As this shout spread, the hearts of numerous youths skipped a beat. Their attention was drawn over from all direction because everyone in the Great Zhou Institute knew of Zhou Yuan’s identity.
What shocked them even more was Zhou Yuan’s opponent, Pei Yun.
This individual was quite famous amongst the new batch of students. Not only had he already opened his third meridian channel, he was also one of the more outstanding practitioners amongst the three channels.
“His highness Zhou Yuan’s first match is against Pei Yun?!”
“That’s really unlucky. Pei Yun is one the stronger three channel practitioners…”
“Although prince Zhou Yuan is rather good in Genesis Runes, it is quite unlikely that he will be able to defeat a three channel practitioner.”
“Is prince Zhou Yuan going to be eliminated in the first match?”
“.…..”
Whispers spread in the practice field. Zhou Yuan had a rather good reputation in the institute, hence many people felt that this match-up was rather unfortunate for him.
“To think that it would be Pei Yun.” Su Youwei’s face was somewhat ugly. She had naturally heard of Pei Yun and knew how powerful he was.
Zhou Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He looked towards a nearby high platform as if he had sensed something, only to see Qi Yue watching him with a strange smile. A thought flashed in Zhou Yuan’s mind as he said to himself, “It is really too much of a coincidence for me to meet such an opponent in my first match.”
His eyes faintly flickered with thought. It was likely that Qi Yue had a hand in this matter. However, the fact that he could pull off such a thing was enough to show how deeply Qi Manor had infiltrated the institute.
“To think that he would not hesitate exposing some of Qi Manor’s secret pawns just to cause me trouble…”
This thought flashed across Zhou Yuan’s mind before he smiled at Su Youwei, whose eyes were filled with worry, and said, “Don’t worry, I’m afraid that a three channel practitioner is not enough to stop me.”
“I’ll be going.”
After speaking, Zhou Yuan waved his hand at Su Youwei and briskly walked towards the practice arena.
Qi Yue watched this scene from the high platform and could not help but grin at Lin Feng and Liu Yi. “The show is about to start. I hope that our prince will be able to at least last for a while and let us properly enjoy it.”
A gloating look flitted across Lin Feng’s and Liu Yi’s eyes when they heard this. Both of them also smirked and looked towards the arena.
On the viewing platform to the west, Chu Tianyang frowned slightly when he saw this same scene and helplessly sighed in his heart. With such an opponent, it likely going to be very difficult for Zhou Yuan to achieve victory in his first match.
Under numerous pitying gazes, a calm-looking Zhou Yuan ascended the arena. He looked to his front, only to find a boy in blue fearlessly standing there, a mocking look in the latter’s eyes.
Pei Yun had an odd look in his eyes as he smiled and said, “I really did not imagine that I will meet your highness in the first match. Do forgive me if my blows are too heavy later on.”
“Did Qi Yue set this up?” Asked Zhou Yuan in an emotionless voice.
Pei Yun’s eyes widened a little, before he smiled and replied, “I do not know what your highness is talking about.”
Zhou Yuan adjusted his clothes. “I’m afraid that things will not end well for the one who volunteered to be the first to test the waters.”
Pei Yun was a little angered and coldly replied, “It will be better for your highness to think about your own situation. I pray that you will not be humiliated too greatly today.”
While they were talking, a referee sternly cried out, “Begin!”
Pei Yun’s eyes were filled with iciness. Hence, his figure bolted out like a panther the moment the referee’s cry rang out, fingers tightly clenched into a powerful punch that was thrown at Zhou Yuan.
He did not hold back at all with regards to this punch. Three channels of power fully poured out, covering the surface of his fist with Genesis Qi and even the sound of wind could be heard due to its momentum.
This was obviously an extremely domineering and powerful punch. Even a three channel practitioner would not dare to underestimate it.
The crowd around the arena could not help but shake their heads. It was likely that Zhou Yuan would lose when this punch landed.
Under the watching eyes of the crowd, intimidating fist winds pounced at Zhou Yuan’s face. He gazed at the rather twisted look on his opponent as his hand suddenly shot out to catch the latter’s fist.
