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"We also have such a place on our Yong'an Island, which is the underwater secret realm deep in the Changyuan Trench."

Zheng Hongxin's expression was solemn, and his voice sounded somewhat distant in the empty underground cave.

"Several hundred years ago, our first ancestors led their people to migrate to Yong'an Island. Once, when they went out to sea to fish, the fleet encountered an unusually severe storm."

The old man paused for a moment, seemingly reconstructing that ancient record in his mind.

Suddenly a huge wave crashed in, the ship capsized, and our ancestor fell into the sea and was swept into a huge deep-sea whirlpool.

"His body gradually stiffened and grew cold, and his lungs felt like they were about to burst. Just when he thought he was going to die, he glimpsed the 'door' through the deep crack in the seabed."

“A light of extreme purity, seemingly capable of penetrating the soul, poured out from inside the door.”

Zheng Hongxin gazed at the stone tablet above the altar, which radiated a faint blue light, and a longing appeared in his cloudy eyes, as if he were seeing the scene from the past through the eyes of his ancestors.

"The light pierced through the layers of seawater, illuminating the pitch-black abyss. In the depths of that light, our ancestors vaguely saw a blue figure of indescribable size."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's heart stirred.

The image of that enormous presence that I had sensed deep in my subconscious when I first encountered meditation on Yong'an Island half a year ago flashed through my mind.

He forced himself to calm down and waited patiently for what was to come.

"That is a mysterious being in a higher dimension, namely the 'Sea Queen' whom the residents of Yong'an Island have always worshipped."

At this point, the old man's expression became exceptionally devout, his eyes filled with reverence.

"The ancestor, bathed in that light, felt his whole body heat up, and suddenly a power surged from the depths of his soul. He thus broke free from the whirlpool's grasp, struggled to swim back to the surface, and endured the stormy night before finally being rescued."

"After that, our ancestors discovered that they could control the tides and water flow, possessed an extraordinary physique far beyond that of ordinary people, and even had the ability to communicate with marine life, just like the mermaids in myths and legends."

Zheng Hongxin spoke in a deep voice, the firelight illuminating his deeply lined face, making him appear particularly solemn and weathered.

"As the island's inhabitants multiplied and the population grew, more and more people awakened similar abilities and secretly formed societies, which became the cornerstone of the True Thought Society."

"Although we are not capable of diving to the bottom of the trench thousands of meters deep to see what is going on, we all know very well that the power of our bloodline and the spirituality of the Stone of Truth all originate from the energy emanating from that door."

"If we can pass through that door, we might be able to reach the legendary mermaid kingdom, the source of our bloodline abilities."

After hearing this secret, Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked:
"What kind of world is that?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Hongxin shook his head with a wry smile.

"No one has ever actually gone inside. Our ancestors only glimpsed it from afar, while successive presidents have spent their lives searching the depths of the ocean, trying to find the exact location of that glowing door and thus enter the possible otherworld."

At this point, a deep bitterness appeared on his face.

"The light that gives us power also carries a curse based on the soul."

"Any member who awakens their bloodline ability will suffer from mental assimilation from a higher dimension as they age and use it more often. Their rationality will be slowly eroded, and they will eventually become monsters."

Zheng Hongxin looked up, his gaze fixed intently on Fang Cheng's hand holding the key.

"President Su Jing'an plunged into the Changyuan Trench without regard for anything else, also with the same resolve."

"Because only by tracing back to the source can we find a way to completely break the bloodline curse. That is the only way out for the future of the True Thought Society and the lives of all its members!"

"And the silver key in your hand..."

Zheng Hongxin paused, then emphasized:

"It is not only the guild's supreme symbol, but also the only compass that can guide the way and locate that door in the vast deep sea."

Fang Cheng opened his palm and stared down at the key in his hand.

The silvery-white runes gleamed with a mesmerizing luster, like some ancient totem, exuding an aura of mystery.

Do you know where this key came from?

Fang Cheng raised his eyes and asked, "Who was its original owner?"

Zheng Hongxin slowly shook his head and answered truthfully:

"No one knows its exact origin. According to the records preserved by the True Thought Society, the Silver Key was discovered by the first president by chance in the ruins of an ancient civilization."

"In order to understand its purpose, our ancestors spent decades gradually figuring out how to set coordinates and open portals."

“In the early stages of the True Thought Society’s establishment and growth, the Silver Key played a crucial role and held a status comparable to a divine artifact in the hearts of its members. That’s why it was passed down as the guild leader’s token from generation to generation.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng pondered for a moment, then asked:

"Besides teleportation across space and serving as a token, does the Silver Key have no other uses?"

"some."

