'Looks like today just got a little more entertaining.' Ao Shen chuckled, making his way downstairs.

Meanwhile, the mysterious lady, Qin Lian, the matriarch of the Qin Clan, one of the Five National Cultivator Families. Publicly, known as a high-profile entrepreneur and philanthropist. But only a few know of her high cultivation, her sharp intuition, and her strategic mind.

She entered the building with all of her grace, catching the eyes of all employees and students inside. Surrounded by her guards, she made her way straight towards the chairman's office.

"We have finished the talk with the principal, dean, and board of directors; the chairman must be waiting for you in the office," one of her lackeys explained.

"That's to be expected." She remarked in an aloof manner with her heels striding towards the said direction, led by one of her guards.

And while on her way, her eyes narrowed towards the students around her, '... Average,' she remarked.

'Qinghe University is indeed a prestigious university, but it doesn't come as one of the big names in the nation. But still, it's the greatest university in this province.

Though they provide top-class facilities, they still lack facilities to help students cultivate; only the students from great families here have the ability to cultivate, while people from normal families can barely cultivate even the Qi Formation Realm. All students in this university are average at best.'

She frowned, but even then she was capable of sensing some students with outstanding talent. 'Those must be children of big families of this region. Foundation Building Realm at current age? Not bad.'

An amused little smile seems to forge between her lips, 'Though they aren't on the level of children from the capital, it's still good for students of lower provinces like this; I would consider spreading Qin Family influence here...'

She smiled with satisfaction, and finally one of her guards opened up the doors to the chairman's office, "Chairman Wang! Meet the---!?"

To their surprise, the office was empty. "Chairman Wang?" the guard muttered in surprise, and then his gaze suddenly fell over the name placed over the table

"Chairman... Ao Shen?" He muttered in shock, but before he could even process anything, suddenly bloodlust behind him submerged him; the weight of air above his shoulders multiplied several dozen times, making his knees crash down to the floor, forming several cracks as Qin Lian behind him coldly questioned

"What kind of joke is this?" She questioned excluding her bloodlust and spiritual pressure into the surroundings; all the faces of even the guards around her seemed drenched in sweat with pale faces. "The chairman of the university has changed, and you didn't even dare to inform me?"

"I swear, Matriarch! I— even I wasn't informed of this! I was constantly up to date!!!" The guard pleaded, but the lady seemed absolutely distraught, and with gritted teeth, as she was about to take it a step further, suddenly a voice caught her attention.

"Chairman Wang just transferred this university this morning, so please don't be so harsh to your subordinates..."

Qin Lian slowly turned her head back, where she noticed the familiar-looking man walking in her direction quite casually despite all the pressure and bloodlust she was putting in the surroundings, which made even her guards hard to breathe.

'This man again...' Qin Lian recognised him, 'There was something strange with him even there...'

She squinted her eyes, scanning that man from head to toe, but even her eyes were incapable of seeing through this person, black hair, strange golden pupils, and in a white shirt, with an amused little grin on his face.

"Please don't misunderstand..." Ao Shen chuckled, but suddenly his expression darkened as he watched Qin Lian continuously glaring at him with her pressure all over the surroundings.

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"... but I value my privacy and the health of students under me!" As Ao Shen remarked, a wave of energy was instantly released from his finger snap, instantly dispensing all her bloodlust and spiritual pressure around them.

'What?!' Qin Lian's face was instantly drenched in sweat, her very instincts screaming to bow down on her knees,

Flee from this place.

Escape the gaze of that man.

Run until you lose your breath.

Her pupils shook uncontrollably as her eyes met his pupils; just his gaze alone gave her an experience of horror she couldn't even have imagined in her life before.

'What should I do?!' Her feet were numb. 'Can I really escape if I tried?!' Goosebumps were running across her body. 'What if he chases after me?! Can I escape??'

She, who had lived at the top of the hierarchy since the moment of her birth, could never imagine a day where thoughts of fleeing away would be only thoughts that would run across her mind; not once did the thought of crossing blades come to her mind.

She realised it; she knew there was no chance of making it out alive even if she just had a thought of that. Unlike her, Ao Shen didn't even release any sort of pressure, but she was on the verge of falling over her knees.

