Chapter 6

"Alright, the show is over, everyone can disperse now." Zhou Yuan tossed the jade token in his hand and smiled at the surrounding group of young men and women.

Upon hearing this, everyone also dispersed with smiles, but as they left, their gazes towards Zhou Yuan were filled with more surprise. In the Great Zhou Manor, the fact that Zhou Yuan had yet to open his meridians was well-known. Therefore, many people believed that although he was a prince, he had no strength.

However, today's scene had completely extinguished this notion.

Zhou Yuan indeed had not yet opened his meridians, but he possessed another kind of power, which was the Origin Pattern. With the Origin Pattern, even Xu Lin, who had opened two meridians, was no match for him.

In this world, status and position were undoubtedly a form of power, but the most easily recognized power was undoubtedly the strength cultivated through one's own efforts, because such power would not change due to any change in status or position.

"Here, don't lose it again." Zhou Yuan tossed the jade token to Su Youwei, who was walking over. A gentle breeze blew, and her school uniform clung to her body, outlining her delicate and well-proportioned figure, evoking much imagination.

Su Youwei bit her lower lip, a bit embarrassed, and looked at Zhou Yuan with bright eyes, asking, "Are you okay?"

Girls were always more observant. She could see that Zhou Yuan's hands were slightly trembling.

"Hehe, you noticed, huh." Zhou Yuan laughed, then raised his hand. His fist was somewhat red, a result of the fierce punch he had thrown earlier.

"Without opening the meridians, my physical strength is still lacking." Zhou Yuan sighed. Although he had temporarily enhanced his skin hardness, strength, and speed with the Iron Skin Pattern, Light Body Pattern, and Wild Ox Pattern, his internal body was still too fragile. The rebounding force that slightly invaded his body made him feel uncomfortable.

"According to the lecturer, some Origin Patterns can temporarily strengthen the entire body. If you can learn them, you won't be injured by the rebounding force." Su Youwei thought for a moment and said.

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "Those Origin Patterns are of high rank."

It was said that Origin Patterns were divided into nine ranks, but Zhou Yuan was still at the beginner level, not even reaching the first rank. Therefore, it would be impossible for him to learn such Origin Patterns in the short term.

"You need to work hard. In a month, there will be a major exam. Unless you can carve a first-rank Origin Pattern, it will be difficult for you to rank in the top ten." Su Youwei bit her lower lip, somewhat worried.

If Zhou Yuan performed poorly in the major exam, it would likely lead to more gossip.

Zhou Yuan gently rubbed his hand and said, "Don't worry, I have my own plans."

His eyes narrowed slightly. Now, he could only hope that the ancestral land trip in two days would help him solve the problem of his eight meridians not being visible. If not, he might have to focus all his energy on learning Origin Patterns.

However, dedicating himself solely to Origin Patterns was something he was not entirely willing to do.

Seeing Zhou Yuan fall silent, Su Youwei immediately changed the topic, her eyes twinkling as she smiled, "Your Highness, do you want me to apply some medicine for you?"

"Never mind, such a great favor, others might try to harm me if they saw it." Zhou Yuan joked. After all, Su Youwei was quite popular in the Great Zhou Manor.

Hearing this, Su Youwei could only give him a glare and said, "Since you're so timid, I won't bother with you. I still have to go to the library to organize the books."

This was a part-time job she had found to earn some income. Her family was not well-off, and she had a grandfather to take care of, so she had to find some part-time work in the Great Zhou Manor to support her studies.

Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment and said, "There's only a month left until the major exam, and time is tight. I think you should focus more on opening your meridians. If you need anything, I..."

"Your Highness."

Before Zhou Yuan could finish speaking, he was interrupted. He looked at Su Youwei, who was now pursing her lips and staring at him with serious eyes. Her voice was gentle but carried a force that could not be ignored: "You've helped me a lot. You brought me to this place where I can change my fate, and I am deeply grateful to you. But... you said we are friends, right?"

Zhou Yuan was taken aback. He looked at the girl in front of him, whose bright eyes seemed to hide a determination that others could hardly notice. It was her way of maintaining her last bit of dignity.

She knew that if she asked, Zhou Yuan would help her with everything she needed. However, doing so might change the nature of their relationship.

She had been carefully maintaining their relationship. Zhou Yuan was a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, with a noble status, while she was just a commoner. The gap between them was too large, making it easy for others to gossip.

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

Therefore, after entering the Great Zhou Manor, she had made every effort to become independent and to work hard to reduce the gap between them.

And she had been very successful. As the fastest meridian opener in the history of the Great Zhou Manor, her talent was enough to make anyone take her seriously. Even Zhou Yuan's father, Zhou Qing, knew her name.

"Alright, alright."

Faced with the girl's determined and stubborn gaze, Zhou Yuan finally gave in, raising his hands in surrender and smiling bitterly, "Then I won't bother with it."