Zheng Hongxin pointed to the massive white bone stele behind Fang Cheng.

"For our True Thought Society, its most practical function is to cooperate with the Stone of Truth in guarding Yong'an Island."

"When the silver key resonates with the stone tablet, the controller gains a god-like perspective, allowing them to patrol and monitor the entire Yong'an Island and the surrounding seas with absolute precision."

"This allows for precise location of infiltrating enemies, enabling them to arrive on the battlefield instantly in ways the enemy cannot even imagine. It plays an extremely important role whether it is providing emergency support to comrades in danger or eliminating potential threats at the first opportunity."

At this point, the old man's tone became more proud.

"It was precisely because of the combination of these two relics of the saint that Zhen Xianghui was able to become famous back then, making those enemies who were secretly spying on him extremely wary, and they would never dare to set foot on Yong'an Island easily."

Hearing this, Chen Jiandong, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't contain his frustration and interjected:
"If the Silver Key hadn't disappeared along with Chairman Su, preventing the Stone of Truth from reaching its full potential, how could the Noah Organization have dared to send people to infiltrate Yong'an Island last year and secretly plan a robbery against us!"

Upon hearing Chen Jiandong mention this matter, Zheng Hongxin sighed and then said:

"If we had the Silver Key at the time, we could have located the target and eliminated them as soon as they took action, thus preventing such heavy casualties later on."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly, understanding the strategic value of the key.

This thing, combined with the stone tablet, is essentially a strategic weapon capable of performing full-map scanning and precision strikes at any time.

No wonder these people got so excited when they saw it.

Fang Cheng pondered for a moment, then steered the conversation to a deeper level:

Have you ever heard of the 'Ultimate Gate'?

Zheng Hongxin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"Did you... hear this title from Chairman Su?"

Fang Cheng nodded calmly without changing his expression.

Zheng Hongxin weighed the matter for a moment, his expression becoming more serious than ever before.

"'The Ultimate Gate' is a core secret passed down by word of mouth among the successive presidents of our True Thought Society. It is not an ordinary spatial teleportation gate."

He lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing some unknown entity.

According to the top-secret notes left by the first Chairman Chen, the ultimate secret of the universe is hidden behind that door.

"If you cross that door, you will be able to access the source of all life in the world, and even obtain the power of the gods and master endless wisdom."

"Chairman Chen spent his entire life searching for it, but he never found it before he died. Before he passed away, he entrusted this wish to the second chairman, and it has been passed down from generation to generation. I only heard a few words from Chairman Su before he decided to dive into the deep sea."

Fang Cheng stood on the high altar, listening quietly, but his mind was racing.

The ultimate secret of the universe? The origin of life? The power of the gods?
Listening to these mysterious and fantastical statements, one can't help but feel as if they are listening to some kind of fanatical religious myth.

Fang Cheng recalled the spatial passage he discovered in the underwater volcano when he dived into the 10,000-meter-deep abyss.

According to the deductions recorded by the Truth Society, that should only be the entrance to the other world.

The "ultimate gate" that Zheng Hongxin just mentioned, which is highly sanctified, is obviously not to be confused with this.

Regardless of the truth behind this, he has at least managed to extract a considerable amount of valuable information from the Truth Society through this misunderstanding. This information is enough for him to reassess his next course of action.

Subsequently, Zheng Hongxin and Chen Jiandong, master and apprentice, voluntarily revealed the truth about the game.

That action seemed to suggest that he was worried that Fang Cheng, the new chairman, was not familiar enough with the organization, so he explained it in great detail.

As Fang Cheng listened, he quickly processed the information in his mind.

While they were talking, the twelve newly recruited elite members below the altar were completely stunned.

These twelve people served entirely as the atmosphere group for this historic meeting.

They remained kneeling, not daring to stand up at will.

They could only secretly look up, their eyes filled with awe and curiosity, to examine the man at the top of the altar who was wearing only a pair of red underwear.

In the middle of the group, several female elite members secretly swallowed.

At this moment, the dim light of the torch shone on Fang Cheng's broad and full chest muscles, his bronze skin glowing with a healthy sheen.

His firm abdominal muscles rippled slightly with his steady breathing, extending along his V-line all the way to the edge of his shorts.

That unadorned, raw, and powerful hormonal aura is undeniably visually striking.

The female members felt their cheeks burning and their ears turning bright red.

Some quickly lowered their heads, staring at the rough rocks in front of them, their hearts pounding like deer.

In the training camp, they were used to seeing mentors who were tormented by hallucinations, their faces withered and their spirits broken.

I never imagined that the legendary guild leader, who is rarely seen, would actually be such a young and powerful man with an amazing physique.

