Zhang Lie left the palace and headed outside the capital, whereupon he retrieved the two boxes he had reclaimed from the Jindao. He didn't know if there were any security precautions the king of the realm had taken that would alert him when his treasures were claimed, so it wouldn't be safe to open up the boxes within the capital.

The first box contained what felt like a burning star, resplendent in its beauty and possessing overwhelming energy. Any hunter would be struck dumb by such a treasure—this was the primordial starflower that Zhang Lie had been searching for. He hadn't expected to have obtained it so quickly; it was meant to be a reward for securing the throne for the ninth prince.

The second box contained a scrap of a tattered map , but it was...