Outside Jiangbei City, by a stream.
It was the dead of night, and the surroundings were incredibly quiet, with only the sound of flowing water.
"What are you bringing me out here for in the middle of the night?" Li Shengtian asked Jin Gong, standing beside him, with a puzzled expression.
Jin Gong replied,
"To pick up some people."
"Pick up who, in this godforsaken place?" Jin Gong inquired.
Jin Gong grinned slyly,
"Because some people are not human."
"What did you say!" Li Shengtian instinctively took a few steps back.
Jin Gong explained,
"Don't be nervous, you'll know soon enough."
As soon as he finished speaking, the stream before them began to boil and bubble.
Gradually, a head wearing a black hood emerged from the boiling water.
Li Shengtian was so terrified he almost fell to the ground.
"What in the hell is that!"
Jin Gong glanced at Li Shengtian, who had never seen the world, and said sternly,
"What's all the fuss about? It's not a ghost."
Slowly, the entire body of the person with the black hood emerged from the water.
He wore a black, form-fitting cloth outfit, and his hood only revealed a pair of eyes.
Li Shengtian was stunned, then blurted out,
"Is that... isn't that a ninja from those Japanese movies?"
Jin Gong scoffed,
"You're not entirely clueless."
Then, from the stream beneath the ninja, two more ninjas, dressed identically, emerged.
The three of them flickered and instantly appeared before Jin Gong, startling the already terrified Li Shengtian even further.
"Thank you for your trouble, sirs," Jin Gong said to the three with a degree of politeness.
The middle of the three ninjas stepped forward, nodded to Jin Gong, and then uttered a few words that Li Shengtian couldn't understand.
After listening, Jin Gong said,
"No problem, sirs. I'll send you the target's information shortly."
The three nodded in unison, clasped their hands together, and vanished into the night as if they had never appeared.
Li Shengtian was still shaken. It was Jin Gong's pat on his shoulder that brought him back to his senses. He swallowed and asked,
"Are they... really Japanese ninjas?"
Jin Gong nodded.
"Yes, these three are all Genin from Japan."
"Genin? They have ranks?"
Jin Gong nodded again.
"Yes, although Japan is a small country, it should not be underestimated. In Japan, ninjas are divided into several ranks: Genin, Chunin, Jonin, and the mysterious Kishin."
"Several years ago, I was on business in Japan and coincidentally saved a Japanese person. Little did I know, that person was a high-ranking member of a prominent Japanese family. Later, as we became more acquainted, I learned about these powerful ninjas in Japan, who are even stronger than our Dragon Country's martial artists. This time, I've paid a hefty price to have that Japanese person send some Genin over. This time, I will avenge my son!"
Li Shengtian's eyes lit up instantly.
He hadn't expected such powerful beings to exist in such a tiny island nation.
Just by the way the three ninjas had appeared and disappeared, Li Shengtian was certain they were far superior to those so-called martial artists from the Black Tiger Gang.
If one was this strong, three of them could surely tear Qin Xuan, that bastard, to shreds!
"Let's go. Isn't that Black Tiger Gang punk your subordinate? Go find him and arrange the plan."
Inside the city, in a small private room at a teahouse.
Jin Gong, Li Shengtian, and Hei Biao with his trusted subordinates were all in the room.
After hearing Li Shengtian's words, Hei Biao frowned slightly.
"Mr. Li, this seems a bit unreliable. Ninjas? Where do ninjas come from in this world? That's all made up in movies. If you really want revenge, I can hire some skilled martial artists from Dragon Country for a high price."
Li Shengtian remained silent and looked at Jin Gong.
Jin Gong let out a light chuckle.
"Ignorance."
The next moment, the two martial artists standing behind Li Shengtian felt a powerful impact on their chests, and then they were sent flying, smashing into the wall of the private room, shattering the wooden paneling.
"Who!" The two martial artists clutched their chests and scanned their surroundings vigilantly.
They were both peak Houtian realm martial artists, and they knew their physical capabilities. To be attacked without any warning, they must have been at least Xiantian realm experts.
"Two stupid pigs from Dragon Country." A condescending and strange voice echoed in the room.
Upon hearing this, the two martial artists were enraged.
"Damn it, if you have the guts, show yourself for a duel!"
"Hiding your head and showing your tail, what kind of thing are you!"
As soon as they finished speaking, a figure slowly appeared by the room's window.
He wore a black cloth outfit and a black hood, with only his eyes visible.
It was one of the three Japanese ninjas.
The ninja cast a faint glance at the two martial artists on the ground and spoke in broken Dragon Country language,
"You are not worthy of fighting me."
Upon seeing the ninja's attire, everyone was somewhat astonished.
This was truly a ninja!
They hadn't expected ninjas to actually exist in this world!
The two martial artists simply clenched their fists.
That single strike had already injured them. The strength of the martial artist before them was likely equivalent to a mid-Xiantian or even late-Xiantian realm expert.
"Mr. Li, is that... really a ninja?" Hei Biao asked, somewhat surprised.
Li Shengtian nodded with a wry smile.
He hadn't believed it himself at first, but since they were indeed that powerful, he had no choice but to believe.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Jin Gong stated directly,
"Now that everyone is here, we can start planning..."
During this time, Qin Xuan had managed to cultivate the fifth Dragon Scale into form and was now progressing towards the sixth.
The spiritual energy remaining in the original stone was still abundant, so Qin Xuan wouldn't have to worry about a lack of spiritual energy for a considerable period.
His practice of the Vajra Sutra had also improved significantly.
Qin Xuan believed that he could now confidently defeat a Grandmaster-level martial artist.
Grandmaster-level martial artists were not common, and there weren't many of them in Dragon Country.
Therefore, Qin Xuan's combat power could be considered to be at the pinnacle of martial artists.
He now had the ability to protect the people he cared about.
Furthermore, the Dragon Pill inheritance contained countless powerful cultivation techniques and secret manuals.
Qin Xuan still hadn't fully figured out how many treasures Ying Tian had collected back then.
Almost every time Qin Xuan encountered a cultivation problem, a solution would instantly appear in his mind with a search.
Besides cultivation techniques and secret manuals, there were also various strange tales and ancient records.
Even where mountains had abundant spiritual energy and where rare herbs grew was clearly documented.
However, Qin Xuan hadn't reached the point where he needed those things yet.
Moreover, there was a hazy memory in his mind that Qin Xuan had never been able to see clearly.
He vaguely saw three characters.
Cultivator!
Although there were only these three words, Qin Xuan knew it was definitely not simple, otherwise, the memory wouldn't be so blurry.