In Hanwu City, besides the City Lord's Mansion, the most powerful forces were naturally the three great families.
The Jiang Family, the Bai Family, and the Ximen Family.
The City Lord's Mansion had deep ties to the Fire Sparrow Kingdom.
At this moment, inside the City Lord's Mansion.
A young man dressed in brocade robes stood there. He was handsome and imposing, but his face was incredibly pale, and he looked extremely weak.
Before him, two people stood respectfully.
One was Qin Muxue from the Jiang Family.
The other was Elder Resentment.
Qin Muxue said with a sob in her voice, "Second Prince, that good-for-nothing Jiang Chen has gone too far! Not only did he refuse to annul the engagement, but he also laid a hand on me."
As she spoke, she burst into tears, a picture of sorrowful beauty.
This so-called Second Prince was none other than the second son of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom's Sovereign, Wen Shixi.
Qin Muxue knew that Wen Shixi had actually been a true good-for-nothing before.
He had no Martial Vein.
But one day, Wen Shixi had approached her and revealed his identity.
Only then did Qin Muxue learn that this Wen Shixi was actually the Second Prince of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom.
His status was so noble that she immediately had ideas of latching onto him.
Wen Shixi had his own reasons for seeking out Qin Muxue.
He had been a cripple, born without a Martial Vein.
But he had met a master who could actually help him become a Martial Cultivator.
To become a Martial Cultivator, one naturally first needed a Martial Vein.
The master's method was to carve out someone else's Martial Vein and transplant it into Wen Shixi.
After making inquiries, Wen Shixi eventually targeted Jiang Chen, because Jiang Chen possessed an Eighth-Grade Martial Vein.
Coincidentally, Qin Muxue was Jiang Chen's fiancée. Wen Shixi knew she was vain, naturally looked down on Jiang Chen, and was also quite beautiful.
So he directly promised that once he became the Sovereign, he would make Qin Muxue his Princess Consort.
And so, the two of them conspired together and devised a plan to carve out Jiang Chen's Martial Vein.
A while ago, Qin Muxue lured Jiang Chen out of Hanwu City, and then Wen Shixi's expert carved out Jiang Chen's Eighth-Grade Martial Vein.
Everything went extremely smoothly.
Now, Wen Shixi possessed the Eighth-Grade Martial Vein and had become a Martial Cultivator.
Moreover, thanks to the Eighth-Grade Martial Vein, his potential was now limitless.
After all, it hadn't been long since the Martial Vein was transplanted, so Wen Shixi was still somewhat unstable.
However, once some time passed and he stabilized, he could begin his Cultivation. With the resources of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom, it was only a matter of time before Wen Shixi became a genius-level expert.
Now, he heard that Qin Muxue had failed to annul the engagement.
This annulment was something Wen Shixi had arranged.
A frown creased his pale face.
Then, he waved his hand. "Forget it. So what if you couldn't annul it? Let's do this: we'll go back for now. We'll wait until my Martial Vein has stabilized and my Cultivation has progressed."
"At that time, I will personally bring you back to Hanwu City to annihilate the Jiang Family. Annulling an engagement is a trivial matter."
"That good-for-nothing dared to humiliate you. I won't let him off easily. And everyone in the Jiang Family deserves to die."
In Wen Shixi's eyes, annihilating the Jiang Family was as easy as flipping his hand.
It was just that his Martial Vein had only just been successfully transplanted, and he really didn't want to overexert himself.
Besides, although he was a Prince, he had other Princes to compete with in the Fire Sparrow Kingdom. He didn't want to be delayed here for too long.
Qin Muxue nodded.
She naturally didn't dare to object.
Then, Wen Shixi looked at Elder Resentment.
"Elder Resentment, how are your injuries?"
He didn't understand why the Fire Sparrow Seal would backlash, either. This was something he would definitely have to investigate once he returned to the Fire Sparrow Kingdom.
Although the City Lord of Hanwu City was a member of his Fire Sparrow Race and also his uncle, he didn't understand the situation with Elder Resentment's Fire Sparrow Seal backlash either.
Elder Resentment coughed a few times.
"It's nothing. I'll be fine after a period of rest."
He took a breath.
Suddenly, he asked, "A short while ago, a Fire Sparrow appeared in Hanwu City. What kind of omen was that?"
The Fire Sparrow had only appeared for a short time before vanishing in a flash, leaving no trace. It was baffling.
