Shan Hu hung up the phone and tossed it onto the sofa.
"Who was that, Xiao Hu? What was that about True Qi and sneezing?" Wang Fang asked curiously.
Shan Hu shrugged, looking innocent. "Oh, just a wrong number. Some crazy salesman talking nonsense. Don't worry about it, Mom."
Shan Qing, however, looked at him with suspicion. "Bro, are you sure the Ascent Group is going to apologize tomorrow? You didn't just go yell at their security guard and get thrown out, did you?"
Shan Hu playfully tapped her head. "Little brat. Who do you think your brother is? You'll see tomorrow. Now, watch your show."
The moment he finished speaking, the doorbell chimed again.
A playful glint sparked in Shan Hu's eye. He knew this wasn't an insurance salesman; this was the follow-up to the phone call.
"Dad, Mom, I'll get it. It's definitely another salesman," Shan Hu said, standing up and heading for the door.
He opened it to find two men standing outside.
The leader was a young man in a white martial arts uniform—maybe early twenties—with sharp features and a folding fan in his hand, giving off an air of martial prowess. Beside him stood a middle-aged man in a classic Chinese tunic suit, his eyes steady, his presence reserved.
The young man in the uniform arrogantly sized up Shan Hu, his tone condescending. "You must be Shan Hu? The one who released a powerful True Qi fluctuation near the Ascent Group tower this morning?"
Shan Hu watched the young man's confident strut, finding it as amusing as watching a toddler perform circus tricks, but maintained a neutral expression.
"True Qi fluctuation? Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about. I was watching TV in the living room. I didn't release any fluctuation, unless… I burped."
"Impudent!" The young man's face darkened, and the folding fan snapped open with a swish.
"I am Lin Fan, a genius disciple of the Longcheng Martial Arts Association! You had better explain that massive power release honestly! The Association rules state that any martial artist concealing their strength and not registered will be treated as a potential threat. Light offenses result in crippled cultivation; severe offenses get much worse…"
Shan Hu couldn't be bothered to listen. He cut him off. "Lin Fan? Which Lin family are you from? Doesn't matter. I'm not interested in your family tree. You mentioned Association rules?"
He tilted his head slightly, a hint of 'cosmic contempt' radiating from his gaze—a look only an Immortal Emperor could truly express.
Under the subtle pressure of Shan Hu's Emperor Will, Lin Fan felt the air around him instantly turn into solid concrete.
His previously straight back buckled as if an invisible mountain had landed on his shoulders. His knees started to tremble, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"I—I…" Lin Fan's fan clattered to the floor. He couldn't even control his breathing; the True Qi that usually flowed freely inside him was now frozen stiff.
The middle-aged man beside him—Martial Arts Elder Chen Dehua—went deathly pale. As a half-step Grandmaster himself, he couldn't feel any True Qi from Shan Hu, but he clearly sensed the profound awe-inspiring coercion emanating from the space around him—a pressure that demanded submission from all things.
This was no mere martial artist! This transcended Grandmaster level! This was a suppression of… Fundamental Laws!
Chen Dehua's heart seized up in terror. He violently grabbed Lin Fan, his voice trembling with fear and respect.
"Lin Fan! Shut up! Immediately apologize to this… Senior!"
When Chen pulled him away, Lin Fan was barely freed from the crushing pressure. He gasped for air, his gaze fixed on Shan Hu with a mix of terror and humiliation.
Shan Hu finally focused his attention on Chen Dehua, a playful look in his eyes. "Senior? I'm just a normal guy who came home to see his parents. I'm hardly a senior."
Chen Dehua immediately bowed low, cupping his fists respectfully. "My name is Chen Dehua. On behalf of my student—and the entire Martial Arts Association—I extend our sincerest apologies for our recklessness, Senior! We have greatly offended you, please forgive us."
Shan Hu stepped aside, giving them room to leave, and asked humorously, "Apology delivered? Then you can go. You're interrupting my family's TV time."
Chen Dehua didn't dare linger. He shot a fierce look at Lin Fan and barked softly, "Let's go!"
The two men turned and fled from Shan Hu's doorstep in utter disgrace.
Shan Hu closed the door and returned to the living room.
Shan Qing looked at him strangely. "Bro, who were those guys? One looked like he was auditioning for a martial arts movie, and the other looked like a headmaster? What did they want?"
Shan Hu sat back down on the sofa, changed the channel on the remote, and answered casually. "Oh, nothing. Just some cultists trying to recruit me to their 'Martial Arts Club.' I politely declined."
He glanced at Shan De and Wang Fang. His parents clearly dismissed the "Martial Arts Association" incident as a minor social annoyance and didn't give it much thought.
Beneath the surface of his calm demeanor, Shan Hu felt a growing seriousness.
"I didn't expect that even though Earth's spiritual energy has faded, these low-level cultivation organizations like the 'Martial Arts Association' have already sprung up. That Chen Dehua was subtly at the late stage of Body Refinement. It seems the spiritual energy recovery on Earth is already showing signs."
In the Immortal Realm, the Body Refinement stage was barely cannon fodder. But on Earth, it represented an insurmountable force for ordinary people.
He knew this initial probe from the Martial Arts Association was just the beginning. The small trace of Emperor energy he released would inevitably attract the attention of more powerful figures who were waking up from slumber.
"It looks like I need to find a secluded Spirit Gathering Array quickly to restore some Immortal Power for defense and to protect my family. Otherwise, these annoyances will swarm me like flies."
Shan Hu looked at the familiar, yet strange, commercials on the TV, a confident smirk spreading across his lips.
"The more the merrier, though. A thousand years without a decent fight. It's time to find some toys to stretch these muscles."