Chapter Thirty-One: The First Step, The Second Step

Wang Qingping could not take his eyes off the child from the very moment he saw him. Wasn’t this…?! The barrage of comments exploded with questions about the child’s identity, some speculating from illegitimate son to illegitimate grandson, about to veer into even wilder guesses.

As they drew closer, it became clear—the child was dressed in elaborate black robes patterned with cloud motifs. Though his cheeks still bore the roundness unique to children, a rare composure already shone between his brows, hinting at the handsome features he would grow into.

The viewers clamored for answers from Fairy Jingjing, but she was visibly astonished and dazed, her adorable, slightly parted red lips making it hard for anyone to look away.

By now, the child and Qian Ziyao had come quite near, so close that the audience could even hear their conversation. Qian Ziyao said to the child, “Senior Sister Han Jingjing is livestreaming right now.”

The child replied nonchalantly, “Oh, livestreaming. I think I’ve heard of that. My subordinates are running it, right? Is it fun?”

Qian Ziyao smiled and said, “If you’re interested, you can ask Senior Sister. She’ll answer every question you have, in complete detail!”

The barrage was stunned into silence by their conversation. Aside from a few out-of-the-loop comments—“This kid sure talks big!” “Who is he, what a braggart!”—most viewers had already guessed his identity, though they could hardly believe it.

A subtle sense of restraint appeared in Fairy Jingjing’s demeanor. Without another word, she gave a respectful bow, then looked toward Qian Ziyao. Qian Ziyao introduced him, “This is the Fifth Prince of the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect!”

For a heartbeat, the chat froze. Then, like a dam bursting or wild horses galloping free, awe and amazement flooded in.

“Oh my god, the Fifth Prince?! I can’t believe I’m seeing him in person!”

“I never thought I’d witness a prince on this stream! These are people one may never see in a whole lifetime!”

“I’ll never forget that exam he wrote.”

“Wow, the Fifth Prince? A disciple of the Sacred Land! Incredible!”

“I’ve heard the Fifth Prince is immensely talented and perceptive, secretly groomed by the Venerable as the true heir!”

“So this is the little demon prince, huh? Hmph!”

“I’d never heard of him before.”

“Oh, the legendary black hair and black eyes!”

Wang Qingping murmured to himself, “We meet again, Fifth Prince.” Unbeknownst to him, the Fifth Prince, Zhang Ning, was at that moment communicating with Su Ye via a talisman.

The “Heart-to-Heart Talisman” in Zhang Ning’s storage ring, gifted by the Internal Affairs Bureau, was best suited for disciples with the same cultivation, but even now it enabled flawless, undetectable communication between him and Su Ye—two virtual weaklings—living up to its reputation.

Its first function was translation. Second, since Su Ye was the mastermind behind this operation, Zhang Ning needed to keep in contact with him.

“Thanks to your auspicious fortune, we’ve succeeded, Fifth Prince! The Three-Plumed Bird, in its soul-possessed state, has carried the camera and captured you from your best angle throughout. Your expression looked perfectly natural, as if you truly were seeing livestreaming for the first time!” Su Ye had been impressed by the prince’s acting—at his age, he must have started practicing in the womb.

“My tests show that when men look at women, they’re less likely to feel antagonism; your apparent age won’t make women wary either… Everyone can relate to your curiosity at encountering livestreaming for the first time. Since Your Highness will be livestreaming for the long term, it’s even more important not to appear eager at the outset. Begging for viewers would be beneath us; we want people to beg us to stream! My vision for you is that of someone who finally appears after endless anticipation…”

Zhang Ning thought it sounded like the packaging of a pop idol, but in this different world, his own status already carried a halo, so the differences were minor. He couldn’t help but feel confident in Su Ye’s plan.

“So this is the first step,” Zhang Ning said.

“That’s right, the first step,” Su Ye replied.

“And the second step?” asked Zhang Ning.

“The second step,” said Su Ye, “is to make everyone admire your reason for livestreaming! They must see your streams as legitimate! Livestreaming is something everyone feels free to discuss, so people instinctively look down on streamers, and over time, they lose any sense of awe. So we’ll give them a reason they won’t dare belittle from the start!”

“The reason is responsibility,” Zhang Ning affirmed.

“Exactly, responsibility! A reason both righteous and demonic paths can understand, and one no one can criticize!”

“Let’s begin the second step, then!” Zhang Ning declared.

In just a few short days, the concept of livestreaming spread like wildfire—across many cities under the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect, the territories of various kingdoms, several other Sacred Lands, unclaimed lands, regions inhabited by other races, even the depths of forbidden zones. What was once a niche pastime erupted in popularity, all thanks to a new and mysterious direct descendant of a Sacred Land!

To everyone’s amazement, the “Little Freedom” platform was suddenly filled with all sorts of public, free videos, even cultivation insights up to the level of Martial Emperor, as well as face-to-face communication technology…

If not everyone in the world is ambitious or visionary, then almost everyone loves entertainment! And on Little Freedom, there was dancing, singing, music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and all sorts of delightfully bizarre people—anything one could wish for! What once could only be shared among close friends and confidants was now accessible to all; how could one not be moved to tears by such joy?

People rushed to get their hands on it, and what the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect had originally distributed for free was now fetching handsome prices on the black market. Some prominent families, like the Su clan, even provided devices to all their younger members, gathering together under Su Huaqiu’s leadership to watch as a group.

Of course, to most people, Zhang Ning remained a legendary figure, the center of attention. Gradually, as others explained, more and more people finally understood why a prince would appear on a livestream.

It turned out that the prince, accompanied by his subordinates, was undertaking training on the outskirts of the sect’s territory. They happened to stop at Compassion Villa for supplies, where by chance he encountered the most popular livestream at the time—Fairy Jingjing’s dance performance. His curiosity was piqued, so he occasionally appeared on camera.

So, during the breaks in Han Jingjing’s popular stream, viewers would sometimes spot a composed child sitting nearby, being treated to the best food and drink. When the Fairy, after receiving gifts, thickened her face and begged him to say a few words, he would greet the audience with a dignified yet gracious manner—displaying unexpected approachability.

Soon, die-hard fans of the sect began to follow Fairy Jingjing’s streams solely to catch Zhang Ning’s occasional appearances.

One day, as Han Jingjing was interacting with her audience, a streak of light suddenly shot into Compassion Villa, and a giant character for “Compassion” exploded in the sky!

Han Jingjing cried out in alarm—it was an emergency signal talisman! Someone was in mortal danger! Judging by the direction, it must be the Liyin Rainforest.

Her expression changed. She explained the situation quickly, then raced toward the rainforest. Viewers were first startled, then quickly understood.

The Liyin Rainforest was a famous forest—a natural barrier between the Great Qian Dynasty and the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect, home to the greatest variety of rare beasts and treasures in the Azure World, drawing countless seekers.

But danger and opportunity went hand in hand; poisonous creatures and bizarre plants made it a place low-level martial artists dreaded.

Still, what choice did those with little strength and few resources have? They could only risk everything to compete.

The strong disdained it, the weak longed for it but dared not enter—it was famous, and lay right next to Compassion Villa.

Every year, disciples from Compassion Villa fell victim to dangers in the rainforest, and since the disciples were precious, any sign of trouble would send all who weren’t in closed-door cultivation rushing to help.

Viewers of the livestream watched the drama unfold. Some sharp-eyed observers noticed that Zhang Ning, who had just been talking with his subordinates nearby, had followed as well. His movement was as graceful as riding clouds, no less impressive than anyone else.