At the heart of Sinovera, the Imperial Capital stood.
This was the core city famed as the first among all capitals—a place where ancient Sinoveran tradition fused seamlessly with cutting-edge technology. Towering skyscrapers lined the streets alongside intricately carved beams and flying eaves of classical architecture, blending old and new in every district.
Traffic flowed endlessly, headlights glittered in the night.
The roads were clearly congested, only occasionally broken by the sound of horns.
It was common to see two or three traffic police officers standing at busy intersections, directing the flow of vehicles.
"Wow."
"What’s that?"
As their car passed Sinovera Central Plaza, Monica Zhang let out a gasp of amazement, her gaze drawn to the magnificent architecture. The golden-yellow glass eaves stretched across the sky like a rainbow.
"That’s Sinovera Central Plaza," Andrew Han explained from the back seat.
"That’s where the national flag is raised."
Chloe Ling, who was driving, glanced at Monica Zhang sitting in the passenger seat, then at Andrew Han and Jason Jiang in the back.
She was in excellent spirits.
Because they trusted her!
The trust between people made Chloe Ling feel fully satisfied... Even though she was a female driver, Andrew Han and Jason Jiang didn’t hesitate to rely on her driving skills.
Buzz buzz.
The jet-black car continued speeding ahead.
Just then, a blue BMW on the left tried to change lanes and overtake... Chloe Ling’s expression shifted instantly: “Little BMW, trying to overtake your big sister’s car?”
Vroom!
Her petite figure, swift as thunder and wind, pressed the accelerator all the way down. Both hands gripped the steering wheel tightly; with her height barely reaching one meter fifty, she could only just see over the edge of the wheel.
There was nothing she could do—Chloe Ling could only sigh helplessly. T^T
Vroom!
The Red Flag LA accelerated, surging forward like wind and lightning for several hundred meters. Chloe Ling finally relaxed and settled herself comfortably in her seat.
“Monica?”
“Don’t be nervous, it’s fine.”
Chloe Ling triple-checked the handbrake, then hopped out of the car: “Of course. This hotel is one of our Exquisite Heart Sect properties. I have a diamond card—I can book any room I want.”
Chloe Ling tossed her hair twice, then flashed a mischievous smile at Monica Zhang, whose face was still flushed with excitement.
With her Martial Lord–tier physique—flexible as flowing water, resilient as diamond—she could drive in any posture she liked and never worried about crashing.
Even if the car went off a cliff, with the incredible martial power of those inside, there would be no danger at all.
Of course.
Monica Zhang was just an ordinary person, and she felt a bit nervous.
She really couldn’t understand how a girl who looked so cute and delicate could be so violent—like a terrifying female beast.
The middle-aged man’s expression shifted; even as an ordinary Martial General, he felt uneasy. He hesitated, glancing at the tightly closed wooden door: “Simply put, your Green Mountain Sect master, Miles Ning, doesn’t meet the titled three-step Martial Lord requirement.”
“Calm down.”
“I’m not afraid. I need to stay calm.”
Even though she kept telling herself to stay calm, Monica’s posture was unusually honest. She turned her head, her eyes pitifully falling on Andrew Han.
“It’s nothing.”
Jason Jiang glanced at Andrew Han, then looked out at the scenery beyond the car window: “Recently, the Demon lairs north of the Imperial Capital have been acting up. There’s a high chance of a Calamity Tide forming.”
Andrew Han chuckled in response.
He’d already prepared to stomp through the car floor for an emergency brake the moment they got in... If there was danger, he’d just use his foot to stop the car.
“Actually, we’re not sure about the situation of Green Mountain Sect’s master, Miles Ning, but someone above Martial Lord from Thunder Path Sect personally delivered this message, and we confirmed it through multiple channels.”
"Hehe." Chloe Ling couldn't help but act cute: "Just trust Yunyun! Honestly, I can't help it either. In the Imperial Capital, if you drive too timidly, you’ll never get anywhere."
"Is it really that bad?" Monica Zhang was taken aback.
The streets of Jiangnan City were never truly congested.
Besides, Monica was used to Andrew Han’s steady driving style.
