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The person was wearing the same white shirt as Chen Qing, and what terrified Chen Qing the most was...

He knew the person!!

Wang Shiyu...

A very ordinary name, an ordinary appearance, and an ordinary personality...

Back then, in the Confucian Temple outside the Capital City, there was a large group of examinees from other regions, and Wang Shiyu was definitely the most low-key one among them. Ordinary people wouldn’t notice him at all. How could such a person be the child of the Duke’s family?

Chen Qing dismounted the carriage and looked at the other party with a complex expression, "It’s been a long time, Brother Wang."

"It has indeed been a long time..." The other party also smiled and gave a salute, "Back in the temple, Cui Yan was known for his talent, but you, Brother Chen, had a talent not inferior to Cui Yan’s, yet you were so modest and restrained.

I thought then that your future would be extraordinary, but I never expected it to be this extraordinary. "

"Let’s skip the pleasantries..." Chen Qing chuckled coldly, "Who are you, really?"

On the carriage, he had already inquired about the conditions of this illegitimate son of the Duke’s family.

An illegitimate child, not favored by the lady of the Chen Family and barely had any interaction with peers of his age, leading a low-profile life out of the public eye.

It matched the status of an illegitimate child.

Three years ago, he had passed the Imperial Scholar exams with Chen Qing.

Being from the north and a son of the Duke of Wei, he naturally received preferential treatment from the Ministry of Personnel.

He was appointed as Deputy Prefect in Northern Wolf City, the former capital city of the Northern Wolf Country, assisting the Magistrate of Northern Wolf City in the administration.

At that time, the Magistrate of Northern Wolf City was already seventy years old and would retire to his hometown after his term.

The position of Magistrate was reserved for this illegitimate son of the Duke.

Such a convenience was not something most people would take to heart; the Duke of Wei was a powerful figure in the north to begin with, and considering the harsh cold conditions of the north, nobody in the Capital City was envious.

Those who knew his identity didn’t take him seriously, and those who didn’t, hardly paid him any attention.

But how did such an insignificant person manage to save hundreds of millions of people in the north during that catastrophe?

Chen Qing could guess with his butt that this guy was one of the ancient forces!

"May I have a word in private?" The other person asked with a smile.

Chen Qing was silent for a moment before nodding. The Celestial Serpent Palace was an extremely important point in the second version. If he could get some information, it would be ideal. The other party’s attitude clearly indicated they were here to collaborate.

The two walked slowly to a frozen lake in the spring snow. Wang Shiyu then began, "I’ve seen your intelligence report. You were forced into the fray because you could remember the Thousand-Faced Fox. At that time, we thought you did it on purpose and were speculating about your identity."

"You guys?" Chen Qing squinted, "Members of the association?"

"It seems you really are a newcomer..." Wang Shiyu watched Chen Qing with curiosity, "But why aren’t you affected by the Thousand-Faced Fox? Reincarnators can’t be immune to the Thousand-Faced Fox’s abilities, otherwise, the people from Black Mirror wouldn’t be trying so hard to destroy such a first-version demon. "

Black Mirror...

Chen Qing looked at the other party, his heart skipping a beat.

There were some intelligence reports about associations from Tianji, and currently, within the cycle of reincarnation, the five great ancient forces from the third version were occupied by the associations of Tianhua, Shenwu, Wanxu, Black Mirror, and Chenxing.

But as to which association occupied which force, the report was still unknown; after all, there were so many powerful entities in the third version, and any force could potentially dominate the world!

These guys, as Tianji had guessed, were not as honest as they seemed, not passively waiting for natural awakening like the Dragon Palace, but had already laid down their pieces early on.

"I didn’t know about this..." Chen Qing said honestly, "It was only when I realized that it was the Thousand-Faced Fox that I understood what kind of world this was. Until then, I had always thought I had simply traveled to ancient times."

"I believe you," Wang Shiyu smiled. "I was your classmate at the Confucian Temple for a year, so I naturally know that you were an ordinary person from the start, with not even a bit of energy in you, yet now, the energy you have reached the pinnacle of this world!"

Chen Qing silently looked at the other person, realizing that such a dangerous individual had actually been his classmate for a year!

The other person was being polite, saying that his energy had reached the pinnacle of this world, but that was only now when the nature’s spiritual energy was still scarce.

Thanks to Ao Zhen’s blessing, his own attribute was at its peak, but he also knew that the other person merely looked down on his capabilities.

"Which power do you belong to? What do you want with me?" Chen Qing asked bluntly.

"I’m from Shenwu..." Wang Shiyu answered directly.

"Years ago, we laid out plans in the north, using means to seduce the Duke of Wei with a Snow Girl, who then birthed me. Hence, over the years, I have always been very special within the duke’s residence.

The Duke would deliberately conceal any information about me and also ensured that I kept a low profile. "

"That’s a rather cliched plot..." Chen Qing quirked his lip.

Still the same old trick of a mountain Snow Girl seducing a mere mortal...

Though the method was cliched, it was quite effective.

Snow Girls were demons, and the Duke of Wei naturally could not legitimately bring her into his residence.

However, given the Snow Girl’s beauty was far beyond what any mortal could compare, even if the Duke of Wei were uptight, during his prime, he would probably find it hard to resist such a temptation.

In his heart, probably even to this day, he sees that Snow Girl as his once-in-a-lifetime love.

To prevent others from continuing to inquire about the child’s origins, it was publicly announced the child was illegitimate. With the Duke stating so, unless someone deliberately probed, naturally no one would embarrass themselves by digging any deeper.

A man of the Duke’s stature could favor anyone and bring them into his household. An illegitimate child? Which major family would allow such a thing?

Yet, precisely because the child did exist, it meant that those around him would keep their distance.

Though there might be whispers in the shadows, anyone making connections would deliberately avoid him, refusing to associate.

But his very birth was a significant political asset, providing considerable convenience for clandestine scheming.

One must say, the organization’s choice of person and method was rather ingenious.

"Cliched as it may be, if it works, it works," the other person said with a laugh.

"Indeed..." Chen Qing nodded. "By being able to covertly save billions of the Human Race in the north when the Earth Serpents struck, does that mean you have control over the Celestial Serpent Palace?"

"Not really..." the other person shook their head.

"Not?" Chen Qing was taken aback.

"Most who come here have played this game before.

You should also know what the Celestial Serpent Palace signifies.

In the early stages, it can expand rapidly, by awakening just one or two Giant Serpents, they can rely on production to possess a powerful Giant Serpent army, making it the most targeted force in the early stages of the second version! "

Chen Qing nodded, that was indeed the case.

Every time the second version began, the Celestial Serpent Palace was the first to be besieged because of its fast expansion rate.

Players even intentionally allied with other ancient forces to counter the Celestial Serpent Palace, showing its early stage dominance.

"Here as well, precisely because it’s dominant at early stages, and because it can quickly provide a large number of blood essence stones due to its biology, this power is virtually the key point contested by all the major guilds!"

"So you have all laid out plans within the Celestial Serpent Palace?"

"Yes!" Wang Shiyu answered with a smile. "There are three powers within the Celestial Serpent Palace, secretly controlled by three guilds, and our branch belongs to the White Silk Hall!"

"Oh?"

"It looks like you know what the White Silk Hall is," Wang Shiyu said in a low voice. "Since you know, you must understand that our path is the hardest at the outset. So... are you interested in teaming up, Your Highness, the King of Qin?"