There was a lot that went into preparing for a birthday party—not the least of which was buying a suitable gift. And since a person’s sixteenth birthday was the only one anyone ever celebrated, it was especially important that the gift be as extravagant as possible.

Sixteen was the most important birthday in a person’s life. Not only would someone at this age be officially considered an adult, but this was when a cultivator’s meridians and dantian activated. If a person didn’t activate them when they turned sixteen, they would never be able to cultivate. The meridians and dantian would wither a few weeks after a person turned sixteen and become unusable.

For a clan that relied on cultivators to build their powerbase, someone who couldn’t activate their meridians and dantian was a disgrace to the family.

For commoners, gifts often included practical items or money. It was not unusual for someone turning sixteen to receive a gold spirit coin, which was the equivalent to one hundred silver spirit coins. This was a lot when someone took into account how the average family could live for over a month on one gold spirit coin. Wu Jian had heard that the average income for commoners was about fifteen gold spirit coins a year.

A gift like that would not work for the heiress of a clan, especially when said heiress belonged to one of the most prominent clans on the entire Xiao Continent. Zhou Lihua might have been the daughter of a branch family, but that meant little to someone like Wu Jian, who belonged to the tiny Wu Clan.

“Father has left getting a suitable present for Zhou Lihua to me, but I really don’t know what to get for the heiress to a clan like the Zhou Clan. They’re so powerful. There’s nothing I can get that they can’t, and any present I get feels like it would be an insult to them. Do either of you have any ideas?”

Wu Jian looked at Wu Meiying and Hou Jingshu, both of whom sat on his bed.

Wu Meiying’s posture was lacking Hou Jingshu’s elegance. She sat with her legs straight out, arms behind her as she leaned back, and her feet on his lap. By contrast, Hou Jingshu sait with her legs crossed, back straight, and her hands clasped together on her lap—just like a proper princess.

“Sixteen is an auspicious age. In the Imperial Capital, when someone turns sixteen, it is not unusual to get them a pill refined by a fourth-tier alchemist that will help them break through to the Hunger Realm,” Hou Jingshu said.

“Unfortunately, there aren’t any fourth-tier alchemists anywhere near here,” Wu Jian said with a wry smile.

“Yes… that is true.” Hou Jingshu sighed. “In that case, I do not know what sort of gift would be suitable for a princess of the Zhou Clan. I doubt there’s anything in this tiny city that would make an appropriate gift.”

Wu Jian furrowed his brow as he absently grabbed Wu Meiying’s feet. They were tiny enough that his hands were almost the same size. He spent a moment playing with her toes as he thought about his dilemma. Really. What could he get someone like Zhou Lihua that would be worth giving?

“We could always try to find her a sacred treasure that will have the same effect as a fourth-tier alchemy pill,” Wu Meiying suggested as she wiggled her toes against his hands. He got the hint and began massaging her feet.

“Are you saying we should head into the Twin Fang Mountain again?” asked Wu Jian.

“Again? Have you gone there before?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“We have, and we almost died. We were attacked by a Spotted Snow Lion at the Anima Realm,” Wu Jian said. The Shang Kingdom princess paled.

“We’re much stronger now than we were back then. I don’t think we’d lose to a Spotted Snow Lion. Also, we’ll ask Wu Taohua to come with us. I don’t think Uncle will refuse if someone as strong as her is around to protect us,” Wu Meiying said, using logic to win her argument.

“Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to ask, and it’s not like we have any better ideas,” Wu Jian said at last.

With their task set, the trio went to meet with Wu Jian’s father, who was in his study, going through reports of some kind. They explained what they wanted to do and emphasized the fact that this was to find a gift for Zhou Lihua.

Father would never have agreed to this normally, but when they explained why they wanted to head into the Twin Fang Mountains, he had no choice but to agree.

“A sacred treasure would make a great gift, but can you even find one?” asked Father.

“We did before, didn’t we?” asked Wu Meiying with a cheeky grin.

