Chapter 20

"How... how can his strength be so powerful?" Lin Nishan bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen.

Such a result was truly hard for her to accept.

Lin Fengxian was also stunned, staring at Zhang Ruochen standing in the training ground, as if he had turned to stone.

Ordinary young warriors could only see that Zhang Ruochen's strength was formidable, but the more advanced warriors were even more shocked.

Firstly, when Zhang Ruochen stepped on the ground, he could make a thousand-pound stone disc rise more than a meter into the air, which was not just the force of the rebound.

Instead, he injected his true qi into the ground, transforming it into layers of waves that struck the bottom of the stone disc.

It was the叠加 of these layers of waves that lifted the stone disc.

If it were just the force of the rebound, even a warrior at the peak of the Yellow Extreme Realm would be unable to lift a thousand-pound stone disc.

His control over true qi was simply exquisite and meticulous, leaving many older martial arts experts in awe, feeling inferior.

Secondly, when the thousand-pound stone disc fell from a height of five meters, the impact was terrifying, something that a warrior at the Yellow Extreme Realm could not withstand.

However, Zhang Ruochen still used his true qi, transforming it into layers of waves that struck the bottom of the stone disc, neutralizing the impact of its fall.

It was precisely because of this that he was able to catch the falling stone disc steadily.

Only the truly discerning martial arts experts could see through this technique. Because they could see the subtleties, the martial arts experts present were shocked and felt it was incredible.

The Ninth Prince's control over true qi was more refined than that of many warriors at the Profound Extreme Realm.

A martial genius had been born!

As Zhang Ruochen walked out of the training ground and passed by Lin Nishan, she gave him a cold, sharp look and said, "You've hidden your strength deeply. Is this to deliberately humiliate me? I'll tell you, a person's strength can be rapidly enhanced to an incredible degree by consuming heavenly treasures."

"But in a real battle, it's not just about having powerful strength. The year-end assessment has just begun. I'll show you the true gap between us later."

Lin Nishan couldn't see Zhang Ruochen's exquisite use of true qi, so she thought he had just been lucky and had consumed some kind of heavenly treasure to gain his current strength.

In fact, some ordinary people who accidentally consumed rare fruits or herbs could indeed suddenly become incredibly strong.

Hearing Lin Nishan's words, Zhang Ruochen shook his head slightly, too lazy to respond, and walked straight toward Lin Fei.

"Mother, I've done it!" Zhang Ruochen said.

Lin Fei, standing among the concubines, seemed as if she had been struck by lightning, her eyes glistening with tears, and she said shakily, "Dust, is it really my Dust?"

Lin Fei tightly embraced Zhang Ruochen and burst into tears.

She had waited for this day for so long.

She had thought it would never come, but Zhang Ruochen had made it. He had become a warrior, a young powerhouse, making everyone look at him with new respect and no longer mocking him.

What she wanted was actually very simple: just fair treatment.

The concubines, palace maids, and eunuchs standing nearby, seeing this scene, began to think, "We must never offend Concubine Lin from now on!"

"Good!"

Yunwu County Prince suddenly stood up, staring excitedly at Zhang Ruochen and said, "The Ninth Prince has matured late, and I am extremely pleased. Regardless of the results of the year-end assessment, the royal family will celebrate for three days. Ninth Prince, come over and let me take a good look at you."

"Dust, quickly, go and pay respects to your father."

Lin Fei wiped away her tears and immediately pulled Zhang Ruochen toward Yunwu County Prince.

"Pay respects to His Highness!" Lin Fei and Zhang Ruochen bowed simultaneously.

Yunwu County Prince stared intently at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Your cultivation has reached the Lesser Extreme of the Yellow Extreme Realm, right?"

Zhang Ruochen had displayed his strength just now, and it couldn't escape Yunwu County Prince's eyes.

Zhang Ruochen replied, "Yes!"

"Reaching the Lesser Extreme of the Yellow Extreme Realm in three months is not something an ordinary person can do. Ninth Prince, what kind of extraordinary encounter have you had recently?" Yunwu County Prince asked.

Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "Your Highness, I have indeed had some extraordinary encounters. But they are my secrets, and I have the right not to reveal them, nor do I want to make them public."

"Bold! Your father is your biological father. What secret can you not tell your own father?" the Empress said angrily.

Yunwu County Prince raised his hand slightly, stopping the Empress from continuing, and looked at Zhang Ruochen with a hint of admiration, saying, "Every warrior has their secrets. Since you don't want to say, I won't force you. Participate well in the year-end assessment. I look forward to your performance."

Next to enter the training ground was the Ninth Princess.

