Strongest War Emperor

’What powerful Divine Thought. He merely left a trace of it in this beast hide, yet he could sense me observing him!’

The place was crowded with prying eyes. Shen Lang’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately deactivated his Silver Eyes of Truth.

He grabbed both ends of the beast hide and gave it a tug.

The hide was incredibly thin and light, covered on both sides with tiny inscriptions. But it was extremely tough; when Shen Lang pulled on it, the beast hide didn’t budge an inch!

Astonished, Shen Lang applied more force, only to find he still couldn’t tear the beast hide.

With his current physical strength, he could have crushed even a First Grade Spiritual Artifact. For this feather-light beast hide to possess such resilience, it was clearly no ordinary item! ’It’s a pity this hide is too small. If it were a bit larger, with this toughness and strength, it could probably be used to refine a Defensive Magical Artifact or some Inner Armor.’

Shen Lang raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Alright, I’ll take this beast hide."

Before the horrified eyes of Kou Xiaotian and the others, he took out ten Low Grade Spirit Stones and placed them in front of Cai Chaoqun.

The surrounding crowd was stunned speechless.

’This kid’s a real big spender!’

’Spending ten Low Grade Spirit Stones on something so useless?’

’I can’t believe someone this stupid exists...’

Xia Xiaoting cursed inwardly, her gaze toward Shen Lang turning even more contemptuous and disdainful.

While Shen Lang’s group was being held up by Cai Chaoqun, Senior Brother Zhao, Xiao Tong, and their companions were already heading out of the mountains.

"Senior Brother, are we just going to let that kid go? Should we wait for him outside the market?" Xiao Tong was extremely displeased.

Senior Brother Zhao said coldly, "What the hell do you know? With Cai Chaoqun around, you think he’d let us cause trouble? That guy loves sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, and he’s merciless when he acts. If you try to bully the weak with numbers or status right under his nose, you’re just courting death!"

"How could we even withstand two or three of his moves? That guy is one of the top disciples of this generation!"

Xiao Tong said, unwilling to let it go, "Then what do we do? That piece of trash doesn’t even respect people like you, Senior Brother. Can you really just swallow this insult?"

"Hmph!" Senior Brother Zhao snorted.

"Judging by their attire, they’re heading out for training. We’ll wait at the Mountain Gate and follow them. Once they’re outside, just watch how I’ll deal with them!"

Meanwhile, watching Shen Lang’s group walk away, Cai Chaoqun’s face was beaming as he packed up his stall.

’I’ve waited so long for this day... The heavens are watching over me!’

He chuckled with glee, he chortled with joy, laughing so hard his clothes seemed to dance on his frame.

***

After Kou Xiaotian led Shen Lang and the others to gather some necessary supplies, they wasted no more time. The five of them rode the Seven-Colored Spirit Vultures from Songdu Peak to the outskirts of the Profound Dao Sect.

Then, they all summoned their own mountable Spirit Beasts and sped off toward Shuiyun Stream.

Along the way, neither Kou Xiaotian nor Xia Xiaoting paid much attention to Shen Lang.

Shu Lan had always been a woman of few words, and as for Chen Shiyuan, it wasn’t that he spoke little—he simply couldn’t speak at all.

As a result, the atmosphere during the journey was exceedingly strange.

As the saying goes, "birds of a feather flock together." In the eyes of Kou Xiaotian and Xia Xiaoting, this arrogant young master from a Noble Family, who flaunted his wealth just because he had a couple of Spirit Stones, was not their kind of person.

He had actually spent ten Spirit Stones on that beast hide from Cai Chaoqun. They had no idea where this sucker had come from.

In a sketchy place like the market, where all sorts of people gathered, who knew how many ill-intentioned individuals had their eyes on him now? Sticking with him would surely lead to endless trouble.

Besides, the kid had barely been with them for any time at all and had already offended a group of Inner Sect senior brothers from the Spirit Martial Realm.

’No matter how you look at it, he’s a complete troublemaker.’

’Nothing good can come from being around him.’

Furthermore, his Cultivation was poor, not even on par with Shu Lan’s.

If it weren’t for Shu Lan, who would be willing to bring along such a "burden" with such a low Cultivation?

After all, this was a Sect training mission to fight Demon Beasts, not a shopping trip or a vacation.

As the team leader, Kou Xiaotian finally couldn’t help but ask for the team’s sake, "By the way, Junior Brother Shen Lang, what Cultivation Technique do you practice? I see you’re carrying a long saber, so I assume you’re suited for close combat? What grade is the weapon on your back?"

Hearing this, a strange light flickered in Shu Lan’s eyes as she followed behind them.

Only she knew that Shen Lang was a Profound Level Artifact Refining Master, one far more skilled than even their Senior Aunt Bai Feifei.

Back when they were with Bai Feifei, he had effortlessly refined a Second Grade Profound Artifact.

’Even a typical Profound Level Artifact Refining Master couldn’t have done that.’

Refining something like a Profound Artifact not only required the Earth Fire from the deeper layers of underground magma, but the process usually took a very long time—anywhere from ten days to half a month, or even several months.

But Shu Lan had seen with her own eyes that Shen Lang had refined a Second Grade Profound Artifact in less than two hours.

And after it was made, when Senior Aunt Bai Feifei saw the Spirit Array Map inside, she had even screamed in shock!

***

’In that case, Shen Lang is definitely not the talentless good-for-nothing they say he is. And the single saber on his back can’t possibly be of a low grade.’

