The brightly lit inner palace was a dazzling yet imposing sight. Green smoke rose in spirals from the green rock that burned within each oil lamp, and weaved about in the palace.

The green rocks were blue sandalwood. They gave off a rare fragrance when burnt that had a meditative effect and was one of the necessities for cultivation. However, such items were not cheap. Hence, their usage as fuel was enough to show the status of the palace’s owner.

A middle-aged man stood within the inner palace with his hand behind his back. Unwavering determination decorated his face, and his eyes contained a dignified aura, evidence that he had occupied a high ranking position for a long time. A faint aura appeared to rise behind him, which seemed to fluctuate between fire and lightning as it emitted muffled rumbling sounds.

However, if one looked towards his right arm, one would find that there was nothing there. His right arm had been severed.

At this man’s side was a beautiful woman in palace garments. Her lovely body was slim, and her features were natural and pretty. However, her face appeared exceptionally pale and sickly.

At this current time, the man and woman, whom were clearly of substantial status, had a sliver of worry on their faces, as they looked at the thirteen year old youngster seated on a bed in front of them. The youngster’s body was rather frail and his eyes were tightly shut. However, a tendril of blood Qi circled on a face that should have been brimming with youthful energy.

While the strange blood Qi roamed beneath his skin, the bitter and resentful howl of a dragon faintly echoed.

As the dragon howl resounded, the veins on the youngster’s forehead squirmed, while his body shook continuously. His face twisted as if he was bearing an indescribable pain.

By the youngster’s side was a white haired old man holding a copper mirror in his hand. Soft light shined from the copper mirror onto the youngster’s body. Under this light, the strange blood Qi on the youngster’s face gradually began to calm down.

The blood Qi persisted for a single incense stick of time before finally retreating. In the end, it withdrew into the youngster’s palm.

The white haired old man immediately breathed a sigh of relief as if he had been relieved of a great burden. Subsequently, he turned around and bowed to the worriedly waiting middle-aged man and beautiful woman in palace garments.

“Congratulations your majesties,” he said. “His highness has at long last passed this triennial ordeal. There should be no problems in the following three years.”

Joy was revealed on the faces of the middle-aged man and woman in palace garments when they heard this, and their tightly clenched fists gradually loosened.

The dignified man in bright yellow robes looked at the white haired elder in an expectant manner and asked, “Master Qin, Yuan’er is already thirteen this year. Youngsters at this age usually have eight meridian channels, and can start their cultivation. What about Yuan’er?”

Upon hearing this question, the white haired elder’s expression immediately dimmed somewhat, before he lightly shook his head and replied, “Your majesty, I was still unable to find the eight meridian channels in his highness’ body this time…”

The dignified man’s expression similarly dimmed when he heard this.

In this world, the Dao of cultivation started within one’s body. The body possessed countless meridian channels, and most important amongst them were the eight great channels. With the exception of some unique circumstances, an ordinary person’s eight channels would gradually form when they were about thirteen years of age. It was at this time that these eight channels needed to be found. Only by finding the eight channels would one be able to start cultivating; by taking in the Genesis energy of the land, and opening the eight channels.

This was the Channel Opening stage, and was where all cultivation began.

Through this, cultivators were able to take in the Genesis energy of the land, and completely transform themselves. Hence, they were known as Genesis Masters.

Master Qin gazed at the disappointment on the middle-aged man’s face, and could not help but softly sigh, “His highness was originally born with the sacred dragon blessing. He would have stunned the world and looked down upon the heavens. Who could have foreseen that such a calamity would occur…”

The middle-aged man’s fists clenched tightly, while the beautiful lady’s eyes reddened. She covered her mouth and violently coughed twice.

“My queen, please take care of yourself,” Master Qin hastily said upon seeing this. “You have lost a great amount of essence blood from nourishing his highness. You cannot allow your emotions to run wild.”

However, the beautiful lady in palace garments merely waved her hand. Sorrow surfaced in her eyes, as she looked at the youngster seated on the bed, “The poison in Yuan’er’s body erupts once every three years. Each outbreak is more serious than the last. He can only rely on himself to eradicate the poison, yet his eight meridian channels have yet to appear. What is to be done three years from now?”

Master Qin was silent for some time, before he slowly replied, “After three years, external suppression will lose its effect, and if this situation persists, I’m afraid that his highness’ hopes are bleak.”

The moment these words were said, silence blanketed the inner palace. The middle-aged man’s fists tightly clenched, as his body faintly shook, while sobbing noises were emitted through the covered mouth of the lady in palace garments.

A rather young yet calm voice suddenly emerged within this silence.

“Does that mean… I only have three years left?”

The three people in the palace were stunned upon hearing this. They quickly looked up, only to find that the youngster on the bed had opened his eyes at some unknown time, and was now staring at them.

The three exchanged a look. It was evident that none of them had expected the youngster to awaken so quickly. In the past, he had remained unconscious for two or three days before slowly awakening.

“Yuan’er…”

The name of this youngster, who had been called Yuan’er, was Zhou Yuan, and the middle-aged man and lady before his eyes were the king and queen of the Great Zhou Empire, Zhou Qing and Qin Yu.

Zhou Yuan’s young face was rather pale, as he pursed his lips. Perhaps because his body had been frail since young, he could only read books, and thus looked rather scholarly. After being silent for a moment, he slowly extended his hand.

A dark blood-red lump could be seen at the center of his palm, which seemed to be embedded in the deepest part of his flesh. It slowly wiggled and squirmed, looking just like a threatening blood dragon. A faint yet extremely bitter and resentful aura seemed to rise from within it, causing one to shiver although it was not cold.

