《Yuan Zun》


 Chapter 1 Python and Sparrow Swallow the Dragon

    Inside the brightly lit inner hall, it was resplendent and imposing. There was a bright lamp burning within the hall and a blue stone was burning within the hall. Smoke rose up and coiled around the hall.


    It was a Qing Tan Stone, and it released a strange fragrance when ignited. It had a calming effect, and was essential for cultivation, but its price was not low. Being able to be used as fuel meant that the owner had quite a bit of status here.


    Within the inner hall, a middle-aged man dressed in a bright yellow robe stood with his hands behind his back. He had a resolute expression and a dignified look in his eyes; it was obvious that he had been in a high position for a long time.


    However, when one looked at his right arm, it was completely empty. It was actually a broken arm.


    Beside him was a beautiful woman dressed in palace clothing. She was slender and had a graceful and beautiful appearance. However, her face appeared exceptionally pale and weak.


    At this moment, this man and woman, who clearly had quite a high position, were looKing forward with a trace of nervousness on their faces. At this moment, this man and woman, who clearly had quite a high position, were looKing forward with a trace of nervousness on their faces.


    That strange bloody aura spread under his skin. It was as though there was a vicious dragon roar being emitted.


    Accompanying the dragon''s roar, the veins on the youth''s forehead began to bulge as his body trembled uncontrollably. His face turned malevolent, as if he was enduring a pain that was difficult to put into words.


    Beside the youngster, there was a white-haired elder holding a bronze mirror. A gentle light was emitted from the bronze mirror, illuminating the youngster''s body. Under the light, the strange bloody aura on the youngster''s face gradually calmed down.


    The blood Qi continued for an incense stick of time before completely withdrawing. Finally, it returned to the palm of the young man.


    When the white-haired old man saw this scene, he instantly let out a sigh of relief. Then, he turned around and bowed to the middle-aged man and the beautiful woman, "Congratulations King, Queen. Your Highness has finally endured the tribulations of the past three years and should be fine for the next three years."


    When the middle-aged man and the beautiful woman heard that, both of them revealed joyous expressions and their tightly clenched fists gradually loosened.


    "Master Qin, now that Yuan¡¯er is thirteen, most youngsters at this age can already form eight meridians, so we can begin to cultivate. What about Yuan¡¯er?" A dignified man wearing a bright yellow robe asked as he looked expectantly at the white-haired old man in front of him.


    Upon hearing this question, the white haired old man''s expression immediately darkened. He shook his head slightly and said, "King, this time, this old man has still not detected the eight meridians in Your Highness''s body ¡­"


    The dignified man''s eyes similarly dimmed when he heard this.


    In this world, the path of cultivation began in the human body, and the most important part of it was the eight great meridians. In this world, the path of cultivation began in the human body, and the most important part of it was the eight great veins, and the most important part of it was the eight great veins.


    This was the opening of the meridian, the beginning of all cultivation.


    As for cultivators, because they absorbed and breathed in the origin energy of heaven and earth, they became their own. Therefore, they were also known as Origin Master.


    When Master Qin saw the middle-aged man''s gloomy face, he could not bear to see it anymore. He softly sighed and said: "Your Highness is originally the life of a holy dragon. You should be stunning and look down on the heavens. Who would have thought that he would meet with such a calamity?! "


    The middle-aged man clenched his fists tightly. The eyes of the beautiful woman beside him also turned red as she covered her mouth and coughed twice.


    "Queen, take care of your body, you had lost a large amount of blood essence to nourish Your Highness, don''t be agitated." Upon seeing this, Qin shi hurriedly spoke up.


    She said: "The poison in Yuan¡¯er''s body will only erupt once every three years, and every time, it will become more and more powerful. If he wants to eradicate the poison once, he can only rely on himself, but now that he has not manifested his eight meridians, what can he do after three years?"


    Master Qin was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Three years later, the external suppression will lose its effect. If it''s still like this, I''m afraid Your Highness''s life is in danger."


    With that said, the hall instantly became silent. The middle-aged man clenched his fists and his body slightly trembled. As for the palace beauty, she even covered her mouth and let out a low cry.


    "So you''re saying... I only have three years left? " In the midst of the silence, a young but calm voice suddenly sounded.


    When the three people in the hall heard this, they were shocked. They hurriedly raised their heads only to see that the youth on the bed had already opened his eyes and was looKing at them.


    The three of them looked at each other, obviously not expecting the youth to wake up so quickly. In the past, it would have taken him two to three days of deep sleep to recover.


    "Yuan¡¯er..."


    The young man called Yuan¡¯er was called Zhou Yuan, and the middle-aged man and beautiful woman in front of him was the King and Queen, Zhou Qing, Qin Yu.


    Zhou Yuan pursed his lips, his young and tender face somewhat pale. Perhaps it was because he had been thin since he was young, so he could only read often, maKing him look somewhat bookish. After a moment of silence, he slowly extended his hand.


    That blood color seemed to have been branded into the deepest part of his flesh. It slowly wiggled, and it looked just like a blood dragon that was baring its fangs and brandishing its claws. Faintly, there seemed to be a rich hateful aura emitting from it, causing one to shiver.


    "Royal Father, mother ¡­ This time, you should at least tell me what exactly happened to me, right? "


    Zhou Yuan stared at the blood dragon-like object in his palm, and could not help but clench his teeth, this was the thing that made him feel pain worse than death.


    Every three years, this thing would start to do something strange, as if it was going to devour every inch of his flesh and blood, bringing about endless pain.


    Hearing Zhou Yuan''s words, both Zhou Qing and Qin Yu''s faces lost all color, especially the former, who clenched their fists tightly, as their faces revealed a strong sense of remorse and remorse.


    The silence lasted for a while, and even the air seemed to have frozen. Zhou Qing finally took a deep breath, and said with a hoarse voice: "This is a Dragon''s Venom."


    "Dragon''s Venom?" Zhou Yuan frowned, he did not understand.


    Zhou Qing''s hand trembled a little as it stroked Zhou Yuan''s head, and he said: "All of these things, you should be aware of it by now. Yuan¡¯er, do you know, you are my Zhou Family''s Holy Dragon!?"


    Zhou Yuan could not help but let out a bitter laugh. He couldn''t even find the eight meridians in his body.


    Zhou Qing sat beside Zhou Yuan and said with a low voice: "Yuan¡¯er, our current Great Zhou Empire, in this endless Vast Expanse Continent, might only be considered a small country. However, you do not know this, fifteen years ago, our Great Zhou was a towering nation, with various empires that came and went to shake the whole world."


    Zhou Yuan''s small face revealed a look of surprise. On Vast Expanse Continent, there were many empires, and their Great Zhou Empire was not very eye-catching amongst them. She did not expect to have such a position in the past.


    "Do you know that Great Wu Empire?" When Zhou Qing mentioned this name, every word was paused, as if it was engraved in his memory.


    "Great Wu Empire?" Zhou Yuan nodded his head, the Great Wu Empire was one of the top empires in the Vast Expanse Continent, with the best luck in the country and countless of Origin Master, compared to the other Great Zhou, it could be said to be a giant or a dwarf.


    Zhou Qing''s eyes, however, started to turn red little by little at this moment, as deep hatred appeared in his eyes. "Then do you know that fifteen years ago, the current Great Wu was only a subordinate of our Great Zhou Empire?"


    A trace of shock finally appeared in Zhou Yuan''s eyes. Today, the Imperial Family was actually a subordinate of their Great Zhou? their Great Zhou was actually this powerful fifteen years ago?


    "Then... Then why did it become like this? " Zhou Yuan could not help but ask.


    "During the hundreds of years of the establishment of my Great Zhou, the Wu Family had always been following us, the four sides of the Zhou Family, to war, and was extremely loyal. Afterwards, when my Great Zhou established his country, I took credit for his contributions and gave him the title of a successor as the King Wu, enjoying limitless rights.


    Zhou Qing''s body trembled slightly, the blood in his eyes continued to gush out, "However, no one expected that fifteen years ago, the Wu Family would suddenly launch a rebellion. Only now, did the Zhou Dynasty discover that after all these years of hiding their strength, the Wu Family already possessed an extremely strong power, and many of the emperors in the empire were pulled over."


    "In less than a year, our Zhou Family has been defeated. We have fled all the way to the south, to the ancestral land where our Zhou Family flourished. This is the territory of our Great Zhou."


    "I don''t know why the Wu Family turned traitor, but the position they enjoy in our Great Zhou is not any weaker than that of the royal family ¡­"


    "Later on, the spies obtained some information from the Wu Family. It was a prophecy that had been circulating within the Wu Family for hundreds of years ¡­"


    "Prophecy?" Zhou Yuan was slightly startled.


    Zhou Qing clenched his teeth, and said word by word: "Python and sparrow swallow the dragon, Great Wu is in high spirits!"


    "Python and sparrow swallow the dragon, Great Wu is in high spirits?" Zhou Yuan read it lightly once, but didn''t understand its meaning, and asked: "What does that mean?"


    At this moment, Zhou Qing''s eyes turned crimson red. He stared at Zhou Yuan, and his eyes revealed incomparable grief: "I also did not know what this meant until that day ¡­"


    "Our Great Zhou was defeated, I led the remnants of the Great Zhou and continuously retreated, the Wu Family chased until it reached the Great Zhou City below us, but the Wu Family did not attack, as though they were waiting."


    "Waiting for what?" Zhou Yuan felt a sense of unease.


    Zhou Qing stared at Zhou Yuan, and a face that seemed to be crying yet wasn''t. That despair and anger, made Zhou Yuan''s heart tremble.


    "They are waiting for your birth."


    Zhou Qing''s words caused Zhou Yuan''s heart to tremble, he was caught unprepared.


    At the side, Zhou Yuan''s mother had already covered her mouth and cried out with tears that were suppressed to the extreme.


    "Do you know what it was like when you were born?" Zhou Qing looked at Zhou Yuan, and said with bloodshot eyes: "Yuan¡¯er, the moment you were born, the sky changed. Purple Qi rose, dragon Qi wrapped around your body, and the dragon cry shook the sky, it was Sacred Dragon Meteorology."


    "You are born with eight opened meridians. As soon as you were born, you have already stepped into the Invigorated Meridian Realm, straight to the point of nurturing your Qi."


    "This is the legendary ''Saint Dragon Fortune'', one can enter the great realm in the future, shine together with the heaven and earth, and live together with the sun and moon. You are my Zhou Family''s unprecedented holy dragon!"


    When Zhou Yuan was born, it could be imagined just how excited Zhou Qing was. The Immortal Zhou Family, in this time of crisis, brought about the birth of a Holy Dragon.


    Zhou Yuan also opened his eyes wide, obviously unable to imagine that there would actually be such a strange phenomenon when he was born.


    "Then... "Then why ¡­" His hand trembled as it caressed his body. Since he was born with eight opened meridians, why was it that he could not even find eight?


    Zhou Qing''s excited voice came to a halt as the light in his eyes seemed to have disappeared at this moment. There was only deep sorrow in them as he said in a defeated voice, "Because the moment you were born, the King Wu''s wife outside the city gave birth to a man and a woman. The male child has the body of a dragon and the female child has the aura of a python. For the head of the baby spirit bird to have the aura of a spirit bird, it is also a sign of Fortune! "


    "According to the information we have obtained, that King Wu''s wife has been pregnant for a full three years, yet she has yet to give birth. Yet, today, she is about to give birth ¡­."


    "I didn''t know why in the past, but I finally understood that those who lived together for the same year and month could devour each other''s Fortune. It turns out that the reason why the Wu Family plotted for so many years was not to simply scheme against my Great Zhou, but against my Dragon of Zhou Family!"


    Zhou Yuan opened his mouth, and a chill ran up his spine: "This is a conspiracy!"


