With the Abyss Ancient Sword and the Flash Shining Sword, Zhang Ruochen went into the forecourt of Qingxuan Pavilion. He paid 31,000 silver coins for these two swords and then went back to palace.
While walking in Ziyi Side Hall, Zhang Ruochen found that the courtyard was entirely covered in white snow.
A strange sense of emotion came into his mind as he was holding the four-foot-long broken sword.
"800 years have passed. The world is changing all the time for both humans and everything else. I had never thought that the once sharpest Abyss Ancient Sword would also be broken apart."
The Abyss Ancient Sword, though broken apart, was still far too heavy for Zhang Ruochen. If he had not reached the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm, he might not have even been able to pick it up.
"The sword's inscriptions were all broken without exception. It's currently only sharper than other swords. If I want to reconnect these inscriptions and regain its full power, I will have to enlist weapon refiners of at least the fifth rank. But are there any weapon refiners of the fifth rank in the Yunwu Commandery?"
Zhang Ruochen put his swords away.
Even if the Abyss Ancient Sword became a piece of scrap iron, Zhang Ruochen would still bring it along as it could always remind him of the past and motivate him to practice harder. Only when he became strong enough would he be able to get revenge on Empress Chi Yao.
Zhang Ruochen took out the Flash Shining Sword, one of the fourth-level Genuine Martial Arms. He gripped the hilt and pulled out the sword from its sheath. A blue and crystal sword body appeared.
Zhang Ruochen began to mobilize his Genuine Qi and injected it into the sword body of Flash Shining Sword through his palm.
Activated by Genuine Qi, the first inscription quickly recovered.
It was an inscription of Power Series! Once it was stimulated by Genuine Qi, it would gain 100 pounds in weight.
It weighed 53 pounds originally. But now its weight had increased to 153 pounds after the first Inscription of Power Series was recovered.
Such a big increase in weight!
His arm trembled slightly as he tried to maintain his posture.
"Clang!"
He thrust out the sword.
However, the sword's direction was not accurate and it was too hard to control.
With his present cultivation, Zhang Ruochen could give out a power like that of one Brute Bull by displaying the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm. He could even throw a 300-pound stone tray 10 meters away.
Nevertheless, that was one burst of his power in just one moment!
Providing it was a 300-pound sword, Zhang Ruochen could not necessarily lift it up with his present cultivation, let alone demonstrate masterful sword skill.
A sword that was 153 pounds was his maximum limit.
"Wham!"
"Chop!"
...
Zhang Ruochen spent his whole afternoon practicing the Flash Shining Sword. Eventually, he began to adjust to its weight.
Certainly, it was just a preliminary adaptation!
Those Martial Arts masters could stab mosquitoes within 10 meters with great ease. With superb sword techniques, they had already attained the realm of Sword Following the Heart.
Zhang Ruochen found himself lagging far behind those masters. Compared with them, he was too clumsy to use this heavy sword.
"There are four Inscriptions of Power Series on the Flash Shinning Sword. Its weight increased to 153 pounds after the first Inscription of Power Series was activated. I can't imagine how heavy it would be if I stimulated the second inscription."
Zhang Ruochen started to mobilize his Genuine Qi and kept injecting it into the second inscription of Power Series.
As his Genuine Qi became thinner and thinner, the second inscription of Power Series had not changed at all and showed no sign of any recovery.
Zhang Ruochen had to give up.
"With my current Genuine Qi level in my body, I can't activate the second inscription. It seems that my cultivation is still not powerful enough!"
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his Genuine Qi from the sword body. Then the Flash Shining Sword immediately became 53 pounds again. Having adapted to the weight of 153 pounds, Zhang Ruochen found it really light to hold.
Whereafter, Zhang Ruochen injected Genuine Qi into the Flash Shining Sword again and succeeded in stimulating one Inscription of Ice Series.
As the Flash Shining Sword emitted a rush of icing air, his fingers became numb.
"Thump!"
When Zhang Ruochen swung his sword, some crystal snowflakes came out of the edge of the Flash Shining Sword. That was because small drops of water in the air were clotted into granular snow by Sword Breath.
"Inscription of Electricity Series!"
"Inscription of Light Series!"
Zhang Ruochen continued his attempt to stimulate another Inscription of Electricity Series and Inscription of Light Series.
