As time went on, the war between the Sen Yue army and the Minghai army devolved into a heated stalemate.

The Sen Yue army had not been able to easily crush the Minghai Race, contrary to expectations.

This development was truly unexpected.

In response, the two monarchs each had their own schemes.

Especially Sen Yue.

"The Three-Plume Cyan Bottle... A Sacred Artifact, and one of the Wood Dao, no less."

Sen Yue waved the sleeve of his Purple Gold Daoist Robe, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Heh, it just so happens Xiaohui needs this to illuminate her path to Sainthood. It seems I’ll have to put in a little effort to acquire this Sacred Artifact for her."

A Sacred Artifact was indeed powerful and terrifying, enough to dictate the outcome of a major battle.

It could even drive Saints to wage heaven-shaking, life-or-death wars to possess it.

However, a Sacred Artifact’s power was based on two things. First was the artifact itself.

And second, the one who wielded it.

Sen Yue paid no mind whatsoever to Minghai Difficult Crossing, the so-called Minghai Monarch.

Even without a Sacred Artifact of his own, and with Minghai Difficult Crossing holding the line with the Three-Plume Cyan Bottle, Sen Yue remained utterly composed, confident of his victory.

His thoughts were never on how to suppress Minghai Difficult Crossing.

Instead, he was contemplating how, at the critical moment, he could seize the Three-Plume Cyan Bottle and prevent it from answering its master’s summons to escape the battlefield.

This was the real reason he was biding his time instead of immediately moving to annihilate the Minghai army.

Thunder cracked across the heavens, scattering the boundless darkness.

Gusts of ethereal wind swept through the Purple Gold Hall, carrying a refreshing clarity that invigorated the mind and spirit.

Sen Yue’s Purple Gold Daoist Robe fluttered, his bearing as poised as a crane and as steadfast as a pine—the very image of an immortal sage.

...

「Meanwhile.」

Sen Hui, the very person on Sen Yue’s mind, was currently thinking of someone else entirely.

"Sis, I think it’s time to give the Thunder Carp Essence to Ah Yang.

Otherwise, in a little while, the Thunder Carp Essence is bound to appear on the merit point list.

When that happens, Ah Yang will be able to get the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object with his merit points alone.

I’m afraid my gesture will be all for nothing..."

Silver flowers bloomed on fiery trees, as brilliant as fireworks, dreamlike and picturesque.

Sen Hui cradled a Spiritual Object that resembled a purple carp, from which a thunderous light crackled and burst.

A small, dark cloud even formed faintly overhead, threatening to unleash a storm of violent electricity.

In the crackling light, the true dragon embroidered on Sen Wei’s Dragon Robe seemed to come alive, exuding a divine and wondrous aura.

This transformation lent Sen Wei an indescribable sense of majesty.

But right now, the expression on Sen Wei’s face was one of pure helplessness.

She caught a wisp of lightning in her hand and sighed.

"Xiaohui, you’re letting your feelings cloud your judgment.

You two haven’t even officially become a couple yet, and you’re already so devoted to him."

Seeing the blush spread across her younger sister Sen Hui’s cheeks, Sen Wei stopped teasing and took a broader perspective.

Sen Wei smiled.

"Barring any interference, Fang Yang could indeed exchange his points for the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object.

But Fang Yang is currently the foremost genius of his generation. He’s suppressed the likes of Mo Ran, Cyan Aura, and Zhang Ye, which is no small feat.

Unfortunately, his Fang Clan is in decline.

He’s shown his hand too early. There will absolutely be people who don’t want him to obtain the Thunder Carp Essence so easily and upgrade his Spirit Body to grade-A quality in one fell swoop.

As far as I know, the clan Cyan Aura belongs to, the Qing, has already made a move."

Hearing this, Sen Hui looked up abruptly, her face etched with anxiety.

The Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object in her hands trembled.

"See? There you go again, getting worked up."

