"Father, what should we do next?" Chong Zhanyuan asked.

"No rush," Chong Houhu waved his hand dismissively. "Although Liu Hongyan agreed, she still fought for Luo Lie. If Luo Lie passes the first three stages of the Overlord's Trial, he retains his inheritance rights. The trial is in half a month."

"Ha!" Chong Zhanyuan sneered, "Liu Hongyan is so pretentious. Everyone knows Luo Lie has never practiced martial arts. He hasn't even stepped into the threshold of martial arts. Even if he's a genius, it's impossible to reach Body Refining Level Six and pass the first three stages in just half a month. She's just trying to avoid being blamed for wronging the descendant of a meritorious minister."

Chong Houhu grinned wickedly, "She wouldn't expect that her actions would actually help us. King Nanli's prestige in the army remains high. If they learn of Liu Hongyan's actions, it will surely cause great dissatisfaction. You should provoke Luo Lie, make him believe that Liu Hongyan is using the Overlord's Trial to avoid blame and humiliate him. The more he feels anger and humiliation, the more it will influence those in the army. When our people become King Nanli, we can place our people in the army, or even persuade those loyal to King Nanli to join us. This will bring the day of my ascension to the throne even closer."

"Rest assured, Father. I guarantee Luo Lie will hate Liu Hongyan immensely," Chong Zhanyuan said with a sinister smile.

***

The first time Luo Lie set foot in the Southern Li Royal Palace, he was awestruck by its grandeur.

The palace had nine layers of courtyards, symmetrically aligned from north to south. Upon entering, there stood a flaming lion statue over five meters tall, resembling the beast companion that once accompanied King Nanli in his conquests. After the flaming lion perished, King Nanli sealed its spirit into the statue to guard the palace, both as a companion and a protector of this cold home.

Standing before the statue, Luo Lie saw someone waiting outside the guest hall.

Seeing the person, Su Qiusheng was slightly startled and quickly said to Luo Lie, "Young Prince, that's my subordinate's brother. He doesn't know the rules and has disturbed you."

Before he could finish, Luo Lie waved his hand and said, "I'm not that particular."

Su Qiusheng breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him, and then coldly gestured for his brother to come over.

His brother bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to him, accompanied by a little girl about ten years old, looking like a fairy child from a painting.

"Pay your respects to the Young Prince," Su Qiusheng said sternly.

The man bowed and said, "Commoner Su Hu greets the Young Prince."

"Hmm? What's your name?" Luo Lie was surprised.

"Commoner Su Hu," the man replied.

Su Hu! Luo Lie couldn't help but look at the little girl, "And this is?"

Su Hu said, "This is my daughter, Su Daji. Daji, quickly, greet the Young Prince."

"Su Daji pays her respects to the Young Prince," Su Daji said obediently.

Luo Lie was dumbfounded.

This is Su Daji? The legendary beauty destined to bring ruin to a nation.

However, she looked about ten years old, already strikingly beautiful, especially her eyes, which seemed naturally enchanting, like pools of water that could easily captivate anyone.

"Uh, rise, no need for formalities," Luo Lie said. "Why have you and your daughter come here?"

Su Hu hesitated.

Su Qiusheng straightforwardly said, "Young Prince, my brother is delusional. Recently, the Emperor of Great Shang declared that whoever presents the Millennial Ice Cicada will be granted the title of Marquis of Jizhou. He has the Millennial Ice Cicada and is here to bid farewell, intending to go to the Great Shang Empire. I've tried to dissuade him for days, but to no avail."

Luo Lie's eye twitched.

"Are you determined to go?" Luo Lie asked Su Hu.

"My mind is made up," Su Hu said firmly.

Luo Lie nodded, "In that case, Chief Guard, don't force him. Give Su Hu some money and arrange for two capable guards to escort them to the Great Shang Empire."

Su Hu was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.

With Luo Lie's words, Su Qiusheng no longer insisted and followed the instructions. As they left, the little girl Su Daji glanced back at Luo Lie, her captivating eyes making Luo Lie shake his head inwardly. This girl would definitely bring chaos to the nation in a few years.

Luo Lie made a funny face at her.

Su Daji blushed, stuck out her tongue at him, and skipped away.

"Could she really be the Su Daji who will create a chaotic era?" Luo Lie muttered to himself.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Having just arrived on the Yanhuang Continent and stepping directly into the unstable whirlpool of the Northern Waters Kingdom, he had no time to worry about anything else.

Afterward, Luo Lie took a stroll around the palace, didn't practice, and went to rest.

***

The next morning, he got up early to practice.

He resided in the main courtyard that once belonged to King Nanli, which had a small training ground, generally off-limits to outsiders for practice.

