Chapter 6 - Natural Soulless Root
"Prince, what"s wrong? Why are you staring at me?" Seeing Xiang Yun staring at her in a daze, Lin Wan"er couldn"t help but blush as she asked a little unhappily.
Xiang Yun was jolted awake by these words, smiling awkwardly as he said, "It"s fine, it"s fine!"
Xiang Yun received the book from Lin Wan"er and focused on the cover of the book. This was a rather old book. Originally, it should have been white, but because it had been sealed for a long time, it had turned into this old, faint yellow color.
Xiang Yun held onto the cover of the book and looked at it. On it were several large, vigorous words written in a simple style, "Cloud Martial Arts Book of the Mainland"!
Hearing this name, Xiang Yun felt that it had something to do with cultivation. Thus, he hurriedly placed the book back on the table, opened the page and began reading it seriously.Upon seeing this, Xiang Yun was immediately attracted by the contents of the book as he focused all his attention on reading. When Lin Wan"er saw this, she had initially thought it was Xiang Yun putting on an act.
He had not expected that Xiang Yun would so wholeheartedly read through the pages one by one, word by word. He had actually been looking at the fine fragrant tea placed beside the table for two hours straight without even drinking a single sip.
Only after reading the last word of the last page did Xiang Yun finally close his hands together, closing the book in his hands as he exhaled deeply!
"Your Highness, are you alright? Do you need a rest?" Lin Wan"er looked up and saw that Xiang Yun"s eyes were actually a little red. She could not help but ask worriedly.
Xiang Yun shook his head, a smile on his face upon hearing this. Although he was feeling very tired at the moment, his heart was filled with excitement!
Because after reading this « Mainland Cloud Martial Chronicle », Xiang Yun finally had a general understanding of this world!
So, the Seven Stars Continent respected martial arts. The people here all relied on absorbing the energy in the heaven and earth, a type of energy called "Cloud Power", to cultivate. The people here all relied on the energy in the Seven Stars Continent, to absorb the energy, they used it to strengthen their own bodies.
And in accordance with these cultivators" strengths and weaknesses, as well as their levels, there were Yi Yun, Er Yun, San Yun, Siyun, Wuyun, Liu Yun, Qi Yun, Huang Yun, Xuan Yun, Di Yun, Tian Yun, Xinghe Martial King, and the Polaris Martial Emperor.Among them, one could be called a "Cloud Warrior" after reaching the Seven Clouds! A Cloud Warrior was already a master of the secular world. They would be able to fly over walls, and their fists and feet could easily pierce through rocks and boulders. They were strong people that everyone respected and envied.
Above them were experts like Huang Yun, Xuan Yun, Ling Yun, Tian Yun, and so on. The experts like Huang Yun, Xuan Yun, and the earth clouds were invited by all the countries to come and fight for it. As the backbone of their country, their existence would greatly enhance the power of an entire country, and could even reverse the outcome of a battle.
Sky Cloud experts were extremely rare in the mortal world. Even the king of a country would not dare to neglect this kind of expert. If one could invite a guest from a country, it would be a joyous occasion for the entire country!
This was because their combat prowess had already reached a level where they could fight against an entire nation"s power!
As for those existences on the level of "Xinghe Martial King" and "Polaris Martial Monarch" above, they were probably only existences that existed in the secret sects. Such a level was already disdainful of appearing in the secular world, and existences like deities were extremely rare.
After Xiang Yun finished reading all this information regarding cultivation, he couldn"t help but feel a wave of indescribable excitement!
When he thought about how he could actually cultivate and become a powerful martial artist in the Seven Stars Continent, he imagined that one day, he would also be able to fly in the sky and soar through the earth, a scene where he could rule the world!"I must train until I become a powerful warrior!"
Xiang Yun thought to himself, as the crown prince of the Duke"s Mansion, with such a n.o.ble status, there was no need to worry about the resources needed for cultivation. There would definitely be all kinds of ancient records and treasures available.
Xiang Yun thought like this as a memory suddenly appeared before his eyes.
This was the scene of the little prince being brought to Dragon City by his father, Feng Yunguo, one by one, to test his physique at the age of twelve!
Xiang Yun, who was still a young boy, stood atop a huge circular platform carved with dragon and phoenix patterns and densely packed with mystical runes. Facing the officials of Storm Nation and their young sons and nephew who were looking up at him from below, his handsome face was filled with cynicism, but it was also a little nervous.
A scorching white light appeared on the high platform and a moment later, a deep voice sounded out, followed by a silent silence."Shoulder King Manor"s third son, Xiang Yun, born with no spiritual roots, unsuitable for cultivation!"
"Boom!"As this low and deep voice resounded, everyone in the square below immediately let out a series of exclamations!
"Heavens! This little son of the King Jian doesn"t have any spiritual roots. He"s a cripple!"
A general wearing a dark black armor also sighed, "That"s right, how is that possible? King Jian has 48 spiritual roots, and his two sons are also geniuses with 40 spiritual roots. How could his youngest son have no spiritual roots?!"
