In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 526 Breaking Through Perception

Xu Maoming can use money to protect his daughter, but others can't.

The vast majority of people whose families had daughters targeted by the Prince of Qing had no choice but to accept their fate and obediently send their daughters to the Prince of Qing's residence.

Then... he saw the bodies of his loved ones in the mass grave and experienced the grief of a parent outliving their child.

It can be said that in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture, there are countless people like Xu Maoming who harbor resentment towards Xia Yuanying and wish he would die on the spot. However, due to Xia Yuanying's status and his power and influence, no one dares to express their resentment.

Now that they finally saw someone resisting, even attacking the Qingwang Mansion, the people of the city were naturally very excited, silently praying for Chen Dao and cheering him on.

"That boy will definitely be alright! He'll definitely be able to kill that evil king!"

Xu Maoming's eldest daughter said firmly that ever since they were targeted by the servants of the Prince of Qing's mansion, she and her sister have rarely left home.

For these active and energetic teenage girls, staying at home all day is undoubtedly an extremely painful experience.

But for the sake of their own lives and to avoid worrying their father, they had no other choice.

However... their resentment did not dissipate as a result; on the contrary, their disgust for Xia Yuanying deepened.

"That's right!"

Xu Maoming's youngest daughter clenched her fists and said with unwavering certainty, "That young man can definitely kill the King of Qing and restore a bright and clear sky to Qingzhou!"

It's clear that Xu Maoming's family wasn't the only ones who believed in and supported Chen Dao; rather, it was all the people of Fucheng who witnessed the battle.

"Father, that young man can definitely kill the Green King and avenge my sister, right?"

"That's right! He can definitely do it."

"Mother! If that boy kills the Green King, can I go out and play after that?"

"Yes! As long as the Green King dies, Mother will no longer restrict you from going out."

"..."

At this moment, countless citizens of the prefecture prayed in their hearts.

Chen Dao seemed to have received their prayers, and with a turn in the air, landed steadily on the ground.

Xia Yuanying's shot was both fast and fierce. Chen Dao, who was unprepared, suffered a hidden loss. Although he blocked the shot, his body was still impacted, and his chest began to ache slightly.

"The Azure King practices the Overlord Spear!"

Not far away, Qianli'er seemed to be explaining to Chen Dao, or perhaps talking to himself: "It is said that before Emperor Taizu of Xia rebelled, he once accidentally entered the depths of the Cangmang Mountains and encountered immortals there."

"Fairy?"

Jiang Canghai, Li Qingsong, and Butcher Zhu all turned to look at Qianli'er and exclaimed in unison, "Are there really immortals in this world?"

"I don't know!"

Qianli'er shook his head, "I don't know if there are immortals in the world, but it is certain that Emperor Taizu of Xia had a strange encounter in the Cangmang Mountains!"

According to legend, the immortal Xia Taizu encountered in the vast mountains bestowed upon him two secret manuals, one of which contained the Overlord Spear, a technique passed down through generations of the Xia family!

"Overlord Spear?"

Butcher Zhu's expression changed slightly, as if he had thought of something.

"Indeed, it is the Overlord Spear!"

Qianli Er nodded and said in a deep voice, "The Overlord Spear is a martial art that only the direct bloodline of the Xia family can practice. It is said to be even more powerful than other martial arts. The strength and true qi cultivated by it far surpass other martial arts. Therefore, the Xia family successors who practice the Overlord Spear can often fight beyond their own level!"

Back when Emperor Taizu of Xia rebelled, he had already achieved the feat of killing an enemy general of the eighth rank while still at the ninth rank. After entering the middle rank, Emperor Taizu of Xia's achievements became even more outstanding. He could fight a fifth rank while at the sixth rank, and a fourth rank while at the peak of the fourth rank, he could even fight a third rank martial artist..."

"So that's how it is. No wonder he was only at the fifth rank, yet his strength was much greater than mine."

Chen Dao narrowed his eyes slightly, his doubts somewhat dispelled.

He had been wondering why Xia Yuanying, who was only at the fifth rank, was stronger than him, who was at the fourth rank.

This question has now been answered.

It turns out that Xia Yuanying was practicing the Overlord Spear, which is even better than a high-grade martial art.

"You know quite a lot."

Xia Yuanying looked at Qianlier and said, "The existence of the Overlord Spear is not a secret, but very few people know its origin. I didn't expect that Qianlier would even know such a thing."

"My reputation for hearing a thousand miles is not undeserved."

Qianli'er said with a hint of arrogance, "I not only know the origin of the Overlord Spear, but I also know that although the Overlord Spear is powerful, it is extremely difficult to cultivate!"

Even if an ordinary person obtains the Overlord Spear technique, it's very difficult to master it. Only a few exceptionally talented individuals can successfully cultivate the Overlord Spear. This is why, despite your outstanding talent, you are only at the fifth rank. Am I right, Your Highness?

Upon hearing this, Xia Yuanying remained silent.

Sometimes, silence is the answer.

Qianli'er is right. The Overlord Spear is so powerful that it can even fight against opponents of higher ranks, so it is naturally extremely difficult to cultivate.

To master the Overlord Spear technique, one needs not only a large amount of resources but also exceptional talent.

It can be said that everyone who can master the Overlord Spear is a martial arts genius, one in ten thousand.

Xia Yuanying was certainly a genius, but he found it extremely difficult to cultivate the Overlord Spear. After decades of hard work, he had only managed to advance to the fifth rank!

This was one of Xia Yuanying's biggest secrets, but unexpectedly, it was revealed to everyone by Qianli'er.

"Of course, there are gains as well as losses."

Qianli'er continued, "Although the Overlord Spear is difficult to cultivate, once mastered, its combat power far surpasses that of other martial artists. Furthermore... it is said that the Overlord Spear can directly lead to a realm above the first rank!"

"Above the first rank?"

A look of surprise flashed across Butcher Zhu's face, and he couldn't help but ask, "Are there realms above the first rank?"

Not only Zhu the Butcher, but Li Qingsong and Jiang Canghai also stared intently at Qianli'er, clearly very interested in the answer to this question.

The first rank is the highest realm of martial arts, a consensus among all martial artists in the Nine Provinces. However, the meaning behind Qianli'er's words at this moment is clearly not so.

"Of course!"

Qianli Er nodded emphatically and said, "According to information I learned from a mysterious person, the first rank is not the limit of martial arts. Above the first rank, there are even stronger realms. The Xia Taizu of that time was very likely a martial artist who surpassed the first rank!"

It was precisely because he possessed a cultivation level of at least First Rank that Emperor Xia was able to defeat all the powerful figures and successfully ascend to the position of Lord of the Nine Provinces!

These words shocked Zhu the Butcher, Li Qingsong, and Jiang Canghai.

The existence of realms beyond the first rank undoubtedly shattered their understanding of martial arts and fueled their greed.