Cao Youqian: His Eyes Betrayed Him

Early morning, before dawn, in the streets and alleys of the Frenzied Lion King City.

From royalty and nobility to commoners and laborers, everyone was talking about what happened last night.

Did you see the sun and moon shining together last night?

"Of course I saw it. With such a commotion last night, how could I not know? Besides, I have inside information."

Tell me about it.

"..."

Inside the royal palace.

Cao Youqian got up early to cultivate, and by the time he finished, it was just dawn. He sat quietly in his seat, drinking his morning tea and waiting for news to come in from outside.

A moment later, Great Sage Eight Treasures walked in with a smile and gave Cao Youqian a thumbs up.

"As expected of the Holy Son, you only slightly revealed your strength last night, yet the entire royal city was already awestruck."

Cao Youqian toyed with the teacup in his hand and said with a smile, "The bait has been cast; now we just need to see if the fish will bite."

The Great Sage Eight Treasures asked, "Holy Son, I would be willing to accompany you then."

"Sure, but you'll have to disguise yourself. Ideally, you should use a secret treasure to conceal your aura."

Cao Youqian didn't mind sharing some of the spoils with Great Sage Eight Treasures, after all, this was his territory.

The Great Sage Eight Treasures said with a troubled expression, "Holy Son, to be honest, this kind of thing doesn't exist in our Barbarian Continent."

Cao Youqian was speechless. He casually tossed a jade token out of his storage ring.

"This jade pendant can conceal your aura; you should wear it."

"Thank you for the treasure, Holy Son. I will gladly give my life for you."

The Great Sage Eight Treasures happily accepted the jade pendant.

Cao Youqian continued, "Spread the word that this Holy Son is going to travel to the Frenzied Lion Kingdom and is now recruiting followers."

Great Sage Eight Treasures, being a seasoned veteran who had lived for over a thousand years, immediately understood Cao Youqian's meaning.

"Give me three days, Your Majesty, and I will surely be able to select a suitable attendant for you."

Cao Youqian's lips curled into a slight smile, "Then I'll be waiting to see how you perform."

"Promise."

After responding, Great Sage Eight Treasures turned and left.

Soon, news that the Holy Son of Dao Seeking was selecting attendants in the Frenzied Lion Kingdom to travel the world spread throughout the country.

The cultivators of the Frenzied Lion Kingdom and the disciples of the Giant God Academy were overjoyed upon hearing the news, and they flocked to the Giant God Academy's headquarters to register.

Even the Fire God Sect members hidden within the royal city secretly sent people to participate in the selection.

Great Sage Eight Treasures did not show himself but instead let Great Sage Profound Crystal handle the matter. He had been disguised for the past few days.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

That noon, Cao Youqian arrived at the headquarters of the Giant God Academy outside the city in a luxurious carriage.

As soon as he got out of the car, he attracted the attention of countless people.

The Frenzied Lion King and the Great Sage Profound Crystal were the first to come forward.

"Holy Son."

"Um."

Cao Youqian nodded arrogantly and asked casually, "Uncle-Master Mysterious Crystal, have you chosen your attendants?"

The Great Sage Profound Crystal smiled and said, "Holy Son, rest assured, I have already selected seventy-two attendants for you. They are all first-rate talents and will definitely not disappoint you."

Cao Youqian said with a smile, "Very good, call them up."

"Promise."

After responding, Great Sage Profound Crystal turned his gaze to the Frenzied Lion King standing to the side.

The latter then withdrew, and a short while later, he appeared before Cao Youqian with seventy-two young cultivators.

Upon seeing Cao Youqian, everyone bowed and said, "We pay our respects to the Holy Son, the Holy Son Peerless."

No need for formalities.

Cao Youqian surveyed everyone present with a condescending gaze.

"On this trip, I, the Holy Son, will travel to various countries to experience the customs and cultures of the Barbarian Continent, and incidentally spar with various prodigies. I will also preach to you all, but only if you make me comfortable. Otherwise, don't blame me for not giving face to the Frenzied Lion King and Uncle-Master Mysterious Crystal."

Upon hearing this, both Great Sage Profound Crystal and Frenzied Lion King couldn't help but smile slightly. The Holy Son was truly giving them face.

The group of young cultivators replied in unison, "We obey."

"Alright, let's set off then."

After Cao Youqian finished speaking, he turned and walked towards his carriage, followed closely by a group of young cultivators.

Before long, the main force slowly left the royal city under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Inside the carriage, Cao Youqian was leisurely playing chess with Song Zhaoyi.

After a long while, the car door opened.

Disguised as a coachman, the Great Sage Eight Treasures slowly entered. "Holy Son, shall we head straight for the Fire God Sect's stronghold Cloud Witch Mountain?"

Cao Youqian laughed and said, "No rush. Let's wait for that Fire God Sect scum mixed in with the seventy-two to jump out first. We're here on a tour, so naturally we should experience the customs and culture of the Frenzied Lion Kingdom first."

Great Sage Eight Treasures paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "Holy Son, are you saying that there are spies from the Fire God Sect among those seventy-two?"

"Good."

Cao Youqian placed the small black piece in his hand on the chessboard and said, "Although he hid it well, his eyes betrayed him."

Everyone else looked at me with awe and admiration, but his eyes held excitement and a hint of greed.

Although it was only a fleeting moment, how could it escape my perception?

Upon hearing this, Great Sage Eight Treasures immediately gave Cao Youqian a thumbs up.

"Your Highness has keen insight. I truly didn't notice this small detail. Let him be smug for a few days; he'll have his moment to cry later."

More than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Cao Youqian traveled along the way, stopping frequently and giving sermons to the crowd every few days, offering guidance on their spiritual practice.

He quickly became friends with the seventy-two followers, and many of them even swore to be loyal to the Son to the death.

Cao Youqian didn't take these words to heart; he treated everyone the same.

That evening, the group arrived at the border of the Frenzied Lion Kingdom.

The prince of the Frenzied Lion Kingdom stepped forward and said, "Holy Son, we're approaching Cloud Witch Mountain. Should we take a detour, or go directly through Cloud Witch Mountain to the Giant Elephant Kingdom?"

"What, is there danger in this Cloud Witch Mountain?"

Cao Youqian asked with a smile.

The prince of the Frenzied Lion Kingdom said, "For insignificant people like us, it is indeed somewhat dangerous, but for someone like you, Holy Son, there is naturally no danger whatsoever."

"In that case, let's take a trip into the Cloud Witch Mountain and see what kind of creatures dwell there. Perhaps we can even find some fortuitous opportunities."

Cao Youqian paused for a moment and then asked, "Go and ask if anyone in the crowd is familiar with Cloud Witch Mountain."

"Promise."

After the prince of the Frenzied Lion Kingdom responded, he turned and left, gathering his attendants together.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he arrived before Cao Youqian with an eagle-faced cultivator.

"Holy Son, his name is Black Harrier. He lived in the Cloud Witch Mountain for more than ten years before joining a sect in my Frenzied Lion Kingdom. He knows the Cloud Witch Mountain like the back of his hand."

Upon hearing this, Cao Youqian looked at Black Harrier with a smile and asked, "Is this really true?"