“Chi Yao, I love you with all my heart… Why do you want to kill me?”

Zhang Ruochen loudly wailed and fell forward. “Creak…” He compressed the metallic bed and sat up all of a sudden.

” It was just a dream! ” he thought as he let out a sigh. He felt relieved and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeves.

“Wait… No!”

“That was not a dream!” He was suspicious of what he had seen in the dream.

In fact, it was hard to believe that everything he had experienced with Princess Chi Yao was just a dream!

Zhang Ruochen was the only child of Emperor Ming, one of the nine great emperors in Kunlun’s Field. Before his death, he was a talented warrior, sophisticated, with an incredible physical quality and thus cultivated the completion of the Heaven Realm, the highest level in Martial Arts, at the young age of 16.

However, when he became the first person in the younger generation of Kunlun’s Field, he died at the hands of his childhood sweetheart and fiancee, Princess Chi Yao.

Princess Chi Yao was the daughter of Emperor Qing, one of the nine great emperors.

Back in the old days, Emperor Ming and Emperor Qing were best friends. They even arranged the marriage between Zhang Ruochen and Princess Chi Yao. The childhood lovers grew up and practiced Martial Arts together. Zhang Ruochen was an attractive, talented young man while Chi Yao was a pretty and elegant lady. They were known as “the perfect match” throughout the field of Martial Arts. Their marriage would have been the hottest subject in the entire Kunlun’s Field.

However, Zhang Ruochen had never expected that Princess Chi Yao would indeed put him to death.

Unfortunately, he could not prevent what was going to happen to him. Now, it was 800 years later when he arose from the dead.

Princess Chi Yao had lived a different life since then. She settled the Incident of the Nine Emperors, united the Nine Empires, and built the First Central Empire. She even dominated the empire and became Empress Chi Yao, the backbone of the entirety of Kunlun’s Field.

After all, the Nine Emperors who once ruled over Kunlun’s Field 800 years ago had disappeared among the endless flow of history.

The Nine Emperors died and then the empress took over.

Every era had its own sovereignty, and this era was no exception—the one and only emperor who conquered the region and led the kingdom was Empress Chi Yao.

“Why did she kill me? How could she be so cruel? Is it true that every woman in this world is ruthless?” Zhang Ruochen was desperate and confused.

All the suspicions revolved around Zhang Ruochen’s head. His sharp penetrating eyes, heavy disconcerted heart, and a doubtful brain… but no one could help him.

800 years had passed. Everything changed except for Empress Chi Yao, who cultivated her stunning appearance and immortality. Even Zhang Ruochen’s family and friends had passed away and were buried underneath the soil.

Not to mention the prestigious and honorable Nine Emperors, who only left over some splendid stories to be read with admiration for posterity.

“Creak!”

A fragile-looking woman who was dressed in the imperial uniform came into the room while Zhang Ruochen was lying in bed. She looked at him with concern and gently asked, “Chen-er, did you have a bad dream again?”

Concubine Lin, who was the pretty woman standing in front of Zhang Ruochen, was his mother in this life, as well as the wife of the Yunwu Commandery Prince.

Indeed, the owner of this body had died in bed three days ago from an illness.

Zhang Ruochen arose from the dead and appeared in this feeble body after being killed by Princess Chi Yao. Without knowing how, he brought the dead young man back to life. What a coincidence, the name of this young man was also called Zhang Ruochen.

When Zhang Ruochen first arose from the dead, he was struggling to talk to Concubine Lin. Somehow, in his eyes, she was just a stranger.

And yet, after being around her for three days, Zhang Ruochen gradually realized that Concubine Lin indeed thoroughly cared about him. Furthermore, knowing that he had woken up in the middle of the night frightened by nightmares, Concubine Lin rushed to Zhang Ruochen’s room no matter how bad the weather was.

In Zhang Ruochen’s last lifetime, he had never seen his mother. It seemed that his mother had died after giving birth to him. He never imagined that after being put to death by someone that he loved the most, he would have been given another chance to live again in another body and have a mother who would take care of him, to let him feel the warmth that he had never experienced.

Zhang Ruochen thought. “Maybe she doesn’t know that her own son has already been dead for three days!”

If Zhang Ruochen told her the truth, she might not be able to handle the grievous news. He would rather keep his mouth shut about it and pretend like nothing ever happened. To Zhang Ruochen, it was a “two bird, one stone” situation that he got to live again, and additionally, Concubine Lin had her son back.

Looking at the beautiful Concubine Lin, Zhang Ruochen’s eyes became gentle. “Mom, don’t worry about me. It was just a dream.” he said with a smile to his mother.

The thin Concubine Lin was sitting at the bedside of Zhang Ruochen, wearing a red marten fur coat to keep warm. She rubbed his forehead, looking worried. “It’s the third night that you’ve woken up with nightmares. You keep mentioning the name ‘Chi Yao’ every time. Who exactly is she?” Concubine Lin whispered.

