Making an Initial Show of Might at Great Zhou Mansion

After washing up, Mu Chen hurried back to Great Zhou City without stopping.

"Brother Chen, can you properly explain why you disappeared for so long?"

Just as expected, Su Youwei greeted Mu Chen with a resentful gaze. She had truly thought he had left without saying goodbye, leaving her for good.

Su Youwei had grown very fond of Mu Chen and had become used to having him by her side. If Mu Chen had really left, she would have felt disappointed, heartbroken, and afraid...

That look made Mu Chen's scalp tingle, and guilt welled up in his heart. He had thought gaining the Devouring Ancestral Symbol's recognition would take less time. Who would have expected it to take more than three months?

"I'm sorry, Youwei." Mu Chen pressed his palms together and apologized sincerely.

"Forget it, Brother Chen. You look very tired. Get some proper rest." Su Youwei sighed softly, having seen the exhaustion in Mu Chen's eyes.

The exhaustion of the divine soul could be seen not only from one's complexion, but also directly through one's eyes.

"Mm-hm, got it, Youwei." Mu Chen nodded.

"You've opened two meridians now?"

"Mm. I've opened two meridians, but it won't be long before I open the third." Su Youwei said.

Mu Chen was somewhat puzzled. Based on the speed at which she had opened her First Meridian, Su Youwei should have been able to open at least three meridians after more than three months.

What he did not know was that Su Youwei had been so worried when he did not return for so long that, after opening two meridians, she had not continued. Moreover, opening meridians became increasingly difficult and required more and more time.

Relying solely on the Qi Gathering Technique would not be very efficient. With external assistance, the speed of opening all Eight Meridians would also increase.

Even so, she was still much faster than Mu Chen.

His divine soul was stronger than Su Youwei's, but he knew no divine soul attack techniques and no source runes. He could not display the power that someone at the Late Void Realm should possess.

A few days later, Mu Chen had recovered quite well and went to Great Zhou Mansion with Su Youwei.

Commoners could enter Great Zhou Mansion through selection, as long as their talent was not abysmally poor. The reason Mu Chen had asked Zhou Qing for a spot was to make himself familiar to them. In any case, there was no downside.

The students entering Great Zhou Mansion were basically the same age as Mu Chen and Su Youwei. Most were in the Meridian Opening Realm. Once they reached the Qi Nourishing Realm, they had other options.

"Mu Chen, you finally came. I haven't seen you around lately."

Zhou Yuan came over to greet him. If it had been anyone else, it would not have drawn much attention, but Zhou Yuan was the prince of Great Zhou, and many people kept an eye on him.

However, most of them did not think highly of him. He had never been able to open his meridians. If not for his good birth, he would not even have been able to enter Great Zhou Mansion.

Great Zhou Mansion was open to commoners, but not every commoner's child could enter. Those who could not even achieve Meridian Opening naturally would not be accepted.

The people Zhou Yuan knew aroused some interest as well. Mu Chen was rather handsome, but he dressed very plainly and did not seem particularly remarkable.

Su Youwei, on the other hand, made the adolescent boys' hearts stir. Among all the female students, her beauty was unquestionably at goddess level.

The male students could not take their eyes off her, while the female students were envious and jealous, yet helpless.

"Zhou Yuan, long time no see. Let me introduce you. This is Su Youwei."

"Youwei, this is the prince of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He can be considered my friend," Mu Chen introduced.

Su Youwei looked curiously at Zhou Yuan. She had heard that Great Zhou's prince was unable to cultivate, and she truly could not sense the aura of the Meridian Opening Realm from him.

Because of Mu Chen, her grandfather had been cured ahead of time, so Su Youwei did not know Zhou Yuan. Now, she merely nodded at him.

"Mu Chen, what do you mean, 'can be considered'? My royal father thinks very highly of you. I've heard him mention you often lately. Why haven't you come to the palace for a visit?" Zhou Yuan shrugged helplessly.

However, for some reason, this girl named Su Youwei gave him a peculiar feeling.

"Haha, I had some matters to attend to outside recently. I'll visit when I have the chance."

Zhou Yuan's complexion was much better than before. It seemed the Ancestral Stone Spirit Liquid had taken effect, though only temporarily. Unless Zhou Yuan opened his meridians and began cultivating, the Resentful Dragon Poison would still devour his blood whenever it flared up.

Although he had opportunities from the Wu Dong World, he could still try the opportunities in this world as well.

"Zhou Yuan, it looks like you're not doing too well in Great Zhou Mansion. A lot of people look down on you," Mu Chen said.

Zhou Yuan glanced around and nodded. He had no choice. Those who had opened their meridians naturally felt superior to someone like him, who could not.

"I can't sense the Eight Meridians, so they look down on me. If not for my status as prince, I would have been thrown out by now." Zhou Yuan smiled self-deprecatingly.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Never bully a poor youth. I think very highly of you."

Warmth filled Zhou Yuan's heart, and he nodded. Those words resonated deeply with him. They were truly inspiring, like something a protagonist would say.

"Heh, thirty years? Even if you gave him sixty years, he still wouldn't be able to open his meridians."

A mocking voice rang out. Several youths dressed in fine clothes showed no restraint, paying no heed to Zhou Yuan's status as the prince of Great Zhou.

"I advise you not to get too close to Prince Zhou Yuan, or you might run into trouble."

"Who the hell is this guy? Who does he think he is?" Mu Chen said speechlessly. The man was meddling so broadly, as if Great Zhou Mansion belonged to his family.

"He's the son of West Garrison County's governor, one of Qi Yue's lackeys. He caused trouble for me before," Zhou Yuan said flatly.

King Qi had the support of the Great Wu Dynasty and had been very active in recent years, secretly stirring up plenty of trouble. Great Zhou was weak now and could not act rashly, or it would give Great Wu an excuse.

"Oh, so he's nobody. Just a lackey." Mu Chen mocked.

"You refuse good advice, so let me test you." Xu Lin opened two meridians and shot forward, swinging a fist that carried a rush of air toward Mu Chen.

Bang!

Mu Chen reached out and casually caught his opponent's fist.

Xu Lin's expression changed. The strength in his fist suddenly vanished, as though something had devoured it.

Using the Devouring Ancestral Symbol on someone like this was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Crack!

Mu Chen twisted his wrist. The irresistible force immediately made Xu Lin's wrist emit a sound like breaking bones. The pain drove him to one knee, and bead-sized drops of sweat rolled down his face.

It was broken. He truly felt that his wrist had broken. The piercing pain left him unable to speak.

"You're not even qualified to deliver experience."

Thud!

Mu Chen said something Xu Lin could not understand, then casually flung him away, sending Xu Lin face-first into the open ground nearby.

There had been no experience to gain, but Mu Chen had established his authority at Great Zhou Mansion. There would be much less trouble in the future, and anyone seeking trouble would have to consider whether they were qualified first.