After leaving the Qin family residence, Yu Jinghai immediately started plotting his next move.


He was determined to take revenge on Ye Chen and reclaim the Tridacna clam that Ye Chen had snatched from him. But that alone wasn’t enough!


His trip to Jinling wasn’t just about dealing with Ye Chen—he also wanted to establish his reputation in the city, gather followers, and expand his influence.


So, he devised a plan that he believed would accomplish both goals: using Ye Chen as an example to make the entire Jinling submit to him!


Ye Chen, however, was completely unaware that the so-called Master Yu was scheming to use him as a sacrificial pawn.


That evening, just as he was about to buy groceries and cook dinner, he received a call from Song Wanting.


When he answered, Song Wanting’s tone was serious.


“Mr. Ye, Yu Jinghai has invited a group of renowned experts in antiques, feng shui, and metaphysics to a banquet at the Wang family residence. He asked me to check if you’d be interested in attending.”


“The Wang family? Which Wang family?”


Song Wanting replied, “A mid-tier family. They have two male heirs, Wang Yunfei and Wang Yunkai.”


“Them? Why would they host this event?” Ye Chen asked, puzzled.


Song Wanting explained, “Recently, the Wang family has been facing misfortune. Wang Yunkai and his cousin Wang Yunfei both ran into serious trouble, and their business has suffered a major decline. So, the Wang family head turned to Yu Jinghai, hoping he could improve their feng shui.”


She continued, “But I suspect Yu Jinghai isn’t just here to make money off the Wang family—he probably has other motives as well.”


Ye Chen chuckled and said casually, “I snatched the Tridacna clam from him at the auction and humiliated him in public. He definitely wants revenge. This is probably a trap set for me!”


With a slight smile, he added, “But I’ll go. I want to see what tricks he’s trying to pull.”


Seeing that Ye Chen agreed, Song Wanting said, “Alright, the banquet is at the Wang family residence tomorrow morning. I’ll drive over and pick you up.”


“Sounds good.”


The Next Morning


Song Wanting arrived as promised and picked up Ye Chen. Together, they headed to the Wang family estate.


The Wang family villa was nestled on a scenic mountainside in the suburbs, surrounded by lush greenery.


The estate was built in a traditional architectural style, with courtyards, pavilions, and carved wooden structures. The Wang family had spent over a billion yuan on renovations, mainly to entertain distinguished guests and host grand banquets.


By the lake pavilion, dozens of huanghuali wood chairs were arranged in a semi-circle. More than a dozen invited guests were already seated, chatting and laughing.


At the head seat sat a slightly overweight middle-aged man—Wang Zhengang, father of Wang Yunkai.


Seated next to him was none other than Yu Jinghai.


Ye Chen also noticed two familiar faces in the crowd—Li Tailai, the wealthiest man in Haicheng, and his assistant, Guo Ming.


When they saw Ye Chen enter, Li Tailai and Guo Ming nodded at him in greeting.


However, Wang Zhengang merely cast Ye Chen a disdainful glance before snorting coldly.


Clearly, he wasn’t happy—he had heard about how Ye Chen had humiliated Wang Yunfei and Wang Yunkai, so his attitude toward Ye Chen was anything but friendly.


Bao Fugui, a respected antique dealer, quickly got up and greeted them warmly. “Mr. Ye, Miss Song, welcome.”


Ye Chen nodded with a smile. “I came to witness the expertise of all these great masters.”


A middle-aged man in a traditional long robe looked surprised and asked, “Is this the buyer who spent one billion yuan on the Tridacna clam at the auction?”


Bao Fugui introduced him with a smile, “Yes, this is Master Ye.”


“What? Master?” Wang Zhengang sneered and glanced at Ye Chen with clear disdain. Then he chuckled and said, “It seems the title of ‘master’ is being thrown around far too casually these days. Any nobody can call themselves a master now. Meanwhile, true experts like Master Yu remain humble and low-profile.”


His words caused an awkward silence in the crowd.


It wasn’t just that Wang Zhengang was trying to insult Ye Chen—rather, Ye Chen’s young age and casual appearance didn’t match the image of a respected metaphysical master.


The other renowned feng shui masters and metaphysical experts in attendance were all older, well-known figures in their field. The idea of putting Ye Chen on equal footing with them—let alone calling him “Master Ye”—was something they couldn’t accept.


Yu Jinghai stood up, smiling calmly, and said, “No need to argue. I’ve arranged this banquet at the Wang family residence so we can all gather and exchange insights. As for who is truly skilled and who is just a fraud—well, we shall see soon enough.”


Upon hearing Yu Jinghai’s words, many of the guests cast mocking glances at Ye Chen.


In their eyes, Ye Chen was just a young pretender trying to flaunt his wealth and status.


Even Song Wanting frowned slightly. She had expected Yu Jinghai to target Ye Chen, but she hadn’t expected the hostility to start so soon after arriving.


Ye Chen, however, remained calm and indifferent, completely ignoring the stares and whispers. He simply walked to his seat, expressionless, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.


Seeing that everyone had arrived, Wang Zhengang finally spoke.


“Now that we’re all here, let me explain why Master Yu has organized this banquet.”


“First, he hopes to connect with everyone and strengthen relationships within the metaphysical community. Second, he proposes a friendly competition to determine true skill.”


Someone asked, “How will the competition work?”


“The rules are simple,” Yu Jinghai explained. “As we all know, metaphysics consists of five disciplines—Mountain, Medicine, Fate, Divination, and Physiognomy. Each participant can choose the field they excel in and challenge an opponent!”


“To keep things interesting, the Wang family has generously sponsored cash prizes. Each match will have a 5-million-yuan reward—the winner takes the money, while the loser will still receive 50,000 yuan as a consolation prize.”


The crowd nodded approvingly.


This seemed fair, and the prize money made things even more exciting.


Most metaphysical practitioners usually kept their abilities secret, but today, with both reputation and money at stake, they were eager to test their skills and uncover each other’s strengths.


However, Ye Chen chuckled softly. He didn’t believe for a second that Yu Jinghai had arranged this just for a friendly competition.


After discussing the competition details, Wang Zhengang added, “But there’s more! Just offering prize money might not be enough motivation. Many of you here are already wealthy, so a few million might not matter much.”


“So, we’ve added another special rule: The winner can choose between taking the 5-million-yuan cash prize or taking one item from the loser!”


“Moreover, the final champion will be crowned the supreme metaphysical master of the entire Nan Guang region! From then on, all metaphysical practitioners in this region must recognize the champion’s authority and seek their approval for any major matters!”


The entire courtyard fell silent.


Then, all at once, the crowd erupted in protest.


“Wait, what if the challenger picks a category the opponent isn’t good at?”


“Making one person the ruler of Nan Guang’s metaphysical world—this is just a power grab!”


“This is ridiculous! Our community has always been independent, and now we have to follow someone else’s orders?”


The attendees finally realized—this wasn’t just a banquet.


This was Yu Jinghai’s plan to take over the entire metaphysical world of Nan Guang!