Strongest War Emperor

The Wooden Zither Tutor continued, "Right now, it’s not just Tayun Academy; the entire Celestial Phoenix City is on high alert. Experts from every major power have been mobilized and are conducting a city-wide search. All the Demon Corpses discovered yesterday have been eliminated, but no one can be sure how many are still out there. We also don’t know who is behind this, or what they’re planning... For now, just stay put in Tayun Academy and don’t wander around."

As the Wooden Zither Tutor spoke, Shui Qingwu glanced over at Shen Lang, wanting to see his expression. She discovered that while he was sitting perfectly upright, his eyelids were drooping. He’d actually fallen asleep again!

This was another Artifact Refining class. During the lecture, as the Wooden Zither Tutor was demonstrating, she would occasionally ask Shen Lang a few questions, which left Shui Qingwu a bit stunned.

’A respected Artifact Refining Tutor, constantly asking a student questions during class? And it didn’t even seem like she was testing him. It was more like... she was asking for his guidance!’

’Could this student actually be better at Artifact Refining than the tutor?’

Shui Qingwu became intensely curious about the sleepy-eyed Shen Lang.

"Shen Lang, can I ask... where were you last night?" Unable to hold back any longer, Shui Qingwu finally whispered.

To Shen Lang’s left, Su Hen and Lin Feng immediately perked up their ears.

"Sleeping in my dorm. You think I was out chasing skirts or something?" Shen Lang’s one-liner made Shui Qingwu blush crimson, and she didn’t dare try to speak to him casually again.

Shui Qingwu had been pampered and adored her entire life. Countless men would have given anything just to say a single word to her. When had she ever been so disrespected or been on the receiving end of such a foul look?

Her face turned cold, and she ignored Shen Lang completely. The two didn’t exchange another word all afternoon.

In the afternoon, the moment the tutor for the last class left, Shen Lang woke up with impeccable timing and began to scribble furiously with his pen.

Shui Qingwu wanted to see what in the world he was writing, but the memory of his foul expression made her uneasy. Surrounded by a crowd of admirers, she left the classroom with a complicated look on her face.

"Young Master Lang, you’re a real badass, not even batting an eye at a beauty like that... But seriously, you’re not being much of a bro! If you’re not interested, at least give us a chance. You scared her away with that sour look! Judging by the glare she gave... I’ve got a bad feeling about this..." Lin Feng complained.

"He’s right, he’s right! You can’t do that again tomorrow, Young Master Lang. We’re switching seats. You wasted a golden opportunity today!" Su Hen chimed in.

Without looking up, Shen Lang asked, "Did you sell all of those Gathering Spirit Tokens? How many Gold Coins and Spirit Stones did you get for them?"

At the mention of this, both Lin Feng and Su Hen grew excited, their earlier displeasure instantly vanishing.

"Sold every last one! We’re rich! The Treasure Pavilion jacked up the price of your six-fold Gathering Spirit Tokens to an absurd level and sold them off one by one... We still haven’t collected all the money, though. Young Master Lang, does this mean you have more for us? Ah, doing business like this is a dream come true!" Just thinking about how much money they had made so easily made Lin Feng feel on top of the world.

He took out several Storage Pouches and handed them to Shen Lang. They were filled to the brim with Spirit Stones.

Shen Lang scanned their contents with his Divine Thought, then shook his head. "Gathering Spirit Tokens are just low-level trinkets. They’re simple to make, but it’s a bit tedious, and they’re not really worth all that much. We won’t be making these anymore. I’ll come up with something a little more complex."

The other Lin Feng and Su Hen were stunned. ’He made all that money so easily, yet he still found it tedious and called them low-level trinkets?’

"Are there even more advanced ones? Can you give us a little hint? Don’t worry, if it’s not convenient to talk about, we won’t press you," Lin Feng said, thumping his chest in assurance.