Shen Lang grinned. "This saber? Oh... it’s really just a decoration. Something to intimidate enemies. It’s not very useful."

"Well, you’re certainly honest..." Kou Xiaotian and Xia Xiaoting were both speechless.

Shen Lang added, "I’ve practiced many Cultivation Techniques. Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder... I’ve dabbled in every element, but I’m just a jack-of-all-trades."

"As long as you know you’re a hack." Kou Xiaotian and Xia Xiaoting exchanged a look, utterly exasperated.

Kou Xiaotian had wanted to liven up the atmosphere, but now he had completely given up.

Most people chose a Cultivation Technique that matched their physique and Martial Soul. Who would go and practice techniques from every single element?

Not unless they reached the Xuanwu Realm. Only then could they open Elements Mansions for each element, and only then would it be necessary to cultivate them!

A mere Qi Martial Realm kid, biting off more than he could chew and rushing things by practicing every elemental technique... he probably hadn’t mastered a single one.

’Looks like this team really can’t count on someone like him.’

Kou Xiaotian rolled his eyes. His opinion of Shen Lang sank even lower, and he started to think that Xia Xiaoting had been right all along.

"Senior Brother Kou, you and Shiyuan will be on offense, I’ll be on defense, and Junior Sister Shu Lan will provide ranged support. What are your plans for Shen Lang?"

Xia Xiaoting deliberately brought up the sore subject, leaving Kou Xiaotian dumbfounded.

The kid looked completely useless, as if he couldn’t handle any physical labor. How else could he be assigned? Of course, he’d be placed in the middle for protection!

He talked a big game, saying he’d dabbled in every elemental technique, but to put it bluntly, it just meant he was good at nothing.

"Ahem." Kou Xiaotian cleared his throat and said, "Junior Brother Shen Lang is still young. I think he should stick by your side. While you’re focused on defending, he can also help protect you."

He phrased it very diplomatically, giving Shen Lang some face by saying he would be protecting Xia Xiaoting.

In reality, he was dumping Shen Lang on the highly capable defender, Xia Xiaoting, so she could protect him.

Before Xia Xiaoting could speak, Shen Lang puffed out his chest and said nonchalantly, "Don’t worry, Senior Brother Kou! I’ll protect Senior Sister Xia. With me here, there’s absolutely no problem!"

"..." Xia Xiaoting nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body trembling with rage.

Fortunately, thanks to the bumpy ride on the Spirit Beast’s back, no one noticed.

Kou Xiaotian forced an ugly smile and stammered, "Good, good. A team is all about coordination. We fight as one. Just remember to coordinate with and look after your Senior Sister Xia."

After speaking, he winked emphatically at Xia Xiaoting, managing to stop the string of curses she was about to unleash.

Shu Lan looked from Shen Lang to Xia Xiaoting, wanting to laugh but not daring to. Her lively eyes, however, were filled with amusement...

Shuiyun Stream in the Celestial Profound Mountain Range was a land of overlapping peaks and deep ravines, shrouded in mist and clouds, a tapestry of lush green.

In a bamboo forest just outside Shuiyun Stream, there was a massive, mirror-smooth bluestone.

Kou Xiaotian’s group sat in a circle on the bluestone, making preparations and discussing various scenarios they might encounter.

However, Shen Lang was almost completely excluded.

Kou Xiaotian would sometimes ask for Shu Lan’s and Chen Shiyuan’s opinions, but from beginning to end, he never asked Shen Lang a single thing.

As for Xia Xiaoting, she simply ignored Shen Lang’s existence. No matter the combat strategy or emergency contingency plan, Shen Lang was completely left out.

Shen Lang didn’t seem to mind, simply sitting to the side and taking sips from a gourd.

The strong smell of alcohol earned him an occasional eye-roll from Xia Xiaoting.

Drinking so brazenly right before a mission—or rather, a Demon Beast hunt—made even Kou Xiaotian, who was trying his best to keep the team balanced, extremely dissatisfied.

Kou Xiaotian sighed inwardly and took out a map.

He said with a smile, "The day before yesterday, I bought a valuable piece of information from a senior brother. About forty li into Shuiyun Stream, in Xuanying Cave, a Fourth Level Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon has appeared. This is an incredibly rare Demon Beast of great value. Our first step is to go and kill it."

The Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon was a mutated offspring, born from the union of a thousand-year-old Spiritual Python and a cow during a thunderstorm. After birth, it would find a watery cave to hibernate in, taking a hundred years to mature.

Its Demon Crystal was crimson and contained the Power of Thunder and Water, making it extremely valuable.

On every moonlit night, the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon was certain to emerge from its cave to face the moon, breathing its Demon Crystal in and out to absorb the Moon Soul Essence.

According to legend, the power within a Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon’s Demon Crystal was gentle enough to be consumed directly. A Martial Artist who swallowed the Demon Crystal of a Fourth Level Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon could absorb it quickly, increasing their Power by several years.

Its scales were impervious to fire and water, unbreakable by blades, and exceptionally sturdy—an excellent material for making Scale Armor.

Furthermore, the hide of a Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon not only repelled water but was also incredibly tough.

If used to create Inner Armor, it could greatly enhance a Martial Artist’s defensive capabilities.

Xia Xiaoting’s expression grew a little serious. "A Fourth Level Demon Beast is equivalent to a Martial Artist between the Qi Martial Realm Ninth Heaven and the Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven. But Xuanying Cave has countless diverging paths and chambers of varying sizes. If the Silver Moon Bull Flood Dragon tries to escape, I’m afraid we have no way of stopping it."