"Why?" Lu Yuan frowned, puzzled.

Lin Zhiquin merely shook his head without explaining, puffing away on his cigarette and refusing to utter another word.

After the meal, Lin Zhiquin and Lu Yuan parted ways outside the noodle shop. Lin Zhiquin hurriedly drove off, without even asking if Lu Yuan needed a ride.

Lu Yuan grabbed a bottle of water from the drink fridge at the shop's entrance. He stood there quietly, watching Lin Zhiquin's car drive away until it completely vanished from sight. Only then did he begin to move.

Target: Lin Zhiquin. Personal information... Track all activities of the target in Sum Nation after August 25th, anyone he had close contact with, whether there are suspicious close contacts, detailed information on any suspicious close contacts...

Lu Yuan unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water while using his Gold Bear authority to issue orders within Yellow Bear.

As soon as the order was issued, a message immediately popped up, stating that a payment of 1,000 Merit Points was required.

Lu Yuan was startled for a moment but quickly understood. Even Gold Bears had to pay for using Yellow Bear's resources for personal matters.

Lu Jing's case involving the Elephant God Religion is a registered mission. Otherwise, I presume investigating it would also cost Merit Points... This was only possible because he was a Gold Bear; those with insufficient authority wouldn't be able to do this.

One thousand Merit Points isn't expensive. Lu Yuan was about to make the payment when he suddenly received a notification that the payment had been successful.

He looked at the message; a familiar one lay quietly in the background: [Your friend Lord Tong Tong Tong has paid for you!]

Well... Lu Yuan was at a loss for words, wondering if Yu Wentong had set up some sort of "Linked Payment" or "Family Account" for him.

Is Yu Wentong this generous to everyone under her, or just to me?

Lu Yuan pondered absently.

Upon stepping out of the alley where the noodle shop was located, he found himself facing the main gate of the Origin Martial Arts Hall.

It was mid-October, and autumn had set in. The weather had started to cool down over the past couple of days, and even the sunlight felt chilly, lacking warmth.

Young men and women, fresh from their classes at the Origin Martial Arts Hall, emerged in twos and threes. They were chattering and laughing, their faces radiating youthful energy.

It had been a long time since Lu Yuan last visited the main hall.

Seeing these people instantly reminded him of his time as a student at the martial arts hall. Back then, his greatest joy each day was practicing boxing and strength training.

Seeing the Experience Points on his status panel slowly increase filled him with an indescribable joy. His physical strength would be so drained that even wiggling a pinkie felt like an immense effort. Yet, he would still lie on the ground, grinning foolishly.

A sudden impulse struck Lu Yuan: he wanted to go into the martial arts hall and look around.

He stepped off the sidewalk, intending to cross the road, but a suddenly received message made him stop.

It was a mission progress report from a certain Red Bear, regarding the mission case of 'Xia Weimin of the Elephant God Religion'.

Lu Yuan stood under a streetlamp by the roadside, pretending to browse his phone while examining the report.

Five minutes later, after finishing the entire report, Lu Yuan looked up, a peculiar light in his eyes, and whispered two words— "Mosa?!"

Indeed, the report stated that the individual who killed Xia Weimin and took his luggage was a member of the Mosa Religion and the Mosa Fight Club. Furthermore, he appeared to be the vice-president of a Mosa sub-diocese in the southern region of Sum Country.

How did Mosa get involved with the Elephant God Religion's affairs? The Mosa people took Xia Weimin's luggage. Do they also know about the 'key'? Are they also interested in the Elephant God Religion's Secret Realm?

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered as he quickly searched for information about Mosa.

Traffic flowed endlessly on the road. He was standing very close to a bus stop.

Four or five buses rumbled past Lu Yuan before he roughly pieced things together. So Mosa has always had a habit of collecting relics from other Evil God Sects...

Lu Yuan found information indicating that over the past ten years, Mosa's presence could often be detected at many international auctions and seminars related to ancient Evil God Sect artifacts. They had participated in these events and acquired quite a few items.

Is there rivalry, plunder, or even hostility between Evil God Sects? Lu Yuan pondered. It's certainly possible. If Yellow Bear and the Evil Martial Association could derive huge benefits from Evil God Sects, there was no reason the sects couldn't do the same to each other. Obtaining a powerful artifact from a rival sect to offer to one's own god would surely be considered a very valuable sacrifice.

Just a couple of days ago, I was praising Mosa for being straightforward, but it seems they're always making subtle moves behind the scenes...

Lu Yuan thought about it and decided to report the matter to Yu Wentong. He had initially intended just to file a report. However, he didn't expect Yu Wentong to respond so quickly. She told him to handle it as he saw fit; as long as he didn't betray Yellow Bear or do anything that seriously jeopardized social stability, she would back him up.

Lu Yuan finally relaxed completely. He immediately gave orders to the Red Bear who had sent the report, instructing him to continue investigating along this line.

DING-DONG—

Just as Lu Yuan finished with that, coincidentally, an email related to Mosa arrived.

—

[Hearty congratulations on the successful conclusion of Mosa's "Boiling Night" fighting competition in Burnt Rock City.

Champion of this competition: ...]

It was the announcement of the "Boiling Night" competition results.

Lu Yuan had reached the semi-finals. However, he felt the competitors were too low-level. Coupled with the attack by Calophis, the Crow God Sect's Divine Envoy, the New Blood Assessment Trial, and other matters, he hadn't participated further. He hadn't expected that the finals would already be over.

