Chapter 17: Return to Original Form

A Ninth Grade Spirit Root failed?

And failed so completely?

The completely opposite result left everyone caught off guard.

Xu Yining's beautiful eyes flickered, having already noticed something, she thoughtfully gazed at Lu Zheng, who had blood all over his mouth.

Wang Yingfeng, however, helped him up with a pained expression, saying, "Zheng'er, were you being too careless?"

Qin Changsheng also hurriedly took out a healing pill he couldn't bear to eat himself and stuffed it into Lu Zheng's mouth, saying, "Young Master Lu, don't be careless because of ten years of friendship between you two."

"Deputy Pavilion Master Chen is watching."

...

Everyone chimed in, considering Lu Zheng's defeat an accidental mishap.

Chen Zhengdao slightly frowned, clearly noticing something was wrong too.

Obviously, Liu Qingxian said she saw with her own eyes the Ninth Grade Spirit Root breaking through from the Fourth Layer Perfection of Qi Cultivation to the Seventh Layer.

Why was he easily defeated by a martial artist of the Sixth Layer?

He couldn't help but re-examine Lu Zheng: "Are you really a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root?"

"If you deceive me, do you know the crime?"

Hearing this, the Xu family's people were shocked.

This defeat had actually shaken the truth of Lu Zheng's identity!

Wang Yingfeng hurriedly defended her nephew, saying, "Deputy Pavilion Master Chen, please give my nephew another chance."

Lu Zheng's pupils shrank as well, and he quickly stood up, saying, "Deputy Pavilion Master Chen, I swear by the heavens, I have never deceived Your Excellency."

"That day I did detect a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root!"

"I was a bit careless just now, I'm willing to fight again and prove my strength."

Seeing him speak so firmly, not looking like he was lying, Chen Zhengdao nodded slightly, deciding to give Lu Zheng another chance.

"Alright."

Chen Zhengdao then looked at Jiang Fan, saying, "What do you think?"

Jiang Fan unhesitantly wrote, "He can't beat me."

He suppressed his realm, using less than half of his strength, yet Lu Zheng still couldn't win.

Based on the result, Lu Zheng was exactly as he guessed.

He wasn't anything like a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root.

Seeing these five words, Lu Zheng was furious, roaring like an enraged lion, "Jiang! What kind of skill is it to sneak attack?"

"Kneel before me!"

He roared again and lunged like a fierce tiger.

He wanted too much to win against Jiang Fan and prove himself, which made his strikes full of openings.

Jiang Fan seized the opportunity, subtly dodged a sword strike, and kicked him squarely in the chest.

Puah—

Lu Zheng was knocked back again, but this time he spat blood, clearly suffering from internal injuries.

His second defeat rendered the entire Xu family speechless.

One defeat could be considered carelessness.

Could the second one also be?

More and more clan members, like Xu Yining, gradually saw through the facade.

Besides Wang Yingfeng, who was still unwilling to wake up, treating this nephew as her biggest ace, the rest of the Xu family began to doubt his Ninth-Grade Spirit Root identity.

This time, even without Jiang Fan's words, Chen Zhengdao snorted softly, "Is this all a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root is?"

He casually pulled out a mini version of the bronze ruler from the Detection Tower and threw it in front of Lu Zheng.

"Retest!" Chen Zhengdao ordered.

Lu Zheng laughed bitterly, "I just lost twice, and that is enough to deny my Spirit Root?"

"Fine! I'll prove it to you all!"

"Let you see, what a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root is!"

The doubting eyes around stabbed at his pride.

He felt deeply humiliated.

He grabbed the mini bronze ruler and glared at everyone in anger!

"Xu Zhengyan, I originally wanted to bring the Xu family to rise together, but unfortunately, you all doubted me!"

"Then it's too bad, your Xu family isn't worthy of rising with me!"

Upon hearing this.

The Xu family members were suddenly in a frenzy.

Qin Changsheng quickly said, "Young Master Lu, I believe in you, I believe in you!"