    How could there be such a coincidence in the world? This was clearly a person who had been brewing for a hundred years, and was aiming at their Zhou clan, or perhaps even ¡­ It was a plot specifically aimed at him.


    For that, they had even used all means at their disposal to stop King Wu''s wife from giving birth for three years, so they were waiting for him!


    Zhou Qing nodded his head, and said with a hoarse voice. "It is indeed a conspiracy, the Wu Family endured in my Great Zhou for hundreds of years, fighting wars to the north for my Great Zhou, and was full of trust. However, no one expected that the hundred years of patience they had, were all for you!"


    "On that day, the King Wu entered the city and threatened the billions of citizens of the Great Zhou to seize your Saint Dragon Fortune in front of me and your mother ¡­" As he said till here, tears of blood flowed down Zhou Qing''s face.


    At the side, Master Qin also had a sorrowful look on his face as he said in a low voice, "On that day, in order to protect Your Highness, the King fought against the King Wu at the same time, but they were unable to win. They cut off an arm, and if it were not for the fact that the King Wu was afraid that others would destroy Your Highness''s Saint Dragon Fortune and kill them all, even the King would have died in battle."


    "In order to successfully seize Your Highness''s fortune, the King Wu swore an oath that within a hundred years, Great Wu would not step foot even half a step into the Great Zhou."


    The terrifying scene from back then surfaced in her mind once again. Qin Yu, who was by his side, could no longer endure her emotions and knelt in front of Zhou Yuan, hugging him tightly and crying bitterly.


    "Yuan¡¯er! My poor child! The Queen Mother has let you down! "


    The cruel memory of that day was once again torn apart by blood. She clearly remembered that Zhou Yuan, who was just born, was used as the eye of the formation and placed on the altar set up by the King Wu.


    And on the altar, there was the new son and daughter of King Wu.


    However, one was robbed, the other two were stolen.


    To be deprived of one''s fortune was like stripping away one''s flesh and blood. That kind of pain was hard to imagine.


    As for Qin Yu, at that time, she had just gotten the joy of having a child. However, she could only watch as her own child in the ice-cold altar endured endless pain, crying his tender voice until it sounded hoarse.


    This despair and powerlessness had nearly caused her, at that time, to faint a little.


    Pfft.


    Because of her excitement, Qin Yu''s face instantly turned pale white, and she couldn''t help but spurt out a mouthful of blood, which dyed Zhou Yuan''s hair red.


    "Queen Mother?! What''s the matter with you? " Zhou Yuan was shocked, he immediately wiped away the blood from the corner of her mouth.


    Master Qin, who was at the side, hurried over, his palm emitting a gentle aura as he poured the energy from Qin Yu''s head into her body to help her stabilise the vitality of her body. He glanced at the pale-faced Qin Yu, then sighed at Zhou Yuan, "Your Highness, don''t blame King and the Queen for not being able to protect you.


    "The Queen, on the other hand, had to inject her own blood essence into you after you were deprived of your Fortune, and then, year after year, she transferred the blood essence into you, so that Your Highness could live to this day. However, the Queen had to pay a huge price, for every blood transfusion, she would lose three years of her life, and in these twelve years, her lifespan has been shortened by thirty-six years.


    "What?!" "What did you say?!"


    When Zhou Yuan heard this, he felt as if he was struck by lightning, blood frantically climbed out of his eyes. Previously, when he heard that his Fortune had been taken away, he had never felt such strong emotions. After all, these things happened when he was young and he could not remember anything.


    The Wu Family had designed him for a hundred years. Although he felt waves in his heart, he could suppress them, but they had forced his loving mother to the point of her lifespan drying up, causing Zhou Yuan to be unable to suppress the uncontrollable killing intent in his heart for the first time.


    As a result, when he heard Master Qin''s words, Zhou Yuan could no longer maintain his emotions, the blood in his entire body crazily gushed into his head, causing his face to turn blood-red.


    "Wu Family, you dare to harm my mother!? Damn it! "


    Zhou Yuan trembled, his eyes turning red, a wave of anger and killing intent surging out from his heart.


    Zhou Qing carried Qin Yu and let her lean against the jade bed. At this moment, his hair seemed to have turned a little pale, and his imposing aura was completely gone. He said in a wooden tone: "There is such a saying about Fortune between heaven and earth, that the Wu Family''s reserves are weak."


    "King Wu seized your Fortune and bestowed it upon his sons and daughters. From then on, Great Wu has the protection of dragons and phoenixes."


    "As for the Saint Dragon Fortune in your possession, it was forcibly plundered by the Python Sparrow''s orders, naturally producing a strong resentment. The King Wu purposely sealed this resentment into your body, and from there formed a Dragon''s Venom, it swallowed your blood essence and continued growing. When it matures one day, it will completely devour your life force."


    "At the same time, you, Saint Dragon." "Its roots have been broken, and its natural eight meridians have disappeared. Up until today, its eight meridians have not reappeared. The path of cultivation is a difficult one ¡­"


    Zhou Qing''s voice was desolate, it was filled with boundless powerlessness, and it was hard to imagine just how much despair she had felt on that day.


    On that day, the peacocks outside the city cried out in unison. Multicolored light shone from far away, borrowing the opportunity to transform.


    On that day, the holy dragon within the city wailed and turned into green smoke, dispersing in spirals.


    This was python and sparrow swallow the dragon.

 Chapter 2 Genesis Runes

    The inner hall was silent, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe.


    Zhou Yuan looked at Zhou Qing who was seated beside him, the latter''s normally imposing and imposing face was now filled with helplessness and dejection. Evidently, the matter back then had dealt a huge blow to him.


    His own biological son had his fortune seized and his very bones broken by his enemy in front of him, yet he himself was powerless. It could be imagined how much of a humiliation that would be to any father.


    Zhou Yuan bit his lips. He was clear about Zhou Qing''s personality, if it wasn''t for him protecting the hundred million citizens of the Great Zhou at that time, he really would have chosen to burn together with King Wu.


    "So this is the reason why my eight meridians were never revealed and why it is difficult to cultivate. This King Wu is truly a vicious method." Zhou Yuan looked at the ball of dark red color that was slowly wiggling in his palm, a look of anger in his eyes.


    This King Wu had stolen his fortune and destroyed his holy dragon. He was still not giving up. It was clear that he was still planning to cut off the roots and force the Dragon''s Venom to the point where he could die little by little.


    Moreover, what angered Zhou Yuan the most was that his mother''s vitality was severely damaged because of this, and her lifespan did not even reach ten years.


    Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, he suppressed the anger in his heart and looked at Qin Yu who was unconscious by the side. Her face was pale, and his heart felt as though it was being slashed by a knife, he asked: "Royal Father, then what about mother? "Her lifespan ¡­"


    Zhou Qing was silent for a moment, before he slowly said, "In this world, there are heavenly materials that increase one''s lifespan. If you can obtain them, it would be able to extend your mother''s lifespan, but ¡­"


    After saying that, Zhou Qing laughed bitterly: "That kind of heavenly resource is extremely rare. I have searched through the entire Great Zhou for it, but to no avail."


    "Our Great Zhou is not as strong as we were back then. Now that we''re in such a corner, we can only barely protect ourselves."


    Zhou Yuan clenched his fists tightly. At this moment, he finally understood the benefits of possessing power. If he could obtain power, then no matter how dangerous the desperate situation was, he would be able to investigate and find those heavenly resources that could extend his lifespan.


    However, the eight meridians within his body that had remained inconspicuous for a long time left him without even the power to protect himself.


    Zhou Yuan clenched his teeth, and said with a low voice. "Royal Father, am I really unable to become a Origin Master?"


    His mother had lost her blood essence and lost her life for him. As the son of a human, how could she sit idly by? Furthermore ¡­ If the Wu Family did not know about what he had done to their Great Zhou s and to him, then it would be fine. But now that he did, this debt could not be easily resolved.


    However, all of this had to be built on the fact that he possessed sufficient strength.


    And the group of people who controlled the strongest power in this world was naturally the Origin Master!


    Hearing Zhou Yuan''s words, Zhou Qing''s brows tightly knitted, as if he was muttering to himself. After a long while, he softly asked. "You''re really not willing to give up?"


    Zhou Yuan shook his head lightly. Although the hardships he had suffered all these years had caused him to suffer, it had also given him a maturity and tenacity that had surpassed his age.


    He knew that when the Wu Family rebelled and stole his fortune, the two sides would already be at death''s door.


    The reason that the Great Zhou was still alive was entirely because of the oath made by the King Wu all those years ago. It could be imagined that once a hundred years had passed, the Wu Dynasty would be the first to massacre the Great Zhou in order to eliminate any future troubles.


    Therefore, if he wanted to change this outcome, he had to possess sufficient strength.


    Zhou Qing was also somewhat gratified at the firmness that Zhou Yuan had displayed. After a moment of silence, his large hand slapped heavily onto Zhou Yuan''s shoulder and he said: "Alright! unwilling to give up so easily, you truly are my, Zhou Qing''s, son! Since you have such a wish, then Royal Father will naturally help you with everything he has! "


    "Royal Father has a way?" Hearing Zhou Qing''s words, Zhou Yuan''s eyes immediately lit up, and said in pleasant surprise.


    Zhou Qing slightly nodded, then bitterly laughed and said: "Don''t be happy too early, because even I am not able to confirm whether this method is effective or not."


    "What method?" Zhou Yuan''s impatient look finally had the vigor of a young man.


    "Three days from now will be the ancestor ceremony. This time, come with me to the ancestral land."


    Zhou Qing did not elaborate, but only laughed, and then his voice paused, and continued: "But I also have a condition."


    "What condition?" Zhou Yuan was startled, and asked doubtfully.


    Zhou Qing said seriously: "No matter if you can open your meridians or not at that time, you must not give up on learning the way of Origin Mark, you must know, if you still do not open your eight meridians, training the Origin Mark, will be your last path, and cultivating to the depths of Origin Mark, might not be impossible to suppress the Dragon''s Venom in your body."


    In this world, the Origin Master was the mainstream, but it was not the only one. Instead, all hundred flowers bloomed together, opening up many paths.


    In this period of time, when his eight meridians were not revealed, Zhou Yuan was practicing the Origin Mark s under Zhou Qing''s guidance. After all, many Origin Master s would roughly learn a few Origin Mark s if they had more techniques.


    Hearing this, Zhou Yuan lightly nodded his head. He understood the meaning behind Zhou Qing''s words, it was that he was worried that if he still did not reveal his eight meridians, he would give up on himself and give up the last path after failing to become a Origin Master.


    Zhou Qing nodded his head, his face revealing a pleased smile.


    "You rest for a day first. Tomorrow, you will continue to go to Great Zhou Mansion to study. Three days later, I will bring you to the ancestral land."


    "Alright!" The youth''s voice was filled with anticipation.


    Zhou Qing smiled as he rubbed Zhou Yuan''s head. Then, he carried the unconscious Qin Yu and walked out of the inner palace with Master Qin.


    Zhou Yuan looked at Zhou Qing''s back, the normally majestic back view, was now filled with a heart wrenching sense of powerlessness and dejection. He knew that the Royal Father of the past should be full of ambition, but was slowly being worn out by the cruel reality.


    And the cause of all this, was the King Wu.


    Zhou Yuan pursed her lips, a cold look appearing on her somewhat weak and tender face.


    "Wu Family, King Wu... In the future, we will calculate this debt once again! "


    ...


    The next day.


    When morning arrived, Zhou Yuan was escorted by a group of guards out of the palace, directly towards the northwest region of the Great Zhou City, where the Great Zhou Mansion resided.


    The so called Great Zhou Mansion was something that Zhou Qing had personally ordered to be established a few years ago, and was using the experts in the army as instructors, so when the Great Zhou Mansion was recruiting, it did not care about status, even if it was a commoner, as long as they had talent, they would still be allowed to enter the Great Zhou Mansion to cultivate.


