Dastan felt irritated and was about to protest, but something held him back. A chill crept up his spine as he recalled Anda's terrifying display a few days ago. That memory alone was enough to suppress his rising anger. Still, he couldn't just walk away from a treasure like this. If he could bring the spiritual vein back home, his glory would be unmatched. Weighing his options, he decided to approach Leyvi instead. As her husband, surely he had some say over her decisions.

Leyvi, however, was fully absorbed in experiencing the spiritual vein's miraculous effects. For the first time since entering the Core Formation Realm, he could truly feel spiritual energy flowing from his dantian into his core.

Normally, the process felt like feeding a void. His core was such a vast reservoir that even after hours of cultivation, the Qi he absorbed seemed to vanish without a trace. It wasn't until the tiny point of light within his transparent core visibly grew that he could confirm his cultivation was progressing as intended.

But now, everything felt different.

The spiritual energy from the vein was abundant, smooth, and impossibly pure. It lacked the usual chaotic and volatile nature that spiritual energy from other sources often carried—energy that could easily cause inner imbalance or lead to deviation if handled improperly. No wonder Alita said this spiritual vein was on a completely different level.

Just as Leyvi was immersing himself in that sensation, a voice interrupted his focus.

"Ahem… Leyvi, can you ask your wife to let this prince have the spiritual vein? You can set the price. This prince will pay later," Dastan said.

Leyvi opened his eyes and turned to him. "How do you plan to bring this spiritual vein back?"

Ever since he made contact with the vein, he realized it couldn't simply be extracted or transported by conventional means. Anda had mentioned that she needed his help with it, but now that he was standing here, Leyvi couldn't quite figure out how he was supposed to assist.

"Tch, tch. Your Cloud Continent really doesn't know anything, huh? Let this prince enlighten you. We have a spirit artifact specifically designed to envelop and contain a spiritual vein. Once sealed, we can move it around and store it with ease. Amazing, isn't it? Daa hahaha!" Dastan boasted with pride.

"Is that so? Then bring it out. I'd like to see it," Leyvi replied, genuinely curious about how it worked.

At that moment, Dastan's laughter faltered as a realization struck him. "Uhh... actually... this prince doesn't have the spirit artifact with me right now. Not in a million years would this prince have expected to come across a spiritual vein here. This sort of thing isn't something you just stumble upon casually. Now this prince is starting to have questions about how this situation came to be."

The truth was, he needed that artifact to compress the spiritual vein's massive size so it could fit into his Crown Abyss Diver. The Howling Kingdom did possess a couple of these spirit artifacts, kept as backups in case they ever encountered another spiritual vein. However, in tens of thousands of years, none had been found. That was how rare spiritual veins were.

Because of that near impossibility, it had never even crossed his mind to bring the artifact along. And yet, somehow, here he was, standing before a genuine spiritual vein in the most unexpected of places.

"Huh? You don't have it with you? Then why are you bragging? As expected of a clown prince. All talk, no action. Totally unreliable," Leyvi said in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

Tamina and Seraphina both turned pale the moment those words left Leyvi's mouth—especially Tamina. How could he say something like that to a crown prince? Was he trying to get himself killed?

She knew all too well what kind of temper Dastan had. Even the smallest insult could provoke him, and if he took Leyvi's words the wrong way, it could end in bloodshed. Leyvi might be Anda's husband, and Anda was her closest friend now, but that wouldn't stop Dastan if he truly lost his temper.

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Fortunately, his royal guards weren't present at the moment. If Dastan acted on his own, Tamina believed she could still step in and stop him, maybe even plead for mercy. As an individual, the crown prince wasn't all that powerful.

Tantan, perched on Tamina's shoulder, tilted her head in confusion. She couldn't understand why she looked so pale just from what seemed like a normal conversation between Leyvi and his master.

