Roar of the Supreme Warrior novel Chapter 865

James had heard of the painting’s origins before.

However, he scarcely knew anything about it.

He sat motionlessly in the wheelchair and looked at the painting in awe.

Tobias, whose gaze was also fixed on the painting, continued, “This painting was passed down by the Prince of Orchid himself. He was a prince who failed to seize power for himself in the midst of a power struggle. In order to make a comeback, he went to great lengths searching for treasures all over the world. Sadly, he went to his grave unable to seize the imperial throne for himself. On his deathbed, he gave each of his four major officials a painting and told them that the paintings held a great secret within.”

James asked in response to the revelation, “What kind of secret?”

Bobby Caden once told him that the Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge possessed the secret to immortality. However, James found it hard to believe his words.

Tobias shook his head morosely. “The Prince of Orchid never revealed what it was, and the ancestor of the Cadens had no idea either. It was only when the four major officials were sorting through the Prince of Orchid’s belongings that they realized something strange. The four paintings that the Prince of Orchid left behind should possess his self-taught martial arts teachings. It’s possible to reach the ninth rank if one perfected the Prince of Orchid’s martial arts.”

“The ninth rank…”

Tobias let out a disappointed sigh.

“Since times of old, countless martial artists have devoted their lives in pursuit of reaching the ninth rank. However, there have been no records of anyone actually achieving that vaunted goal.”

A line formed on James’ brows and he frowned. “Is it really that unattainable?”

“Legend has it that reaching the ninth rank is tantamount to attaining immortality.”

“Seriously?” James’ jaw went slack with disbelief.

Tobias merely smiled cryptically. “It’s just a legend. To our knowledge, no one has ever been able to reach the ninth rank. Perhaps the Prince of Orchid is the only person who managed to accomplish such a feat. Regardless, he still died of old age. This likely means that the legend was simply based in myth. What’s real is that once you reach the ninth rank, you’ll possess unrivaled strength throughout the world. This is an extremely alluring prospect to all martial artists.”

Tobias took a deep breath.

Then, he continued, “After the four major officials divided the Prince of Orchid’s wealth among themselves, they became the Ancient Four of today. For thousands of years, the Ancient Four have lived peaceful lives. However the tresspassing of the ancient tomb and the distribution of the items within, have caused alarm among the Ancient Four.”

James looked at Tobias curiously. “The Ancient Four were the ones who found the ancient tomb. Isn’t it also entirely possible that one of them was behind the break-in?”

Tobias gave hima half-shrug. “Initially, the Ancient Four knew nothing about this as they never concerned themselves with the affairs of the outside world. It was only recently that someone informed the Cadens that you possessed an item that was unearthed from the ancient tomb. That was when I sent Bobby to retrieve it.”

Was it truly not one of the Ancient Four?