Concubine Lin could not link this name “Chi Yao” to the First Central Empire Empress Chi Yao.

In fact, Empress Chi Yao named herself the “Holy Queen of Majesty and Morality” after uniting Kunlun’s Field and building the First Central Empire. Since then, no one dared to mention the two words “Chi Yao”.

“It’s nothing mom, you must have misheard me!” Zhang Ruochen comforted his mother.

Concubine Lin said with a sigh, “Never mention the two words ‘Chi Yao’ again. Not even in your dreams. That was the name of Empress Chi Yao. Saying the Empress’ name is very impolite. If someone heard you say this, you might be subject to death!”

Zhang Ruochen nodded his head, pinched his fingers, and said as an apology, “Never again, my mother!”

Zhang Ruochen felt outraged knowing what Chi Yao had done to him, and noticing the fear from his mother talking about Chi Yao, he furiously made a resolution. “I will be your nightmare forever after!”

Looking at the thin and pale Zhang Ruochen, Concubine Lin exhaled deeply and felt exceptional sorrow.

Zhang Ruochen was always sick ever since he was born. Being raised in a Commandery Prince’s family with the best doctors and medication did not help him much. He was 16 years old now, but still needed to rest in bed all the time. Perhaps this would be how he would live for the rest of his life.

All of a sudden, there was a great sound of footsteps outside the palace.

“What are you guys doing here? Who authorized you to come and mess around the Jade Palace?” said a good-looking maidservant who wanted to stop the Eighth Prince from breaking into the palace. Yet she was being pushed, and she fell 10 meters away.

The Eighth Prince was a warrior who cultivated himself to reach the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm. He could probably knock a 300 pound stone tray 10 feet with nothing but his fist, never mind a maidservant who only weighed 100 pounds.

With a slight flick of his finger, the maidservant would seem as if she had been struck with a mighty force.

She plummeted to the ground and, breaking her left arm, let out a wild scream.

The Eighth Prince was wearing a Golden-Thread dress, covered with a jade belt resting on his waist. He was muscular and strong, making every footstep steady as he walked into the Jade Palace. He stared at the court maid and said, “You’re blocking my way, slave? You don’t deserve to be in my presence!”

Behind the Eighth Prince, there were six royal guards wearing kylin armor, tall and solid. They were all martial arts monks that excelled at their craft and were part of the royal security guards.

Concubine Lin noticed the noise outside. She comforted Zhang Ruochen, closed the door, and proceeded to the Jade Palace.

With a slight scowl on her face, she stood in front of the Eighth Prince, who was now inside the palace, and said, “This is the Jade Palace. Even though you are a prince, you still can’t break in here.”

Eighth Prince Zhang Ji lifted his head and stared at Concubine Lin. “The queen commands that the place of Concubine Lin and my ninth brother will now move to Ziyi Side Hall. From now on, the Jade Palace will belong to my biological mother, Concubine Xiao,” said the Eighth Prince.

Concubine Lin appeared slightly unsettled. She had already anticipated that this day would come but did not expect it to arrive so soon.

Concubine Lin smiled sadly and said, “The queen demands us to leave the Jade Palace. Ruochen and I will move to the side hall tomorrow!”

“I’m sorry, Concubine Lin, but my mother wants to move to the Jade Palace tonight. Please leave here right away!” the Eighth Prince responded.

Knowing that Zhang Ruochen was weak and could not bear to move around, Concubine Lin appealed to the Eighth Prince and said, “You know that Ruochen is very fragile, and it is getting late and colder outside now. What if…”

The Eighth Prince sneered and exclaimed. “Concubine Lin, there are so many poor people in this world and not every one of them is worth the help. If my ninth brother is that weak, then what is the point of him staying alive?”

“He is your brother!” Concubine Lin yelled at the Eighth Prince.

Concubine Lin was about to say something, but suddenly the door behind her opened up.

It was Zhang Ruochen. Though he was weak and could barely stand, while leaning on the door, he stared at the Eighth Prince and said, “Don’t beg for their mercy, we shall leave now!” Zhang Ruochen looked sick, but his strong determination to protect his mother never wavered.

“Chen-er, why did you leave your bed? It’s freezing outside! Go back to your room and stay warm!” Concubine Lin was worried at the thought of Zhang Ruochen getting ill, so she immediately helped him back to his room.

Zhang Ruochen shook his head firmly and said, “Mom, we don’t need to beg anyone. One day, we’ll be back here. We will be back in Jade Palace!”

Concubine Lin was touched by Zhang Ruochen’s determination. She nodded her head with tears in her eyes.

Concubine Lin held him and left the Jade Palace. Other than the maidservant who had broken her arm from being hit by the Eighth Prince, every one of the helpers had to stay for their own well-being.

