’Someone from the Inspection Department? And they didn’t wait to be announced?’

Zhang Hongyun’s expression darkened slightly, and a faint sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

TAP TAP TAP!

The footsteps grew closer. Soon, the tent flap was thrown open, and a tall, middle-aged man in a Giant Spirit Army uniform strode directly into the tent with five or six subordinates.

"Ah, Section Chief Fei Luzhong of the Inspection Department. Forgive me for not greeting you at the entrance. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Section Chief Fei?"

Zhang Hongyun said, rising to his feet to address the middle-aged man.

"Captain Zhang, please, have a seat."

Without any courtesy, Section Chief Fei pulled out a chair and sat down in front of Zhang Hongyun. With a calm expression, he gestured for him to be seated.

Zhang Hongyun’s expression was placid. He nodded and sat back down.

"Captain Zhang, there’s something I don’t quite understand that I’d like to ask you about."

Section Chief Fei said with a detached air.

"Please speak freely, Section Chief Fei."

Zhang Hongyun said, his face impassive.

BAM!!

Section Chief Fei slammed both hands on the table, pushing himself up slightly. He stared fixedly at Zhang Hongyun, a cold smirk slowly spreading across his face. "I’m not sure... should I call you Captain Zhang, or should I call you Captain Su?"

"Section Chief Fei, I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Zhang Hongyun’s expression remained calm, betraying no change whatsoever.

SWISH!

Just then, the tent flap was swept open again. An exceptionally tall figure appeared at the entrance, his frame blocking the light from outside and casting a large shadow.

"The Southern Heaven Su Family, with its five-hundred-year legacy, was once a titan of the southern Martial Dao. They claimed a heritage of both medicine and martial arts. A pity they refused to submit to the rule of my Giant Spirit Sect. Fourteen years ago, they were slaughtered by my Sect. I was there. If I recall correctly, of the one hundred and forty-eight members of the Su Family’s main branch, at least thirty died by my hand."

"The Doumu Primordial Soul Needle... it truly lives up to its name as one of the Divine Land’s thousand-year-old Secret Transmissions. I just wonder, how much of the True Inheritance did you actually receive?"

The deep, resonant voice, like the tolling of a great bell, echoed within the tent. As the tall man walked forward step by step, his features finally became clear.

His brow was like a mountain range, his eyebrows thick, his expression cold. He looked surprisingly young.

Zhang Hongyun’s pupils contracted sharply. Seeing this man, the adjutant at his side turned pale and stumbled backward until he was at the edge of the tent.

From the Giant Spirit Sect, "Hundred Rivers" Hong Yukun!

Though the man appeared young, he was at least forty-five years old.

Seeing that face, which had changed so little in over a decade, a flood of terrible memories instantly surged into Zhang Hongyun’s mind.

Screams, blood, panic, the glare of fire...

"I don’t care if you’re a remnant of the Su Family or not. Hand over the Secret Transmission for the Doumu Primordial Soul Needle, and I might consider letting you live."

Hong Yukun said coolly, looking down on him.

"Hong Yukun, is it?"

Zhang Hongyun opened his eyes again. He had suppressed all the flashing visions, and his expression became as still as an ancient well.

The next moment.

He took a sharp breath, and his body instantly swelled.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!!

Dozens of long, thin Silver Needles shot out from his body, flying in all directions.

Section Chief Fei and his subordinates, who were closest, ducked reflexively. When they looked up again, their pupils contracted.

Zhang Hongyun’s appearance had completely changed.

His already tall frame had become even more terrifying. The uniform on his upper body burst apart, and his hair stood on end. At some point, six more Silver Needles had appeared in his hand.

Perhaps they could no longer be called Silver Needles. They were more like "silver nails."

SHKT!!

He plunged the six silver nails into several acupoints on his body.

HUFF!!

THUMP!!

The terrifying sounds of his breathing and heartbeat spread through the tent. A noise like furiously whirring machinery actually began to emanate from within Zhang Hongyun’s body.

"The Southern Dipper Longevity Nail? I’d like to see just how tough you really are."

Hong Yukun’s expression was indifferent. The next moment, his own body began to transform.

His muscles swelled abruptly, and his already tall frame became even more terrifying.

On the surface of his body, the contours of his muscles were incredibly distinct, as if a continuous mountain range clung to his frame. The veins, surging with Qi and Blood, were like rushing rivers.

The Secret Transmission of the Giant Spirit Sect, the Mountain and River True Spirit Palm!

Hong Yukun took a sudden step forward, and a powerful Vibration spread out like an earthquake.

He raised his palm and thrust it forward!!

BOOM!!

Terrifying power poured forth with the Palm Technique, churning the surrounding air. It looked like a simple palm strike, but it concealed numerous profound principles.

His muscles were in a state of Vibration, like the shifting of ages that reshapes mountains.

Multiple forces—Vibrating, Rending, and Shattering—were hidden within. The surrounding air was violently agitated, pressing down on Zhang Hongyun like an undulating mountain range.

Earth Spirit Palm!

Zhang Hongyun also raised his palm and struck out.

The muscles all over his body contracted sharply, compressing multiple acupoints. The stimulation of the acupoints in his palm was especially intense.

The Southern Heaven Su Family had a legacy of both medicine and martial arts. The Doumu Primordial Soul Needle was a medical art, but it was also a deadly Fist Technique!

By training the body’s muscles to an extraordinary degree, every move and every stance, depending on the battle situation, used one’s Spirit to control the muscles and continuously stimulate the body’s acupoints. This would constantly unleash the body’s maximum potential. Each and every move was a terrifying burst of power that defied common sense.

Star Catching and Dipper Manipulation—this is the meaning of Doumu!

The Mountain and River True Spirit Palm versus the Doumu Primordial Soul Needle.

Both were top-tier Secret Transmissions in this world!

BOOM!!

Their palms collided, and the air inside the tent instantly exploded.

RIIIP!!

Under the force of the surging airflow, the entire tent was instantly blown to shreds.

At that very moment, out of the corner of his eye, Zhang Hongyun caught sight of the soldiers surrounding the tent, armed with blades and Firearms.

Besieged on all sides!!

Zhang Hongyun’s expression grew even calmer. He used the terrifying impact of the palm strike to launch himself backward. In contrast, Hong Yukun had actually been forced back half a step by the collision.

In that brief moment, Zhang Hongyun was already more than ten meters away.

"Star Catching and Dipper Manipulation?! I can’t let you live!"

Hong Yukun’s expression shifted slightly. He spun around and gave chase after Zhang Hongyun.

BANG BANG BANG!!

The sound of gunfire and crossbows erupted, but Hong Yukun knew that at Zhang Hongyun’s current level, none of it would be enough to stop him!

...

...

「Meanwhile.」

Zhao Xuanqi and Weng Xiaolin were completely unaware of what was happening in Zhang Hongyun’s camp.

The morning’s round of sixteen matches had all concluded. The afternoon would be the losers’ bracket, where contestants would fight for the last two spots among the Ten Heroes. Zhao Xuanqi had little interest in watching, so he asked Weng Xiaolin for leave. He planned to make a trip to Guangdong University to help Zhao Qin with her enrollment procedures, and then go meet with the people from the Divine Martial Department of the National Salvation Association.

This time, Weng Xiaolin didn’t stop him. He just told him to be careful while he was out and suggested that he could contact his daughter, Weng Qiuman, for help at Guangdong University to avoid wasting time by not knowing his way around.

Before long, he took a rickshaw and arrived at Guangdong University.