“Father, Mother… I believe it is time to tell me exactly what is happening to me, right?”

Zhou Yuan involuntarily gritted his teeth, as he stared at the tiny blood-dragon-like-thing on his palm. It was this very thing that made him feel what could be called pain beyond death.

Every three years, this thing would begin to act up. It brought with it an endless pain, that felt as if it was devouring the flesh on his body inch by inch.

When they heard Zhou Yuan’s words, Zhou Qing and Qin Yu’s faces lost a substantial amount of color. Zhou Qing in particular, tightly clenched his fists, as extreme remorse and self-blame surfaced on his face.

This silence lasted for a long time. Even the atmosphere seemed to grow rather heavy, before Zhou Qing finally inhaled deeply, and said in a hoarse voice, “That is the Dragon’s Resentment Poison.”

“Dragon’s Resentment Poison?” Zhou Yuan’s eyebrows were tightly knitted together, failing to comprehend.

Zhou Qing’s hand trembled somewhat as he tousled Zhou Yuan’s hair and continued, “It is time for you to know of these matters. Yuan’er, you should know that you are the sacred dragon of our Zhou Clan!”

Zhou Yuan could not help but let out a bitter laugh. Was there really such a miserable sacred dragon? Even the eight channels in his body could not be found.

Zhou Qing sat down at Zhou Yuan’s side. His voice was low as he spoke, “Yuan’er, the current Great Zhou Empire can perhaps only be considered a small and unimportant country, but what you do not know, is that fifteen years ago, Great Zhou was a powerful nation. Every country came to pay homage to us, and our might was overwhelming to all.”

Shock surfaced on Zhou Yuan’s small face. Amongst the numerous empires that dotted this boundless continent, Great Zhou Empire was really not very noteworthy at all. How could he ever imagine that it possessed such status in the past?

“Do you know of the Great Wu Empire?” Zhou Qing slowly spoke each word of this name, as if he intended to carve it into his heart.

“The Great Wu Empire?” Zhou Yuan nodded. The Great Wu Empire was one of the top level empires of this vast continent. It was a flourishing nation that contained countless Genesis Masters. In comparison, Great Zhou was akin to a dwarf before a giant.

Zhou Qing’s eyes were dyed red bit by bit at this moment. Deep hatred was revealed within them, “Then do you know that fifteen years ago, the current royal family of Great Wu was merely one of the subjects of the Great Zhou Empire?”

A sliver of astonishment finally appeared in Zhou Yuan’s eyes. The Great Wu royal family was once a subject of Great Zhou? Was Great Zhou actually so powerful fifteen years ago?

“Then… then how did things turn out like this?” Zhou Yuan could not help but inquire.

“When Great Zhou was established several hundred years ago, the Wu clan followed at our side, as we waged war all over. They were loyal and devoted vassals. Later on, Great Zhou established a country, and in recognition of their service, we conferred upon the Wu clan the hereditary title of king Wu, allowing them to enjoy an endless amount of privilege and power. And so in the next hundred years, the Wu clan guarded the Great Zhou’s borders, intimidating anyone who saw them.”

Zhou Qing’s body faintly shook, as veins of blood climbed out in his eyes, “However, who could have expected that the Wu clan would suddenly rebel fifteen years ago? Only then did our Zhou royal clan realise that after hiding their strength and biding their time over the years, the Wu clan already possessed extremely great power, and even the numerous conferred kings had been enticed to their side.

“In the short period of less than a year, our Zhou clan was utterly defeated, and could only escape towards the south. We fled towards our Zhou clan’s ancestral land, which is also now the current Great Zhou’s territory.

“I do not know why the Wu clan rebelled, the status they enjoyed in Great Zhou was not the least bit less than the royal clan…

“It was only later, that a spy obtained some information from the Wu clan. A certain prophecy that had been passed down in the inner circle of the Wu clan for several hundred years…”

“A prophecy?” Zhou Yuan was slightly stunned.

Zhou Qing gritted his teeth, as he spat out each word, “Python and sparrow swallow the dragon, and the Great Wu will rise and flourish!”

“Python and sparrow swallow the dragon, and the Great Wu will rise and flourish?” Zhou Yuan softly repeated these words, but he failed to understand the meaning behind them. “What does it mean?”

Zhou Qing’s eyes turned scarlet red at this moment. Incomparable grief flooded his eyes as he stared at Zhou Yuan, “Back then, I too did not understand the exact meaning behind these words, until a certain day…”

“After Great Zhou was completely defeated, I led what was left of our people, and continuously retreated. The Wu clan tightly pursued us till we came to this Great Zhou City beneath our feet. However, the Wu clan merely surrounded us and did not attack, as if they were waiting for something.”

“What were they waiting for?” Zhou Yuan felt a sense of unease.

Zhou Qing stared at Zhou Yuan. From the expression on the former’s face, it was as if he was crying inside. The mixture of such despair and anger made Zhou Yuan’s heart tremble.

“They were waiting for you to be born.”

Zhou Qing’s words caused Zhou Yuan’s heart to shudder violently. He had been caught completely off guard.

By the side, Zhou Yuan’s mother, Qin Yu, was already covering her mouth. Sobs that had been suppressed to the limit were emitted.

“Do you know what it was like when you were born?” Zhou Qing gazed at Zhou Yuan with red eyes. “Yuan’er, the moment you were born, a mystical sign appeared in the heavens. Dragon Qi swirled around you, and a dragon roar shook the land. It was the sign of the sacred dragon.”

“Your eight meridian channels naturally opened at birth, allowing you to skip the Channel Opening stage, and reach the Qi nourishing level.”