Everyone in the place noticed that Concubine Lin and the Ninth Prince had completely lost their power. There was barely any chance of them reclaiming back their power in the Commandery Prince’s mansion.

The maidservants who were working for Concubine Lin in the Jade Palace had prudently chosen to stay behind and work for the new master, the Eighth Prince.

After being kicked out by the Eighth Prince, Concubine Lin and Zhang Ruochen had been relocated to Ziyi Side Hall. It was usual for the queens who had lost their power. It was quiet, far from the palace, and felt like it had been empty for a long time.

The cold wind was bleak on this late night.

Sitting on a freezing stone chair, the frail Zhang Ruochen wore a thick coat. Yet, during this frigid winter, he still felt exceptionally cold.

“This body is too weak! The only way to build up this body is through practicing Martial Arts. If I don’t, even with my status as the son of the Commandery Prince, my mother and I will only be manipulated by others.” thought Zhang Ruochen.

800 years had passed, Zhang Ruochen did not know where he would be welcome. Now that it was arranged for him to live again within this body, he did not care if it was for seeking revenge on Empress Chi Yao, or for the mother who took care of him–he needed to be strong either way.

The humiliation they had suffered was all because of the weakness of Zhang Ruochen. With no resistance, he had no control over his own destiny. Even the place that he lived had been snatched away. All of this built up the motivation for Zhang Ruochen to come back as a capable man, to protect his mother and take back control of his own fate.

Zhang Ruochen knew that if he wanted people to respect him and wanted a better place to live, then he needed to be a warrior, and prove to everyone out there that he was capable of being a warrior.

To be a warrior in Kunlun’s Field, obtaining the “Sacred Mark” was the first essential step.

The so-called “Sacred Mark” was the qualification given by the gods for humans to practice Martial Arts. People who did not open the “Sacred Mark” would never cultivate Genuine Qi, and hence, could never be the leader of heaven and earth.

Zhang Ruochen was already 16 and still had not obtained the “Sacred Mark”.

People would miss out on the best ages for cultivation after the age of 16. Even if the “Sacred Mark” had been opened after that, not a lot of achievements would be made.

Both the Eighth Prince and Zhang Ruochen were the sons of the Yunwu Commandery Prince. Why did the Eighth Prince have a more prestigious status that allowed him to kick Concubine Lin and Zhang Ruochen out of the Jade Palace?

The reason was fairly simple. The Eighth Prince obtained the “Sacred Mark” when he was only 10. Now, he had reached the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm and became a young warrior.

“As long as I obtain the ‘Sacred Mark’, I can cultivate the ‘Scripture of Emperor Ming’s Empyrean’. With the mysteries of the ‘Scripture of Emperor Ming’s Empyrean’, I can still catch up and become a warrior of Martial Arts, even if I have missed the best age of cultivation.”

Scripture of Emperor Ming’s Empyrean was the highest scripture that Emperor Ming had cultivated. Other than Emperor Ming, Zhang Ruochen was the only one who understood the entire technique of Scripture of Emperor Ming’s Empyrean.

“Tomorrow is the Ceremony of Worship, I hope that I can receive the qualification of the gods and open the ‘Sacred Mark’.” Zhang Ruochen grasped his fists firmly and faithfully. He had a strong desire to open the “Sacred Mark”.

After tidying up the room, Concubine Lin helped Zhang Ruochen to bed and softly said, “Chen-er, get some good rest. We need to attend the Ceremony of Worship tomorrow.”

“Mom, I am sure I will open the ‘Sacred Mark’ tomorrow! Trust me!” said Zhang Ruochen confidently.

“Okay, Chen-er, I believe in you!”

Concubine Lin looked into Zhang Ruochen’s eyes and gasped.

In fact, she did not carry any hope of Zhang Ruochen opening the “Sacred Mark”. He was already 16, and it was almost impossible to open it up now.

However, as a mother, she needed to encourage her child and gave him confidence.

The Yunwu Commandery was the place that Zhang Ruochen was currently living in. It was one of the thousands of commanderies in the Eastern Region of Kunlun’s Field.

Commanderies were known as counties in the First Central Empire. Each commandery needed to pay tribute and tax to the First Central Empire every year.

The sovereign who ruled the commandery was called “Commandery Prince”.

The status of Zhang Ruochen in this reborn life was as the ninth son of Yunwu Commandery Prince.

As Zhang Ruochen laid on the ice-cold, hard wooden bed, he could not stop thinking about Ceremony of Worship to be held tomorrow.

“The owner of this body hadn’t yet acquired the Sacred Mark’ by the age of 16, as if gods had abandoned him. What should I do to get a greater chance of obtaining the ‘Sacred Mark’?”

It was believed that if one wanted to acquire the “Sacred Mark” and become a warrior in Kunlun’s Field, approval of the gods would be needed at the Ceremony of Worship.

