Qian Jin pulled the strange half-shield out of the Battle Realm. His forging skill had improved considerably over the past few days, yet he still couldn't discern the true quality of this shield, nor could he figure out how it had been forged.

This situation was unprecedented for Qian Jin since becoming a Forging Master; he had been completely stumped by this mere half-shield.

It was a pity that in the Endless World, he couldn't take out the half-shield from the Battle Realm. Otherwise, he truly wanted to show it to Uncle Black.

Qian Jin handed the shield over and lay down in the carriage, closing his eyes to rest.

“Whoa? There are drawings on this thing?” Duan Feng Buer exclaimed loudly, looking curiously at the shield in his hand. “Is this thing like a map?”

Chekfulit glanced at it and said lightly, “It is, originally…”

Fen Tu Kuang Ge leaned closer to examine it for a long time before nodding slowly. “A sea chart.”

Lucifer Liushui swept his gaze over the chart and sighed. “I’ve never seen this stretch of ocean. We demons favor the seas in the far west, but this area doesn’t seem to be among them.” Fen Tu Kuang Ge fell into deep thought. “It somewhat resembles the waters of our Zhen Ce Dynasty, but I can’t find an exact match…”

“Could someone have just carved it randomly for fun?” Duan Feng Buer pursed his lips. His knowledge in this area was practically zero; he couldn't offer any meaningful opinion.

“Would you casually carve something on a shield of this caliber just for fun?”

Qian Jin knew the last remark came from Chekfulit without even opening his eyes. He and Duan Feng Buer were partners, yet there was a competitive undercurrent between them, though it was a healthy competition.

“Hmph,” Duan Feng Buer retorted without yielding an inch. “Can you possibly guess the mindset of a true powerhouse? Haven't you heard the tales the bards tell? That the strong often enjoy disguising themselves as foolish old men or beggar elders, letting people kick them around in the streets, just to see who treats them kindly afterward?” Chekfulit rolled his eyes and glared at Duan Feng Buer. “If you were a powerhouse, would you behave like that?”

Duan Feng Buer shrugged. “My brain isn't broken…”

“There must be another half to complete the map…” Fen Tu Kuang Ge looked at Qian Jin. “Do you have the other half? I feel that carving a map onto such a sturdy shield couldn’t be without purpose. Perhaps it hides a massive treasure…”

Qian Jin opened his eyes and offered a wry smile. He hadn't stopped thinking about this possibility since the moment he obtained the shield, but the problem was, he had never found the other half of this unexpectedly acquired artifact.

“It seems you don’t have it…” Fen Tu Kuang Ge said, unwilling to give up. “Once we leave the demon territory, let’s search my family’s map room. If we find something similar, perhaps even just this half of the map will suffice to locate the place…”

At this moment, even the stoic Zhen Ce’s eyes lit up.

Treasure hunting! For dream-filled youths, that was an eternal allure!

In every era, strong individuals had ventured into those dangerous secret realms to explore. Some gained immense rewards and grew stronger; others never emerged, effectively becoming new treasures themselves.

As time accumulated, such incidents in secret realms like the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea hadn’t decreased the number of treasures; instead, they had increased them.

“Alright!” Qian Jin sat up and nodded. The sheer durability of this shield already indicated its immense value; the carving upon it surely couldn’t be valueless.

“Oh, right! Comrade…” Duan Feng Buer looked at Qian Jin with a beaming smile. “I recall you mentioning a Moon Demon Flower Spider somewhere? Hehe…”

Qian Jin smiled back at Duan Feng Buer. The Devouring ability was truly peculiar. This Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline warrior already possessed potent venom; if he could absorb the poison of the Moon Demon Flower Spider into the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline’s toxicity, a new poison could be generated.

“When we leave the demon territory, we’ll visit the Valley of Four Seasons…” Qian Jin closed his eyes, his mind filled with the scenery of the Valley of Four Seasons. “It’s time I went back to see my master as well.”

“It’s settled then!” Duan Feng Buer stopped talking and closed his eyes, diligently practicing the combat techniques belonging to the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline, striving to condense more Battle Seals as soon as possible.

Chekfulit leaned against the carriage wall, casually reading a book, appearing completely unconcerned. He didn't share the tension of others condensing Battle Seals.

“You?” Qian Jin asked, slightly puzzled. “Not practicing Battle Seals?”

“I finished,” Chekfulit closed his book and looked up at Qian Jin. “I’ve condensed a Battle Soul. My speed in condensing Battle Seals is vastly quicker than a Golden Battle Heart. Moreover, the bloodline combat skills suited to my lineage are few that I know, and because they are suitable, the condensation speed is fast. Otherwise, why would bloodline warriors be stronger than ordinary warriors?”

Qian Jin couldn't help but envy Chekfulit again. Bloodline warriors held far too many advantages over ordinary ones. Perhaps once they reached the Battle Soul realm, ordinary warriors would also practice Battle Seals faster, but bloodline warriors condensed their *Seals faster because they practiced suitable bloodline techniques.