“Courting death!” Upon seeing this, Pei Yun’s anger transformed into laughter. Could Zhou Yuan have been frightened silly? Pei Yun’s punch could shatter even rock and yet Zhou Yuan dared to catch it? Was he not afraid of breaking his arm?
Thump!
A sinister look filled Pei Yun’s eyes as he watched his deadly punch heavily smashed into Zhou Yuan’s palm, causing a pleased smile to emerge from the corners of the former’s lips.
However, this smile immediately turned rigid a split second later.
He had seen that Zhou Yuan’s outreached hand had not budged at all. Wild power gushed out from Pei Yun’s punch, but it was as all of this power was charging into a black hole. There was no response at all.
“How is this possible?!” A horrified cry sounded in Pei Yun’s heart, his expression suddenly changing, as a feeling of unease rose within him.
The corners of Zhou Yuan’s mouth turned into a cold smile as he watched the changing expression on Pei Yun’s face. Zhou Yun had already unblocked his second meridian channel, greatly strengthening his body. Even a three channel practitioner could not compare to him now.
He held Pei Yun’s fist and slowly exerted force with a grip as solid as that of an eagle. The growing power caused Pei Yun to feel as if his fist was about to be crushed.
“Three channels open!”
Pei Yun wore a horrified expression as he fiercely gritted his teeth and howled.
The three meridian channels in his body abruptly started to vibrate, pulling in the surrounding Genesis Qi. Immediately, a powerful force exploded within his body.
However, just as he was able to free himself from Zhou Yuan’s grip, the latter suddenly made his move, or more accurately swung his leg. Powerful kick-wind blew as a foot surrounded by slivers of swirling Genesis Qi was swiftly flung at Pei Yun’s chest.
“Scram!”
Thump!
A muffled sound was heard as Pei Yun felt an indescribably huge force slam into him. The force was so great that he would not be able to match it even if he use all three meridian channels to take in Genesis Qi.
Thus, his body was sent miserably flying off the arena, before crashing into the ground as he vomited a mouthful of blood.
The surroundings immediately turned silent. Everyone was dumbstruck as they watched this scene.
The exchange between Zhou Yuan and Pei Yun had been too quick. They had only seen Pei Yun charge at Zhou Yuan, and before they could react, the aggressive Pei Yun had been kicked off the stage by Zhou Yuan a millisecond later…
Just how much power was in that kick?!
Everyone looked at Zhou Yuan as if they had seen a ghost. They clearly knew that he had not used any Genesis Runes this time.
Therefore, the kick from earlier was completely Zhou Yuan’s own power.
Even a three channel practitioner could not compare, right?!
Since when had this prince of theirs, whom was said to be unable to find his channels, become so strong?
Su Youwei’s hand covered her mouth, while her face filled with disbelief. She had not understood why Zhou Yuan had been so confident before. Only now did she understand… Zhou Yuan had been hiding his power all along!
On the tall platform, the smiles of the trio whom were originally ready to enjoy a good show also turned rigid at this moment as their faces turned whi
te with anger, disbelief and shock.
This turn of events had far exceeded their expectations.
Chapter 24 Show of Might
“How is this possible?!”
Lin Feng’s and Liu Xi’s faces were filled with astonishment. Their eyes were glued to the slender figure on the nearby arena as they said in shock, “He removed the three channel Pei Yun from the arena with a single kick?!”
Qi Yue’s face twitched, his eyes like dark clouds as he said in a chilling voice, “It seems that we’ve been tricked by Zhou Yuan. He used Genesis Qi in his previous kick, meaning he has already unblocked at least one meridian channel!”
Lin Feng’s and Liu Xi’s pupils shrunk. They knew that Zhou Yuan’s eight meridians refused to show themselves so why had they suddenly been unblocked now?
Zhou Yuan had concealed himself very deeply indeed!
Qi Yue inhaled deeply and darkly said, “He has likely unblocked his channels recently and cannot possibly have opened too many. Pei Yun lost so quickly because he was caught off-guard and did not even have the chance to use any Genesis techniques.”
“If he was prepared, Zhou Yuan might not have won.”
