"Abyssal Vine Cranberry? Isn't that the main ingredient of a poison that was made by the Alchemy Hall?" Lu Sulan asked with a stunned look. She had heard of the imposing reputation of the said spiritual plant, so she was surprised about her master's interest in it.

Jiu Shen's lips twitched when he heard what Lu Sulan said. He was familiar with alchemy, so he knew what those alchemists from the Alchemy Hall must've done with the Abyssal Vine Cranberry in making their poison. 'I bet those little brats from the Alchemy Hall used the unstable true essence inside the Abyssal Vine Cranberry. Too wasteful...'

"Those little brats don't know how to properly refine the unstable true essence of the Abyssal Vine Cranberry. That's why they used it as the main ingredient in making poisons instead. In actual fact, this spiritual plant has a miraculous effect in enhancing one's cultivation level and spiritual power." Jiu Shen said as he kept the Abyssal Vine Cranberry inside his spatial sword earring.

Lu Sulan was speechless at her master's reply. Although she didn't know anything about alchemy, she still understood its concept. 'To think that the alchemists that I respected and admired are just wasteful little brats in my master's eyes...'

Jiu Shen ignored Lu Sulan as he lightly tapped his foot on the ground to ascend in mid-air.

"Let's go." He said as his figure streak through the sky.

Lu Sulan immediately followed behind her master after seeing him fly away. "Master, wait for me!"

* * *

Inside the throne room of the Silver Wing Empire's imperial palace, Defender Duanmu kneeled down respectfully in front of Emperor Elyk Silveria.

"Your Majesty, the fourth prince is currently in closed-door cultivation so he can't be here at the moment." Defender Duanmu said in a respectful tone.

Emperor Elyk's eyes shone when he heard Defender Duanmu's words. He couldn't help but lightly exclaim. "Oh! It appears that he had quite a bountiful harvest from that wine store. After his closed-door cultivation, he should already be at the 5th-rank Spirit realm. That's good news."

The emperor was of course happy about his fourth son's cultivation progress. The Fourth Prince Dante Silveria was someone he doted secretly.

Emperor Elyk was already tired about his three eldest sons squabbles and small skirmishes, so he took his time in showing care and affection to his two youngest children, the Fourth Prince Dante Silveria, and the Fifth Princess Sylvia Silveria.

Defender Duanmu suddenly sighed and said. "Your Majesty, although the fourth prince advancement in cultivation is a happy occasion, I have bad news to tell you."

Emperor Elyk's eyes turned grim as he glanced at the kneeling Defender Duanmu. He took in a deep breath and spoke. "What is it, Duanmu?"

"Your Majesty, when I was inside the wine store recently, I've heard of something from the Liu Family. Although it was spoken by an escapee from the Liu Family, I can still feel the authenticity of his words." Defender Duanmu said with a stern voice.

"It appears that the Liu Family had already gotten news about the Beiming Family's illegal dealings with the outside forces. What do you think about this, Your Majesty?" Defender Duanmu added.

Emperor Elyk Silveria frowned and slumped back on his throne with a tired look. "Honestly, I still don't believe everything about this at all. The Beiming Family has been the most loyal aristocratic clan to our Silveria Imperial Family. They've been serving us for many generations that it is very hard to believe this at all. In fact, I think that someone is deliberately making the waters muddy from behind the scenes."

Defender Duanmu's eyes flashed for a moment before he replied. "Your Majesty, you mean that a third party is involved in this? And they are trying to smear the reputation of the Beiming Family?"

Emperor Elyk sighed and shook his head helplessly. "I'm also unsure about everything, Duanmu, but it appears that a storm is brewing inside my Silver Wing Empire when there are still a lot of prying eyes outside waiting for a perfect chance to attack our empire."

Defender Duanmu also felt the gravity of the situation. If the emperor's words were spot on, then their Silver Wing Empire might truly experience a wide-scale war in the near future. As for whether they could tide through that war, Defender Duanmu was also uncertain.

"Your Majesty, I think it's best if we maintain a friendly relationship with the wine store's owner. He might be of help if something untoward happens to our Silver Wing Empire." Defender Duanmu stated after a moment of thinking. The old man was still perplexed about Jiu Shen's reason for staying inside their empire, but he felt that Jiu Shen wasn't here with bad intentions.

Emperor Elyk's eyes lit up but dimmed once again. "Duanmu, that man's origins is something that we are currently unaware of. But then, maintaining a friendly relationship with him might bring us good benefits. Hopefully, he won't strike us when we are already beaten down from all sides."

Defender Duanmu sighed and remained silent. He was betting on Jiu Shen's intentions towards their empire. Whether he was right or wrong in placing his bets on Jiu Shen, Defender Duanmu would know soon.

Emperor Elyk Silveria closed his tired eyes as he rubbed his aching temples. Although he was one of the strongest experts in the Profound Dragon Continent, he still felt that he might be powerless to protect their empire if a war came about.

'Jiu Shen... Are you a friend or a foe?'

* * *

Inside a luxurious mansion, a young man with long black hair was sitting crossed legged in his room. His eyes were wide open and his mouth gaped due to his surprise.

"What the hell? I haven't even meditated yet but I already broke through to the 5th-rank Spirit realm?! This... this..." Instead of feeling happy about his breakthrough, the Fourth Prince Dante Silveria was dumbstruck.

"Wine Master Jiu, did you perhaps added a Bottleneck Breaking Pill in your Deep Sea Spring Dew?" The fourth prince muttered in a silent voice as he sprawled on top of his bed.