If Lu Zheng wasn't a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root, it wouldn't just be Lu Zheng's doom; even the heaven of the Qin family would collapse.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly, patting his shoulder, "You're the only one who supports me the most, don't worry, I won't let you lose!"

He then looked at Jiang Fan.

With madness in his eyes, "Jiang Fan! You think just because you luckily broke through to the Sixth Layer, you can look down on a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root?"

"Open your dog eyes wide and see how dazzling my Ninth-Grade Spirit Root is!"

He tightly gripped the bronze ruler with his five fingers.

Immediately.

A surge of energy started flowing upward from the bottom of the ruler.

First Grade.

Second Grade.

Third Grade.

When it reached the Third Grade, the energy flow slowed down significantly.

It crept up like a snail.

Third Grade Low, Third Grade Mid.

Finally, it stopped just a hair's breadth from the Third Grade Upper.

The whole place fell deathly silent.

The drop of a pin could be heard.

The retesting result of Lu Zheng, who supposedly had a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root, was actually Third Grade Mid!

Even Lu Zheng himself was stunned, muttering, "How could this be? How could this be?"

"I clearly detected a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root!"

"It must be a mistake; I'll try again!"

He gripped the bronze ruler once more.

But the result remained the same.

Still Third Grade Mid.

Lu Zheng panicked, his world collapsing around him, he shook his head, "This is impossible! There's something wrong with this bronze ruler!"

"Yes! That must be it!"

Seeing him descend into madness, doubting Deputy Pavilion Master Chen's magic artifact.

Xu Yining finally couldn't hold back, stood up, and grabbed the bronze ruler.

The surge of energy started flowing from the bottom again, rushing past the Third Grade Mid mark, reaching a brilliant blue area, Sixth-Grade Spirit Root!

Xu Yining looked at Lu Zheng, revealing a relieved expression, "It seems that the bronze ruler has no problem."

"The problem lies with your test result!"

The whole place erupted.

Even with Chen Zhengdao present, the murmurs of heated discussion couldn't be suppressed.

"What is this? He was never a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root!"

"I flattered him for days, just for this?"

"You're lucky; some people even offered themselves to him for nothing!"

"Losing one's body is minor; just think of the Qin Family Head. He just gifted a thirty-thousand-valued Low-grade Qi Cultivation Liquid, and he accepted it all."

...

Wang Yingfeng, eager to protect her nephew, urgently shouted, "Enough! My Zheng'er is definitely not Third Grade Mid, definitely not!"

At this moment.

Xu Yining interrupted her, calmly, "Mother, are you still deluding yourself?"

"We should have seen it when he lost to Jiang Fan the first time."

"Three days, with a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root and the Qi Cultivation Liquid support from Qin Changsheng, yet he couldn't surpass Jiang Fan."

"At that moment I already doubted his Spirit Root, today's result was expected."

Her pace quickened, her long-suppressed heart finally found peace.

It seemed, she still remained Lonely Boat City's top prodigy!

Sixth-Grade Spirit Root was still the strongest!

Wang Yingfeng bit her lips, knowing the truth better than anyone, but she just couldn't admit it.

Lu Zheng's Ninth-Grade Spirit Root had once been her pride.

Looking at the crestfallen Lu Zheng, she could only console him, "Zheng'er, it seems the Detection Tower's bronze ruler had a malfunction."

"There isn't any Ninth-Grade Spirit Root in this world, being Third Grade Mid is still top in Lonely Boat City."

Hearing these words, the heavily struck Lu Zheng felt slightly better.

He nodded slightly, "Yes, the best one is still Xu Yining with her Sixth-Grade Spirit Root, I'm just three grades below, not too bad."

However.

Chen Zhengdao, with a grim expression, put away the bronze ruler and said something that shattered Lu Zheng's world!

"Who said there is no Ninth-Grade Spirit Root in Lonely Boat City?"

"It's just not you!"