“This is known as the legendary one-in-a-billion sacred dragon blessing, which bestows upon one the potential to reach the greater cultivation stages. As our Zhou clan’s unprecedented sacred dragon, you would have shined as brightly as the sun and moon, and have the longevity of the land!”

Zhou Qing’s voice was overflowing with emotion, while his entire body violently shook. One could imagine just how emotionally moved he had been when Zhou Yuan was born. The heavens had not forsaken the Zhou clan, and allowed them to welcome the birth of a sacred dragon during such a calamity.

Zhou Yuan’s eyes widened. It was clear that he was unable to believe that such a phenomenon had appeared when he was born.

“Then… then why…?” His hands trembled slightly, as he touched his body. Since his eight meridian channels were naturally open, why were they now unable to be found in his body?

Zhou Qing’s emotional voice came to an abrupt halt. The brilliance in his eyes seemed to vanish completely at this moment. There was only deep sadness within them, as he explained in a dejected manner, “Because the moment you were born, king Wu’s wife also gave birth to a son and daughter outside the city. Python Qi coiled around the baby boy, while spirit sparrow Qi was present around the baby girl’s head. Both were also blessed by destiny!”

“Moreover, according to the information we obtained, king Wu’s wife had been pregnant for a whole three years without giving birth, yet she suddenly gave birth that day…”

“I never understood why before, but it finally became clear at that moment. It is said that those born on the same year, month, and day may devour each other’s destiny. It turns out that the many years of plotting by the Wu clan was not simply targeted at Great Zhou, but at the dragon of our Zhou clan!”

Zhou Yuan’s mouth opened and closed. A chill swiftly spread from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. “It was a scheme!”

How could there be such a coincidence. It was obvious that this plot had been brewing for a hundred years, and was aimed at their Zhou clan… a grand scheme that was specifically aimed at him.

For this, they had even used all means to stop king Wu’s wife from giving birth for three years. It was all done in wait for him!

Zhou Qing nodded his head, and continued in a hoarse voice, “It was indeed a scheme. The Wu clan had patiently waited in Great Zhou for several hundred years. They had fought our battles for us, and gained our full trust. However, who could have expected that their centuary long wait was all for your arrival!?”

“That day, king Wu entered the city and threatened us with the lives of hundreds and millions of Great Zhou citizens. He wanted to seize your sacred dragon blessing in front of your mother and I…” At this point, tears of blood flowed out from Zhou Qing’s eyes.

By the side, Master Qin also wore an expression of sorrow, as he continued in a low voice, “That day, to protect your highness, his majesty fought king Wu on the Great Zhou mountain, but was no match for the latter, and one of his arms was severed. If that king Wu was not afraid that the others would destroy his highness’ sacred dragon blessing, it is likely that even his majesty would have died at the king Wu’s hands.”

“To smoothly seize his highness’ destiny, king Wu made an oath. Great Wu would not take even half a step into Great Zhou for the next hundred years.”

As that frightening scene once again surged out from the depths of her mind, Qin Yu could no longer restrain her emotions. She fell to her knees before Zhou Yuan, tightly hugging him, as she started to sob in a heart wrenching manner.

“Yuan’er! My pitiful son! Mother has let you down!”

The cruel memories from that day were once again bloodily torn open. She clearly recalled how the recently born Zhou Yuan was used as an array eye, and placed on the altar that king Wu had set up.

Joining him on the altar were king Wu’s recently born son and daughter.

However, one was being stolen from, while the other two were taking.

The stripping of fate was akin to peeling off one’s flesh. Such pain was unimaginable.

The Qin Yu at that time had been glowing with joy mere moments before. She could only helplessly watch her child bear an endless amount of pain, so much so, that even his young cries became hoarse.

Such despair and powerlessness had caused her to faint.

Urgh.

Due to this sudden surge of emotions, Qin Yu’s face instantly paled. A mouthful of fresh blood was involuntarily vomited, dyeing Zhou Yuan’s hair red.

“What’s wrong, mother?” Zhou Yuan was greatly alarmed. He hastily helped Qin Yu wipe the blood at the corner of her mouth.

Master Qin also rushed over from the side. Gentle energy spread from his palm, and poured into Qin Yu through the top of her head, helping her steady the Qi and blood in her body. He looked at the pale Qin Yu, before he sighed towards Zhou Yuan, “Your highness, please do not blame his majesty and her majesty for being unable to protect you. Back then, his majesty had given his all, and almost died in battle.”

“As for her majesty, after your destiny was stolen, she infused her own essence blood into your body. Subsequently, she gave you blood every year, allowing your highness to live till this day. However, her majesty had to pay an extremely huge price. Every time she gave her blood, her lifespan would be cut by three years. Over the past twelve years, her lifespan has already been shortened by thirty six years. This is an enormous blow to her health, and she now has less than ten years to live.”

“What?! What did you say?!”

It was as if a lightning bolt had struck Zhou Yuan when he heard this. Veins of blood crazily climbed out in his eyes. He had never reacted so strongly even previously when he heard that his destiny had been stolen. After all, these events had occurred when he was still too young. Hence, he did not have overly strong feelings towards the sacred dragon blessing. Even if it was seized, he would only feel somewhat shocked.

Although the fact that he had been the target of the Wu clan’s century long plot had caused huge waves of shock to rise in his heart, he was able to suppress them. However, when he found out that they had forced his beloved mother to deplete her life force, an uncontrollable killing intent rose within Zhou Yuan’s heart for the very first time.

Thus, when Zhou Yuan heard Master Qin’s words, he could no longer control his emotions. The blood in his body frantically rushed towards his head, causing his face to turn blood red. That delicate and immature face now appeared rather sinister.