    All these years, the Great Zhou Mansion had groomed many talented people for the Great Zhou, which was why his position was getting higher and higher, so even Your Highness was only learning here.


    At the entrance of the Great Zhou Mansion, it was heavily guarded, the armored guards strictly inspecting the identity tokens of all those who entered, but of course, Zhou Yuan did not need to follow the order, it was likely that no one in the Great Zhou City would not recognize him.


    "We pay our respects to Your Highness!"


    Therefore, when Zhou Yuan appeared at the main entrance, the guards respectfully bowed to him.


    "Your Highness." There were even many students of the Great Zhou Mansion s coming and going, all of them smiling at Zhou Yuan with a sense of respect.


    Zhou Yuan also returned the greeting with a cupped fist. He knew that the majority of these students were commoners, so their respect for him was mostly because he, Royal Father, had established the Great Zhou Mansion, giving the commoners a chance to improve their position and change their fate.


    Great Zhou Mansion, Western Courtyard.


    In a spacious and bright church, there were many neatly arranged desks. In front of the desks, many youths and young girls were kneeling. The atmosphere was quiet.


    In front of a desk in the first row, Zhou Yuan was also peacefully kneeling down. On top of his desk, there was a shiny jade board and a dark red long pen was lying on the side.


    The brush looked like it was made of red jade and the hair on its head was made from the softest hair on the belly of the Flame Rat.


    If one were to talk about the most important thing in inscribing Origin Mark, then everyone would say three words: Origin Brush.


    All the Origin Mark needed the Origin Brush as a medium to be able to draw out the profound Origin Mark, and from then on, draw out the Origin Qi of Heaven and Earth, and release the greatest amount of power.


    Therefore, the importance of Origin Brush goes without saying. Without Origin Brush, no matter how high your attainments in Origin Mark, I''m afraid the might of the Origin Mark that you inscribe would be reduced a little.


    Zhou Yuan held the red jade Origin Brush in his hand, and his gaze was looking at the front. There, a middle-aged man lecturer was lecturing in a calm tone.


    "The so-called Origin Mark, as a guide, gathers the tip of the brush and sketches the outline of the Origin Scar. Every single stroke, must use the Divine Soul as ink, so the Origin Mark that is drawn can only then move the Origin Qi of Heaven and Earth."


    "All of you must remember, when you draw the Origin Mark, you must not have any distracting thoughts, and transform the Origin Brush in your hands into a part of yourself. Only then will you be able to gather the Divine Soul at the tip of your brush, and do as you wish in one breath."


    "¡­"


    "Next, continue practicing the three Origin Mark s that I taught you a month ago. I hope that someone today will succeed in completing one of them." After the lecturer finished his explanation, he spoke.


    Many of the boys and girls had bitter expressions on their faces. Just because they were practicing the Origin Mark, although it seemed simple, every time they practice, they would cause the Divine Soul to lose energy and feel a sense of fatigue.


    "Hmph, what are you howling for? The three Origin Mark, Bull Mark, Light Body Mark and others that I taught you are only at the entry level." Hearing these wails, the middle-aged lecturer also fiercely reprimanded, his voice full of hatred for this failure.


    When the many youths and young ladies saw the instructor''s anger, they shrunk their necks and did not dare to make a sound. After which, they all picked up their Origin Brush and began to inscribe on the jade board in front of them.


    Zhou Yuan also smiled slightly, holding the Origin Brush in his hand, he focused, the surrounding noise was immediately blocked out, his heart was as calm as a quiet lake, he stared at the bright jade board, in between his brows appeared a faint light, following that, the tip of the Origin Brush also started to shine with a weak red light.


    Zhou Yuan lowered his brush and the tip of the brush slowly drew across the jade board, leaving behind many complex Origin Scar s. These marks that looked like the horns of an antelope emitted a certain charm, and when they were completely combined together, it seemed to possess a certain kind of mystical power.


    Every single Origin Mark was formed from more or less a combination of Origin Scar. Generally speaking, the more Origin Scar they had, the stronger their grade and power would be.


    What Zhou Yuan was drawing right now was one of the three Origin Mark s. It was just a beginner level Origin Mark with hundreds of Origin Scar, but if one wanted to perfectly draw the hundred complex Origin Scar, it would obviously need a lot of practice.


    The tip of Zhou Yuan''s brush was like water as it silently flowed, without any stagnation, and had a sort of flowing beauty.


    During this year, because the eight meridians in his body had not been revealed, he spent almost all of his time learning Origin Mark. Thus, on this topic, his foundation was much deeper than the other students.


    Of course, the most important thing was that he could sense that his Divine Soul should also be stronger than ordinary people. The root was broken, but fortunately, it did not harm his Divine Soul. Presumably, he was too young then, and the Divine Soul had not appeared yet, so he avoided a calamity.


    The tip of the brush flowed, and after a few minutes,''s slender hands gently swiped down, causing the jade board in front of him to suddenly release a ray of light.


    "Good, not bad, the mark is complete, it is the work of a god, this Iron Skin Mark, can be considered a success." Right at the moment when Zhou Yuan was finished, an admiring laughter came from the side.


    Zhou Yuan raised his head, only to see the instructor standing beside him without him noticing, and looking at the Origin Mark on his jade board with an appreciative smile.


    The other young boys and girls in the church all raised their heads and looked at Zhou Yuan, their eyes filled with amazement. Some of them had not even finished writing, yet Zhou Yuan had already succeeded.


    The lecturer was in a much better mood as he lamented to the students, "If all of you were able to learn so efficiently, how great would it be?"


    When the many young boys and girls heard, they all laughed and shook their heads. His Highness Zhou Yuan was obviously rather talented in this area, how could he expect everyone to be this efficient?


    However, a strange laughter suddenly sounded amidst the laughter of the crowd.


    "Hehe, the lecturer''s words are wrong, our main focus is more on opening our meridians, so naturally we cannot be like His Highness Zhou Yuan who is fully focused on studying Origin Mark, if not, wouldn''t we be going all out?"


    This laughter was somewhat ear-piercing and immediately caused the entire church to become quiet. Numerous gazes followed it.


    Zhou Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly and looked over. Not far away, he saw a young man in silk clothing was looking at him with a smile that was not a smile, and was lazily revolving the Origin Brush in his hands.


    The smile on his face carried a hint of mockery.

 Chapter 3 Su Youwei

    Because of the silk-clothed youngster''s sudden interjection, the crowd in the church fell silent for a moment. Many youngsters and young girls glanced at the former. They all silently retracted their gazes because the identity of the person who spoke was not ordinary either.


    His father was the Western County Governor of the Great Zhou Empire. Of course, in terms of status, he was far inferior to Your Highness, the Great Zhou Empire, but everyone knew that the person backing Xu Lin was the young master of the Manor of King Qi, Qi Yue.


    Zhou Yuan glanced at Xu Lin, lightly tapped the table with his finger, and then casually retracted his gaze. This guy, in order to curry favor with Qi Yue, really did hold nothing back.


    "This Xu Lin sure likes to curry favor with Qi Yue ¡­ "It seems like his father must have also joined the Qi King''s camp ¡­"


    Zhou Yuan''s gaze became deeper. He had once heard from Royal Father that this Qi King had the support of the Great Wu Empire, so in these past few years, he had always been secretly stirring up trouble in the Great Zhou Empire.


    And because he was afraid of the Great Wu, afraid that they would give him an excuse to deal with them, Zhou Qing did not dare to directly act against them on the surface.


    And because of this relationship, Qi Yue, who was also learning in the Great Zhou Mansion, would naturally have some conflicts with him.


    When Xu Lin saw that Zhou Yuan did not say anything, the ridicule on the corner of his mouth grew even more intense, and just as he was about to continue speaking, the instructor suddenly glared at him, causing him to shut his mouth.


    In Great Zhou Mansion, if he was expelled, it would be a huge loss to him.


    Only after the two of them had quieted down did the atmosphere in the lecture hall slowly return to normal. The instructor continued to explain the three Origin Mark s until two hours later, the bell rang.


    "Okay, that''s it for today. We''ll continue tomorrow." The lecturer packed up his things and walked out of the church.


    With the departure of the lecturer, the tense atmosphere within the lecture hall immediately relaxed. Many youths and young girls crowded around them as they burst out in lively laughter.


    Zhou Yuan also casually cleaned up the table and prepared to leave.


    "Your Highness."


    As he was packing, a gentle voice suddenly sounded out. Zhou Yuan raised his head and saw a young lady standing beside his desk, smiling at him.


    The young lady was wearing the uniform of the Great Zhou Mansion students. Although it was a little loose, it still outlined the well-developed curves of her body. Those simple pants accentuated her long and slender legs.


    Her skin was white and tender, her nose was jade-like, and her eyebrows were like almond-shaped eyebrows. She was a rare beauty, especially with a teardrop mark at the corner of her eyes.


    Her rosy lips were slightly pursed. Although she didn''t have any expensive jewelry on her body and she looked simple, she had a strong aura to her. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail and was filled with energy.


    She was just standing there gracefully, yet she attracted the gazes of many youngsters in the church.


    Zhou Yuan looked at the girl in front of him. The intelligent and moving girl had a smile on her slightly scholarly face. "It''s Youwei."


    The young girl''s surname was Su, and her name was Youwei.


    When their gazes met, the pretty face of the girl named Su Youwei blushed slightly. Then, she shifted her gaze towards the messy table that Zhou Yuan was sitting on, sat down and pursed her lips: "Your Highness, it''s better if I help you clean up."


    Zhou Yuan laughed, and did not reject her since the relationship between the two of them was indeed not ordinary.


    As a result, the girl got busy at Zhou Yuan''s desk and helped him tidy up the messy stuff. It attracted the gazes of many of the boys in the church, and they stared at Zhou Yuan with boiling hot gazes. The jealousy in their eyes was about to surge out.


    "Is your grandfather well?" Looking at the busy girl, Zhou Yuan asked while holding onto his chin.


    Hearing Zhou Yuan''s words, Su Youwei lifted her face and pulled up a strand of black hair that had drifted before her eyes with her jade-like hand. A smile immediately emerged on her face.


    "It''s all good now, Grandfather said that if he had the time, he still wanted to invite Your Highness to his house, but his house is too dilapidated, I''m afraid ¡­"


    "Alright, I''ll go when the next holiday comes." Zhou Yuan laughed.


    Hearing Zhou Yuan''s unhesitating reply, Su Youwei bit her lips lightly. She looked at him and the water in her eyes flickered for a moment, then, afraid that she would be detected, she quickly lowered her head.


    She still remembered the day she met Zhou Yuan a year ago.


    That might have been her greatest despair, but it was also the day of hope.


    She braved the torrential rain while carrying her grandfather on her back. Because she lacked money, she could only kneel in front of the medicine stores in the rooms, crying and begging, hoping that the doctors would save her grandfather.


    At that time, she was covered in mud and mud, looking extremely miserable.


    In the end, all of the medicinal plants were shut. Under the torrential rain, she could feel the entire sky turning dark and her heart turning as cold as ice.


    Just when she was about to go numb from despair, she felt someone walk up to her side and place an umbrella in her hands. Then, under her unfocused gaze, she walked up and kicked the tightly shut door of the medicine shop open.


    At that time, there seemed to be an ice-cold voice coming from there.


    "Open the door! Save them!"


    At that time, Su Youwei had been looking at his back in a daze. In the past, the person she hated the most was this kind of playboy, but at that time, she felt that perhaps, the back of this youth who kicked open the door, would be unforgettable even to her death ¡­


    And it was from that day onwards that she got to know Zhou Yuan. Later on, she found out his identity, which was Your Highness from Great Zhou Empire.


