Chapter 844: Professional

Xu Qing was intrigued by the Nine-Headed Luan. After all, if he could tame this beast—which held special significance within the Yan Yue Xuan Tian Clan—and make it his mount, he would undoubtedly outshine everyone and secure first place in the second stage. Xu Qing's ambition was not merely to become a Mysterious Heavenly General, but a Grand Mysterious Heavenly General! To achieve the rare status of a Grand Mysterious Heavenly General, he had to rank first in every stage.

Unfortunately, Xu Qing felt a pang of regret, thinking, "The Nine-Headed Luan... I cannot tame it." Although he could be decisive and even reckless at times, his actions were usually the result of careful consideration and comparison. This differed slightly from the Captain. Simply put, Xu Qing was rational, so he clearly understood that since the Nine-Headed Luan had not been successfully tamed by anyone for so many years, there must be hidden secrets involved. The danger level of such unknown secrets was obvious. So, Xu Qing withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip introducing the Nine-Headed Luan. He was about to check the jade slips containing information about other fierce beasts to select his target. Just then, his expression shifted slightly, and he looked up towards the outside of the dwelling.

It was nighttime, and the curfew was in effect. The inky darkness solidified, transforming into wisps that seeped through the cracks of the door, finally coalescing in front of Xu Qing to form the Captain's figure. This method of appearance was rather peculiar. Xu Qing would have had difficulty sensing him beforehand if not for the spiritual message the Captain sent as he approached, so he gave him a few extra glances. These glances filled the Captain with immense satisfaction.

"How about it, Little Ah Qing? Wasn't your Senior Brother's return utterly silent?"

Xu Qing nodded.

"So you can rest assured now, right? The power of the 'Silent Heavenly Tome' is truly profound, and my long vigil at the Star Emperor Sub-Sect wasn't in vain." Although Xu Qing had ultimately acquired the Silent Heavenly Tome with just one sentence, the Captain had clearly chosen to ignore that fact. He now sat proudly in front of Xu Qing, his gaze falling upon the jade slips. After scanning their contents with his spiritual sense, he wore a half-smile.

"The Nine-Headed Luan."

"That's a good one, Little Ah Qing. It'll be a bit difficult for you to tame it." Upon hearing this, Xu Qing met the Captain's gaze.

"Senior Brother, have you seen a Nine-Headed Luan?"

The Captain raised his chin. Just as he was about to say something, he instinctively glanced in a certain direction, then coughed. "Can't talk about it in the Holy City, it's too sensitive. In short, if you were born a few years earlier, you might have had a chance to tame the Nine-Headed Luan. Don't even think about it now. As for this information about the Nine-Headed Luan..." The Captain pursed his lips, rummaged through his storage bag, and surprisingly pulled out a shrimp, which he then broke in half.

Xu Qing blinked.

Xu Qing looked thoughtful. The Captain waved his hand, setting aside all the jade slips concerning the Nine-Headed Luan. Then, he took out a black bamboo slip from his person, which exuded an ancient aura, as if it had existed for a very long time.

"Little Ah Qing, your Senior Brother didn't help much in the first stage, so a few days ago I went out to gather information and look for some old traces I left behind."

"A fruitful trip!" The Captain's eyebrows danced, and he looked very pleased.

"Based on my investigation, I'm absolutely certain I can make you first in this second stage."

"You don't need to worry about this; I'll handle it."

"When the second stage begins in a month, I'll have something to do by myself. You can just wander around the Mountain and Sea Realm as you please, don't mind me. When the second stage is over, I guarantee you'll get a young Mountain Chi beast!"

"That's a top five Mountain and Sea beast, even higher ranked than the Gui Che, and it's practically the highest tier that can be tamed in this stage."

"This time, your Senior Brother's got your back!" The Captain declared proudly.

Xu Qing smiled. Regardless of whether the Captain's words were reliable, this feeling of being protected was very warm to Xu Qing.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

The Captain was in an even better mood, humming a tune. He took out a carving knife and began to etch patterns onto the black bamboo slip. As he worked, he observed his progress, occasionally blowing away wood shavings, working very carefully, as if crafting an ancient artifact. Xu Qing glanced over, unable to make out the specifics, only seeing what looked like a crescent moon shape and numerous mysterious runes carved onto it.

"What is this?"

The Captain smiled mysteriously. "This is the Mountain and Sea Beast Taming Edict!"

"Back when I was close with that old hag Yue Yan, I helped make a lot of her stuff. This is a good trinket. Though I don't have any ready-made ones now, it doesn't matter; I plan to make a hundred or eighty of them. I refuse to believe that throwing them all out won't knock out a Mountain Chi."

"I'm good at making these things. I secretly sold a lot back then, and I even gave them a formidable name." At this point, the Captain coughed and said no more, lowering his head to work.

Watching the Captain diligently carve, Xu Qing's expression grew a little odd. Just as he was about to say something, his communication jade slip vibrated. Xu Qing raised his hand, took it out, and checked it with his spiritual sense. The Captain also looked up at Xu Qing's communication jade slip.

"It's the Grand Prince. He's arrived in the Holy City and is asking for our address. He wants to visit." Xu Qing looked at the bamboo slip currently in the Captain's hand.

