The morning sunlight danced on the crystal clear waters of the brook enchanting the seemingly normal plain water into something mystically extraordinary.
But what made it more magical was the elven youth meditating on the shores of the brook.
His soft flowing white hair gently flirted with the wind and his robes fluttered about revealing a tiny part of the chiseled muscular body that laid hidden underneath.
His long eyelashes, coupled with the slender beautiful ears that only belonged to the elven clan, made him even more mesmerizing than the most beautiful woman.
The impeccably flawless face displayed a slight frown as he heard that familiar chirpy voice from behind.
"Yo! Looks like you are already busy this early in the morning, my dearest younger brother."
The Elven Emperor's first son, Xavier popped up out of nowhere and disturbed Xander's tranquil cultivation session.
Though Xander was the crown prince, he was not the first son of the Emperor. In fact, he was the fifth son.
But among all the elven princes, he was the first to reach the powerful demi-god realm.
Xander looked at his slightly taller and more frivolous elder brother and chuckled helplessly.
The other party quickly revealed his two rows of beautifully aligned teeth and got straight to the point.
"The story along the grapevine is that you brought a snake into the palace?"
The tall elf quizzically raised his eyebrows in a seemingly mocking manner.
"Are you that desperate to hold your position? You even added a filthy snake to your harem??"
Xander tilted his head ever so slightly and chuckled. "Heh... I can't believe you are telling me this! You fox fetish weirdo."
"You are the weirdo. Your family is a weirdo. Vixens are the best!"
"When was the last time you were even with a woman?!! What is the point of this long and healthy life if you can't even enjoy an adventurous night with a vixen every now and then? Hmph."
Xander chuckled looking at his flustered brother. Did he forget that he also belonged to my family?
Ignoring his brother, Xander got up from his seated meditative pose and headed inside.
A lot of things were on his mind today, none of which were about the so-called adventurous nights.
He needed to make a trip to the Alchemy association soon. The old bags over there had grown cheekier than this elder brother of his.
He had received several reports in the past few weeks about the unruly old bags in the association.
If he doesn't peek inside once a while, they tend to get completely unhinged.
Xavier, however, adamantly clung to him, and followed him around like a lost little beast cub, still teasing him about the impulsive decision.
Adding one more concubine to his harem might be an inconsequential thing, but in reality, it was a pretty huge decision.
This small action implied that the elves would not wage a war against the serpentine settlement, and not just the northern settlement, perhaps even the southern or the eastern settlement.
It indeed put them in a very disadvantageous position.
"Bro, if you keep this up any longer, your hard-earned cruel, bloodthirsty and ruthless reputation would completely crumble and disappear into nothingness!"
Xavier cheekily teased him one last time and ran away.
Xander chuckled. Indeed... He did have a reputation to maintain…
He is the crown prince. He held the responsibility of uniting the clans by sheer force rather than peace.
....
Meanwhile…
Tang Yue's private chamber:
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Name: Tang Yue
Level 0 (0/200)
Species: Blue venomous serpent
Grade: Spirit beast
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Body constitution: Bronze mortal body
Poison resistance: Level 6
Agility: Level 1
Strength: Level 1
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Attributes:
Health points: 10/10
Mana points: Not Available
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Skills:
Illusion magic (Locked)
[Evolution] - Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body
[Venomous bite] - Active skill, Level 6, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body
[Venom spit] - Active skill, Level 6, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the host's body
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Tang Yue blinked and stared at the illusionary blue screen up and down, a few times over.
This bizarre screen somehow listed the ins and outs of all her strengths and weaknesses, including her crippled state.
Since her meridians were damaged, her mana stat and her illusion magic were locked and unavailable.
Similarly, because of the lack of any cultivation base, her agility, her strength, and her body constitution were still at the very basic tier.
Even though she was a spirit beast by birth and bloodline, she might as well be a common grade beast with her body's current condition.
Just like a common grade beast, the only skills at her disposal were her venom bite and spit, which even a random green tree snake could probably execute.
Although... unlike the others... she somehow had the mysterious ability to evolve...
As Tang Yue eyed her mysterious Evolution skill, she couldn't help but ask the system.
"Master, how did such a powerful skill disappear from our clan?"
She half-expected the system to remain silent, but surprisingly a vague answer popped out.
[Don't seek out questions that you are not strong enough to face, little snake]
Hmm... Tang Yue was slightly startled but decided not to mull over it further.
She as well knew that a cripple like her was in no position to think about such things.