Princess Vina, the Five-Element Qilin, and We Can Pay More

In the depths of winter, snow was common in the northern Heaven Dou Empire, and the chill grew heavier by the day.

Dragon City lay in the empire's northeast. As the largest city in the north, it was bitterly cold year-round. After a snowfall, long icicles appeared beneath every household's eaves, crystal-like things that would stick to your hand if you touched them.

The streets were deserted. Even the locals did not want to venture outside, yet a group appeared beyond the city gates, faint wisps of soul power surrounding them to ward off the cold.

"Xue, the Far North really is freezing! Does the snow here never melt, even after a thousand years?"

"You turned your nose up at the soul beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. Now that you're here, you finally know what freezing feels like."

The most eye-catching members of the group were two girls in fitted outfits, protected in the center. The girl in yellow looked twelve or thirteen, but her figure was already well developed. Her black hair hung loose behind her, revealing an exquisitely pretty face. She looked delicate and frail, her smile lending a splash of color to the world of ice and snow.

Vina, princess of the Heaven Dou Empire and a genius with twin martial souls.

The girl in white was slightly taller. Her long black hair was tied in a straight ponytail, and her long legs were perfectly straight. She was a beauty whose charm lay in her bearing.

The others had unremarkable faces. Their leader was a middle-aged man of about forty with a piercing gaze.

"Your Highness, Miss Mu Xue, Dragon City is just ahead. Its city lord has brought people to welcome us."

The group's leader, Mo Feiyun, turned back and addressed the two girls respectfully.

Vina smiled and asked, "Is our guide to the Far North there too?"

"You'll find out shortly, Your Highness."

At the gate, Dragon City's lord jogged over, vaulting obstacles as he hurried from afar to welcome his distinguished guests.

"Greetings, Your Highness, and Miss Mu Xue of the Snow Demon Sect. Brother Feiyun, we met once over ten years ago. Here are some maps our city has drawn over the years."

"Hello, City Lord."

Vina offered a friendly, gracious smile, while Mu Xue nodded lightly.

Mo Feiyun gave him no opportunity to cozy up. Taking the maps, he asked directly, "Where is the local guide from the Heavenly Dragon Sect, and what is his background?"

Dragon City's strength enjoyed some renown within the Heaven Dou Empire. After all, a dragon martial soul could hardly be weak. Its sects, large and small, frequently produced powerful talents.

Compared with the city lord's estate, the local sects inspired greater confidence.

"He's in the north of the city. Yu Tianjun, the Heavenly Dragon Sect master's second son."

Having failed to strike up a friendship, the city lord answered obediently.

Mo Feiyun nodded and asked:

"Before coming, I heard the Heavenly Dragon Sect's younger generation had the Red-and-Blue Twin Stars, one a Red Dragon and the other a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. They've defeated the Earth Dragon Sect in the Heaven and Earth Dragon Sect Exchange Tournament two years running. Is he the Red Dragon?"

The city lord shook his head. "Neither, though he's quite famous locally too."

"Is there something special about his martial soul?"

"No, it's his looks."

The city lord sighed with feeling. "Those red and blue stars are young men of great promise. I once wanted to recommend them to Shrek, but the Heavenly Dragon Sect master refused. No one knows Yu Tianjun's strength. He never takes part in public competitions."

"People suspect his martial soul mutated. These past few days, I've been wondering whether to give him a recommendation letter."

As he spoke, the city lord sighed. A Shrek recommendation letter was something common-born geniuses struggled desperately to obtain, yet he could not even give one away. People would laugh if word got out.

The Heavenly Dragon Sect already had talented heirs capable of inheriting the sect. If he were its master, he would certainly send his second son to Shrek to recruit useful talents. Making more friends would be good too.

He had heard that Shrek often expelled talented students these days. That very day, senior students with powerful backing would take them to the entertainment district to soothe their wounded hearts, then sign training contracts and bring them into their own sects. What a sweet deal.

"A mutation in a direct descendant of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon lineage? That's normal enough."

Mo Feiyun mulled it over briefly and thought nothing of it.

Everyone knew that mutations were common in the blue lightning tyrant dragon martial soul. Favorable ones produced things like the radiant sacred dragon; unfavorable ones, things like the Farting Pig... ahem, that was rather disrespectful to the Divine Teacher.

There were also fire dragons, water dragons, wind dragons, and all sorts of other variations. They might be no weaker than the blue lightning tyrant dragon, or they might fall somewhat short. That was where the Heavenly Dragon Sect's collection of true dragons came from.

