The clues provided by Xu Jiangyan helped Lin Beichen find the answer.
With Song Hualong’s strength, he should never have been obscure.
Even though Zhang Songqiao saved his life, the gratitude for this life-saving grace would have been repaid long ago, given Zhang Songqiao’s current status.
Relying only on Zhang Songqiao himself, to grow from an unknown foot soldier to a big figure capable of shaking all of Huadu, not to mention 20 years, even 50 years would not be enough without special opportunities.
Although the world is ever-changing, for someone starting from scratch, there are actually few opportunities to participate.
"Song Hualong’s unreserved contribution to Zhang Songqiao is both a nurturing and a parasitism. Only when Zhang Songqiao grows into a towering tree can he overshadow Song Hualong’s brilliance and keep him hidden from others."
Lin Beichen thought quietly.
After the Celestial Gate opened, cultivators from all over couldn’t bear to remain in solitude and began to emerge for cultivation.
The appearance of the rankings further stimulated experts from all walks of life, who began to vie for superiority, both to test their learning and push their physical limits, and to gain fame and achieve higher rankings.
Before the Celestial Gate’s opening, although everyone was seeking various cultivation methods, the differences between them were not that significant. Even a genius like Qin Wenwu, with 1000 years of accumulated cultivation, was only three to four times stronger than others.
After the Celestial Gate’s opening, differences in talent, paths, and cultivation resources could create significant disparities between two people with the same talent.
Those who didn’t care about fame in the past now became obsessed, constantly seeking ways to increase their cultivation.
"Since Song Hualong is already a renowned unparalleled expert, even if besieged by many, his injuries shouldn’t be too severe, right?
Who exactly were the people chasing him back then? Why has Song Hualong been hiding for decades, still not daring to show himself?"
Lin Beichen asked again.
With the Celestial Gate opening, various experts couldn’t help but come out, and Song Hualong, being a cultivator, was naturally among them.
But for him to suppress this impulse could only mean he was very aware of his own situation. Once he showed himself, not only would he be unable to step into the Celestial Gate era, but he would also be hunted and killed on the spot.
A mysterious master capable of forcing Song Hualong to hide for twenty or thirty years was simply unbelievable.
The Song Family, where Song Hualong hailed from, was extremely mysterious.
Even Xu Jiangyan dared not speak much about them.
He first turned to look around, then specially closed the doors and windows, and ordered his men to disperse everyone within a hundred meters.
After doing all this, Xu Jiangyan straightened his posture, his face becoming extremely serious.
"Mr. Lin, there are things I can’t talk about even with my current status, but since you are the number one in the world and you have asked, I cannot refuse."
Lin Beichen silently watched him, neither urging nor mocking his timidity.
To reach Xu Jiangyan’s position, it appeared glamorous to outsiders, but only Xu Jiangyan knew that each step he took was like walking on thin ice.
The matters involving Xu Jiangyan were not just about him alone.
"The Song Family represents the dark side of the Dragon Country. Unless necessary, few dare to mention them. Moreover, in recent decades, the Song Family has been in seclusion, almost cutting off all contact with the outside world.
If it weren’t for Song Hualong’s rebellion, we would have thought the Song Family was already extinct."
"The dark side of the Dragon Country? Is the Song Family very powerful?"
Lin Beichen remained expressionless, speaking calmly.
"They were once very powerful, almost able to cover the sky with one hand and decide the lives of millions with just one word."
Xu Jiangyan said, his expression extremely serious.
On his face, Lin Beichen could actually see a hint of fear.
"When I was ten years old, I heard my father talk about a significant event. At that time, experts from all walks of life were competing fiercely, but when the Song Family appeared, the whole venue fell silent, and everyone ceded the first position.
In front of the Song Family, no force in the Dragon Country dared to claim to be number one in the world, because as long as there were members of the Song Family, the position of number one always belonged to them."
Lin Beichen pondered without responding to Xu Jiangyan.
Before the Celestial Gate opened, he had heard most about Qin Wenwu. Besides Qin Wenwu, there was also a master of the Dragon Vein who had turned the tide a hundred years ago.
It was said that this person inherited the lives of four Death Gate Realm experts, expending countless resources to help this person break through the limits of that gate.
Among those with the strength to compete for the title of number one worldwide at the time, none were from the Song Family.
Xu Jiangyan, realizing Lin Beichen’s skepticism, urgently said:
"Sir, you mustn’t be careless. Although it was you who opened the Celestial Gate, a master from the Song Family had already broken through to the Mystic Sect before you."
Mystic Sect?
Lin Beichen’s expression changed slightly.
Since he opened the Celestial Gate, the outside world had formed its own understanding of the Celestial Gate theory. In their view, so-called Unity of Heaven and Man was the Mystic Sect above the Celestial Gate.
Lin Beichen neither affirmed nor denied this, but after understanding, he found that although the names were different, the understanding of the realm was essentially the same.
What the outside world called the Mystic Sect was actually what he knew as the Unity of Heaven and Man.
He cultivated the Withering and Flourishing Technique, advancing to Mystic Sect with the Withering and Flourishing Body. Even Qin Wenwu couldn’t compete with him.
At his level of cultivation, unless one reached Unity of Heaven and Man, even if they mastered Spiritual Qi and possessed two or three types of spiritual techniques, they could not harm him without integrating the true Five Elements.