Chapter 0277: Zhenyao Prince’s Manor

Chapter 0277: Zhenyao Prince's Manor

Following the guard, Qin Yun passed through a garden filled with flowers and walked along a corridor built over a pond. He soon saw Meng Feiling. She was standing by the rockery on the shore, speaking angrily to several middle-aged men.

Meng Feiling was dressed in a blue fitted outfit, with long braids hanging down her back. Her slender figure was very attractive. At that moment, her pretty face was flushed with anger as she argued with the middle-aged men.

"I've already told you, you can’t wander around the manor without my permission! If you need to move around, I’ll arrange for someone to escort you! It's improper for you to wander around like this!" Meng Feiling shouted angrily.

"Hey, little girl, we’re the Runes Masters who keep this city running. Show some respect!" a richly dressed middle-aged man in red robes sneered. "If you don't apologize to us, and something goes wrong in this city, you'll be held responsible!"

Meng Feiling, furious, retorted, "I spit on that! It's clearly you who are in the wrong! You wander around the manor without permission and even bully our maids! This isn't your home, so don't act arrogant here! If anyone should apologize, it's you to our manor's maids!"

The middle-aged man, slightly angered, shouted, "Apologize to the servants of your manor? Are you insulting us? They're just maids! If I, your master, fancy them, it's their fortune. You should know, we are all intermediate Runes Masters with prestigious status!"

Meng Feiling, seething with anger, kept arguing with these middle-aged men.

Qin Yun found the situation strange and asked the guard beside him, "Who are these Runes Masters? Are they always like this?"

The guard replied, "The Runes Masters originally responsible for our Zhenyao Royal City went missing, so we hired a new batch. Although they are only intermediate Runes Masters, they are quite skilled and have rich experience in maintaining the grand array. However, their attitude has always been bad, and they have bullied our manor's maids several times before. Miss Meng has tolerated them for a long time, but she couldn't hold it in anymore today and started arguing with them!"

Qin Yun stroked his chin and asked, "Are these Runes Masters new?"

The guard nodded. "They came seven days ago! With frequent Demon Beast attacks, the protective array requires constant maintenance and inspection. It's very chaotic outside, and Runes Masters are hard to find. Even though their behavior is vile, we have to tolerate them. Without a team of Runes Masters to maintain the grand array, the entire city would be in great danger."

"Alright, you may leave now!" Qin Yun said.

After the guard left, Qin Yun crossed the corridor and approached the rockery.

Meng Feiling, still fuming, didn’t notice Qin Yun approach from behind, but the middle-aged Runes Masters spotted him immediately.

"You servant, you're asking for discipline! How dare you just come over here!" the red-robed middle-aged man shouted at Qin Yun. He had lost face from being scolded by Meng Feiling and now wanted to vent his anger on Qin Yun.

Meng Feiling turned her head and, upon seeing a familiar face, exclaimed in surprise, "Qin Yun, what are you doing here?"

"I'm passing by and thought I'd come visit you, Sister Feiling!" Qin Yun smiled.

Meng Feiling looked at the middle-aged Runes Masters and sneered, "You really have a lot of nerve! This young man is the Crown Prince of the Tian Qin Empire."

The red-robed middle-aged man, unimpressed, mocked, "Big deal! He got kicked out of the Star Profound Martial Academy. Clearly, they didn’t think much of him. Crown Prince or not, his safety here depends on us! If we don't maintain the protective grand array, he wouldn’t dare stay here long either!"

"The Tian Qin Empire is being invaded by Demon Beasts, and every city is in danger. What can this crown prince do besides consuming the empire's resources? He may have some strength, but can he guarantee the safety of a city? Only we can ensure a city's safety!" another middle-aged man chimed in with loud sarcasm.

"He seems to be a Runes Master too! But he's only a junior Runes Master and can hardly reach the intermediate level. You should know that intermediate spirit arrays are very difficult. At most, he can refine some mediocre intermediate spirit patterns or some inferior intermediate spirit artifacts."

"Exactly, with his carefree attitude, if he doesn’t focus on dedicated study, he won’t become an intermediate Runes Master even when his hair turns white!"

"These days, being a crown prince isn't a big deal. We, who can ensure the safety of a city, are far more prestigious than you, Crown Prince!"

These middle-aged Runes Masters kept mocking Qin Yun.

Meng Feiling was very angry but couldn’t refute them. She knew that the grand array of the Zhenyao Royal City needed constant maintenance; otherwise, it could easily be breached by Demon Beasts.

"Are you really intermediate Runes Masters?" Qin Yun asked with a faint smile.

"Of course!" the red-robed middle-aged man said proudly. "My name is Xia Yusen. You can inquire about my reputation! Among intermediate Runes Masters, I’m ranked in the top five."

