# Chapter 59: One Month Agreement
"A Yellow Extreme Realm middle stage martial artist is indeed not to be underestimated. Moreover, the Third Prince should be considered relatively weak among Yellow Extreme Realm middle stage martial artists," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Every time Zhang Ruochen received a punch from the Third Prince, he would transfer part of the force through his bones and meridians into the ground beneath him.
Therefore, even though the Third Prince could unleash a hundred oxen of strength, he was completely unable to injure Zhang Ruochen.
It was fortunate that it was Zhang Ruochen; if it had been any other Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artist, the Third Prince would only need one punch to kill them.
"Although the Third Prince is just a fool, his cultivation is still quite strong. It seems Zhang Ruochen is about to lose," Lin Ningshan said.
Lin Chenyu shook his head, holding a completely different view, and said, "Zhang Ruochen's cultivation is far stronger than I imagined. The Third Prince cannot do anything to him."
"How could that be? Zhang Ruochen is clearly being beaten back, unable to even counterattack," Lin Ningshan said, somewhat puzzled.
Lin Chenyu extended his index finger and pointed at the ground, saying, "Look carefully at the ground where Zhang Ruochen has stepped."
Lin Ningshan looked over and saw that every time Zhang Ruochen took a step, the stone slabs on the ground would slightly sink, forming shallow footprints. If one didn't observe carefully, they wouldn't notice at all.
"He is channeling the Third Prince's power into the ground," Lin Ningshan said, slightly startled. "How is he doing that?"
Lin Chenyu said, "His control over power has reached an exquisite level. Even though the Third Prince's strength is greater, he simply cannot injure him. Truly remarkable! If it weren't for that fool Third Prince testing him for us, we wouldn't have known Zhang Ruochen's true strength."
"If we need to hire assassins from the Black Market, it seems we'll have to double the bounty in silver coins to ensure success."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Lin Chenyu's mouth.
Among those present, only Lin Chenyu and General Huo Si, whose cultivation had reached Earth Extreme Realm, could see Zhang Ruochen's true strength. General Huo Si couldn't help but nod, thinking to himself, "Truly a martial arts prodigy; heroes emerge from youth."
The Ninth Princess was very worried about Zhang Ruochen and said, "Ninth Brother, your cultivation is not as strong as Third Brother's. Don't fight him with brute force. Catch the sword!"
The Ninth Princess tossed her sword toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen had originally wanted to continue sparring with the Third Prince to refine his palm techniques.
Since the Ninth Princess had thrown the sword over, he naturally caught it and said, "In that case, let's end this early!"
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen gripped the sword hilt, dragging out a brilliant flash of sword light, tracing a beautiful arc through the air.
With one swing of the sword, the sharp tip pointed at the Third Prince's neck.
With just one strike, the Third Prince was subdued.
The Third Prince's fist froze mid-air, his entire body not daring to move, afraid that even the slightest motion would cause the sword edge to cut his throat.
In the martial arena, everyone was stunned, shocked beyond words.
Hadn't the Third Prince been dominating the entire time, forcing the Ninth Prince to retreat continuously? Why did he suddenly lose in one move?
"Ninth Brother must have been holding back against Third Brother all along. Otherwise, with Ninth Brother's strength, he would have defeated Third Brother long ago," the Little Princess said, hands clasped behind her back, eyes wide open, looking utterly admiring.
The other princes and princesses also suddenly understood. It wasn't that the Ninth Prince couldn't defeat the Third Prince; the Ninth Prince had been holding back all along.
"The Ninth Prince truly is a martial arts prodigy. At Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection, he can defeat a Yellow Extreme Realm middle stage martial artist. If he breaks through to the Yellow Extreme Realm, how formidable will he be?"
"It's said that the extreme power of the Yellow Extreme Realm is a hundred oxen. I wonder if the Ninth Prince has reached that legendary extreme power?"
"Even if he hasn't, he's probably not far off."
...
Hearing the crowd's discussion, the Third Prince became even more humiliated and angry.
He had originally wanted to defeat the Ninth Prince to gain a sense of accomplishment. Instead, he was subdued with a single sword strike.
Now, he had lost even more face.
"I don't accept this. Ninth Brother, let's fight again," the Third Prince said, feeling that he had been careless and lost to Zhang Ruochen's sword.
"There's no need to compete again. Is winning or losing really that important?"
After saying this, Zhang Ruochen left the dumbfounded Third Prince behind and walked toward the Ninth Princess, returning her sword.
"Ninth Brother, why didn't you tell me earlier that you could definitely defeat Third Brother? You made me worry for nothing," the Ninth Princess said, giving Zhang Ruochen a reproachful look.
"Definitely defeat? There's no such thing as a sure victory in battle," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile, shaking his head.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen and the Ninth Princess being so close, Lin Ningshan felt very displeased. Holding the Star Radiance Ancient Sword, she walked over and said gracefully, "Ninth Princess, Ningshan has heard that you have reached the Sword Follows Heart realm. I'm feeling an itch to spar with you in swordsmanship. What does the Ninth Princess think?"
The Ninth Princess looked at Lin Ningshan, a fighting spirit rising within her, and said, "Fine! I've long wanted to duel with you again. Since we're at the Royal Martial Arena, let's settle it now."