This practice was known as passing on Martial Arts for posterity.

During the Ceremony of Worship, there would be a bridge linking heaven and earth with the Field of Spirits in Kunlun’s Field. It served as a means for the Spirits to enjoy the oblation prepared by the sincere citizens of Yunwu. Once the Spirits had finished, they decided which humans were talented enough to obtain the “Sacred Mark”. In this way, they helped the selected humans cultivate the essence of Martial Arts.

Generally, the more talent that a human possessed, the earlier they could obtain “Sacred Mark”.

In Zhang Ruochen’s previous life, he had obtained “Sacred Mark” when he was still an unborn child in his mother’s womb. He was a so-called born to be Genius of Martial Arts.

Unfortunately, he had not yet had the chance to obtain “Sacred Mark” by the age of 16 in this life. In terms of the age of cultivation, the older the person was, the less chance that they would obtain “Sacred Mark”, so to speak. Basically, he was classified as being abandoned by gods. Even though he would attend the ceremony, he was unlikely to acquire “Sacred Mark”.

Zhang Ruochen could not sleep, the thought of how to obtain “Sacred Mark” spun around his head. Instead, he sat up in bed and started playing with the white, nut-shaped spinel in his hand. It was sharp at both ends and transparent in the middle without any impurities.

Zhang Ruochen was curious about the white spinel. He started studying it, as if it could help him get any one of gods’ approval so he could obtain “Sacred Mark”.

The White Spinel had meant a lot to Zhang Ruochen in his previous life. It was his 16th birthday present given to him by Emperor Ming for celebrating his transition from childhood to adulthood.

Even though Zhang Ruochen did not know what the White Spinel exactly was, he carried it with him all the time. He never expected that it would still be with him after 800 years.

“I have arisen from 800 years ago to 800 years in the future. Perhaps that has something to do with the White Spinel.” Zhang wondered.

He closed his eyes and squeezed White Spinel firmly. The image of his father, Emperor Ming, gradually appeared in his mind. He speculated on whether or not his father was still alive after 800 years.

The snow fell heavily this evening in Yunwu City.

The next morning, the entirety of Yunwu City was covered by layers of snow. The buildings, a vermilion place, and the surrounding pavilion were also blanketed with frozen coats.

With all the snow, the Winter Solstice was always the coldest day of the year.

Every year on this day, all of the warriors of Yunwu City gathered together outside Imperial Ancestral Temple and worshipped gods, led by Commandery Prince.

Outside Imperial Ancestral Temple, there was an ancient altar made of rocks. Thousands of cattle, sheep, and swine were attached to the altar, as well as the massive savage beasts which were locked up around a formidable iron chain.

Countless people assembled together for the same reason—the queen, concubines, princes, princesses, civil servants, and monks of Martial Arts together with an enormous number of teenagers, who were waiting to obtain “Sacred Mark”. Even the infants awaited in their babysitters’ arms.

The entire city was obsessed with the grand ceremony. It was held in not only Yunwu City, but also in every city, every town, and every village of the Yunwu Commandery.

“Hey, my ninth brother! You’re already 16. Even though you’re attending the ceremony, you will never acquire the ‘Sacred Mark’. So why do you still bother to come here and embarrass yourself?” asked Zhang Ji, the Eighth Prince, as he giggled at Zhang Ruochen.

The Sixth Prince stood next to the Eighth Prince, who put on an arrogant attitude and said, “People always say that the king gave birth to nine children and each of them is different in their own way. Our father is such a hero. I can’t believe that he produced such a piece of crap! 16 years old and hasn’t obtained the ‘Sacred Mark’! You completely embarrass the entire Royal Family! What is the point of you staying alive? Why don’t you go to hell?”

What the Sixth Prince said was quite out of line. Yet, it was exactly what the other princes thought.

It fully demonstrated how mean and fragile the relationships were among the Royal Family.

In Kunlun’s Field, only one out of 10 people would be able to acquire the “Sacred Mark”. It could be said that the status of each warrior was exceptionally superior.

For the superior Martial Arts warriors, it was certainly a different matter. The stronger Blood Meridians that the Martial Arts warriors had, the greater the chance to pass them on to their offspring. Hence, the likelihood of acquiring the “Sacred Mark” would also increase.

Among the sons that the Yunwu Commandery Prince had produced, eight of them had already acquired the “Sacred Mark”. Left behind was Zhang Ruochen, who was already 16 yet still struggling to acquire the “Sacred Mark”. He then became the joke of the Royal Family.

Moreover, many people scorned him with an “outstanding father, cowardly son” status.

There were even rumors in the palace saying that Zhang Ruochen was not the son of the Yunwu Commandery Prince. Being the only child who had not obtained the “Sacred Mark” had no doubt annoyed the entire Royal Family.

