The rushing waterfall could conceal his body, but it could not hide his aura—his confidence! An overwhelming, absolute presence radiated outward, piercing through the curtain of water.

The ancestral ground of the War Gods, a field of honor. Towering steles stood one after another. "Qian Jin? These ordinary people are always so restless. For so many years, they have artificially hyped the Fenttu family, placing heavy shackles on them, suffocating them. Now…"

Among the tall steles, a beautiful young woman sat amidst the blazing beauty of the azaleas. Surrounded by fiery red, she rose gently. Her brightly colored gown was strikingly conspicuous. Strands of black hair that brushed her ears fluttered lightly over the scroll she held open. Her eyes, like distant stars, shone with a faint sigh.

"Now, they are placing the shackles on yet another young man."

The woman tilted her chin slightly, letting out another sigh. "Why must people always place their wishes upon others? Why are they so tenacious? Why do they keep trying things they clearly cannot accomplish?"

"Miss, are you referring to Li Qiang of the Thunder Dragon lineage, or is Qian Wushuang stronger?"

"Who is stronger?" The woman smiled softly at the maid pouring tea beside her. "Be it the Zhence Dynasty or the Lucifer Dynasty, the strongest will always be me, Jiuyang Fenghua! Since Qian Jin's abilities have been thoroughly investigated and are indeed surprising, go and tell him: the Qian family is not something he can overthrow. Become my attendant, Jiuyang Fenghua, and in the future, I will help him reclaim his father from the Qian family."

"Yes, Miss…"

The Titan bloodline—Qian Jin? Try to make contact and see if he can be recruited. Probe his depths thoroughly. Anyone favored by Serpent Emperor Pan Hongji as an ally must possess abilities beyond what is currently known. If he proves truly exceptional, I might even consider an alliance with him. The Medusa bloodline—Qian Jin? Make contact and see…"

In the span of just one short month, news about Qian Jin spread everywhere. Yet, during this entire month, Qian Jin remained completely unaware of the outside world. After eliminating the Peck Marauder Group, Gu Yuejiaying sent word that the goods had been recovered and informed the Luo family to send someone to take possession and continue their transactions.

Qian Jin, however, had taken the spoils from the second, ninth, and former fifth Marauder Groups—various materials—and locked himself away in the blacksmith shop.

In less than a day, it was known throughout the Eight Desolations that all the blacksmiths from the marauder groups had become Qian Jin's disciples and ardent admirers.

This news was initially met with surprise. As more information about Qian Jin emerged, people realized that this "Madman Qian" was a freak among freaks. Not only was he incredibly powerful in combat, but he also possessed formidable skills in both alchemy and forging, even crafting those mysterious, uncanny elixirs… Soon after, the marauder group's apothecaries came seeking guidance and collectively declared Qian Jin their master.

The mysterious alchemists, who normally clashed with the apothecaries, were swiftly conquered by Qian Jin’s endless knowledge.

Next, the runemasters of the marauder groups fell under his spell.

The marauders soon discovered one startling fact: the entirety of their rear-support professions had been collectively subjugated by Qian Jin!

These were individuals whom even Bahuang Wusheng had spent immense effort to recruit to his banner. Yet, in the blink of an eye, they were all won over by Qian Jin.

"A truly interesting young man." Bahuang Wusheng stood outside the blacksmith courtyard, gazing curiously at the wall, wondering what Qian Jin was doing inside that required a full month. Could he be forging Soul Weapons?

"He is quite interesting," Yi appeared beside Bahuang Wusheng, her complexion radiant, her gaze fixed on the wall. "I never imagined there were young men like this."

"Eh?" Bahuang Wusheng carefully examined Yi. "Your injuries…"

"Completely healed!" Yi showed a hint of triumph. "And more than that. As my injuries recovered, years of suppression burst forth instantaneously. I am now a Level Ten Dou Soul!" Bahuang Wusheng lightly stroked his chin and nodded. "It seems being Qian Jin's shadow was quite advantageous for you." Hearing the word 'shadow,' Yi no longer showed the initial displeasure; instead, she appeared pleased and agreed, "Yes. The next step is reaching the Saint realm!"

"Reaching the Saint realm?" Bahuang Wusheng shifted his gaze back to the courtyard wall. "If this young man can truly help ordinary warriors ascend to the Saint realm, then… his future influence…" Yi nodded in agreement again. Ordinary warriors could never reach the Saint realm. Although improving their strength was far more difficult overall than for bloodline warriors, it was still possible for some ordinary warriors to condense a Dou Soul and even raise it to the tenth level.

For these people to reach the Saint realm, one option was to capture Qian Jin and force him, or the other was to beg him.

Capturing Qian Jin? Clearly, that was unwise! Yi already knew that Fabredis had reached the Saint realm, and Mu Gui Wuxin could ascend at any moment. If she could also acquire a Soul Weapon, then three Saint-realm experts would stand behind Qian Jin!

With such power, even the Ten Great Bloodline Warrior Families, and certainly the Three Ultimate Bloodline Families, would have to think very carefully before taking any action against Qian Jin.