"It’s not that I’m deliberately hiding it from you; I just don’t want to attract any unnecessary trouble. I’ll tell you all in due time. Don’t worry, you’re my brothers. I might hide things from others, but never from you. Not telling you right now is for your own good," Shen Lang said with a smile, patting Lin Feng’s shoulder. "The only reason we made Gathering Spirit Tokens before was because we had no capital, right? We couldn’t afford the materials for more advanced items."

He continued to write as he spoke. After a good while, he finally pushed two sheets of paper, covered in dense script, toward Lin Feng.

"These are lists of materials for Artifact Refining and Alchemy. The items on the first sheet are more common and less expensive, so buy those first. If there’s any money left over, you can start on the second sheet."

"Alchemy? Young Master Lang, you’re not going to tell us you know Alchemy on top of Artifact Refining, are you? You’re an absolute freak of nature..." Lin Feng was dumbfounded.

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "What the hell? Who are you calling a freak? By the way, Feng, I hear both the Lin and Su Family businesses are pretty profitable. About how much do they rake in a year?"

Lin Feng shrugged. "Not that much. Probably around seven or eight hundred thousand Gold Coins a year. We can’t compare to you guys in the Four Great Families. I actually have some new ideas for the business, but I never get a chance to participate in the family’s core affairs. Sigh."

"Just seven or eight hundred thousand? If that’s the case, you don’t need to bother with their so-called ’core affairs.’ When the time comes, selling the Potions or Elixir Pills I concoct for a million or so won’t be a problem," Shen Lang said with a frown.

"..." Lin Feng and Su Hen stood frozen on the spot, utterly speechless.

SLAP! Lin Feng slapped Su Hen across the face.

"Damn it, why the hell did you hit me?" Su Hen demanded angrily.

"Does it hurt? I wanted to see if I was dreaming."

"Ow, that really hurts! So this isn’t a dream..."

Shen Lang chuckled, stood up, and started walking out. "Cover for me, guys," he said as he left. "I’m going home to see my parents."

"Sure, no problem—wait! Young Master Lang, you can’t go out at night! It’s dangerous!" Lin Feng yelled.

’Is he kidding me? The academy already issued a warning that there might be Demon Corpses outside—things created by ruthless Demon Dao Martial Artists who kill without batting an eye! It’s incredibly dangerous out there!’

’And he wants to return to Celestial Phoenix City at night? What if he actually runs into one?’

Worried that he might run into a Demon Corpse, Lin Feng and Su Hen desperately tried to stop him from leaving.

"I don’t care what you say or how strong you are, you absolutely cannot leave tonight!" Lin Feng could be quite intimidating when he got stubborn, and neither he nor Su Hen wanted Shen Lang to take such a risk.

You never knew what might happen out there. Sometimes, when your luck turns bad, it’s unstoppable. It’s like the saying goes: when it rains, it pours. A leaky roof on a rainy night, a headwind for a delayed ship—heck, you could choke on water or have a fart smash you in the heel.

Who could guarantee there weren’t a few Demon Corpses lying in wait just outside Tayun Academy’s gates?

Rumor had it those things were impervious to blades and unnaturally evil.

Shen Lang, completely blocked by the two of them, was growing annoyed. He simply pulled out two Talismans. "Take a look. What kind of Talismans are these?"

"An Ice Talisman? And it looks like a pretty high tier," Su Hen said with a glance.

"Correct." With a flick of his wrist, the two Talismans burst into flames. Following a CRACKLING sound, a wave of icy mist blasted forward, freezing Lin Feng and Su Hen solid!

"Remember to cover for me! If the Wooden Zither Tutor asks, just tell her the truth," Shen Lang said with a mischievous cackle. He clasped his hands behind his back and swaggered out the door.

After a good while, a muffled voice came from inside one of the blocks of ice. "You moron... how much does a Tier Three Ice Talisman go for again?"

A similarly muffled voice replied from the other block, "I think... around thirty-five hundred Gold Coins. What are you getting at...?"