Sen Wei slowly turned her back. "Don’t you worry. I’ll handle everything so Fang Yang will know just how you feel about him..."

In truth, Sen Wei wanted to do something about her sister Sen Hui’s complete infatuation with Fang Yang. She wanted her to be more independent.

But Sen Wei was also afraid that if she intervened, her sister would just revert to being gloomy and withdrawn.

So, she decided to let it be. If this was what made her sister happy, then so be it.

As her older sister, she just had to make sure Fang Yang would be completely devoted to Sen Hui.

...

「Seven days later.」

Merit Camp A-3.

Fang Yang and Second Uncle Fang stared at the list.

Their eyes were fixed on the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object, which had once again been claimed by someone using high-priority clearance.

The two stood in silence, both understanding the gravity of the situation.

"The same result again. This makes it the fifth time, doesn’t it..." Fang Yang’s voice was calm, betraying no anger.

"The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Second Uncle Fang nodded helplessly. "It looks like you’re a target, Ah Yang. Of course, it’s also possible you’re just getting caught in the fallout."

Over the past few days, as the two great armies clashed furiously on the front lines, the merit point list had been updating at a dizzying pace, changing dramatically every day.

With the updates came the appearance of all sorts of new and precious Spiritual Objects.

What was strange, however, was that every time a thunder-attribute essence—like the Thunder Sparrow Essence—appeared, it was immediately claimed.

This was to be expected, as the Changkong Clan’s heritage was primarily based on thunder-style techniques.

The headache for Fang Yang, however, was that the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object he needed was always among the items taken.

Now, he had more than enough merit points but was unable to exchange them for the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object.

In other words, his plan to quickly upgrade his Spirit Body to grade-A would have to be put on hold.

’Maybe the shortage of the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object is because I’ve become too prominent.’

’That’s why all this malice, from different corners, has piled up on me.’

’Heh, so someone wants to slow my progress to let the other young geniuses catch up?’

The thought suddenly occurred to Fang Yang.

In truth, this was a bit presumptuous of him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

But he never shied away from assuming the absolute worst of people.

In the end, however, he could only offer a helpless smile.

’Even if I know, what can I do about it?’

The Fang Clan might be a branch of the Golden Clan, but compared to major clans like the Sen and the Qing, they were insignificant.

People came and went in the bustling Merit Camp. Second Uncle Fang looked up at the merit point list again and said:

"At first, we thought that once the war began—especially the offensive against the Minghai Race—you’d be able to get the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object.

But things didn’t go as planned.

Thankfully, the clan elders began searching for a Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object for you a long time ago.

According to intel from the clan, they’ve already captured a school of young Thunder Carp.

In half a year at most, they’ll be able to deliver the Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object to you."

Half a year...

To be honest, the timing was rather awkward.

For a young prodigy like Fang Yang, half a year was enough time to grow significantly stronger.

It was entirely possible for others to catch up to him in that time.

But Fang Yang remained calm and composed.

He had never really cared about being number one anyway.

Besides, in everyone’s mind, Sen Wei was ranked first, with him, Fang Yang, a distant second.

It was just that...

They were still in the middle of a war between two armies.

No matter how powerful the Sen Yue army was, defeat was still a possibility.

If that happened, survival would become the number one priority.

But things being as they were, Fang Yang could only accept it.

"Half a year it is, then. The most important thing right now is to survive. Getting stronger comes second."

Fang Yang’s soft words sent a chill through Second Uncle Fang’s heart.

With that, the uncle and nephew turned and left the merit camp.

A day later, however, a piece of intelligence began to circulate rapidly through the Sen Yue army.

The Cyan Blade Auction, which shared the same powerful backer as the Sen Feng Gambling House, was, for the first time ever, set to open in three days.

Among the items rumored to be up for auction were numerous treasures and many essence-type Spiritual Objects—including, most notably, the very Thunder Carp Essence Spiritual Object that Fang Yang so desperately wanted!