Proof of Value

The study of Aoba Pa was terrifyingly silent.

After Su Chen departed, this helmsman of the Aoba Clan stood rooted to the spot for a full incense stick's worth of time.

He did not move.

Those eyes, usually narrowed into mere slits, were now wide open, staring fixedly at the rough beast-hide map on the table as if he intended to carve every single line upon it into his very bones.

Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake.

A Tier 2 Magical Beast.

A companion magic core.

These words burned within his chest like an inextinguishable flame.

A long while passed.

Aoba Pa turned abruptly, the genial smile that usually graced his face long gone, replaced by the decisiveness and ruthlessness peculiar to an ambitious overlord.

"Someone, come!"

A low roar pierced through the heavy door.

A gaunt steward pushed the door open almost instantly and stood by in a bow.

"Summon the Black Water Guard!"

Aoba Pa's voice was cold and resolute.

"And invite Elder Gu He from the Tribute Hall!"

The steward's body trembled violently, a look of shock appearing on his face.

The Black Water Guard was the Aoba Clan's most elite armed force, with every member a battle-hardened Dou Master.

And Elder Gu He was a genuine Dou Grandmaster! He was the true pillar of the Aoba Clan!

To mobilize such power—could it be that they were going to war with the Jialie Clan or the City Lord's Mansion?!

"Patriarch, this..."

"Execute the order!"

Aoba Pa offered no explanation, merely slamming the beast-hide map heavily onto the table. A powerful surge of Dou Qi pressure erupted, causing the air in the entire study to stagnate.

"Within half an hour, I want the team to depart!"

"Target: Black Wind Valley!"

Night shrouded the rolling mountain range.

Black Wind Valley lived up to its name; cold, sinister winds surged out from the bottomless depths of the valley, emitting wails like ghosts and wolves.

Over a dozen black shadows moved silently along the rugged mountain paths like leopards in the night.

They were the Black Water Guard of the Aoba Clan.

At the very front of the team was an old man dressed in grey cloth robes. His face was withered and his aura restrained; as he walked, not a speck of dust touched his feet.

He was the Aoba Clan's only guest elder, the Dou Grandmaster, Gu He.

"Keep your spirits up!"

Gu He's hoarse voice reached the ears of every member clearly.

"The Patriarch's order this time is strange. A map of unknown origin has us mobilizing our entire force; if this is a trap..."

He did not finish his sentence, but the warning contained within his words cast a shadow over the hearts of all the members.

Within the team, a young captain of the Black Water Guard could not help but ask in a low voice.

"Elder, do you think the intelligence could be fake? A Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake is a Tier 2 Magical Beast. If so many of us go in and it turns out to be..."

Gu He's footsteps faltered slightly.

His cloudy, aged eyes gazed into the endless darkness deep within the valley, where an ancient beast seemed to lie in wait, ready to devour anyone who approached.

"Whether it is true or false, we shall know soon enough."

He resumed his stride.

"The Patriarch is gambling the future of the Aoba Clan. We are gambling our lives."

The team continued deeper.

The closer they drew to the area marked on the map, the more the temperature in the air began to rise sharply, and the scent of sulfur grew increasingly heavy.

Finally, beneath a highly concealed cliff, they found the lava cave obscured by massive vines.

The entrance matched the description on the map without the slightest discrepancy.

Gu He exchanged glances with several captains, and they all saw a trace of gravity in each other's eyes.

The intelligence, at least regarding the location, was true.

"Form the formation!"

Gu He let out a low shout.

Over a dozen Black Water Guards immediately fanned out, forming a battle formation capable of both offense and defense. The radiance of their Dou Qi ignited instantly, illuminating the entire cave entrance.

Having finished this, Gu He took a deep breath, channeled his vigorous Dou Qi into his feet, and stomped hard against the ground!

BOOM!

The earth trembled!

A visible, earthy-yellow shockwave surged toward the depths of the pitch-black cave like an enraged dragon.

This was the most direct provocation.

The next instant.

Hiss—!

Two sharp screeches, piercing enough to rupture eardrums, exploded from the deepest part of the cave!

Immediately following, a violent, suffocating wave of Scorching Heat surged out from the cave like a volcanic eruption!

The ground began to melt!

The rock walls began to crack!

Two massive, hideous figures, their entire bodies burning with dark red flames, lunged out from the darkness!

They were giant snakes over ten zhang in length!

Their bodies were covered in lava-like scales, and most terrifying of all, each snake possessed two identical, massive heads!

Four heads and eight scarlet snake eyes locked onto the people at the entrance, filled with violent and murderous desire!

Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snakes!

It really was the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake!

The hearts of every Black Water Guard sank to the bottom at this moment.

The intelligence was true.

But the might of these magical beasts was ten times more terrifying than they had imagined!

"Attack!"

Gu He's roar sounded like a thunderclap, jolting everyone back to their senses.

His figure moved, and he was the first to charge forward. Earthy-yellow Dou Qi condensed around him into a thick suit of rock armor, and the pressure of a Dou Grandmaster erupted without reservation!

"Beasts! Die!"

The battle broke out instantly!

The entire valley shook violently amidst the collision of terrifying energy!

