The Young Master, Su Qing

At the border between Lanzhou and Qingzhou, the armies of both sides had been facing off for quite some time.

Before long, a general clad in armor flew out, waving a battle-axe!

He could already stride through the air, which meant he was a Samadhi Realm expert!

He swung his halberd, and the vast earth shattered. The soldiers at the front vanished into smoke and dust without even a scream!

Samadhi Realm experts were truly terrifying!

"Have you a death wish, daring to wreak such havoc?"

"Bring me my blade!"

A swordsman immediately flew out from the opposing army. With one slash, he too brought mountains crashing down and the earth splitting apart, killing a great many enemy soldiers.

These were the generals on either side, but by tacit agreement, neither attacked the other. They only cut down a few rank-and-file soldiers.

And this had been going on for quite some time.

Though King Lanling and Tiger Shark King had fought for several years over a few territories, by now both sides were utterly exhausted.

Besides, this was destined to be a war with no outcome, since the forces each side had committed were more or less evenly matched.

So, in recent days, both armies had merely been going through the motions. No real battle had taken place!

But it was the low-ranking soldiers who suffered, becoming utterly worthless cannon fodder and stepping stones to the enemy generals' achievements.

Hidden behind the army, Old Man Snow Mountain watched the scene, his heart surging.

He felt no sorrow for the soldiers caught up in the violence through no fault of their own. Instead, he felt admiration for those two experts.

That was how a true man should be!

With that thought, Old Man Snow Mountain returned to the camp and trained hard in the Barren Wood Art.

With his deep foundation, Old Man Snow Mountain felt he could break through in two months at most!

No one could fathom the thoughts of the higher-ups when it came to the war, but King Lanling's Mansion had suddenly sprung into action—not for the war, but for a birthday celebration!

That was right: it was King Lanling's birthday again. As a Prince over a hundred years old, King Lanling had quite a few children.

Among them, Young Master Su Qing was the son King Lanling loved most.

Su Qing had earned King Lanling's affection not only because of his extraordinary cultivation talent—he was an Innate Expert despite being barely over thirty—but also because he was exceptionally good at pleasing him.

At every major occasion, he always presented King Lanling with a gift that delighted him. This birthday celebration would be no different.

Besides, Young Master Su Qing had set his sights on something.

A Great Demon Core!

The Demon Race was full of powerful beings. When a beast transformed into a demon, it became a Lesser Demon, equivalent to an Innate Martial Artist.

Next came the Demon General, equivalent to a Martial Artist in the True Condensation Realm; then the Great Demon, equivalent to a Samadhi Realm expert!

The Great Demon stage was a crucial period for the Demon Race. At this stage, they ignited the Bloodline Power hidden deep within their bodies and ascended to greatness in a single leap!

That was when the Bloodline Crystal within a Great Demon's body began to take shape: the Demon Core.

A Great Demon's Demon Core was exceptionally precious even to human Samadhi Realm experts. It could save them decades of arduous cultivation!

If he presented such a treasure to King Lanling, he was sure to be rewarded!

Su Qing had naturally thought of this, which was why he had chosen this gift.

But Great Demon Cores were hard to find, even for Su Qing, so he planned to head to the Black Dragon Mountain Range in search of one.

In all of Lanzhou, everyone knew that the Black Dragon Mountain Range was sure to contain Great Demons!

Su Qing set off with his personal guards and several Enshrines who supported him.

As King Lanling's favorite son, Su Qing's personal guards were all Innate Martial Artists. The Enshrines tasked with protecting him were at least in the True Condensation Realm, and two of them were even in the Samadhi Realm!

With such a formidable lineup, they had a good chance of obtaining a true Great Demon Core, as long as they were careful.

Samadhi Realm experts were already strong enough to fight Great Demons!

"Old Huang, Old Li, I'll be counting on you both this time!"

A young man who bore a striking resemblance to King Lanling spoke respectfully. It was none other than Young Master Su Qing.

The two First-Rank Enshrines opposite him readily agreed.

As an Enshrine of the Prince's Mansion, it was crucial to choose the right backer. Otherwise, sooner or later, you would die on some bizarre mission.

Old Huang and Old Li, both Samadhi Realm Martial Artists, had chosen Su Qing, the one King Lanling liked best. They believed Su Qing had a good chance of inheriting King Lanling's position, and when that day came, they would rise to the top along with him.

"Good. Then I'll be counting on you both!" Su Qing swung up onto his horse, and the others followed.

The two Samadhi Realm Enshrines naturally chose to ride horses as well.

Although Samadhi Realm Martial Artists could already fly through the air, doing so consumed far too much True Essence. If something unexpected happened, they could easily be caught unprepared.

Besides, flying was not much faster than riding a horse for a Samadhi Realm Martial Artist, so of course they chose to ride.

Su Qing's departure did not attract the attention of the other Young Masters. They had their own business to attend to, and no time to concern themselves with this.

But Su Qing was headed for Nine Lions City once more!

There was no helping it. As the city in Lanzhou closest to the Black Dragon Mountain Range, Nine Lions City was where any Martial Artist looking to venture deep into the range would first go to scout things out and stock up on supplies.

But Nine Lions City had fallen into decline. After Old Man Snow Mountain had caused such a stir, a large number of high-level Martial Artists had been taken away and drafted into the army.

Now, Viscera Refiners could lord it over everyone else among the Martial Artists remaining in the city!

Still, with the arrival of outsiders, Nine Lions City would slowly regain its vitality as a hub of the Martial Path. After all, backed by the Black Dragon Mountain Range, it was a city brimming with opportunity!

Young Master Su Qing and his guards made their way along at an easy pace. King Lanling's birthday was still three months away, which gave him plenty of time to make several round trips!

If all went well, he might even find a Great Demon in just one month.

As the Young Master, he naturally wasn't going to make himself suffer. Lanzhou was King Lanling's territory, and no one dared provoke Su Qing and his party.

He usually had to spend his days cooped up in the Prince's Mansion, painstakingly training in martial arts. Now that he finally had a legitimate excuse to go out, Su Qing was determined to enjoy himself.

So, as they traveled, Su Qing really did get to enjoy the customs and local flavor of Lanzhou's various prefectures.

It had to be said, once Su Qing revealed who he was, some pretty young ladies proved quite understanding.

But sometimes trouble still arose. After all, not every beauty was awed by his status, and that was when his guards proved useful.

By the time they had traveled this far, Su Qing had thoroughly embodied the meaning of a spoiled young lord, yet he had also grown visibly thinner.

Still, the man seemed more energetic than ever.

The guards around him were a little worried about the Young Master's health, but after Su Qing gave them a good scolding, they stopped making a fuss.

Su Qing's greatest passion was beautiful women, and in that, he took after King Lanling.

In the mere hundred-odd years of his life, King Lanling had taken more than a thousand consorts—an average of ten a year. It was a good thing his cultivation was profound; otherwise, it was anyone's guess whether he would have lived this long.

Su Qing's ability to please King Lanling might well have something to do with this. After all, they were birds of a feather!