Chapter 25: Harvest

While Chen Guan and Yao Ye whispered to each other, the gazes of many others remained focused on the young man, their thoughts varying.

A teenager in his teens who was already a Dou Grandmaster, and not just at a basic level. Killing the Ninth Prince of the Chu Yun Empire was as easy as slaughtering a chicken.

This young man had the potential to become a Dou Emperor or even a Dou Ancestor!

He didn't hesitate to take action and showed great initiative. Although Yao Ye's instructions earlier were light, those who were above the level of a Dou King could still hear them clearly.

For a while, the "important figures" from various sides began to contemplate the impact Chen Guan's appearance would have on them. At least ten people had several hundred different thoughts and concerns.

As for Chen Guan himself, he didn't care about what these people thought. Since he had stepped forward today, he had already considered the consequences. It was merely a transition from behind the scenes to the forefront.

With his wings gradually growing, he now had the capital to face challenges. (Within the territory of the Jia Ma Empire.)

Of course, being infuriated by the Ninth Prince was an undeniable reason as well.

Having stayed with Yao Ye at the ceremony for more than half an hour, Yao Ye finally gave him a signal and took the lead in leaving the scene.

Chen Guan breathed a sigh of relief and followed suit.

Well, he admitted that he overestimated his thick-skinnedness. Being stared at and scrutinized by these people made him feel like a monkey in a zoo. This ceremony was truly boring.

Following behind Yao Ye into the palace, it was somewhat unexpected that Yao Ye did not go to their favorite pavilion for a conversation. Instead, she went to a small warehouse at the back.

After waiting for a moment, Chen Guan caught up with Yao Ye at the entrance of the warehouse.

Yao Ye opened the warehouse door, revealing box after box of Yellow Lotus essence.

"My obedient little brother, can you explain to me if you're planning to monopolize the market for Yellow Lotus essence?"

Using the innate secret technique of women, ear-tugging, which had a terrifying power, even a peerless little invincible like Chen Guan couldn't escape from it.

Acting like it hurt a lot, Chen Guan awkwardly explained, "Yellow Lotus essence is useless. It's just a cover-up. What I really want is Blood Lotus essence. However, that stuff is quite rare, and unfamiliar people are likely to mistake it for Yellow Lotus essence. So I bought more, just in case I can find some bargains."

"By the way, sis, arrange for a few people to inspect each piece. Make a cut in each one. Yellow Lotus essence is red inside. See if there's any harvest. As for the rest, put it in the national treasury or throw it into the Mitel Auction House to save space."

Seeing the painful expression on the young man's face, Yao Ye's anger dissipated quite a bit. Rolling her eyes, she tacitly understood.

"Alright, I can accept this explanation. I won't hold your extravagant behavior against you."

At most, it would only result in a loss of around two to three hundred thousand gold coins, which was not enough for the royal family to be concerned about. They could afford it.

Leaving the warehouse, the two returned to the pavilion.

Yao Ye took out a pot of tea and fiddled with it herself. "Tell me about your experiences in the past year."

"You can choose what you want to share." After saying that, Yao Ye added another sentence.

From the aura displayed by the young man today, Yao Ye could easily guess that he had encountered some opportunities. Although she was curious, she wasn't going to pry into all his secrets. They were now siblings, family, not jailer and prisoner.

After drinking a cup of tea poured by the Imperial Crown Princess herself to moisten his throat, Chen Guan slowly began to recount his experiences of the past year. In reality, it wasn't as complicated as Yao Ye had imagined. For the past year, his range of movement was limited to a small stone room.

Chen Guan didn't conceal the fortunate encounters, but he selected only some of the things he could currently disclose to her. There was no need to mention other things for now, such as the ability to create Rank 8 puppets after becoming an Eighth Rank Puppet Master, or the fact that with exceptional conditions, a Puppet Master could even cultivate Divine Puppets.

These things were too distant for the current Gamma Empire, so there was no need to bring them up.

To think about reaching the level of a Dou Ancestor or even a high-rank Dou Saint without even reaching the level of a Dou Emperor, isn't that like wanting to run before learning how to walk?

This time, Chen Guan gained a lot from his opportunity.

In terms of physical items, there weren't many. He obtained an Iron Egg, a Rank 6 puppet, seven Rank 5 puppets, and sixteen Rank 4 puppets, corresponding to Dou Emperor, Dou King, and Dou Spirit levels, respectively.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that, excluding the Yun Shan, his current combat power was not inferior to that of the Misty Cloud Sect.

