Li Ze and He Xingjue first went to the sparsely populated, scenic planets on the border with good spiritual energy concentrations, where they stayed for a longer period of time. In places with thin spiritual energy, they left on the same day.

By the time they had explored most of the Southeast Star Region, more than half a year had passed, and He Xingjue's cultivation had advanced from the first level of Qi Refining to the third level of Qi Refining.

“My physical abilities are now comparable to those of a C-level Sentinel,” He Xingjue said.

Li Ze nodded, "Let's go check outside the border tomorrow."

“Okay,” He Xingjue replied, his eyes fixed on Li Ze. “What’s your level? Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, or something higher?”

"This is not something you should be asking right now. Once your strength improves, you won't need to ask; you'll find out for yourself," Li Ze said calmly.

He Xingjue narrowed his eyes slightly. "Judging from the looks of it, it must be quite high. Nascent Soul? Or perhaps Deity Transformation?"

Li Ze sighed helplessly, "My highest cultivation level in my previous life was the late Nascent Soul stage, but in this world—"

Li Ze shook his head, "This body is a hindrance; at its highest, it only reached the Golden Core stage."

He Xingjue became interested, "Tell me more about that world."

Li Ze's gaze became distant. "Okay."

More than half a year has passed, and fewer and fewer people on the StarNet are mentioning Li Ze and He Xingjue. Now, the most popular person on the StarNet is not a certain celebrity, but Zhao Mingqi, the newly recognized member of the imperial family, Zhao Xi's son.

Zhao Mingqi is the Empire's second 3S-level Sentinel after He Xingjue, and currently one of only two 3S-level Sentinels in the Empire.

His strength is immense; it's said he fought to a draw with the current emperor. His quantum beast is a magnificent golden python, exceptionally beautiful. He is also remarkably handsome, nearly two meters tall, with sharply defined features, beautiful phoenix eyes, and a particularly charming smile...

In just six months, Zhao Mingqi had transformed himself into the most popular member of the royal family on the Imperial Star Network.

Inside the magnificent palace, the second and third princes sat at the dining table, their faces flushed and looking quite drunk.

"Third brother, I'm not reconciled." The second prince hiccuped, his face full of depression. "He's just an illegitimate child, what right does he have?"

"Second brother, don't worry, he won't be able to cause trouble for long," the third prince said. "There's something wrong with him, he's very sinister. Father and the ministers are all convinced that he has a problem and won't let him run rampant for long."

“But Father and the others can’t find any evidence. Now, many officials have already pledged allegiance to him.” The Second Prince was frustrated. He had previously extended olive branches to some of these officials, but they had not accepted.

Now, with an illegitimate child who seems to have appeared out of nowhere, they're all eagerly flocking to him.

Is it just because the other party is a 3S?

"Second brother, don't worry, just wait," the third prince comforted him.

The second prince snorted coldly, said nothing, picked up his wine cup, and gulped it down.

The two of them took turns drinking, and soon they were both drunk and passed out on the table.

They dismissed everyone else while drinking, and now that they're drunk, no one is there to take care of them.

Fortunately, the sentries were physically strong, and the second prince only slept for two hours before opening his eyes. He ignored his drunken brother, got up, and walked straight out of the palace.

He had a lot of pent-up anger inside him and needed to find a place to vent it.

After leaving the palace gates, the second prince got into his private carriage.

"Go find Ding Yi," the Second Prince said without looking up, then slumped into the back seat of the car and fell asleep again.

Ding Yi was an S-rank guide, with a delicate and beautiful figure, and was once a famous socialite on Vermilion Bird Star. But ever since he followed the Second Prince, he was labeled as the Second Prince's man. No one dared to covet the Second Prince's person, so he was happy to relax, serving only the Second Prince and rarely showing himself in public.

The second prince bought him a villa in the wealthy area of ​​Vermilion Bird Star.

The car drove directly to Ding Yi's villa. As soon as the car stopped, the Second Prince opened his eyes and said to the driver, "Go back now, and come pick me up again tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes." The driver watched the Second Prince stagger into the villa, and only drove away after the Second Prince's figure disappeared.

Inside the villa, two bodies were entwined, locked in a passionate battle.

Suddenly, the tall man stopped. "Someone's coming."

The other man was startled. "Only the Second Prince would arrive at this hour. Shouldn't you hide?"

The man chuckled. "Why hide? Let's just deal with him. I've disliked him for a long time."

The two men are Ding Yi and Zhao Mingqi.

Upon hearing that Zhao Mingqi intended to kill the Second Prince, Ding Yi's heart leaped into his throat. "Won't this put you in danger?"

"I'll do it without anyone noticing. Even if they suspect it's me, what can they do without evidence?" Zhao Mingqi curled his lips, a chilling smile appearing on his handsome face.

The Second Prince is dead, killed by Ding Yi, a socialite. Before the royal family even knew the news, it was already spreading like wildfire on the Star Network.

"What a terrifying experience! I was just staying up late, and I stumbled upon such shocking news. It scared me half to death. A prince, dead because of a man!"

"I heard it's from a drug overdose, is that true? The Second Prince is an SS-level Sentinel, how can he be so weak at such a young age? Does he need drugs to enhance his sexual experience?"

"I guess he started eating too early and too frequently, and it hurt him."

"When Ding Yi turned himself in, he said he had taken three times the usual dose. When Ding Yi tried to persuade him to stop, he was slapped. After taking the drug, the Second Prince was very powerful, but he didn't expect that this power would only last for a few minutes before he collapsed. Ding Yi immediately called the hospital and then the police. Presumably, since it involved the royal family, he dared not lie."

"In the past six months, members of the royal family have either died or been injured, and of those who remain, there are very few who are truly capable. With the royal family weakening, the empire is likely to face turmoil."

"What's there to be afraid of? Isn't there Zhao Mingqi? With Zhao Mingqi around, the empire will be stable for a hundred years without any problem."

"That's true. His Majesty is indeed capable, but unfortunately the younger generation is not up to par. If it weren't for Zhao Mingqi, the people's confidence in the royal family would probably be almost nonexistent."

...

In the emperor's bedchamber, the young emperor frowned, his eyes flashing with displeasure at being disturbed from his sleep. "What urgent matter could be happening in the middle of the night?"

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince is dead," the guard said in a deep voice.

The young emperor froze, looking at his guard in disbelief. "What did you say?"

"The Second Prince is dead. He died twenty minutes ago at Ding Yi's villa. The cause of death is said to be an overdose of aphrodisiacs. His body is currently in the hospital, and further investigation is underway—"

boom!

With a loud bang, the dragon bed, worth hundreds of millions, turned into a pile of rotten wood.

"Pass down my orders: conduct a full-scale search for illegal laboratories throughout the entire empire. Anyone found with serious offenses will be executed on the spot. Furthermore, anyone who provides information about illegal laboratories that is proven useful will be rewarded with ten million star coins. The cost will be covered by my private treasury."

"Zhao Mingqi, you deserve to die!"