Li Ba also looked at Pan Hongji with confusion, only to see a flash of surprise cross the Snake Royal Lord’s face, which immediately bloomed into a smug smile, as if he alone knew the secret—then he remembered this Snake Emperor was the one who loved nothing more than prying into matters and collecting all sorts of intelligence.
“Little Snake,” Li Ba patted Pan Hongji on the back. “What’s the verdict?”
“I’ve heard of the magic called Soul Shock,” Pan Hongji said with a mischievous grin, lowering his voice, yet managing for everyone present to hear him clearly. “I heard that the strongest magic of the Elven Bloodline family is Soul Shock, though this magic is notoriously troublesome, and it’s been lost to time. Their family has a rule, passed down from their ancestors: as long as one is a member of the Elven Bloodline, regardless of whether they have awakened their power, the one who can use this magic is the true Family Head; the others are merely acting heads…”
Qian Jin stood frozen on the spot, utterly speechless. He had merely mentioned a spell at random, and it had coincidentally struck the very core lineage of the Elven Bloodline family. What kind of predicament was this?
The other Elven Bloodline mages looked curiously toward Hongyun Linfeng, seeking confirmation from this Family Head. The result was an affirmative nod.
“Greetings to the Family Head!”
More than a dozen Elven Bloodline mages dropped to their knees simultaneously, all traces of their previous arrogance gone. It turned out the person before them was the actual Family Head! Why would they ask the Family Head to return to the clan? She was the Family Head; she would be the Family Head wherever she went!
Hongyun Linfeng suddenly grasped the true implications of Biluo’s identity and, for a moment, didn't know whether to be happy or depressed. The person before him was the Family Head now; he had just been contemplating threatening the Family Head by using her parents against her—thankfully, he hadn't done anything so foolish.
“Why didn’t he just pretend not to know?” Duan Fengbu’er pouted. “If it were me, I would have feigned ignorance.”
Hongyun Linfeng secretly shot a glare at Duan Fengbu’er. The Elven Bloodline demanded self-respect; they valued promises and integrity! Since their ancestors had left such a proclamation, their descendants were bound to adhere to it!
Biluo looked to Qian Jin for guidance, unsure how to handle this situation, which she had never encountered before.
“Since she is the Family Head,” Qian Jin said with a smiling glance toward the kneeling Hongyun Linfeng, “are you still taking her back?”
“No… the Family Head possesses absolute freedom of authority…”
Hongyun Linfeng knelt there, his head shaking left and right with the frequency of a child’s rattle drum.
“Then why are you still kneeling here?” Duan Fengbu’er squatted down in front of Hongyun Linfeng, looking at the former Elven Bloodline head who had just been so arrogant that he wouldn’t even spare the Emperor a second glance. “I say, why are you still kneeling here? Go find your Elder Council! Report this matter!”
Hongyun Linfeng blinked, quickly rose, and bowed. “Family Head, I shall go find them immediately.”
As soon as Hongyun Linfeng left, Biluo’s body went limp and collapsed into Qian Jin’s arms as she whispered softly, “My head hurts…”
Headache? Qian Jin froze. Could it be that spell…
“Kid, you dared to pass that spell to your woman without knowing what Soul Shock is?” Pan Hongji raised his thumb. “I don’t know where you learned this magic, but I want you to know something.”
“This magic is very peculiar. It ignores almost all defenses and directly attacks the opponent’s spirit. Even ultimate bloodline power seems incapable of defending against it. However, every time a person casts this magic, the headache lasts for several whole days, and their magical power is reduced by fifty percent.”
Ignore defenses? Headache? Magic power reduced by fifty percent? Qian Jin frowned deeply as he listened to this series of explanations. How could such a bizarre thing exist?
“Of course, this magic isn't invincible. Even though my magical power is inferior to Hongyun Linfeng’s, the effect of that spell on me might be very slight,” Pan Hongji shook his head gently. “That’s because I possess the strongest Will! This magic is more effective against mages. Of course! It’s not entirely without effect on warriors either—it’s just that the effect is extremely weak.”
“Headache…” Qian Jin carefully examined Biluo’s physical condition, his fingers lightly tapping his chin in quick succession. “This… perhaps a potion can be formulated to suppress the headache. As for the magical power…”
Qian Jin pondered but couldn't devise a solution for the power reduction. Perhaps he could consult Teacher Oulala next time; those mysterious elixirs were always useful in this regard.
“Alright! You all carry on!” Pan Hongji waved his hand and retrieved the mysterious potion Qian Jin had concocted that day from his Battle Realm, turning it over lightly between his fingertips.
According to Qian Jin’s instructions, Pan Hongji could have drunk it long ago, yet he never had.
Pan Hongji was waiting—waiting for his body to reach its absolute peak condition, then he would use this mysterious potion to take a gamble.
He only had one chance! Pan Hongji cherished it exceedingly, especially since his Battle Soul had been sealed by the chains. The closer he felt to breaking those chains, the more imminent the moment felt to use the potion and rush toward that longed-for ultimate awakening.
Li Ba chuckled, watching Qian Jin, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the mysterious potion in Pan Hongji’s hand.
“Are the medicinal ingredients ready?” Qian Jin asked with a friendly smile. “Then I will prepare it for you.”