“Wu clan, you dare to cause harm to my mother! You truly deserve to die!”

Zhou Yuan’s eyes were blood red. Overflowing rage and killing intent surged in his heart, while his entire body shook.

Zhou Qing carried Qin Yu, and leaned her against a jade couch. His hair seemed to be a little whiter, and his dignified aura had practically vanished as he numbly said, “It has been said that since the Wu clan’s foundations were weak, sufficient destiny is needed for them to establish a country, allow their line to continue, and awe everyone with their power. With regards to all this, your sacred dragon blessing was the ideal.”

“King Wu seized your destiny, and granted it to his son and daughter. Henceforth, Great Wu was protected by the dragon and phoenix, allowing their country to prosper. The flourishing Great Wu Empire owes everything to your stolen destiny.”

“Meanwhile, forcibly taking away your sacred dragon blessing naturally gave rise to intense resentment. That king Wu purposely sealed this resentment in your body, thus creating the Dragon’s Resentment Poison. It continuously strengthens itself by devouring your essence blood until a certain day where it will finally mature. Then, it will erupt and completely devour your life force.”

“Meanwhile, your sacred dragon root was damaged, causing your naturally formed eight meridian channels to disappear. Till now, your eight meridian channels have yet to show themselves, making your journey of cultivation extremely difficult…”

Zhou Qing’s tone was rather bleak, and contained an endless feeling of powerlessness. It was difficult to imagine how much despair that day had been to their Zhou clan.

On that day, the python and sparrow cried outside the city. Multi-colored lights had exploded, while they seized the opportunity to transform.

On that day, the sacred dragon wailed inside the city, turning into green smoke that rose in spirals, before fading away.

This was the python and sparrow swallowing the dragon.

Silence covered the inner palace. The atmosphere was so stifling that it made one unable to breath.

Zhou Yuan gazed at Zhou Qing, who was seated beside him. The latter’s usually imposing face was listless and filled with powerlessness at this moment. It was obvious that the events from back then had been a huge blow to him.

His son’s destiny had been stolen by his enemy right in front of him, destroying the former’s foundations, and he had been completely powerless. It was possible to imagine what kind of humiliation that had been for any father.

Zhou Yuan bit into his lips. He understood Zhou Qing’s character. If it was not for the sake of protecting the hundreds and millions Great Zhou subjects, it was likely that he would have chosen to go down together with king Wu.

“So that is why my eight meridian channels have never appeared, making it difficult for me to start cultivating. This king Wu’s methods are truly vicious.” Zhou Yuan gazed at the slowly squirming bundle of dark red on his palm with anger in his eyes.

Taking his destiny and destroying the roots of his sacred dragon had not been enough. This king Wu even intended to completely eliminate him by slowly forcing him to his death through the Dragon’s Resentment Poison.

What infuriated Zhou Yuan the most, was that his queen-mother had suffered greatly because of this, and she now had less than ten years to live.

With a deep breath, Zhou Yuan slowly pushed down the surging rage in his heart. It felt as if his heart had been cut open by a blade when he looked towards the pale face of the sleeping Qin Yu by the side, and asked, “Father, what can be done for mother? Her remaining life span…”

Zhou Qing was silent for a while before he slowly replied, “In this world exists mystical treasures that can extend one’s life. If we can obtain such an item, we will be able to prolong your queen mother’s life, however…”

When he reached this point, Zhou Qing bitterly smiled, before continuing, “Such mystical treasures are extremely rare. I once used the humongous manpower of Great Zhou to search, but we were still unable to find any.”

“Great Zhou is after all nothing compared to back then. Now, we can only hole up here. We barely have the power to defend ourselves.”

Zhou Yuan’s hand tightly clenched. At this moment, he finally understood the advantages of having power. If he had power, he would be able to search, even the most dangerous forbidden grounds, for those mystical treasures that could extend one’s life span.

However, the seemingly never showing eight meridian channels of his body made it such that he did not even have the power to protect himself.

Zhou Yuan gritted his teeth, and spoke in a low voice, “Father, am I truly unable to become a Genesis Master?”

His mother had lost her essence blood for his sake, reducing her lifespan. As her son, how could he possibly sit back and watch? Moreover… it might have been fine if he did not know of everything the Wu clan had done to Great Zhou and himself, but since he now knew, such a debt would not be written off so easily.

But all of this could only be established if he possessed sufficient power.

And in this world, the group of people with the greatest power were naturally Genesis Masters!

Upon hearing Zhou Yuan’s words, Zhou Qing’s deeply frowned, as if he was thinking about something. A long while later, he finally replied in a soft voice, “Are you truly unwilling to give up?”

Zhou Yuan lightly nodded. Although he had his fill of suffering and torture over the years, it had also led him to possess a maturity and determination that transcended those at his age.

He knew that ever since the Wu clan rebelled and stole his destiny, there was already no way for both of them to coexist.

The fact that Great Zhou was still alive today was all due to the vow that king Wu had made back then. Once the hundred year vow was over, it was easy to imagine how the Wu Empire would be the first to massacre Great Zhou, preventing any future potential troubles.

Hence, to change such an outcome, he needed to possess enough strength.

Zhou Qing was rather gratified by the determination Zhou Yuan had shown. After being silent for some time, he roughly patted Zhou Yuan’s shoulder. “Good! Unwilling to easily give up. As expected of my son! Since you are willing, father will naturally do all he can to help you!”

Upon hearing these words from Zhou Qing, Zhou Yuan’s eyes instantly brightened, pleasantly surprised as he said, “Father has an idea?”

