I'm a villain in the superhero world.

Passing through the iconic buildings of the city, and crossing the cross-sea bridge connecting the north and south districts.

We disembarked amidst greetings and respect, gazing upon the massive ship before us, a vessel comparable in size to a cruise ship.

Ji Mingyang and Yin Qing exchanged a glance.

Faced with this increasingly large-scale event, the two people who had never experienced anything like this before felt somewhat... uneasy.

That makes sense. After all, although both of them reached the third energy level, one of them lived in seclusion for twelve years, while the other only recently awakened.

Although their detached demeanor and materialistic nature made them indifferent to money—

But when you actually face everything that is built purely by worldly power and wealth.

Ji Mingyang and Yin Qing still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Such a big fuss, just for dinner? Isn't that a waste?"

Ji Mingyang sighed silently, but he was not intimidated; these things were not yet to the point where he could not accept them at all.

Greeted by numerous waiters, they boarded the cruise ship together and entered the "room" specially prepared for them.

Then, for the first time, Ji Mingyang began to waver and misunderstand the concept of "room".

— Rather than calling this a "room," it's more accurate to describe it as a small palace.

Magnificent and resplendent, gleaming with gold. The space is spacious, with dappled light and shadow.

The murals on the dome and the chandelier, which looks like it's made of white crystal, complement each other.

The huge and exquisite stained glass window has a completely transparent center that allows you to see the shimmering sea outside.

As for the composition of the room's four walls...

After gazing at the shimmering pale gold murals for a while, Yin Qing tapped on the wall and gave her judgment.

"It should be entirely gold-plated, on every single side—"

This is outrageous; it's reached a point where even luxury can't be described.

Keep in mind that they hadn't even arrived at the banquet venue yet; this was merely a temporary room.

Even Yin Qing, who had followed her brother to many mundane or extraordinary banquets, had to admit it.

Ji Mingyang's friend, who is at least at the fifth level of power, is probably the most powerful and wealthy person in Eastern Xia, at least in the mortal world.

His casual remark last night that North America was a kingdom ruled by his family for two hundred years should not be an exaggeration.

Yin Qing is not a person with too many thoughts.

Her brother would occasionally sigh and complain that she was a "three-no girl" because of her overly quiet personality and indifference to everything except her mission.

Even so, she couldn't help but ponder what the unheard-of name Lü Buyi represented in both the extraordinary and the mundane worlds.

"That's outrageous. Even if your friend is at the fifth level, this is still too much."

"In principle, according to the confidentiality agreement, no one or anything related to the extraordinary should interfere in the operation of any aspect of the mortal world unless absolutely necessary."

"Therefore, this wealth must have been acquired by him and his family purely through worldly means."

As Yin Qing spoke softly, she took Ji Mingyang's hand and continued to give him instructions:

"And judging from what he said yesterday, he should know Master, but I've never heard that name or anything related to him from either my brother or Master..."

"This means either he has an extremely high status and is even more dangerous than his master, or he has never cared about worldly affairs before and is still unknown to others."

"Whichever it is, I can't think of any other reason that would make him get close to you except to take you away."

"The power of the fifth level... even if all the parties that arrive in three days combine, they will not be his match. He is far more dangerous than the crisis that will occur in three days."

"...Are you really sure you're safe?"

When asked about Yin Qing's question, Ji Mingyang answered without hesitation.

With his nod, Yin Qing also quieted down again after thinking.

Ji Mingyang unconditionally trusted Lü Buyi, and Yin Qing unconditionally trusted Ji Mingyang.

That's enough. There's no need to say anything more or question anything.

However, after a brief period of calm, another problem arose.

The cruise ship was getting further and further away from the direction of Haidu. Where were they going to attend a banquet?

There was no need to ask this question, because the island that slowly appeared before them had already given Ji Mingyang the answer.

At this moment, this destination seemed quite mysterious to Ji Mingyang.

Therefore, he didn't use his superhuman eyesight to observe what was above, but simply followed the procedure step by step.

