Undercurrents and Invitations

The news of the battle with the Rock Sword Saint Hedereson spread through the upper circles of Red Flame City as if it had grown wings. That a young, unknown Saint Realm expert could trade blows with the long-renowned Lord Hedereson without falling behind was enough to capture the attention of every faction.

Lin Qin had anticipated this, but he did not care. He remained reclusive, spending most of his time in his inn room in seclusion, digesting the gains from his fight with Hedereson. That battle had given him a deeper understanding of the profound mysteries of the Earth Element, especially the technique of condensing power to its absolute limit, holding it in reserve, and using "momentum" to suppress others, which benefited him immensely. His Thick Earth Seal was constantly being refined, and its power was greater than ever before.

A few days later, he ended his brief seclusion, preparing to head to the Mercenary Guild to see if there were any new tasks suitable for the Saint Realm. Not long after stepping out of the inn, an officer wearing the standard armor of the imperial royal family, his aura steady and calm, blocked his path.

"Lord Lin Qin." The officer bowed respectfully and handed over a gold-stamped invitation. "Three days from now, the royal family will host a banquet at the Red Flame Hall. We cordially invite you to attend."

Lin Qin took the invitation and glanced at it. It was signed by the royal family of the O'Brien Empire, and the tone was quite polite. He knew this was a recognition of his strength, as well as a form of probing and solicitation. He pondered for a moment and nodded. "I will arrive on time."

"We look forward to your presence, my lord." The officer bowed again and turned to leave.

After seeing the officer off, Lin Qin continued toward the Mercenary Guild. He understood that this banquet was likely not as simple as just eating and drinking. With the undercurrents surging in Red Flame City recently, the royal family's move might be an attempt to consolidate power and gauge the attitudes of various parties.

At the Mercenary Guild, he browsed the task list. There were not many Saint Realm-level tasks; most involved hunting specific Saint Realm Magic Beasts, exploring certain extremely dangerous forbidden lands, or resolving troubles that even the empire found thorny. The rewards were also extremely generous, often reaching hundreds of thousands of gold coins or equivalent rare materials and magical equipment.

He accepted an investigation task: to determine the cause of the "Black Storms" that had been appearing frequently on the edge of the Death Desert in the west of the empire. The task description mentioned that there were suspected unknown biological activities within the Black Storms, which had already caused several merchant caravans and explorer teams to go missing. The task was rated as A+.

This task piqued Lin Qin's interest. The Death Desert was a famous dangerous area on the Yulan Continent, with a harsh environment; it was said that ancient ruins and powerful Magic Beasts were hidden in its depths. The abnormal Black Storms and unknown creatures might mean that new changes or opportunities had appeared there.

After accepting the task, Lin Qin left the Mercenary Guild. He did not return to the inn immediately but strolled through the commercial district of Red Flame City, purchasing some books and maps regarding the geography, climate, and legends of the Death Desert, and replenishing his supply of high-grade antidotes and fresh water.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the night of the banquet, the Red Flame Hall was brightly lit and heavily guarded. Everyone who received an invitation was a prominent noble, a powerful warrior, or a well-known mage within the empire, and there was no shortage of Saint Realm experts among them.

Lin Qin arrived on time, dressed in a simple black martial outfit. His appearance immediately attracted many gazes. Many had already heard of this newly emerged young Saint Realm expert who could trade blows with the Rock Sword Saint; curiosity, scrutiny, wariness, and the desire to build connections—all sorts of gazes intertwined upon him.

Lin Qin's expression was calm, ignoring the surrounding stares. Guided by a waiter, he sat in a relatively quiet spot. He saw several familiar figures; the Rock Sword Saint Hedereson was among them, chatting with a few elderly men with deep, unfathomable auras. Hedereson felt Lin Qin's gaze and gave him a slight nod.

The atmosphere of the banquet was harmonious on the surface, with people clinking glasses and laughing. But Lin Qin could feel that beneath this peace, various probes and undercurrents were hidden. Many nobles and representatives of factions tried to come over to chat with him, probing his background and intentions, but he brushed them off with indifferent responses.

