actually, he usually showed up after twelve o’clock.
If Mu Wu accepted his proposal, he could share with him some experiences selectively.
“Join the National Security Agency? Forget it.” Mu Wu shook his head with a smile and said, “I like freedom, so I don’t want to participate in any forces.”
“I heard that Brother Jiang is a deacon now.” Another man in his thirties laughed as he spoke.
“Yes, the relevant personnel has already submitted an application. I think it will be approved in a week,” Jiang Zonghao answered with a nod.
“Congratulations, Brother Jiang. Given your aptitude for martial arts, you are bound to become a Heaven-stage Master in the future, experience a meteoric rise and step into the upper circle of the martial arts world.” The man flattered him.
Then, other people also agreed.
“Master Jiang will rise soon. Please don’t forget us if you get promoted in the future.”
“Master Jiang’s strength is obvious to all. Plus, he got promoted by virtue of his painstaking efforts. I really admire him.”
“That’s right…”
As Jiang Zonghao listened to their praise, his eyes gradually filled with complacency.
Upon realizing that they were about to stop speaking, Jiang Zonghao coughed lightly and spoke up.
“You can rest assured. I will contact you once I have some good tasks.”
“Thank you very much, Master Jiang…” Everyone saluted him, expressing their gratitude.
“Oh, by the way…” Jiang Zonghao, who had suddenly remembered something, said while looking at Mu Wu, “Gu Chuanlong, also known as Master Gu, will come over later. He recently touched the barriers of breaking through to a Heaven-stage Master, so he is indeed in a good mood. If you have some questions about martial arts, you can ask him directly. If he is willing to tell you what to do, you will benefit tremendously.”
“What? Master Gu will come over later?” Mu Wu’s eyes widened as he said in amazement, “Master Gu is a legendary figure. Although he is only 41 years old, he will soon be promoted to a Heaven-stage Master. It’s so amazing. I did not expect Master Gu to come over. I will be really lucky if he offers his suggestions to me.”
“Brother Jiang, I heard that Master Gu injured a sect elder badly in Shen Zhan last month, but I don’t know if this news is true,” another person said curiously.
As soon as he finished his words, everyone looked at Jiang Zonghao.
“It’s absolutely true.”
Under everyone’s gazes, Jiang Zonghao nodded and said, “I was coincidentally preparing to go to the snow mountain and went there via Shen Zhen. When I heard of this matter, I went to watch the match. Master Gu won really easily by only using three moves. How mysterious his Silver Dragon Hand is! His opponent was the elder of the Shifang Sect, who has been at the peak of the Earth stage for five years and possesses great strength. However, in the face of Master Gu’s Silver Dragon Hand, he was seriously injured within three moves. Master Gu is indeed a real master. At the time, other elders from the Shifang Sect said that Master Gu should be promoted to a Heaven-stage Master within half a year!”
“Master Gu is worthy of being called a master. He’s really awesome!”
“He is a role model for us.”
“…”
Everyone sighed with emotion again. As they chatted with each other, some people went up the mountain in succession. After about an hour, there were already fifty to sixty people on the mountain, many of whom were rich people. Some others were juniors who had gone there for the sake of broadening their horizons. However, only the rich people and martial artists who were relatively powerful made a statement. The others all listened to them humbly.
“Hey, the atmosphere is very lively this time.”
Suddenly, a loud voice was heard behind the crowd.
Everyone looked around and saw a man with cropped hair in a Chinese tunic suit standing quietly on the tree that was rooted in the cliff more than ten meters high behind them.
Upon seeing him, Jiang Zonghao hurriedly stood up and saluted him. Then, he greeted him reverently.
“Hello, Master Gu! Welcome! Please sit down!”
While speaking, Jiang Zonghao pointed at the main position, where he had just been sitting. This position was reserved for the most powerful man. Therefore, he could have sat if Gu Chuanlong had not showed up. Otherwise, he did not qualify.
“Ha ha…” Gu Chuanlong chuckled and touched the branch with his tiptoe. Then, he fell down from the air. Under everyone’s gazes, he directly fell in front of the chair and slowly sat down.
Experts were indeed generous when they gave an order. Many people present thought that his move was really extraordinary, although he had only fallen through the air.
When Gu Chuanlong sat down, Jiang Zonghao sat down beside him. Then, other people got up hurriedly and greeted him.
“Hello, Master Gu.”
“It’s indeed a surprise that Master Gu could come today.”
“Master Gu, long time no see.”
“…”
There was no denying that everyone greeted him with enthusiasm in succession.
In the meantime, at the foot of Mount Yun Ding, a white Bentley drove past the guards and headed for the parking lot on the mountainside.
Ye Han and his father, Ye Qi, were sitting inside the car.
“Dad, why did you bring me here today? Is this a big occasion?” Ye Han asked curiously while sitting in the back seat with his father.
“Xiaohan, you aren’t young anymore. It’s time for you to get into contact with some upper-class circles. Today, I brought you here to enrich your experience. This party is for martial artists,” Ye Qi, who had gray hair and some wrinkles, answered.
“A party for martial artists? There must be a large number of martial artists here.” Ye Han’s eyes lit up slightly.
“Yes. I heard that you sent the Maybach to a martial artist named Mr. Zhang. In my opinion, it is too easy for you to get excited because you haven’t been in contact with enough martial artists. Now that you have come into contact with this circle, I’ll show you this party.” Ye Qi shook his head with a smile.
“Mr. Zhang is very powerful,” Ye Han said, “He has a subordinate who is invulnerable.”
“In fact, many people in the martial arts world are invulnerable, so this doesn’t mean anything. There are a lot of real masters on the mountain today. The reason I promised to take the car to him is because I want you to make new connections with martial artists.” Ye Qi chuckled.
“Dad, do you mean that Mr. Zhang is not in a high position in the circle of martial artists?” Ye Han asked.
“Yes, if he was in a high position, how come I have never heard of him?” Ye Qi shook his head again.
“Really? I also heard that Liu Qingfeng, also known as Chairman Liu, gave Mr. Zhang his treasured liquor,” Ye Han said in confusion.
“Chairman Liu likes making friends with martial artists. Therefore, he sometimes sends some liquor. Moreover, Mr. Zhang is unlikely to be in a high position, for he uses the title of Chairman Liu to preach.” Ye Qi, who found this somewhat funny, said, “Xiaohan, you are still too young. You’ll learn that there are many martial artists in this world, but only a few become very powerful after several years.
“Erm…” Ye Han felt a little confused as he said, “So, the investment I made by sending the car to Mr. Zhang failed.”
“Not really. After all, you have an association with him. What you did worked. However, I think Mr. Zhang’s value is laughable…”
As Ye Qi spoke, he shook his head with a smile. What he meant was obvious.
He meant that Mr. Zhang was not worth more than 60 million yuan!