Zhou Yuan nodded. Soon after, he bitterly smiled and said, “You shouldn’t celebrate too early, because even I am not certain if this method will work.”

“What method is it?” The liveliness of a youngster was finally seen from Zhou Yuan’s impatient appearance.

“The ancestral offering ceremony is three days later. This time, you will follow me to the ancestral grounds.”

Zhou Qing merely chuckled and did not explain in detail. Soon after, he paused before continuing, “However I have one condition for you.”

“What condition?” Zhou Yuan was stunned and he curiously asked.

Zhou Qing sternly said, “Regardless of whether you are able to unlock your meridian channels, you cannot give up on studying Genesis runes. You must know that if your eight meridian channels are not unlocked, Genesis rune cultivation will be the final path you can take. If you are able to ascend to the peak of Genesis rune cultivation, it may be possible to suppress the Dragon’s Resentment Poison in your body.”

Genesis Masters were the most prevalent power in this world, however, it was not the only path. There were many different styles and paths, and the path of Genesis runes was the most broad and deep amongst them.

During the time where Zhou Yuan’s eight meridian channels had yet to appear, under Zhou Qing’s instruction, Zhou Yuan studied the Dao of Genesis runes. As the saying went, having more skills will not burden oneself. In fact, many Genesis Masters would also have some basic understand of Genesis runes.

Zhou Yuan lightly nodded his head upon hearing this. Truth be told, he understood the underlying meaning behind Zhou Qing’s words. He was worried that Zhou Yuan would abandon himself to despair if his eight meridian channels still did not appear, denying him from becoming a Genesis Master, and in the end give up on that final path.

Zhou Qing nodded, as a happy smile formed on his face.

“Rest for today. You still have to go to the Great Zhou Institute to study. I will bring you to the ancestral grounds three days later.”

“Okay!” The youngster’s voice was brimming with anticipation.

Zhou Qing chuckled as he tousled Zhou Yuan’s hair. Subsequently, he carried the unconscious Qin Yu and walked out of the inner palace with Master Qin at his side.

Zhou Yuan gazed at Zhou Qing’s back. The usually dignified back currently gave off powerless and tired aura that made one sad. He knew that there was a time when his father was filled with grand aspirations. However, cruel reality had little by little whittled away these aspirations.

All of this was because of that king Wu.

Zhou Yuan’s lips tightly pursed as a chilling look surfaced on his rather scholarly and young face.

“Wu clan, king Wu… I will make sure that these debts are paid back one by one in the future!”

    ...

The next day.

When early morning arrived, Zhou Yuan left the palace under the protection of a group of guards, heading straight for the north-west district of Great Zhou City where the Great Zhou Institute was located.

Zhou Qing had personally given the command to establish the Great Zhou Institute years ago. At the same time, he had gathered the experts in the army to become tutors. The Great Zhou Institute did not discriminate when it came to accepting students, as long as one had enough talent, even the commoners were allowed into the Great Zhou Institute to practice cultivation.

Over the years, the Great Zhou Institute had groomed several outstanding individuals, hence allowing its status to grow greater and greater in the Great Zhou Empire. Thus, even his royal highness Zhou Yuan would come here to study.

The gates of the Great Zhou Institute were tightly guarded. Guards in armor rigorously checked the identities of all who entered. However, Zhou Yuan was naturally exempt from this procedure. After all, everyone in Great Zhou City recognized the prince.

“Greetings your highness!”

Therefore, the guards respectfully bowed to Zhou Yuan when he appeared at the gates.

“Your highness.” Several Great Zhou Institute students came and went along the way. There was a some respect in their expressions as they smiled at Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan likewise returned their smiles and cupped his fists together in greeting. He knew that most of these students were commoners, and the respect they had for him was mostly due to his father’s establishment of the Great Zhou Institute. It had allowed commoners like them to raise their status, and gave them the chance to change their destinies.

West district of the Great Zhou Institute.

Desks were arranged in a orderly manner within a rather spacious and bright teaching hall. Numerous youths were seated in a kneeling position before the desks. It was a tranquil atmosphere.

Zhou Yuan also quietly seated on the first desk of the first row. A bright and clean looking jade tablet, while a dark red long brush lay by its side.

The body of this brush was made entirely of red jade, while the hairs of the brush head came from the softest belly hair of a flame rat. Light glimmered on the fine hairs. It was a Genesis Rune Brush.

When it came to the most important item for drawing Genesis Runes, everyone would answer these three same words; Genesis Rune Brush.

A Genesis Rune Brush was the medium for Genesis Runes. Only with a brush would one be able to draw the mysterious and profound Genesis Runes, draw in the Genesis Qi of the land, and display great power.

Hence, nothing more needed to be said about the importance of the Genesis Rune Brush. Without it, no matter how great one’s talent in Genesis Runes, the power of one’s Genesis Runes would suffer.

Zhou Yuan held the red jade Genesis Rune Brush, while he looked to the very front, where a middle-aged lecturer was lecturing with a calm voice.

“Focus your soul into the tip of the brush to draw each stroke. Every line and stroke must be drawn with one’s soul as the ink. Only then will the drawn Genesis Runes be able to utilise the Genesis Qi of the land.”

“You must remember that when drawing Genesis Runes, one’s heart must be akin to still water, and no distractions can be present. Only by making the Genesis Rune Brush a part of your body, will you be able to focus your soul into the tip of the brush, such that the brush and your will become one, allowing any action to be smoothly completed with a single breath.”

“......”

After finishing his explanations, the lecturer said, “Next, we will continue practising the three Genesis Runes that I taught you last month. I hope that someone will be able to successfully complete one of the three today.”