That was why all the other princes identified Zhang Ruochen as the shame of the Royal Family. They never treated him like a real brother and even wanted him to die.

In recent years, the Yunwu Commandery Prince also started keeping a distance from Concubine Lin and Zhang Ruochen. After being exiled by other concubines and princes, they had been kicked out of the Jade Palace and were moved to the side hall last night.

Zhang Ruochen stood there quietly and did not say a word. He did not care about what the Sixth Prince and the Eighth Prince had said.

He believed that, before you acquired any actual strength, people would only look down on you with dismay.

Looking at Zhang Ruochen being marginalized, Concubine Lin, who was standing with the other concubines, felt heartbroken. However, she could do nothing to help him.

“The Ceremony of Worship will now begin!”

The minister of the Yunwu Commandery stood at the highest part of the altar, holding a prayer roll and recited it aloud.

Then, an elegant maidservant on the altar started playing 16 different types of musical instruments like bianqing, bianzhong, and bozhong.

That was then followed by killing the animals that had been prepared on the altar and worshipping gods with blood.

“Pfft…”

Suddenly, the rich Spiritual Blood turned into a thick, strong light column that went all the way up to the vault of heaven. The light column shredded the clouds and crashed into the spacious sky.

A star flew in quickly from the sky and reached a six-year-old boy’s eyebrows. It blended in with the boy’s body and turned into a red “Sacred Mark”.

Everyone in the crowd was so surprised and yelled. “The little boy is the youngest child of General Xue. He is only six years old and has been given the ‘Sacred Mark’!”

“The ‘Blaze Sacred Mark’ is classified as the Fourth Class of the ‘Sacred Mark’. This is amazing! This little kid is going to have a bright future!” The crowd continued to praise him.

There were different classes of the “Sacred Mark”, from the First Class to the Ninth Class.

The First Class was the lowest and weakest level while the Ninth Class was the highest and most powerful.

Everyone stared at the six-year-old kid with jealousy.

This talented and luckiest kid, who had acquired the Fourth Class of the “Sacred Mark” at the age of six, was definitely one of God’s favored son. His achievements in the future would certainly be significant.

Among all the warriors in the Yunwu Commandery, an excited, massive guy whooped while banging his chest. “Wonderful! This is my son, Xue Liang! Everyone, you are welcome to join the celebration party at my place tonight! Haha!”

“Pfft!”

As that sound was heard, the crowd looked up into the sky again. There were a few more stars that hit some more young boys’ and girls’ eyebrows. The stars turned into “Sacred Marks” one by one.

For all of the “Sacred Marks” that had been obtained this year, most of them were the lowest class. Very, very few of the teenagers had acquired the Second-Class mark. The most outstanding candidate was still General Xue’s child, who had gotten a Fourth-Class mark. He left the people far behind, who would need to catch up to him.

The people who had acquired the “Sacred Mark” were a minority. They were probably only one-tenth of the total population of Yunwu City. The lucky ones who obtained the marks were extremely overwhelmed. They were finally being granted the approval from the gods and given access to the way of making a significance in Martial Arts.

On the other hand, those who did not obtain the “Sacred Mark” were really upset and disappointed. Some of them were even choked with tears. It could be said that “laughter is heard and tears are shed in different households”.

The ceremony was moving toward the finish line. Zhang Ruochen had yet to acquire the “Sacred Mark”.

At the age of 16 with no sign of the “Sacred Mark”, it was now almost impossible for him to acquire it anymore. Living as a normal person would be the only future that he would have in his life.

Everyone in the entire family neglected him as if he was just a speck of dust hiding around the corner and no one even noticed him.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Concubine Lin held on to some hope. She hoped that a miracle would happen to her child, Zhang Ruochen, and he would obtain the “Sacred Mark”. She believed that he did not need to be an outstanding warrior, but he could keep himself healthier and stay away from all the illnesses.

As the ceremony drew to an end, Concubine Lin’s hope turned to disappointment and despair.

Not only Concubine Lin, but also Zhang Ruochen thought that he could not obtain the “Sacred Mark”. At that moment, the White Spinel that he gripped in his hands sparkled slightly.

Right before the end of the ceremony, there was one more star that descended toward Zhang’s eyebrows and it turned into a white circular “Sacred Mark”.

“Pfft!”

A fierce heat burning from his eyebrows spread throughout his entire body.

“It’s open! It’s happening!” Zhang Ruochen cheered.

Zhang Ruochen was absolutely thrilled. He had finally acquired the “Sacred Mark”!

Indeed, he did not care if it turned out to be a First-Class mark. He would be more than satisfied to have finally obtained it.

At one point throughout the ceremony, no one even noticed that Zhang Ruochen was there, but the moment that he obtained his valuable “Sacred Mark”, he caught the attention of everyone.

