After a few days spent together, Qian Jin had thoroughly understood that with the greedy Mamon demons—creatures who would even sell out their Great Demon King—there was no need for pleasantries. Scold them when necessary, fight them when necessary; only then would they show genuine respect.

“You three.” Qian Jin stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the three young Mamon demons waiting at the doorway. “If you’ve also come here expecting to trade your sisters, elder sisters, fiancées, or even your mothers for combat gear, then get lost right now!” The faces of the three young Mamon demons were etched with wry smiles. The misunderstanding was immense. Clearly, the elders had showcased their greed sufficiently these past few days. However, the Mamon race did have exceptions—or perhaps, the older a Mamon demon grew, the greedier they became. The slightly younger ones possessed a fraction less greed, or perhaps their lust was directed less toward money and resources, and more toward victory.

A thirst for victory! A greed for triumph! Only as time passed and age advanced did their avarice slowly shift toward material wealth.

Now, the strong practitioners among the younger generation of Mamon demons sought to prove, through their own might, that the Mamon race—whether compared to the Demon race, the True Strategy Dynasty, or the Barbarians—was supreme!

Without sufficient strength, without enough meritorious service in battle, the Great Demon King would not grant further fiefdoms. The elderly Mamon demons had already reached the zenith of their demonic lives, leaving them little to covet beyond what they already had. But the younger Mamon demons were in the time for establishing legacies; their yearning and greed for victory were absolute.

“Venerable Master Feijing, regarding the notions of our elders…”

The middle Mamon of the three was female. Tall and statuesque, her blue skin contrasted sharply with her fiery, cascading red hair, making her quite striking. Her gem-like eyes flickered with an indescribable mix of wry bitterness and helplessness. It seemed the elders’ recent actions had truly provoked the Master’s temper.

“I wonder if the Master has heard our names,” the female demon said, gesturing toward her own prominently developed bosom. “My name is Boxley. The squat, spherical demon to my left is Sabonislu, and this one is Boxpau. Together, we are known as the Mamon Triumvirate of the younger generation.” Qian Jin yawned lazily, examining the last Mamon demon introduced—one whose brow held an ineffable sense of constraint, as if… “The Mamon Triumvirate? Never heard of them.” Qian Jin’s expression was laced with the innate arrogance of a master as he waved a hand dismissively. “I only learned of your Clan Leader a few days ago. How could I possibly know of minor figures like yourselves?”

The faces of the three young demons could only manage forced smiles. If any other demon had dared utter such disrespect, the trio would have immediately torn them apart to show precisely what the Mamon Triumvirate represented!

“However, you…” Qian Jin raised a hand and pointed at Boxpau. “What’s this ‘Pau’ about? Did you get beaten up recently?” The expressions of the Mamon Triumvirate changed simultaneously. Boxpau should have fully recovered from his injuries by now; at least, that’s what their clan’s apothecary master had claimed. How could Master Feijing see the truth in one glance?

“Yes, Venerable Master,” Boxpau replied, cautiously taking half a step forward. “This is also why we have come to request your aid. Not long ago, the three of us clashed with a young warrior from the True Strategy Dynasty on the Human-Demon battlefield, and we were defeated.”

One? Qian Jin became interested. These three demons were clearly the most outstanding talents of the younger generation among the Mamon bloodline warriors and mages. Logically, even among the elites of the True Strategy Dynasty, they should rank among the finest. How could they be defeated by a single young warrior from that Dynasty?

“Yes, just one,” Boxpau’s expression darkened with deep frustration. “We always assumed that the young generation of the True Strategy Dynasty only produced warriors capable of fighting us to a draw one-on-one. We never expected to encounter someone younger than us…” Boxpau’s voice trailed off, his emotions sinking until the words completely vanished.

Boxley sighed, glancing at Boxpau. The previous battle had dealt such a massive blow to his confidence that even recalling the engagement was agonizingly difficult. “…I shall speak,” Boxley said, rallying his emotions. “Venerable Master Feijing, we encountered a warrior of the Elf King bloodline on the Human-Demon battlefield. He was very young—perhaps close to your own age. He wore a ferocious mask, so we couldn’t discern his features, but some demons suggested he was Qian Wushuang.” Qian Wushuang? The hand holding the teacup trembled slightly in Qian Jin’s grip. Qian Wushuang on the Human-Demon battlefield?

“He was truly powerful,” Sabonislu murmured, sinking into memory. “The three most talented demons of the Mamon race working together… In the fight against Qian Wushuang, not only were our combat artifacts shattered, but Boxpau was injured. In the end, we failed to repel him; instead, he pursued us for a long time…”

“Therefore…” Boxpau suddenly dropped to his knees, and the other two immediately followed suit. “Master Feijing, please grant us Level Ten Combat Artifacts! We must reclaim the glory that is ours! We must defeat Qian Wushuang and kill him!” Qian Jin watched the three kneeling Mamon demons in silence. Three more asking for combat gear without offering any materials?

