"Pfft!"
Ye Chen spat out a mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning ashen.
"Qin Luo, one day I'll storm the Great Qin Dynasty and grind you to dust!"
Right now, Ye Chen had no choice but to grit his teeth and endure. He'd been forced to flee Tai Xu Holy Land, his master was gone, his Sword Bone was gone…
He was basically destitute.
But as a Chosen One, his luck had always been absurd.
In a desolate wilderness, he happened upon an injured woman being chased by a demonic beast.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Chen killed the beast with a single sword strike.
"Miss, are you all right?" Pale-faced, Ye Chen still had the makings of a kept pretty boy. He smiled at the woman, whose tattered clothes failed to cover several private spots.
The sight of him made the woman's eyes go slightly dazed.
What young girl didn't yearn for love? The man before her was not only handsome, he had just saved her life.
"Thank you, Young Master."
"It was nothing, just something I did along the way," Ye Chen replied casually, wearing an air of effortless superiority that only made the woman fall harder.
He took out an extra robe and handed it to her, helping cover her exposed body. The woman's face flushed crimson.
The atmosphere between them grew quietly ambiguous.
"Miss! Miss!"
Shouts rang out as the woman's family members rushed over, shattering the mood.
Once they arrived, the woman immediately said, "This Young Master has just saved me from a demonic beast."
The middle-aged man at the front cupped his hands gratefully toward Ye Chen. "Thank you, Young Master, for rescuing my young lady. Please, come to Ten Thousand Swords Manor as our guest. The manor lord will surely reward you heavily."
The "gold-digger" male lead's advantages had once again begun to show.
…
Qin Luo devoured the Sword Bone's essence very quickly. In Xi Huang's eyes, the bone that had earlier radiated sharp, terrifying sword intent was soon completely consumed by Qin Luo.
After absorbing it, Qin Luo also gained some of the Sword Bone's traits.
Boom!
Sword qi surged from his body; his aura of the sword reached a peak.
On the path of the sword, those who cultivated sword arts and condensed sword intent could be called sword cultivators. Sword intent itself was divided into four realms: Beginner, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, and Perfection.
With the System's boost, Qin Luo had already mastered a low-grade Saint-level sword art to the Perfection Realm, and on that basis, he'd condensed his sword intent all the way to Great Perfection.
Now, it all came together naturally.
His cultivation also rose smoothly, advancing to the Ninth Layer of the Divine Power Realm.
"All right, get some rest." Qin Luo flicked the little leather whip in his hand, making Xi Huang involuntarily tremble.
In truth, she was terrified of Qin Luo now.
Fortunately, she no longer had a physical body. If she did, she'd probably be dead already.
The once pure, noble Empress Xi Huang had never imagined that she would one day be humiliated to this extent.
Yes—humiliated. And even more intense than being physically violated.
Qin Luo put away the Human Emperor Banner and stepped out. Fang Xing and the others had been waiting a long time.
Fang Xing immediately noticed Qin Luo's improved cultivation, a flash of light passing through his eyes. He glanced at Zheng Tuo and gave the slightest nod.
Zheng Tuo hesitated. To be honest, his position within the Great Qin Dynasty was extremely precarious. None of the other princes would dare accept his allegiance; taking him in meant offending his enemies.
Right now, Qin Luo might be his only option. Otherwise, in the near future, he'd likely have no choice but to flee Great Qin altogether.
The problem was that Qin Luo's power was too small—no, not small, practically nonexistent.
Fang Xing didn't ask why Xi Huang hadn't come out. That was Qin Luo's secret.
In other words, he had already recognized Qin Luo as Ninth Prince.
"Your Highness, shouldn't we head to the capital as soon as possible?" Fang Xing reminded. "The grand ceremony of the royal bloodline baptism is almost upon us. You should arrive early."
He made no attempt to hide his goodwill.
"Royal bloodline baptism?" Qin Luo blinked. "Marquis of Sifang, can you explain that to me?"
Before Fang Xing could speak, Zheng Tuo stepped in.
"Your Highness, allow me."
Fang Xing silently took a step back. He could tell Zheng Tuo had made his choice.
Zheng Tuo didn't have many paths left. If he ran, Fang Xing believed he would surely die.
Joining forces with Qin Luo might lead to utter ruin—but it might also lead to a powerful comeback.
After all, Qin Luo was a prince of Great Qin. His status was not something an ordinary person could compare to.
That was why he'd nudged Zheng Tuo toward taking a gamble.
Qin Luo's eyes fell on Zheng Tuo. "You haven't introduced yourself properly yet."
Zheng Tuo clasped his fists and bowed deeply. "This humble general, Zheng Tuo, Marquis of Po Jun, greets Your Highness Ninth Prince!"
"From this day forward, this humble general is willing to follow Your Highness with all my heart and soul!"
Oh?
Qin Luo hadn't expected this burly man to directly pledge allegiance.
To be honest, having a Saint Realm expert swear loyalty made him feel a bit smug.
But he wasn't stupid. He knew that when something looked off, there was usually a catch.
From the original Qin Luo's memories, he had a rough sense of Great Qin's strength. Though powerful, Saint Realm experts were not something you saw everywhere.
Saints were pillars of the dynasty. So this situation clearly had its own complications.
"Lord Po Jun, explain the bloodline baptism to me first."
Those words made Zheng Tuo's heart jolt. He realized he'd been too anxious and calmed himself before speaking.
The royal bloodline baptism was a grand event held every ten years in Great Qin. It selected the most talented royal family members and gave them a complete bloodline baptism—a process that consumed an enormous amount of resources.
In past baptisms, some royals had awakened special bloodlines and physiques in the process.
Because of this, countless people fought tooth and nail for the chance; royal kin killing and crippling each other was common.
As a prince, Qin Luo naturally didn't need to compete for a spot.
The qualifying tournament had ended, and the slots had already been decided. His sudden appearance meant someone's spot would have to be taken away.
"Oh, so someone's going to hold a grudge against me?" Qin Luo asked.
Zheng Tuo nodded. "Yes. Your Highness needs to be careful. After all…"
"Including you, there are nine princes in total—but there can only be one future emperor."
"Nine princes scrambling for the throne?" Qin Luo blurted out.
"Interesting. Very interesting. I like it."
"Let's go. I can't wait to head to the capital." Qin Luo could feel his blood boiling.
It felt just like dominating a ranked game.
He'd just stomped Ye Chen and picked up a pile of loot. He was already falling in love with this world.
Compared to that dull, joyless past life where he was nothing but a wage slave, this was a hundred times better.
He had barely descended the mountain when he ran into Liu Ruyan and the others.
Especially Liu Ruyan—her tender, affectionate gaze actually made Qin Luo's skin crawl.
"Senior Brother Qin, Ruyan misunderstood you before," she said softly. "You love Ruyan so much, you definitely won't blame her… right?"