Chen Guan’s First Heavenly General, Iron Egg, Arrives!

In the mountains, time passes without notice, oblivious to the changing seasons.

Jia ma Empire, Imperial Palace.

Unlike the usual quiet and orderliness, the palace was quite lively today. Soldiers and maids busily moved about, but surprisingly, no one scolded them.

All of this was due to the preparations for the Grand Princess's coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow.

The servants were quite happy. Such a grand event was a rare occurrence in their lifetime.

However, as the focus of the event, the Grand Princess sat idly in the pavilion, showing no sign of joy on her face.

On one hand, the responsibilities she would have to bear after the coming-of-age ceremony weighed heavily on her.

On the other hand, she was reminded of the past.

She clearly remembered the day when that young man stood before her, reluctantly making a promise he had no choice but to accept.

But now... with the coming-of-age ceremony just around the corner, where was that young man?

With so many thoughts clouding her mind, how could she feel happy? All she felt was boundless melancholy.

Yao Ye even considered canceling the ceremony, but her status made it impossible to act so willfully. She wasn't just any ordinary girl; she represented the royal family.

Not only did the ceremony have to go on, but it had to be a grand event!

"That brat should still be alive, right?"

Even Jia Xingtian had accepted the 'fact' that the boy had died, but she still held onto hope. Yet, after many attempts at convincing from Jia Xingtian, and as time passed day by day, even Yao Ye began to waver.

She let out a long sigh—a sigh full of the endless worries of youth.

Magical Beast Mountain Range.

A year ago, more than half of the low-level magical beasts near the outskirts of Qingshan Town were wiped out, making the area feel desolate for a time.

Fortunately, after some time, the region gradually recovered, returning to its previous state. Anyone unaware of the past events would never have guessed what had happened.

On a sunny morning, in the region where third-rank magical beasts roamed, a small, peaceful lake suddenly rippled, startling away a few lucky beasts that had been quietly drinking.

In the next moment, a handsome young man leaped out from the water. In broad daylight, he removed all of his clothes!

Using his Dou Qi to dry himself off, he changed into a new set of clothes, though they didn't seem to fit quite right. Despite only growing a year older, it felt as though his body had gone through three or four years of growth.

After taking one last glance at the place that had 'imprisoned' him for a year, Chen Guan retrieved a peculiar-looking Scarlet Ice Snake with a broken tail, its body appearing as if it had been pieced together.

"I should thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had this opportunity."

With a gentle kick, the Scarlet Ice Snake King emitted a 'crack, crack' sound before diving into the lake.

Chen Guan nodded in satisfaction. Although the Scarlet Ice Snake puppet didn't look appealing and had half of its tail roasted by him, it was the first finished product he made after advancing to the third-rank puppet master, capable of exerting the strength of a two-star Dou Master.

In this secluded lake, it was enough to guard the stone chamber at the bottom.

Even though he had already collected his teacher's remains, this place held a significant amount of sentimental value, and Chen Guan didn't want it to be destroyed.

After making sure everything was in order, Chen Guan didn't waste any more time and quickly made his way toward the outskirts.

"It's been a year. I guess even Sister Yao Ye thinks I've ended up in the belly of some magical beast. If I remember correctly, tomorrow is Yao Ye's coming-of-age ceremony."

"I hope I can make it in time!"

Without any concern for the magical beasts that might appear around him, Chen Guan rushed ahead at full speed. The improvement in his strength had given him ample confidence.

Casually, he dispatched two fire foxes, who were in the middle of creating their next generation. They remained in their peculiar position throughout.

Soon, Chen Guan exited the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

After a brief moment of thought, he decided to stop by Thousand Medicine Pavilion.

After all, they were friends and might have worried about him. It was only right to drop by and say something; it wouldn't take more than a few minutes.

To his dismay, however, the Little Fairy Doctor had just left that morning with the Thousand Medicine Pavilion herb-gathering team.

Manager Chang, who he had met a few times before, was in the shop. From him, Chen Guan learned that over the past year, the business he had entrusted to Thousand Medicine Pavilion had been going smoothly without any problems, earning the shop quite a bit.

Moreover, as a gesture of thanks, Manager Chang had even lowered the price by five gold coins.

Chen Guan didn't refuse—any savings were welcome. Only a fool would turn down a free offer. He understood what Manager Chang was thinking, but it didn't matter; nothing would be affected.

What surprised him more was that the royal family hadn't canceled the deal even though he had been missing for a year.

The royal family sure knows how to play the game!

And yet, here he was, perfectly content with the arrangement, without a trace of complaint.

"Well, let's leave it at that. I'll trouble you with one more thing, Manager Chang. When the Little Fairy Doctor returns, please give her these two items."

Chen Guan handed over the two fire foxes that had tragically impaled themselves on his sword, as well as a cookbook detailing fifteen different ways to prepare fire foxes. This was a testament to the friendship between him and the Little Fairy Doctor.

Manager Chang agreed, though his expression was a bit strange.

When the Little Fairy Doctor returned that evening and received two fire foxes in such bizarre poses, she was stunned. She stayed awake all night, wondering, "What does this mean?"

Meanwhile, Chen Guan continued his journey, speeding through the night and receiving countless strange looks along the way. By noon the next day, he finally reached the outskirts of the Holy City, the capital.

He had traveled non-stop for a day and a night, pushing his speed to the limit, yet he didn't feel tired at all—just a bit sore.

Because he had been riding on the neck of a sixth-rank puppet.

To the passersby, it looked strange, and they merely chuckled at the sight, but only Chen Guan knew the terrifying power of the puppet beneath him.

To put it bluntly, with this puppet, Chen Guan could now protect himself anywhere within the Jia ma Empire.

The only downside? The puppet couldn't fly.

Shu Tianhe, his master, had created the puppet with only one purpose: to test his successor. He hadn't bothered to add any other functions, leading to this ridiculous situation.

However, just because it couldn't fly didn't mean it was weak. Chen Guan had tested it several times in the stone chamber, and it could jump incredibly high. Its head would smash into the ceiling like a bell, yet it would still be alive and kicking, completely unscathed. The quality was excellent!

Because of this, Chen Guan had given it a special name.

Iron Egg, reporting for duty!

(T/N: Bro's naming sense is literally transcendental)

(End of Chapter)