"Supreme Celestial—young man, may I ask if the Daoist supreme technique you practice is Celestial Essence?" The old Daoist looked at Shawn Young and asked.
"Uh—yes, yes, that's right!" Shawn Young's heart was filled with fear. There are countless Daoist cultivators in the world, but those who can recognize Celestial Essence are as rare as stars in the morning sky. This old Daoist was truly formidable—just by looking at him, he not only saw through Shawn's disguise, but even identified the technique he practiced!
"Heh, I knew I wasn't mistaken! Young man, you've activated the ancient supreme technique—Celestial Essence! Good! Good! Good! It's fate, truly fate!" For the first time, a look of excitement appeared on the old Daoist's usually calm face.
"But Master, how did you know?" Shawn Young asked, puzzled.
"Supreme Celestial—when you fought Andrew Qi earlier, the surge of energy from your Sea of Illusions and dantian was powerful and overwhelming. Only the purest Daoist innate energy could have such force! There are countless Daoist arts in the world, but only the long-lost Celestial Essence carries such momentum! I dare say my cultivation is decent, so naturally, I could sense it—" the old Daoist explained.
"Oh, so that's how it works!" Shawn Young suddenly understood. Thanks to his studies of the Codex of Ascension, he knew that when a cultivator reaches a high level, they can sense energy fluctuations at an advanced realm—this old Daoist was no ordinary character!
"That's right. It seems you're truly blessed, young man, to inherit the Daoist supreme technique Celestial Essence, lost for nearly two thousand years! In time, you'll surely become a grandmaster of the Daoist arts!" The old Daoist sighed with deep emotion.
"Master, you're too kind. I—I just got lucky, that's all! I'm not nearly as amazing as you say," Shawn Young replied, embarrassed.
"Heh, a cultivator never speaks lightly. My own Daoist training is modest, but even without seeing your true face, I can tell you'll be extraordinary one day! So don't sell yourself short. No matter how things change, fate has its plans." The old Daoist said seriously.
"Oh—I understand," Shawn Young replied, half-understanding, half-confused.
The old Daoist smiled at him, then turned to Luna Xiao and asked, "Boss Xiao, what's your next move?"
Luna Xiao said, "Andrew Qi has betrayed the Thirteen Enforcers and is colluding with the Japanese. I'll handle the traitor myself! But he's held power for so long, most affairs in the group have been under his control, and he's hard to remove. So we can't confront him head-on just yet—we'll act when I'm fully prepared!"
"Good, Boss Xiao gets it! The Thirteen Enforcers' internal affairs are best left to insiders. I only stepped in today because this kid triggered the ancient Daoist technique—Celestial Essence. We're connected by fate, so we crossed paths here. Well, I need to head up to Pureview Sanctuary—time for me to disappear. The world’s a big place; take care, everyone." As he spoke, the old Daoist flashed that weird hand sign to Luna Xiao and the other ladies, then strolled over to Shawn Young.
He walked up to Shawn Young, pulled something from his Daoist robe, and handed it to him, saying, "Heh, young man, our meeting here is arranged by fate. This is a gift for you—if destiny allows, we'll meet again someday!"
With that, the old Daoist left the room first, calling out, "Miles Moon, let's go—"
"Oh! Got it—" The handsome young Daoist, clutching a snow-white whisk, hurried over and followed the old Daoist. The two of them walked straight out of Pureview Sanctuary.
Shawn Young inspected the item in his hand. It was a waist badge made of yellow jade, the edges showing a mellow patina—clearly an ancient piece. One side had a Daoist bagua, while the other was odd: in the center were the characters 'Hung Society Badge,' surrounded by strange inscriptions like 'Sun and Moon,' 'Trust,' 'Harmony,' all in traditional script. On the rim, the old motto 'Restore Han' was engraved in archaic seal script.
"Hmm—this jade token is so strange! What do all these inscriptions mean? Master? Master?" Shawn Young was curious and wanted to ask the old Daoist, but when he looked up, he realized the old man had already disappeared.
At that moment, Luna Xiao came over, glanced at the yellow jade badge in Shawn Young's hand, and her beautiful eyes sparkled with shock. She said, "Whoa—I never thought Grandmaster Tyler Xuan would rate you so highly! This thing is super important, so guard it with your life!"
"Uh—Grandmaster Tyler Xuan? You—you know the old Daoist, he's Grandmaster Tyler Xuan? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Shawn Young asked in surprise.
"Mhm—the founder of the China Dragon-Tiger Ranking—Grandmaster Tyler Xuan! He's also the Chancellor of the Hung Society, one of the Hung Society's Twin Sages. We just exchanged our sect affiliations!" Luna Xiao said.
"Hung Society Chancellor? Twin Sages? And you exchanged sect affiliations? But I didn't hear him introduce himself—how do you know it's him?" Shawn Young asked, even more puzzled.
"Heh, the Hung Society was founded in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, always holding 'Restore Han' as its core motto. That's why we use Ming-style hand gestures—the Hung Society's secret signals. In the underworld, Hung Society brothers use these gestures to communicate. Grandmaster Tyler Xuan just used the Hung Society gesture to show his identity!" Luna Xiao explained.
"Wow! I never expected Grandmaster Tyler Xuan to be part of the underworld! I heard the Hung Society is a really ancient group!" Shawn Young exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course, the Hung Society is the largest Chinese organization! It has over 300 years of history, with influence all over the world—wherever there are Chinese people, there's the Hung Society! Just imagine how powerful it is!" Luna Xiao said.
"Whoa, that's amazing! So Grandmaster Tyler Xuan is one of the Twin Sages of the Hung Society—his status must be extraordinary!" Shawn Young said in awe.
"Exactly! The badge he gave you is basically his VIP pass. With it, any Hung Society brother will treat you like a top guest! And other gangs won’t dare mess with you—offending you means offending the Hung Society!" Luna Xiao said.
"Wow! That's awesome! What about you guys—the Thirteen Enforcers?" Shawn Young asked curiously.
"Heh, our Thirteen Enforcers are strong in the underworld, but in the eyes of police and mainstream authorities, we're still seen as a cult and a gang. The Hung Society is different—it's successfully transformed in many ways. Though it has many independent halls and branches, both legal and illegal, in many countries and regions, the Hung Society is now a legitimate organization! It's huge, full of talented people and masters. We're no match for the Hung Society, but over time, because our directions and 'business' differ, we've sometimes cooperated and managed to coexist peacefully." Luna Xiao explained.
"Hmm—with so many Hung Society brothers and independent halls worldwide, what if they don't know each other? What happens if there's a conflict?" Shawn Young asked curiously.
"The Hung Society's strength is its vertical and horizontal system. There are ranks like Dragonhead, Hallmaster, Enforcer, Confidant, and Inspector—clear vertical hierarchy. Then there are horizontal systems like coded language and hand gestures. Even Hung Society brothers meeting for the first time can recognize each other by gestures, coded talk, or swearing brotherhood at the Flower Pavilion. With these, old grudges turn into friendship. The system is so complex and scholarly that no other secret organization in the world can match it! So, Hung Society members rarely mistake outsiders for brothers. Even our Thirteen Enforcers borrowed this system!" Luna Xiao explained.
"Wow, that sounds complicated. Looks like the ways of the underworld are way beyond what I can understand!" Shawn Young said, tongue-tied.
"From the way you talk, you’re not part of the underworld! And you’re not a cop either. But I don’t care who you are—after all, you saved our lives. And Grandmaster Tyler Xuan thinks so highly of you, giving you such an important Hung Society badge. You must be someone special!" Luna Xiao said.