Upon hearing this analysis, Lin Feng and Liu Xi regained their calm and nodded in agreement. Zhou Yuan had purposely hidden his strength, making his opponent careless before taking victory in a flash.
“Such craftiness.” Liu Xi sneered. “However, this method can only be used once. Let’s see how he fares in the next match!”
Lin Feng slowly nodded. He had originally planned to wait for Zhou Yuan to be thoroughly humiliated in front of Su Youwei. Lin Feng never imagined that Zhou Yuan would pull off something like this and it truly angered him.
Qi Yue’s eyes flickered as he darkly stared at Zhou Yuan’s figure. No one knew what the former was thinking.
Meanwhile, on the observation platform, Chu Tianyang’s face was filled with shock as when he saw this scene. Bewilderment fluctuated indeterminately in his eyes as he said, “How did prince Zhou Yuan become so powerful?”
He clearly understood that Zhou Yuan had only been able to begin his channel opening training a month ago. Yet, the power of that kick from before had been even greater than that of a three channel practitioner!
He could not figure it out at all and could only inwardly shake his head. However, he also secretly sighed in relief. Looks like Zhou Yuan did have some chance in this newcomer exam.
No wonder he had declared that he would enter the A class through the newcomer exam a month ago. It turned out that he did have the ability to match his words.
Beside Chu Tianyang, Xu Hong frowned a little when he saw Zhou Yuan obtain victory, but did not say anything. Although the power that Zhou Yuan had shown was astonishing, it was still rather optimistic for him to take one of the top ten positions. Thus, there was no need to worry.
Under the gazes of astonishment from all around, Zhou Yuan hopped off the arena after hearing the referee’s decision and walked towards Su Youwei.
“You’ve really concealed your abilities really well!” Su Youwei pouted a little as she looked at Zhou Yuan. To think that she had been worrying all along because she was in the dark with regards to the fact that he had already begun unblocking his channels.
Zhou Yuan hurriedly explained, “There was no time to tell you because I was training non-stop.”
Su Youwei softly snorted, a clearly unhappy look on her small face as she replied, “Then tell me truthfully, how many channels have you opened?”
“Two.” Zhou Yuan chuckled, not hiding anything. After all, everyone would know after today.
Su Youwei’s long and shapely eyebrows furrowed slightly as she shot a skeptical look at Zhou Yuan. “That kick from earlier was not from a two channel practitioner.”
That attack had been able to kick even a three channel practitioner off the stage. Its power was completely unlike something a two channel practitioner was capable of.
Zhou Yuan could only let out a helpless laugh. The quality of his two channel body was practically akin to a four channel practitioner. Hence, sending Pei Yun flying with a kick was not difficult at all. However, he naturally could not explain this so as to avoid drawing attention he could not afford.
Fortunately, Su Youwei did not dwell on this topic. Instead, her eyes contained joy as she said, “Two channels. If you add in your Genesis Runes, you might even have a chance of charging into the top ten rankings.”
Zhou Yuan nodded with a smile.
The newcomer exam went on while they talked. An unceasing string of intense battle on the various arenas continued to incite cheers and shouts from the numerous surrounding boys and girls.
It soon came to Su Youwei’s turn.
Su Youwei’s opponent was a mere two channel new student. The latter’s face turned somewhat pale when he realised he had been matched with her. After all, the gap between both parties was far too great.
Thus, there was no suspense at all in this match. After a few exchanges, Su Youwei’s opponent had been completely defeated and he subsequently jumped off the stage.
After a few more rounds, Zhou Yuan’s turn came once again.
“Zhou Yuan, Shi Yu!”
When this shout rang out in the field, numerous gazes were instantly drawn over. The first match had ended way too quickly and many people did not understand how Zhou Yuan had won. Hence, they were extremely curious about this next match.
Zhou Yuan walked onto the arena unde the attention of numerous gazes. The boy called Shi Yu facing him had a rather well-built body. However, Shi Yu was currently full of vigilance as he stared at Zhou Yuan. It was evident that this second opponent had learnt a lesson from his predecessor.
“Begin!”
