Su Chen is the protagonist's current name; after chapter 60, it will change to Shangguan Chen as the plot develops.
The Great Yan Dynasty was defeated! Thirteen states were ceded, and the most talented Third Prince will become a hostage!
“Hahahaha, our Great Xuan is truly formidable, having routed Great Yan's army!”
“It's a pity we couldn't annihilate them in one fell swoop, but since their most talented Prince has become our hostage, Great Yan is no longer to be feared!”
…On the Shanhai Continent, in the Wild South Land, the Great Xuan Dynasty's Imperial Capital was filled with jubilation.
This was because a few days prior, the Great Xuan Dynasty's Xuanjia Army had decisively defeated the Great Yan Dynasty's forces, forcing Great Yan to cede territory, pay reparations, and even send their most talented Prince as a hostage.
On the streets, countless people smiled, their expressions excited, and everywhere was filled with a festive atmosphere.
Thump, thump, thump!
Just then, the Imperial Capital's city gates opened, and a rapid clatter of hooves rang out, followed by a powerful voice.
“By the command of the Emperor of Da Yan, we escort the Third Prince of Da Yan to temporarily reside in the Great Xuan Dynasty!”
As soon as the voice sounded, countless people turned to look.
They said 'temporarily reside,' but in reality, it was no different from imprisonment.
They were very curious what the Prince, heralded as Great Yan's most talented, truly looked like—whether he was truly as rumored, burly and fierce in appearance.
Under the gaze of countless people, an exquisite carriage slowly drove through the city gates.
The curious figures of the crowd gradually unveiled the mystery.
The carriage window was not closed, and the figure inside was faintly visible.
However, when the crowd saw the figure within the carriage, they were all stunned.
Inside the carriage, there was no burly, fierce-looking individual, only a delicate young man dressed in a simple blue robe, with a refined and handsome appearance.
He was far different from the rumors.
“Is this the legendary peerlessly talented Third Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty? Weren't the rumors that he was a terrifying fiend? How could he be…”
“Rumors are just rumors, not to be believed, but I never expected this Third Prince to look like this.”
“This Third Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty truly lives up to his reputation; to remain so composed in such circumstances…”
Many onlookers had strange expressions, unable to help but admire the Prince's composure.
Inside the carriage, besides the seating area, there was also a small table. Shangguan Chen was intently holding a book, quietly reading.
At this moment, he was immersed in the sea of books.
That's right, he was reading.
But this didn't mean he was unaware of the outside situation.
Reaching this point was all within his expectations. He felt little reluctance about leaving the Great Yan Dynasty; rather, he was quite pleased with it.
The Great Yan Dynasty indeed had a talented Prince, but that person was not him.
Although the outside world widely claimed it was the Third Prince, that was merely a ruse by the Emperor of Da Yan to cover up the truth.
The true Genius was the Second Prince.
Great Xuan and Great Yan were mortal enemies. For thousands of years, they had constantly waged war against each other, with wins and losses on both sides, and their overall strength was comparable.
However, generally speaking, Great Xuan was slightly stronger.
Yet, in recent years, conflicts between the two nations had become frequent, with wars of varying scales constantly erupting. The Emperor of Da Yan knew this couldn't continue, and ultimately had to concede, not only ceding territory but also sending the outwardly talented Third Prince to serve as a hostage.
Thus, Shangguan Chen was abandoned by Great Yan.
Although victorious, Great Xuan did not want to completely tear off all pretense of peace and did not continue its large-scale offensive.
Once Great Yan faced a crisis of national annihilation, other nations would surely unite with it. At that point, Great Xuan would find it difficult to resist, so knowing when to stop was the best choice.
Moreover, the other side had sent their most outstanding Prince as a hostage.
But they hadn't expected that Great Yan's true talented Prince had not actually left; the one who came was merely a nominal, useless Prince.
Yes, Shangguan Chen was not only not a Genius but also a good-for-nothing.
However, few people knew this.
Although he was the Third Prince of Da Yan, he was not favored at home.
He was born to a palace maid after the Emperor of Da Yan's drunken indiscretion. That palace maid was secretly executed when Shangguan Chen was five years old, after his talent was deemed ordinary.
