Chapter One Hundred and Ten: The Fourth Prince

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The mercenary system of the Scarlet Alliance is exceptionally well-organized, divided into four main categories: the Royal Mercenary Corps, the Official Mercenary Corps, the Clan Mercenary Corps, and the Civilian Mercenary Corps.

The Royal Mercenary Corps stands as the Scarlet Alliance’s most supreme banner, comprised entirely of elite warriors who have risen through the ranks of the Official Mercenary Corps. They possess clear family backgrounds, extensive social networks, unwavering loyalty, formidable strength, and exceptional competence. Nearly every member has a near-legendary history.

Within the Scarlet Alliance, the Royal Mercenary Corps symbolizes nobility, sanctity, and inviolability.

The Official Mercenary Corps does not imply that all members have official backgrounds. Rather, it is a force supervised and nurtured by designated official powers. The Scarlet Alliance boasts over two thousand such corps, with the oldest tracing its heritage back more than a millennium—originating from a small ancient state that first made its mark long ago. Every member is a recognized, registered, iron-blooded mercenary wielding law enforcement authority.

Clan Mercenary Corps are far more common. Much like the countless families of the Azure Cloud Empire, these mercenary groups are numerous, each family bearing its own title and ranked according to the corps’ strength and grade. Some even consist of alliances between several weaker families.

Lastly, there are the Civilian Mercenary Corps.

Any registered mercenary may apply. The largest of these civilian corps numbers over half a million members, spread across the Scarlet Alliance’s major and minor cities. Their strength rivals the other three categories and serves as the greatest foundation of the mercenary world within the Scarlet Alliance.

After applying to six mercenary corps, the members of the Azure Cloud Academy spent the entire day poring over the tutorial materials that the Scarlet Mansion had prepared for them well in advance—because lacking knowledge of the Scarlet Alliance’s national conditions could easily bring about unnecessary troubles and even threaten their lives.

The list of precautions was exhaustive!

New students must complete a task checklist upon admission, fulfill a set number of star-rated missions within a year, achieve specific cultivation milestones within that year, and engage in practical combat scenarios.

Moreover, as mercenaries, they must carefully select missions, evaluate the safety of mission locations, prepare for various emergencies, fulfill their obligations to their mercenary corps, and adapt to the Scarlet Alliance’s laws, which differ significantly from those of the Azure Cloud Empire.

This avalanche of considerations almost overwhelmed the group of apprentices.

Fortunately, Xu Wen was a prodigy in memorization—able to skim-read and retain information effortlessly. By midday, he had grasped nearly everything and retreated alone to the underground cultivation chamber beneath the Royal Merchant Guild.

He had nearly mastered the “Golden Serpent Frenzy” technique, reaching its final stages. Barring unforeseen circumstances, he expected to fully command it within two or three days, unlocking a breakthrough.

The underground cultivation chamber, furnished by the Royal Merchant Guild’s real estate holdings, was far more luxurious than those at the Azure Cloud Academy or the Silan Institute.

Inside, two rows of attendants stood discreetly behind, while a few indistinct figures lounged in reclining chairs, surrounded by subtly fragrant, refreshing incense. They relaxed with open mouths, enjoying fruits handed to them by fair-skinned maidens and gentle, well-measured massages on their backs, waists, and legs.

Xu Wen glanced once, shook his head, and walked away.

“Who’s here to cultivate? They’re just here to indulge in luxury... Decadence, absolute decadence!”

Luckily, the chamber was vast; he distanced himself enough to avoid the sight and keep his mind at ease.

What Xu Wen did not realize was that from the moment he entered, he had already drawn the attention of those reclining figures.

“Brother Royal, that brat has no manners. He didn’t even come to greet us. I wonder which family he belongs to?” The first to speak was a calm-faced youth in his twenties, though his words were arrogant.

The youth in the middle chair glanced at him impatiently. “Enough, stop stirring trouble. Don’t forget they just transferred from the Azure Cloud Academy. Stop pretending to be tough.”

“Heh, Brother Royal, you’re wise. I’m just curious—yesterday afternoon, those from the Azure Cloud Academy just arrived. They should be quietly staying indoors, familiarizing themselves with the Scarlet Alliance’s conditions. There’s no rush to train so soon, right?”

The youth called Brother Royal laughed and nudged him. “Enough with your nonsense. Go pester your pretty slave girls with that. They’re just bored from being under house arrest. I warn you, ‘Lu Piaoling’... tomorrow your confinement ends. If you cause trouble and Royal Aunt finds out, I’ll have you confined again along with me. I’ll even pull your ears off.”

This speaker was the Fourth Prince of the Azure Cloud Empire, sent to train at the Scarlet Mansion since childhood. Now a Magic Swordsman of six stars, second rank, he spoke with stern authority.

“Brother Royal knows me well. Don’t worry, I won’t cause trouble. I just want to spar a little.” Lu Piaoling rolled off his chair, stretched his limbs, and grinned at Xu Wen, who had seated himself cross-legged nearby. “Haven’t met anyone from our empire in a long time. To have a four-star spiritual power at such a young age—that’s impressive.”

“You two spar, I’ll go get some fresh air, alright?”

The elegantly poised young man who had remained silent suddenly sat up and asked, gazing at Lu Piaoling’s retreating back.

The Fourth Prince sighed and warned more gravely, “Piaoling, he’s just a kid who hasn’t undergone the Scarlet Mansion’s training yet. Don’t hurt him.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Royal. I know my limits,” Lu Piaoling smiled.

