Qi Mansion

After the shock, some people looked toward Mu Chen and Su Youwei. During the Grand Examination, those two had opened even more Meridians than Zhou Yuan. There was a ninety-percent chance they had opened all Eight Meridians as well.

The defeated students of Yi Academy also came to a realization, feeling much better.

So they were Eight Meridians experts. No wonder they had lost. It would have been strange if they had won. Didn't that even things out?

Their loss was not undeserved. Even using a cheating method like the Blood Boiling Tattoo, they could not possibly defeat someone who had opened all Eight Meridians.

"What a Your Highness Zhou Yuan. You really hid yourself well," Qi Yuan said with a smile that did not reach his eyes. He no longer held out any hope.

Zhou Yuan had steadily opened all Eight Meridians through his own efforts. His foundation was solid, without any instability. Qi Yue, meanwhile, had relied on the Meridian Breaking Art, and his Source Qi was clearly in disarray. The stronger of the two was obvious at a glance.

"Haha, the royal family still has some resources," Zhou Qing laughed heartily, without mentioning Zhou Yuan's talent.

He was concealing it. Otherwise, if the Great Wu Dynasty learned of it, they would surely have some radical ideas. Such a speed of Meridian Opening had appeared in Great Zhou, which bore a grudge against Great Wu.

Qi Yuan snorted coldly. With the resources stored in the royal treasury, it was possible to let someone open all Eight Meridians within a short time. However, Zhou Qing had truly paid a heavy price; the cost was likely considerable.

There would be no more surprises in the battles to come. With all Eight Meridians opened, Zhou Yuan could easily defeat Qi Yue and claim the final victory.

The people from King Qi's Mansion did not stay long. They took the unconscious Qi Yue and left in a hurry. They had lost face completely, and their years of planning had been thoroughly ruined by Zhou Yuan and the others.

"Ambitious traitors. Qi Yuan, come at me if you dare."

Zhou Qing's gaze was icy as he thought to himself. The matter at Great Zhou Mansion had come to an end. What followed would likely be open war. Though it would be difficult, he would not yield.

For now, Great Wu would at most provide King Qi's Mansion with some support and would not dispatch a large army, but that was only temporary.

If they won the war against King Qi's Mansion, then Great Wu would be what they faced in the future. If they lost, then they had truly lost.

But when that time came, he would certainly send Zhou Yuan away. As long as the green hills remained, there would be no shortage of firewood. The Saint Dragon of the Zhou Clan would surely reclaim everything that belonged to him.

The Mansion Examination at Great Zhou Mansion ended, and Zhou Yuan, this prince, gained quite a reputation. More and more people began paying attention to him.

However, that had nothing to do with Mu Chen and the others. This was merely a starting point.

"Devour."

A deep black hole appeared above Mu Chen's head. Powerful and domineering Devouring Power spread out, swallowing the surrounding Heavenly Source Qi, transforming it into purer Source Qi that poured into Mu Chen's body.

His Eight Meridians trembled, emitting muffled sounds. At the same time, the Source Qi within his body gathered toward his lower abdomen, forming a constantly spinning vortex.

Mu Chen was exceptionally cautious throughout the process, lest the auras of the Eight Great Ancestral Symbols clash and cause all his efforts to go to waste.

Yaoyao sat nearby, watching Mu Chen open his Qi Mansion. Her slender hand held an Origin Pattern Brush, while the light of her soul radiated from between her brows.

If anything went wrong, Yaoyao would immediately intervene to remedy it, though she could only do her best.

The vortex spun faster and faster. It was no longer controlled by Mu Chen, instead rotating on its own. A source point appeared at its center, as though it contained a mysterious space—infinitely small, yet infinitely vast.

The instant the source point appeared, the Source Qi flowing through his body surged into it, and the Qi Mansion rapidly took shape.

Having reached this step, Mu Chen relaxed slightly, though he still could not let his guard down completely.

"Oh, a golden legend~"

When Mu Chen's soul entered, all he saw was a field of dazzling golden light, like a radiant blazing sun, brimming with a grand and majestic aura.

He had opened a Golden Qi Mansion. Aside from peculiar special Qi Mansions like the Yin Yang Qi Mansion, it was considered among the highest tiers. Compared to a Purple Qi Mansion, a Golden Qi Mansion possessed far greater resilience and Source Qi reserves.

Although it was not a special Qi Mansion, the Golden Qi Mansion was still something many people longed for. Mu Chen was not particularly disappointed.

"Golden?"

Yaoyao noticed the streak of golden light. It was an expected result. With talents like Mu Chen's and Zhou Yuan's, a Purple Qi Mansion was the bare minimum.

No wonder Grandpa Hei had taken Mu Chen as his disciple on his own initiative. He had likely seen Mu Chen's potential.

Buzz!

Before Mu Chen's soul could return, a sudden change occurred. Eight auras of different attributes emerged from the Eight Meridians and poured into the Golden Qi Mansion.

"Ancestral Symbol auras..."

"They still came!"

Just as Mu Chen had expected, allowing the Ancestral Symbol auras to permeate the Eight Meridians had not been without effect.

Devouring, space, lightning, flame, primordial wilderness, darkness, ice, life and death.

As the Ancestral Symbol auras poured in, the Qi Mansion began to destabilize. One mountain could not accommodate two tigers; how could his Qi Mansion peacefully contain eight different auras?

The eight Ancestral Symbol auras rampaged through the Qi Mansion like wild horses freed from their reins.

Crack, crack...

Faint cracking sounds rang out as tiny fissures began appearing in the Qi Mansion. The discovery left Mu Chen trembling with fear.

He could not control them at all. These Ancestral Symbol auras each had a will of their own and refused to obey him.

Mu Chen tried using both Source Qi and Soul Power, but neither could stop them.

If this continued, the Qi Mansion would sooner or later shatter. Then he would truly be in danger.

At best, he would suffer severe injuries and be unable to cultivate for the rest of his life. At worst, he would die outright.

"What's wrong with Brother Chen?" Su Youwei asked worriedly.

From her perception, Mu Chen's Source Qi had become chaotic, somewhat like a cultivation deviation.

Su Youwei was frantic, but she did not know what to do.

"Something went wrong while opening the Qi Mansion. The Source Qi within it is in upheaval." A rare look of gravity appeared on Yaoyao's lovely face.

She was already prepared to act at any moment. She could stop the upheaval within Mu Chen's Qi Mansion.

However, there was still a chance. If Mu Chen succeeded, there would be no need for her to intervene and risk hindering him.

"Mu Chen, you had better pull through. Marten Lord's life savings are all riding on you," Little Marten said anxiously from within the Ancestral Stone.

"Stop!"

Mu Chen's Soul Power erupted as he forcibly tried to suppress them. Yet even so, he only managed to slow the rate of cracking.

The fissures on the Qi Mansion grew increasingly obvious, as though it would fall apart at any moment.

Sensing Mu Chen's Source Qi leaking away, Yaoyao sighed softly. The Origin Pattern Brush in her hand pointed toward Mu Chen's lower abdomen, preparing to seal his Qi Mansion before considering how to resolve the matter.

Buzz!

Just as it was about to touch him, a Stone Talisman radiating a gentle glow emerged from the crown of Mu Chen's head and shot directly into his Qi Mansion.

This change made Yaoyao halt her movement, a thoughtful look appearing in her eyes.