“Boxpau, what is your strength when you activate your bloodline power?” Qian Jin gazed down at the kneeling demon, curiosity laced in his voice. “How strong are you?”

“Peak of the Eighth Layer of the Battle Soul,” Boxpau replied, projecting strong confidence. “By all rights, we are older than Qian Wushuang, and even combining our efforts, we could not suppress him…”

“Battle Soul Eighth Layer?” Qian Jin’s eye twitched violently. Was this the power level of Qian Wushuang, who possessed the potential of ultimate awakening? The most talented generation of the Mamon race, older than him and having awakened their bloodline power a year sooner, couldn’t match him at this stage?

The Rookie King Tournament… Qian Jin unconsciously crushed the teacup in his hand into dust. This spiritual baptismal journey among the demons seemed truly necessary. If he had merely stayed hidden with the Border Steppe Bandit Group, relying on the Endless World and the external gravity magic devices, he would never catch up to or defeat Qian Wushuang.

No anchor! Qian Jin sighed deeply. Although there hadn't been many battles these past few days, and certainly no life-or-death encounters, under the gaze of the surrounding demons, he felt a spiritual metamorphosis occurring—as if his entire being was a chrysalis, undergoing the most crucial transformation.

“Bloodline power… This is the genius of the ultimate bloodline families… Truly formidable,” Qian Jin casually tossed the powdery remains of the teacup aside, sighing weakly. “It seems the Elf King bloodline truly cannot be underestimated.”

“Master, that may not be entirely true,” Boxpau suddenly looked up. “Our Demon race has a genius like you, and even if we truly cannot defeat Qian Wushuang, he amounts to little, because we have the Crown Prince!…” “The Crown Prince?” Qian Jin chuckled. “Are you referring to that idiot prince known throughout the entire Demon race, Lucifer Saerig?”

“Idiot? The Crown Prince is no idiot!” Boxpau’s neck seemed reinforced with steel, his brow betraying subtle dissatisfaction. “His Highness is smarter than anyone… Wait! Po! That’s enough!” Boxley glared sharply at Boxpau, cutting him off. “You’re talking too much…”

“Li, I didn’t say much,” Boxpau retorted fiercely, glaring back at Boxley. “The reason I speak this way is that I have heard Master Feijing dislikes being deceived above all else. If he detects any demon lying to him, regardless of the reason, the Master will refuse to forge any equipment.” Qian Jin slowly nodded. Since entering the Mamon demon territory, he had indeed been trying to enforce this principle. The Mamon race was too greedy—and greed leads to lies. They had to understand the consequences before they would speak truthfully, which was vital to him.

“Furthermore, I hope the Master can see the bigger picture. Princess Lucifer Liushui is not the demon most worthy of your allegiance,” Boxpau continued with an air of confidence. “His Highness the Crown Prince only pretends to be foolish during his daily activities. The successive Great Demon Kings of the Lucifer lineage never favored a Crown Prince who appeared too clever on the surface. Only by feigning stupidity can one have the chance of success.”

Qian Jin blinked. Matters of the Demon court—perhaps the True Strategy Dynasty held some knowledge, but the texts of the Qian family would certainly not record such things.

“Not only is the Crown Prince highly intelligent, but he is also immensely powerful. And… hehehe!” Boxpau’s face contorted into a proud confidence he hadn’t shown before. “The Crown Prince is about to complete the Heart of Lucifer!…” “Heart of Lucifer?” Qian Jin looked at Boxpau in confusion. What was this now? He had only heard of the Battle Heart, the Golden Battle Heart, Battle Soul, and even ascending to Saint status. What kind of thing was this Heart of Lucifer? Could it be an even higher realm? Impossible! The Crown Prince of the Lucifer lineage, rumor had it, wasn't much older than himself. Even if he were a genius… “Master Feijing, have you ever heard of a sacred artifact called the [Heart of Lucifer]?” Boxpau’s eyes burned with fanaticism as he stared intently into Qian Jin’s eyes.

The Heart of Lucifer? Qian Jin shook his head gently. Sacred artifacts, whether in the True Strategy Dynasty, the Demon race, or the Barbarian race, were exceedingly rare. These rare items were not widely publicized; in fact, very few demons even knew of their existence.

“The Heart of Lucifer is a special sacred artifact,” Boxpau said, ignoring Li’s stern gaze that tried to silence him. “No demon knows how it came to be. But it is unique: it can store the essence of a strong practitioner’s entire life just before death. This essence is not Battle Qi, but a unique entity stemming from the very origin of Lucifer.” Qian Jin shrugged, not inquiring further about the ‘origin of Lucifer,’ and waited for Boxpau to continue his explanation.

“Before death, any powerful Fallen Angel bloodline practitioner who retained consciousness would enter a special vessel known as the Soul Coffin,” Boxpau continued, his eyes now filled only with zeal and reverence. “This Soul Coffin, just before the powerful demon dies, extracts the origin of Lucifer from their body and injects it into that sacred artifact, the Heart of Lucifer, to be preserved.”