Chapter 146: The 'Baihu' from Wudou Tian Du

【Steam Capital, Upper City, an unknown villa】

"I-I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

"I was just following orders. They're unhappy with your group's recent operation, so they sent me to spread some negative rumors about you."

"Oh? So that's it."

Yu Qianxia crouched on the floor, pressing her fingers against her temples with a faint grimace. Her fluffy black hair spilled over her shoulders, and the single streak of stark white at her forehead glinted like snow under the dim light of the villa.

She stared at the man before her—his face bruised, eyes wide with fear and weakness.

Yu Qianxia let out a soft scoff, then spat out the tooth seal she'd been biting down on. With a sudden, sharp motion, she grabbed the man by the collar.

"So because of this? Do you have any idea what our Qianxia Group’s stock has done these past few days?"

"It only went up two percent. We were supposed to hit three!"

"The missing one percent—what are you and your bosses going to do to make it up? Huh?"

Her voice cracked like a whip. Behind her, a translucent, spectral image of a Baihu erupted into existence.

Its eyes gleamed with cold fire. Twin wings unfurled from its back. In its gaping maw, wisps of solidified Stellar Energy curled like smoke.

One glance was enough.

The Steam Capital executive collapsed to his knees, trembling, his legs giving out—nearly wetting himself.

Seeing the man’s cowardice, Yu Qianxia felt a sudden wave of boredom.

She released his collar, pressed her palm to the back of her neck, and cracked her neck with a series of sharp cracks. Then she stretched her spine with a slow, deliberate twist.

Slap!

She tossed her tailored suit jacket over one shoulder, revealing the intricate, black-and-white tattoo coiled across her lower abdomen—the distinctive martial mark of Wudou Tian Du.

She looked down at the trembling man, then turned toward the villa’s exit.

"Go tell them—Qianxia Group has its own principles. A lost shipment here and there is just part of doing business."

"We’ll refund the freight cost. But they’ll also have to make up for the damage to our reputation."

She tilted her head, a sly smile curling at the corner of her lips. The white strand of hair slipped forward, veiling half her eye.

"Not much. Just the equivalent of one percent of our total company shares."

"If they refuse… well, then they’ll end up like this wall."

Yu Qianxia stopped.

Then, with a single, thunderous punch, she drove her fist into the nearby wall.

Crack!

A sharp, crystalline shatter echoed through the air. Cracks exploded from the impact point like a spiderweb, spreading at impossible speed—rippling across the wall, consuming half the villa in seconds.

Boom!

As she stepped through the villa’s front door, the entire half of the structure collapsed into dust and debris in a cloud of smoke.

Outside, Chen Kong stared at the remaining half-wall—its edge unnaturally smooth, like it had been sliced clean by a blade.

His throat bobbed involuntarily.

How precise was her control over her body… and her Stellar Energy?

She’d just delivered a punch that looked like a sword slash.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he’d have refused to believe it.

This wasn’t just power. This was artistry—something beyond anything Chen Kong could even imagine.

For a moment, he felt a strange unease.

Was he really special as a Stellar Prodigy?

Because both Ink—just moments ago—and now Yu Qianxia… they were just traditional Stellar Envoys, reliant on a single Stellar Source.

And yet, they’d demonstrated power so absolute, so terrifyingly effortless…

Dual Stars were rare. But for Yu Qianxia and Ink—true monsters—did it even matter if they had one more or one less Stellar Core?

The thought unsettled him.

His eyes grew distant.

Then, as Yu Qianxia passed by him and Liu Ma, she seemed to sense his hesitation.

"Let’s go," she said, flat and impatient.

Without another word, she strode past them, flanked by her entourage, and slid into the luxurious, elongated hovercar with a face as expressionless as stone.

Everyone assumed her rise was due to her unmatched combat talent.

But only she knew the cost.

Talent was one thing.

Not wasting it—was another.

And Liu Ma and Chen Kong—both carrying immense untapped potential—still hadn’t grasped that.

Once Liu Ma and Chen Kong climbed back into the vehicle, the Qianxia Group’s hover convoy reactivated.

But this time, their destination wasn’t the Upper City.

It was the Lower City—Rust Iron Hell.

To the surprise of the Dimensional Audience, after the convoy vanished into the steam-laden skies between the two cities, the once-terrified Steam Capital executive slowly rose to his feet.

He brushed off the dust from his clothes, picked up his Data Terminal, and dialed a mysterious contact.

A moment later, a cold, mechanical voice answered.

"How did the one from Wudou Tian Du’s Catastrophe respond?"

The executive stared at the fading silhouette of Yu Qianxia’s departing convoy.

"She suspected something. Doesn’t want to get involved."

A pause.

Then a soft chuckle.

"True to form. The ‘Baihu’ from Wudou Tian Du—always so perceptive."

"Leave her be. She’ll be gone within the fortnight."

"After all, she knows whose territory this is. And if she doesn’t want unnecessary conflict… she won’t stay."

The executive nodded. "Understood."

He ended the call, glanced once more at the road where Yu Qianxia’s group had vanished, then turned and vanished into the smoke-choked ruins of the half-ruined villa.

Watching it all, the Dimensional Audience couldn’t hold back.

"Yo, dude—turns out you’ve got a mask too?"

"Thought you were just some random nobody. Never expected you to be a cold-blooded schemer."

"Steam Capital? The Masked City! Everyone here wears their own mask."

"Realized how good the Embers crew were. Back then, people’s hearts were simple. Not like now."

"Earlier, Season 1’s Stars were kids. What kind of malice could kids have?"

"Yeah… you’re right."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end