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Originally, my plan was to claim that I am the descendant of a hermit who lived in the Xixite Mountains. After the battle with Leimen, the Holy Grail Knight Sid was severely injured and was saved by my father, but he ultimately succumbed to his wounds. Before he died, he took me as his disciple and passed on the Sacred Blood Pearl to me. I have been practicing our family's martial arts until I activated the "Sacred Ice Thorn Aura," at which point I left the Xixite Mountains to return to the Temple and fulfill the promise made to Knight Sid.

However, after Leimen heard my plan, he warned me that if I directly approached the Temple, I would face rigorous scrutiny. Given my lack of experience in the human world, it would be easy for me to slip up. Even if I passed the scrutiny, the Temple would still harbor suspicions. Instead, he suggested that I should not go to the Temple at all, but rather make a name for myself in the human world and then "accidentally" reveal the existence of the "Sacred Ice Thorn Aura." This way, the Temple would naturally come looking for me, and my reluctance would make them trust me more easily.

So, after leaving the Xixite Mountains, I went straight to Jacia in the Fasin Empire and registered as a mercenary. I took on missions to improve my rank and earn money while gradually gathering information about the human world. I meticulously checked my plan for any flaws, avoiding social interactions to prevent exposing any weaknesses that might be discovered by the Temple's investigations. This is why I gained a reputation for being elusive. As for being mistaken for an elf due to my appearance and the magic I used during experiments, there was nothing I could do about it.

Right now, I am coming out of the Mercenary Guild's branch office. The mercenary system originated from the Beastman Empire, but it only exists in the human world today. Mercenary ranks are divided into ten levels, with one to three stars being red, representing low-level mercenaries; four to six stars being yellow, representing mid-level mercenaries; seven to nine stars being blue, representing high-level mercenaries; and the tenth star being purple, representing legendary super mercenaries.

Advancement within the same color can be achieved through accumulating missions, but moving between different colors requires completing high-difficulty missions. This is because the mercenary rank serves as a standard for recruitment, ensuring that high-level mercenaries possess corresponding combat power. Without such tests, someone who had simply accumulated missions over decades would hold a high rank without the necessary skills to handle powerful enemies, tarnishing the reputation of mercenaries. Therefore, there is often a significant gap between low, mid, high, and legendary mercenaries. For example, Hake, who has been around for a lifetime, remains a mid-level mercenary.

Currently, due to consistently completing high-difficulty missions, I have rapidly advanced to the peak of mid-level mercenaries with six stars. To gain the interest of the Radiant Temple, I need to be at least a high-level mercenary. However, there are no higher difficulty missions available in Jacia. Fortunately, I heard that the Mercenary Empire recently posted a high-level mission to investigate an ancient ruin. It is extremely dangerous but offers substantial rewards, which is exactly what I need.

After leaving the Mercenary Guild, I was preparing to resupply and head south to the Mercenary Empire to officially accept the mission when I saw a group of black-clad knights galloping towards the northern gate of the city.

"Hmm? Isn't this the guard unit of the Star Shield Chamber of Commerce from the south? They reek of blood; they must have killed many people. Interesting, I should check it out."

With that thought, my figure suddenly vanished from the street. Strangely, the bustling crowd did not notice my disappearance, thanks to the advanced realm of "Yellow Spring Phantom" known as "Return and Depart," which I had gradually mastered after my visit to the Holy City.

On the mountain road north of the city, a fierce battle was underway.

A carriage bearing the emblem of the Star Shield family had overturned on the road. The warriors of the Star Shield Chamber of Commerce were engaged in mutual slaughter, but those guarding the carriage were clearly at a disadvantage. Not only were they outnumbered, but they were also wounded. Despite their valiant efforts, they were falling one by one.

Seeing the situation turn dire, the guards opened the carriage door and led two women out. One was a young woman dressed as a maid, and the other was a little girl, around six or seven years old, with golden hair tied with a ribbon, wearing an elegant black silk dress, clearly a child from a wealthy family. Both women were filled with fear as they were escorted up the mountain by the guards.

However, the attackers, who had the upper hand, would not let their opponents escape, burdened by the women. The pursuing warriors quickly killed their opponents one by one. Finally, a warrior lunged forward and pierced the fleeing maid's heart with his sword, causing both women to fall to the ground amid splattering blood.

"Aerin, Aerin, what happened? There's so much blood..." the little girl cried, holding the maid's head.

"Mistress, I'm sorry, I..." the maid's life rapidly faded away.

The pursuing warriors clearly had no intention of sparing the final target. A black-clad man stepped forward, raising his large sword to strike the crying little girl's head. She clung tightly to the dead maid, closing her eyes and waiting for death.

But death did not come. When she looked up, she saw a clean white hand gripping the descending sword in mid-air, then tightening until the steel weapon shattered into countless fragments. Then, a cold voice echoed in everyone's ears.

"Killing, huh? I love it."

PS: Bringing Chen Xuanfeng into the human world was a planned move, inspired by Sesshomaru. Otherwise, he wouldn't be on the cover. In terms of character, the inherently adventurous Chen Xuanfeng enjoys exploring. Story-wise, keeping the protagonist in one place can lead to reader and writer fatigue, which can result in burnout. From the author's perspective, intricate plots and business strategies are challenging, as the author is more of a bookworm. Seeing other authors' meticulous and realistic plots often leaves the author feeling inadequate, hence the change in scenery is a strategic decision.