"Of course!"
Chloe Ling straightened her campus-style outfit, speaking with mock righteousness: "The Imperial Capital’s traffic is divided by five ring roads. Back when Yunyun was younger, it took a whole hour just to drive from the Fifth Ring to the Fourth!"
The two girls started chatting away, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
The jet-black car crossed over one overpass after another. Occasionally, they glimpsed the bright shop windows and dazzling advertisement screens lining the streets, all displaying the vibrant charm of an international capital.
In the back seat.
Andrew Han sent a sound transmission: "Not busy today? Just a couple days ago you said Sacred Spring Sect was holding a disciple ranking battle and you might not make it."
Beside him, Jason Jiang shook his head.
Luckily, both of them were skilled in Internal Power and could easily use sound transmission. Otherwise, with ordinary Monica Zhang sitting up front, they couldn’t freely discuss Martial Arts World matters.
"You didn’t know?"
Jason Jiang glanced at Andrew Han, then looked out the car window at the scenery: "Recently, the Demon lairs north of the Imperial Capital have been acting up. There’s a high chance of a Calamity Tide forming."
What?
Calamity Tide?
Andrew Han’s expression shifted, suddenly turning serious.
Since he belonged to the Defense Formation, Andrew often checked Martial Arts World news in his spare time. The defense zones could only repel routine Demon and Specter invasions... but an abnormal rampage—that was a Calamity Tide.
Simply put—
When Demons and Specters are provoked, losing their minds and becoming utterly savage, they gather together and form a tide that crashes against humanity’s defensive lines.
"What’s the intensity?"
Andrew Han pressed for details.
By danger level, Calamity Tides are classified as small or large... Small Calamity Tides only involve ordinary Demons and General-class Demons and Specters.
As for large Calamity Tides—
They’re filled with Sect-class Demons and Specters—a disaster so bitter that every time it happens, countless martial artists perish.
"No idea."
"Probably small." Jason Jiang withdrew his arrogant gaze, his expression grave. "Just hope this time there’ll be fewer Specters and more Demons."
Everyone knew Specters were the hardest to handle!
Because martial artists with Inspiration were extremely rare—even the famed Jason Jiang lacked it.
Mysterious Inspiration was truly precious.
If a peak Martial Artist Realm fighter had Inspiration, they might be able to handle General-class Specters. But without it, facing a General-class Specter meant certain death.
"That’s true."
Andrew Han nodded lightly. "For ordinary martial artists, Specters are far more terrifying than Demons."
The disruptive ghost-light of Specters couldn’t be blocked by Internal Power—only confronted head-on. If you could withstand it, you survived; if not, you died.
Only Inspiration could defend or reflect it.
At these words—
Jason Jiang sighed as well. "That’s why they call it a Calamity Tide. If it happens, chaos reigns—you can’t tell Demons from Specters, and the entire mountainside is flooded with frenzied attacks, leaving us no chance to breathe."
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After the sound transmission, silence fell.
Andrew Han didn’t speak, thinking to himself: "I only have two goals for this trip. Apply to the Martial Arts Alliance’s sect review agency to restore Green Mountain Sect’s status, and take Monica Zhang sightseeing in the Imperial Capital."
Screech.
The car stopped at the hotel entrance.
Andrew Han got out, taking in the opulent hotel entrance. "This place looks pretty good."
"Of course." Chloe Ling triple-checked the handbrake button, then got out. "This is one of our Exquisite Heart Sect’s properties. I have a diamond card—I can book any room I want."
"It really is nice," Andrew replied.
He pulled Monica Zhang’s twenty-inch suitcase from the trunk, walked over to the girl, and noticed her slightly anxious, rosy face. He couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong? Is something the matter with this place?"
"N-no, not at all."
Monica Zhang stammered out her answer.
They looked at each other, both a bit bewildered. Around them, people dragged suitcases in and out, and the setting sun cast a warm glow on Monica’s profile, making her seem even more beautiful.
But—
Why the blush?
Andrew Han was puzzled.
