The reception room on the top floor of Zero Wing's headquarters building.
Though the room spanned a full two or three hundred square meters, and only four people occupied it, the atmosphere inside was suffocatingly oppressive. Most affected of all was Xiao Yu, who had been assigned to receive the guests — the expression on his face was positively grim.
At the head of the group sat a man approaching fifty, dressed in a grey martial robe, and his presence bore down on Xiao Yu like a mountain, leaving him struggling to draw breath.
This was not merely the aura the man radiated. It was his identity that carried the real weight.
Fang Zhenyuan — the current patriarch of the Fang family, and chairman of the Qilin Conglomerate!
The Qilin Conglomerate might not rival the Five Continents Grand Conglomerate, but it was still a first-rate corporation nationally. It was precisely because of Qilin's existence that all the major families in Fenglin City fell under the Fang family's leadership.
In truth, a single word from Fang Zhenyuan could reduce the Beidou Group to nothing in an instant.
Now that such a figure had come in person, how could Xiao Yu not be terrified?
After all, this was a genuine heavyweight — not even remotely comparable to those young heirs who had simply inherited their family fortunes.
Besides Fang Zhenyuan, two younger people had come along. The young man was none other than Fang Mingyu, the strongest among the Fang family's younger generation, whom Xiao Yu had already seen at the Red Stone Restaurant. As for the young woman beside him — dressed in a striking crimson gown with long hair cascading over her shoulders, carrying herself with an elegant, refined beauty — Xiao Yu did not recognize her. But if she had come with Fang Zhenyuan, her status was surely no ordinary thing.
Just as Xiao Yu was wondering why a figure of Fang Zhenyuan's stature would bother coming to Zero Wing's headquarters, the reception room doors burst open and Shi Feng, Bai Qingxue, and Lei Bao walked in.
Shi Feng's appearance drew an immediate reaction from Fang Mingyu, who had been sitting quietly. Xiao Yu could clearly sense a flicker of wariness in Fang Mingyu's gaze as it settled on Shi Feng — alongside a thick killing intent.
Then again, that was only natural. At the Red Stone Restaurant, a prodigy like Fang Mingyu had been subdued by Shi Feng in a single move. It had been a humiliating loss, and the Red Stone Restaurant was the kind of place where Fenglin City's elite all congregated. News of Fang Mingyu being taken down in one strike would have spread far and wide — even if he had wanted to avoid hearing about it, that was impossible.
"I didn't believe what Mingyu told me before, but now I see he wasn't exaggerating at all. You have plenty of nerve, and plenty of strength to back it up. I'd say there's no one among the younger generation who can rival you." Fang Zhenyuan watched Shi Feng approach, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
His words immediately drew Bai Qingxue's attention, and the worried composure she had been maintaining crumbled entirely. She had never expected Fang Zhenyuan himself to come in person.
"Mr. Fang flatters me. Might I ask what business the Fang family has with me today?" Shi Feng cut straight to the point.
He was not surprised by the Fang family's arrival, but Fang Zhenyuan was the patriarch — a visit from someone of his stature meant serious business. Shi Feng had no interest in beating around the bush. He had far too much to deal with.
"In that case, I'll be direct. You caused quite a stir at the Red Stone Restaurant the other day. The Fang family is a prominent name in Fenglin City. If we don't do something about it, how do you think people will perceive us?" Fang Zhenyuan's tone was perfectly calm. "However, I hear that your Zero Wing is doing very well in the Divine Realm, and that virtual combat platform you've been developing recently is quite impressive. The Fang family is very interested. So we'd like to make a comprehensive investment in Zero Wing. And we're not asking for much — just fifty-one percent of the shares."
"With that, Zero Wing would not only have access to the Qilin Conglomerate's substantial capital for rapid expansion, but every martial arts academy and training center in Fenglin City would also be at your disposal for talent cultivation. What do you think?"
Fang Zhenyuan's words instantly plunged the entire hall into stunned silence. Xiao Yu stared at him in disbelief — he had never imagined Fang Zhenyuan would show such interest in Zero Wing, let alone offer a full-scale investment.
Plenty of guilds in the Divine Realm had received conglomerate backing, sure, but only partial support. A comprehensive investment of this kind was unheard of.
With the Qilin Conglomerate's full backing, both Zero Wing and the Tiandou Training Center would undergo a qualitative transformation. But fifty-one percent of shares meant absolute control — it was tantamount to handing over Zero Wing entirely.
Bai Qingxue's face had turned iron-grey. She hadn't expected the Fang family's appetite to be this vast.
"That's honestly the most polite threat I've ever heard," Shi Feng said with a light laugh.
Fang Zhenyuan's proposal, stripped to its core, was simply using absolute control of Zero Wing to sweep the earlier incident under the rug.
"Are you suggesting you'd oppose the Fang family?" Fang Zhenyuan's brow furrowed slightly, a trace of ice creeping into his voice. "Or do you believe that with your martial strength alone, you can pit Zero Wing and the Tiandou Training Center against us?"
The moment he finished speaking, the aura around Fang Zhenyuan erupted without warning — like a volcano going off. The entire hall's atmosphere turned scorching hot.
"An Integrated Force Grandmaster!" Lei Bao, standing behind Shi Feng, exclaimed in shock.
He had sensed an imposing presence from Fang Zhenyuan earlier and known the man was no ordinary figure, but he had not anticipated this level — an Integrated Force Grandmaster.
For a single family to produce an Integrated Force Grandmaster was already a remarkable achievement. Not only did it mean martial prowess beyond ordinary comprehension, but the heightened brain activation made everything such a person did appear effortless, capable of sustaining a family's prosperity for a century. That was far more precious than passing the imperial examinations in ancient times.
It was exactly this that had allowed the Fang family's old master to elevate the family to its current standing.
But now, it turned out Fang Zhenyuan himself was also an Integrated Force Grandmaster? The Fang family was truly terrifying.
Xiao Yu, hearing Lei Bao's exclamation, was equally shaken to his core. Two Integrated Force Grandmasters in one family — never mind the raw martial power, the sheer influence alone was enough to keep every family and training center in Fenglin City obedient.
Meanwhile, Fang Mingyu, who had remained seated on the sofa throughout, now allowed a faint, cold smile to cross his face as he looked at Shi Feng.
Everyone assumed the Fang family's rise was entirely built on the old master's back, and that once he passed his hundredth year, the family would crumble.
What they didn't know was that the Fang family's foundations had long since surpassed what they were in the old master's era of becoming an Integrated Force Grandmaster. Otherwise, the old master would never have passed the patriarch's position to his son, Fang Zhenyuan.
Shi Feng was certainly powerful — powerful enough to subdue him in a single move. But that was merely a trick of technique. Before his father, Fang Zhenyuan, Fang Mingyu didn't even harbor thoughts of resistance, because he simply had no ability to face the man in direct confrontation. His father's physical capabilities were beyond human.
"There's only one way to find out — try it," Shi Feng said, perfectly calm despite Fang Zhenyuan's aura fully unleashed before him.
"Good! Then let me see if you have what it takes!"
Fang Zhenyuan rose from his seat and drove a fist straight at Shi Feng. There was no flourish, no preparatory motion — nothing to signal the attack, making it virtually impossible to evade.