He thought no one knew, but little did he realize that Shangguan Chen was a Transmigrator with the mind of an adult, and he had seen everything.
However, to outsiders, his current name was “Su Chen.”
The Great Yan Imperial Family was the Su Family, and as the Third Prince of Da Yan, the name Su Chen was deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Even though he knew there was little familial affection in the Imperial Family, the scene of his mother's murder still deeply pained his heart.
Only his mother made him feel the warmth of family; as for everyone else… there was only intrigue and self-interest.
He felt little sense of belonging to Great Yan, nor did he like the name “Su Chen,” but changing the world's perception was not something that could be done overnight.
Because of this, when he learned he was to be sent to the Great Xuan Dynasty, Shangguan Chen outwardly expressed reluctance, but secretly rejoiced in his heart.
“Have we arrived already…”
As he pondered, he had already heard the surrounding sounds.
“This is the Third Prince's residence. From now on, the Third Prince's life and fate are no longer in your own hands. Great Yan owes its breathing room to you!”
The one who brought Shangguan Chen here was a middle-aged man, also a confidant of the Emperor of Da Yan. A smile played on his lips, and he truly admired the Emperor of Da Yan's scheme in his heart.
Using a useless Prince to deceive Great Xuan and gain time to recuperate was simply perfect!
“Now that the Third Prince has arrived, my mission is complete. Third Prince, I wish you good luck, and I hope we have a chance to meet again…”
The middle-aged man laughed heartily, showing no trace of sadness on his face.
Shangguan Chen did not reply, still quietly reading his book.
The man was not surprised by his habit.
This Third Prince, at some unknown point, had developed this strange habit of reading. He read while eating, while going out, while talking, and even during court sessions.
In short, he read all the time, as if there were some peerless beauty in the book.
He spent his entire day either in the study or in the study, having read all the books in the Great Yan Imperial Palace.
The key was that he wasn't reading Cultivation Techniques or Martial Skills, but ordinary books.
He had also once looked at the books Shangguan Chen read but found nothing special inside.
The middle-aged man shook his head and turned to leave. Although Shangguan Chen was a good-for-nothing, he couldn't see through this Third Prince.
However, now that he had arrived in the Great Xuan Dynasty, his life and death were no longer for them to decide… After the man left, Shangguan Chen closed his book, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed for a moment before a smile appeared on his face: “The Evil Qi in my body has decreased a lot again, but to suppress it and completely resolve it, I still need to read more books…”
He was not the untalented good-for-nothing that outsiders spoke of, nor was he an ordinary person without the strength to tie a chicken. On the contrary, his cultivation had actually already entered the Peak of the second realm, Qi Condensation Realm.
One must know that throughout the entire Great Yan Dynasty, the highest Cultivator was only at the fifth realm, Thousand Mile Journey.
At the age of seventeen, reaching the Peak of Qi Condensation was undoubtedly the mark of a peerless Genius.
Even that Genius of the Great Yan Dynasty was not as good as him.
However, his method of Cultivation was somewhat unique… It wasn't through conventional absorption of Spiritual Qi for Cultivation, but rather… by devouring… to be precise, by feedback.
Feedback brought by the legendary Evil Sword.
The Heavenly Evil Sword, a supreme Evil Sword from ancient legends, is said to have been condensed from Chaos Qi and Evil Qi. It is a true Innate Dao Artifact, possessing the power to destroy heavens and earth.
However, every time this sword appeared, it would inevitably cause widespread devastation, as it would lead to endless slaughter, gradually becoming known as the Evil Sword in people's mouths.
No one knew that this sword was currently in Shangguan Chen's hands.
Every Heavenly Evil Sword Master in history could not escape the fate of descending into mad slaughter, and because of this, the Heavenly Evil Sword Master was regarded as an evil demon by the people of the world.
But even so, as soon as this sword appeared, it would attract many people to fight over it.
Because while every Heavenly Evil Sword Master ultimately met a bad end, their cultivation was always unmatched in the world, almost invincible. Their downfall was not solely due to being attacked by other Cultivators, but more due to their own nature.