Chapter 4: The Power of the Source Pattern

The Great Zhou Prefecture, drill ground.

Numerous martial arts platforms stood tall, where many youths shouted and sparred, their fists and feet whistling with power, creating a considerable display. Below the platforms, a large crowd of spectators occasionally burst into cheers. Among them were many vibrant young girls whose glances made the boys on the platforms even more enthusiastic, eager to show off their skills and make an impression. The drill ground was clearly very popular in the Great Zhou Prefecture.

As Xu Lin slowly ascended one of the martial arts platforms, the news of his impending match with Zhou Yuan had already spread throughout the entire drill ground, subtly orchestrated by him.

"What? Prince Zhou Yuan is going to fight Xu Lin?!""How is that possible! Prince Zhou Yuan hasn't opened any meridians yet, while Xu Lin has already opened two!""This Xu Lin is truly a bully; he must have used some despicable means to force Prince Zhou Yuan."When the many students heard this news, they immediately erupted in incredulous exclamations. Some commoner students even felt indignant on Zhou Yuan's behalf, simply because such a match was far too unfair. For those who had opened meridians, each meridian opened significantly improved their physical abilities. Their strength, speed, and reflexes far surpassed those who hadn't opened any. It could be said, without exaggeration, that someone who had opened even one meridian could easily defeat dozens of people who hadn't.

Standing on the platform, Xu Lin merely smiled faintly as he listened to these voices. No matter what others said, after today, the fact that Zhou Yuan had been thoroughly beaten by him would surely spread throughout the Great Zhou Prefecture. This would undoubtedly damage Zhou Yuan's reputation and turn him into a laughingstock.

As Xu Lin's malicious thoughts churned, the dense crowd surrounding his platform suddenly parted. A slender youth was seen strolling towards them. The youth appeared somewhat thin, with a scholarly air and a gentle, refined demeanor, resembling a delicate scholar. This was, of course, Zhou Yuan.

Amidst the various expressions of those around him, Zhou Yuan walked directly towards the platform where Xu Lin stood."Your Highness," Su Youwei followed closely behind him, her pretty face anxious, clearly still hoping Zhou Yuan would reconsider fighting Xu Lin."At this point, there's no turning back. Otherwise, I'd become a prince who flees from battle," Zhou Yuan said with a smile to Su Youwei.Su Youwei stopped, biting her red lips. She knew that if Zhou Yuan were to bear such a reputation, it would be a huge blow to his prestige.Su Youwei lifted her pretty face, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xu Lin on the platform. In that instant, her eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of sharpness."Your Highness, I didn't do well this time, and I've caused you trouble. From now on, I won't be careless, nor will I hold back," Su Youwei said softly. The reason she had previously lost to Xu Lin was largely because she hadn't fought with full force; otherwise, Xu Lin wouldn't even have had the chance to use his source weapon. But this lesson taught her that if you don't strike a snake at its vital point, you risk being bitten.

Zhou Yuan paused, then blinked at Su Youwei. "We are friends. It's only right to help a friend with some trouble."As he finished speaking, he stepped onto the martial arts platform.

Su Youwei watched his retreating figure, a faint smile on her lips, a warm feeling spreading within her. Then, her eyes lowered slightly; she had made up her mind that if Xu Lin dared to injure Zhou Yuan, she would make sure he understood what a young woman's resentment and revenge truly meant.

"Oh, Your Highness actually dared to show up. I thought you'd sneak back to the palace," Xu Lin said mockingly, smiling as he watched Zhou Yuan approach."It seems you're quite confident," Zhou Yuan said, lightly adjusting his sleeves."I never thought even a prince would get carried away for a pretty face. Just a bit irrational, that's all," Xu Lin shrugged, clearly interpreting Zhou Yuan's impulsive actions as an attempt to win Su Youwei's favor.

"Let's begin." Zhou Yuan had no intention of wasting more words with him. He spread his feet wide, rooting himself to the ground like an old tree, then beckoned to Xu Lin. "You go first."At these words, the numerous youths surrounding the platform exchanged bewildered glances, utterly baffled by Zhou Yuan's thoughts. Despite being clearly at a disadvantage, he remained so reckless.

"Since Your Highness is so eager to be humiliated, I won't hold back." Being so underestimated by Zhou Yuan ignited a surge of anger in Xu Lin's heart. With a cold sneer, he stomped his foot on the ground and shot forward like an arrow. His five fingers clenched into a fist, and he unleashed a direct punch at Zhou Yuan. His punch carried a current of air and immense power; it could even crack a stone.

Facing the incoming heavy punch, Zhou Yuan did not dodge. Instead, he crossed his arms in front of him, assuming a defensive posture. However, his stance caused expressions of discomfort among the spectators below. Given Xu Lin's physical prowess from opening two meridians, that punch could likely fracture Zhou Yuan's bones. Under the gaze of many nervous eyes, Xu Lin, like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, slammed his aggressive punch with full force onto Zhou Yuan's crossed arms. A low thud echoed, and then, as expected, everyone saw Zhou Yuan's feet drag several meters across the ground before he barely managed to steady himself.