The moment these words were said, cries of grief rang could be heard in the lecture hall, and many youths had pained looks on their faces. Though practising Genesis Runes might seem simple, every practise session would exhaust one’s spirit, and make one feel extremely worn out.

When he heard their cries, the middle-aged lecturer spoke out in a stern and angry manner, “Humph, stop your whining. The three runes that I taught you; Rampaging Bull Rune, Light Body Rune and Metal Skin Rune are merely elementary level.”

His voice was brimming with resentment towards these students of his whom had failed to meet his expectations.

The many youths shrunk back when they saw that their lecturer had been angered, and did not dare to make any more noise. Afterwhich, all of them grabbed their Genesis Rune Brushes and started to draw on the jade tablets before them.

Zhou Yuan smiled slightly. Brush in hand, he started to focus, and the surrounding noise was immediately shut out. His heart was akin to a serene pond as he concentrated on the clean jade tablet. Rays of light emerged between his brows, and the tip of the brush started to flicker with faint red light.

Zhou Yuan’s brush fell, and the brush tip slowly moved across the jade tablet, leaving behind several complicated strokes. These strokes looked like the horns of an antelope, and gave off a certain charm. When they were completely assembled together, they seemed to possess a magical power.

Every Genesis Rune was made from numerous strokes and lines. In general, the more strokes and lines there were, the greater the quality and might of the Genesis Rune formed.

The rune that Zhou Yuan was currently drawing was the Metal Skin Rune. It was merely an elementary level rune, and had over a hundred strokes. However, a tremendous amount of practise was required to perfectly draw the over hundred strokes.

The tip of Zhou Yuan’s brush quietly flowed like water. There was no hesitation at all, and its movement had a natural and a free flowing kind of beauty.

Due to the fact that the eight meridian channels in his body had not appeared in the past year, practically all of Zhou Yuan’s time had been spent practising Genesis Runes. Thus, his foundations were far stronger than the other students.

Of course, the most important factor was that he could sense that his soul was stronger than ordinary people. Although his destiny had been seized, and his sacred dragon root damaged, it seemed that his soul had fortunately not been hurt. It was likely that his soul had yet to fully form because he had been too young, hence allowing it to avoid that disaster.

Several minutes later, Zhou Yuan’s slender hand made a light curving movement downwards, and a radiance suddenly emerged from the jade tablet in front of him. One could only watch as a complex and beautiful Genesis Rune slowly took shape.

“Good, good. The strokes are perfect and full of liveliness. This Metal Skin Rune can be considered a successful masterpiece.” The moment Zhou Yuan completed his work, an exclamation of admiration was suddenly heard from the side.

Zhou Yuan lifted his head, only to find that the lecturer had been standing beside him since some unknown time, and was currently looking at the Genesis Rune on his jade tablet with a smile of appreciation.

The other youths in the lecture hall raised their heads and looked towards Zhou Yuan. There was some surprise in their eyes. They had yet to even start, while Zhou Yuan had already succeeded.

The lecturers mood was much better as he lamented towards the many students, “It would be nice if all of you learned as well as him.”

The youths chuckled and shook their heads upon hearing this. His highness Zhou Yuan was clearly rather talented in this area. How could the lecturer expect everyone to be so good?

However, a strange laughter suddenly rang out amongst the chuckles.

“Hehe, lecturer’s words might be a little unfair. Most of our efforts are concentrated in opening our meridian channels, hence we naturally cannot put our hearts and soul into the study of Genesis Runes like his highness. Otherwise, would we not be putting the cart before the horse?”

This laughter was rather piercing, and immediately silenced the lecture hall, as numerous gazes shifted over.

Zhou Yuan slightly raised his eyebrows and likewise cast his gaze over. Subsequently, he saw a youth in embroidered clothes looking back at him with a superficial smile as the latter lazily twirled the Genesis Rune Brush in his hand.

The corners of this smile had slight hints of mockery.

The lecture hall was instantly quietened by the sudden words of the youth in embroidered clothes. All the youths that looked towards the former silently withdrew their gazes, because the status of the one who had spoken was not ordinary at all.

The youth in embroidered clothes name was Xu Lin. His father was a senior official of the Great Zhou Empire’s western province. Of course, Xu Lin’s status was naturally far lower than the prince of the Great Zhou Empire, Zhou Yuan. However, everyone knew that Xu Lin had the backing of the little prince of Qi Manor, Qi Yue.

Zhou Yuan lightly tapped his fingers on the desk as he looked at Xu Lin, before indifferently withdrawing his gaze. When it came to currying favor with Qi Yue, this fellow was truly unscrupulous.

“Since this Xu Lin fawns over Qi Yue so much… it is likely that his father has also thrown his lot in with king Qi’s camp…”

Zhou Yuan’s eyes seemed to become somewhat deeper. He had once heard his father mention that this king Qi was backed by the Great Wu Empire Therefore, he had constantly stirred up trouble behind the scenes over the years. It was obvious that he intended to disrupt the peace of Great Zhou.

Moreover, because Zhou Qing was afraid of giving Great Wu an excuse to deal with the Great Zhou Empire, he could not openly take action against king Qi, However, there was naturally a battle going on between the two parties behind the scenes.

It was due to this relationship that there were similarly sparks between Qi Yue and Zhou Yuan in the Great Zhou Institute.

Xu Lin’s mocking smile grew even wider when he saw that Zhou Yuan did not retort. Just as Xu Lin was about to speak again, the lecturer suddenly glared at him in a stern manner, causing him to have no choice but to shut his mouth.

After all, it would be a huge loss for him if he was expelled from the Great Zhou Institute.

