On the outskirts of the Youquan Mountain Range's core region, Leian and Derrick walked and chatted. Behind them, Selina the Phantom Magic Monkey kept her head lowered and followed in tiny, measured steps.
The two men and one beast could remain so relaxed because Demos, the Saint Realm Tyrannosaurus, seemed to have suffered severe damage to his soul during his battle with Margaret.
After Margaret left, Demos had remained sprawled in place without moving. Only then had Leian and the others escaped the core region without incident.
"Leian, do you plan to stay in the Youquan Mountain Range?"
Derrick turned his head and looked at Leian curiously.
Leian was clearly only a level-nine warrior, and with just fifteen years left until the Goddess's Named Disciple Tournament, he did not seem anxious in the slightest.
"No. I'm planning to return to the imperial capital."
Leian shook his head and honestly stated his plans. The purpose of this trip had basically been fulfilled, and he had even found a direction for cultivating the Destruction Rule. There was little point in remaining in the Youquan Mountain Range.
Besides, he had only paid three years' rent on his house in the imperial capital. The time was nearly up, so he had to hurry back.
Hearing this, Derrick laughed. "Perfect. I'm planning to return to the imperial capital too. Shall we go together?"
Leian glanced at Derrick, and something stirred faintly in his heart. He had already guessed what Derrick was thinking.
Perhaps to show his sincerity, Derrick had introduced his identity during their earlier conversation.
Surprisingly, this fellow actually came from the Byron Empire's royal family.
Though he was only from a collateral branch, he still bore the surname Byron. Moreover, his own strength was not bad, and he had earned the title of marquis at an early age.
Now that he was deliberately insisting on following along, he was most likely trying to win Leian over.
After all, strength was still supreme across the continent!
The Byron Empire had been founded because its first emperor, Byron, was himself a Saint Realm expert and had the support of several other Saint Realm experts.
Furthermore, although the Goddess of Dark Night ruled the entire Youquan Continent, she did not interfere much in the rise and fall of the kingdoms upon it.
With that in mind, Leian did not refuse. He was not alone; having good relations with the royal family would offer his family some protection. Besides, Derrick's personality suited his tastes well enough.
The two settled their plans without further delay and prepared to leave. However, at that moment, a voice suddenly came from the side.
"Derrick, wait!"
The two looked toward the voice and saw a middle-aged man. He was not tall, dressed in a fitted brown outfit, with an earthy yellow greatsword strapped across his back.
Derrick clearly knew the man and immediately smiled. "Andre, I didn't expect you to be in the Youquan Mountain Range too. Looks like you saw that battle just now?"
"That's right."
Andre nodded with a smile, but his gaze remained fixed on Leian. He said directly, "Derrick, aren't you going to introduce us?"
Seeing his expression, Derrick knew that Andre must have witnessed Margaret giving Leian the Goddess Token. He had probably come specifically to make his acquaintance.
The two were friends, so Derrick naturally would not stop him. He said smoothly, "This is Leian, a level-nine warrior and my brother."
Then he turned and introduced the middle-aged man to Leian.
"Leian, this is Andre. Andre Savinian, from the imperial capital. He cultivates earth-attributed battle qi and is also a level-nine warrior."
Leian had never heard the name Andre, but he knew the surname Savinian. It belonged to an old ducal family of the Byron Empire.
Andre looked rather advanced in years, yet he had cultivated to the level of a level-nine warrior and had come to train in the Youquan Mountain Range. He was undoubtedly a devoted cultivator. Leian thought highly of such people.
After hearing Derrick's introduction, he took the initiative to greet him. "Hello, Mr. Andre."
Andre's attitude was also excellent. Smiling, he replied, "Mr. Leian looks very young. No wonder Lady Margaret bestowed a token upon you. I truly admire you!"
The moment Derrick heard Andre say that, it was as though he himself had been praised. He said proudly,
"Of course! Brother Leian became a level-nine warrior at thirty. Among all the records in Byron's history, that talent ranks in the top three."
Leian was no longer surprised that Derrick knew so much about him. Derrick had openly admitted before that
two years ago, after personally seeing Leian kill a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger with a single sword strike, Derrick had used his connections to investigate Leian's origins.
When Leian had left Qingshi Town and traveled to the imperial capital, he had not deliberately concealed his identity. Anyone who made a point of investigating would naturally learn everything.
Given that, Leian was not surprised that Margaret had recognized him at a glance. He had even guessed that he had drawn their attention when he traded at the Youquan Trading Firm.
Leian neither modestly denied Derrick's praise nor became smug over it. Just as he was about to change the subject and discuss cultivation, a sudden commotion sounded in the distance.
He shifted his gaze and looked toward the sound. Two figures were racing toward them through the nearby forest, one ahead of the other.
The newcomers made no effort to conceal their movements, so Derrick and Andre naturally noticed them immediately. The former chuckled. "Looks like quite a few people watched that battle."
"They seem to be Robert and Stefan."
Andre added an explanation. Given his age, he had seen far more experts than Derrick and recognized the two at once.
Derrick's expression froze, and he instinctively asked, "Stefan? That genius warrior the Beni Empire keeps boasting about?"
Andre nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, it should be him. I met him once at the northern foothills of the Youquan Mountain Range six years ago."
Leian had also heard of Stefan, the so-called genius warrior.
Although the three great empires of the Youquan Continent had always coexisted peacefully, they still competed with one another in certain areas.
Among these, comparisons between genius experts had always been a popular topic.
Stefan was not yet fifty this year. He had become a level-nine warrior at thirty-two and was currently the Beni Empire's most gifted warrior. Thus, the entire Beni Empire had constantly promoted him, and his name was known throughout the Youquan Continent.
As for the Byron Empire, it naturally had someone it had always promoted as well. That person was named Kleist.
However, Kleist had broken through level nine seven years ago and become a Saint Realm expert. By now, the Byron Empire disdained comparing Stefan with Kleist.
Naturally, the Beni Empire was furious at the Byron Empire's behavior, cursing the Byron Empire for being shameless.
The reason was that Kleist was ten years older than Stefan. If they had been the same age, Stefan might not have failed to become a Saint Realm expert.
Given the positions of both sides, Stefan's arrival was most likely ill-intentioned.
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