The Ninth Princess and Lin Ningshan were known as the Two Beauties of the Royal City. During the year-end assessment, the Ninth Princess had lost to Lin Ningshan's sword, and she had never accepted it, always wanting to regain her honor.
"Green Water Listens to the Sea."
The Ninth Princess attacked first. As soon as she drew her sword, she raised a massive wave of sword light, one wave after another, surging toward Lin Ningshan.
"Rustle, rustle!"
The sword waves actually made the sound of seawater hitting the shore, scattering rocks and crashing against the bank, just like real waves.
After reaching the initial stage of Sword Follows Heart, the Ninth Princess's swordsmanship had reached another level. Compared to the year-end assessment, her sword technique's refinement had improved by at least twofold.
Lin Ningshan stood still, not moving at all. Her red lips were crystal clear, and a faint, contemptuous smile appeared on her face.
"Shua!"
She thrust her sword forward, and a powerful icy sword energy emanated from the blade, completely breaking through the sword technique the Ninth Princess had cast.
"Release it!"
Lin Ningshan shouted lightly, slapping her sword against the Ninth Princess's wrist.
A bloody mark appeared on the Ninth Princess's wrist. Her fingers lost their strength, and the sword in her hand flew away, clattering to the ground.
The Ninth Princess stepped back more than ten paces, a bloody imprint left on her wrist. Pain spread through her entire body. Gritting her teeth, she said angrily, "You..."
Lin Ningshan calmly withdrew her Star Radiance sword, looking elegant and composed. She sighed and said, "Isn't the Ninth Princess called a Proud Daughter of Heaven? How can she not even hold onto her sword? The gap between us is truly growing wider. Sigh!"
"Lin Ningshan, are you deliberately humiliating me?" the Ninth Princess said, her face flushed with shame and embarrassment.
Originally, she was a Proud Daughter of Heaven on par with Lin Ningshan, but she had been defeated with a single sword strike. Naturally, she was greatly affected.
"I wouldn't dare. Ningshan wouldn't dare to humiliate the Princess. I just didn't expect the Princess's swordsmanship to be so poor," Lin Ningshan said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen picked up the fallen sword and walked to the Ninth Princess's side, saying, "Lin Ningshan, your cultivation has reached the Yellow Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position, a full realm higher than Ninth Sister's. Even if you defeat her, so what? Does that prove you are better than her? You are too naive."
Hearing this, Lin Ningshan's gaze darkened. "You dare call me naive? Everyone saw clearly that I defeated the Ninth Princess with one sword strike. With her strength, she is not worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as me."
Lin Ningshan raised her snow-white chin, like a proud white swan.
The Ninth Princess couldn't stand Lin Ningshan's attitude, but she truly was no match for her. Feeling extremely frustrated and aggrieved, her eyes reddened.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Lin Ningshan and said, "In that case, let's fight again one month from now. If you can still defeat Ninth Sister a month from now, I will apologize to you for my earlier words."
Hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, the Ninth Princess suddenly raised her head and shook it at Zhang Ruochen.
What if she lost to Lin Ningshan again in a month? Would Ninth Brother really have to bow his head and apologize to that little wretch Lin Ningshan?
Lin Ningshan was overjoyed at Zhang Ruochen's words and immediately agreed, "Fine! Zhang Ruochen, you said it yourself. A martial arts prodigy apologizing to me—I'm really looking forward to it."
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you lose, you must apologize to Ninth Sister in front of everyone."
"I agree." Lin Ningshan had absolute confidence in herself and agreed without hesitation.
During the year-end assessment, Lin Ningshan had been severely humiliated by Zhang Ruochen, and she harbored deep resentment toward him.
If she defeated the Ninth Princess a month from now, she certainly wouldn't let Zhang Ruochen off so easily.
Apologize?
Zhang Ruochen, you think too simply!
She suddenly realized that humiliating Zhang Ruochen excited her more than killing him.
Then, Lin Ningshan and Lin Chenyu left the Royal Martial Arena.
As they walked, Lin Chenyu said, "Zhang Ruochen is not a simple character. Since he dared to make such a statement, he must have some confidence. Ningshan, you'd better be careful."
"Brother, you worry too much. With the Qi-Nourishing Medicine Liquid you brought back from Yuntai Sect Mansion, my cultivation is advancing by leaps and bounds. In a month, I will definitely reach the peak of the Great Extreme Position. By then, the gap between the Ninth Princess and me will only grow larger," Lin Ningshan said.
Lin Chenyu nodded. "With the Qi-Nourishing Medicine Liquid, your cultivation can indeed improve rapidly in a short time. Train hard! Strive to reach the Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection as soon as possible. Then I'll give you a Blood Essence Pill to help you break through to the Yellow Extreme Realm."
"The Yellow Extreme Realm." A hint of joy appeared on Lin Ningshan's face.
Lin Chenyu said, "Once you reach the Yellow Extreme Realm, with your talent, entering Yuntai Sect Mansion will be no problem. The Ninth Princess is just a stepping stone on your path of growth. As for Zhang Ruochen, since he dares to oppose the Queen, he is destined to die a violent death. Haha!"
A strange light shone in Lin Ningshan's eyes, and she became even more eager for the duel a month from now.
In her mind, she imagined Zhang Ruochen humbly apologizing to her, and a charming smile curled at the corner of her mouth.