“That couldn’t be the Ninth Prince, he is 16 with a feeble body. I can’t believe his luck to acquire the mark at the final moment!” Most of the people could not believe what they saw and started gossiping.

The eyes of the Sixth Prince and the Eighth Prince widened in disbelief, revealing shocked faces as they stood next to Zhang Ruochen.

“How is this possible?”

Concubine Lin turned around and looked at Zhang Ruochen. She finally saw the mark on his eyebrows. She ran over to him and held him really, really tight. “Ruochen, you made it, you finally made it!” Concubine Lin said through tears of joy.

There was an old eunuch who took care of the Yunwu Commandery Prince that walked towards Zhang Ruochen and said, “Congratulations Concubine Lin and my Ninth Prince for acquiring the ‘Sacred Mark’! The queen wants to invite the prince over to her place. She insists to review the class of your mark personally.”

“The queen!”

The smile on Concubine Lin’s face froze right away, as if she realized that something was wrong. She was so nervous and she pulled Zhang Ruochen behind her.

“Mom, let’s go to meet the queen!” said Zhang Ruochen.

Zhang Ruochen recognized the subtle change of Concubine Lin. He instantly knew that the queen was a tricky person. He needed to be more conscious and careful.

The queen, who wore a colorful gown and a golden phoenix coronet, sat at a tent near the altar. In Zhang Ruochen’s eyes, the queen was an aged woman and yet she looked like a 28- or 29-year-old lady with an elegant and exquisite character.

“His Majesty has currently secluded himself for refining and, thus, I will be in charge of the ceremony this year. Minister, have you evaluated the class of the Sacred Mark that the Ninth Prince acquired yet?” asked the queen.

The minister of the Yunwu Commandery shook his head while he checked the metallic book in his hand. “‘The Bible of Sacred Marks’ records all the marks of Martial Artists in Kunlun’s Field. From the First Class to the Ninth Class, all the marks have been documented in this metallic book. However, none of them matches with the Ninth Prince’s.”

The queen then glanced at Zhang Ruochen apathetically and said, “If there is no matching mark in the book, then I suggest that the mark you acquired carries a Zero Class on it. Indeed, it has happened to warriors from other commanderies in the past. Eventually, limited achievements have been made.”

The Eighth Prince was also inside the tent. He interrupted and said, “The queen has made a good point! After all, our ninth brother is 16 now. He has missed the best age to cultivate Martial Arts. Even if he obtained a Fourth or Fifth Class Sacred Mark, I doubt he would get anywhere.”

The queen nodded her head to acknowledge what the Eighth Prince had said. “To preserve refining resources as much as possible for other warriors in the Royal Family, only a bottle of Marrow-washing Liquid will be given to the Ninth Prince, since he only has a Zero-Class mark at 16 years old.”

Concubine Lin was shocked and her expression changed after hearing what the queen had said. “My Queen, it is a fact that the first year of acquiring the Sacred Mark is the most significant year in terms of cultivation. Remember the year that the Seventh Prince acquired the Sacred Mark? He was given 12 bottles of Marrow-washing Liquid in 12 months. Why does my Chen-er only receive one bottle of it?” exclaimed Concubine Lin.

“The Seventh Prince had already acquired a Seventh Class Sacred Mark when he was three. How dare you compare the Ninth Prince to such a genius?” Queen grimly responded.

The Eighth Prince, who wanted to ingratiate himself to the queen, said, “Our seventh brother is the son of our queen, who is the first wife of the Commandery Prince. He has a Seventh Class Sacred mark which ensures powerful descendants for the queen. No one is comparable with my seventh brother in the entire Yunwu Commandery! Both the stability and prosperity of the Yunwu Commandery in the future depends on him.”

“Moreover, it is impossible to compare the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince. The fingertip of my seventh brother is a thousand time more important than my ninth brother’s life,” he added.

Concubine Lin bit her lip hard and continued to argue with the Eighth Prince. “Don’t forget that when you obtained your Sacred Mark, you received four bottles of Marrow-washing Liquid. Why can Ruochen only have one? This is so unfair!” shouted Concubine Lin. As a mother, she was trying her best to protect Zhang Ruochen and fought for what he deserved to receive. After all, the more Marrow-washing Liquid Zhang Ruochen had, the better he could cultivate Martial Arts.

“The more talent a person has, the more resources they receive to cultivate their skills. Apparently, the talent of the Ninth Prince is not as significant as that of the Seventh Prince or the Eighth Prince. Compared to his outstanding brothers, surely he should get fewer resources.” Queen angrily responded to Concubine Lin.

“But wait…” Squeaked Concubine Lin, who had led the argument with the queen.

However, she had truly annoyed the queen before she asked for anything. “I have already made my decision, Concubine Lin. Don’t you dare challenge me again! Otherwise, I will have you beaten with a rod again!” said Queen in a low voice.