A cry of agony erupted. But it wasn't Zhou Yuan who cried out; it was Xu Lin, who had just delivered the aggressive punch. Everyone watched in stunned silence. Xu Lin clutched his fist, wailing repeatedly, his entire fist glowing red as if he had punched solid steel."You! What did you hide in your sleeve?! Despicable!" Xu Lin roared at Zhou Yuan, tears welling up from the pain.The surrounding gazes turned to Zhou Yuan in astonishment. Could the Prince resort to such tricks?

Amidst the murmuring gazes, Zhou Yuan slowly pulled up his sleeves. Then, everyone saw a complex luminous pattern on his arms. The pattern emitted a faint black light, spreading and eventually covering Zhou Yuan's arms, making his skin appear like black iron, incredibly hard."This..."Many students stared in shock at the complex luminous pattern, until someone suddenly exclaimed, "That's the Iron Skin Rune the instructor taught us!"Understanding dawned on everyone; it was a Source Rune!Su Youwei's tense heart also relaxed at this moment; she let out a sigh of relief and playfully chided, "So, Your Highness can already engrave Source Runes onto his body."

"You, you actually engraved a Source Rune onto your body?!" Xu Lin also recovered from his shock. He looked at the black Source Rune on Zhou Yuan's arms, speaking with disbelief. Although he had seen Zhou Yuan engrave the Iron Skin Rune on a jade tablet in the hall previously, engraving it onto the body required mastery of human acupuncture points and even meridians to avoid injuring oneself with the rune. Therefore, engraving a Source Rune on the body was far more difficult than on a jade tablet. Yet, while they couldn't even engrave Source Runes on jade tablets, Zhou Yuan had already begun to apply them... The gap between them was truly significant.

"Did you really think I'm powerless just because I haven't opened my meridians?" Zhou Yuan chuckled.Xu Lin's face turned ashen, a sense of being played for a fool infuriating him. He immediately said coldly, "Do you really think a single Iron Skin Rune will be enough for you to defeat me today?""Now, let me show you the difference between someone who has opened meridians and someone who hasn't!""Meridian Activation!"As Xu Lin's roar subsided, subtle streams of light suddenly appeared around his body. The dust beneath his feet swirled away as the source qi of the world surged into his body with his breaths.Whoosh.His robes billowed around him, flapping loudly.A faint glow appeared on the surface of his skin, and everyone could feel Xu Lin's aura rapidly intensifying.

The expressions of many students subtly changed. At this moment, source qi was flowing within Xu Lin, and its circulation through his meridians would undoubtedly cause his strength and speed to surge. Under the solemn gazes of the students, Zhou Yuan also stared at Xu Lin, murmuring to himself, "Two opened meridians, huh...""I let you attack first. Now, it's my turn."

The instant his words fell, Zhou Yuan stomped his foot and charged directly at Xu Lin."Arrogant! At your current state, your speed, strength, and physical condition aren't even a tenth of mine. Yet you dare to attack?" Xu Lin sneered as he watched Zhou Yuan charging."Oh really?"A faint smile seemed to play on Zhou Yuan's lips.The next moment, a subtle glow appeared around his ankles, with faint luminous patterns visibly spreading outwards. Zhou Yuan's body seemed to lighten significantly at this moment, and his speed surged dramatically, charging forth like a cheetah."That's... that's the Light Body Rune!" Someone with sharp eyes spotted the luminous pattern on Zhou Yuan's ankle and immediately shrieked.And as they shrieked, Zhou Yuan, who was now close to Xu Lin, suddenly shook his shoulder. A faint glow emanated from beneath his clothes, and though it wasn't clear, everyone could distinctly feel that the punch Zhou Yuan threw was now imbued with a savage sense of power."Ox Strength Rune!" another scream erupted.Iron Skin Rune, Light Body Rune, Ox Strength Rune!At this point, even Su Youwei couldn't help but cover her mouth, her pretty face filled with disbelief. In just a few breaths, Zhou Yuan had consecutively activated three Source Runes. This meant that Zhou Yuan had completely mastered all three Source Runes taught by the instructor, and he was even applying them to himself. Under the many watchful eyes, Zhou Yuan, having activated three Source Runes in succession, unleashed a punch imbued with formidable power. In Xu Lin's horrified gaze, it slammed rapidly and heavily into him.

Aided by the three Source Runes, Zhou Yuan's speed, strength, and physical abilities were clearly no longer inferior to Xu Lin's. Therefore, when that punch landed, Xu Lin felt an immense force surge through him, and then his body was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground outside the martial arts platform. Outside the platform, the previous commotion turned silent. The numerous youths stared at Zhou Yuan on the platform with incredulous eyes. No one had expected such an outcome for this match.

On the martial arts platform, Zhou Yuan slowly retracted his fist. The luminous patterns on his arms seemed to dissipate rapidly, as if their power had been exhausted. He rubbed his wrist, then jumped off the platform, reaching into Xu Lin's clothes to pull out a jade token—the very one representing a spot in the Grand Examination."You couldn't even beat someone who hasn't opened any meridians. You'd better not go to the Grand Examination and embarrass yourself," Zhou Yuan said with a smile to Xu Lin, who was staring intently at him.Upon hearing this, and feeling the numerous mocking gazes around him, Xu Lin's chest tightened. He finally couldn't hold back a mouthful of blood, which he spat out, then his vision went black, and he fainted. He knew that, starting tomorrow, he would likely become the fresh new joke among the many students in the Great Zhou Prefecture.