Meng Feiling remained silent, knowing that Qin Yun was quite strong in the Way of Odd Patterns. For instance, the storage spirit artifacts he refined were highly coveted by many.

"Then may I ask Master Xia, what is the highest level spirit artifact you have refined?" Qin Yun asked. "I am also a Runes Master. How about we have a competition?"

Xia Yusen was a Runes Master and had heard of the powerful artifacts Qin Yun had refined, such as the Giant Spirit King Hammer, which was said to be close to the level of a top-grade artifact. However, he didn’t believe Qin Yun had refined it himself; he thought someone must have helped him in secret.

As for the storage bags that Qin Yun had refined, he did acknowledge those. But storage bags were not combat artifacts and couldn’t be used for comparison.

"I know you have a fine Giant Spirit King Hammer. But everyone knows you didn’t refine it yourself, and you have no proof. If you use that hammer for comparison, then naturally, I would lose," Xia Yusen sneered.

Previously, when Qin Yun and Lan Fengjin went to the Runes Hall headquarters, Qin Yun had refined Imperial Bone Steel on the spot.

This was a sensational event, but the senior Runes Masters present kept it secret, fearing ridicule.

So Xia Yusen had no idea about this and thus looked down on Qin Yun.

Qin Yun took out the Spirit Essence Blade and smiled. "I’ll use this blade instead. It’s just below middle-grade, but let’s see how it does."

Xia Yusen and his companions examined the blade, nodding. Although their faces showed no emotion, they were secretly surprised by the high level of refinement.

"The best artifact I’ve refined is this Diamond Shield. If your blade can leave a mark, I’ll admit defeat!" Xia Yusen took out a golden round shield and placed it in front of him.

Xia Yusen was at the Martial Dao Realm, and with a martial artifact in his hands, the shield's defensive power could be enhanced.

Qin Yun was only at the ninth level of the Martial Body, so even if his weapon was a top-grade artifact, it wouldn’t be easy to leave a mark on the shield.

"Xiao Yun, don’t compete with him! He’s at the Martial Dao Realm; the artifact becomes stronger in his hands. This isn’t fair!" Meng Feiling stepped forward and pulled Qin Yun, worried he might be tricked by the other party.

"It’s okay, I’m sure I can win," Qin Yun smiled faintly.

Xia Yusen laughed loudly, "Even if you lose, young master, no big deal. You’re way out of your league. I’m just showing you the prowess of a middle-grade Runes Master so you can realize just how weak your refining skills are."

"Master Xia," Qin Yun said with a smile, "are you ready? I’m going to strike!"

"Arrogance is the common flaw of you pampered young masters. Very well, today I’ll teach you a lesson," Xia Yusen said proudly. "Go ahead, strike my Diamond Shield with all your might!"

He held the shield in front of him, infusing it with his Martial Dao energy, which spread evenly across its surface, reinforcing it with a protective barrier.

Qin Yun released his Yin-Yang Inner Energy, infusing the Spirit Essence Blade, and then executed the Wind-Splitting Thunder-Slashing technique, slashing down heavily on the round shield.

Seeing Qin Yun’s strike, Xia Yusen and the others were shocked, their faces changing drastically. The power was terrifying and not something a ninth-level Martial Body warrior should be able to unleash.

Meng Feiling was also stunned by Qin Yun’s power. She knew he was at the ninth level of the Martial Body, but she didn’t expect him to be so formidable.

As Qin Yun’s blade descended, the water in the pond trembled violently, churning like a storm.

Then, a gust of wind blew in, accompanied by a clap of thunder, striking into the blade.

With a deafening crack, the Spirit Essence Blade sliced through the air like it was splitting the earth itself, cleaving into Xia Yusen’s Diamond Shield.

Boom!

The blade struck the round shield, creating a dazzling flash of light. The tremendous sound caused the pond's water to splash wildly, and the violent wind toppled several trees by the pond.

Qin Yun retracted his blade and smiled faintly. "Master Xia, your Diamond Shield isn’t very ‘diamond-like.’"

Xia Yusen’s hand holding the shield trembled slightly, and his precious shield had a large cut with many cracks, looking like it was ruined.

Meng Feiling suppressed her shock and laughed. "That shield’s a joke. If Xiao Yun hadn’t held back, you’d be flat on your back right now!"

"This doesn’t count!" Xia Yusen, seeing his precious shield destroyed, flew into a rage. "You cheated! You poured all your energy into the blade to destroy my Diamond Shield! You owe me a new shield!"

Qin Yun smiled. "You underestimated me and agreed to this. You infused your own energy into the shield, so don’t act surprised that I did the same!"