Ren Yuanhao was utterly bewildered, and then he heard Guan Xishun continue.
"Do you know where the headquarters of our Lionheart Tower is truly located?"
Ren Yuanhao shook his head.
"It's in a submarine that you'll never be able to detect. That is where the Lionheart Group's greatest secret lies."
Guan Xishun, coughing, spoke rapidly as if making his dying confession, "Ren Yuanhao, you should know that the most mysterious places in the world are the ocean and deserts. The wind and void elements are in the desert, so the Lionheart Group could never find them. However, just a month ago, the Lionheart Group discovered an extremely ancient ruin in the sea, known as the 'Land of Divine Silence.' All three Elemental Origin Ability Cores were found there. Ren Yuanhao, you don't have much time. Once that monster wakes up, you, you absolutely won't be its match."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"A person's words are good when they are about to die. The Lionheart Group, for failures, forever—"
Before Guan Xishun could finish, a sound of internal explosion erupted from his chest. This man, who had dedicated more than ten years to cloning, finally closed his eyes in agony.
At the same time, the Thorn Spear flew back to Ren Yuanhao. Zhang Liang's corpse had vanished in the brief interval of their conversation. It was likely that the Lionheart Group wanted to retrieve the hard-won Ability Core.
"Divine Revelation, the first generation of Mandala Gene, isn't that Jiang Cheng?"
Ren Yuanhao had fought Jiang Cheng before. If it were his previous strength, Ren Yuanhao would have had a sure victory. However, if Jiang Cheng had Zhang Liang's Ability Core, with his four Elemental Origins and thousands of acquired abilities, what good would the Sword of Sparta be? Ren Yuanhao had no chance of winning.
As he was pondering, Shen Lannini woke up from a long period of unconsciousness.
The first thing she saw was Ren Yuanhao's somewhat pale face. She managed a faint smile and said, "Ren Yuanhao, I didn't expect to see you again~"
"What are you talking about? When can't you see me?"
As soon as Ren Yuanhao finished speaking, Zhao Yishu, Xiao Yue, Mu Yunyan, Yaffir, and the other women gathered around.
"Ren Yuanhao, these sisters~"
"They are friends, friends~"
"Friends?"
Ren Yuanhao felt several cold, sword-like gazes pierce him!
—Damn it? Should I feign unconsciousness at a time like this?
With this thought, Ren Yuanhao, for the first time in his life, tactically fainted.
...
Donglü City entered its reconstruction phase. However, Ren Yuanhao had no time to concern himself with all this. He was currently on Xiao Yue's private jet.
Accompanying him were Shen Lannini and her sister, Yaffir, Zhao Yishu, and others.
The plane was naturally heading to Yun Jin, which, being a place of extreme danger and beauty, could be considered the safest location.
"Ren Yuanhao, do you think if I hadn't been so stubborn back then, would everything be different now?"
Shen Lannini naturally recalled the scene where Ren Yuanhao, as a 'hired boyfriend,' had embarrassed Zhang Liang and Jiang Cheng for the first time.
"Who can say for sure about destiny? I believe that even without that incident, the Lionheart Group and the Gray Wolf organization would still exist, and we would merely be duckweed in the waves. Regarding this matter, I prefer to keep the possibilities firmly in my own hands."
Ren Yuanhao said with a slight smile. Shen Yunshu suddenly poked her head out and said with a grin, "Hey, Ren Yuanhao, if you end up marrying me, I'll be your sister-in-law. Look closely now, my sister's hair is different from mine. Also, I'm gentle and cute, but my sister is super fierce."
"What?" Shen Lannini raised her hand as if to discipline her sister, but then saw Ren Yuanhao staring blankly out the window, suddenly becoming silent and saying nothing.
"Hey, Ren Yuanhao, it's just a joke, don't be angry," Shen Yunshu murmured.
"I'm not angry."
Ren Yuanhao was merely assessing his combat ability. If he encountered a divine revelation, he feared he truly wouldn't be a match.
With this thought, Ren Yuanhao suddenly sat up straight, closed his eyes, and decided to practice the rigorous martial art he had never trained before—the Nine Yang Divine Skill.
Since he had the cultivation manual's verses memorized, Ren Yuanhao actually mastered the Nine Yang Divine Skill before the plane landed.
However, he was still worried about one thing, fixated on one matter, and that was the system.
It seemed he had developed a certain dependency on the system. Every time he encountered a difficult situation, the system's young lady would offer advice. But now, that advisory young lady had suddenly disappeared.
—If you were here, you could definitely help me come up with excellent ideas and suggestions, and you definitely wouldn't let me become a headless fly like I am now. Just give me a sound to let me know you're at least still here, okay?
Ren Yuanhao couldn't remember how many times he had tried to contact the young lady, but his brain felt as if it had been emptied, with no feedback.
...
After returning to Yun Jin City, Ji Fu and the others had already prepared accommodations, but Ren Yuanhao had already disappeared somewhere.
At this moment, Ren Yuanhao, using the wind, had arrived outside the alley where he had met the old man.
He looked at the pitch-black alley, as if the encounter that day was just a dream, everything appearing so unreal.
He hesitated for a moment before stepping into it.
As he walked further in, the dark environment gradually became more colorful, with golden light flickering and drifting. After walking for about two to three minutes, Ren Yuanhao still hadn't managed to exit the alley. However, that familiar yet unfamiliar voice sounded again.
"Yo, kid, you're still alive, huh?"
The old man's voice was somewhat cheerful, indicating he was still eating well and living comfortably. Ren Yuanhao walked closer and saw that he had recently become obsessed with a certain tacky app, enjoyed taking selfies, and had switched his drink from tea to a sugary soda.
"Aren't you still alive?"
Ren Yuanhao suddenly realized that the old man's appearance and mental state seemed similar to when he hadn't encountered the system.
"Of course, I won't die. After all, I don't like to fuss as much as you do," the old man said, looking at Ren Yuanhao's somewhat dazed eyes. "What, are you expecting me to give you some encouraging words to regain your confidence and reach the pinnacle of life?"
Ren Yuanhao paused for a moment. "Senior, I want to become stronger."
"Stronger? You're already very strong. The three-attribute true qi couldn't kill you, and you even obtained the wind attribute ability, one of the five elemental origins. You should be content."
The old man continued to speak in a teasing tone, joking around.
"It seems I've inexplicably overcome the shackles of the three attributes. I want to know if unifying the five energies would allow me to contend with someone who possesses the four-elemental origin ability?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man gave Ren Yuanhao his answer by choking on a sip of cola.