The old man, perhaps sensing Ye Chen's formidable aura, paused mid-stroke. Slowly, he raised his head.
The wrinkles of age lined his face, and a jagged scar ran from his left cheek to the corner of his eye.
Though his gaze was calm, that scar lent him a faint, intimidating edge.
For someone who appeared barely fifteen or sixteen to carry such an overwhelming presence ..... a high-tier Dou Spirit ... was no small thing. It naturally drew the old man's attention.
"Senior," Ye Chen said casually, meeting the man's eyes, "could you help me pick out the best map for traveling deep into the desert?"
Though he already knew who this man truly was, Ye Chen didn't reveal it outright.
After all, Hai Bodong had vanished for years ..... even many of the Mitre family's elders might not recognize him anymore.
If someone Ye Chen's age suddenly identified him by name, it would only raise suspicion.
"Hm?"
The old man's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise.
Ye Chen's strength was clear to him .....far above that of ordinary youths. And the way Ye Chen addressed him as "senior" wasn't mere politeness.
"I'm just an old man, not worthy of that title," the elder said flatly, lowering his head again as he began rummaging through a pile of rolled maps.
Ye Chen smiled faintly. "Hehe, perhaps. But once, Senior was surely a Dou Emperor. Isn't that enough reason for respect?"
At those words, the old man froze.
The parchment in his hand tore cleanly down the middle.
He looked up sharply, his cloudy eyes now carrying a dangerous chill.
"Who are you?"
The air in the shop shifted. His fingers tapped lightly on the counter ..... and with a heavy bang, the open door slammed shut.
An icy aura burst from his body, sweeping through the room like a winter storm, pressing straight toward Ye Chen.
Ye Chen's expression didn't change. His own powerful aura surged out in response, meeting the cold head-on and shattering it.
"Senior, don't misunderstand," Ye Chen said with an easy smile. "I don't know you personally.
I simply have a unique sensitivity to energy. Earlier, I happened to sense the vast power sealed within your body .... that's all."
The old man stared at him for a long moment, his frosty glare slowly easing. Finally, he sighed softly.
"Young man… to have reached the high-tier Dou Spirit level at your age, it's truly remarkable.
I've never seen such talent in my life. I suppose… you're not from the Jia Ma Empire, are you?"
In the old man's long memory, within the Jia Ma Empire, not even the direct disciples of the Cloud Mist Sect's former masters, nor the royal heirs, nor the scions of the great clans, had ever reached such heights at fifteen or sixteen.
To reach the peak of the Spirit Realm at such a young age—this youth before him was clearly not ordinary.
Hence, the old man concluded that this prodigy standing before him, Ye Chen, must hail from some formidable power beyond the borders of the empire.
"Senior, I'm afraid you guessed wrong."
Ye Chen smiled faintly, shaking his head.
"This junior is Ye Chen of the Mittel Clan—one of the three great families of the Jia Ma Empire."
"Mittel Clan!"
At the mention of that name, the old man's eyelids twitched violently. His expression shifted, showing clear astonishment.
After a brief silence, his sharp eyes fixed upon Ye Chen. "You mean… you truly belong to the Mittel Clan?"
"Of course."
Ye Chen nodded and drew out a bronze token from his ring, flashing it before the old man.
That token was one only the key members of the Mittel family possessed. The instant the old man saw it, recognition struck him, and disbelief melted into certainty.
Senior," Ye Chen said with a curious smile, noticing the way the old man's gaze lingered on the token, "you seem quite stirred upon hearing the name of my family.
Could it be… you share some history with the Mittel Clan?"
"Hahaha! History? You could say that."
The old man's hearty laughter filled the quiet shop.
"Boy, by seniority, you should be calling me… Grand Elder!"
"Grand Elder?"
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