Fire breaths, venom sprays, and giant tails sweeping across the field!

The two Tier 2 magical beasts coordinated flawlessly, their strength and speed reaching a horrifying level.

Although the Black Water Guards were well-trained and their battle formation was exquisite, they were still forced into retreat under the suppression of absolute power!

Pfft!

A Black Water Guard failed to dodge in time and was struck by the tail of one of the Fire Spirit Snakes. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, his chest caved in, blood spraying from his mouth as he instantly lost the ability to fight.

"Third Squad! Fill the gap!"

Gu He's eyes were bloodshot. He punched away an incoming fireball, but the rock armor on his arm was scorched bright red, sending a searing, intense pain through him.

The situation was even worse than he had anticipated!

These two beasts were likely already on the verge of reaching Tier 3!

If this continued, his entire team would likely be wiped out here today!

"Damn it! The Clan Head was set up this time!"

One of the squad leaders roared in despair while clumsily dodging a spray of venom.

Just as everyone began to harbor thoughts of retreat and fell into despair, a flash of realization struck Gu He's mind—a line of tiny, almost ignored text marked in the corner of the map.

"The left head of this snake is the primary one; it fears water."

This thought cut through the darkness like a bolt of lightning!

A brilliant light exploded in Gu He's eyes.

Was it a trap, or the only path to survival?

There was no time to hesitate!

"Wang Tao!"

Gu He let out a violent shout.

"Use a water-attribute Dou Technique! Attack the head on their left!"

Upon hearing this, a captain in the squad who cultivated water-attribute techniques was stunned for a moment, but out of absolute trust in the elder, he did not hesitate in the slightest.

"Azure Wave Palm!"

He pushed the remaining Dou Qi in his body to its limit. Between his palms, a mass of azure water spun at high speed, transforming into a massive vortex that slammed fiercely toward the left head of the Fire Spirit Snake nearest to him!

Hiss!

Just as the water vortex was about to touch the snake's head, that previously berserk Fire Spirit Snake let out a shriek filled with terror!

Its left head recoiled violently, attempting to dodge!

It worked!

The intelligence was true!

This discovery caused the flames of hope to reignite in the eyes of every desperate Black Water Guard!

Boom!

The water vortex landed solidly upon that snake head.

Sssss--!

Like a red-hot iron being doused with cold water, a massive cloud of white steam surged upward!

The flames on that snake head were extinguished by more than half, and from beneath the charred scales, dark green blood seeped out!

It was injured!

"Now!"

Gu He seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, his entire body launching into the air like a cannonball.

"Earth Splitting Collapse!"

He gathered all the Dou Qi in his body into his right fist, the earthy-yellow light becoming intensely concentrated, and then, carrying the force of ten thousand jun, he smashed it fiercely toward the other head of the injured Fire Spirit Snake!

Crack!

A bone-chilling sound of fracturing echoed through the valley.

That snake head was shattered right in the middle by his punch!

At this moment, the battle reached a turning point.

Half an hour later.

Aoba Clan, study.

Aoba Pa was still pacing back and forth, his palms already soaked with sweat.

Just then, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps sounded from outside the door.

The door was pushed open violently.

Gu He rushed in, covered in blood, his left arm hanging limply at his side; it was clear he had suffered a significant injury.

Aoba Pa's heart sank.

"Failed?"

"No!"

Gu He's face, however, bore an irrepressible, ecstatic look of survival!

With his remaining right hand, he took two storage bags from his robes and slammed them heavily onto Aoba Pa's desk!

"Clan Head!"

His voice trembled violently with excitement.

"We... succeeded!"

He opened the storage bags.

Two dark red Magic Cores, the size of fists, warm to the touch and radiating pure fire-attribute energy, rolled out.

An aura of fire, even more advanced and pure than the Rock Fire Seed, instantly filled the entire study.

Aoba Pa's breathing suddenly hitched.

He held the two warm Magic Cores in his palms with trembling hands.

The vast energy emanating from them could not be faked.

"What was the... cost?" he asked with difficulty.

"Three severely injured, five lightly injured, no one died."

Gu He's eyes were filled with lingering fear and relief.

"It was all thanks to... that intelligence from the gentleman!"

He recounted the entire process in detail, explaining how the intelligence that the "left head fears water" had turned the tide of the battle.

Aoba Pa listened in silence.

By the time he heard the end, the two Monster Cores in his hand were nearly crushed to powder by his grip.

The last shred of doubt in his heart vanished into thin air.

Replacing it was a shock and awe, born from the depths of his soul, that defied all description.

That was no longer mere intelligence.

That was... a divine oracle, enough to shift the tides of war and decide the fate of life and death!

Aoba Pa slowly closed his eyes, and after a long moment, he snapped them open.

"Pass on my order!"

He stared at the Monster Cores in his hand, but his voice was no longer directed at Gu He; it was aimed at the entire Wutan City, at all those eyes lurking in the shadows.

"Take every single cent of profit the Aoba Clan is set to make over the next three months!"

"I want to build a stage for that gentleman—a grander stage than Wutan City has ever seen before!"

"I want everyone to know!"

"No one can afford to provoke a friend of the Aoba Clan!"