The atmosphere between the three Princes was somewhat tense.
Wen Shixuan whispered to Wen Shixi, "Second Brother, how about this: we join forces to eliminate the Third Prince’s men, and then we can compete for first place between ourselves."
Wen Shixi nodded and smiled sinisterly. "Of course. First place has always been a contest between you and me. Our third brother isn’t qualified to compete."
"And another thing—this time, we must ensure that Jiang Chen, the man at his side, meets a gruesome end."
"Once we get rid of him, the Third Prince will be completely crippled."
A smile spread across Wen Shixuan’s face.
He then beckoned to a large man at his side.
"Zhao Tian, the man in the white robe is Jiang Chen. During the fight for the high ground, I want you to work with the Second Prince’s man, Mr. Gu, and kill him."
Zhao Tian glanced over at Jiang Chen.
A cruel smile touched his lips. "Rest assured, Your Highness. I will personally cut off his head."
"By the way, that Mr. Gu... he doesn’t seem easy to work with."
Zhao Tian looked toward the Second Prince’s side, at the figure completely shrouded in a black robe. It was none other than Mr. Gu.
Even before the Sovereign, Mr. Gu kept his face hidden, making him an enigmatic and mysterious figure.
Wen Shixuan was also rather wary of Mr. Gu, but he said, "Don’t worry. It’s all been arranged. Mr. Gu will cooperate."
While they plotted, the Third Prince’s group was also holding a council.
The Third Prince pointed to Zhao Tian, who stood beside Wen Shixuan, and Mr. Gu, who was with Wen Shixi. "Jiang the Military Advisor," he said to Jiang Chen, "our greatest threats ahead are Zhao Tian and Mr. Gu."
"If we can handle them, we’ll have a real shot at taking first and planting our flag on the summit."
He was somewhat looking forward to this "king of the hill" contest.
However, he couldn’t help but worry about the experts serving his two older brothers.
He even warned Jiang Chen, "Zhao Tian is one thing, but Mr. Gu is something else entirely. He’s dangerously unorthodox."
"You must all be extremely careful."
Jiang Chen nodded. He had encountered Mr. Gu before. The man’s ability to command the One-Eyed Snow Worms beneath Guyue City proved his methods were far from ordinary.
He glanced at Mr. Gu, who seemed to be looking right back at him.
His true face was hidden beneath the black robe, but there was no doubt he was sizing Jiang Chen up.
Jiang Chen met Mr. Gu’s gaze.
Inexplicably, Jiang Chen could clearly sense a hidden, extremely dangerous aura emanating from Mr. Gu.
It was the first time he had ever felt such a sense of crisis from another person.
’What a bizarre man. A Wizard is truly something else. Very well, I’m eager to see what a Wizard’s methods are really like.’
In his previous life, the one thing Jiang Chen never truly understood was Wizards.
Wizards were the strangest of all, their methods unpredictable and impossible to defend against.
And between him and Mr. Gu, there was a deep-seated hatred.
After all, it was Mr. Gu who had stolen his Martial Vein.
Jiang Chen spoke a few words to Huo Wu and Cao Yang. Although they were confused, they nodded nonetheless.
"We’ll do as you say, Jiang the Military Advisor."
Although Huo Wu was proud, after witnessing Jiang Chen’s capabilities, he had started to acknowledge him.
Especially during the bandit extermination on Nanming Mountain; by the time he arrived, Jiang Chen had already single-handedly defeated the bandits, a clear display of his formidable strength.
As the three Princes conferred and laid their own plans, elsewhere, the current Sovereign, Lord Wen, was in discussion with his National Preceptor.
Sovereign Wen glanced at his three sons, his eyes glinting. He gave particular attention to the Third Prince, Wen Shiren.
He suddenly said to National Preceptor Yuan Hui, "National Preceptor, our third son seems to have been making a lot of moves lately."
"He appears to be on the rise."
Master Yuan Hui knew the Sovereign disliked the Third Prince.
He said in a low voice, "Sovereign, I’ve heard a mysterious military advisor has appeared at the Third Prince’s side. His name is Jiang Chen. See him? The lad in the white robes."
Sovereign Wen glanced sideways at Jiang Chen, his eyes narrowing.
"He seems quite ordinary," he said, surprised. "He’s only at the Third Heaven Martial King Cultivation. We have plenty of people at that level in the Fire Sparrow Kingdom."
"How could he possibly have the ability to turn the tables? Are you sure there isn’t someone else advising our third son?"
Master Yuan Hui shook his head firmly. "I have already investigated. This young man is the only new face to appear at the Third Prince’s side."
"However, I haven’t been able to determine what impressive methods he possesses."
"The complete annihilation of the Nanming Mountain bandits was likely his doing."
Sovereign Wen was even more astonished. He took another long, hard look at Jiang Chen.
"It seems this man does have some skill after all."
"In that case, it seems our third son might actually have a chance to compete for first place this time."
He frowned slightly. The idea of the Third Prince, Wen Shiren, contending for first place clearly displeased him.
His tone soured.
He truly disliked this son. If not for the fact that Wen Shiren was his own flesh and blood, he would have exiled him to some remote corner of the kingdom long ago.
Master Yuan Hui mulled it over for a moment. He truly couldn’t see anything special about Jiang Chen.
Then he said, "Ah, that’s right. This young man does have some notoriety."
"I forgot to mention it, but he is the one who obtained the Black Fire from Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain."
What?
Sovereign Wen was stunned.
The emergence of the Black Fire had shaken the entire Fire Sparrow Kingdom. He had even dispatched his eldest son, the Crown Prince Wen Shixuan, to seize it.
But he had returned in failure.
It was never discovered who ultimately claimed the Black Fire. To hear now that it was this very youth before him was a complete surprise.
Sovereign Wen’s expression instantly darkened.
"A no-name brat like him dared to snatch the Black Fire? He’s courting death."
"National Preceptor, how about we take this opportunity to seize the Black Fire from him? The Black Fire belongs to our Fire Sparrow Kingdom."
"It is not for a lowly being like him to possess."
Master Yuan Hui nodded.
"Rest assured, Sovereign. I was thinking the exact same thing."
"We’ll find an opportunity to kill him, and the Black Fire will belong to the Fire Sparrow Kingdom."
Then, Master Yuan Hui added, "By the way, it was this man who crippled one of the Crown Prince’s arms and legs back in Guyue City."
Sovereign Wen was even more astounded.
A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
"Courting death! Find a way to kill that brat. He dared to lay a hand on my son? He has no idea what he’s messing with, no idea at all!"
A thick, murderous aura erupted from his eyes as he locked his sights completely on Jiang Chen.
Master Yuan Hui immediately spoke again. "Sovereign, with Jiang Chen’s help, the Third Prince’s chances of winning are not low."
"Do you think it might be necessary to put some pressure on the Third Prince, to make him back down?"
"He cannot be allowed to steal the spotlight from the Crown Prince and the Second Prince."
This was Master Yuan Hui’s suggestion; after all, he was partial to the Second Prince.
The Crown Prince, meanwhile, was the Queen’s son, giving him a noble and prominent status.
Only the Third Prince lacked any sort of special standing.
Even the Sovereign himself was not fond of him.
Upon hearing this, Sovereign Wen’s face turned to ice.
"Fine. Issue a decree to our third son. Tell him not to compete for first place. Securing third will be sufficient."
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