Shi Yu made his move the instant the judge’s shout was heard. “Three channels open!”
Following Shi Yu’s roar, Genesis Qi flooded into his body. His clothes flapped about, while light that could be seen with the naked eye swirled on the surface of his body. It was a rather imposing sight.
As he felt the explosion of power in his body, the wariness in his eyes receded substantially. Shi Yu tightly stared at Zhou Yuan and a split second later, the former’s foot pushed off the ground as he shot forward.
His body appeared in front of Zhou Yuan, five fingers curling like an eagle’s claw while Genesis Qi light flowed at his fingertips. The sharpness of this attack was enough to tear through rock.
Shi Yu’s attack was extremely swift and ferocious, reaching Zhou Yuan’s neck in the blink of an eye. However, just as it was about to land, Zhou Yuan’s feet suddenly inclined as his body turned blurry.
The hand-claw surrounded by wisps of Genesis Qi light slashed downwards, but what made Shi Yu’s pupils shrink was that his originally sure-hit attack had landed on empty air.
“Not good!” A chill rose in his heart.
However, a figure flashed before his eyes before he could pull back his hand and defend. Zhou Yuan rapidly closed-in, a slim palm penetrating Su Yu’s defences and lightly landed on his chest. The palm strike seemed to be a light blow, but it contained astonishing power.
Thump!
Shi Yu was barely able to direct Genesis Qi light to his chest in defence before he quickly felt an overbearing power pour onto his chest.
Shi Yu’s body was directly blown away by the power and his sorry figure landed on the arena.
He miserably steadied himself before hastily rolling away in hopes of avoiding Zhou Yuan’s follow-up attack. However, the moment his body stopped, Shi Yu saw a flash from the corner of his eyes as a figure closely followed him like a shadow, causing him to scared out of his skin.
However, before he could take any action, he felt a hand grab his forehead. Power surged at the center of the hand, causing his body to freeze, no longer daring to make any movements.
If that power was released, his head would be crushed.
“I admit defeat!” Cold sweat drenched Shi Yu’s body as he loudly shouted witho
ut the slightest hesitation.
Upon hearing Shi Yu concede, Zhou Yuan released his hand and his gaze swept around him. The surroundings of the arena were completely silent.
Everyone’s mouths were wide open having seen the swift and direct end to the match.
“Great!”
This silence lasted for a split second before countless cheers followed. The swiftness and ferocity Zhou Yuan had shown earlier paired with his almost phantom-like speed was truly stunning.
Was this still the prince that was rumored to have been unable to begin channel opening cultivation?
On the tall platform nearby, Qi Yue, Liu Xi and Lin Feng turned silent while their expressions fluctuated indeterminately.
Lin Feng slowly said, “Very fast!”
A serious look had finally appeared in his eyes.
As an observer, he was naturally able to clearly see that Shi Yu had lost because of Zhou Yuan’s speed. No matter how the former retreated at full speed, Zhou Yuan had followed behind like a shadow.
Liu Xi gritted her teeth as she angrily scolded Shi Yu, “What a useless piece of trash.”
Qi Yue was expressionless. His hands slowly stroked the railings as he said in a voice void of any warmth, “The quality of his body is very high, practically able to match a four channel practitioner.”
His tone turned much icier as he looked towards Lin Feng. “Three channel practitioners are no match for him. It seems that we can only rely on you.”
Cold light flowed in Lin Feng’s eyes as he nodded. “Relax. He will not pass me. I will let him know just how powerful a true four channel practitioner is!”
On the viewing platform, shock was revealed on Chu Tianyang’s face as he mumbled to himself, “The quality of his body is comparable to a four channel practitioner, but the Genesis Qi undulations are not as strong as a four channel practitioner, strange…”
Zhou Yuan jumped off the stage. He could feel an additional trace of respect in the gazes that were cast at him from all around, respect not because of his status or identity, but because of the power he had displayed.
In a world where cultivation was the mainstream, even a prince like Zhou Yuan being unable to start channel opening cultivation would make others feel sympathy and pity for him.
Dragon Prince Yuan c1-1251 Page 19
