Chapter 152: Chapter 152: The Royal Forbidden Land
Normally, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have cared. But he had just crippled Tong Hong. For this person to come looking for him right afterward, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but suspect their motives.
"Heh, Brother Ye Xuan, you are indeed as straightforward and direct as they say. In that case, I won’t beat around the bush. Allow me to introduce myself."
The lavishly dressed youth smiled slightly. "I am Zhao Wei, the Eighth Prince of the Liuyun Kingdom."
"The Eighth Prince?" Ye Xuan was slightly startled, then he laughed. "So it is the Eighth Prince who has graced me with his presence. I’ve been a poor host. I wonder, what counsel does the Eighth Prince have for me today? You’re not here to seek justice for Tong Hong, are you?"
Ye Xuan watched him with a half-smile. Though his words spoke of being a poor host, his demeanor was not the slightest bit fazed by Zhao Wei’s status.
Zhao Wei seemed quite surprised, then gave a wry smile. "Brother Ye Xuan, why would you say that? Tong Hong bullied the weak and caused trouble in the academy. What happened today was what he deserved. I should be the one thanking you, Brother Ye Xuan, for ridding the academy of a menace. How could there be any talk of seeking justice?"
"Oh?" Ye Xuan smiled. "But I hear this Crown Prince Alliance was established by the current Crown Prince."
Zhao Wei’s expression turned serious. He said earnestly, "Brother Ye Xuan, my big brother is my big brother, and I am me. You can’t lump us together. My brother certainly has his methods, but I don’t quite approve of his style of doing things."
Zhao Wei’s expression was grave, and he appeared righteous and stern.
But Ye Xuan could tell that Zhao Wei’s expression and words didn’t seem fake.
"Then why exactly has the Eighth Prince come to see me?" Ye Xuan asked, confused.
Zhao Wei quickly said, "Brother Ye Xuan, calling me that is too formal. We’re both students at the Profound Spirit Academy, fellow disciples. You can just call me Senior Brother Zhao Wei. Or if you prefer, just calling me Zhao Wei is fine too."
At this point, Zhao Wei paused, then continued, "Actually, I came here because I saw your performance on the challenge platform, Brother Ye Xuan. That defensive Divine Ability of yours left me in awe. And so, I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?" Ye Xuan looked at Zhao Wei. Despite being a Prince, he was courteous and polite. Not only did he lack the arrogance of students like Yuan Shan and Tong Hong, but he was actually gentle and refined. Ye Xuan couldn’t help but be amazed. ’The Profound Spirit Academy really does have all sorts of people.’
"Brother Ye Xuan, it’s like this. This is my third year at the academy. I’m seventeen, and I just recently broke through to the Martial Master Third Layer. Logically speaking, I could even graduate early. However, as a Prince of the kingdom, my father, the King, requires that any prince must be ranked first on the Premier Rankings before they can graduate. With my current cultivation, there are two ways for me to get first place. The first is to continue cultivating, raise my realm to Triple Peak, and master the royal family’s Cultivation Technique. Then I would naturally be able to get first place. The second method is to raise my Martial Soul to Two-Stars."
At this, Zhao Wei gave a wry smile. "The first method, while simple, would take too long. The second, however, is extremely difficult. My Martial Soul is a Thunderlight Mink, and finding a compatible Profound Beast is incredibly hard. Not long ago, while I was out training, I happened upon a Lightning Mink Profound Beast, but it fled into a cave in a Land of Wind and Thunder, which is extremely dangerous."
As Zhao Wei said this, he glanced at Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan seemed to understand, getting the gist of Zhao Wei’s meaning.
"Brother Ye Xuan, that Land of Wind and Thunder is filled with surging Wind Blades and lightning. It’s almost impossible for an ordinary Martial Artist to enter. But seeing your defensive Divine Ability, Brother Ye Xuan, I think you might have a way to get through. That’s why I’m inviting you to help." At this, Zhao Wei looked at Ye Xuan expectantly.
Ye Xuan looked at Zhao Wei, his brow furrowed. "Brother Zhao, you’re a Prince. With your status, it shouldn’t be hard to find a few experts, right? You could probably find a whole crowd of them, not just Earth Martial Artists but even Celestial Martial Artists. Why would you need to ask a Martial Artist like me? Besides, Profound Beasts tend to live in important locations, and their lairs are bound to have many Demon Beasts. It would be difficult for just the two of us, wouldn’t it?"
Zhao Wei gave a helpless smile. "Brother Ye Xuan, there’s something you don’t know. To foster our growth, my father, the King, has set a requirement for all of us princes: while at the academy, we are not allowed to use our status as princes to recruit experts, much less mobilize the powerful figures from the palace. So, even though I’m a Prince, I have no other choice but to seek help from fellow students."
"As for the Demon Beasts, Brother Ye Xuan, you don’t need to worry. The place where I was training is a royal forbidden ground. There are few Demon Beasts inside, but many Profound Beasts. You absolutely don’t have to worry about being surrounded by a large group of Demon Beasts."
Zhao Wei smiled confidently.
"Many Profound Beasts? Few Demon Beasts?"
Ye Xuan had a sudden realization. He finally understood. The place Zhao Wei was talking about was likely a location the royal family used specifically to raise Profound Beasts.
On the Celestial Profound Continent, some major powers would raise Profound Beasts to make it easier for their disciples to obtain or enhance their Martial Souls. These beasts were specifically raised for the disciples to hunt. That so-called royal forbidden ground must be such a place.