Nearby, Chloe Ling clasped her hands behind her back, circled around the jet-black Red Flag LA, and pretended to be mature as she whispered, "I’ve already booked you two a top-floor king room—"
"The view is amazing, hehehe."
"The bed is super soft, hehehe."
"And there are all kinds of luxury sofas, hehehe." Chloe Ling laughed wickedly, her big eyes shining with inexplicable excitement.
Andrew Han got the joke and his face turned dark.
"That’s enough."
"Hurry up and check in—I still have to head out later." Andrew Han urged, frowning.
Standing nearby, Monica Zhang unconsciously smoothed her long hair and pressed her lip balm-coated lips together, feeling both relieved and a little quietly disappointed.
Meanwhile, Chloe Ling frowned.
"Going out?"
"So Andrew Han wants to restore Green Mountain Sect’s status—is he really that eager?"
She didn’t linger, and went into the hotel with Andrew and the others. They booked four rooms in total—since a Calamity Tide might break out, Chloe Ling and Jason Jiang also needed to stay here.
...
About an hour later—
On the Fourth Ring Road of the Imperial Capital stood the Martial Arts Alliance Processing Center, an ancient-style building guarded by two peak Martial Artist Realm fighters.
"Halt."
"Who are you? Please show your credentials."
The two guards frowned, looking at the young man in a black trench coat who walked with his head lowered.
They couldn’t see his face clearly.
The young man in the black trench coat seemed lost in thought.
"Hmm."
"Credentials?" Andrew Han lifted his head, glancing at the ancient, dignified Martial Arts Alliance Processing Center. He asked, puzzled, "The sect review agency should be inside, right?"
As soon as he looked up, the two guards froze.
Andrew Han!
A peerless genius, the fifth legend—Andrew Han!
"Y-yes, that’s right."
"The sect review agency is on the third floor. Please, go ahead." The guards quickly replied, extremely respectful.
Andrew Han smiled slightly and strode into the Martial Arts Alliance Processing Center, paying no mind to the guards’ awestruck gazes. He went straight to the third floor and found the office of the sect review agency.
...
A short while later, inside the office—
It was a nearly hundred-square-meter office, with celebrity calligraphy and landscape paintings on the walls, surrounded by a profusion of flowers and plants. Only a middle-aged man sat behind the desk.
Andrew Han sat in the chair across from him.
A solid brown wooden desk separated them.
"Andrew Han."
"We received your reservation early and have already completed the first round of review." The middle-aged man, his hair flecked with gray, sighed regretfully. "I’m sorry, but I must tell you—the review did not pass."
Did not pass?
Andrew Han frowned slightly. "Why?"
The middle-aged man’s expression changed; even as an ordinary Martial General, he felt uneasy. He hesitated, glancing at the tightly closed wooden door: "Simply put, your Green Mountain Sect master, Miles Ning, doesn’t meet the titled three-step Martial Lord requirement."
"He’s someone who fell to the mortal world."
"I’m afraid... he doesn’t have long to live."
As soon as he finished speaking—swish!
Andrew Han rose from his seat, his expression turning cold, his eyes icy and deep as a lake. He spoke, word by word: "You must take responsibility for what you say."
"Of course, of course," the middle-aged man replied quickly.
"Actually, we’re not sure about the situation of Green Mountain Sect’s master, Miles Ning, but someone above Martial Lord from Thunder Path Sect personally delivered this message, and we confirmed it through multiple channels."
Thunder Path Sect?
A major martial sect—Thunder Path Sect?
A sharp glint flashed in Andrew Han’s eyes. He exhaled and forced a smile: "Do you know what happened to Green Mountain Sect twenty-two years ago?"
The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to reply.
"I don’t know about that."
"Back then, Green Mountain Sect was located in the eastern seas of Seafoam Capital, serving as its guardian sect." His voice grew lower, leaning forward, his expression gradually turning serious as his words echoed in Andrew Han’s ears.
"According to rumor—"
"Seafoam Capital once suffered an unprecedented Calamity Tide, its intensity surpassing even large-scale events. There were Demons and Specters comparable to or beyond Martial Lord level, attempting to invade Seafoam."