Chapter 35: Twentieth Level
"The Eighth Prince's talent is truly astonishing. If he trains diligently, he should be able to reach the level of a first-rank artifact refiner within five years," Zan praised.
The Eighth Prince's face showed an even more smug expression.
Zhang Ruochen and Shan Xiangling walked over.
"Shan Xiangling of the Crimson Cloud Sect pays respects to Master Zan the Artifact Refiner. This is a letter from my father!" Shan Xiangling took out a letter and handed it to him.
Zan opened the letter, read its contents, then looked Shan Xiangling over and said, "Your father mentions in the letter that your spiritual power has reached the sixteenth level?"
Shan Xiangling nodded. "That's right!"
Zan refolded the letter. "Your father, the Crimson Cloud Sect Leader, and I are old friends. Since you have talent, I will naturally take you as my disciple. From today onward, you are my nineteenth disciple."
Shan Xiangling's heart leaped with joy, and she quickly bowed. "Student pays respects to Teacher!"
"This is wonderful! Junior apprentice-sister, I am also a disciple of Master Zan the Artifact Refiner now. From now on, we can cultivate our spiritual power together and study inscription patterns and artifact refining!" the Eighth Prince said delightedly.
Shan Xiangling completely ignored the Eighth Prince and looked toward Zhang Ruochen, introducing him to Zan. "Teacher, this is the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery. He wishes to consult you on some knowledge about inscription patterns."
Zan glanced at Zhang Ruochen. "I have two rules for taking disciples: no one over twenty years old, and no one whose spiritual power has not reached the twelfth level. If you don't meet these standards, even a prince is not qualified to be my disciple."
The Eighth Prince sneered mockingly. In his view, Zhang Ruochen's martial arts talent was indeed high, but his talent in spiritual power might not necessarily surpass his own.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Zan. "You misunderstand! I am not here to become a disciple. I only wish to inquire about some knowledge regarding inscription patterns."
The other martial artists who met Zan all behaved with utmost respect, making him accustomed to a sense of superiority. But Zhang Ruochen spoke to him standing straight, which naturally displeased Zan.
Zhang Ruochen was not being arrogant; he simply wanted to communicate with Zan on equal terms. In terms of spiritual power cultivation, Zhang Ruochen was even far ahead of Zan, so there was no need for him to look up to him.
Zan snorted coldly. "Aiming too high! To inscribe inscription patterns, one must first cultivate spiritual power. The higher the spiritual power, the greater the success rate of inscribing patterns. If your spiritual power hasn't even reached the fifteenth level, you absolutely cannot succeed in inscribing patterns."
"Young man, has your spiritual power reached the fifteenth level?"
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Do you mean that as long as my spiritual power reaches the fifteenth level, I can consult you about inscription patterns?"
"Heh! Reaching the fifteenth level of spiritual power only qualifies you to be my disciple. To discuss inscription knowledge with me on equal footing, you would need to reach the twentieth level," Zan said arrogantly.
Reaching the twentieth level of spiritual power generally allowed one to become a second-rank artifact refiner.
After reaching the fifteenth level, every additional level of spiritual power was extremely difficult. Cultivating to the twentieth level was as hard as reaching the heavens. Otherwise, second-rank artifact refiners would not be so rare, and even the entire Crimson Cloud Sect could not recruit a single one.
"The twentieth level? Let me try."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on the spirit-testing stone not far away. He walked directly over and gently pressed his palm onto its surface.
"The twentieth level? He has never cultivated spiritual power before. How could he possibly reach the twentieth level?" The Eighth Prince's lips curled upward with a cold sneer.
Zan said, "What a madman! Even a spiritually gifted genius couldn't cultivate their spiritual power to the twentieth level before the age of twenty."
Shan Xiangling showed a hint of curiosity. She believed Zhang Ruochen would not do something without certainty.
Could his spiritual power really be that extraordinary?
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes and continuously infused his spiritual power into the spirit-testing stone.
"Whoosh!"
Rings of light immediately appeared on the surface of the spirit-testing stone.
One ring of light, two rings of light, three rings of light...
Each ring of light represented one level of spiritual power.
When the number of light rings on the spirit-testing stone reached twenty, Zan was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. He stared wide-eyed at Zhang Ruochen as if looking at a monster.
"Impossible, impossible..." The Eighth Prince's face turned pale, and he muttered repeatedly, utterly unable to believe what he was seeing.