Faster condensation meant they dared to shatter those condensed Battle Seals during combat! It meant they could exert greater power in battle—that was the essence of a bloodline warrior!

Bloodline is king! There was a reason why bloodline dictated the outcome of the battlefield.

“Interested in practicing some different combat skills?” Qian Jin took out some paper from the Battle Realm and quickly sketched out several new arrangements for Qi circulation.

During the evenings in the Endless World these past few days, besides his regular studies, he visited Uncle Enlack every day to spar. Piece by piece, he had won over a dozen combat skills, one of which was an advanced technique.

It was a very special movement technique called [Freedom]. Qian Jin had truly experienced the power of [Freedom] in battle. He had fought until his legs nearly broke, only barely managing to defeat [Freedom] after using Myriad Shadows multiple times.

In that fight, Qian Jin only sensed the opponent's sheer [Freedom]; the adversary seemed completely unrestrained by terrain, space, punches, or kicks. No matter how he used his imposing aura to lock onto the opponent, he could never restrict their movement—it was truly free!

Chekfulit looked at this [Freedom] technique, a wider smile spreading across his face. “This one suits me the best…”

Qian Jin didn’t deny it. Chekfulit already possessed a pair of wings—at least nearly a fully formed pair for now. Their existence allowed him greater [Freedom], and if he were ever fortunate enough to awaken two pairs, he would be even more free.

“This thing looks interesting,” Duan Feng Buer said, having apparently woken up at some point, looking at [Freedom]. “I want to practice this one too. This method of movement seems more intriguing than the inherent techniques of the Nine-Headed Serpent bloodline…”

Fen Tu Kuang Ge remained silent, merely committing [Freedom] to memory.

Lucifer Liushui was also observing, while only the stoic Zhen Ce held a folding fan, gently swaying it without moving forward to look. As royalty of the Zhen Ce clan, he possessed many newly developed combat techniques; as a prince, he felt the need to maintain some decorum…

Bang!

Duan Feng Buer kicked Zhen Ce in the back, causing the prince to lurch forward, his nose nearly touching the paper detailing [Freedom].

“Alright, enough of that posturing, Sixth Prince! What’s with the airs? Now that you’re in this group, everyone treats you as a friend and comrade. Aren't you afraid they’ll learn it? Haven’t you seen the demon guys learning?” Duan Feng Buer retracted the foot he had used on the prince and continued speaking. “Listen, Sixth Flamboyant, you must become Emperor someday! That way, I can boast just like the Serpent Emperor, claiming I once kicked the reigning emperor!” Zhen Ce struggled back to his feet with only a bitter smile, his eyes fixed intently on [Freedom]. As the sixth prince of the royal family, hailed as quite exceptional in this generation, he could instantly recognize its value.

Air? He could posture later! Friends? Zhen Ce frowned. He was a prince, the future emperor. How could he have friends?

Qian Jin closed his eyes and said no more, returning to the condensation of his own Battle Seals. The Qian Family’s Kun Technique had only condensed two seals so far; they hadn't been fully solidified before being shattered in battle.

Unlike other Battle Seals, the seals of the Qian Family Kun Technique were not singular; there was one seal for every layer. When all ten layers of seals were successfully condensed, forming ten Kun Technique Battle Seals of varying sizes, and then they were completely refined into a single Kun Technique Battle Seal, the process would finally be complete.

Reflecting the difficulty of condensation, the superiority of the Kun Technique over other skills was also evident. Both were Saint-level techniques: the seals for Earth-Shattering Slash were already complete, requiring only continuous refinement to make them larger. The Super Void Soul, another Saint-level technique, was mastered rapidly. Only the progress of the Kun Technique was slower than anticipated.

Furthermore, the next seal of the Kun Technique was invariably more difficult to practice than the previous one—in this respect, it shared some similarities with the Eighteen Hammers of Ascending Peak, though the latter’s difficulty was vastly greater than the Kun Technique.

The demon territory was in no way inferior to the territory of the Zhen Ce Dynasty. The carriage traveled for a full month and a half before they reached the Fallen City, an area characterized by open terrain.

“This is the Fallen City?”

Qian Jin stepped off the carriage, stretching his limbs. The various Battle Seals inside his body rotated gently. After a month and a half, the Barbarian Bloodline's Archery technique, [Heavenly Archery Secret Method (Part I)], had also condensed its Fire Beacon Connection seal. This seal was entwining and rotating with the Twin Sun Feather bloodline’s [Divine Archery] Piercing Arrow Seal, showing a subtle mutual attraction, yet they hadn't truly fused, as if missing a central connecting point.

“Yes, the Fallen City…” Chekfulit gazed at the city lacking imposing walls, his voice tinged with an unspeakable emotion. He had fled this place in mortal danger once; he never expected to return one day.