Wen Shixi thought for a moment. Though he was also puzzled, he laughed and said, "I think the Fire Sparrow most likely appeared because I am in Hanwu City."
"It's an omen, heralding that I, Wen Shixi, will become the future Sovereign of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom."
Qin Muxue and Elder Resentment immediately offered their congratulations.
"Congratulations, Second Prince."
As long as the Second Prince soared to power, they would also benefit.
Qin Muxue might even have the chance to become the Princess Consort of the Fire Sparrow Kingdom.
This thought made her heart race with excitement.
'Compared to that good-for-nothing Jiang Chen, Wen Shixi is my perfect match.'
Wen Shixi didn't say much more.
"Alright then. We'll return to the Fire Sparrow Kingdom first. We can deal with other matters later."
"The next time I come to Hanwu City, the Jiang Family will be annihilated."
Wen Shixi left Hanwu City and returned to the Fire Sparrow Kingdom.
Jiang Chen, naturally, knew nothing of this.
He was already wandering around the city with Yiyi.
At the same time, he was lost in thought.
'Qin Muxue colluded with someone to carve out this body's original owner's Eighth-Grade Martial Vein.'
'Who is the person behind all this?'
Other than Qin Muxue, he had no clues.
However, he wasn't in a hurry to get revenge. His priority was to strengthen himself first.
After all, anyone who could not only carve out a Martial Vein but also transplant it into another person had to have a considerable power backing them.
Seeking revenge recklessly before becoming powerful was definitely not Jiang Chen's style.
As for who stole the Martial Vein, he would naturally find out in a year when he went to Guyue City to cast off Qin Muxue.
In fact, as long as the other party appeared near him, Jiang Chen was certain he would be able to sense them.
He didn't dwell on it.
The Ancient Street was a street in Hanwu City that specialized in selling Alchemy Materials.
Jiang Chen had come here.
"Young Master," Yiyi asked, confused, "this is a place that specializes in selling Alchemy Materials. Did we come to the wrong place?"
She couldn't understand why her Young Master would come here.
This was definitely the first time.
Jiang Chen clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
He even twitched his nose occasionally, sniffing the scents of the Alchemy Materials here.
He could identify the materials based solely on the scents they emitted.
For a Pill Emperor, there were very few materials he didn't recognize.
Even if there were, they were exceedingly rare.
He had traveled across the Seven Realms, roamed the Nine Desolates, and entered Taixu, documenting one unknown material after another.
Using those materials, he researched Alchemy.
He refined many Elixirs that had never before existed in the world.
That was how he became world-renowned; the Pill Emperor's reputation was not just for show.
He said to Yiyi, "It's fine. I didn't come before because I wasn't interested. Now, I'm interested in Alchemy."
Speaking casually, he strode forward.
Yiyi had no choice but to follow.
Ever since his Martial Vein was carved out, the Young Master's temperament had changed greatly.
However, he seemed to have become more approachable and had even grown enthusiastic about Cultivation.
This was a good thing.
'A Young Master like this is the best.'
Jiang Chen was silently calculating.
'In the early stages of Cultivation, taking Elixirs that boost one's Cultivation level will damage a Martial Cultivator's foundation.'
'However, I can refine some Healing Pills.'
The thought flashed through his mind.
A Martial Cultivator's Cultivation must proceed step-by-step. Otherwise, if their Cultivation level rises too quickly, their unstable foundation could easily lead to cultivation deviation, resulting in their death.
This was especially true in the early stages of Cultivation, which was the time to build a foundation. Jiang Chen was naturally not foolish enough to swallow Elixirs that boosted his Cultivation level.
However, he could take some Elixirs like Healing Pills or those that solidified one's foundation.
'Of course, I also need to make more money.'
In the world of Martial Cultivators, Cultivation used Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and daily transactions were commonly made with Primordial Crystals.
Primordial Crystals are formed from highly condensed Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.
Not only could they be used as currency for trade, but they could also provide Martial Cultivators with the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi needed for Cultivation, which was very practical.
'I'll start by refining some Solid Pills and Hemostatic Pills.'
As an Alchemist, he was well aware that Elixirs were divided into nine grades, from First Grade to Ninth Grade.
The higher the grade of the Elixir, the harder it was to refine. The Alchemy Materials were rarer, and the price was terrifyingly high.
However, high-priced Elixirs were almost always available in name but not in reality, as they were simply too precious.
Solid Pills and Hemostatic Pills, on the other hand, were both First-Grade Elixirs. They were relatively common, and their Alchemy Materials were easy to find.