Shan Xiangling was also deeply shocked. She stared at Zhang Ruochen, her beautiful eyes shimmering with rippling light.
When the spirit-testing stone displayed twenty rings of light, Zhang Ruochen stopped releasing his spiritual power and withdrew his palm.
Zan could tell that Zhang Ruochen was holding back; his spiritual power was definitely more than the twentieth level.
His attitude did a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. He immediately stepped forward and said with a smile, "So the Ninth Prince is actually a spiritual power expert. I was rude just now. Please do not take offense, Ninth Prince."
At just sixteen years old, to have spiritual power reaching the twentieth level or above—his future achievements were beyond ordinary imagination. Perhaps Zan himself might need Zhang Ruochen's guidance someday, so he quickly changed his attitude and proactively showed goodwill.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I simply wish to consult the master on some knowledge about inscription patterns and techniques for inscribing them."
"No problem! Ninth Prince, please follow me. Let us go to a quiet place and exchange knowledge on spiritual power and inscription patterns," Zan said with a beaming smile.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and followed Zan toward a large hall in the Inscription Pattern Guild. Shan Xiangling immediately followed as well.
...
Walking out of the Inscription Pattern Guild, the Eighth Prince's face was gloomy, and his heart was filled with rage.
"How infuriating! That waste Zhang Ruochen—before, if I slapped him, he wouldn't dare fight back. Now he's riding over my head! How could his talent be so high? How is that possible?"
The Eighth Prince ground his teeth in hatred. Suddenly, he spotted an antelope-drawn ancient carriage parked outside the Inscription Pattern Guild.
It was Zhang Ruochen's carriage.
At that moment, Yun'er was sitting on the driver's seat of the carriage, quietly waiting for Zhang Ruochen, occasionally glancing toward the Inscription Pattern Guild.
Seeing the Eighth Prince approach, Yun'er's face showed a hint of fear, and she immediately bowed. "Paying respects to the Eighth Prince!"
The Eighth Prince's face was cold and stern. "This prince is returning to the palace. Take me back."
Yun'er's face showed difficulty, and she said fearfully, "But... but this is the Ninth Prince's carriage..."
"Slap!"
The Eighth Prince swung his palm, sending Yun'er flying three meters away.
Yun'er's face was swollen and bloodshot. A five-finger mark immediately rose up. Blood kept dripping from her mouth, her head was dizzy, her jaw was dislocated, and she felt as if she were about to die.
The Eighth Prince stepped on Yun'er, his face twisted with rage. "The Ninth Prince is a prince—am I not a prince too? You are just a maidservant, and you dare to defy this prince's orders? Do you believe that with one word from me, I can turn your parents into food for savage beasts and turn you into the cheapest prostitute? Hmph!"
With that, the Eighth Prince flicked his sleeve and boarded the antelope-drawn ancient carriage. "Hurry up and drive! Offend this prince, and I'll make your life a living hell."
Yun'er's heart was filled with terror. She was just a maidservant. With a single word from the Eighth Prince, her family could be destroyed.
She struggled to stand up, enduring the pain on her face, and sat on the carriage. She drove the ancient carriage toward the royal palace.
Inside the carriage, the Eighth Prince clenched his fists, his eyes dark and gloomy. "Zhang Ruochen must have obtained some incredible treasure. Otherwise, there's no way he could have become so powerful in just three months."
"I still have a chance. If I control Consort Lin and threaten him with her life, he will surely hand over that treasure obediently. Once I get that treasure, my cultivation will also skyrocket, and I'll become a martial arts expert."
"When I become a martial arts powerhouse, the first person to die will be Zhang Ruochen. And that bitch Shan Xiangling—when the time comes, I'll make her my plaything. Haha!"
The night streets grew increasingly empty.
Two black-clad figures stood on the rooftop of a building beside the street, staring at the antelope-drawn ancient carriage passing below.
"Is that the Ninth Prince's carriage?" one of them, a tall, thin man in black, said in a sinister tone.
On his back, he carried an iron-thread bow and ten thunderbolt arrows, his entire body exuding a chilling murderous aura.
Another short, fat man in black sneered, "It must be him. Look at that maidservant driving the carriage—she matches the portrait Miss Han gave us exactly. She is the Ninth Prince's attendant. The Ninth Prince is inside the carriage right now."
"Gaga! Assassinating a prince—how thrilling! Once we complete this mission, Miss Han will surely reward us handsomely."
The tall, thin man in black drew a thunderbolt arrow, nocked it onto his bowstring, and aimed at the...