If you added the support of the royal family, I truly have the advantage this time.

In addition, there were some strange and rare materials. Chen Guan estimated that once his level improved, it should be enough to refine a Dou Ancestor-level puppet.

There were fourteen grains of Spirit Nourishment Powder. He had used six grains and had eight grains remaining.

There was a set of advanced wood attribute Earth Rank techniques and martial arts. This was what Shu Tianhe, his teacher, had cultivated in the past. It was extremely valuable. Unfortunately, it didn't match Chen Guan's attributes. It was visible and tangible, but he couldn't use it, which was quite frustrating.

There were two low-level Earth Rank techniques with water and fire attributes.

There were a total of seven low-level Earth Rank martial arts techniques, with only one of them having a fire attribute. Chen Guan hadn't had time to practice it yet.

These were all the physical gains, and although the quantity was small, the value was considerable.

Oh, there was also a jar of contaminated Ice Spirit Cold Spring, which was the source of the mutation of the Crimson Ice Snake King from back then. Chen Guan learned about it after inheriting Shu Tianhe's experience and insights.

The Ice Spirit Cold Spring was also considered a high-grade spiritual object, but it was stored so carelessly that it got contaminated. Only his advanced Dou Semi-Saint teacher could do such a capricious thing.

Apart from the physical gains, the most valuable treasure was Shu Tianhe's lifetime experience and insights in puppet refinement. By inheriting this treasure trove, Chen Guan might be able to reach the level of his teacher and touch the threshold of a Ninth Rank Puppet Master.

The reason why it was said "might" was due to the limitations of materials. Those ancient materials were not easy to find nowadays.

Moreover, Chen Guan also discovered an embarrassing fact. With his current conditions, he could only refine, and have the opportunity to refine, those puppet types that his teacher mentioned, which were considered unconventional. It was quite embarrassing, but due to the limitations of the environment, Chen Guan couldn't do much about it.

Aside from inheriting Shu Tianhe's lifetime experience and insights in puppet refinement, the most precious thing was the cultivation method for soul refinement and the method he had specifically inquired about for producing Spirit Nourishment Powder. It should be noted that this thing had already been lost to the world.

If this news were to spread, countless alchemists would go crazy for it.

Undoubtedly, this was an astonishing treasure trove, but how to develop and utilize it still required further consideration. In any case, without the level of an Eighth Rank Alchemist, it would be impossible to refine Spirit Nourishment Powder.

"Puppet Master, it's quite intriguing. Puppets are rarely seen nowadays. With your promotion to a Fourth Rank Puppet Master, you were able to escape. Doesn't that mean that given enough time and resources, you could create an army of Dou Spirit level on your own!"

Yao Ye couldn't help but exclaim. As someone who had been active in the military for years, no one understood what this meant better than her.

"You could say that. From now on, we already have the initiative when dealing with the other major empires. If it weren't for the recent years being too tight on time and unable to afford any waste, I would have wiped out the Chu Yun Empire and let them know that the times have changed."

The Chu Yun Empire truly had a path to destruction!

As she listened to his words filled with killing intent, Yao Ye felt warm in her heart. After all, this younger brother of hers had finally become the pillar of the family.

What she didn't know was that Chen Guan's grudge against the Chu Yun Empire wasn't solely because of today's events.

"Alright, I will handle this matter. For now, focus on your cultivation. Your own strength is the most reliable. Don't neglect one thing for the sake of another."

"In terms of you disappearing this time, I won't hold it against you since you've given me such a pleasant surprise. But Yue'er has been complaining a lot this past year. You didn't give her any news, and she's been mad. Just now at the ceremony, she didn't even bother to acknowledge you. Deal with it yourself."

Chen Guan smiled awkwardly and nodded. He had indeed neglected Xiao Yue, which wasn't fair.

Mainly, he hadn't expected such an incident to occur. He had left without leaving any messages, and for over a year, there had been no news. It was inevitable for the little girl to feel that he didn't consider her a friend. If she didn't get angry, then she wouldn't be Yao Yue.

But Chen Guan wasn't worried. He had long anticipated this situation, so he prepared a countermeasure in advance.

"Don't worry, I have prepared a gift that Yu'er won't be able to refuse. And of course, there's one for Sister Yao Ye as well."

As he spoke, Chen Guan took out a few things from the storage ring around his neck.

(End of this chapter)

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