    Afterwards, by a fluke, Zhou Yuan noticed that she had talent in cultivation and recommended her to the Great Zhou Mansion. From then on, she underwent a world-shaking transformation ¡­


    In the first month since she entered the Great Zhou Mansion, she had successfully opened the first meridian, and became the fastest person to open a new meridian since the creation of the Great Zhou Mansion. From then on, she became the so-called genius of the people in the Great Zhou Mansion.


    Suddenly, no one noticed, and turned into the center of attention. Su Youwei also felt a bit uncomfortable, and at times, there would be people who disliked her and Zhou Yuan''s relationship, and would secretly say that Zhou Yuan helped her because they saw her beauty.


    However, Su Youwei only laughed it off, because only she herself knew clearly how dirty she was when she first met Zhou Yuan ¡­


    "Hey, how high are you going to stack my books?" Zhou Yuan looked at Su Youwei helplessly. At this time, the latter was clearly lost in thought, so he folded the books on his table like it was an arhat.


    "Huh?" Su Youwei also regained her senses, seeing her masterpiece, she immediately blushed red and quickly put it down: "Your Highness, I am sorry, I will clean up again!"


    Therefore, when the surrounding people looked at Zhou Yuan, they immediately became more vicious. She thought that if it wasn''t for the fact that they were afraid of Zhou Yuan''s identity, she would have come out to save the goddess.


    "Now that you''re so beautiful, I don''t even dare to order you around." Sensing those gazes, Zhou Yuan could only shake his head and say.


    When Su Youwei heard this, she also let out a low laugh, and said: "Then in the future, how about I put some stuff on my face to make me look a little uglier?"


    In response, Zhou Yuan could only roll his eyes.


    "That''s right ¡­" Zhou Yuan pointed to the table and asked: "How many meridians have you opened now?"


    Su Youwei was startled for a moment, looked at Zhou Yuan, and then carefully replied: "It''s the third vein."


    She knew that because of some reasons, Zhou Yuan seemed to be unable to open her meridians for cultivation all this time, so when they were getting along, she would not take the initiative to mention the matter of opening her meridians, and she would never brag about her progress.


    "He''s already at the third meridian. According to his current speed, he''ll probably be able to open all eight meridians in a year or two." Zhou Yuan''s talent in cultivation was obviously extremely outstanding. It had not even been a year and she had already achieved several years'' worth of achievements.


    This made him exceptionally proud. It seemed like he had inadvertently picked up a treasure.


    "In two months time, this year''s Great Examination will be. You have to work hard and try to open the fourth vein, then enter the top ten in the Great Examination. I put in a lot of effort to get your spot, and as long as you can enter the top ten, you''ll get personal guidance from the Prefecture Master, which will be of great benefit to you." Zhou Yuan said.


    Su Youwei''s hands that were cleaning the table slightly froze, her head was lowered, and she did not dare look at Zhou Yuan.


    "What''s wrong?" Sensing her change, Zhou Yuan was a little doubtful.


    Su Youwei''s face was almost buried in her chest as she said softly, "I, I don''t have any more placings."


    Zhou Yuan stared blankly for a moment, then frowned: "What''s going on?"


    His tone was not heavy, but it made Su Youwei''s heart race even faster. Gritting her teeth tightly, she was unable to say anything for a long time, but a young lady, who had a good relationship with Su Youwei, interrupted: "It''s still not that Xu Lin, he was talking bad about you everywhere in the residence a few days ago. Youwei is arguing with him, asking him to apologize.


    Zhou Yuan frowned, and said: "That Xu Lin has only opened two meridians, he shouldn''t be able to beat Youwei, right?"


    The young lady curled her lips and said: "It was these geniuses who opened the third vein, and that Xu Lin, on the other hand, was extremely shameless.


    Zhou Yuan''s face did not look good. He stared at Su Youwei who had her head lowered and reproached: "Why didn''t you tell me earlier?"


    Su Youwei made a fist with her jade hands and said softly: "It''s all my fault. I don''t want to cause any more trouble with Your Highness."


    Seeing her expression, Zhou Yuan felt pained, this girl, being stubborn sometimes, was similarly a headache, thus, his gaze that contained a sense of coldness, looked at Xu Lin who was giggling in the church.


    "Setting a trap to bully a girl, Xu Lin, are you sure you have good methods?" Zhou Yuan laughed coldly, this guy obviously had his eyes on the exam quota in Su Youwei''s hands, which was why he intentionally set this situation to anger Su Youwei, and used the quota to compete with him.


    Xu Lin said lazily: "I don''t know what Your Highness is talking about, so many people have seen it. I won the entry with my own strength, so even if Your Highness asked for it himself, I would not return it."


    Zhou Yuan said indifferently: "Do you dare to fight another round?"


    Xu Lin chuckled, and said: "Not interested."


    Last time he was just lucky, but now Su Youwei had already opened three meridians, how could he be a match for her?


    Zhou Yuan swept his eyes across Xu Lin, and said with a sneer: "I didn''t let you and Youwei fight.


    As he said that, he took out a jade pendant that was flickering with a faint light and placed it on the desk. He said: "If you win, this Gathering Origin Jade will be yours."


    Within the church, cries of surprise rang out. Many people looked at the jade pendant with drool in their eyes. This kind of Gathering Origin Jade was beneficial for cultivation. After wearing it for a long time, it could speed up the opening of eight meridians.


    "Your Highness!" Su Youwei was also extremely anxious.


    It was not because of that Gathering Origin Jade, but because Zhou Yuan wanted to personally fight with Xu Lin. But Zhou Yuan had not even opened a single meridian, how could he be a match for Xu Lin who had two opened meridians?


    Zhou Yuan waved his hand at Su Youwei, playing with the jade pendant, he smiled at Xu Lin, showing a ridiculing smile.


    "Now, do you dare?"


    Xu Lin stared at the Gathering Origin Jade with a fiery look in his eyes, licked his lips, then sneered at Zhou Yuan: "Since Your Highness insists on giving this Gathering Origin Jade to me, then I won''t be courteous."


    "However, my fists and feet have no eyes. Later, I will injure Your Highness, don''t blame me."


    Although Xu Lin''s actions were strange, Xu Lin did not think that the people he had opened two bloodlines with, would still not be able to defeat people from two bloodlines!


    "I hope you have the ability." Zhou Yuan declined to comment.


    Xu Lin laughed loudly, treating it as if Zhou Yuan had a stubborn mouth, flung his sleeves, and walked outside. His soft laughter, with a hint of playfulness and ridicule, came from far away.


    "Alright, I''ll wait for Your Highness at the martial arts arena. I really want to see, how will Your Highness win back the placing today?"


    Chapter IV Strength of the Origin Mark


    Great Zhou Mansion, Martial Arts Practice Field.


    On the other hand, there were many spectators below the stage. From time to time, a few cheers would erupt, and among them, there were a few young and pretty girls, whose beautiful eyes were looking around, causing the youths on the stage to become even more enthusiastic. Each of them would use their own methods to show off their skills.


    In the Great Zhou Mansion, the popularity of the Martial Arts Practice Grounds was obviously not weak.


    When Xu Lin slowly and unhurriedly ascended onto a Martial Arts Stage, the news of him fighting with Zhou Yuan had already spread throughout the entire training grounds under his control.


    "What?" His Highness Zhou Yuan wants to fight with Xu Lin?! "


    "How is this possible!?" His Highness Zhou Yuan has not even opened his meridians, but Xu Lin has already opened two! "


    "This Xu Lin is truly bullying others, he must have used some despicable method to force His Highness Zhou Yuan."


    "¡­"


    When the many students heard the news, they immediately let out shocked cries. Some commoner students even started to fight for Zhou Yuan, just that this kind of fight was too unfair.


    For those who opened a meridian, their physical qualities would increase along with it. Their strength, speed, reaction speed, and so on all far surpassed those who did not open a meridian. It could be said that a person who opened a meridian could easily defeat dozens of people who did not.


    Xu Lin stood on the stage, and upon hearing these voices, he smiled faintly. Regardless of what the people around him said, after today, the matter of Zhou Yuan being beaten up by him, will definitely spread throughout the entire Great Zhou Mansion. This will undoubtedly cause a blow to the latter''s reputation, and become a joke in the mouths of the people.


    As Xu Lin''s malicious thoughts were churning, the black mass of people surrounding his stage suddenly split apart, revealing a skinny youth who slowly walked over.


    The young man was slightly thin and had a scholarly air to him. He had a gentle and refined temperament, and he looked like a weak scholar.


    It was naturally Zhou Yuan.


    Under the gazes of everyone around him, Zhou Yuan headed straight for the Martial Arts Stage that Xu Lin was in.


    "Your Highness." Behind him, Su Youwei followed closely with a slightly anxious look on her face. It was obvious that she still wanted Zhou Yuan to give up on the idea of fighting Xu Lin.


    "At this time, I cannot retreat, otherwise, I would have become Your Highness who escaped the battle." Zhou Yuan smiled at Su Youwei.


    Su Youwei stopped and bit her lips. She knew that if Zhou Yuan carried this reputation, it would be a huge blow to his reputation.


    Su Youwei raised her head and looked at Xu Lin who was on top of the Martial Arts Stage. In that moment, she squinted her eyes, and faintly, there was a sharp look in her eyes.


    "Your Highness, I was the one who failed this time and caused trouble for Your Highness. In the future, I will not be careless anymore, and I will not show any mercy." Su Youwei said softly.


    Previously, the reason why she lost to Xu Lin was because she did not attack him viciously. Otherwise, Xu Lin would not even have the chance to use the Origin Weapon.


    Zhou Yuan was startled, he blinked his eyes at Su Youwei and said: "We are friends, it is only natural to solve some troubles for friends."


    With that, he stepped into the Martial Arts Stage.


    Su Youwei looked at his back and smiled slightly, warmth flowing out of her heart, but she lowered her eyes, she had already made up her mind, if Xu Lin dared to hurt Zhou Yuan, she would let the latter know what revenge was for the little girl.


    "Yo, Your Highness actually dared to come here, I thought you would secretly run back to the palace." Xu Lin smiled as he looked at Zhou Yuan who was standing in front of him, and teased him.


    "It seems that you have a lot of confidence in yourself." Zhou Yuan said as he gently straightened his sleeves.


    "I never thought that even Your Highness would become so angry at her, it''s just that she''s not very rational." Xu Lin shrugged his shoulders, obviously treating Zhou Yuan''s impulsive actions as just trying to win his favor.


    "Let''s begin." However, Zhou Yuan didn''t have any intention to waste words with him. Extending his legs, he grabbed onto the ground like an old tree, then waved at Xu Lin: "I''ll let you attack first."


    When these words came out, the surrounding youths and girls of the Martial Arts Stage all looked at each other. They simply could not understand what Zhou Yuan was thinking about.


    "Since Your Highness wants to quickly lose face, then I won''t be polite." Being looked down upon by Zhou Yuan in such a way, Xu Lin''s heart was filled with rage, he let out a cold laugh, and fiercely stomped his foot on the ground, while his figure shot out like an arrow, his five fingers clenched into a fist, a fist aimed straight at Zhou Yuan.


    This punch of his brought with it a current of air and was full of power. Even if it was a rock, a crack would still appear on its surface.


    Seeing the incoming punch, Zhou Yuan did not dodge, but folded his arms in front of his body, and maintained a defensive posture.


    However, his attitude caused the people below to be unable to bear it. With Xu Lin''s physique that had broken through two meridians, this punch would probably break Zhou Yuan''s bones.


    Under the nervous gazes of many people, Xu Lin seemed like a fierce tiger leaving the mountain. His menacing punch landed heavily on Zhou Yuan''s arms without any restraint.


    Dong!


    A low and deep voice rang out, and then, everyone saw as expected, that Zhou Yuan''s feet had directly carved a few meters into the ground with a mark, before he was barely able to stabilize his body.