Mutation did not care about status. Take the Divine Teacher from ten thousand years ago, Yu Xiaogang, the continent's foremost theoretical Grandmaster. Despite his illustrious birth, he had still squandered his years until fifty without breaking through rank thirty.

Vina said with a bright smile, "City Lord, don't think only of Shrek. Our Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy is excellent too. You graduated from it yourself, didn't you?"

The city lord smiled awkwardly, nostalgia showing on his face. "My fault, my fault. I studied at Shrek once, after all, and I always miss those days."

Now Vina was a little surprised. His records clearly stated that he had enrolled in and graduated from the Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy.

"If you don't mind my asking, how long did you study at Shrek?"

"Three months."

Vina's gracious smile stiffened slightly. Three months? Didn't that mean he had failed the freshman assessment and been expelled outright?

Mo Feiyun's mouth twitched, and his gaze toward the city lord turned hostile.

Three months at Shrek, a lifetime of devotion, huh? Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd spent thirty years studying there!

All those years the Heavenly Soul Imperial Academy spent training you were wasted, as were all those years of imperial salary!

Mo Feiyun did not let the city lord, who had no loyalty to the empire, lead them. Forget leading them—he could forget ever advancing again. One of these days, he would be banished to the frontier!

A clever person might ask: Dragon City was already on the frontier, so where else could he be banished?

Answer: there was still the border with the Sun Moon Empire. He could be appointed a point-blank observer of its military exercises.

For Shrek's glory, go catch the Sun Moon Empire's Fixed Soul Cannon Shells with your head!

"The road to a strong empire is long, and the burden heavy."

Mu Xue delivered her lament with solemn conviction. Outside, the Sun Moon Empire watched like a tiger eyeing its prey; inside, Shrek siphoned away exceptional talents. The pitiful Heaven Dou Empire had abundant soul master resources and countless sects, yet its imperial academy could only pick up the leftover geniuses and fight the Star Luo Royal Academy and Dou Ling Royal Academy for a place in the tournament's final four.

The tournament was held every five years, with the four great empires taking turns hosting. Whenever the Heaven Dou Empire hosted, the championship prize was three Soul Bones, with two for the runner-up and one for third place.

Thus, even in the best-case scenario, the Heaven Dou Empire lost one high-grade Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone every four years.

Vina could no longer maintain her smile. According to incomplete statistics, over half of Shrek Academy's students came from Heaven Dou. Among successive generations of the Shrek Seven Devils, there were generally more than four people from the Heaven Dou Empire.

Apart from established clans such as the White Tiger Family and Netherworld Family, the Star Luo Empire had few common-born geniuses. More precisely, it had few commoners who even awakened martial souls.

As for that useless, trash heap of a Dou Ling Empire... ha, no one cared.

"Huh? What a strong pesticide smell. Is the Heavenly Dragon Sect wholesaling pesticides?"

Up ahead, someone was handing over a bulk shipment. The group stopped to look and saw three freight wagons parked across the road, bearing a red banner that read, "Thank you to the Heavenly Dragon Sect for its product guidance."

The goods consisted of all kinds of pesticides. Mo Feiyun and his companions scanned them; every last one was potent stuff.

A tall, straight-backed youth with ink-black hair falling over his shoulders was settling payment and delivery with the Pesticide merchant, while a group who looked like researchers scribbled notes at lightning speed.

The youth wore a silver mask, exposing only a pair of clear black-and-white eyes. Apparently dissatisfied with the product quality, he was pointing out faults.

"You cut corners, didn't you? The nutrient content of this batch of Pesticide falls far short of your instruction leaflet. How is Pesticide like this supposed to improve Dragon City's overall strength?"

"I'm telling you, do the job if you can. If you can't, plenty of others can. You're not the only supplier in the Heaven Dou Empire."

"I'll let it slide just this once. I'm cutting your payment by forty percent. If I catch another discrepancy between your goods and your advertising, and you ruin the Heavenly Dragon Sect's important business, I'll have a Titled Douluo smash your shop sign!"

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. Absolutely right..."

The Pesticide merchant took the scolding like a chastened grandson, inwardly cursing his luck. The Heavenly Dragon Sect really was just as his fellow merchants said: skilled at identifying the substances in Pesticide.

The party from the Heaven Dou Empire exchanged looks.

"This is our guide? Why is he so... unconventional?"

Vina chose her words as she processed what she had witnessed.