Seeing the way his father’s cheek twitched, Wu Jian added, “I’m confident we can find one. It’s summer and the snow has melted. There are a few more dangerous magical beasts roaming the mountains, but there should also be greater rewards to be found for those who are willing to explore. And we should be safe from magical beasts if Wu Touhua is with us.”

His father took in a deep breath and crossed his arms. He looked unsure and contemplated the situation for several seconds, but he eventually gave them a nod of assent.

“I will let you do this. However, you must speak with Wu Taohua and convince her to come with you. Also, go speak with your mother and have her create a medical kit. We don’t have anyone who can heal you should you get seriously injured. A medical kit might not help if you suffer a grave an injury, but it will at least help.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“Thanks, Uncle!”

“We appreciate this, Lord Yōushì.”

Father waved them off with a heavy sigh like just talking to them was tiring, though Wu Jian was certain it was Wu Meiying’s casual comments that made Father feel that way.

Since they had been allowed to go, the first thing they did was speak with Wu Taohua. She was in her room, working on some kind of painting, which he thought was a landscape of the Twin Fang Mountains. There was an easel and some oil paints lying scattered about her feet. She paused upon seeing them.

“What are you three doing here?” she asked.

“We were hoping you could accompany us to the Twin Fang Mountains,” said Wu Jian.

Wu Taohua frowned the same way Father did, but her expression cleared when Wu Jian explained why they were going into the Twin Fang Mountains, though she did make them promise to listen to everything she said in exchange.

Even Wu Meiying agreed to listen to the woman. That said, the young girl did not look happy about it. Her pout had been quite something.

With Wu Taohua agreeing to accompany them, the group went to the hospital wing. They explained what they were doing to Mother. Unlike Father and Wu Taohua, she readily and cheerfully agreed to let them go. He didn’t even need to ask her to fix up a medical kit for them. Barely a minute after hearing about their plan, she was fixing everything up, and soon handed him a rather large box filled with everything from medical tape to healing salves.

Finally, they were all ready to go.

***

The Twin Fang Mountains referred to the two mountains that bordered Zahn City on either side. The city was located in the very center, which made it a somewhat dangerous location to place a city.

Magical beasts occasionally climbed down the mountain and attacked the city. It was the job of the Three Clans—the Wu Clan, Ming Clan, and Juishi Clan—to protect the city from magical beasts. Older members of the Wu Clan were often led on culling excursions to keep the magical beast population down.

It would shock some people to learn there was a city here, but the reason this city had been built was, in fact, because of the resources located on the Twin Fang Mountains. There were many natural treasures that could boost a person’s cultivation. It was these treasures that had allowed this city to survive despite its small size and dangerous location.

At Wu Meiying’s instructions, their group headed for the eastern mountain, nicknamed East Fang. It was the same mountain they had traveled to several years ago in search of something to help Wu Jian get stronger.

Back then, Wu Jian had been terrified when he and Wu Meiying faced off against a Spotted Snow Lion. It had been so strong. All they had been able to do was run. But that was then and this was now. Wu Jian believed that even if they were attacked by another Spotted Snow Lion, they would be able to deal with it on their own.

Not that they would run into one since it was summer.

“It’s sooo hot,” Wu Meiying complained as they traveled up the mountainside. The incline wasn’t very steep, but the gravel was loose. It would be very easy for them to slip on some loose rocks and take a nasty tumble down the mountainside if they weren’t careful.

“It is summer. What were you expecting?” asked Wu Jian.

“I know that. Can’t you let a girl complain just for the sake of complaining?” asked Wu Meiying.

“I agree with Wu Meiying. It’s way too hot. What I wouldn’t give to take a nice dip in a fresh spring,” Hou Jingshu said with a sigh, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“You three are far too relaxed,” Wu Taohua complained from behind them. She had been keeping her vigil ever since they entered the mountain borders.