    "Ah!"


    A blood-curdling screech rang out.


    However, it was not released by Zhou Yuan, but by Xu Lin who had released a ferocious punch earlier.


    Everyone watched dumbstruck at the scene, Xu Lin held his fist, and continued to scream miserably, his entire fist was red, as though he had smashed onto fine steel.


    "You! What are you hiding in your sleeve?! Despicable! " Xu Lin was in so much pain that tears almost flowed out as she roared at Zhou Yuan.


    The surrounding people also looked at Zhou Yuan in astonishment. Could it be that Your Highness had some tricks up his sleeves?


    Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Zhou Yuan slowly lifted up his sleeves. Soon after, everyone saw that on his arms, there was actually a complex light pattern which emitted a faint black light. The light pattern spread out and eventually covered both of Zhou Yuan''s arms.


    "This ¡­"


    Many students stared at the complex light pattern in shock. In the end, someone suddenly cried out: "That is the Iron Skin Mark that the lecturer previously taught!"


    Everyone suddenly realized that it was the Origin Mark!


    Su Youwei''s tensed up heart was finally at ease at this moment as she heaved a sigh of relief and said in a displeased tone, "So it turns out that Your Highness is already able to inscribe Origin Mark onto his body."


    "You, you actually managed to inscribe a Origin Mark on your body?!" Xu Lin also recovered from his shock, looking at the black Origin Mark on Zhou Yuan''s arms, he asked in disbelief.


    Although he had already seen inscribing Iron Skin Mark in the church, it was only on the jade board. If he wanted to inscribe it on the body, then he would have to be proficient in the acupuncture points and even the meridian channels of the human body, in order to avoid being injured by the Origin Mark. Thus, inscribing the Origin Mark on the body was much more difficult than inscribing on the jade board.


    But just as they were unable to even inscribe the Origin Mark on the jade board, Zhou Yuan had already begun to learn how to use it ¡­ The gap between them was not small at all.


    "Do you really think that I''m powerless before opening my meridians?" Zhou Yuan laughed.


    Xu Lin''s face was ashen, as he felt a sense of anger from being played around with, and said coldly: "Do you really think that by relying on a Iron Skin Mark, you can win against me today?"


    "Now, let me show you the difference between an open meridian practitioner and an open meridian practitioner!"


    "Open the meridian!"


    Following Xu Lin''s explosive shout, a faint light started to appear around his body, the dust under his feet was swept up, and all the Origin Qi in the world started to follow his breath and enter his body.


    Swoosh.


    At this moment, the clothes all over his body started to flutter.


    On the surface of his skin, there was a faint glow. Everyone could feel that Xu Lin''s aura had explosively increased at this moment.


    The expressions of many students slightly changed. At this time, Xu Lin''s body already had Origin Qi flowing through it, and when the Origin Qi flowed through his veins, it would undoubtedly cause Xu Lin''s strength and speed to increase exponentially.


    Amidst the serious gazes of the students, Zhou Yuan also stared at Xu Lin, and muttered to himself: "Opening two meridians huh ¡­"


    "I let you attack me earlier, so this time, it''s my turn."


    The moment he said that, Zhou Yuan stepped on the ground and rushed towards Xu Lin.


    "Arrogant. The current you, your speed, strength, and physical fitness are not even a tenth of mine. You still dare to attack?" Seeing Zhou Yuan rushing over, Xu Lin immediately sneered.


    "Is that so?"


    The corner of Zhou Yuan''s mouth seemed to be smiling.


    In the next moment, a faint light suddenly appeared at the place where his feet were naked.


    Swish!


    Zhou Yuan''s body seemed to have become a lot lighter at this moment, his speed suddenly increased, and he rushed out like a cheetah.


    "That is ¡­" That''s a Light Body Mark! " Someone with sharp eyes saw the light pattern on Zhou Yuan''s bare feet, and immediately screamed.


    As they were shrieking, Zhou Yuan, who was already very close to them, suddenly jerked his shoulders, and a faint light began to radiate from under his clothes. Although they couldn''t see it clearly, everyone could clearly feel that Zhou Yuan''s fist, which he swung, was currently filled with a kind of unreasonable strength.


    "Bull Mark!" The scream came again.


    Iron Skin Mark, Light Body Mark, Bull Mark!


    At this time, even Su Youwei couldn''t help but cover her small mouth with her hands as her beautiful face was filled with incredulity. This was because in the span of a few breaths, Zhou Yuan had activated three Origin Mark s in succession.


    In other words, the three Origin Mark s that the instructor had taught him had already been completely mastered by Zhou Yuan and had even been used on him.


    Boom! *


    Under the stares from the crowd, the fist of Zhou Yuan, who was controlling three Origin Mark in succession, and his overbearing strength, landed heavily on his body in an incomparably violent manner in front of Xu Lin''s shocked eyes.


    Dong!


    Under the assistance of the three Origin Mark, regardless if it was speed, strength or physique, Zhou Yuan''s current strength was no longer inferior to Xu Lin''s. Therefore, the moment this fist fell, Xu Lin felt a huge force rush over, and after that, his body directly flew out, smashing heavily onto the ground outside the Martial Arts Stage.


    Outside of Martial Arts Stage, the bustling noise had turned silent at this time. Many of the youths and young girls were staring at Zhou Yuan who was on stage with expressions of disbelief.


    No one had expected that this would be the result of the exchange.


    On the Martial Arts Stage, Zhou Yuan slowly retracted his fist. The light pattern on his arm seemed to have exhausted all of its energy and quickly disappeared.


    He rubbed his wrist and then jumped down from the Martial Arts Stage. He extended his hand and took out a jade tablet from Xu Lin''s bosom.


    "If you can''t even beat someone who has yet to open his meridians, you''d better not embarrass yourself by taking the exam." Zhou Yuan smiled as he stared at Xu Lin.


    Hearing that, and feeling the ridiculing gazes from the crowd, Xu Lin''s heart stopped. He could not help but spurt out a mouthful of blood, and his vision darkened, and he immediately fainted.


    He knew that from tomorrow onwards, he would probably become a fresh joke in the mouths of all the students in Great Zhou Mansion.

 Chapter 4 The Power of Genesis Runes

    Great Zhou Mansion, Martial Arts Field.


    On the other hand, there were many spectators below the stage. From time to time, a few cheers would erupt, and among them, there were a few young and pretty girls, whose beautiful eyes were looking around, causing the youths on the stage to become even more enthusiastic. Each of them would use their own methods to show off their skills.


    In this Great Zhou Mansion, the popularity of the Martial Arts Field was obviously not weak.


    When Xu Lin slowly and unhurriedly ascended onto a Martial Arts Stage, the news of him fighting with Zhou Yuan had already spread throughout the entire Martial Arts Field under his secret manipulation.


    "What?" His Highness Zhou Yuan wants to fight with Xu Lin?! "


    "How is this possible!?" His Highness Zhou Yuan has not even opened his meridians, but Xu Lin has already opened two! "


    "This Xu Lin is truly bullying others, he must have used some despicable method to force His Highness Zhou Yuan."


    "¡­"


    When the many students heard the news, they immediately let out shocked cries. Some commoner students even started to fight for Zhou Yuan, just that this kind of fight was too unfair.


    For Open Meridian People, every time a meridian was opened, the body''s quality would increase accordingly, and the strength, speed, reaction rate, and so on would all far surpass those of Close Meridian People. It could be said that one person who had opened a meridian would be able to easily defeat dozens of Open Meridian People s.


    Xu Lin stood on the stage, and upon hearing these voices, he smiled faintly. Regardless of what the people around him said, after today, the matter of Zhou Yuan being beaten up by him, will definitely spread throughout the entire Great Zhou Mansion. This will undoubtedly cause a blow to the latter''s reputation, and become a joke in the mouths of the people.


    As Xu Lin''s malicious thoughts were churning, the black mass of people surrounding his stage suddenly split apart, revealing a skinny youth who slowly walked over.


    The young man was slightly thin and had a scholarly air to him. He had a gentle and refined temperament, and he looked like a weak scholar.


    It was naturally Zhou Yuan.


    Under the gazes of everyone around him, Zhou Yuan headed straight for the Martial Arts Stage that Xu Lin was in.


    "Your Highness." Behind him, Su Youwei followed closely with a slightly anxious look on her face. It was obvious that she still wanted Zhou Yuan to give up on the idea of fighting Xu Lin.


    "At this time, I cannot retreat, otherwise, I would have become Your Highness who escaped the battle." Zhou Yuan smiled at Su Youwei.


    Su Youwei stopped and bit her lips. She knew that if Zhou Yuan carried this reputation, it would be a huge blow to his reputation.


    Su Youwei raised her head and looked at Xu Lin who was on top of the Martial Arts Stage. In that moment, she squinted her eyes, and faintly, there was a sharp look in her eyes.


    "Your Highness, I was the one who failed this time and caused trouble for Your Highness. In the future, I will not be careless anymore, and I will not show any mercy." Su Youwei said softly.


    Previously, the reason why she lost to Xu Lin was because she did not attack him viciously. Otherwise, Xu Lin would not even have the chance to use the Origin Weapon.


    Zhou Yuan was startled, he blinked his eyes at Su Youwei and said: "We are friends, it is only natural to solve some troubles for friends."


    With that, he stepped into the Martial Arts Stage.


    Su Youwei looked at his back and smiled slightly, warmth flowing out of her heart, but she lowered her eyes, she had already made up her mind, if Xu Lin dared to hurt Zhou Yuan, she would let the latter know what revenge was for the little girl.


    "Yo, Your Highness actually dared to come here, I thought you would secretly run back to the palace." Xu Lin smiled as he looked at Zhou Yuan who was standing in front of him, and teased him.


    "It seems that you have a lot of confidence in yourself." Zhou Yuan said as he gently straightened his sleeves.


    "I never thought that even Your Highness would become so angry at her, it''s just that she''s not very rational." Xu Lin shrugged his shoulders, obviously treating Zhou Yuan''s impulsive actions as just trying to win his favor.


    "Let''s begin." However, Zhou Yuan didn''t have any intention to waste words with him. Extending his legs, he grabbed onto the ground like an old tree, then waved at Xu Lin: "I''ll let you attack first."


    When these words came out, the surrounding youths and girls of the Martial Arts Stage all looked at each other. They simply could not understand what Zhou Yuan was thinking about.


    "Since Your Highness wants to quickly lose face, then I won''t be polite." Being looked down upon by Zhou Yuan in such a way, Xu Lin''s heart was filled with rage, he let out a cold laugh, and fiercely stomped his foot on the ground, while his figure shot out like an arrow, his five fingers clenched into a fist, a fist aimed straight at Zhou Yuan.


    This punch of his brought with it a current of air and was full of power. Even if it was a rock, a crack would still appear on its surface.


    Seeing the incoming punch, Zhou Yuan did not dodge, but folded his arms in front of his body, and maintained a defensive posture.


    However, his attitude caused the people below to be unable to bear it. With Xu Lin''s physique that had broken through two meridians, this punch would probably break Zhou Yuan''s bones.


    Under the nervous gazes of many people, Xu Lin seemed like a fierce tiger leaving the mountain. His menacing punch landed heavily on Zhou Yuan''s arms without any restraint.


    Dong!


    A low and deep voice rang out, and then, everyone saw as expected, that Zhou Yuan''s feet had directly carved a few meters into the ground with a mark, before he was barely able to stabilize his body.


    "Ah!"


    A blood-curdling screech rang out.


    However, it was not released by Zhou Yuan, but by Xu Lin who had released a ferocious punch earlier.


    Everyone watched dumbstruck at the scene, Xu Lin held his fist, and continued to scream miserably, his entire fist was red, as though he had smashed onto fine steel.


