"'They are not our kind, so their hearts must differ'? What a great line."
Yang Cheng praised calmly.
Hearing that, Qin Qiansheng couldn't help feeling a little proud.
That line came straight out of the classic Zuo Zhuan from Blue Star.
Ever since meeting Yang Cheng, she'd been stunned by his brilliance.
Now, hearing him compliment her, it felt like drinking ice water on a scorching day.
She thought to herself, 'You may be smart, but can you really match someone like me, who carries the wisdom of an entire civilization?'
Of course, she didn't dare say that aloud.
"Your Highness, if you're really interested in the foreign powers, you could attend the Dao Discussion Assembly hosted by my sect," Qin Qiansheng offered. "My sect is the number one martial sect in Mozhou—Cangyun Sect. My Qin clan's Cangheng Fist was learned from them. The founder of Cangyun Sect was once a powerful expert from Qingxuan Sect in the Azure Jade Realm thousands of years ago. No one knows why he came to the Wasteland Realm, but he took root here ever since."
Yang Cheng's expression shifted slightly. "Cangyun Dao Discussion Assembly?"
"Mozhou is at the edge of Great Zhou. It's a place where all kinds of powers gather—some even from overseas," Qin Qiansheng explained. "Every Dao Discussion Assembly held by Cangyun Sect attracts many major powers. I've heard even Divine Medicine Valley plans to attend this year. If Your Highness is interested, I'd be honored to bring you along."
She was secretly amused.
At every Dao Discussion Assembly, all the factions clashed fiercely.
And those foreign forces? They didn't care much about the Crown Prince of Great Zhou.
She didn't exactly want to harm Yang Cheng, but she did want to get back at him for the original host. Let him suffer a bit.
"Alright," Yang Cheng nodded.
Without noticing, two months passed.
Yang Cheng's cultivation had quietly broken through to the Ninth Layer Martial Emperor.
Thanks to the trip to Chanzhou, where he'd fought several intense battles, his hidden potential had been pushed to the limit.
Now that he had digested all that energy, he'd advanced three full stages in one go.
Over these two months, the strength of the Dragon Spear Army had also changed drastically.
Just as Yang Cheng had predicted before.
Even with the Fire Dragon Breathing Technique and the medicinal liquid Yang Cheng had prepared, training in the lava of Fire Dragon Mountain was still extremely dangerous.
The Dragon Spear Army was made of elites, yet more than three hundred soldiers still died.
The ones who survived had all adapted to cultivating inside the lava.
Of course, they couldn't stay submerged too long. Even the current record holder, Zhao Yuefeng, could only endure fifteen minutes per day.
After training in lava, the soldiers would spar in the practice field.
That helped them better absorb the fire energy.
"Your Highness, may I ask you for some guidance?" Zhao Yuefeng asked.
He wasn't trying to challenge Yang Cheng with hidden meaning—he was sincerely seeking advice.
"Sure," Yang Cheng nodded.
Zhao Yuefeng brightened up. "I specialize in Cangheng Fist. I hope Your Highness can point out my flaws."
The surrounding soldiers perked up too. They were excited to see the Crown Prince in action.
Zhao Yuefeng launched his attack.
Yang Cheng met it calmly.
He only used twenty percent of his strength. He mainly fed Zhao Yuefeng techniques, then guided him patiently.
Right then, a giant gray eagle appeared in the sky.
Several figures stood on its back.
The most striking one was an old man with white hair and a youthful face standing in the middle.
As the eagle descended slowly, many soldiers noticed it.
Qin Qiansheng's face lit up with surprise. "Third Elder!"
The other soldiers also greeted respectfully, "Lord Commander!"
But then they realized something was off and quickly shut their mouths.
The white-haired, youthful-looking old man was the Third Elder of Cangyun Sect and the former Commander of the Dragon Spear Army—Sixth Layer Martial Saint, Sun Xiangsheng.
"Heh, I'm not the Commander anymore. Just call me old man," Sun Xiangsheng said with a smile.
"Senior Brother Wei and Senior Brother Pan also came?" Qin Qiansheng asked.
The two behind Sun Xiangsheng were Wei Hong and Pan Yulou.
They were all outstanding disciples of Cangyun Sect, each under thirty years old and already peak Martial Kings.
"Junior Sister Qin, I heard the Dragon Spear Army got a new Commander?" Wei Hong asked.
Qin Qiansheng replied, "Senior Brother Wei, the new Commander is none other than His Highness the Crown Prince himself. Right now, he's sparring with General Zhao."
Everyone from Cangyun Sect immediately looked toward the center of the training field.
Seeing Yang Cheng fighting Zhao Yuefeng, their faces all showed surprise.
Yang Cheng looked far too young.
Yet such a kid could actually hold his own against Zhao Yuefeng?
And Zhao Yuefeng was a Second Layer Martial Emperor.
"The Crown Prince really lives up to his name. To have such strength at his age—he's definitely a martial prodigy," said Sun Xiangsheng.
"But with that level of strength, he's still not qualified to lead the Dragon Spear Army," Wei Hong said with disdain.
"I didn't expect the court to dismiss Master and let the Crown Prince take over," Pan Yulou sneered.
"You two are underestimating His Highness the Crown Prince," Qin Qiansheng said seriously. "Two months ago, he climbed the mountain on foot from the base, passed through one thousand zhang of lava, and reached the peak without a scratch."
"Alright, Junior Sister Qin, we get it. You want to protect the Crown Prince's dignity, but there's no need to exaggerate like that," Wei Hong said.
Pan Yulou shook his head. "Even Master couldn't walk through lava unharmed. Your story's just too far-fetched."
Qin Qiansheng was speechless. Why didn't the elder and senior brothers believe her?
At the same moment, Yang Cheng and Zhao Yuefeng had already stopped fighting.
"Zhao Yuefeng, did you remember everything I told you?" Yang Cheng asked.
Zhao Yuefeng replied firmly, "Your Highness, I've memorized it all."
Then a faint chuckle rang out.
"Your Highness, didn't you realize? He was letting you win."
It was Pan Yulou who spoke. "With Zhao Yuefeng's strength, there's no way you could match him. He was just sucking up to you because you're the Crown Prince."
The surroundings instantly went silent.
Everyone turned to look at Pan Yulou. Yang Cheng did too.
Qin Qiansheng hadn't expected Pan Yulou to be so disrespectful.
"Senior Brother Pan…" she quickly tried to speak.
But Pan Yulou spoke even faster, "Your Highness, I know you won't accept that. People like you are always flattered wherever you go. Over time, you start believing you're invincible. If you don't believe me, let's spar. I'll show you your real strength."
"And who are you?" Yang Cheng said calmly.
"I'm just a humble disciple of Cangyun Sect, Pan Yulou," he replied lightly.
"Your Highness, he's my senior brother. He's just… blunt," Qin Qiansheng said quickly.
"Junior Sister, don't cover for me," Pan Yulou replied. "Crown Prince, I'm just stating the truth."
"Shut up."
"You think you're someone qualified to challenge His Highness?" the Dragon Spear Army soldiers all shouted angrily.
That scene made Sun Xiangsheng frown.
He'd only been gone for two months, but the Dragon Spear Army was already this loyal to the Crown Prince?
"A bunch of ingrates," Wei Hong snorted.
"I'm not worthy?" Pan Yulou sneered proudly.
Then, he suddenly punched forward.
He used Cangyun Fist.
And with one punch, he blasted apart an iron training dummy ten zhang away.