It had been several hours since they began their climb. The terrain was rough and sometimes they were forced to climb cliff faces, but all of them were strong and more than capable. All they needed to worry about was the heat and their complaints attracting attention.

Fortunately, they had only run into a few weaker magical beasts. None of them were above the Human Realm. Wu Jian, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu were more than capable of taking care of those without Wu Taohua’s assistance.

They would have lost fighting a magical beast one-on-one. Magical beasts were generally stronger than humans with the same cultivation base, and they were only at the Body Forging Realm. The reason they could beat magical beasts at the Hunger Realm was because of their impeccable teamwork.

“Magical beasts have their own rankings, right?” asked Hou Jingshu.

“They do!” Wu Meiying said, turning around and walking backwards to look at him and Hou Jingshu. “Magical beasts are ranked from one to ten, with ten being the most powerful. Their rankings are often determined by a combination of factors like their cultivation base, species, and experience. I’ve read that magical beasts who advance to the fifth rank become capable of human speech, and they can even gain a human form after advancing to the sixth rank, which is the equivalent to a human cultivator at the Deva Realm.”

The rankings were not a symbol of a magical beast’s cultivation but their overall power and threat level. A magical beast of the fifth ranking meant they were at the Human Limit Realm, had lived for at least fifty years, or were of a species that was naturally powerful.

Hou Jingshu listened with a fascinated sparkle in her eyes. When Wu Meiying finished, she asked, “What makes a magical beast different from a normal animal?”

“Monster cores,” Wu Jian answered. “All magical beasts have their own monster cores, which are often used in the manufacturing of weapons, armor, and elixirs. I suppose that explains why there aren’t many magical beasts around. Most of the ones who live near humans have been hunted to extinction. Only the weak ones who aren’t worth the effort or the ones too strong to attack on a whim still remain close to human settlements.”

“I have heard that the Da Continent, which borders the Xiao Continent, is ruled over by powerful magical beasts,” Wu Meiying added.

Hou Jingshu nodded several times, absorbing the information. Just like Wu Jian and Wu Meiying, Hou Jingshu loved reading and learning new things, though unlike them, her reason for pursuing her knowledge was because of her role as a princess. Until her father sent her to marry Wu Jian, she had lived the life of a caged bird. Wu Jian imagined learning new things about the world was a way to experience life outside of the palace.

They spent several hours exploring, but unfortunately, they didn’t find any natural treasures, though, of course, this was to be expected. If finding natural treasures was that easy, then everyone would have been able to find them. While they did not find anything they could give to Zhou Lihua as a birthday gift, their group did happen upon something—a small spring hidden within a plateau of the mountain.

“Aaaaaaah. It feels so nice to dip my toes in the water,” Hou Jingshu said with a delighted sigh.

“You said it. This feels greeeeaaaaaaat,” Wu Meiying agreed.

The two girls sat side by side under the shade of a tree, their feet resting on some pebbles as the water lapped at their toes. They were leaning against each other and looked almost like sisters.

“I think I’m gonna go for a swim,” Wu Jian said as he removed his vest, under shit, and pants.

“Just be careful,” Wu Taohua said with a sigh. “There could be magical beasts hiding in the water.”

“I’ll be careful.”

After folding up his clothes, Wu Jian found a good spot where the water immediately deepened, walked a few feet back, then raced forward and leapt. He landed in the water with a huge splash. The cool water immediately chilled his burning body, filling him with relief. He hadn’t complained about the heat like Wu Meiying, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t been hot.

“Whooo! This feels nice!” Grinning as he swam close to the shore, he looked at the two girls. “You wanna join me?”

“Tempting, but I think I’ll pass. I don’t want to do anything that requires effort,” Wu Meiying said.

“I’ll pass too.” Hou Jingshu blushed. He wondered why, but then she added, “I don’t want you to see me in my panties…”

“Suit yourselves. I’m gonna swim further out,” he said with a shrug.

The crystal clear waters sparkled in the sunlight.