Chen Guan's First Brave General, Iron Egg, Reporting for Duty!

Time passed unnoticed in the mountains; one knew neither cold nor heat, nor the passing years.

Jia Ma Empire, Imperial Palace.

Unlike its usual quiet orderliness, the Imperial Palace was particularly bustling today. Soldiers and maids could be seen constantly hurrying about, yet strangely, no one reprimanded them.

All because they were making preparations for the First Princess's Coming-of-Age Ceremony tomorrow.

The servants were all quite happy. They would not experience such a lively occasion more than a few times in their lives.

Yet the First Princess herself, the person at the center of it all, was sitting blankly in a pavilion, with not a trace of happiness visible on her face.

For one thing, after the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, she would have to shoulder even more responsibilities.

Then there were the memories of the past.

She still clearly remembered that day, when the young man had stood before her, looking impatient yet forced to accept and make that promise.

But now... her Coming-of-Age Ceremony was almost here. Where was that young man? With all these thoughts weighing on her heart, how could she possibly be happy? There was only endless melancholy.

Yaoye had even considered canceling the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, but her status doomed her to be unable to do something so willful. She was not an ordinary girl; she represented the imperial family.

The Coming-of-Age Ceremony not only had to be held, it had to be held in grand fashion!

"That brat should still be alive... right?"

Even Jia Xingtian had accepted the "fact" that the young man had died young. Only she still clung to hope. Yet after hearing Jia Xingtian's consolation countless times, coupled with the days slipping by one after another, even Yaoye had begun to waver.

She let out a long breath, carrying the endless worries of a young girl in her prime.

Magical Beast Mountain Range.

A year ago, more than half of the low-tier magical beasts near the Outer Edge by Qingshan Town had nearly been wiped out, leaving the area desolate for a time.

Fortunately, after a period of recovery, it had gradually returned to its former state. At the very least, anyone unaware of what had happened back then would never have guessed.

On a bright, sunny morning, ripples suddenly spread across a tranquil lake in the territory of Tier 3 Magical Beasts, frightening away several fortunate magical beasts that had been secretly drinking there.

The Next Moment, a handsome young man leaped out of the water. In broad daylight, he actually stripped off every stitch of clothing!

He circulated his Dou Qi to dry himself, then changed into a fresh set of clothes. They were clearly a little ill-fitting now. He had only grown a year older, yet his body seemed to have gone through three or four years' worth of growth.

After taking one last look at the place that had "imprisoned" him for a year, Chen Guan took out a strange Crimson Ice Snake with a broken tail, its body seeming to be assembled from piece after piece.

"I should thank you. Because of you, I was able to obtain this opportunity."

With a light kick, the Crimson Ice Snake King immediately made a series of clacking sounds before plunging headfirst into the lake.

Chen Guan nodded in satisfaction. Although this Crimson Ice Snake Puppet did not look impressive, and half its tail had been roasted by him, it was the first finished product he had made after advancing to a Tier 3 Puppet Master. It could wield strength roughly equivalent to a two-star Da Dou Shi.

In this neglected little lake, it was more than enough to guard the Stone Chamber at the bottom.

Although he had already laid his teacher's remains to rest, this place carried a weighty debt of gratitude. Chen Guan did not want anyone to destroy it.

Having settled matters here, Chen Guan did not delay any longer. After determining his direction, he swiftly headed for the Outer Edge.

It had been a year. Sister Yaoye probably thought he had ended up in some magical beast's stomach by now. If he remembered correctly, tomorrow seemed to be Yaoye's Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

Hopefully, he could make it in time! Without the slightest concern for magical beasts that might appear nearby, Chen Guan rushed onward at full speed. The increase in his strength had given him ample confidence.

With a casual strike, he instantly killed two Fire Foxes that had been diligently creating the next generation. From beginning to end, the two Fire Foxes remained locked in their bizarre position.

Before long, Chen Guan left the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

After a brief moment of thought, he decided to visit the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall.

They were friends, after all. She might have worried about him, and whether out of sentiment or courtesy, he ought to let her know. In any case, it would only take a few minutes.

But to his helplessness, Xiao Yi Xian had happened to enter the mountains with the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall's herb-gathering team today.

Steward Chang, whom he had met a few times before, was in the shop. From him, Chen Guan learned that over the past year, the Ten Thousand Medicine Hall had maintained the business arrangement he had instructed them on very well, without a single mishap, earning the hall quite a profit.

Moreover, to express his gratitude, Steward Chang had taken it upon himself to lower the unit price by five gold coins.

Chen Guan did not refuse. Savings were savings; only a fool would turn down something free. He understood what the other party was thinking, but it didn't matter. Nothing would affect him.

Compared to This, it was more surprising that the imperial family had not halted the transaction just because he had been missing for a year.

The imperial family was truly good at this! Yet they had arranged things so skillfully that he was completely willing, without the slightest complaint.

"That will be all, then. I'll have to trouble you with one more thing, Steward Chang. When Xiao Yi Xian returns, please give these two items to her."

Chen Guan took out the two Fire Foxes that had voluntarily crashed into his sword to scam him, along with a cookbook that detailed fifteen ways to prepare Fire Fox meat. This was proof of the friendship between him and Xiao Yi Xian.

Steward Chang agreed, though his expression was rather strange.

When Xiao Yi Xian returned that evening and received two Fire Foxes posed in such bizarre positions, she was stunned as well. She did not sleep all night. What did this person mean? Meanwhile, Chen Guan traveled day and night, drawing countless strange looks along the way, and finally arrived outside the Holy City of the Imperial Capital near noon.

Having traveled for a full day and night without rest, pushing his speed to the limit, Chen Guan did not feel tired in the slightest. His backside was just rather sore.

That was because he was sitting on the neck of a Tier 6 Puppet. Passersby merely found it strange and watched for amusement, but only Chen Guan understood the terror of the puppet beneath him.

It was no exaggeration to say that, with this puppet, Chen Guan no longer needed to worry about protecting himself anywhere within the Jia Ma Empire.

Its only shortcoming was that it could not fly.

That was because Teacher Shu Tianhe had forged it for only one purpose: to test his successor. He had never considered any other use for it, so he had cut corners and thrown it together casually, resulting in this bizarre situation.

But being unable to fly did not mean it was weak. Chen Guan had tested it several times in the Stone Chamber. It could jump incredibly high, smashing its head against the ceiling like a bell being struck, yet afterward it was still full of life and completely unscathed. Its quality was rock-solid!

For that reason, Chen Guan had specially bestowed it with a name.

Iron Egg, reporting for duty!