Chapter 5, Qi Yue, Liu Xi

"Here, don't lose it again." Zhou Yuan tossed the jade token to the approaching Su Youwei. A gentle breeze swept by, causing her robe to gather, accentuating the delicate curves of the young girl, evoking a sense of imagination.

At this point, he paused for a moment and said with slightly narrowed eyes: "However, that Su Youwei's talent is indeed astonishing, and her future prospects are limitless. If there is an opportunity, we must do our utmost to win her over."

A few years ago, Zhou Qing noticed the growing power of the Qi royal family and intended to establish a balance of power. Therefore, he planned to place his bets on Liu Hou and proposed a marriage alliance, intending for Zhou Yuan to marry Liu Xi, the daughter of Liu Hou, to strengthen the ties between the two families

Noticing Zhou Yuan's gaze, a faint smile also appeared on Qi Yue's face, and then he cupped his fist in salute towards Zhou Yuan from a distance

Zhou Yuanyi was taken aback as he gazed at the young girl before him. In the depths of her sparkling bright eyes, there seemed to be a trace of determination that was difficult for others to perceive, a reflection of her effort to maintain the last vestige of dignity within her heart

Upon hearing this, Su Youwei could only give him an annoyed glance and said: "Since you are so timid, I will not take care of you anymore. I still need to go to the library to organize the collection."

She is not afraid of such criticism, but she does not want to be looked down upon by Zhou Yuan

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

She cast a disdainful glance in the direction where Zhou Yuan had left, and coldly snorted: "The source patterns are ultimately just a minor path; no matter how profound one's attainments, they still cannot lead to personal transformation. With a limited lifespan, a single misstep could even allow an ordinary person to slay them."

Behind Qi Yue, a graceful figure emerged. It was a tall young girl, whose appearance was also charming and beautiful, but her lips were somewhat thin, giving her a somewhat sharp impression. Compared to Su Youwei, she evidently lacked a certain allure.

At least now, she knows that Zhou Yuan, in order to preserve her remaining dignity, would choose to make concessions, which caused a fleeting glimmer in her eyes, filling her heart with a peculiar sense of gratitude

In the Great Zhou Prefecture, there are more than ten branch institutions, among which the A Academy is naturally the strongest

And she has also been very successful. As the fastest genius to open the meridians since the establishment of the Great Zhou Mansion, her talent is sufficient to attract the attention of anyone. Even Zhou Yuan's father, Zhou Qing, is aware of her name

Your Highness, rest assured, I will not delay my training. I assure you that in the upcoming examination, I will certainly rank among the top and gain admission to the first academy. Su Youwei smiled brightly, her smile radiant and confident

Zhou Yuan gently rubbed his palm and said, "Rest assured, I have my own measure."

How very tsundere...

Without having opened the meridians, his physical condition still fell short. Zhou Yuan sighed, although he had temporarily enhanced his skin hardness, strength, and speed through the Iron Skin Pattern, Light Body Pattern, and Savage Bull Pattern, his internal body remained too fragile. The rebound force, even when slightly penetrating into his body, made him feel quite uncomfortable

Alright, alright

"Hehe, you found out, huh?" Zhou Yuan said with a smile, then he raised his palm, revealing that the knuckles of his fist were somewhat red, a result of the fierce punch he had thrown earlier

In that case, your family should be doomed this week

This is a part-time job she found, which allows her to earn some income, as her family background is not particularly good, and she has a grandfather to support. Therefore, while maintaining her regular studies, she also sought some odd jobs in the Da Zhou Mansion.

She knew that as long as she spoke up, Zhou Yuan would help her arrange all the necessary conditions, but doing so might lead to some deterioration in the relationship between her and Zhou Yuan

On the pavilion, Qi Yue gazed at the distant figure of Zhou Yuan, a playful expression gradually appearing on his face as he muttered to himself: "I never expected that this prince has unknowingly made some progress in the realm of source patterns..."

Faced with the girl's persistent and stubborn gaze, Zhou Yuan ultimately retreated, raising his hand in surrender, and said with a wry smile: "Then I shall not concern myself with it."

The figure in the white shirt is none other than the heir of the Qi Wangfu, Qi Yue

Qi Yue could naturally discern the girl's dislike for Su Youwei from her voice. He smiled slightly, said nothing more, and simply fixed his gaze on the distant figure of Zhou Yuan as it disappeared.

Girls are inherently attentive; she could see that Zhou Yuan's palm seemed to tremble slightly

Upon hearing this, Qi Yue also nodded with a smile and said: "This time's major examination, those students ranked at the top have already pledged their allegiance to me. If our Prince Zhou Yuan thinks he can succeed solely based on his proficiency in source patterns, then he will only end up losing all his face."

Zhou Yuan has indeed not yet opened his meridians, but he possesses another kind of power, which is the Source Pattern. With the Source Pattern, even someone like Xu Lin, who has opened two meridians, is not his opponent

Upon hearing this, Su Youwei's bright eyes gently curved, resembling a crescent moon. At the same time, she quietly let out a sigh of relief deep within her heart. She knew that if Zhou Yuan were to insist, she would likely be unable to refuse. However, that would leave her feeling somewhat disappointed.

Zhou Yuan gazed at the slender and graceful figure of the girl as she walked away, shook his head, and was about to leave as well. Suddenly, he felt a sense of awareness, raised his head, and looked towards a distant pavilion. There, he saw a figure in white clothing, looking down from a height, with eyes sharp as blades.