"Dammit, Leyvi! How was this prince supposed to know we would stumble upon a spiritual vein here? This should be impossible! Tch. This prince truly cannot comprehend what kind of dog shit luck the person who found it must have had. Maybe she will drop dead soon after exhausting all of it," Dastan snapped.

Ava's mouth twitched, and she ranted inwardly. Why are you wishing death on me? If you were not a crown prince from some random kingdom, I would have smacked you already. Just because someone is lucky, it does not mean their luck is going to run out. Who decided that? Hmph.

The next moment, Dastan's figure blurred, and a ripple of force struck the afterimage he had left behind before he reappeared at another spot.

"Oi, Leyvi! You tried attacking this prince again with your spiritual pressure. What the hell is your problem?" Dastan shouted in disbelief.

"The one with the dog shit luck you just cursed is my wife," Leyvi said flatly as he pointed at Ava. "Why are you cursing her death? Do you want another beating?" He raised his fist.

"Eh? She is your wife? Sorry, sorry. This prince did not know. Wait a minute, are you telling me three of your wives are already here? What the hell? How is that fair? This prince has not even found a single one of his royal guards yet!" Dastan cried out.

"What are you whining about? Is your fiancée not here? And that Seraphina lady, you seem to know her too," Leyvi replied.

"Her? I do not know her. I only know her family. She is not even worth this prince's attention. Probably just some nobody from the House of Salmon," Dastan said with a dismissive wave.

Seraphina's pale face had already turned red with anger by the time she heard the rest of the conversation. She was fuming. Curse them! How dare they talk about me like that? I'm the most talented young lady of the House of Salmon, not some nobody! But despite her inner outrage, she could only grit her teeth and remain silent.

Anda, sensing her emotions, couldn't help but chuckle to herself.

Meanwhile, Tamina stood frozen, her mouth slightly open in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. Was this really her fiancé? Crown Prince Dastan, the same man she knew so well? The Dastan with that unbearable personality who could only be kind to her and no one else? He had just let a blatant insult slide without retaliating. That alone was unheard of.

Even more shocking, he had actually apologized. It might have been half-hearted, but it was still an apology, a word she never thought would come out of his mouth. What in the world happened during their journey to bring about this change? She had already thought it surprising how friendly he was with Leyvi, which was rare enough, but this strange dynamic between them was completely beyond her expectations.

This wasn't just a temporary mood shift. It marked a genuine change in Dastan's behavior. And she couldn't help but wonder if Anda's husband was the reason behind it.

Tamina now looked at Leyvi with fresh eyes. No wonder Anda was so obsessed with him. She never stopped talking about him, and now Tamina was beginning to understand why. A small smile appeared on her lips. If Dastan continued to stay close to Leyvi, maybe he would grow into a better man, someone who could rule more wisely. What a delightful change. That would be a huge blessing for the Howling Kingdom.

She let out a long, relieved sigh. This issue had been a constant weight on her mind, and now, finally, she felt like she could breathe a little easier. If things kept going this way, maybe she wouldn't need to stop him from doing something reckless ever again.

"So? How do you plan to bring this back?" Leyvi asked the crown prince again.

"Tch, no choice then. We'll need to find someone who can use spiritual touch. Can any of you do that?" Dastan looked around, directing his question to the group. One of his royal guards had the ability, but of course, they weren't here.

Nobody responded.

"You?" He pointed suddenly at Seraphina.

She flinched slightly from the abrupt question, then quickly shook her head.

"Hmph, useless," Dastan muttered with a scoff.

Seraphina's expression darkened. What do you mean I'm useless? You can't do it either, stupid clown prince. She repeated the insult she had just learned and found it oddly satisfying.

Anda stepped forward with a sweet smile. "Hehe. Crown Prince Dastan, that's why I said this spiritual vein belongs to us. Only my husband can move it, once he masters spiritual touch."

Dastan glanced at her, ready to fire back, but then shifted his gaze to Leyvi. Dammit, this prince doesn't want to admit it, but she's probably right. Leyvi might actually be able to do it.

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