CHAPTER 496: CHAPTER 496: SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH FATTY_1

Longing? Qin Feiyang sneered internally. The Imperial Capital was, indeed, the holy land countless people yearned for. However, for him, if his mother weren’t still in the Imperial Capital, if he didn’t have a great vendetta to settle, he would never want to set foot in that place. Everything there disgusted him to the extreme!

But the old man’s last sentence made him quite pleased, and he asked doubtfully, "Old man, what do you mean by that?"

"After I go to see the Emperor, the Nine States War will begin."

"With your talent and strength, crushing the competition and entering the Imperial Capital shouldn’t be difficult," the old man smiled.

The Nine States War!

Hearing this, Qin Feiyang had a sudden realization.

The old man asked with a smile, "So, are you confident?"

"Absolutely," Qin Feiyang nodded.

"It’s good to be confident, but don’t get complacent."

"I’ve heard that the other eight states have also produced quite a few monstrous martial arts talents."

"Only when you break through to War Ancestor will you possess absolutely dominant strength."

"Of course, you don’t necessarily have to come in first. As long as your performance ranks you in the top ten, you can definitely enter the Imperial Capital," the old man said.

Qin Feiyang asked, "What if I don’t rank in the top ten?"

"That will depend on individual luck and Fortune," the old man replied.

Qin Feiyang nodded.

The old man waved his hand. "Alright then, hurry back to the inner sanctuary and enter seclusion to cultivate. I look forward to your performance."

"Um..."

Qin Feiyang hesitated for a moment, then chuckled. "Old man, finding Uncle Ren this time was quite an ordeal. Shouldn’t there be some kind of reward?"

"Heh!"

The old man chuckled in amusement, then said playfully, "Well, you tell me then. What do you want?"

Qin Feiyang coughed dryly and said with a smile, "A Perfect War Technique would be best. If there isn’t one, I wouldn’t mind a fourth-rank Elixir Fire either."

The old man was stunned. To hear him talk, you’d think giving him a fourth-rank Elixir Fire would be doing him a disservice!

The old man’s eyes twinkled, and he said with a grin, "How about I give you a Fifth Grade Elixir Fire?"

"Fifth Grade!"

Qin Feiyang’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed joyfully, "Of course! I couldn’t ask for anything better!"

"Dream on!"

The old man glared at him and said, exasperated, "Do you think Elixir Fire is as common as cabbages and carrots, found on every street corner?"

Qin Feiyang gave an awkward smile.

The old man rolled his eyes, mulled it over for a moment, then said, "I definitely don’t have any Elixir Fire. No Perfect War Techniques either. However, I do have quite a few Superior War Techniques. Want them?"

Qin Feiyang pouted. "It’d be a waste not to take them."

"You little rascal."

The old man shook his head with a laugh, took out two jade slips, and tossed them to Qin Feiyang.

Qin Feiyang immediately immersed his consciousness into the jade slips.

One was called Taibai Magic Tactics, which had a similar effect to Phantom Step. The difference was that Taibai Magic Tactics was a killing technique. The other was called Ghost Step, an auxiliary battle technique. Once deployed, Ghost Step made one like a phantom, arriving and departing without a trace.

But alas, they were only Superior War Techniques.

The old man asked with a grin, "Satisfied now?"

Qin Feiyang was taken aback. He really didn’t know what to say. Just looking at his expression, it was clear he didn’t think much of these Superior War Techniques at all.

WHOOSH!

Without wasting any words, Qin Feiyang went straight into the ancient castle.

Fatty immediately stood up and asked, puzzled, "Boss, what’s the Nine States War?"

Qin Feiyang replied, "The Nine States War is a battle for qualification spots."

"Qualification spots?"

Fatty was slightly taken aback. "You mean spots to enter the Imperial Capital?"

Qin Feiyang nodded and explained, "Every ten years, the Imperial Capital holds a Nine States War. All Nine States send participants, and without exception, these participants are all Disciples from their respective inner sanctuaries."

Lu Hong also opened her eyes and asked, "Does that mean the other eight states also have an inner sanctuary?"

"Correct."

"For people from the eighteen provinces of the Nine States, this is the only way to enter the Imperial Capital."

"So, in the Nine States War, I absolutely cannot lose!"

Qin Feiyang clenched his fists, his eyes shining with unwavering determination.

Fatty asked, "So where’s the battlefield?"

"I’m not too sure about that." Qin Feiyang shook his head. Back then, as the exalted son of the Emperor, he could have anything he desired and wouldn’t have concerned himself with such matters.

Fatty said, "Then you need to start cultivating right away."

"Indeed!" Lu Hong said, a hint of worry on her face. "Let alone the other eight states, just in our Spirit State, the inner sanctuary currently has three War Ancestors. If you don’t break through to War Ancestor, your chances of ranking in the top ten might be slim. Most importantly, the Nine States War is only a year and a half away. You have to hurry."

"Don’t worry about that. I’m confident I’ll reach War Ancestor before the war begins."

"Even if I don’t, with the War Technique and the Counter Curse Manual, I can still remain undefeated."

"The top priority now is to find a fourth-rank Elixir Fire and quickly upgrade the Netherworld Demon Flame to Fifth Grade," Qin Feiyang stated.

Fatty frowned. "That’s not something that can be accomplished overnight."

"Should we try the Land of Oblivion again?" Lu Hong suggested.

Fatty’s pupils contracted, and he immediately retorted, "You can go if you want! Fatty here is never setting foot in that godforsaken place again, not even if you beat me to death!"