“Again…?” Zhang Ruochen raised his head hearing what Queen said.

He wondered if the queen had once beaten his mother with a rod.

Concubine Lin shut her mouth at once when she heard what the queen had said. Concubine Lin’s body shook slightly as if she was recalling some frightening memory from the past. Something that had to do with the queen and the rod.

While Zhang Ruochen was trying to figure out the story behind the two women and a rod, a bottle of Marrow-washing Liquid was handed to him.

After taking the Marrow-washing Liquid, Zhang Ruochen walked toward his mother who stood next to the queen said, “Mom, let’s go home!” Zhang Ruochen’s head was still spinning about with what he had heard about the rod. He did not want to spend one more minute in the Queen’s Palace. He even took a quick glance at the queen with hatred as he left.

“Alright!” Concubine Lin pursed her lips and bitterly nodded her head. It seemed like Concubine Lin was bothered by something that the queen had said.

It seemed that the queen had also noticed the tension between Zhang Ruochen and herself. She stared at Concubine Lin and Zhang Ruochen as they walked away and muttered, “Ninth Prince, you had better practice as hard as you can in preparation for the Year-end Assessment among the Royal Family three months from now. You have to do your very best to reach the ‘Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels’ stage within these three months so you can become an outstanding warrior. By that time, His Majesty will have finished his self-refining and will attend the assessment. If you can attain that result in such a short period of time, he will be overwhelmed.”

“Even if you gave him three bottles of Marrow-washing Liquid, it is impossible to reach the Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels stage in three months’ time. Not to brag, but even with my talents, I still spent six months to cultivate that skill. Since my ninth brother obtained a Zero-Class mark from the gods, I guess he will probably need more than a year to acquire the technique. Haha!” The Eighth Prince claimed contemptuously as if he viewed Zhang Ruochen as a fool rather than a brother.

Zhang Ruochen heard everything that the Eighth Prince mentioned about his lack of talent. He did not look back and try to start an argument. Rather, he grasped his fists firmly and thought to himself, “I will never let all of you down! You will see a completely different Zhang Ruochen in three months! I will obtain the Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels technique!” Zhang had never felt so determined. Their anger and the teasing motivated him to succeed.

Zhang Ruochen could not wait to start practicing. As soon as he got back to Ziyi Side Hall, he instantly went back to his room and started traveling down the path to success.

In fact, he did not understand what obtaining the Sacred Mark meant. Yet, he believed having the Sacred Mark would definitely help him learn how to practice Genuine Qi.

The first step was to open up the “Qi pool” underneath the Sacred Mark on his eyebrows.

The so-called “Qi Pool” referred to a pool that stored Genuine Qi power.

The larger the pool, the more storage for this power. The “Qi Pool” would also expand with cultivation and study.

Generally speaking, if Zhang Ruochen wanted to develop a “Qi Pool”, he needed to cultivate it under the guidance of an experienced and elder practitioner.

In regards to Zhang Ruochen, who was an exceptionally talented Martial Arts warrior in his previous life, establishing the “Qi Pool” was a fundamental step as well as the easiest task out of all of the steps of cultivation. In only half an hour, he had already built a “Qi Pool”.

Yet, for other monks, it took them at least several days to figure out how to build a “Qi Pool”.

Zhang Ruochen, the genius, only needed half an hour.

However, he did not seem satisfied with the performance of this feeble body. “Although I only spent 30 minutes to establish the ‘Qi Pool’, the size of the pool is comparable to an egg. It is definitely too small to store Genuine Qi!” He moaned.

He clearly understood that it was too small for a proper “Qi Pool”.

The “Qi Pool” was a storage for Genuine Qi.

Zhang Ruochen had to establish his own practice of Meridians in order to allow the Genuine Qi to flow through his body.

In order to become an actual warrior with the cultivation of Genuine Qi, the first step was to establish the practice of Meridians.

After that was step two, Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels.

Zhang Ruochen took out the little jade bottle of the Marrow-washing Liquid. He sniffed the liquid to make sure it was real and then poured the entire bottle of liquid into his mouth.

The taste of the Marrow-washing Liquid was relatively cool inside his throat. It only lasted for a couple of seconds, followed by a burning sensation.

It felt as if there was a fire burning inside his body.

With a trace of flames, Zhang Ruochen could feel the Meridians merging with his body.

“It’s time!” Zhang Ruochen screamed.

“The first level of the ‘Scripture of Emperor Ming’s Empyrean’.”

For Martial Artists, practicing different exercises would open up different Meridians.

The more advanced the exercises were, the more complicated the Meridians would be. Basically, there would be even more surprises when the exercises became more intricate.

There were a total of 36 Meridians in the “Scripture of Emperor Ming’s Empyrean”.

Certainly, Zhang Ruochen did not need to build all of the Meridians for the time being. What he needed to do was to build one path out of the 36 so he could reach the Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels stage.