He was quite curious to see what surprises Lü Buyi would prepare for him next.

After docking and disembarking, a figure had been waiting for some time on the island under the cover of night.

—As instructed by Lü Buyi, Gu Yu personally led the two of them through the rest of the journey.

Ji Mingyang remembered Gu Yu because he was one of the two people who appeared before Lü Buyi escorted him home.

However, compared to Ji Mingyang, whom he had met once,

Yin Qing, standing beside him, seemed more familiar with Gu Yu's identity and aura.

"You are... a member of the Lishan Five Elements Family?"

This was the first time Ji Mingyang had heard Yin Qing's words contain a hint of surprise, as if she had witnessed something impossible.

Gu Yu nodded in response to her question, without hiding anything, and was not surprised that she was recognized.

He held out his hand to point in the direction, indicating that they could walk and talk as they went.

"No offense intended, but may I ask which branch of the tribe you belong to?"

Following behind Ji Mingyang, Yin Qing asked Gu Yu.

"Lishan Earth Craftsman, Shenlong Clan—"

The answer given by Gu Yu surprised Yin Qing even more.

Yin Qing didn't ask any more questions; she fell into thought.

But she was even more confused: just who was Lü Buyi to make the Five Elements Family serve him so diligently?

Ji Mingyang did not disturb her, nor did he ask about the Five Elements of Lishan and Gu Yu's identity.

These things weren't that important to him.

So he quietly followed Gu Yu's guidance and strolled along.

Until we arrived at...

That enormous estate, covering approximately 1500 hectares and with a palace complex exceeding the size of more than 20 Forbidden Cities!

Despite having mentally prepared himself beforehand, and even though Ji Mingyang had already imagined the scene that might appear before him...

But when those enormous palaces and buildings appeared row upon row and swept past;

As thousands of servants and attendants bowed in turn on either side of the road;

As sculptures, paintings, and artifacts he had only seen online and in history textbooks appeared one after another, they were instantly overshadowed by the items that followed.

Ji Mingyang only belatedly realized the extent and significance of the pinnacle of wealth.

"Excuse me, may I ask what that is...?"

As they passed a fountain with an antique-style decoration, Ji Mingyang and Yin Qing stopped at the same time.

Ji Mingyang's lips twitched as he pointed to the five bronze heads floating in the pool that looked like they had appeared in history books.

At the same time, a few questions also surfaced in Yin Qing's mind—

No way, it can't be that one, right?

Is this genuine?

Ji Mingyang's words made Gu Yu, who was standing in front of him, turn her head slightly.

Clearly, Ji Mingyang, whom the family head had given special instructions to, was treated with much more respect than Yin Qing.

"The bronze animal heads from the Yuanmingyuan—" Gu Yu answered softly, then explained in detail, "These are some of the collections that the previous patriarch recovered from overseas. Their rarity is secondary; their significance is the most important factor."

Are you interested in this?

"The head of the family specifically instructed me beforehand that I could take anything I wanted. If you or the lady beside you like it, I can send someone to deliver it to your home."

Ji Mingyang quickly waved his hand: "No need, I was just asking."

There were many more such little incidents—

From the entrance to a hall on the east side of the manor, the sight of cultural relics along the way, which seemed to condemn someone to twenty years in prison with just a glance, made Ji Mingyang cough incessantly.

However, despite all this, the mystery surrounding him still couldn't compare to the person who had been waiting for him in the hall.

It's getting closer, closer and closer.

He was just a wall away; all he had to do was push open that door and he would be there.

But before that final door, Gu Yu's figure stopped—

"I'm sorry, my mission is complete. The patriarch is currently waiting for you both inside, and it is inconvenient for me to appear and disturb you."

"Therefore, you two will have to walk this short stretch of road on your own from here on out."

However, before leaving, Gu Yu bowed slightly to Ji Mingyang and Yin Qing as a farewell:

"Finally, welcome to both of you..."

"Falkenhausen Glory Courtyard".