After the Inscription of Electricity Series was activated, a wisp of an electric wire arose on the surface. He thrust out the sword. It looked like a flash of lightning cleaving the sky with a "Thwack!" sound.
The Flash Shining Sword was enveloped in a white haze and became extremely sharp when Zhang Ruochen succeeded in stimulating the Inscription of Light Series. With white light flashing, the stone cracked instantly.
His present Genuine Qi could only sustain one inscription. If he employed the power of the Inscription of Power Series, the power of other three inscriptions would be unusable.
"I need to practice harder to improve my cultivation if I want to activate two inscriptions simultaneously."
"30,000 silver coins is worthwhile!"
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his Flash Shining Sword back into its sheath.
"Only when a total of 14 inscriptions are all stimulated will the power of the fourth-level Genuine Martial Arm be brought out completely. I need to intensify my practice!"
Zhang Ruochen swallowed an Energy Pill at once and started to practice after entering into the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel.
"Bang!"
The Energy Pill exploded inside his body, turning into a cloud of Pill Spirit.
Six Meridians carried Pill Spirit promptly and soon it was transformed into Genuine Qi within his Qi Pool.
It took half a day for Zhang Ruochen to absorb and refine all of the Pill Spirit.
Only half of the Pill Spirit was assimilated and converted to Genuine Qi.
The other half of the Pill Spirit was wasted as it escaped through his pores.
If this had happened to other warriors, they would have been distressed greatly. After all, half of a Pill Spirit cloud was equivalent to 500 silver coins.
Conversely, Zhang Ruochen did not think it was a waste of money because he felt that his Genuine Qi had greatly increased. If he had practiced progressively, it would have taken over 10 days to reach his present status.
However, it took only half a day for Zhang Ruochen to achieve the desired effect with the help of an Energy Pill.
"1,000 silver coins don't matter."
"Money can be earned if I need more silver coins."
"But lost time is never found again."
Over the following days, Zhang Ruochen spent most of his time practicing inside the Time and Space Spinel.
He took Energy Pills to expand his Genuine Qi and utilized Refining Powder to refine his body.
Beyond that, he also spent most of his hours practicing the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm and the Sacred Sword Skill.
After the first month of practice in the Time and Space Spinel, his Genuine Qi in his Qi Pool had quintupled.
The second month passed and Zhang Ruochen could give a quick burst of the Strength of Two Bulls.
After the third month, his Genuine Qi in his Qi Pool was tenfold as much as what he had in the Advanced Stage of the Yellow Realm. He completed the practice of his Genuine Qi and attained the limit of advanced stage of the Yellow Realm.
At this time, Zhang Ruochen could have opened up new Meridians and strive for the next realm, the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm.
Instead, Zhang Ruochen chose to restrain his cultivation and kept using Refining Powder to refine his body.
"Considering my present physical quality, I need to open up another four Meridians if I want to reach the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm. Specifically, there will be 10 Meridians inside when I arrive at the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm."
Those warriors who practiced the exercises of the Inferior-Class of the Human Stage could only open up seven Meridians in their body. It was the same with warriors in the Yellow Realm Completion.
Anyone who had the capacity to open up 10 Meridians at only the level of the Dawn State was absolutely a genius.
Zhang Ruochen was still ungratified.
In his last lifetime, he had opened up as many as 13 meridians when he was at the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm.
"Although my present physical quality could not compare with that of my last lifetime, I still believe that I can succeed in opening up 11 channels at the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm if I exert myself to refine my body."
The Time and Space Spinel, which could make his practicing time three times longer than others', was his biggest advantage at present. Given this, he should naturally make full use of his time to improve himself and become more outstanding than his last lifetime.
The fourth month passed by. Tremendous changes took place in his physical quality and he could now give a quick burst of the Strength of Three Bulls by displaying the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Fist.
Six months later, his strength increased sharply to Strength of Four Bulls.
Reaching his carnal limit, Zhang Ruochen discovered that bottlenecks constrained his physical quality and it was extremely tough to improve.
He would be unable to enhance his power to Strength of Five Bulls, even if he practiced for another year.
Practicing within the Time and Space Spiritual Crystal for half a year was equivalent to two months outside.
"Those who could give a burst of one Brute Bull at advanced stage of the Yellow Realm are considered as strong as Medium- and Superior-Class warriors. Only warriors at the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm could practice Strength of Four Bulls."