As the two parties became silent, the atmosphere in the lecture hall was gradually restored. The lecturer continued to elaborate on the three Genesis Runes until two incense sticks of time later, when the bell started to ring.

“Alright, I’ll have to stop here today. We will continue tomorrow.” The lecturer kept his belongings and walked out of the lecture hall.

As the lecturer left, the tense atmosphere in the hall immediately became relaxed. The many youths congregated together as lively laughter and noise erupted.

Zhou Yuan absent-mindedly tidied his desk in preparation to leave.

“Your highness.”

While he was tidying up,  he suddenly heard a gentle voice. Zhou Yuan raised his head, and saw a girl smiling at him in front of his desk.

This girl wore the uniform of the Great Zhou Institute. Although it was a little large on her, the contours of her well developed curves could still be seen. That simple pair of pants truly made those long and slender legs stand out.

Her fair skin, raised nose, shapely eyebrows and almond-like eyes were all evidence that she was a beauty in the making. In particular, the tear-shaped birthmark at the corner of her eye gave her a sort of unique charm.

Her rosy little lips were currently slightly pursed. Although she wore no costly jewelry and looked rather plain, she had a strong look paired with a long pony-tail that bounced with vitality.

Merely standing there drew the coverted gazes of numerous boys in the lecture hall.

Zhou Yuan looked at the pretty girl as a smile emerged on his scholarly face. “Oh, it’s Youwei.”

The girl’s family name was Su, and her name was Youwei.

Su Youwei’s pretty face reddened a little as she met Zhou Yuan’s gaze. Subsequently, she looked away and her gaze fell upon Zhou Yuan’s messy desk as she knelt down and said, “Your highness, I had better help you tidy up.”

Zhou Yuan chuckled and did not reject. After all, the relationship between the two of them was indeed not ordinary.

Hence, the girl started to busy herself with Zhou Yuan’s study desk, helping him neatly tidy up everything. This drew the gazes of numerous boys in the study hall. Their eyes seemed to be about to burn holes through Zhou Yuan, and the envy within them was practically bursting out.

“Has your grandfather recovered from his illness?” As Zhou Yuan watched the busy girl, he propped up his chin with his hand and asked.

Su Youwei slightly lifted her pretty face when she heard Zhou Yuan’s words as her fair hand pulled back a stray strand of hair that had fallen in front of her eyes. Soon after, a smile emerged on her face.

“He has made a full recovery. Grandfather says he wants to invite your highness over if you have time, but our house is just a little too unsightly, I’m afraid…”

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll go during our next vacation period.”

Su Youwei gently bit the red lips of her little mouth when she heard Zhou Yuan reply without the slightest hesitation. A glimmer of water seemed to flash in her eyes as she looked towards him, before she hastily lowered her head, afraid that he would see it.

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

It was perhaps the most despairing day of her life, but was also the same day that she started to welcome hope once again.

On that day, the grandfather whom she had relied on since young had fallen deathly ill, causing her already broken family to completely fall apart. She had no choice but to brave the torrential rain with her grandfather on her tiny back in search of help. Because they lacked money, she could only kneel before each clinic, crying as she implored for their aid, hoping that a doctor would be able to save her grandfather.

The her from back then had been drenched in mud, a sight that was miserable to the extreme.

In the end, every single clinic’s door remained coldly closed. Under the pouring rain, she felt the entire sky darken as her heart grew cold as ice.

Just as her desperation was about to reach a numbing level, she sensed someone walk to her side and place an umbrella in her hand, before walking forward and barbarically kicking open the tightly shut doors of the clinic in front of her unfocused gaze.

At that time, a cold voice seem to have rang out.

“Open up and save this person!”

The one who had kicked open the doors of the clinic was naturally Zhou Yuan. Back then, Su Youwei could only blankly gaze upon his back. In the past, the ones she had most hated were those children from wealthy families, yet, at that very moment, she knew that she would never forget the back of the boy who had kicked open those large doors...

It was from that very day that she came to be acquainted with Zhou Yuan. Later on, she discovered his identity; the royal highness of the Great Zhou Empire.

Later on, Zhou Yuan had by chance discovered her talent for cultivation. Hence, he had recommended her into the Great Zhou Institute. It was then that she started to undergo a magnificent transformation...

The very first month after she entered the Great Zhou Institute, she successfully opened the first meridian channel, becoming the fastest channel opener ever since the Great Zhou Institute's establishment. Henceforth, she also became the so-called genius that everyone in the Great Zhou Institute spoke of.

This sudden change from being an existence no one took notice of to the center of attention felt rather unnatural for Su Youwei. Moreover, there were times when people would find the relationship between her and Zhou Yuan unsightly, and secretly say that Zhou Yuan had only helped her because he had taken fancy to her looks.

However, Su Youwei merely smiled in response. Only she clearly knew what a dirty and malnourished little girl she had been when she first met Zhou Yuan...

“Hey, how high are you going to stack my books?” Zhou Yuan helplessly looked at Su Youwei. The latter was obviously a little out of it at the moment. She had stacked the books on his table into a giant pyramid that reached the heavens.

“Ah?” Su Youwei returned to reality and saw her masterpiece. Her little face immediately turned beet-red as she hurriedly unstacked the books. “Sorry your highness, I will redo it!”

This appearance of hers was clearly even more adorable, causing the gazes that were looking at Zhou Yuan to instantly turn much fiercer. If not for Zhou Yuan status as a prince, it was likely that they would have long rushed out to save their goddess.

Upon sensing their gazes, Zhou Yuan could only shake his head as he whispered, “Now that you’ve become so pretty, I no longer dare to order you about.”

