"That is the leader of the China Hunter Association!"

"That is Master Gao! Quick, focus on him!"

All the cameras turned toward him as the China’s legends finally revealed himself.

Among the eleven heroes of humanity, not a single one came from China.

However, they had their own figure who stood at the same level, and his legend had already spread across the world. He earned that title after stopping the invasion from an SSSS-rank gate that now stood right before them.

The Monsters World Gate.

Two hundred years ago, when three SSSS-rank monsters led thousands of powerful creatures out from the gate, China stood on the brink of disaster. At that time, although they already had SSSS-rank hunters, their strength was not enough to stop those monsters.

When the situation turned truly grim, that man appeared like a hero.

With overwhelming power, he forced the monsters back into the gate. That was his first appearance, and the moment the world learned of his existence.

That man was the leader of the China Hunter Association, Master Gao.

He was one of China’s guardians. Everyone knew his name and held deep respect for him.

However, Master Gao was a mysterious man.

Many had already tried to investigate his background in the past, yet they could only find records of a man born into an ordinary family before the apocalypse era. Everything else about him remained vague, from who his master was to how he obtained such overwhelming strength.

Unlike the eleven heroes of humanity, who had openly stated that they shared the same master, a figure still shrouded in mystery to this day, Master Gao had never revealed anything about his own master.

Some believed that he was also a disciple of that mysterious figure, just like the eleven heroes, but it remained nothing more than an unproven theory. It became one of the many mysteries people sought to uncover, just like the identity of the one who became the eleven heroes’ master and started the hunter era itself.

Master Gao, much like the eleven heroes, rarely showed himself to the public. Yet every time he appeared, he became the center of attention.

After Master Gao revealed himself, another figure stepped out behind him.

A beautiful young woman.

She was another well-known figure, widely predicted to become Master Gao’s successor.

The young woman was his disciple, Ruan Jingxue.

Her appearance stirred another commotion, as more and more influential figures had already gathered at this place.

However, as the onlookers observed Master Gao and the eleven heroes, a question began to rise in their minds.

Why did the eleven heroes seem to show him such deep respect?

They allowed Master Gao to walk ahead, only following behind him.

Most people, however, did not think too deeply about it. They simply assumed it was out of respect for the host. After all, they were in China, and it was only natural to show respect to the strongest figure here, even if they themselves were the eleven heroes of humanity.

Master Gao’s group walked toward the base under the watch of billions of people following the live broadcast from various devices.

Wei Zhenhai, who was also watching from his camp, had his eyes glimmer. Those people were the ones he intended to surpass in the future, and he was confident in it.

Reaching a height far above them, standing in glory while countless people admired and worshiped him, that was the future he envisioned. With a woman like Ruan Jingxue by his side as his wife, his life would be complete.

His gaze carried a hint of desire when it fell on Ruan Jingxue. Her beauty was something he thought suited him perfectly.

In fact, he was also drawn to some of the otherworlders who had come to Earth, thinking they were just as worthy of him.

Even the most recent when he learned about Aldrian and his wives, he found himself attracted to his wives. In his eyes, they were the most perfect women, not only breathtaking in appearance but also powerful.

However, he did not dare entertain such thoughts. They were already the wives of someone, and that someone was the strongest being, far above all others on Earth. In any other situation, he would have taken them without concern, even if they were already married.

Master Gao and his group entered the base without responding to the reporters trying to reach them. He remained silent until he was greeted by the base’s highest commander, a man with SSS-rank power.

"Welcome to the Monsters World Gate, Leader Gao."

Master Gao gave a slight nod. "Prepare a private room for us."

The man nodded. "This way, Leader." He then guided them into a large building and led them to a special guest room, spacious and comfortable enough to accommodate everyone.

After they were left alone, one of the heroes, a handsome middle-aged man with blonde hair, looked at Master Gao.

"Master, is what you said true? That man is your master?"

The others looked at Master Gao with solemn expressions. Ruan Jingxue narrowed her eyes as she stared at her master. This was something that had shocked all of them the first time they heard it. For the first time, their master had acknowledged the existence of his own master, in other words, their grandmaster.

He had called them here to meet that person, and they naturally obeyed. It seemed he wanted all of them to greet their grandmaster, which also stirred their curiosity.

They had already heard about their grandmaster and his wives’ achievements, yet they had never made a move to meet them. As heroes, as humanity’s hidden weapons, it was not appropriate for them to appear so easily.

They only revealed themselves when a situation demanded it, when something threatened humanity itself.

In the past hundred years, the number of times they had appeared in public could be counted on one hand.

The only other thing that could move them was their master’s command, just like this time.

Master Gao nodded. "Yes, I am serious. That man is the one who taught me how to cultivate, which in turn allowed me to teach all of you. You could say that because of him, the hunter era exists, and Earth has not fallen to those monsters or otherworlders."

Their hearts trembled.

Then one of the heroes, a beautiful woman with long black hair and tan skin, spoke.

"Then how did you meet him, Master? Wasn’t it said that he came from the Inner Realm? It is known as a mysterious place that no one from outer realm can enter, nor can anyone leave for the outer realm. So how did you meet him?"

Master Gao looked at them calmly.

"He is a special existence, even within the Inner Realm. The fact that he is here already proves that. Do you believe me if I say that he is the only one who can make it possible, not only for himself, but for others as well, to enter and leave the Inner Realm at will? He is, in a sense, the one who controls the laws of the Inner Realm."

His words left them astonished. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Are you not exaggerating, Master? Grandmaster is the only one who can do such a thing? Is there no one else who can do the same?" a man with dark skin and long black hair tied in a bun asked.

Master Gao nodded. "I am not exaggerating. This is the truth. I don’t joke when it comes to my master."

"Master, then how did you meet him? How could a being from the Inner Realm take someone from the outer realm as his disciple? What made him accept you?" Ruan Jingxue asked.

Those questions were also in the minds of the other heroes, and inwardly, they were glad she voiced them first. As the youngest, and also the most talented among them, their master had a soft spot for her.

Master Gao suddenly smiled.

A genuine, warm smile.

They were stunned as they saw an expression they had never seen before. His gaze carried a sense of reminiscence, as if recalling a moment from the past that brought him warmth.

"Well, perhaps I could say that I was lucky. My master is a good person, and he likes to help others. I was simply one of those fortunate enough to meet him and receive his teachings," Master Gao said.

The others could feel his emotions just from the way he spoke. It was clear that the moment he met his master held great importance to him.

Although there were still many things they wanted to ask, about both his past and his master, they chose to remain silent for now, seeing how sentimental he had become.

Master Gao took a deep breath, then looked at them.

"Well, after this, you will meet your grandmaster and his wives. You may come to understand more about him in the future. When you meet him later, treat his status as far above mine. That alone would make me happy. He is someone worthy of all our reverence."

"Yes, Master," all of them answered.

Master Gao nodded.

Knock! Knock!

"Excuse me for the interruption, Your Excellencies, but the four otherworlders have arrived." A man’s voice came from outside the room, prompting Master Gao to stand.

"Let’s go meet your grandmaster," he said as he walked toward the door.

----------------------------

Outside, in the sky near the gate, Aldrian and his wives were floating, looking down at the base below.

They could see thousands of people surrounding it, all of their attention now focused on them.

Aldrian ignored them for the moment as he sensed several extremely powerful presences by this world’s standards, and one of them made him raise an eyebrow.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

’Let’s see how you got in here.’