And just as she was about to collapse with a blank mind, a sudden remark from Ao Shen's mouth instantly dispelled all that daze.

"Behave..."

"Huh?!" Qin Lian's eyes widened. 'W-what was that...' she stepped out of her daze with consciousness slowly catching up to her mind.

"Chairman Wang isn't here, but I'm sure I can be of help instead of him." Ao Shen chuckled seeing the expression on her face.

"W-who might you be..." Qin Lian was still overridden in surprise. "Senior?" This time she addressed him politely, daring not to show her arrogance in front of this man who commanded death itself.

"Hmm..." Ao Shen smiled, witnessing her sharp survival instincts. "This venerable one is called Ao Shen, the Chairman and Professor of Qinghe University. What can I help you with?"

"N-new Chairman?" Qin Lian muttered in shock, before feeling his curious gaze fixated on her face, "Then! I'm Qin Lian, Qin Family Matriarch!"

She extended her greetings with absolute respect; the looks on the faces of her guards seemed incomprehensible; they couldn't have imagined this noble, serene act so polite towards someone other than her parents.

"I came from Capital in order to sponsor Qinghe University. We already had the talk about sponsorship with the principal, dean, and board of directors, so it's only right to go through the chairman too."

"Sponsor the University?" Ao Shen was a bit surprised, 'It's nothing special for the rich to sponsor universities in order to promote their fame and business, but...'

Ao Shen's playful gaze scanned that lady, 'What possibly could be so important for someone like her to come here 'herself' instead of just sending some subordinate...'

His pupils lit up scanning through the woman, 'She is young and already at the Immortal Ascension Realm, the strongest cultivator I have seen since waking up to this era. By current standards, she is a national powerhouse. Is a national powerhouse really so free?'

Ao Shen scoffed, and his eyes suddenly lit up in cold light, instantly surrounding the nearby space into a dark veil of shadows.

Qin Lian's subordinates, incapable of withstanding that level of energy, instantly collapsed on the ground, falling unconscious.

"Huh?!" Qin Lian alerted, looked around her in shock, 'I need to escape!!!' All her instincts screamed, but before she could even flinch, there was already a sharp blade materialised from the white wind hanging over her throat.

"You think I'm so easy..." Ao Shen scoffed, "Junior?"

Qin Lian could feel the cold down her spine; all composure she had maintained till now instantly vanished.

"The junior begs for your forgiveness!!! Junior had no intentions of causing any harm or mischief! I just came here to investigate the cause of all the chaos in the 'Hao Family'! And why they were sending their people to keep an eye on students of Qinghe University!"

She instantly revealed her true intentions without attempting to hide anything, "Student of Qinghe University?" Ao Shen was also confused.

"Yes! Hao Family is also one of 4 other families with the same level of influence as my Qin Family. They had been acting suspiciously the last few years, and recently, a month ago, they sent one of their units to this province. I just came here to check what move they were making here!"

"I'm not interested in your politics..." Ao Shen scoffed, "Just tell me the name of the student that the Hao family is showing so much interest in."

"Oh that ..." Qin Lian raised her head as Ao Shen lowered his blade from her throat. "His name was Xiao Jun, if I remember it correctly—ordinary backgrounds, nothing interesting..."

Qin Lian recalled the details but then her eyes once again fell over Ao Shen, who was chuckling with a playful grin hearing that playful name.

"How amusing! Xiao Jun of all people! Hahahaha!" Ao Shen giggled like some kid who just found an interesting object to toy with.

"You... You recognise this student, senior?" Qin Lian muttered; she could feel something ahead. Ao Shen gave her one amused glance, and sniggering, he replied, "Of course I do, that child is my nephew."

"Oh..." Qin Lian realised, and finally all puzzle pieces started to settle in their places on their own. 'Shit!!!!!!!!'

And by the time she realised, she was already drowned deep into the ocean; her eyes full of horror met that horror of a grin over that Ao Shen had on his face as he watched her, "Miss Qin Lian… I had a favour to ask of you…"

'... We are doomed.'