During the event, a prince of the empire delivered a speech on behalf of the royal family, which was nothing more than empty rhetoric about thanking the various experts for their support of the empire and hoping to maintain the empire's stability and prosperity together. However, Lin Qin noticed that the prince mentioned "external pressure" and "internal unity" in a veiled manner several times during his speech, which seemed to confirm what Hedereson had said earlier about a "storm approaching."

Halfway through the banquet, a middle-aged man in luxurious robes with a graceful demeanor walked up to Lin Qin with a wine glass. Lin Qin recognized him as a younger brother of the current emperor, Prince Kasa, who was in charge of some military affairs and was himself a peak ninth-rank warrior.

"Lord Lin Qin, I have long admired you." Prince Kasa smiled warmly. "It is truly astonishing that you have stepped into the Saint Realm at such a young age. I wonder what your impression of our O'Brien Empire is?"

"A land that values martial arts, where the strong are respected," Lin Qin replied concisely.

A flash of light crossed Prince Kasa's eyes. "Well said. The empire reveres power and treats the strong well. With your ability, if you are willing to serve the empire, you will surely receive resources and support far beyond your imagination." He began his direct solicitation.

"I am used to being on my own, and I have no such intention for now." Lin Qin refused directly. He did not like being bound, and the waters of the royal family were too deep; he did not want to be easily dragged in.

Prince Kasa's smile did not change, as if he were not surprised. "Everyone has their own aspirations, which is understandable. However, the current situation on the continent is delicate, and it may not be easy to stay out of it. If you change your mind, the doors of the royal family are always open to you." Having hit a soft nail, he did not pester him further and left after a few more polite words.

Lin Qin watched Prince Kasa's back, lost in thought. The royal family's solicitation was within his expectations, but the other party seemed to have hidden meanings. "The situation on the continent is delicate"? Did he mean the struggle between the Radiant Church and the Dark Church? Or something else?

After the banquet ended, Lin Qin did not linger and returned directly to the inn. Aside from confirming that he had attracted the attention of all parties, he had not gained much substantial information from this banquet. However, that oppressive feeling of a coming storm had become even clearer.

He did not delay any longer. Early the next morning, he left Red Flame City and set off for the Death Desert in the west of the empire.

The Death Desert was located at the border between the O'Brien Empire and the Yulan Empire, a vast and boundless world of yellow. It was scorching hot during the day and bone-chillingly cold at night, with an extreme lack of water, and it was frequently hit by deadly sandstorms and quicksand.

Lin Qin flew over the desert, looking down at the rolling sand dunes below. According to the task information, the area where the abnormal Black Storms appeared was on the northern edge of the desert, near a strange stone forest area known as "Devil Rock."

He lowered his altitude, his spiritual energy scanning the desert below carefully. Soon, he discovered some anomalies. In the leeward side of some sand dunes, scattered wreckage of vehicles and dried human skeletons lay, clearly from unfortunate merchant caravans. Judging by the traces, it did not look like it was caused by ordinary sandstorms, but rather as if they had been torn apart by some enormous force.

He continued to fly north, the wind and sand in the air gradually increasing, and the sky grew dim. On the distant horizon, a huge, maze-like group of dark red rocks appeared—that was Devil Rock.

It was at this moment that Lin Qin felt a strange energy fluctuation coming from the direction of Devil Rock. The fluctuation carried a chaotic and violent aura that was completely out of place with the surrounding environment. At the same time, he noticed that ominous black clouds were beginning to gather in the distant sky, with dark red lightning flickering within the clouds—it was exactly the "Black Storm" from the task description!

Lin Qin's eyes narrowed. He accelerated and sped toward the direction of Devil Rock and the Black Storm. He felt that this task would likely not be as simple as hunting the Golden-Eyed Thunder Eagle. This edge of the Death Desert seemed to hide a significant secret.