    "You! What are you hiding in your sleeve?! Despicable! " Xu Lin was in so much pain that tears almost flowed out as she roared at Zhou Yuan.


    The surrounding people also looked at Zhou Yuan in astonishment. Could it be that Your Highness had some tricks up his sleeves?


    Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Zhou Yuan slowly lifted up his sleeves. Soon after, everyone saw that on his arms, there was actually a complex light pattern which emitted a faint black light. The light pattern spread out and eventually covered both of Zhou Yuan''s arms.


    "This ¡­"


    Many students stared at the complex light pattern in shock. In the end, someone suddenly cried out: "That is the Iron Skin Mark that the lecturer previously taught!"


    Everyone suddenly realized that it was the Origin Mark!


    Su Youwei''s tensed up heart was finally at ease at this moment as she heaved a sigh of relief and said in a displeased tone, "So it turns out that Your Highness is already able to inscribe Origin Mark onto his body."


    "You, you actually managed to inscribe a Origin Mark on your body?!" Xu Lin also recovered from his shock, looking at the black Origin Mark on Zhou Yuan''s arms, he asked in disbelief.


    Although he had already seen inscribing Iron Skin Mark in the church, it was only on the jade board. If he wanted to inscribe it on the body, then he would have to be proficient in the acupuncture points and even the meridian channels of the human body, in order to avoid being injured by the Origin Mark. Thus, inscribing the Origin Mark on the body was much more difficult than inscribing on the jade board.


    But just as they were unable to even inscribe the Origin Mark on the jade board, Zhou Yuan had already begun to learn how to use it ¡­ The gap between them was not small at all.


    "Do you really think that I''m powerless before opening my meridians?" Zhou Yuan laughed.


    Xu Lin''s face was ashen, as he felt a sense of anger from being played around with, and said coldly: "Do you really think that by relying on a Iron Skin Mark, you can win against me today?"


    "I''ll show you the difference between Open Meridian People and Close Meridian People!"


    "Open the meridian!"


    Following Xu Lin''s explosive shout, a faint light started to appear around his body, the dust under his feet was swept up, and all the Origin Qi in the world started to follow his breath and enter his body.


    Swoosh.


    At this moment, the clothes all over his body started to flutter.


    On the surface of his skin, there was a faint glow. Everyone could feel that Xu Lin''s aura had explosively increased at this moment.


    The expressions of many students slightly changed. At this time, Xu Lin''s body already had Origin Qi flowing through it, and when the Origin Qi flowed through his veins, it would undoubtedly cause Xu Lin''s strength and speed to increase exponentially.


    Amidst the serious gazes of the students, Zhou Yuan also stared at Xu Lin, and muttered to himself: "Opening two meridians huh ¡­"


    "I let you attack me earlier, so this time, it''s my turn."


    The moment he said that, Zhou Yuan stepped on the ground and rushed towards Xu Lin.


    "Arrogant. The current you, your speed, strength, and physical fitness are not even a tenth of mine. You still dare to attack?" Seeing Zhou Yuan rushing over, Xu Lin immediately sneered.


    "Is that so?"


    The corner of Zhou Yuan''s mouth seemed to be smiling.


    In the next moment, a faint light suddenly appeared at the place where his feet were naked.


    Swish!


    Zhou Yuan''s body seemed to have become a lot lighter at this moment, his speed suddenly increased, and he rushed out like a cheetah.


    "That is ¡­" That''s a Light Body Mark! " Someone with sharp eyes saw the light pattern on Zhou Yuan''s bare feet, and immediately screamed.


    As they were shrieking, Zhou Yuan, who was already very close to them, suddenly jerked his shoulders, and a faint light began to radiate from under his clothes. Although they couldn''t see it clearly, everyone could clearly feel that Zhou Yuan''s fist, which he swung, was currently filled with a kind of unreasonable strength.


    "Bull Mark!" The scream came again.


    Iron Skin Mark, Light Body Mark, Bull Mark!


    At this time, even Su Youwei couldn''t help but cover her small mouth with her hands as her beautiful face was filled with incredulity. This was because in the span of a few breaths, Zhou Yuan had activated three Origin Mark s in succession.


    In other words, the three Origin Mark s that the instructor had taught him had already been completely mastered by Zhou Yuan and had even been used on him.


    Boom! *


    Under the stares from the crowd, the fist of Zhou Yuan, who was controlling three Origin Mark in succession, and his overbearing strength, landed heavily on his body in an incomparably violent manner in front of Xu Lin''s shocked eyes.


    Dong!


    Under the assistance of the three Origin Mark, regardless if it was speed, strength or physique, Zhou Yuan''s current strength was no longer inferior to Xu Lin''s. Therefore, the moment this fist fell, Xu Lin felt a huge force rush over, and after that, his body directly flew out, smashing heavily onto the ground outside the Martial Arts Stage.


    Outside of Martial Arts Stage, the bustling noise had turned silent at this time. Many of the youths and young girls were staring at Zhou Yuan who was on stage with expressions of disbelief.


    No one had expected that this would be the result of the exchange.


    On the Martial Arts Stage, Zhou Yuan slowly retracted his fist. The light pattern on his arm seemed to have exhausted all of its energy and quickly disappeared.


    He rubbed his wrist and then jumped down from the Martial Arts Stage. He extended his hand and took out a jade tablet from Xu Lin''s bosom.


    "If you can''t even beat someone who has yet to open his meridians, you''d better not embarrass yourself by taking the exam." Zhou Yuan smiled as he stared at Xu Lin.


    Hearing that, and feeling the ridiculing gazes from the crowd, Xu Lin''s heart stopped. He could not help but spurt out a mouthful of blood, and his vision darkened, and he immediately fainted.


    He knew that from tomorrow onwards, he would probably become a fresh joke in the mouths of all the students in Great Zhou Mansion.

 Chapter 5 Qi Yue and Liu Xi

    "Alright, the good show is over. Everyone disperse." Zhou Yuan tossed the jade medallion in his hand, then smiled towards the surrounding youths and girls who were spectating.


    Hearing that, everyone laughed and left, but before they left, they looked at Zhou Yuan with a bit of surprise, because everyone knew that Zhou Yuan had not been able to get his Meridian Opening, so many people thought that although he had a noble identity, he did not have any strength.


    However, this scene today had caused them to completely put that thought out of their minds.


    It was true that Zhou Yuan had not reached the Meridian Opening for the time being, but he had grasped another type of power, and that was Origin Mark s. With this power, even someone like Xu Lin, who had two opened meridians, was not his match.


    In this world, status and position were indeed a kind of power. However, the power that was most easily acknowledged by others was undoubtedly the power that one had worked hard to train in. This was because that kind of power would not change due to any change in status.


    "Well, don''t get lost again." Zhou Yuan threw the jade tablet to Su Youwei who was walking over. A gentle breeze blew and the academy uniform was put back in place, sketching out the girl''s exquisite and beautiful curves, causing one to have fanciful thoughts.


    Su Youwei bit her red lips in embarrassment. Her bright eyes stared at Zhou Yuan and asked: "Are you alright?"


    After all, the girl was cautious. She could see that Zhou Yuan''s hands seemed to be trembling slightly.


    "Hehe, I''ve been discovered by you." Zhou Yuan laughed, and then he raised his palm. On his fist, there was a hint of redness, which was the result of his previous ferocious punch.


    "Without the Meridian Opening, my physical fitness is still lacking." Zhou Yuan sighed, although he had borrowed the strength of Iron Skin Mark s, Light Body Mark s, and Bull Mark s to temporarily increase his skin''s hardness, power, and speed, the interior of his body was still too weak. That kind of rebound force, after entering his body slightly, made him feel uncomfortable.


    "According to what the instructor said, there are some Origin Mark that can strengthen their body for a short period of time. If you can learn it, you won''t be injured by the backlash." Su Youwei thought about it and said.


    Zhou Yuan nodded his head, and said: "The Origin Mark with that kind of effect, are all of good quality."


    However, right now, Zhou Yuan''s level was still at the entry level, so it could not even be considered a first class Origin Mark. Thus, those Origin Mark would not be able to learn it in a short period of time.


    "Then you have to work hard. Unless you can inscribe a first grade Origin Mark, it will be difficult to be in the top ten during the test in a month." Su Youwei bit her lips and said worriedly.


    If Zhou Yuan did not do well in the exam, it would attract some gossip and gossip.


    Zhou Yuan lightly rubbed his palms, and said: "Don''t worry, I know what I''m doing."


    He squinted his eyes. Right now, he could only place his hopes on the trip to the Ancestral Land in two days, which would be able to help him solve the problem of his eight meridians from showing up. Otherwise, maybe he could really put all of his effort into learning Origin Mark.


    However, he could only specialize in training Origin Mark in the future, which made him a little unwilling.


    Seeing that Zhou Yuan had sunk into silence, Su Youwei immediately changed the topic. Her eyes moved about as she said with a smile: "Your Highness, do you need me to apply some medicine for you?


    "Forget it. Such great luck with women, if others were to see it, they would probably lay their hands on me." Zhou Yuan joked, after all, in the Great Zhou Mansion, Su Youwei was quite popular.


    Hearing this, Su Youwei could only unhappily roll her eyes at him, and said. "Since you''re so cowardly, then I won''t bother with you. I still have to go to the Academy to organize the books."


    This was a casual job that she found, allowing her to earn some income. After all, her family situation wasn''t too good, and she had a grandfather. Thus, while maintaining her usual studies, she also found some random jobs in the Great Zhou Mansion.


    Hearing that, Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment, and said: "The exam is only a month away, time is a little tight, I think you should spend more time on the Meridian Opening, if there''s anything I can help you with, I ¡­"


    "Your Highness."


    Zhou Yuan''s voice was interrupted before he could even finish speaking. He looked at Su Youwei, and at this moment, the young girl was slightly pursing her red lips, as her eyes stared at him seriously. She said in a gentle but powerful voice, "You have already helped me a lot, and you brought me to this place that can change my fate. You said we were friends, right? "


    Zhou Yuan was startled, he looked at the young girl in front of him. The girl''s clear eyes seemed to hide a trace of undetectable persistence, which was the last bit of dignity she had in her heart.


    She knew that as long as she opened her mouth, Zhou Yuan would help her lay down all the conditions for her. But if she did, then her relationship with Zhou Yuan might even deteriorate a little.


    Zhou Yuan was the Your Highness of the Great Zhou Empire, her status was noble, but she was only a commoner. The difference in their statuses was too big, so it was easy for people to criticize them.


    She was not afraid of the criticism, but she did not want Zhou Yuan to look down on her.


    Therefore, when she entered the Great Zhou Mansion, she did her best to make herself independent. At the same time, she trained hard, changing the huge disparity between their statuses.


    As the fastest genius of the Meridian Opening since the creation of the Great Zhou Mansion, her talent was enough for anyone to start paying attention to her. Even Zhou Yuan, who was Zhou Yuan, knew her name.


    "Alright, alright."


    Facing the young girl''s stubborn and persistent gaze, Zhou Yuan finally retreated, and could only raise his hand in surrender, and laughed bitterly: "Then I don''t care."


    When Su Youwei heard this, her bright eyes curved slightly like a crescent moon, and at the same time, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief deep within her heart. She knew, if Zhou Yuan persisted, she probably wouldn''t be able to reject him.


    At least for now, she knew that in order to maintain her remaining self-esteem, Zhou Yuan would choose to give in. This made a glint of light to flash across her eyes, and her heart was filled with an unusual sense of gratitude.


    "Your Highness, don''t worry, I won''t delay my cultivation. I promise you, after the test, I will definitely be ranked at the top, and will enter the Jia Yuan Academy." Su Youwei smiled beautifully with confidence.


    Amongst the Great Zhou Mansion s, there were over a dozen branches, and of course the Jia Yuan Academy was the strongest.