"Hey, Iron-Faced Beauty, where is Qian Jin? I haven't had a smoke in days; I’m about to die from withdrawal."

An excited, slightly grating voice approached the courtyard from a distance.

Bahuang Wusheng turned and saw the arriving party. A flicker of surprise crossed his pupils. Were these the friends of Qian Jin mentioned in the rumors? That small squad that caused such a ruckus outside the Qian family residence?

Yi bit her lip with a wry smile. She had made a bet with Qian Jin just over a month ago, never expecting these people would actually show up. Knowing Qian Jin was deep within dangerous marauder territory, they still came.

"Just ahead, almost there."

Hua Yan Bu Jian shook his head repeatedly, looking at the three young men beside him. The borderlands' marauder groups had only been quiet for a few days! These three, knowing Qian Jin was among the marauders, had been rampaging since entering the frontier to find him.

They had sacked three successive marauder groups before the specialized Garrison forces brought them here, finally restoring some semblance of order to the borderlands.

"Demons? Such potent auras?"

Duanfeng Bu'er felt Bahuang Wusheng’s scrutiny and immediately got goosebumps. Surprise and astonishment filled his expression. The marauders here were a completely different class from those outside.

If they had encountered a marauder like this days ago when they were causing trouble, they would all have been killed long ago.

"The fact that you can sense my power shows you are not insignificant," Bahuang Wusheng looked down upon Duanfeng Bu'er like a monarch. "You are a warrior from the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family, correct?"

"I am a Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline warrior, but not a warrior of the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline family." Duanfeng Bu'er shook his finger seriously. "There is a fundamental difference. You can call me Duanfeng Bu'er. My surname is Duanfeng; it is not Pan."

Bahuang Wusheng smiled, beginning to understand why Qian Jin befriended this young man. Perhaps their backgrounds differed, but both possessed an inherent pride that refused to bow.

The Pan family! One of the Ten Great Bloodline Families of the Zhence Dynasty. Under Pan Hongji’s leadership, their status had been steadily rising. Everyone knew the Pan family had a bright future. To refuse to join them under such circumstances—if that wasn't backbone, what was?

"Bahuang Wusheng?" Fenttu Kuangge narrowed his eyes, excitement coloring his expression.

"It is I," Bahuang Wusheng studied Fenttu Kuangge, nodding lightly. "You are a child of the Fenttu family, aren't you? I met a young man who looked somewhat similar to you. Hmm! You are inferior to him—at least, the current you is inferior to him."

"It is you!" Fenttu Kuangge roared, his internal power surging without warning. Fu Mo! Sixth Battle of Fu Mo!

Two months of brutal training in the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea had pushed Fenttu Kuangge through unimaginable madness, causing his strength to soar to an unprecedented height. His body moved like a cannonball, charging directly toward Bahuang Wusheng.

"You are too weak…" Bahuang Wusheng raised a single finger, catching Fenttu Kuangge's fist, which shone with metallic light, and with a gentle push, sent him staggering back. "I will not kill you today, out of respect for Qian Jin. Next time…"

"Next time, we will wait until we have the certainty to kill you before we strike together," Che Kefulit caught Fenttu Kuangge, his expression stern as he finished Bahuang Wusheng's sentence. "We are still young; we still have a chance. Next time, just one more time will be enough."

Duanfeng Bu'er stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Fenttu Kuangge, quietly asking, "Is this the person? The one who drove your brother insane?"

Fenttu Kuangge swallowed the blood churned up by the impact, his face livid as he nodded slightly. "It's him. Because of him, my brother went mad…"

"Mad? Has he truly descended into madness?" Bahuang Wusheng chuckled happily. "Then I should congratulate him. How can one become a Demon without going mad? Without becoming a Demon, you ordinary people will never have a chance to challenge the bloodline warriors…"

"King Wusheng, that statement is too absolute."

The gate of the blacksmith courtyard slowly swung open. Qian Jin’s voice, laced with disdain, cut off Bahuang Wusheng’s words. In his hand, he held a unique new bow.

Three bowstrings! A strong bow normally had only one string, perhaps a second spare string—at most two.

The bow in Qian Jin’s hand clearly exhibited a special tiered arrangement. The three strings were not aligned on the same plane, yet they gave the impression of being on a single line. The metallic strings flashed with an unusual cold light, making it impossible to discern what alloy they were made from.

Following behind Qian Jin was a group of robust blacksmiths. Many of them were gathered around, hoisting a massive metal disk.

There wasn't just one such disk; there were eight of them! Each disk was nearly five meters in diameter, its surface engraved with dense, dizzying runes. The bulging muscles of the blacksmiths attested to the immense weight of these materials.

"Hahaha! Qian Jin, my precious darling! I finally found you!"

Duanfeng Bu'er laughed, activating his bloodline power. His Bloodline Battle Form rapidly covered his body, and layers of Dou Qi power quickly ignited: Jiang Mo, Fu Mo, Zhu Mo! Mie Mo!