After dealing with Zheng Hongxin's long-winded explanation, Fang Cheng had basically figured out what he wanted to know.

He looked up at the cave exit.

Remembering that Lin Chuqiao and Zhou Xiumei were still waiting for him on the yacht at sea, he decided to leave.

"Alright, I understand the basic situation."

Fang Cheng said casually:
"I have friends waiting for me outside, so I'll stop here for today. I'll come back to see you all when I have time."

After saying that, he turned to face the spatial door in mid-air that still emitted a faint blue light, and lifted his leg to step inside.

Fang Cheng's attempt to slip away completely stunned Zheng Hongxin and Chen Jiandong.

"President, please wait! You can't leave!"

Zheng Hongxin's face turned deathly pale instantly. He was so frightened that he dropped his cane and lunged forward two steps, seemingly trying to grab Fang Cheng's leg and forcefully stop him.

“If you leave, the guild will really be over! Right now, the guild is a complete mess, surrounded by enemies. Without you in charge, we don’t know what to do.”

Chen Jiandong was also somewhat flustered, but he was clearly more composed.

He turned his head and frantically gestured and winked at the twelve new members below who were still in a daze.

As if waking from a dream, the newlyweds quickly and in unison lay down, foreheads touching the ground, and shouted in unison:
"Please stay, President! Lead us to revitalize the True Thought Society and restore its former glory!"

The fervent cries of the crowd converged into a sonic wave within the cave, causing the dust overhead to fall in a flurry.

Fang Cheng stopped and turned around to look at the group of True Thoughts Society members, feeling somewhat helpless.

I'll say it one last time.

Fang Cheng sighed and said seriously:

"I'm really not your president, please stop calling me president."

Seeing Fang Cheng's resolute attitude, Zheng Hongxin knew that he couldn't persuade him to stay by force, so he immediately changed his strategy.

He dusted off his robe and put on a fawning smile.

"Whether you acknowledge the chairman's identity or not, your arrival on Yong'an Island with the Silver Key makes you our most honored guest!"

"How about this? Since you're here, consider it an inspection of our work. The guild has prepared seafood and fine wine to welcome you."

"Yes, yes, yes! Even if you're leaving, it wouldn't be too late to have a simple meal before you go."

Chen Jiandong quickly chimed in:
"As for our friends outside, we will immediately send someone to inform them and make proper arrangements. We will not neglect your friends."

Seeing the two men's "I'd rather die than let you stay for a meal" attitude, Fang Cheng knew that if he didn't agree, these people would never let it go.

In addition, he genuinely wanted to conduct an on-site investigation to see what other secrets Zhenxianghui was hiding.

"alright."

Fang Cheng put his foot down, stepped back from the spatial portal, and nodded reluctantly.

"I can stay as a guest and have a simple meal. But let's get this straight first, stop calling me 'Chairman' all the time, it sounds awkward."

Zheng Hongxin was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly, bending even lower.

"Alright, alright, since you insist, we'll leave it at that for now."

The old man looked at Fang Cheng with a smile:

"But after chatting for so long, we still don't know your honorable name? We need to address you, don't we?"

Fang Cheng hesitated for a moment.

Thinking that he had already revealed his identity and had not done anything wrong, there was no point in using a pseudonym, so he told the truth.

"My surname is Fang, and my name is Fang Cheng."

"Fang Cheng?"

Zheng Hongxin's eyes lit up, as if he had heard some amazing name. He clapped his hands and exclaimed in praise.

"What a wonderful name! It's an absolutely brilliant name!"

The old man, his face flushed, shook his head as he explained the meaning of the words:

"Fang represents uprightness and moderation in conduct; Cheng represents honesty and keeping one's word. Uprightness and honesty—these are simply the qualities of a born leader!"

"President Su truly has a discerning eye; the successor he chose even has a name that subtly aligns with the doctrines of our True Desire Society!"

Chen Jiandong, standing to the side, also showed great respect and joined in with lavish flattery:

"The teacher is absolutely right. Mr. Fang is a man of imposing stature, and his name is so famous that it inspires respect in everyone who hears it."

The two exchanged a few words, then simultaneously made way for each other.

Zheng Hongxin turned to the side, bowed, and made an extremely respectful gesture:

"President Fang, the banquet is ready. Please move to the front hall and take a seat."

Chen Jiandong also lowered his head and followed:

"President Fang, this way please, watch out for the steps."

Fang Cheng: "..."

He stood there, his lips twitching slightly.

I was completely speechless looking at these two guys who called him "Chairman Fang" so naturally.

So all that emphasis I'd made on not calling him "President" was for nothing. (End of Chapter)