Hearing this, Su Youwei's bright eyes curved like a crescent moon, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that if Zhou Yuan insisted, she would not be able to refuse him, but that would make her a bit disappointed.

At least now, she knew that Zhou Yuan would choose to step back to maintain her remaining dignity, which made her eyes glisten with a sense of gratitude.

"Your Highness, don't worry. I won't neglect my training. I promise you, I will rank at the top in the major exam and enter the Alpha Academy." Su Youwei smiled brightly and confidently.

In the Great Zhou Manor, there were over a dozen academies, with the Alpha Academy being the strongest.

Zhou Yuan nodded, thought for a moment, and then took out the Source Gathering Jade he had used to bet with Xu Lin. He took Su Youwei's hand and placed the jade in her palm.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not giving it to you; I'm lending it to you. I haven't opened my meridians yet, so I can't use it." Seeing Su Youwei about to refuse, Zhou Yuan quickly said.

Hearing this, Su Youwei had to swallow her words and gave him a glare. What a guy, how could he talk like that!

"I'm leaving!" Su Youwei put away the Source Gathering Jade, huffed, and walked past Zhou Yuan.

"Such a tsundere..."

Zhou Yuan watched the slender and graceful figure of the girl as she walked away, shook his head, and was about to leave when he suddenly sensed something. He looked up and saw a figure in white standing on a distant pavilion, looking down at him with sharp eyes.

"Qi Yue." Zhou Yuan's eyebrows twitched as he looked at the figure in white.

The figure in white was the crown prince of the Qi Wang Manor, Qi Yue.

Noticing Zhou Yuan's gaze, Qi Yue's face broke into a smile, and he bowed from a distance.

Zhou Yuan sneered inwardly but maintained a smile on his face, nodding and then turning to leave.

On the pavilion, Qi Yue watched Zhou Yuan's retreating figure and his face took on a playful expression. He muttered to himself, "I didn't expect this prince to have developed some skill in Origin Patterns without me noticing..."

Behind Qi Yue, a tall and slender figure stepped out. It was a beautiful girl with a sharp and somewhat cold demeanor, lacking the charm of Su Youwei.

She glanced at the direction Zhou Yuan had left, her beautiful eyes filled with disdain, and she coldly snorted, "Origin Patterns are just a minor path. No matter how skilled one is, it cannot change one's nature. With a limited lifespan, a single mistake could lead to being killed by an ordinary person."

Her name was Liu Xi, and her father was the Marquis of the Great Zhou, known as Marquis Liu. She was also from a noble family, and she had some connection with Zhou Yuan.

A few years ago, Zhou Qing noticed the growing power of the Qi Wang Manor and wanted to balance it. He planned to use Marquis Liu as a counterweight and proposed a marriage between Zhou Yuan and Liu Xi to strengthen the relationship between the two families.

Marquis Liu was somewhat hesitant about Zhou Qing's proposal. At that time, the Great Zhou royal family was declining, and the only heir, Zhou Yuan, had not opened his meridians. Additionally, Marquis Liu doted on Liu Xi, so he asked for her opinion. Liu Xi, being extremely proud, saw Zhou Yuan as a useless prince and rejected the proposal outright, even mocking him as a toad lusting after a swan. This became a topic of ridicule at the time.

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

Although this matter was long past, Liu Xi still harbored resentment towards Zhou Yuan, whom she once called a toad.

Qi Yue also nodded with a smile and said, "In this major exam, the top-ranked students have already pledged their allegiance to me. If our Prince Zhou Yuan thinks he can make a name for himself with just his Origin Pattern skills, he will only end up losing face."

He paused, then narrowed his eyes and continued, "However, Su Youwei's talent is indeed remarkable, and her future is boundless. If there's an opportunity, we should try to win her over."

Hearing this, Liu Xi's face showed displeasure, and she pouted, "She's just a commoner who has opened three meridians. If we can't win her over, we should find an opportunity to cripple her."

Liu Xi had a prominent background and considerable talent. In the Great Zhou Manor, she was undoubtedly the most dazzling star. However, since Su Youwei's appearance, her many shining points had been overshadowed, which made her extremely dislike Su Youwei, a mere commoner.

Qi Yue naturally could hear the dislike in the girl's voice and smiled, not saying much more, but only staring at Zhou Yuan's disappearing figure in the distance.

"It seems Zhou Yuan has completely lost confidence in himself and is trying to support a genius to rely on..."

"Zhou Yuan, Zhou Yuan, you, the holy dragon of the Zhou family, have truly become a waste dragon."

"Since that's the case, your Zhou family is doomed to fail."

(New book release, thank you all for your support. I hope that over the next three years, Yuan Zun can accompany you all again.

Also, if you have any votes or likes, please throw them my way!)

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