The Ninth Princess, Zhang Yuxi, was a beauty with fair skin and a tall, slender figure, exuding an elegant and noble aura.

She was only one day older than Zhang Ruochen, with martial talent and beauty on par with Lin Nishan, and was one of the four great beauties of Yunwu County, known as the "Twin Beauties of the Capital" alongside Lin Nishan.

The Ninth Princess also lifted the tenth stone disc and threw it thirteen meters, slightly weaker than Lin Nishan, who had thrown it fifteen meters.

The Ninth Princess frowned slightly, walked out of the training ground, and stood beside Zhang Ruochen, her eyes filled with a charming smile, "Ninth Brother, be careful during the Wangshan hunt! I'm your formidable opponent!"

Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Princess were of similar age, so they often played together when they were young. After the Ninth Princess activated her Divine Martial Mark, she devoted her time to martial cultivation, and their relationship gradually became distant.

Now, Zhang Ruochen felt even more estranged from the Ninth Princess, just nodding slightly and saying nothing more.

Next to enter the training ground was the Eighth Prince, Zhang Ji.

Originally, the Eighth Prince thought that reaching the Lesser Extreme would allow him to easily outperform Zhang Ruochen in the year-end assessment and even earn Yunwu County Prince's praise.

However, Zhang Ruochen's performance was too astonishing, severely damaging his confidence.

"I must lift the tenth stone disc! Zhang Ruochen is just a waste, and he can do it, so I can definitely do it too."

Originally, the Eighth Prince had just reached the Lesser Extreme and had no intention of lifting the tenth stone disc. But under Zhang Ruochen's pressure, he desperately wanted to lift it.

"Rise!"

The Eighth Prince gripped the huge stone disc with both hands, his veins bulging, and he actually managed to lift it slowly.

However, just as he lifted it half a meter, his fingers slipped, and the stone disc fell, smashing onto his foot.

"Ah!"

The Eighth Prince let out a pig-like scream, "My foot, my foot... help... help..."

His foot bone was broken.

He then fainted from the pain, lying in the center of the training ground like a dead pig.

Two guards immediately rushed into the training ground, moved the thousand-pound stone disc, and carried the Eighth Prince away.

Next, more young warriors entered the training ground.

These warriors were all over sixteen years old, selected elites from various families, and more than half of them managed to lift the thousand-pound stone disc.

The three best performers all reached the Greater Extreme of the Yellow Extreme Realm, throwing the stone disc over twenty meters.

The Fifth Prince, nineteen years old, at the Greater Extreme of the Yellow Extreme Realm, threw the stone disc twenty meters.

Situ Linjiang, seventeen years old, the top young expert of the Situ family, at the Greater Extreme of the Yellow Extreme Realm, threw the stone disc twenty-three meters.

Xue Kai, nineteen years old, the grandson of the current Imperial Preceptor, at the Greater Extreme of the Yellow Extreme Realm, threw the stone disc twenty-four meters.

In the first round, the strength test, apart from Zhang Ruochen, Lin Nishan, and the Ninth Princess, these three performed the most outstandingly.

Next was the second round: the Wangshan hunt.

Only those who could lift the tenth stone disc were eligible to participate in the second round.

In the first round, forty-three young warriors managed to lift the tenth stone disc.

The guards brought forty-three strong antelope horses into the training ground. Each antelope horse was as large as a small elephant, with a sharp horn and covered in silver armor.

On the back of each antelope horse hung a one-and-a-half-meter-long iron wire bow and five Thunderbolt Arrows.

The Imperial Preceptor stood on a stone platform and said loudly, "You have demonstrated the strength to lift a thousand-pound stone disc, which means you are capable of fighting a first-stage savage beast. However, remember that even a first-stage savage beast is stronger than you might imagine, and its speed is astonishingly fast."

"Only with the Thunderbolt Arrows can you pierce the skin of a savage beast and kill it."

"Each of you has only five arrows. The more savage beasts you kill, and the stronger they are, the better your performance. Only those who kill savage beasts can participate in the third round, the arena battle."

"Wangshan is full of danger, and you might even lose your life. If you encounter a second-stage savage beast, run for your life immediately!"

"The Wangshan hunt begins now."

Lin Nishan pushed off the ground with her legs, leaped lightly, and landed gracefully on the back of one of the antelope horses. She glanced at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Cousin, the strength test was just my weak point. Now is the time for me to truly show my strength. I hope you don't fall too far behind. Go!"

"Snap!"

Lin Nishan whipped the antelope horse's buttocks, and it immediately galloped away, rushing into Wangshan.