Chapter 17: Lin Feng

When Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes, Su Youwei also noticed the elegant young man before them. Her brows furrowed slightly, then she smiled and said, "So it's Young Master Lin. I'm afraid I don't have time today."

Hearing Su Youwei's gentle refusal, Lin Feng showed no sign of disappointment. Instead, he smiled and nodded, saying, "In that case, it will have to be another time." He didn't press the issue, appearing cultured and polite. However, it was precisely this attitude that made Su Youwei sigh inwardly with a sense of helplessness, thinking that such people were even more difficult to deal with. Zhou Yuan, standing beside her, said nothing, merely giving Lin Feng a faint smile before walking out with Su Youwei.

As Lin Feng watched them leave, his gentle face darkened slightly. "Heh, it seems your chances aren't great." A soft chuckle came from behind Lin Feng. He turned to see Qi Yue, dressed in white.

"Young Prince," Lin Feng said, composing himself and bowing slightly.

Qi Yue stood beside Lin Feng, looking in the direction Zhou Yuan and Su Youwei had left. With a half-smile, he remarked, "Although our Prince cannot cultivate his meridians, his status is still there. Moreover, he once showed kindness to Su Youwei, so I'm afraid you don't have much of a chance."

Lin Feng's eyes darkened, and his lips were tightly pressed, clearly showing his extreme unwillingness.

"Are you truly taken with Su Youwei?" Qi Yue couldn't help but chuckle at his expression.

"Although Su Youwei is just a commoner, she has the potential to change everything. In the future, she is destined to rise above obscurity and gain prominence," Lin Feng stated.

Qi Yue nodded gently and sighed, "Indeed, with Su Youwei's talent, her rise is only a matter of time. This Prince Zhou Yuan truly has good fortune; anyone he picks up seems to become a genius."

Lin Feng's gaze grew more fervent as he slowly said, "That's why I will not give up."

Qi Yue smiled faintly and said, "Compared to our Prince, you are not weak at all. He merely has the title of Prince. Without that, he wouldn't even be worthy of a second glance from you."

Lin Feng remained silent, but a hint of arrogance flickered in his expression. In his view, if Zhou Yuan weren't the Prince of Great Zhou, given his inability to cultivate his meridians, he wouldn't truly be worth his attention.

"I, for one, hope you can win Su Youwei over. That way, I'd have one less major problem." Qi Yue chuckled. "I approached her before and offered many conditions, but none could persuade her to join Academy B after the Grand Examination. It seems she truly holds deep affection and loyalty for Prince Zhou Yuan."

Lin Feng's expression became somewhat unpleasant.

"However, I do have a method," Qi Yue paused before continuing. "The Grand Examination is in another month, and Zhou Yuan will be participating. If he suffers a crushing defeat there, it should significantly diminish his aura of identity."

Lin Feng's eyes flickered. Cultivation was prevalent in Great Zhou, and the nation was founded on martial prowess. Even if Zhou Yuan was a Prince, without any achievements, he would still be subject to much discussion. At that point, Su Youwei should also be able to see clearly that a disgraced prince was not really someone worth relying on.

"What do you mean, Young Prince?"

Qi Yue smiled faintly. "During the Grand Examination, I will arrange things so that Zhou Yuan encounters you. You should know how to suppress his aura of identity then."

Hearing this, Lin Feng hesitated. "He is a Prince, after all. If we go too far..."

"In a contest, fists and feet have no eyes; no one can say anything," Qi Yue shook his head. "Since your Lin family has sided with our Prince Qi's Manor, even if something happens, we will protect you."

Lin Feng's eyes flickered. A moment later, he gritted his teeth and whispered, "Alright, I understand. If we meet during the Grand Examination, I will ensure our Prince loses in the most humiliating way possible." He looked up, watching Zhou Yuan's retreating figure, a venomous glint in his eyes. A disgraced prince trying to snatch his woman, Lin Feng's woman? In that case, he would have to teach him a bitter lesson.

Qi Yue smiled faintly. If Zhou Yuan were to be utterly disgraced, he could then approach Su Youwei again. The girl should then be able to discern who was stronger. As long as she joined Academy B, no one else would pose a threat to him in the upcoming Prefecture Examination. Then, this Great Zhou Prefecture would fall into the hands of Prince Qi's Manor. And in the future, all students emerging from this Great Zhou Prefecture would bear the mark of Prince Qi's Manor. By then, it was likely that the Great Zhou Dynasty itself would see a change in power.

"This Lin Feng is likely already colluding with Qi Yue," Zhou Yuan said to Su Youwei as they walked through the courtyards. "Perhaps this is even Qi Yue's ploy: if he can't openly win you over, he'll use a honey trap."

Su Youwei heard this and could only shake her head exasperatedly. "Don't worry, Your Highness, a honey trap won't work on me." She then paused, a hint of worry in her voice. "However, Your Highness must also be careful. Most of the outstanding newcomers have been swayed by Qi Yue. I'm concerned they might try to trip you up during the Grand Examination."

Given Zhou Yuan's current strength, it was already quite difficult for him to enter the top ten in the Grand Examination. If others were to trip him up, it would be even harder.

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He let out a soft breath and slowly said, "Prince Qi's Manor truly possesses immense power." The conditions Qi Yue offered to win people over were hard to refuse. Their financial resources seemed no weaker than the imperial family's. It appeared his father was right; behind Prince Qi's Manor was likely Great Wu. A cold light flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes at this thought. Prince Qi's Manor was truly a cancerous growth within their Great Zhou. Now they even wanted to lay claim to the Great Zhou Prefecture. Once the Great Zhou Prefecture fell under the control of Prince Qi's Manor, it would be an immense blow to the imperial family. Therefore... they absolutely could not be allowed to succeed. Of course, what was even more important now was to quickly open his meridians to prepare for the upcoming Grand Examination of the Great Zhou Prefecture.

Over the next few days, Zhou Yuan remained in the royal palace. In the mornings, he diligently practiced the Ninety-Eight Forms of Dragon Forging, performing four meridian surges. In the evenings, he cultivated the "Chaos God Mill Meditation," refining his spirit. In just a few days, Zhou Yuan had made significant progress. His first meridian inside him had loosened further, and its complete breakthrough was within reach. His spirit had also stabilized at the Minor Completion of the Ethereal Realm. All these advancements filled Zhou Yuan with excitement, making him even more diligent in his cultivation.

Another day passed. Zhou Yuan held a small iron hammer and shattered a beast soul crystal. He then extended the Heaven Yuan Brush he held into it. Its bristles swirled, absorbing the beast soul within. Just as Zhou Yuan was about to shatter the next beast soul crystal, the Heaven Yuan Brush suddenly vibrated subtly, and a strange light slowly emanated from its body. Zhou Yuan was startled at first by this sight, then his face lit up with joy. He saw that the first ancient Origin Rune on the Heaven Yuan Brush had now completely brightened, emitting a mysterious glow. Evidently, after his days of nurturing it, the Heaven Yuan Brush had finally recovered some of its spiritual essence and power.

"Master and Sister Yaoyao both said that I would only understand its mysteries once the first Origin Rune on the Heaven Yuan Brush lit up. I want to see what's so special about this former Saint Origin Weapon!" Zhou Yuan's eyes shone as he stared at the Heaven Yuan Brush in his hand. He had clearly been filled with curiosity about this Heaven Yuan Brush for a long time.

Holding the Heaven Yuan Brush, he closed his eyes slightly. Light surged on the brush, and at the same time, an obscure piece of information flowed into his mind.

"Heaven Yuan Brush, First Rune, named 'Civil and Martial'."