"Lord, I have failed, cough cough."
On the other end of the phone, a hollow silence, dead and soundless.
"I'm sorry, please punish me." Qiu Yu still lay on the cold cement floor, having just barely taken a medicinal tablet for treatment, a routine necessity for SS-level agents of the Yanhuang Soul.
Lin Hai did not have such treatment; it could be said that Long Si slightly tricked him, but that was not entirely unreasonable. After all, by strict definition, he was not really a member of the Yanhuang Soul, merely having a nominal association, and therefore his special treatment was relatively less.
"Is King Yan stronger than you?" Finally, a voice came from the phone, stable, calm, seemingly perceptive of everything, compelling involuntary belief.
"He is only between a second-class and a first-class Supreme Expert, but after fighting with me, he successfully broke through to a first-class Supreme Expert."
"According to our Yanhuang Soul's assessment of potential value, such a person is at least A+ and above."
Yanhuang Soul has a set of methods for testing and assessing potential, with seven grades in total, in ascending order they are: D, D+, B, B+, A, A+, S.
Currently, the person with the strongest potential in Yanhuang Soul is Lord Tianlong, who is also A+.
As for the potential S grade, in the history of Yanhuang Soul's records, there may only be three: the current Chief of the Inner Palace—Heavenly Dragon Grand Lama, the former Chief of the Inner Palace—Lin Dapao, and one individual whom Lord Tianlong is very reluctant to mention."
These three individuals are said to be the most likely to surpass the level of Legendary beings.
Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dragon Grand Lama has been in seclusion for many years; no one knows if he has been successful.
It seems Lin Dapao is still being detained right now, and he's probably long gone. If he were alive, he'd be around ninety-seven years old by now, seemingly without any breakthrough.
As for the last individual...
Lord Tianlong shook his head; after so many years, the top powers of every major world had searched almost the entire globe and had not found his traces; the individual must definitely be dead by now.
So, the currently recognized strongest potential is A+.
"Even if his potential is strong, you have studied the Heavenly Dragon Cutting Veins with me for many years, can't you break his kung fu?" Lord Tianlong pondered and asked.
Qiu Yu gave a wry smile and replied, "Lord, the kung fu he used was in no way inferior to the Heavenly Dragon Cutting Veins, and moreover..."
"Moreover, I can only perform the first two major moves of the Heavenly Dragon Cutting Veins; I cannot use both hands to execute the technique, while he can use all ten fingers brilliantly, each move seemingly restraining my own."
"Ten fingers in action, brilliant as red lotuses..." Lord Tianlong seemed to be pondering something.
"Lord, I believe that if it were you taking action, even if it were under the same level, by using the third move of the Heavenly Dragon Cutting Veins, you could surely defeat him; if you were to use the Fourth Move, the opponent would surely have no chance of survival." Qiu Yu indirectly flattered, while also seeking solace within his heart, deceiving himself into believing that his loss to King Yan was due to incomplete kung fu.
"The Fourth Move of the Heavenly Dragon Cutting Veins has been lost, only fragments remain, otherwise my master would not still be in seclusion, already capable of glimpsing the existence beyond Legendary." Lord Tianlong's tone contained a hint of regret.
"Lord, are you saying that the Heavenly Dragon Cutting Veins could reach above Legendary...!" Qiu Yu found it hard to believe; if indeed possible, then this technique would definitely be a treasure of the world.
"Do you think it's that easy to surpass Legendary level? It's merely a glimpse; whether one can truly enter is still unknown."
Qiu Yu felt disappointment in his heart; if Lord Tianlong could step into the realm beyond Legendary, then wouldn't his group have a chance to pursue even greater ambitions in the future? By then, wouldn't Huaxia, or even the whole world, be Lord Tianlong's for the taking?
"All ten fingers shining bright, red as lotus blooms, a move that snatches heaven, and the lotus brings creation... If I'm not mistaken, the technique King Yan used today should be the Heavenly Creation Finger."
Lord Tianlong's knowledge was far more vast than Qiu Yu's.
"What? Heavenly Creation Finger? Isn't that Ye Family's secret art that is not to be disclosed? It's said that during the grudges over twenty years ago, that secret art had been lost, and currently, the Ye Family only possesses seven-tenths of the incomplete version."
"But during my exchange with King Yan just now, I clearly noticed that his set of hand techniques was indeed complete, without feeling any sense of incompleteness."
"It absolutely should be the Heavenly Creation Finger. It seems that this King Yan is very mysterious. At first, I thought he might be related to the Lin Family, because Yama Chasing Life is very similar to the Lin Family's unique Eight Stele Hand. Now it seems that King Yan has many secrets."
Even with such a revelation, Lord Tianlong's tone remained steady as if nothing could perturb his calm mind.
That level of composure and demeanor is simply incomparable to the likes of Qiu Yu.
"Have you confirmed whether King Yan is Lin Hai?" Lord Tianlong asked once more.
Qiu Yu pondered. This question was difficult for him to answer.
However, it doesn't seem to be Lin Hai.
"My Lord, I believe King Yan might just have connections with Lin Hai but isn't Lin Hai himself. Their physiques are entirely different, as are their eyes. You've said, even if someone masters the Disguise Technique, it is almost impossible to change one's height and body type, especially the eyes, which can be a fatal flaw." Qiu Yu replied.
"Indeed, the eyes cannot be changed."
"It seems that Lin Hai is not King Yan. The affair with the Yu Family back then was somewhat successful. Regardless of whether or not Lin Hai is that person's son, he has been crippled and is not worth mentioning."
"Yes, my Lord. I've covertly observed Lin Hai; he's a decayed man, henpecked, and seems to be quite lustful, entirely different from that person's nature back then."
"No, there is one similarity. That person back then was also very lustful. The four great beauties of Yanjing who were sought after by countless people, all occupied by him alone, and yet he heartlessly abandoned them."
"That... doesn't seem to be a point in common, my Lord."
Qiu Yu was extremely embarrassed, yet he also envied and resented deeply. Even though Yanjing's four great beauties of that time were now in their forties, each of them was still very well-maintained and seldom appeared in public, but countless scions still could not forget them.
What means did that person use to make the once great beauties of Yanjing remain so loyally waiting?
Fortunately, that person was already dead. He deserved it—Qiu Yu thought with fierce envy and grudge.
"My Lord, what should be my next step?" Qiu Yu inquired.
"Next step... Follow the plan, infiltrate the Mingya Group, turn Ouyang Xiaoya into a puppet, and transfer all the Mingya Group's channels to Tang Bingyan."
"I understand, my Lord."
"This time it must be done well, or else I will revoke your privilege to use the Legendary elixirs in the future."
Qiu Yu turned pale with shock: "My Lord, I will give it my all!"
"I hope you understand that we are already behind Wei Luo."
"Yes, my Lord. Even if I must die, Qiu Yu will complete this mission."
"There is no value in mentioning death without completing the mission. I need results!"