    Zhou Yuan nodded. After thinking about it, he suddenly took out the piece of Gathering Origin Jade that he used to bet with Xu Lin from his bosom. Then, he pulled Su Youwei''s jade hand and placed it on her palm.


    "Don''t think too much of it, it''s not for you, it''s for lending to you. I still don''t have the Meridian Opening, so I don''t need it." Seeing that Su Youwei wanted to refuse, Zhou Yuan immediately said.


    Hearing Zhou Yuan''s words, Su Youwei could only swallow back the words that were in her mouth. Then, she hatefully cut a glance at him.


    "I''m leaving!" Su Youwei kept the Gathering Origin Jade and snorted, then brushed past Zhou Yuan.


    "How arrogant ¡­"


    Zhou Yuan looked at the girl''s graceful back as she left, and shook his head. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed something, raised his head, and looked towards a pavilion in the distance. There, he saw a white robed figure looking down at him from above, his eyes sharp like a blade.


    "Qi Yue." Zhou Yuan looked at the white clothed figure and his brows slightly twitched.


    That white robed figure was none other than the son of the Manor of King Qi, Qi Yue.


    Sensing Zhou Yuan''s gaze, a hint of smile surfaced on Qi Yue''s face. He then cupped his hands towards Zhou Yuan from afar.


    Zhou Yuan laughed coldly in his heart, but he still maintained his smile on the surface. Smiling and nodding his head, he turned and left.


    On the pavilion, Qi Yue looked at Zhou Yuan''s figure that was getting further and further away, and his face finally turned playful as he muttered to himself: "I never thought that this Your Highness, would actually unknowingly gain some attainments with the Origin Mark s ¡­."


    Behind Qi Yue, a beautiful figure walked out. It was a tall and slender young lady, who also looked pretty, but her lips were a little thin. She seemed to be a little mean, and compared to Su Youwei, she looked a little less delicate and beautiful.


    Her beautiful eyes looked in the direction that Zhou Yuan had left with disdain, and snorted coldly: "The Origin Mark is only a small path after all, and no matter how deep one''s attainments are, they are still unable to transform. Their lifespan is limited, and if one is careless, even ordinary people would be able to kill them."


    Her name was Liu Xi and her father was the Marquis of the Great Zhou, whom people called Marquis Liu. Naturally, she could be considered noble. There was some connection between her and Zhou Yuan.


    A few years ago, when Zhou Qing sensed that the Manor of King Qi had grown stronger, he wanted to balance it out, so he planned to place some weight on Marquis Liu. Hence, he had proposed the idea of marrying Zhou Yuan and Marquis Liu''s daughter, Liu Xi.


    Marquis Liu was a little hesitant when she heard Zhou Qing''s suggestion. After all, at that time, the Imperial Family of Great Zhou was weak and the only successor, Zhou Yuan, was unable to use the Meridian Opening, and coupled with the fact that Marquis Liu doted on him a lot, Marquis Liu decided to ask about the latter''s intentions. However, Liu Xi was an extremely proud and arrogant woman, and thought that Zhou Yuan was just a cripple, so she rejected him without hesitation.


    Seeing that, Marquis Liu used this as an excuse to reject Zhou Qing.


    Although this matter had already passed, seeing Zhou Yuan, the toad that she had once called a toad, Liu Xi naturally still had some misgivings.


    Hearing that, Qi Yue also smiled and nodded: "In this time''s mock exam, all of the students ranked near the top have already pledged their allegiance to me, if our His Highness Zhou Yuan thinks that he can rely on just this little bit of attainments in Origin Mark to make it, then we can only make him lose all face."


    Saying that, he paused for a moment, then squinted his eyes: "However, Su Youwei''s talent is indeed astonishing, and her future is limitless. If there is a chance, I must try my best to rope her in."


    Hearing Qi Yue''s words, a trace of displeasure flashed across Liu Xi''s face as she curled her lips and said, "It''s just a cheap girl with three opened meridians. If I can''t win her over, then I''ll just find an opportunity to cripple her."


    Liu Xi had an illustrious background and was considered quite talented. In the past, she was undoubtedly the most dazzling jewel in the Great Zhou Mansion, but ever since Su Youwei had appeared, many of her brilliance had been suppressed. This undoubtedly made her extremely displeased with Su Youwei, who was just a commoner.


    Qi Yue could naturally hear the displeasure in the young lady''s voice towards Su Youwei, and immediately laughed, but did not speak further, and only stared at the distant Zhou Yuan''s disappearing figure.


    "Looks like this Zhou Yuan doesn''t have any confidence in himself anymore, so he wants to support a genius and rely on him ¡­"


    "Zhou Yuan, oh Zhou Yuan, this Zhou Family Holy Dragon of yours has really become a crippled dragon."


    "In that case, your Zhou Family is finished."

 Chapter 6 The Ancestral Grounds Shrine

    When the sun rose, the warm morning light shone on the Great Zhou City, shining resplendently.


    Great Zhou Palace.


    When Zhou Yuan, who had not slept for the entire night, rushed to the palace gate, there were already many people standing there. Thousands of imperial guards were dressed in heavy armor.


    Zhou Qing sat on top of a fire red stallion and smiled at Zhou Yuan who was rushing over: "Are you ready?"


    Today was exactly the day of the Great Zhou''s Ancestor Sacrifice.


    Zhou Yuan vigorously nodded his head, a thick sense of hope in his eyes. He knew that whether or not the eight meridians in his body could reappear and start his Meridian Opening cultivation, would all depend on today.


    A guard brought a fire red steed over. The horse''s tail was burning with flames, but its head was actually a ferocious lion head.


    This was a Fire Lion Horse, a first grade Origin Beast with a long history of endurance that allowed it to travel a thousand miles without stopping.


    The originally irritable Fire Lion Horse had long been tamed, so when Zhou Yuan climbed up, the Fire Lion Horse only shook its tail a little and then became quiet.


    "Royal Father, let''s go." Zhou Yuan pulled the reins of the horse, and the youth''s pitch black eyes seemed to burn as he spoke.


    Zhou Qing smiled and nodded, then waved his hand.


    Woo!


    A horn sounded out, and immediately after, over a thousand heavy armored warriors turned into a torrent, protecting Zhou Qing and Zhou Yuan within it. With a rumbling sound, they charged out of the palace, through the streets of the city, and headed out of the city.


    ...


    The location of the Imperial Family of Great Zhou''s Ancestor Sacrifice was exactly where the Imperial Grave was. The Imperial Grave was several hundred kilometers away from the Great Zhou City, but with their speed, they would arrive in four hours.


    Beneath a towering green mountain, Zhou Qing and Zhou Yuan dismounted, and the imperial guards spread out to guard the various tunnels, even if they were birds, if they tried to get close, they would be killed.


    "This is where our Imperial Grave is located."


    Zhou Qing pointed to the towering green mountain in front of him and after a moment of silence, he slowly said: "Back then, our Zhou Family started from here and finally formed a Great Zhou Empire. I just did not expect that the hard work of our ancestors would be restored to its original form in my hands."


    Looking at Zhou Qing''s gloomy face, Zhou Yuan said softly: "Royal Father need not blame yourself, Wu Family did not plan for this intentionally, no one could have predicted this after hundreds of years of scheming, thus, it was not Royal Father''s fault."


    Zhou Qing laughed bitterly, and did not speak anymore. He only took a step forward and walked towards the stone stairs that were made of bluestone: "Follow me."


    Zhou Yuan nodded and quickly followed.


    The stone staircase led to the top of the mountain. There were 999 stairs that reached into the clouds.


    The two of them slowly ascended the mountain with solemn expressions. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the mountain peak. On the mountain peak, there was a black ancestral hall.


    In front of the ancestral hall, Zhou Yuan turned his head and looked down from this height. His eyes suddenly lit up slightly, and on the ground, three mountain ranges towered.


    The three mountain ranges snaked around like hidden dragons, protecting the green mountain beneath their feet. It was as if they were three dragons supporting a pearl, and a majestic aura arose involuntarily.


    "What a strong aura." Zhou Yuan sighed in admiration. Their Zhou Family''s ancestral land must have had a good time, no wonder it was able to establish a dynasty.


    "There are fortune between heaven and earth, and Feng Shui this place is considered one point. The reason my Zhou Family was able to increase his momentum was all thanks to Feng Shui this ancestral land." Zhou Qing laughed.


    Zhou Yuan pursed his lips and said: "The Feng Shui of the Earth Meridian is one point, but it is still the hard work of the previous generation. The Heaven''s Path Health Hero can''t rest easy, as long as it is diligent and strong, no matter how bad the cards are, there will be a chance for him to turn the situation around."


    "And if we allow ourselves to get what we want, no matter how good the cards are, we will be in danger of toppling."


    Although the young man''s voice was young and tender, the faint tenacity that was revealed caused Zhou Qing to have a whole new level of respect for him, and the smile on his face made him feel gratified.


    "Looks like the experiences over the years might not all be bad."


    Zhou Qing touched Zhou Yuan''s head, and then walked into the Ancestral Temple. Zhou Yuan followed, and saw that inside the hall, there were many spirit tablets, and they were all filled with fire and incense, and those were all the ancestors of the Imperial Family of Great Zhou. Under Zhou Qing''s lead, Zhou Yuan bowed towards each and every spirit tablet.


    In the end, Zhou Qing''s footsteps stopped in front of a spirit tablet at the deepest part of the building. This was their Imperial Family of Great Zhou''s first founding emperor, so after Zhou Qing respectfully paid his respects, he extended his palm and lightly turned the spirit tablet.


    BOOM!


    As the spirit tablet spun, a low and deep sound suddenly came out. Then, Zhou Yuan was surprised to see that on the stone wall behind the spirit tablet, a thick and hidden stone door had actually slowly cracked open.


    Within the stone door, it was slightly dark and deep, appearing mysterious.


    Zhou Qing looked behind the stone door, his expression complex, and said: "Whether you can open your meridian and cultivate or not will depend on this place."


    No matter how young or old he was, in the end, he was still a youth. In the face of such a huge matter, which concerned whether or not he could cultivate the Meridian Opening, he was still unable to maintain his absolute calm.


    Zhou Qing glanced at Zhou Yuan, and then, walked through the stone door. Behind the stone door, was a long, stone wall corridor, which was burning with lanterns, bringing about a dim light.


    The two of them did not make a sound. Only the faint sound of footsteps could be heard in the entire corridor.


    After walking for around 10 minutes, Zhou Qing and Zhou Yuan stopped in their tracks, because they had reached the end of the corridor, what appeared in front of them was a wide ancient cave.


    At the end of the cave stood a stone platform.


    Zhou Qing immediately walked to the front of the stone platform. Only now did Zhou Yuan realize that the ground of the stone platform was actually engraved with many ancient Origin Mark s, and these Origin Mark s had formed an unfathomable pattern.


    With Zhou Yuan''s current attainments in Origin Mark, he was simply unable to differentiate what grade these Origin Mark were. He could only vaguely picture it in his mind, and immediately felt that the Divine Soul had expended a lot of energy.


    "Royal Father..." Zhou Yuan looked at Zhou Qing. Could it be that if he were to stay here, he could solve the problem that his eight meridians did not manifest?


    Zhou Qing looked at the ancient Origin Mark s on the stone platform, his expression becoming more solemn, he said: "In our Zhou Family, there has always been a Secret Message mouth, that Secret Message said, in this secret room, there is a hidden great opportunity, it can truly help our Zhou Family flourish for generations."


    "And the key to this great opportunity is the bloodline of the inheritors of my Zhou Family. However, even though generations of emperors from our Zhou Family have come here in an attempt to open it with their bloodline, in the end, they all failed without exception."