As an extraordinary warrior, Zhang Ruochen would not be satisfied with building just one path out of the 36. “The queen and the Eighth Prince all claim that I will need more than three months to reach the Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels stage. Yet, I will prove it to everyone that I am going to complete it tonight and become a real warrior!” he firmly said.

With the experience of cultivating Martial Arts in Zhang Ruochen’s previous life, a strand of Genuine Qi fully broke out of the vessels. Very quickly, half of the first Meridian had been created.

However, there was drastic pain coming from his body. It felt like his Meridian was nearly being torn out. He was scared and he shivered. And, as this was just the weak body of Zhang Ruochen, anything could happen to this feeble body.

If it were to happen to ordinary people, they would not be able to endure it.

Yet, the powerful determination of Zhang Ruochen helped him overcome the pain. Even though he was sweating profusely, he never gave up.

“Just… a little… more…” He mumbled.

Zhang Ruochen was very close to the building the first Meridian. He had to break through!

He had to accomplish it. He had to successfully reach that stage!

That was the spirit of a warrior. Zhang Ruochen flung himself toward his goal, almost crushing all of the Genuine Qi as he moved it toward his Meridian.

“Boom!”

A massive noise descended from Zhang Ruochen’s body, loud enough to make a person deaf. The shock of the noise almost made him faint.

Eventually, the pain went away. Zhang Ruochen could only feel cool blood circulating around the Meridians. He had never felt anything more refreshing than this.

“Haha! I made it! I’m a real warrior now after attaining the Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels stage!” He screamed.

To reach this stage, the Eighth Prince had needed four bottles of Marrow-washing Liquid and spent half a year to achieve it.

Zhang Ruochen only spent a single night and only needed one bottle of the liquid.

The Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels stage had been accomplished, which meant the cultivation of the Initial Stage of the Yellow Realm.

The Martial Arts Practices were divided into yellow, black, earth, and heaven, corresponding to the Yellow Realm, the Black Realm, the Earth Realm and finally the Heaven Realm.

In each realm, there were seven more states: the Initial Stage, the Mid Stage, the Advanced Stage, Dawn State, the Medium State, the Final State, and last but not least, the Completion.

Four major realms and seven minor states.

The cultivation that Zhang Ruochen had completed within a night was the Initial Stage of the Yellow Realm.

After building the Meridians and drilling the Genuine Qi in the Initial Stage, the Mid Stage, and the Advanced Stage of the Yellow realm, the power in the body would become stronger. Every time that one would elevate to the next realm, their power would greatly increase.

The Eighth Prince had a cultivation in the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm. That explained why he could lift a 300 pound stone 10 feet in the air with a single hand. His fist was probably as strong as a bull.

Most warriors in the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm were able to cultivate a technique called the “Strength of A Bull”.

Above the Advanced Stage, there were four realms, which included the Dawn State, the Medium State, the Final State, and the Completion.

After breaking through to the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm, a person then reached the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm, which meant acquiring the technique “Strength of Four Bulls”, which was four times more powerful than the previous state.

Therefore, warriors of the Dawn State and the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm were like adults playing with children. Even if one of them fought against 10 people, the warrior in the Dawn State could easily handle them.

The other three minor states, the Medium State, the Final State, and the Completion, were even more terrifying. The warriors who belonged to these three states were very likely to have obtained power that no one could imagine.

The above realms sounded really far away to Zhang Ruochen. But, fighting firmly and steadily, he knew that this was a crucial part of this life. He believed that “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together step by step”. If Zhang Ruochen wanted to be a warrior, he would need to cultivate each stage gradually, step by step.

The Eighth Prince had been practicing Martial Arts for eight years and the furthest stage that he had reached was just the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm. He was just an ordinary person.

“The Eighth Prince spent six months to accomplish the Washing Marrow and Breaking out of the Channels stage while I only spent a single night.” Zhang Ruochen was very proud of himself with the progress that he had made so far.

“The Eighth Prince spent eight years practicing the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm. I have to reach my goal in three months! It’s possible for me to accomplish this. With my previous experience, I can see a way.” He thought, setting a target for himself over the next three months.

The Year-end Assessment of the Royal Family would be held in three months’ time. In order to examine the results of cultivation over the past year, every single one of the warriors in the Royal Family, including all the princes, princesses, and relatives, had to attend.

Zhang Ruochen understood that the only way to be respected, receive more resources for cultivation, and to acquire a certain status in the Royal Family was no doubt by proving to everyone in the family that he was capable of being a warrior. He was determined to show them that he was no longer the coward that people used to tease.

Three months!

Over the next three months, Zhang Ruochen was determined to practice the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm. Deep in his heart, he promised himself that he would never give up until he had redeemed his mother’s dignity. A mother who had taken care of him since he was born, a mother who had suffered so much pain…