The sun rose in splendor, and the Divine Capital welcomed the third round of the Newcomer King Tournament.
Qian Meng had just finished breakfast and hadn't yet left the Warrior Association’s Fortress when he received news that wasn't exactly good: his opponent in the third round—had forfeited!
Yes! Forfeited!
Following Qian Jin’s dominance through the first two rounds, his third-round opponent simply chose to concede. It wasn't just the third-round competitor who forfeited; even in the fourth and fifth rounds… on this entire half of the bracket leading to the finals, except for the three warriors of the Elven King Bloodline, all other participants announced that even if they won their respective matches, they would forfeit when they faced Qian Jin.
In a sense, before Qian Jin met Isayr, his opponents were effectively reduced to just the three Elven King Bloodline warriors from the Qian family. The other warriors remained registered in the tournament, but they would yield the moment they faced him.
This meant that over the next fifteen days, Qian Jin only needed to fight four battles; there would be no fights scheduled for the other days.
“Guild Leader, are you going today?” the messenger warrior asked curiously.
“Yes,” Qian Jin stood up, letting Gu Yuejiaying help him straighten his clothes. “I want to see the others. Especially Wuming, and Qian Wuqing.”
“Qian Wuqing? That Elven King Bloodline warrior you defeated a long time ago?” Duan Fengbu’er walked into the hall chewing bread, looking like he had just woken up. “Why would you notice him?”
Qian Jin pondered for a moment before saying, “He might be a Revenant.”
“A Revenant?”
The bread in Duan Fengbu’er’s mouth slipped from his lips. He instinctively snatched the falling bread, and his expression immediately grew grave.
Qian Jin’s squad had fought many opponents on their journey, and the most costly battle was the one against the Revenants in the Ancient Barren Sea. If they hadn't been incredibly lucky, they might have all perished.
The six eyes in the sky… Duan Fengbu’er recalled that bizarre scene, and a chilling current still swept down his spine.
“Revenants aren't necessarily overwhelmingly powerful, are they?” Duan Fengbu’er tried to comfort Qian Jin. “Did you forget that we hacked through countless Revenants back in the Ancient Barren Sea?”
“He didn’t deploy his Battle Soul, and he effortlessly knocked down a fourth-level Battle Soul bloodline warrior with a single hand…”
The smile that had just formed on Duan Fengbu’er’s face completely vanished. They were not fools; they understood what that level of performance implied. Any further attempts at comforting would just be self-deception.
“Tonight, I will go see him,” Chekefulit spoke slowly. “Find out where he is staying for me.”
Duan Fengbu’er pondered for a moment. “I’ll go with you.”
“I’m capable enough on my own.”
“Your Bloodline Battle Body is in the Fallen Angel state. It would be troublesome if he manages to entangle you.”
“I…”
“Just do as Bu’er suggested,” Qian Jin interjected. “We fear no one, but we should avoid stirring up trouble if possible. If we confirm he is indeed a Revenant, then we simply eliminate him! If we can't kill him, we must at least gather some intelligence to understand what he’s planning…”
“What are you all talking about? Let me tell you some terrible news,” the dull Zhen Ce entered the room wearing his prince attire. “Last night, the Imperial Palace was robbed! Damn it! What kind of era is this? The Imperial Palace! Being robbed during the Newcomer King Tournament!”
The Imperial Palace robbed? Qian Jin was also startled. Normal thieves would never choose this timing during the Newcomer King Tournament to sneak in and steal something.
Unless it was a master thief!
At the start of the Newcomer King Tournament, the Imperial Palace appeared more heavily guarded, but this very strictness was often where real vulnerabilities emerged. The more people focus on one thing, the easier it is for something else to go wrong.
“What was stolen?” Duan Fengbu’er asked carelessly, grinning. “The crown? Or were your underpants stolen?”
“A useless bead,” Mu Ne Zhen Ce shook his head. “I truly don’t understand. The treasury holds Sacred Artifacts! What kind of thief is this? Stealing a night-luminescent pearl that can only be used for illumination…”
“A Night-Luminescent Pearl? Wait a moment!” A file of information about Revenants flashed through Qian Jin’s mind. He had indeed studied quite a bit of Revenant inscription knowledge lately due to Hai Qing’er’s situation.
“What kind of Night-Luminescent Pearl?”
“Very ordinary, about the size of a fist. Oh, if there’s anything peculiar, it’s that this pearl is smoother and finer than other pearls, as if it could turn into milk at any moment…”
“Moonlight Star Pearl?” Qian Jin recalled what Enlake had said—that Alex had been beaten so badly they almost thought he was dead; one could imagine how grievous the injury must have been.
“Moonlight Star Pearl? What is that?” Mu Ne Zhen Ce grew curious too.
“I generally understand the principle behind the formation of Revenants; they are beings that are truly difficult to kill,” Qian Jin thought seriously. “Simply put, heavily wounded Revenants need this item! However, this alone isn't enough! The Revenants are indeed quite clever. This Moonlight Star Pearl is exceedingly rare, and only the Imperial Treasury would possibly house such a material that looks valueless but is actually essential for forging Sacred Artifacts…”
PS: Fifth update! Seeking monthly votes!