"You're only about ten years older than me."
"When I debuted, you were still drinking milk!"
A hint of helplessness flashed in the white-haired man's eyes as he stopped arguing with Old Tie.
"Alright, if you don't want to say, then forget it. Anyway, even I don't know the attitude of the higher-ups this time."
The other end of the phone fell silent for quite a while.
Just as the white-haired man was about to hang up, Old Tie suddenly spoke.
"That kid, he carries Old Mo's scent. I suspect he's Old Mo's successor."
"Old Mo? You mean that old man who once guided you?"
Old Tie on the phone immediately retorted, "Watch your tone, you brat. Even though Old Mo didn't officially take me as a disciple in the end, I already consider him half a master."
The white-haired man felt a bit awkward.
He couldn't help but change the subject, "I seem to recall Old Mo Senior didn't have any disciples before he died, did he? And his cultivation technique was too outrageous, is it really possible for anyone to master it?"
Silence fell on the phone again.
This time, the white-haired man could sense that Old Tie was hesitating about something, so he didn't press for an answer.
"Actually, Old Mo succeeded back then."
With a whoosh, the white-haired man suddenly sprang up from his seat.
"He succeeded? Then why didn't he hand it over to the General Bureau?"
The white-haired man's emotions shifted three times in mere seconds.
First shock, then surprise, and finally regret.
Although he hadn't met this senior, he had heard of his deeds.
Not only Old Tie, but a group of the prodigies of that era were also his fervent followers, simply because he possessed a unique philosophy.
The unity of heaven and man!
These four words had existed for a long time, representing a goal pursued by countless cultivators. However, with Old Mo, it was a bit different. The unity of heaven and man he pursued was not a state of mind.
It was a true realm!
In his vision, humans could achieve co-existence with heaven and earth, and longevity comparable to heaven and earth!
Crucially, he wasn't just a theorist but a practical man. Although there were no reports of success, some of his failed experiences were enough to benefit cultivators below the fifth realm for a lifetime.
This was also the reason why he had so many followers.
Although the white-haired man wasn't among them back then, he had heard of Old Mo's envisioned cultivation technique and had also looked forward to it.
It was just that later, there was no news, and the last thing he heard was about Old Mo's passing.
And so, it gradually faded into memory.
But now, Old Tie was telling him that it had been successfully developed?
That was a cultivation technique that could grant longevity and co-exist with heaven! Just this fact alone was enough to prove the strength of its body-refining aspect! Yet, the General Bureau had no record of it!
How could this not fill him with regret?
If he had known this earlier, he should have learned it with them. If the technique could be further improved and distributed to everyone in the General Bureau, where would the current crises come from?
"Kid, you're overthinking it. Even with my relationship with Old Mo, he refused to teach me, so don't even think about anyone else learning it."
The white-haired man asked in confusion, "Why?"
"He said my talent wasn't enough."
"Even you say that?"
The white-haired man's brow furrowed tightly. "That's not right either, and the timeline doesn't add up. Could it be that this Li Chonglou is an old monster?"
"Old monster" didn't refer to actual monsters, but to powerful individuals of advanced age who maintained their youth through special means.
"You're guessing again. Actually, Old Mo did take a disciple back then."
The white-haired man retorted without thinking, "That's impossible, right? With Old Mo's fame back then, wouldn't such a significant event as taking a disciple be widely known? It would have been common knowledge!"
"You're wrong again. Only a few of his old friends knew about it."
"Can you let me be right for once?"
"Then guess why only a few of us knew?"
The white-haired man fell into thought.
But in the end, he gave up and asked Old Tie to reveal the answer directly.
"Because, his disciple wasn't from Huaxia, but a young foreign lad named Adam. Though he grew up in Huaxia, and if you insist, he's practically half-Huaxian."
The white-haired man suddenly had an epiphany.
The domestic situation back then was even more complicated than it was now. The underworld was also in turmoil. Especially in Huaxia at that time, almost all usable forces were deployed to the underworld.
Therefore, Huaxia not only faced crises from below but was also simultaneously invaded by several major powers to varying degrees.
It could be described as internal and external troubles.
Old Mo, being such a famous master, ultimately passed on his lifelong insights and learning to a foreigner. If this matter had been made public, the situation at that time would likely have exploded!
"No wonder I never received any news. You guys also dared not mention it all these years, right?"
Old Tie chuckled, "Who dared to bring this up? But perhaps it's a little better now. If it had spread back then, it's uncertain if Huaxia could still be like it is today!"
After speaking, Old Tie returned to the main topic.
"So I suspect that young Li encountered Old Mo's successor after he went abroad last time."
"If I recall correctly, before he returned, his strength was not even enough to attract your attention? But after his return, he has been involved in almost all major events since then."
The white-haired man was a little confused.
"What's the connection? Could it be that he simply didn't have the opportunity to use his true strength before?"
Old Tie's heavy voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Old Mo's cultivation technique is related to destiny."
"What?"
The white-haired man's pupils contracted sharply.
"To be precise, it's a heaven-defying cultivation technique that goes against the heavens. You can imagine heaven as a cake, and now someone wants a piece of it, what would you do?"
"Heaven has consciousness?"
"Heaven doesn't, but the Dao does."
The white-haired man fell silent.
There was a saying among their older generation: The Dao is also Heaven.
The Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao, the two are fundamentally one!
After Old Tie's explanation, he finally understood.
Looking back now, it seemed to be indeed the case.
Once or twice might be a coincidence, but three or five times, it couldn't be explained by coincidence alone.
In fact, he had also suspected that Li Chonglou was the mastermind behind everything.
Initially, it only involved a few murder cases, but as time went on, the events became more and more bizarre. Now, even the mole they had been investigating for over a month was directly implicated.
Looking further ahead, the white-haired man found it hard to imagine what would happen...
"I understand. I'll convey this to the higher-ups."
"No, don't mention it yet."
The white-haired man's brow furrowed.
Thunder Magnetic Island.
Hiding in a cave, Li Chonglou suddenly felt a disturbance in his sea of consciousness.