"Agh, thirty-five hundred Gold Coins! Why didn’t he just hit me with the gold instead?! I protest! I condemn this!" Lin Feng’s anguished howl echoed from within the ice.

"Oh, to hell with your condemnation! Hurry up and think of a way out of this! It’s so cold... So this is what it feels like to be frozen by an Ice Talisman. If I’d known, I would’ve put on more clothes..."

An item like the Ice Talisman was primarily used to incapacitate people. Unless it was an extremely High Tier talisman, it was difficult to actually harm someone with one.

However, an Ice Talisman was far more valuable than an offensive talisman like a Fireball Talisman, because its effect was incredibly direct and swift.

As long as an opponent was frozen for even a second or two, the talisman’s user could immediately slay them, whereas a Fireball Talisman was much easier to block or dodge.

Shen Lang’s Ice Talisman could freeze Lin Feng and Su Hen for about fifteen minutes at most and wouldn’t cause them any serious harm. Thus, he swaggered out of Tayun Academy and headed for Celestial Phoenix City.

Tayun Academy had already announced the news about the Demon Corpses, assuming that fear alone would be enough to keep the students from leaving, making any forced lockdown unnecessary. As a result, no extra measures were put in place at the gates, which were guarded as usual. This provided Shen Lang with a convenient exit.

...

Celestial Phoenix City was a rather bustling metropolis, becoming especially lively as the year drew to a close.

This was because the various great families would hold numerous grand events, and many of their elite scions who were out training would return to participate in annual clan gatherings and show off their prowess.

There were even joint events between the various families, held to test who was strong and who was weak.

As night fell, Celestial Phoenix City was ablaze with lights and bustling with extraordinary energy.

In the Celestial Phoenix Tavern, the largest and most famous establishment in the city, a group of outstanding disciples from various families—led by the Shen, Xiao, Chu, and Xu Families—was gathered on the second floor, drinking and talking boisterously.

"I hear Xu Daolin of the Xu Family has returned from his training, and his Cultivation has already reached the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. Brother Xu, congratulations are in order for your family," said Xiao Ling, a handsome man in cyan robes, holding his wine cup with a faint smile.

Gasps of admiration rippled through the second floor as all eyes turned to land on Xu Ping.

Xu Ping reveled in the feeling. He smiled proudly and said, "Yes. My cousin was out training for less than a year and a half, and he jumped two whole tiers, from the Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven to the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. Heh."

"He only just reached the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. My Xiao Family’s Xiao Bufan reached the Fifth Heaven a full half-year ago! When he wields his Cyan Gang Sword, he moves like a Flood Dragon—fierce beyond compare. Even if Xu Daolin has reached the same realm, he’d be no match for him," Xiao Qiyun, a youth in white robes sitting opposite Xu Ping, said with a sneer. Aside from the Chu Family, none of these families were willing to concede to any of the others.

"Time spent in a realm means nothing. My older brother, Shen Fengxiao, has also been in the Qi Martial Realm Fifth Heaven for over half a year. Besides Chu Qingcheng, who could possibly stand against him?" Shen Fengyun of the Shen Family scoffed.

At the mention of Chu Qingcheng’s name, everyone’s expressions turned strange, and much of their earlier bravado evaporated.

"Ahem. We’re discussing the geniuses from our families who are on a comparable level of Cultivation. A monster like Chu Qingcheng isn’t part of this discussion, so it’s best not to bring her up," Xu Ping said with a bitter smile. "On that note, I heard some piece of trash from your Shen Family came out of nowhere and defeated Shen Jianfeng? I wonder if that’s true?"

The Xu and Shen Families were the most bitter of rivals, so naturally, they took every opportunity to trade barbs.

This time, however, the faces of the Shen Family members turned ugly. The group’s gaze focused on a man at the next table who was drinking without pause.

This man was none other than Shen Jianfeng, the one who had been defeated by Shen Lang. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Shen Jianfeng’s hair was a mess and his face was grimy, a far cry from his usual debonair appearance. He remained silent, doing nothing but drink.