Although this matter has long since passed, seeing Zhou Yuan, whom she once referred to as a toad, naturally leaves Liu Xi with lingering feelings of resentment

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed and dispersed, but as they left, they cast curious glances at Zhou Yuan. This was because it was well known in the Great Zhou Mansion that Zhou Yuan had never been able to open his meridians. Thus, in the minds of many, although this prince held a noble status, he possessed no strength.

"Then you must put in some effort. The major examination in one month is approaching. Unless you can depict a first-grade source pattern, it will be difficult for you to rank in the top ten," Su Youwei said, lightly biting her red lip, with a hint of concern in her voice.

Su Youwei noticed that Zhou Yuan had fallen into silence, and she immediately, with great understanding, changed the subject. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled and said: "Your Highness, would you like me to apply some medicine for you?"

It seems that Yuan has completely lost confidence in himself this week, so he wants to support a genius to rely on

"Do not get the wrong idea; it is not a gift for you, but rather a loan. I have not yet opened my meridians, so I cannot make use of it at this moment." Upon seeing Su Yaowei about to refuse, Zhou Yuan immediately said.

However, in the future, he can only specialize in source patterns, which truly leaves him feeling somewhat unwilling.

However, today's scene has completely extinguished their thoughts on this matter

Liu Hou was somewhat hesitant regarding Zhou Qing's proposal, as the royal family of the Great Zhou appeared to be in decline at that time, and the only heir, Zhou Yuan, was unable to open his meridians. Furthermore, Liu Hou had a deep affection for Liu Xi, so he sought her opinion. However, Liu Xi was extremely proud and considered Zhou Yuan to be a useless prince, thus she rejected the proposal without hesitation, even stating that the useless prince was like a toad wishing to eat swan meat, which became a topic of laughter at the time.

Her name is Liu Xi, and her father is a marquis of the Great Zhou, known as Marquis Liu, which naturally makes her of noble birth. It can be said that there is some connection between her and Zhou Yuan.

I am leaving! Su Youwei put away the Gathering Source Jade, let out a low hum, and then brushed past Zhou Yuan.

Your Highness

"Forget it, such great fortune might make others jealous and they could resort to underhanded tactics against me," Zhou Yuan joked, as Su Youwei's popularity in the Da Zhou Mansion is quite significant.

Liu Xi has a distinguished background and possesses considerable talent. In the past, she was undoubtedly the most dazzling pearl in the Great Zhou Prefecture. However, ever since Su Youwei appeared, many of her glories have been suppressed, which undoubtedly causes her to harbor a strong dislike for Su Youwei, who is merely a commoner.

He squinted slightly; now, he could only hope that the journey to his ancestral land in two days would help him resolve the issue of the eight meridians not manifesting. Otherwise, he might truly have to devote all his energy to the study of source patterns.

The lecturer mentioned that certain source patterns can temporarily enhance the overall physical body. If you are able to master them, you will not be harmed by the force of the impact. Su Youwei pondered for a moment and said

It is rumored that source patterns are divided into nine grades, but currently, Zhou Yuan's level is still at the entry level, not even qualifying as the first grade, so such source patterns cannot be mastered in a short period of time

Upon seeing this, Liu Hou also used this reason to decline Zhou Qing.

In this world, while status and identity certainly represent a form of power, the most readily acknowledged power is undoubtedly that which is cultivated through one's own efforts, for such power does not change with any alteration in status or identity

Hearing Zhou Yuan say this, Su Youwei could only swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue, and then she shot him a resentful glance, thinking to herself, how can this guy speak like that

If the results of the Zhouyuan major examination are unsatisfactory, it is likely that some rumors and gossip will arise again

Upon hearing Qi Yue's words, a look of displeasure crossed Liu Xi's face as she pouted and said, "She is merely a lowly girl who has opened three meridians. If we cannot win her over, then we should find an opportunity to render her useless."

Alright, the good show has come to an end, everyone can disperse now. Zhou Yuan tossed the jade token in his hand and then smiled at the crowd of young boys and girls surrounding him.

"Qi Yue." Zhou Yuan gazed at the figure in the white shirt, his brows slightly raised.

She has been carefully maintaining the relationship between the two of them. Zhou Yuan is a prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty, with a noble status, while she is merely a commoner. The disparity in their identities is too great, making it extremely easy to attract some criticism.

Zhou Yuan, oh Zhou Yuan, your Zhou family sacred dragon has truly become a useless dragon

Zhou Yuan let out a cold laugh in his heart, yet maintained a smile on his face, nodding with a grin before turning to leave

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "The source patterns of that kind of efficacy are all of a high grade."

Therefore, after entering the Da Zhou Mansion, she made every effort to become independent while diligently cultivating, striving to change the disparity in status between the two of them

New book release, thank you all for your support, and I hope that in the next three years, Yuan Zun can accompany everyone once again

Additionally, if there are any tickets and endorsements, please feel free to send them all over!

Su Youwei bit her red lips shyly, her bright eyes fixed on Zhou Yuan, and said: "Are you alright?"

Zhou Yuan's voice had not yet spoken when it was interrupted. He looked at Su Youwei, who at that moment was slightly pursing her red lips, her eyes seriously fixed on him. Her voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable strength: "You have already helped me a lot; you brought me to this place that can change my destiny. I am deeply grateful to you from the bottom of my heart, but... you said that we are friends, right?"

Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment and said: "There is only one month left until the major examination, and time is quite pressing. I believe you should spend more time on opening the meridians. If necessary, I..."