"No problem, he probably won't recognize it. This is an ancient item, after all. Besides, even if he does recognize it, it doesn't matter; I'll give him a few." The Captain continued carving nonchalantly. Xu Qing thought for a moment and then provided their address.

Not long after, without Xu Qing and the Captain fully realizing it, the Grand Prince's figure appeared outside their dwelling, bowing respectfully.

"Gu Yue Zhonghui requests an audience with Revered Xu." His posture and tone were meticulously polite. Had it been before Xu Qing killed Prince Ming Nan, the Grand Prince would not have acted this way when seeing Xu Qing. Even as a prince disfavored by the Human Emperor, he was still the Grand Prince. However, that incident had elevated Xu Qing's status immensely in his heart, leading to this sincere and respectful demeanor. The main door opened silently.

Standing outside, the Grand Prince took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and walked in. Upon seeing Xu Qing, he bowed with clasped hands.

"Congratulations, Revered Xu, on achieving first place in the first stage of the Yan Yue Grand Hunt." Xu Qing looked at the Grand Prince. His injuries, which Xu Qing had seen when they last met at Prince Ming Nan's place, had healed considerably. Furthermore, it seemed the Grand Prince had matured significantly after that incident. Coupled with his striking resemblance to the Human Emperor, he now subtly exuded an imposing, dragon-like aura of vigor and power.

Xu Qing nodded slightly, motioning for the Grand Prince to sit. The Grand Prince sat cross-legged and took out three jade slips from his robe, placing them before Xu Qing.

"Revered Xu, after our last parting, I and my subordinates gathered a lot of information about the second stage, as well as about the prodigies participating in the Yan Yue Grand Hunt within the Yan Yue Xuan Tian Clan."

"I hope this will be of some help to you, Revered Xu."

"I also have some information to share about the Yan Yue Xuan Tian Clan itself," the Grand Prince spoke softly.

"The first jade slip records the habitats and related information of most of the fierce beasts. Much of this cannot be bought outside; I acquired it from my maternal clan."

"The second jade slip contains records of the great prodigies from various Yan Yue clans. I heard about your battle with Tuo Shi Mountain. Tuo Shi Mountain is one of the five great prodigies of the Yan Yue main clan."

"As for the other four great prodigies of the main clan, and the outstanding individuals from the affiliated clans, there are seventeen in total."

"With your combat strength, Revered Xu, the others are merely worth a glance, but you should pay special attention to those from the Yan Yue main clan. Their identities are no longer important to them."

"They are the seeds of this Yan Yue generation destined to suppress all directions."

"Tian Mozi, Void Return Realm third stage. However, he possesses combat strength equivalent to a Void Return Realm Grand Perfection expert. He is the fourth-ranked prodigy of this generation within the Yan Yue main clan, the foremost talent in the nation governed by the Star Flame Divine, and once defeated Tuo Shi Mountain in battle."

"Fan Shi Shuang, Void Return Realm third stage, third-ranked. He also possesses combat strength equivalent to a Void Return Realm Grand Perfection expert. He even had a life-or-death battle with a foreign powerhouse who had just entered the Concealed God Realm, successfully escaping without perishing. This person is the foremost talent in the nation governed by the Moon Flame Divine."

"Ji Dongzi, Void Return Realm third stage, second-ranked. He belongs to the nation governed by the Sun Flame Divine. This person is ruthless; his attacks are always lethal. He has slaughtered dozens of foreign clans, refining their blood into blood children who accompany him. He possesses many methods and even has a glorious record of fighting to a draw with a captured Yan Yue Concealed God Realm expert. Although that captive was at the end of his tether, he was still a Concealed God Realm expert."

"And the last one is named Yan Xuanzi. His original name is not this; he inherited the dao title of Yan Xuan. He is the foremost prodigy of our Yan Yue Xuan Tian Clan!"

"He suppresses all contemporaries in the clan! He is at Void Return Realm first stage, but his combat strength transcends the Void Return Realm, possessing the power of a Concealed God Realm's great world!" At this point, the Grand Prince took a deep breath.

Xu Qing was also moved. Although he hadn't truly fought Tuo Shi Mountain, the pressure the opponent exerted on him was immense. Xu Qing admitted to himself that he wasn't entirely confident he could suppress him. Of course, in a life-or-death battle, he was confident he could kill him, but the cost would undoubtedly be significant. But any of the four individuals mentioned by the Grand Prince made Xu Qing feel pressure, especially the last one. "My foundational cultivation is still not enough," he mused.

"These four!" Xu Qing murmured inwardly. "Unlike Tuo Shi Mountain, they don't care about becoming Mysterious Heavenly Generals. What they want is to enter the Divine Realm, acquire Divine Realm Blood there, and thus form the foundation for their own great worlds in advance."

After the Grand Prince finished speaking, he was about to describe the contents of the third jade slip. But after speaking for so long, his gaze finally drifted to the Captain. It was initially just an instinctive glance, but as he looked, he was about to speak, then abruptly swallowed his words. His heart pounded, and his eyes widened. Staring at the bamboo slip the Captain was carving, his face uncontrollably showed an expression of utter disbelief and astonishment.

"This is a Godling Edict!!"

The Grand Prince's mind reeled, and he immediately stood up. He had seen this edict before; there was one in his maternal clan. It was both an ancient artifact and a divine object, revered by his clan in their ancestral Divine Pavilion.