She had seen people haggle over heavenly treasures, but this was her first time seeing someone haggle over the price of Pesticide.

For the dignified second son of the Heavenly Dragon Sect master to come out and do such menial work, just how badly must his martial soul have mutated?

Perhaps he was not even a Soul Grandmaster yet?

Mu Xue glanced at the falling snow. "If he held a high position in the sect, he probably wouldn't need to come out and work as a guide in weather like this."

"That makes sense."

For a moment, sympathy and pity filled everyone's eyes.

Is someone watching me?

Yu Tianjun's senses were keen. Noticing that he was being watched, he promptly turned his gaze toward them.

The one in front has an Adventurers' Guild mission sheet. They must be those filthy rich clients with money to burn. But what's with the way you're looking at me?

Sympathy? Or pity?

I'm the Heavenly Dragon Sect's mighty second brother, bearer of the ultimate darkness qilin martial soul, the future sternest father of evil soul masters, and a strong contender for the greatest genius of this age apart from Huo Gua. Do I need your pity?

Oh, I've kept all my information hidden. Never mind, then.

Realizing his clients had arrived, Yu Tianjun strode over, pulled out his own adventurer mission sheet, and compared the two to confirm their employment arrangement.

"Hello. I'm Mo Feiyun, a Soul Saint of the Heavenly Soul Royal Family. These are Her Highness Vina and Miss Mu Xue of the Snow Demon Sect. They're the ones who need Soul Rings."

Mo Feiyun introduced himself briskly.

"Hello, I'm Yu Tianjun. I was wondering who would come soul hunting in the Far North. So it's Her Highness the Princess and Miss Mu Xue. Forgive my manners."

Yu Tianjun was neither servile nor arrogant. Royalty was noble, certainly, but his attitude depended on the money.

Mu Xue said calmly, "Mu Xue. Martial soul: snow. Rank thirty, control-type prospective Soul Elder. I need a powerful ice-attribute soul beast, preferably one with some command over the snow element."

Vina stepped forward, smiling as she offered her hand and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Vina. My martial soul is a Snow Lotus. I'm a rank-thirty healing-type prospective Soul Elder. I need a thousand-year ice-attribute plant soul beast with healing abilities, preferably a Snow Lotus."

"Those requirements aren't simple, but we can find something."

Yu Tianjun considered it. The thousand-year Snow Lotus best suited to Vina would be treasured by a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Even the Snow Empress had only obtained a hundred-thousand-year Snow Lotus through a fortunate coincidence.

The Heavenly Dragon Sect knew several places where Snow Lotuses were likely to grow. Taking them there would be no problem.

"Yu Tianjun of the Heavenly Dragon Sect. Martial soul: Five-Element Qilin. Rank thirty-five power attack-type Battle Soul Elder. My assignment is to guide you."

Yu Tianjun briefly shook Vina's hand and released it, introducing his martial soul—the fabricated version—in front of others for the first time.

"You might hold us back a little, but rank thirty-five is still quite good... wait, what rank did you say you were?"

Mo Feiyun began with words of reassurance, indicating that the young fellow could stay behind him, only to realize something was wrong.

Rank thirty-five? The Princess and young lady are only rank thirty. Young man, have you been popping pills?

Princess Vina blinked her bright, dewy eyes. "Your martial soul is a Five-Element Qilin? The Qilin that stands alongside dragons and phoenixes?"

"More or less. Want a look?"

Yu Tianjun snapped his fingers. A five-colored silhouette condensed from soul power suddenly leaped up behind him, revealing majestic horns and a powerful set of limbs. Scales covered its deerlike body, and five-colored radiance flowed over it like water, beautiful beyond compare. Its proud eyes exuded the primal aura of a supreme beast martial soul.

His martial soul dispersed as soon as it appeared. Yu Tianjun said modestly to Mo Feiyun, "I hope the reward is as agreed. I guarantee you'll get your money's worth."

Mo Feiyun exchanged an excited glance with Vina at the speed of light. A smile exploded across his face like a chrysanthemum bursting into bloom:

"I'll pay the ten-thousand-Gold-Soul-Coin deposit right now. I think we could work together long-term."

Yu Tianjun accepted the Gold Soul Card and raised his eyebrows. "My cultivation time is precious. I take jobs when I feel like it."

"I can pay more. Starting at a hundred thousand, with a dedicated workplace and all your needs met."

"Please, take your time explaining, sir. There's tea here."