Although the Land of Oblivion wasn’t short on Elixir Fire, they had offended the Tower Owner and that Mistress when they left. Neither of those women was to be trifled with. If they returned to the Land of Oblivion, they would undoubtedly meet a disastrous end.

Lu Hong pondered for a moment, then said through gritted teeth, "Then let’s just steal the Elixir Fire from our inner sanctuary!"

Qin Feiyang and Fatty stared at Lu Hong in shock. Steal the inner sanctuary’s Elixir Fire? Is this girl delirious?

Lu Hong, flustered by their stares, lowered her head, her face flushing as she mumbled, "I... I was just saying."

Fatty said gravely, "Master Fatty is telling you, don’t even think about it."

Qin Feiyang shook his head with a smile. "The Elixir Fire of our inner sanctuary is definitely off-limits. And as Fatty said, going back to the Land of Oblivion would be suicide."

Lu Hong asked, "Then what do we do?"

"The Elixir Fire in the Spirit State’s inner sanctuary is untouchable, but that doesn’t mean the Elixir Fire in the inner sanctuaries of the other eight great states is too," Fatty said with a sly grin.

"You mean... go to the other eight great states?" Lu Hong asked, her eyes wide with apprehension.

Fatty nodded. "Exactly. Fourth-rank Elixir Fires are exceedingly rare. Our only option is to ’acquire’ them from other states."

Lu Hong glanced at Fatty, then turned to Qin Feiyang, awaiting his decision.

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Feiyang smiled. "Going to other states... that’s actually not a bad idea."

"Are we really going?" Lu Hong was momentarily stunned.

"Let’s check something first." Qin Feiyang took out an Image Crystal Stone and quickly activated it.

A moment later, a holographic figure materialized. It was Yin Yuanming!

"You brat! Where have you been for the past six months? You didn’t reply to my messages! Are you trying to welsh on your debt?!" Yin Yuanming roared hysterically the moment he saw Qin Feiyang.

Welsh on my debt?

Qin Feiyang paused, then smiled bitterly. "I’ve been out of town for the past six months and couldn’t receive messages. As for the medicinal pills I promised you, I’ll make sure you get every single one."

The moment Yin Yuanming heard he’d get his pills, he burst out laughing.

This guy changes his tune faster than flipping through a book! Qin Feiyang was speechless.

Yin Yuanming asked, "So, you’re back now?"

"Just got back," Qin Feiyang nodded.

Yin Yuanming pursed his lips. "Contacting me the moment you’re back? This can’t be good."

"Ahem!" Qin Feiyang nearly choked on his own saliva and said helplessly, "It’s not necessarily a bad thing. I just wanted to ask if you could find a fourth-rank Elixir Fire."

Yin Yuanming paused, confused. "Isn’t the Elixir Fire in the inner sanctuary a fourth-rank one? Why do you need another Elixir Fire?"

Qin Feiyang said, "Never mind that. As long as you can get it for me, I’ll pay any price."

Yin Yuanming instantly grew excited, but his expression quickly dimmed.

"The only fourth-rank Elixir Fire I know of is the one in the Holy Temple."

"And I can tell you responsibly, there isn’t a second fourth-rank Elixir Fire in the entire Spirit State."

"So, it doesn’t matter how much money you offer; it’s useless."

"I can’t earn your money on this one," Yin Yuanming stated.

Qin Feiyang frowned. "Really none?"

"None." Yin Yuanming nodded.

Disappointment filled Qin Feiyang’s eyes. It seems going to another state is the only option.

Yin Yuanming said, "I’m very busy right now. Anything else?"

Qin Feiyang shook his head.

"Then remember to send those medicinal pills over quickly."

With that, Yin Yuanming closed the Image Crystal Stone connection.

Fatty chuckled. "See, Boss? Now you have to go."

Lu Hong looked at him strangely. "Why do you seem so eager to go to other states?"

"Am I?" Fatty asked.

Lu Hong’s face darkened. "Of course you are! You’ve been egging Qin Feiyang on to go to other states this whole time. Spill it, are you plotting something?"

"Plotting something?"

Fatty was utterly speechless and shook his head. "Your imagination is running wild! Master Fatty is just tired of the Spirit State and wants to check out other places."

"With that kind of free time, you’d be better off focusing on your cultivation," Lu Hong said, rolling her eyes at him.

Fatty gave a sheepish grin and said no more, looking expectantly at Qin Feiyang.

Qin Feiyang pondered for a moment, then looked at Fatty and asked, "So, which state do you think we should go to?"

Fatty replied, "Yun State, of course! It’s the closest to Spirit State."

Lu Hong paused, puzzled. "How do you know Yun State is closest to Spirit State?"

"Uh..." Fatty stammered, looking a bit flustered.

Seeing this, a trace of suspicion arose in the eyes of both Qin Feiyang and Lu Hong.

Suddenly, Fatty declared confidently, "Master Fatty has been around State City for so long, what doesn’t Master Fatty know?"

"Oh, really?" Lu Hong looked at him skeptically. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Fatty was acting a bit strange.

"Duh!"

"You think everyone’s like you, hiding away cultivating all day, completely oblivious to the outside world?" Fatty glared at her indignantly.

Lu Hong quickly waved her hands. "Alright, alright! Forget I said anything."

Fatty shot her a challenging glance, as if to say, Hmph, you know your place, girlie.

Then, he turned back to Qin Feiyang, urging, "Boss, don’t you want to go check out Yun State?"

"Not really," Qin Feiyang shook his head. Apart from the Imperial Capital, no other place held any interest for him.

Fatty immediately deflated.

The more Qin Feiyang observed him, the stranger he found Fatty’s behavior. What’s gotten into him? This is so unlike his usual self.