Under the faint light of the morning sun, Xichen stood calmly before the outer gates of the palace, clad in a crimson battle robe embroidered with the golden emblem of a phoenix. His hands were clasped behind his back as he gazed toward the vast horizon that separated him from his first objective… the Phoenix God's Legacy Trial Grounds.
A gentle breeze brushed against the edges of his long robe, and the stillness that enveloped the Divine Phoenix City was nothing more than a prelude to the coming storm.
Xichen had no intention of traveling alone or in secrecy. He was fully aware that his journey would be long and fraught with challenges, and thus decided to surround himself with trusted servants from the imperial family's palace—not merely to attend to his daily needs, but because the way of life in this world was still unfamiliar to him. He had no desire to waste his focus on trivial matters such as food or changing clothes.
As for Yin Me, she was something else entirely.
An embodiment of mystery and authority, she appeared only when necessary—whether in battle or when precise guidance was required in his training. She was his guardian, his unseen shadow, his eyes watching from the darkness. He rarely saw her, yet he could always feel her presence—like an invisible wall standing between him and death.
The sound of hurried footsteps on the polished gravel snapped him out of his reverie.
"Your Highness, the carriage is ready. We can depart Divine Phoenix City at any moment," one of the servants said respectfully, kneeling on one knee and lowering his head, not daring to meet the prince's gaze.
Xichen lifted his head slightly, as if the matter hardly warranted such formality, and said coldly,
"Very well. Let us depart at once."
He calmly boarded the luxurious carriage, adorned with interwoven patterns of golden flames that clearly proclaimed the identity and status of its passenger. The carriage was drawn by four Profound Beasts of the horse type, all at the Earth Profound Realm. Their fiery manes gleamed beneath the sunlight, as if they were creatures born of flame itself.
Seated inside the carriage, draped in dark red velvet, Xichen closed his eyes for a moment before murmuring softly,
"We'll head first to the Blue Wind Empire… the weakest of the seven empires, but the most suitable starting point for my journey."
The carriage began to move, followed by a small escort of servants and disguised soldiers. Each of them knew well that a single mistake on this journey might leave them without a second chance at survival.
But none of that concerned Xichen. He closed his eyes, enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere around him, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.
—
There was a great distance between Divine Phoenix City and the Blue Wind Empire, and thus the journey took nearly a week with his convoy. However, Xichen cared little for it, spending his time sleeping or eating.
As for cultivation? He paid it no mind and made no attempt to train. His body's qualifications were below average, and having consumed numerous powerful treasures without the ability to properly refine them had only further degraded his talent. For that reason, Xichen had no intention of cultivating for the time being—he intended to improve his qualifications with the help of the system.
"I also need to repair my Profound Veins. They're severely damaged as well," Xichen muttered. At present, he was complete trash due to the original owner of the body. His limit was merely the mid Emperor Profound Realm—if he attempted to break through any further, it would destroy his Profound Veins and leave him nothing more than a cripple.
"Your Highness, we have arrived at the imperial palace of the Blue Wind Empire," a nearby maid said respectfully as she placed several beautiful purple grapes into Xichen's mouth.
"Alright, let's go," Xichen nodded, opening his eyes and standing to disembark from the carriage. He had already sent a servant ahead to arrange a meeting with Emperor Cang Wanhe—one who did not dare to refuse.
"Please forgive my impertinence, but why does Your Highness care to meet the Emperor of the Blue Wind Empire?" a nearby maid asked in confusion as she helped Xichen adjust his clothes properly.
The Blue Wind Empire was the weakest empire, and the emperor of this generation was the weakest in its history—so weak that even his own subjects did not respect him, let alone someone of Xichen's status.
"Although the Blue Wind Empire is not worthy of this prince's time," Xichen stared at the maid for a moment before speaking indifferently, "I have heard that its only princess, Cang Yue, is exceptionally beautiful. Thus, this prince has grown a little curious about her. I've also heard that the Emperor of Blue Wind is gravely ill—this is a good opportunity to get closer to the princess through him. If she pleases me, I may take her as my concubine."
Although Xichen was playing the role of a debauched prince to stay beneath Feng Ximing's notice, that was not the whole story. By curing Cang Wanhe, he would cause Cang Yue to return to the imperial capital, thereby disrupting her first meeting with Yun Che. It would also ruin Yun Che's chance to show off by curing the emperor himself. Moreover, the imperial capital represented Yun Che's last opportunity—even if it was a slim one, it was still better than nothing.
Xichen intended to obtain the Overlord's Colossal Sword. Though he called it a slim opportunity, it was anything but simple. Because of the Overlord's Colossal Sword, Yun Che had decided to use the heavy sword, which ultimately granted him the Rage God Legacy of Jasmine, as well as the first sword move of the Heavenly Wolf Star God Legacy.
And that wasn't all. The Overlord's Colossal Sword also allowed Yun Che to create his first Profound Skill—Overlord's Fury. Although this skill was not particularly important, obtaining the Overlord's Colossal Sword would greatly damage Yun Che's luck, especially since this parallel world contained more than one Favored Child of Heaven besides Yun Che alone.