He was a prince from one of the empire’s counties, the fourth prince’s son, only half a year old but already among the elite of his age group, with strength around four stars, eighth rank.

A few days ago, he had come to blows with another group over several jade slaves at the auction house. The three troublemakers were confined together in the underground cultivation chamber, forbidden to step outside.

Even the attendants behind them were jade slaves they had gathered over the years.

Lu Piaoling stretched and smiled, then approached Xu Wen.

The Fourth Prince and the elegant youth immediately straightened up and watched from afar.

Suddenly, just seconds after Lu Piaoling approached, a powerful surge of magic radiated from the unfamiliar youth—enough to cause the two to exchange startled glances.

A massive fireball appeared above a test stone, bursting into hundreds of blazing fire orbs, each thundering with tremendous momentum.

“This is...”

“The Solar Burst Wave!! This is a Xuanyuan-level spell from the Azure Cloud Academy! This—”

Both descendants of royal bloodlines naturally recognized many legendary battle techniques unknown to most.

Especially as the spell descended with fierce intensity, shattering into hundreds of imposing fireballs, its origin was unmistakable.

That spell!

A three-star Xuanyuan-level Solar Burst Wave!!

The sheer force of the magic made the Fourth Prince’s heart skip a beat. It was cast by a four-star novice fire mage, yet even he, a six-star warrior, felt intense pressure. To fully withstand it, one would need a five-star Earth Sovereign defensive battle technique.

“Ah, big brother, why are you back?” The elegant youth’s rare smile curved his eyes, his voice soft and feminine as he greeted Lu Piaoling’s return.

Lu Piaoling wiped sweat from his brow but maintained a brave front. “This kid’s got talent. I don’t think he needs extra tutoring. Right, Brother Royal?”

The elegant youth sneered, unconvinced.

Lu Piaoling was clearly nervous, knowing he was no match for the young fire mage.

That spell was something Lu Piaoling couldn’t safely endure, yet the young mage stood calm within its range—the difference was glaring.

“Little sister, what’s with that look? Why don’t you go teach him a lesson?”

“Hmph, fine, I’ll go.”

“Little sister!”

The Fourth Prince glanced at the two with a trace of displeasure.

“Enough. I’ve never heard of a royal five-star battlemaster challenging a four-star mage.”

As the Fourth Prince admonished them, Xu Wen, facing the wall some distance away, finally relaxed.

He hadn’t expected the three to be royal relatives, including an empire prince. Fortunately, his extended spiritual power range had captured their conversation; otherwise, he might have had to confront that Lu family brat.

Feigning weakness wasn’t an option; winning would bring no advantage. The best course was to make them back down.

Thankfully, they seemed sensible, not wasting their spiritual power on the “Solar Burst Wave” or “Flame God Shield.”

After expending their energy symbolically, Xu Wen settled into a cross-legged position, recovering spiritual power while delving further into “Golden Serpent Frenzy.”

At first, he worried the trio might come to disturb him.

But a long time passed, and they merely lounged quietly, occasionally standing to train, their gazes occasionally drifting his way. Gradually, his heart eased.

He sat for an entire day!

“That wooden block’s like an old man. When we were grounded, we couldn’t wait to run outside... but this kid, no one’s grounded him, yet he sits still for so long. I truly admire him.”

Lu Piaoling touched his forehead, marveling at how quickly the world had changed.

“That’s called secluded cultivation. Mages do that. You think they’re all like you—slacking off, skipping missions, or chasing after pleasures?”

The cross-dressing elegant youth rolled her eyes disdainfully, then looked back at the distant youth, sighing:

“This is how our empire cultivates? Sitting still, meditating in place, so boring. No wonder the Scarlet Alliance is so strong while our empire treads water. The Dark Empire rose up and struck us first!”

“...”

The Fourth Prince’s face darkened as he nodded slowly.

“The Dark Empire’s sudden lifting of isolation and attack on our capital exposes their wolfish ambitions. Our Azure Cloud Empire must seek change, or the catastrophe from centuries ago will return, and we may not survive.”

“Enough, Brother Royal. Let’s discuss this elsewhere. It’s dawn, and the grounding period is over. Let’s head out.”

Lu Piaoling’s suggestion received the Fourth Prince’s approval, and they instructed their attendants to pack up.

Shortly after their departure, Xu Wen opened his eyes.

A radiant joy bloomed across his face. He had finally connected all the mysteries of “Golden Serpent Frenzy” and could now put it to the test!

The incantation, rehearsed countless times in his mind, flowed smoothly from his lips. Soon, a thin layer of golden flames rapidly enveloped his body.

At the final word, an indescribable warm current surged from his chaotic consciousness, expanding rapidly and bursting forth!

With a dense series of sharp whistles, over a hundred slender elemental spirit serpents, tinged with gold and red, erupted from within him, darting in all directions.

Each serpent stretched over two meters, curving and striking with incredible speed!

Like fiery missiles, these golden and crimson flame serpents, under Xu Wen’s control, concentrated their assault on a single direction—a test stone capable of withstanding attacks of seven-star intensity.

After a rapid succession of impacts, the dust settled, revealing a dense array of shallow pits on the test stone’s surface gradually fading away.

Xu Wen was not overly surprised by the spell’s destructive power. He withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes, and absorbed the surging spiritual energy pouring from his chaotic consciousness.

Four stars, eighth rank...