At dusk.
Location: A large mansion outside the palace.
By a small lake, in a pavilion, two figures stood with their hands behind their backs.
One wore a purple robe with golden lions, a purple crown on his head, his face stern and dignified.
The other wore a silver robe, with sharp eyebrows like swords and eyes like stars, exuding a keen aura.
This was Prince Caspian’s residence.
The two standing by the lake were Prince Caspian and the eldest prince, Salvador Mooney.
“Uncle, the Starfall Shop is growing stronger. Zratol, Phoenix Cry City, Heaven Wind City, Maple City, Crane Cry City-all these major cities now have its franchises. Our pill sales have been greatly affected; this month’s revenue dropped by thirty percent.”
Salvador’s eyes flashed with a cold glint like an eagle’s.
Prince Caspian’s gaze was deep as water. He said in a low voice, “For him to challenge my decades of development with Everlasting Trade Association in such a short time is truly beyond my expectations.”
“Uncle, if this continues, Starfall Shop will have a presence in every town of the Martial Dynasty. This will impact our grand plans. He is currently in the capital; we could send some elders to…”
A ruthless look flashed in Salvador’s eyes as he made a throat-slitting gesture.
Prince Caspian was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head. “No rush to act. That boy is not weak. It’s unlikely we could kill him quietly in the capital.”
“Then we’ll act when he leaves the capital! Once he’s dead, Starfall Shop and Clearwind Town can be wiped out with a snap.” Salvador said coldly.
“The Pill Sovereign Island will open soon; there’s no need to deal with him now. Besides, someone else is more eager to deal with him; we might not need to act.” Prince Caspian looked at the lake, his voice certain.
“Who?” Salvador raised an eyebrow.
Prince Caspian uttered three words: “Runecarver Sect.”
“Runecarver Sect?” Salvador looked surprised.
“Recently, I heard that Gilberto from Runecarver Sect went to Falling Blossom Palace and encountered that boy. They had a Talisman Fight, and…”
Salvador was stunned. “Did Gilberto lose?”
“Not only did he lose, but he lost badly. If it weren’t for Glenn and Derick threatening the lives of those at Falling Blossom Palace, Gilberto might have died there.” Prince Caspian’s tone carried surprise.
Salvador found it hard to believe. “Gilberto is a rare genius in Talisman Path and has reached mid-stage Spirit Saint. How could he lose to that boy in a Talisman Fight?”
“The information is reliable. Gilberto’s humiliating defeat will drive him to find ways to kill that boy. That’s why I said we might not need to act.” Prince Caspian said.
Salvador nodded and thought for a moment. “Uncle, who exactly is that boy? How can he have such profound knowledge in refining pills, setting up arrays, and using talismans at such a young age?”
Salvador couldn’t understand. It was difficult for an ordinary cultivator to excel in even one area.
“I’ve sent people to investigate him but haven’t obtained useful information yet. If he didn’t have irreconcilable differences with us, I would have liked to recruit him. That would make your grand plans easier to achieve.” Prince Caspian said solemnly.
Prince Caspian’s words made Salvador’s eyes gleam sharply.
Salvador slowly clenched his hands inside his sleeves and said in a low voice, “Father has been on the throne for over a hundred years. Given his current cultivation level, he should have another hundred years of life left. A hundred years is too long…”
There was something Salvador didn’t say: if the emperor broke through to the Spirit God realm within those hundred years, his lifespan would increase further, making the throne even more out of reach.
Additionally, Prince Caius, the third prince, and Prince Tyrese were potential threats if they coveted the throne.
“Salvador, don’t worry about the throne. I promised your mother that all obstacles will be removed, including your father!” A cold glint flashed in Prince Caspian’s deep eyes.
Salvador felt slightly reassured and then remembered something. “Uncle, Father seems to suspect us regarding the Flame Fire Devil Scorpion incident.”
“Hmph, let him suspect. Without evidence, he can’t do anything to us. Once we’ve accumulated enough strength in secret, it will be time for you to ascend.” Prince Caspian snorted coldly.
“Thank you, Uncle.” Salvador bowed to Prince Caspian.
“Alright, it’s late. Go back.” Prince Caspian waved his hand.
“Yes, farewell!”
Watching Salvador leave, a cold glint flashed deep in Prince Caspian’s eyes.
“Marshall Mooney, you took away the woman I loved. Now I’ll make you taste the pain of father-son conflict and brotherly strife.” Prince Caspian muttered darkly.
The next morning.
Leo and Mike left the Bloomer manor and headed straight for the palace.
After meeting the emperor, Leo requested to use the palace’s artifact refining room, which the Martial Dynasty emperor gladly approved.
Refining artifacts was different from refining pills. Pills only required a pill furnace and could be made anywhere with Spirit Herbs. Artifact refining required more equipment and usually needed a specialized room.
They arrived at the palace’s artifact refining room and opened the tall stone doors to enter.
The room was spacious and well-equipped with all necessary tools.
Four essential items were needed for artifact refining:
First was the artifact furnace.
Second was the Fire Urging Formation.
Melting ores or special metals often required extremely high temperatures that couldn’t be achieved by cultivators’ or artifact refiners’ spiritual fire alone; they needed the Fire Urging Formation’s help.
Third was the forging table.
The forging table was used to hammer impurities out of ores or metals and shape artifacts.
Fourth was the quenching pool.
The quenching pool was used for quenching artifacts-rapidly cooling heated artifacts in water to shape them quickly and make them more durable.
Due to these requirements, artifact refining needed a specialized room unlike pill refining.
At the center of the room was the Fire Urging Formation setup area, above which was the artifact furnace.
Outside the Fire Urging Formation were the quenching pool and forging table.
Leo focused his mind and walked to the center of the room while Mike stood by the forging table.
Then Leo waved his sleeve, releasing three hundred fire-element Formation Flags from his Storage Sack and placing them in specific positions in the center of the room.