Though Luo Lie didn't deliberately hide his martial arts practice, he preferred not to be disturbed. Perhaps because he came from the modern era, he felt somewhat uneasy in the real Young Prince's residence, so he sent everyone away.

He practiced alone.

His speed of progress was astonishing, yet reaching Body Refining Level Four was still challenging.

After all, the Celestial Dragon-Elephant Scripture was the strongest technique in the Body Refining Realm, and precisely because it was the strongest, the hurdles were more difficult to overcome.

Fortunately, Luo Lie could clearly feel his rapid progress.

On his way to the Royal Capital, he had asked Liu Hongyan and Xue Bingning about it. Even the exceptionally talented Jiang Ziya and Wen Zhong had failed and given up on the Celestial Dragon-Elephant Scripture at Body Refining Level Five. It was said that crossing from Body Refining Level Three to Level Four took them eighteen months, even with family resources. This showed how difficult it was to overcome this hurdle.

***

Near noon, someone came to visit, interrupting Luo Lie's practice.

Luo Lie had heard many names from Liu Hongyan and asked Chief Guard Su Qiusheng about the previous Young Prince Luo Lie's experiences, learning about many people, though he couldn't yet match names to faces.

The visitors this time were a man and a woman.

As Luo Lie went to meet them, Su Qiusheng quietly informed him.

The visitors were Chong Zhanyuan and Lan Cailing.

Luo Lie knew quite a bit about Chong Zhanyuan. Both Liu Hongyan and Su Qiusheng mentioned this son of the greatest traitor in the Northern Waters Kingdom with hatred, yet also with a grudging respect.

They said Chong Zhanyuan was not only quick-witted and shrewd but also a recognized martial arts genius in the Northern Waters Kingdom, becoming the kingdom's top young talent at sixteen.

A "young talent" referred to those under eighteen, including eighteen.

Similarly, Chong Zhanyuan inherited his father, the Black Dragon King Chong Houhu's, ambition.

As for Lan Cailing, she was the cherished daughter of the Lan Clan's head in the Northern Waters Kingdom. More importantly, she was the woman the previous Young Prince Luo Lie was most infatuated with and pursued.

The arrival of these two was intriguing.

However, this Luo Lie came from the 21st century, not the previous Luo Lie.

Thus, he nonchalantly went to the front hall to meet them.

"Luo, it's been a few days, and you look even better," Chong Zhanyuan said with a smile.

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Chong Zhanyuan excelled in many areas, except for one flaw—his appearance. He was somewhat overweight, with dark, rough skin. Some people secretly cursed him as a "black pig."

In contrast, Lan Cailing, standing beside Chong Zhanyuan, was much more appealing.

Lan Cailing was also a rare beauty. If not for Liu Hongyan and Xue Bingning being too outstanding, her fame might have spread wider. Unfortunately, with Liu and Xue around, she was like a star beside the moon, bright but ultimately just a foil to the moon.

This made Luo Lie, who first saw Liu and Xue upon arriving on the Yanhuang Continent, naturally uninterested in giving her more than a glance.

"I've always been well. But Chong, you don't seem to be doing so well. Hmm, I see a dark aura on your forehead, a sign of impending disaster... Oh, sorry, my mistake, you're just naturally dark," Luo Lie said with a grin, plopping down in the main seat.

Chong Zhanyuan hated when others commented on his dark and ugly appearance. He showed a cold expression and snorted, "Luo, your tongue is getting sharper, but no matter how sharp, it won't help. Soon, you won't have the right to sit as my equal."

"You plan to usurp your father and take the Black Dragon King's position early?" Luo Lie retorted.

Chong Zhanyuan came with the task of provoking Luo Lie, but Luo Lie's two sentences nearly made him lose his temper. He suppressed his anger and sneered, "It's you who will soon lose the right to inherit King Nanli's title."

Luo Lie raised an eyebrow.

"You probably don't know, but the current monarch has decreed that if you can't pass the first three stages of the Overlord's Trial, you'll forever part with the title of King Nanli. And the current monarch, the one your father gave his life to protect, will use this to become the Head of the Elder Council. Do you think your father died in vain? He hasn't been gone long, and they're already using you as a pawn."

Chong Zhanyuan smirked maliciously.

Although Luo Lie wasn't clear on specifics like the Head of the Elder Council or the first three stages of the Overlord's Trial, he could guess most of it.

He calmly said, "Loyalty and devotion have always been the ancestral teachings of the King Nanli family. I, Luo Lie, dare not forget!" His plain words carried a powerful conviction, freezing the smile on Chong Zhanyuan's face. He could see that Luo Lie's eyes were genuinely calm, without a hint of fluctuation, making him realize that using the inheritance of King Nanli to provoke Luo Lie was futile.

Prepared, Chong Zhanyuan wasn't discouraged. He brought out his trump card, Lan Cailing.

---

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