Su Youwei softly laughed when she heard this and said, “Then I’ll have to smear some dirt on my face in future to make myself a little uglier.”

Zhou Yuan could only roll his eyes in response.

“Oh, that’s right…” Zhou Yuan pointed at the table as he continued, “How many meridian channels have you opened so far?”

Su Youwei was slightly taken aback. She glanced at Zhou Yuan, before very cautiously replying, “I’ve already opened the third meridian channel.”

She knew that Zhou Yuan seemed to be unable to open his channels and cultivate for some unknown reason. Thus, she would not voluntarily bring up the topic of opening channels when the two were together, and never flaunted her progress. She was afraid that this sensitive topic would upset Zhou Yuan.

“The third already. At this rate, all eight channels will be fully opened in one or two years.”  Zhou Yuan sighed in admiration. Su Youwei’s talent in cultivation was obviously extremely outstanding. In less than a year, she had already accomplished what others had worked years to achieve.

This made him exceptionally pleased. Looks like he had unintentionally picked up a treasure.

“There’s only two more months to this year's newcomer exam, so work hard, try to unblock your fourth meridian channel, and aim for the top ten. I spent a great deal of effort to secure a slot for you. As long as you are ranked amongst the top then, you will be able to receive personal guidance from the institute head and the other instructors. This will be extremely beneficial for you.” said Zhou Yuan.

Su Youwei’s tiny hand suddenly stiffened as she was tidying up the table. She lowered her head and did not dare to look at Zhou Yuan.

“What is it?” Zhou Yuan was rather puzzled when he sensed this change in her.

Su Youwei’s was practically burying her head in her chest as she replied in a tiny voice, “I, I no longer have the participation token.”

Zhou Yuan was stunned. Soon after, his eyebrows tightly furrowed as he inquired, “What happened?”

His tone was not stern, but it caused Su Youwei’s heart to beat a little faster. Her pearly white teeth bit into her red lips, and she did not speak for a long time. Instead, a girl who was rather close to Su Youwei interjected from the side, “Who else but Xu Lin. A few days ago, he was spreading bad rumours about you in the institute, causing Youwei to argued with him and demand an apology. That fellow said that he would apologize if Youwei beat him in a match, but if she lost, she would have to give him her entry token for the newcomer exam.”

Zhou Yuan’s brows were tightly furrowed. “That Xu Lin has only opened two meridian channels. He should not have been able to beat Youwei, right?”

The girl frowned and said, “Youwei only opened her third channel recently, while Xu Lin was also extremely shameless. He had the advantage of a Genesis weapon, and eventually managed to beat Youwei by some fluke.”

Zhou Yuan’s expression was rather ugly. He stared at Su Youwei’s lowered head and scolded, “Why did you not tell me earlier?”

Su Youwei’s fair hands were clasped together as she softly said, “It’s me who is useless, I don’t want to cause more trouble for your highness.”

Zhou Yuan felt a little sorry when he saw this appearance of hers. The stubbornness of this lass would really give one a headache at times. Therefore, his cold gaze shifted towards the smilingly watching Xu Lin inside the lecture hall.

“Setting a trap to bully a girl. Your methods are truly great huh?” Zhou Yuan sneered. This fellow clearly had his eye on the newcomer exam entry token in Su Youwei’s hands. Thus, he had intentionally goaded her into using it as a wager.

Xu Lin lazily replied, “I don’t know what your highness is talking about. There are many people who saw me use my own strength to win. I will not return it even if your highness personally asks.”

Zhou Yuan coldly said, “Do you dare to wager it on another fight?”

Xu Lin chuckled. “Not interested.”

His previous victory had been mere luck. Moreover, Su Youwei had already opened her third meridian channel, and he would definitely not be her match.

Zhou Yuan icily smiled as his eyes swept towards Xu Lin. “I don’t intend for you to fight Youwei. I’m saying that you and I will fight!”

As he spoke, he fished out a glowing jade pendant and placed it on the study desk. “If you win, this Genesis Gathering Jade will be yours.”

A series of gasps immediately erupted in the hall as numerous gazes looked at the jade pendant with longing. This Genesis Gathering Jade was very advantageous for cultivation. If worn long enough, it would be able to increase the rate of opening one’s eight meridian channels. A rather pricey and precious item indeed.

“Your highness!” Su Youwei was greatly alarmed.

It was not due to the Genesis Gathering Jade, but because Zhou Yuan wanted to personally deal with Xu Lin. Zhou Yuan had not opened even a single meridian channel, how could he possibly be a match for Xu Lin who had opened two?

Zhou Yuan waved his hand at Su Youwei to stop. He toyed with the jade pendant as he smiled at Xu Lin in a mocking manner.

“Do you have the courage to fight now?”

Xu Lin’s eyes were burning with desire as he stared at the Genesis Gathering Jade and licked his lips. He then coldly chuckled at Zhou Yuan and said, “Since your highness insists on gifting this Genesis Gathering Jade to me, it will be rude to refuse.”

“However, as the saying goes, fists and feet have no eyes. Please do not blame me if your

highness is injured.”

Although Zhou Yuan’s actions baffled Xu Lin, he did not believe that a person like him, who had opened two meridian channels, would be unable to defeat someone who had not even opened a single channel!

Zhou Yuan declined to comment and said, “I hope that you are as skilled as you say.”

Xu Lin laughed loudly, believing that Zhou Yuan was merely being sharp-tongued. With a swing of Xu Lin’s sleeves, he walked out of the hall as laughter tinged with amusement and ridicule continued to resound from outside.

“Alright, I will wait for your highness at the practice grounds. I really want to see how your highness will win back the newcomer exam participation token!”