Zhao Wei smiled slightly. "Brother Ye Xuan, I see you’ve also broken through to the Xuanwu Realm, correct? Since I’m asking for your help, I naturally won’t do so without offering a reward. As long as you help me enter that place, I will give you sufficient compensation, regardless of whether I ultimately obtain the Profound Beast or not. And if you happen to see a Profound Beast inside that suits your own Martial Soul, I can make the decision to let you hunt it as well."
As his voice fell, Zhao Wei suddenly took a wooden box out of his Storage Ring. He opened it, revealing it to be filled with Profound Stones.
"Here are fifty Lower Grade Profound Stones. After the matter is concluded, I will give you another fifty. Of course..." Zhao Wei smiled freely. "If you have some concerns, Brother Ye Xuan, or have something important to do and don’t wish to help me, it’s alright. Please accept these fifty Lower Grade Profound Stones as a token of our friendship. I insist you don’t refuse."
With that, Zhao Wei pushed the fifty Lower Grade Profound Stones in front of Ye Xuan, a sincere smile on his face.
This actually moved Ye Xuan. ’To be honest, Lower Grade Profound Stones were nothing to the Ye Xuan of my past life, but in this life, they are a considerable treasure.’
The value of a single Lower Grade Profound Stone wasn’t particularly high, but it wasn’t low either. According to the market price, it was worth just ten thousand Profound Coins. Fifty of them would be five hundred thousand Profound Coins.
The key, however, was that within the Liuyun Kingdom, Profound Veins were extremely rare, which meant the number of Profound Stones was also very low. Generally, Profound Stones were monopolized by the major powers, making them a commodity with a price but no market.
And yet, Profound Stones were incredibly important to Martial Artists, Alchemists, and Soul Refiners alike. So for Zhao Wei to offer fifty Lower Grade Profound Stones was far more valuable than just giving him five hundred thousand Profound Coins.
Faced with these fifty Lower Grade Profound Stones, Ye Xuan was indeed tempted. "When does Brother Zhao plan to set out?"
"In about a month. There’s still time, so we can make plenty of preparations. Of course, besides you and me, I will be bringing a few other people with us that day. But rest assured, they are all students from our academy. And I hope that whether you agree or not, Brother Ye Xuan, you’ll keep this under wraps."
Zhao Wei’s expression was very serious.
As the saying goes, the imperial family is the most ruthless. If the other princes learned that he was trying to upgrade his Martial Soul, they might try to interfere, which would be dangerous.
His invitation to Ye Xuan had also been carefully considered.
First, since Ye Xuan had openly defied the Crown Prince Alliance on the challenge platform, he couldn’t possibly be one of his big brother’s men.
Second, he had made some inquiries. Ye Xuan and his friends were from the remote Blue Moon City and had no connections to the Royal City.
Most importantly, there was Teacher Yun Aoxue’s attitude toward Ye Xuan and his group. Zhao Wei was well aware of Teacher Yun Aoxue’s background; there was no way she would have ties to any of the other princes. Someone she favored would surely not be a pawn for another prince.
Furthermore, Ye Xuan’s actions over the past few days had also given him the impression that Ye Xuan was a genuine and straightforward person.
Therefore, it was only after repeated consideration that he finally made the decision to invite Ye Xuan.
Seeing Ye Xuan fall silent in thought, Zhao Wei didn’t press him. "How about this, Brother Ye Xuan? If you can’t make a decision right now, I can give you some time to think. As long as you’re willing to come, you can let me know anytime within the next month. What do you think?"
Ye Xuan suddenly gave a faint smile. "Brother Zhao, I don’t need that long. Since you think so highly of me, I’ll agree to this for now. However, let me be blunt: if anything about this whole affair is different from what you’ve described, I reserve the right to walk away at any time."
A sharp light flashed in Ye Xuan’s eyes.
Zhao Wei’s heart skipped a beat, then he laughed in delight. "Brother Ye Xuan, you can rest assured! If I have even the slightest ill intent toward you, may heaven strike me down and the earth swallow me whole. It’s just that our business must be kept strictly confidential. Otherwise, if my big brother and the others find out, we’ll inevitably run into some trouble."
Ye Xuan nodded. He could also see that Zhao Wei was likely being sincere.
For the next while, Ye Xuan and Zhao Wei discussed some more of the details.
"By the way, Brother Ye Xuan, you crippled Tong Hong today. Although I found it quite satisfying to watch, you need to be careful of my big brother. He’s the founder of the Crown Prince Alliance, and he’s used it to recruit a lot of talented people, which has earned him a lot of points in our father’s eyes. So, if he finds out you slapped the Crown Prince Alliance in the face so publicly, he definitely won’t let it go easily."
Zhao Wei frowned.
Ye Xuan nodded. ’Even his own brother, Zhao Wei, is saying this. It’s clear the Crown Prince’s reputation among others isn’t that great.’
Zhao Wei then suggested that if Ye Xuan had the connections, he could secretly find someone to put in a good word with the Crown Prince, which might smooth the whole thing over.
At this, he gave another wry smile. "Brother Ye Xuan, if it were possible, I’d be willing to plead your case for you. But to be honest, if I actually went and did that, not only would it not help you, it would actually harm you."
He knew very well that if he were to intercede, the Crown Prince, Zhao Feng, would assume Ye Xuan was one of his people. It would be useless, and worse, he would think Zhao Wei was secretly undermining his authority as Crown Prince. It would only backfire.