    As he said till here, he looked at Zhou Yuan and said: "So I brought you here to see if you can open this great opportunity. If you succeed, I believe it shouldn''t be difficult for you to solve the problem that you have hidden in your eight meridians."


    "Oh?"


    Zhou Yuan looked at the ancient stone platform in front of him and was surprised. Obviously, he did not expect that in their Zhou Family, there would be such a Secret Message.


    "Go." Zhou Qing patted Zhou Yuan''s shoulder and said.


    Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, his heart was also pounding, but he mustered his courage and walked up the stone platform, then sat cross-legged in the midst of the ancient and mysterious Origin Mark s.


    He took out a sharp knife and gritted his teeth as he slashed it across his wrist. Immediately, fresh blood flowed out from the wound on the Origin Mark.


    In just a few breaths, the Origin Mark s on the stage turned into a bright red color.


    Outside the stone platform, Zhou Qing watched the scene unfold, and could not help but clench his fists, his eyes filled with anxiousness.


    Sensing the flow of fresh blood, Zhou Yuan''s young and tender face, which seemed somewhat weak in the first place, instantly became even paler.


    "Is this my last chance ¡­"


    Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth as he endured the dizziness that came to his mind. At that moment, the scene of his mother vomiting blood once again appeared in front of him, causing him to feel pain in his heart.


    "For me, the Queen Mother''s vitality was greatly damaged, and her lifespan was ruined!"


    "For me, Royal Father lost an arm to the King Wu!"


    "My own fortune have been seized, holy dragon. The root has been broken, and the poison gas is devouring it! "


    "My Great Zhou is troubled both internally and externally, and is in danger of being overturned at any time!"


    "So, I want to change everything. I want to help mother recover her lifespan, help Royal Father recover her ambition, so that my citizens won''t have to be afraid anymore, and I can take back everything I lost!"


    "..." This great opportunity, I, Zhou Yuan, am doomed! "


    A roar suddenly resounded in his heart, and in that instant, Zhou Yuan''s body seemed to tremble violently. Faintly, an angry and unwilling dragon roar sounded out from the deepest part of his body.


    Buzz! Buzz!


    It was also at this moment, on the stone platform, the ancient Origin Mark that was covered in fresh blood actually erupted with a bright light. The light converged over, and like mercury, it quickly enveloped Zhou Yuan.


    The sudden change caused Zhou Qing, who was outside the stage, to be shocked as well. He hurriedly looked towards Zhou Yuan, and then, he was shocked to see that when the light gathered, Zhou Yuan, who was seated cross-legged, had actually disappeared without a trace at this moment ¡­

 Chapter 7 A Mysterious Place

    Intense light filled his eyes, following that was an unreasonable tearing force, causing Zhou Yuan to feel dizzy, as though he had fallen into a whirlpool.


    Fortunately, this feeling did not last long. Zhou Yuan felt a huge force rush towards him, and immediately after, his body was flung into the air.


    Boom! *


    Zhou Yuan''s body heavily crashed into the ground and he took a bite of the mud. But he was still quite vigilant, so when he landed, he ignored the pain on his body and quickly rolled to the side to avoid the attack.


    At the same time, the Iron Skin Mark that was already drawn on Zhou Yuan''s arm also flickered with a faint light, and could be activated at any time.


    But fortunately, his guess of a sudden attack did not appear. Only then did Zhou Yuan''s tensed body gradually relax, and it was only at this time that he had the time to pay attention to the changes that were occurring in his surroundings.


    "This is ¡­?"


    Zhou Yuan looked around with wide eyes. The original cave had long since disappeared, and what replaced it was a quiet and ancient forest. Giant trees that reached the sky stood upright, and their lush branches and lush leaves covered the sky.


    Beside him, there was a clear stream flowing. The sound of water flowing was clear and melodious. It was a peaceful scene.


    "What is this place?" Zhou Yuan was bewildered and doubtful, he was confused, but he remembered that a moment ago, he was still in the secret cave in the ancestral hall, so how could he have arrived in such a strange place in the blink of an eye?


    "Weird." Zhou Yuan frowned, he looked around, could it be, the so called great fortuitous opportunity, was actually here?


    "But there''s no one here at all ¡­" Zhou Yuan muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping around, and in the next moment, his pupils suddenly shrank, the expression on his face froze, as if he had seen a ghost.


    This was because at this moment, he had just noticed that a beautiful figure had unknowingly appeared under a large tree in front of him.


    Looking carefully, it was a girl dressed in green. She was slender and had her back against a tree trunk. A pair of bright eyes quietly stared at him.


    When Zhou Yuan''s gaze met hers, he felt his scalp go numb for some reason.


    However, Zhou Yuan''s mental fortitude was not bad, and he quickly calmed himself down. A smile appeared on his young face, and he worked hard to make himself look harmless. Then, he cupped his hands and asked: "Little big sister, where is this place? I am Zhou Yuan, and unintentionally barged in, if there is any offense, please do not be offended. "


    The young girl in front of him looked about the same age as him. However, it was always right to be a bit more sweet at a time like this.


    However, the mysterious girl dressed in cyan didn''t pay too much attention to Zhou Yuan''s reverence. Her slender jade-like hands stroked a strand of hair on her forehead, and then she started walking towards Zhou Yuan with her long legs.


    As she walked out of the forest, sunlight shone down on her body. As she got closer, Zhou Yuan was finally able to take a good look at her.


    The young lady had snow-like skin. Her black hair was light, and her simple green clothes outlined her graceful curves. She also had exquisite facial features, especially those bright eyes. Those eyes seemed to contain some kind of mystery, making them seem ethereal and profound.


    At this time, the young girl was stepping on fine pieces of sunlight, and behind her was the gigantic ancient tree. The gentle wind blew past, and lifted her bangs, and in her fair forehead, an extremely ancient picture faintly appeared, revealing an indescribable mysteriousness.


    "Big sis ¡­" Zhou Yuan revealed a smile. Even though the scene in front of him was very beautiful, he still maintained his vigilance because regardless if it was this unfamiliar environment or the mysterious girl in front of him, both of them exceeded his knowledge.


    "Big sister?" Hearing Zhou Yuan''s way of addressing her, the corner of the azure-dressed girl''s lips curled up slightly, as if she found it a little interesting.


    She curiously sized up Zhou Yuan, and then muttered: "Grandpa Black is right, there really is someone who would come to this place today ¡­"


    "What?" Zhou Yuan didn''t hear clearly.


    However, the green-clothed young lady ignored him. She turned around and headed towards the ancient forest. As she passed by the large tree, she shouted out.


    "Tuntun, go home."


    Hearing the green-clothed girl''s words, Zhou Yuan immediately saw a greyish little beast lying under the tree. The little beast was like a puppy, appearing quite inconspicuous.


    "Is it a puppy pet?" Zhou Yuan muttered.


    As if it had heard Zhou Yuan''s mutterings, the little beast was immediately enraged and roared at Zhou Yuan. However, because its body was too small, its roar was not as lethal as Zhou Yuan''s, instead, it looked cute and adorable.


    As if it had detected that the roar had not intimidated Zhou Yuan, the little beast straightened its tail and jumped in front of a giant boulder. Then, it opened its mouth and fiercely bit down.


    Crack! Crack! Crack!


    As it chomped down, the boulder instantly shrunk at a shocking speed. In a few breaths, it completely disappeared, and all the tough rocks were also swallowed into the little beast''s stomach ¡­


    The expression on Zhou Yuan''s face froze once again, and then, he quietly took in a breath of cold air, his eyes staring aghast at this puppy like little beast. Just what is this thing? It actually swallowed such a huge rock in two or three bites?


    What a strong appetite!


    Zhou Yuan wiped off his cold sweat, no longer daring to look at this ordinary little beast. In the future, he would be able to easily swallow all of the stones in his mouth, let alone this small body.


    Seeing Zhou Yuan''s face filled with shock, the little beast called Tuntun shook its tail proudly. It then rolled its eyes at Zhou Yuan in an extremely human-like manner, and followed the green-clothed girl while wagging its tail.


    When the green-clad girl walked into the shadows of the trees, she slightly tilted her head and lightly raised her snow-white chin towards Zhou Yuan.


    "If you want to find a great opportunity for yourself, then follow me."


    After she finished speaking, she stepped into the forest. Her beautiful figure was faintly discernible in the shadows of the forest.


    Zhou Yuan looked at the girl in green and the small beast in the distance, and started to ponder. Everything here seemed extremely mysterious, making him unable to understand it, but he was obviously unable to understand, why would they come to this strange place through the stone platform in their clan''s secret cave?


    However, since he was already here, there was no way out. He had no intention of returning empty-handed.


    Whoosh.


    Zhou Yuan took a deep breath. Then, without further hesitation, he strode forward and quickly followed the young girl and the little beast in front of him ¡­


    The man, woman and beast walked in the ancient forest, the lush greenery covered with greenery, and occasionally, the roars of beasts filled with a fiendish aura sounded out from afar, but every time this happened, Tuntun, who was jogging along beside the girl in green, would also let out a roar. Although it was not loud, the entire forest seemed to have quietened down, as though it was afraid of the small beast''s might.


    This made Zhou Yuan unable to resist taking a glance at that mysterious little beast. This little thing that looked like a small greyhound seemed to be quite extraordinary.


    The azure-dressed girl clearly did not have any intentions of talking to Zhou Yuan, so Zhou Yuan could only maintain his silence and follow closely behind.


    Moving forward like this, approximately half an hour later, Zhou Yuan finally sensed that the azure-dressed girl had stopped.


    "We''re here."


    Zhou Yuan''s heart also trembled slightly as he raised his head. His gaze penetrated the lush greenery and saw that an empty space had appeared in the middle of the forest. Above the empty space, a thatched cottage was quietly standing erect.


    The two fences surrounded the thatched cottage, and Zhou Yuan''s gaze finally stopped at the thatched cottage. There was a deck chair there, and at this moment, an old man dressed in black was peacefully lying down, gently swaying on it.


    As if he had sensed Zhou Yuan''s gaze, the old man opened his eyes and looked at Zhou Yuan.


    Looking at the old man''s eyes, Zhou Yuan''s heart skipped a beat, because those eyes seemed to be filled with an indescribable vicissitudes of life, as though they had experienced many years.


    At the same time, Zhou Yuan could also feel a deep sense of decay and decay enveloping the old man''s body.


    However, the moment their eyes met, Zhou Yuan also felt as if he was being seen through. It was as if at this moment, all of his secrets were being exposed in the eyes of this black clad old man.


    "Hehe, as expected, someone has come ¡­" And it''s even a little fellow who has Holy Dragon Fortune. " The black clad old man slowly retracted his gaze, and his hoarse voice sounded, sounding like thunder in Zhou Yuan''s ears.


    "But too bad, the Holy Dragon Fortune was stolen and the Holy Dragon Root was damaged. Oh, is that a Dragon''s Venom?"


    "Miserable, truly miserable ¡­"

 Chapter 8 Searching for the Eight Meridian Channels

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 Chapter 9 Emergence of the Eight Meridian Channels

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 Chapter 10 Tutelage of Destiny

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 Chapter 11 King Qi鈥檚 Appetite

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 Chapter 12 Genesis Food

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 Chapter 13 Unblocking the Meridian Channels

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 Chapter 14 Spiri

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 Chapter 15 Primal Chaos Divine Grindstone Visualisation Method

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 Chapter 16 Digging at a Corner of the Wall

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 Chapter 17 Lin Feng

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 Chapter 18 Culture and Martial

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 Chapter 19 Channel Opening

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 Chapter 20 Genesis Technique

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 Chapter 21 Dragon Step, Dragon Tablet Hand

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 Chapter 22 Advent of the Newcomer Exam

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 Chapter 23 First Sign of the Excellence

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 Chapter 24 Show of Migh

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 Chapter 25 Battling Lin Feng

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 Chapter 26 Rise

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