The first-place prize money seems pretty substantial... What a pity... Lu Yuan mused with a hint of regret. He was about to close the email when he noticed an attachment at the very bottom.

The attachment was titled—[Ultimate Invitation].

Lu Yuan's eyes flashed with curiosity as he clicked open this so-called invitation.

The contents appeared—

[To the powerful "Feast Eater."

Congratulations, your valor has successfully captured the attention of the "God of Martial Arts and Hunting."

You are hereby specially invited to participate in the Ultimate Bloody Battle, to be held by our association in Chiming City three days from now.

...

If your strength once again earns the approval of the "God of Martial Arts and Hunting," you will obtain everything you desire!

Blood shall drench the throne; battle shall forge immortality!

—Mosa.]

The Ultimate Bloody Battle... Lu Yuan was taken aback. He hadn't expected this so-called Mosa Boiling Night Fighting Competition to have a follow-up. And judging by the name, the level is higher, the rewards more generous, and the danger... significantly greater.

Lu Yuan wanted to read the entire invitation again, but he found the attachment's content was now corrupted. All that remained was an image of a bloody ram's head with pitch-black eye sockets. Beneath it were the three words: 'Feast Eater'.

It seemed that if he accepted the invitation and went, this image would serve as some kind of entry pass.

Lu Yuan frowned. He habitually prepared to search Yellow Bear's internal database for information on Mosa's Ultimate Bloody Battle.

Just then, a call from an unknown number came in.

"Hello?" Lu Yuan saw the caller ID indicated 'Yellow Bear' and answered.

A respectful voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Sir, the items you purchased have been delivered."

The things I bought? Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned. The next second, anticipation lit up his eyes.

Secrets! The pile of Pure Martial Secrets he'd bought from the Merit Shop! His SS+ rank 'Amitabha Golden Body'... it's finally here!

「East suburb of Burnt Rock City.」

A secluded villa nestled in the mountains and forests. This area was in the same district as the High-level Private Branch of the Origin Martial Arts Hall. The two were separated only by a large artificial lake, facing each other from a distance. It was the property Qin Feng had given Lu Yuan; this was his first time visiting.

Currently, a massive, light-blue Fly Shuttle was parked in front of the villa, on a huge open area specifically cleared to serve as a martial training ground. The exterior of the Fly Shuttle bore the emblems of Sum Nation and Yellow Bear. This Fly Shuttle was much larger than any Lu Yuan had taken before. Its belly, in particular, resembled an oversized rugby ball. It was a cargo Fly Shuttle used internally by Yellow Bear for transporting materials, possessing an astonishing loading capacity.

"Sir, please sign here." A White Bear Guard in a black uniform respectfully handed Lu Yuan a translucent tablet, his face etched with deep shock and disbelief. He seemed unable to believe that the so-called Gold Bear from the Old City Circle, the one receiving the delivery, was such a young... boy?!

Lu Yuan paid no mind to the guard's expression. Frowning at the transport robots moving back and forth from the Fly Shuttle, he couldn't help but ask, "Did you deliver to the wrong place? Are the things I bought this bulky?"

Lu Yuan had only purchased a few Pure Martial Secrets. Yet, he saw two robots collaborating to lift something resembling a gaming pod off the Fly Shuttle—an item that looked like it weighed several tons. In addition to that, there were a large number of black boxes. Lu Yuan probed with his Spiritual Power and discovered the boxes were mostly filled with various bottles and jars of medicinal elixirs.

"Correct." The White Bear Guard delivering the goods glanced at the order details in his hand and replied, "Lord Lu, you purchased eight Pure Martial Secrets. The content of these secrets has already been sent to your account as digital files. These," he gestured to the cargo, "are all the auxiliary resources and tools required for practicing the techniques..."

"Don't these need to be purchased separately...?" Lu Yuan trailed off mid-sentence, a sudden realization dawning on him. He nodded, signaling his understanding.

He quickly signed the tablet, allowing the White Bear Guard to direct the robots to continue unloading.

He didn't even have to think about it; Yu Wentong must have arranged this. Yu Wentong had provided him with so many benefits that Lu Yuan felt almost numb to it, as if he were constantly "sponging off her."

Well, it's better to have someone to sponge off than no one at all. Shaking his head, Lu Yuan strode into the villa.

He casually sat down on a sofa in the living room. During a lull in the robots' activity, he accessed his Gold Bear account.

As expected, just as the White Bear Guard had said, the eight Pure Martial Secrets Lu Yuan had ordered were waiting quietly in his account's mailbox. Each secret had an independent decryption key. The content could not be copied, transferred, or exported, and was restricted to personal viewing by the owner.

Lu Yuan went straight for 'Amitabha Golden Body'.

He opened the file. Inside, there was text, video footage, and an image. Lu Yuan's gaze shifted between the three components, finally settling on the image.

He clicked on it and found a radiant golden image of Amitabha. The image was solemn and majestic, exuding an aura of infinite dignity, yet it also contained a boundless capacity, as if capable of encompassing all things.

The image was three-dimensional and dynamic. Is this a True Skill Visualization Map, recreated using technological means?

Lu Yuan blinked, recalling the hypnotic incense Old Liu had used to transmit the Crane Sect's True Skill Visualization Map to him... A complex mix of emotions washed over him.

Technology truly changes lives... and the inheritance of Martial Arts is no exception.

He closed the Visualization Map and then opened the text-based version of the technique.

Lu Yuan read it carefully. The entire technique description was only a few thousand words long.

He finished reading it in two minutes...

His brows furrowed, leaving only the word 'speechless' lingering in his mind.

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