"Who knows? I heard that the little prince has never learned martial arts since he was young. He is not interested in it at all. He only likes to hang out with the female family members. It seems that he is not a good student."One of the court officials said with a face full of emotion: "Aiya, I didn"t expect that the king would have such a great reputation. He is a great hero of the royal family, and this little son is actually such a waste. What a pity, what a pity."
An official beside him reminded, "Be quiet. You"re talking about the Crown Prince like that. Do you want to die?"
"Ouch!" The official was so scared that his whole body trembled. He realized that he had made a mistake and looked around and covered his mouth with his hand.
However, when he looked at Xiang Yun who was on the balcony, his gaze was still filled with contempt.
The whispers and contemptuous gazes of the crowd below were like sharp blades that pierced Xiang Yun"s heart with one saber strike after another.
The latter"s body trembled slightly. The rebellious and cynical expression on her face suddenly turned somewhat panicked and nervous.Xiang Yun"s hands clenched into fists, clenching his teeth so hard that they clattered. Even though his nails had already sunk deep into his palms, he was still unconscious, as his heart crazily screamed out, "How is this possible, how can I possibly be a cripple!? "How could I, a dignified descendant of the Xiang Family, be a cripple!"
However, it was impossible for the results of the test on the Heavenly Stele Platform to be wrong. Xiang Yun could only choose to accept all of this in the end.When he saw the hundreds of civil and military officials below the stage, as well as the scornful gazes from young boys and girls of the same age as him, as well as the low sounds of ridicule and discussion, the panic on his face gradually transformed into an indifferent sneer.
"Hmph, since the heavens are destined for me to be a piece of trash, then I will live this carefree life of mine. I will not be restricted by anything, and I will teach you fellows that mock me to be restless, but I can"t do anything about it!"Soon after, Xiang Yun waved his sleeves and walked down the stage arrogantly, looking disdainfully at the crowd as they looked at him with strange gazes!
After recalling this unforgettable memory, Xiang Yun, who was currently seated in front of the desk, seemed to have been struck by lightning. His body stiffened as he stood there completely dumbstruck.He had originally thought that by coming to this continent, he would have the opportunity to become a Cloud Warrior, be loyal to the hero, and rely on his sword, Tian Ya.
This d.a.m.nable son of the Xiang Family, his entire family was a hero, a genius in cultivation. It was only he who did not inherit such an outstanding gene; he was actually born with a crippled body.
At this moment, Xiang Yun"s face was already dark and gloomy, like a mountain peak covered by dark clouds. The darkness and gloom did not contain the slightest hint of life. His expression could be said to be extremely unsightly!"Prince, what"s wrong with you? Why do you look so ugly?"
Lin Wan"er, who was standing at the side, asked worriedly when she saw Xiang Yun"s previous excited expression. She had not expected it to suddenly turn into a frosted eggplant. Her expression turned grim.
Xiang Yun, on the other hand, did not respond to Lin Wan"er"s words. He slowly lowered his head, like a dark well devoid of the sun, silent and soundless …
"Your Highness, what"s wrong? Don"t scare Wan"er. Are you feeling sick? I"ll go find the doctor right now!" Lin Wan"er"s delicate face was already filled with fear."Wan-Er!" Suddenly, Xiang Yun raised his head, his red eyes staring fixedly at Lin Wan"er.
"Heir …" Lin Wan"er trembled at Xiang Yun"s gaze.
She had never seen Xiang Yun reveal such a look of despair, yet filled with desire. It was as if half of his body had been suspended outside the cliff, waiting for someone to come rescue him. It was the gaze of someone close to despair.
"Wan-Er, is this a martial art technique?" Xiang Yun finally said in a hoa.r.s.e voice.
"Huh?" Hearing this, Lin Wan"er could not help but look at Xiang Yun in surprise.
"Your Highness, it"s not like you can"t fix it …" Lin Wan"er stopped herself from speaking."What? Do you think I"m a trash that can"t cultivate?" Xiang Yun said somewhat sorrowfully.
For some reason, Xiang Yun felt incomparably lost at this moment, a tinge of sadness mixed within. He knew that even though he was disappointed, he would definitely not be this depressed. It was as though he had released the emotions of two souls at the same time, along with the feelings of that young crown prince.Hearing Xiang Yun"s words, Lin Wan"er"s face immediately revealed a terrified expression as she waved her hands, saying, "Your Highness, this servant does not mean that! Please do not misunderstand!"
"Alright, I know you have no other intentions. I just want to give it a try," Xiang Yun said with a wry smile."Alright, I"ll go get the book for you right now. The cultivation techniques of this mansion are quite numerous!" Lin Wan"er did not dare to say anything else. She hurriedly turned around and walked out of her room to retrieve a book for Xiang Yun.
When the sun was about to set, two long sighs came from a room inside the Crown Prince"s manor. One was from Xiang Yun, and the other was from Lin Wan"er, his personal maid.Xiang Yun looked at the seven or eight skills scattered around him, the sweat covering his forehead as he wiped them off. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, revealing a sorrowful, bitter smile.