"I could give a burst of Strength of Four Bulls only with the cultivation of advanced stage of the Yellow Realm, which enables me to contend against normal warriors at the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm. If I enter into the next realm, the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm, how powerful will I become?"
"Having reached my physical limit, I could start practicing for the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm. How many Meridians could I open up? I have no idea."
In case of any special conditions, Zhang Ruochen took out a total of six small jade bottles filled with Marrow-washing Liquid, putting them in front of himself neatly.
"I'll try my best! The more Meridians that I open up, the more powerful I'll become in physical quality and fighting capacity. Come on!"
Zhang Ruochen grabbed the first jade bottle, drank the Marrow-washing Liquid, and started to open up the seventh Meridian immediately.
Given his current physical quality and sufficient Genuine Qi in his body, Zhang Ruochen could easily open up the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth Meridians.
It only took him one day to open up five Meridians across the body, which formed five systemic circulation pathways.
However, he finally felt tired when he tried to open up the 11th Meridian.
It took Zhang Ruochen 12 hours to finally open up the 11 Meridians. He was exhausted, and his body was covered with sweat. It consumed 90% of his Genuine Qi.
When he managed to open up the 11th Meridian, his body wobbled slightly.
A thud came from inside his glabella.
"Boom!"
He had reached the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm!
The capacity of his Qi Pool was immediately increased tenfold. Right now, the pool was around 25 square meters, which was almost as large as a real pond.
Genuine Qi traveled quickly inside the Qi Pool, forming a thin layer of mist.
"As expected, this body is too weak. I must enhance my physical quality, otherwise, the most I can achieve is to open up 11 Meridians in the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm."
If other warriors knew what Zhang Ruochen was thinking, they would be depressed about their Martial Arts.
Above all, those who could open up six Meridians at the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm were considered geniuses.
Those who could open up eight Meridians were top geniuses.
If someone could open up 10 meridians, then for sure, that person was a heathen in others' eyes, who would be admired by other warriors in the same realm.
The Seventh Prince was famous because he had opened up 10 Meridians in the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm. He was the strongest in his realm and was a big hero in the Yunwu Commandery, making other geniuses look normal.
The Seventh Prince had been the first and the only person in the Yunwu Commandery that could open up 10 Meridians in the Dawn State in hundreds of years.
Of course, right now Zhang Ruochen was the second!
"Anyway, I finally made it! But at what level is my power now?"
Zhang Ruochen cleansed his body thoroughly and found a blue robe to wear before walking out of his room.
He planned to find a place where no one was around in order to test his power.
The Manor of the Yunwu Commandery was built around three mountains, Jun Mountain, King Mountain, and Emperor Mountain. Apart from the palaces, which were built close to each other, there were some quiet parks and basins.
Zhang Ruochen and his mother, Concubine Lin, were living in the Ziyi Side Hall, which was equivalent to a cold palace. This palace was quite far from those main ones.
Outside the Ziyi Side Hall, there was a snow-covered jungle. Beyond the jungle, there sat one of the three largest mountains inside the manor, Jun Mountain.
After arriving at the foot of Jun Mountain, it was hard to find a single maidservant or eunuch, or even a royal security guard.
"Here it is!"
Zhang Ruochen stood there and began to test his power.
Zhang Ruochen bent both of his knees slightly and assumed a "Horse Stance". In fact, he was much like a giant elephant standing loftily in the snow.
He changed the stances quickly, constantly unleashing his power through his handprint. He moved faster and faster.
"The first technique of the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm, Elephant Galloping!"
Zhang Ruochen stretched his legs, leaving the bones and muscles tightened, and unleashed all the power through his palm onto the stone wall.
"Bang!"
Many breaches suddenly appeared on the stone wall, becoming increasingly wider and deeper.
All of a sudden, the five-meter-tall stone wall collapsed.
Zhang Ruochen changed his stances and quickly moved back to avoid being hit by the rocks from the wall.
"The power of this hit is equivalent to the Strength of Eight Bulls!" said Zhang Ruochen as he nodded his head gently.
For a normal warrior in the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm, the Strength of Four Bulls was already his maximum.
But he had unleashed the Strength of Eight Bulls immediately after reaching the Dawn State, so he was certainly worthy of praise. With the development of his skills, he could surely unleash stronger powers.
"Now let me try my sword techniques!"
Zhang Ruochen reached in and took out the Flash Shinning Sword from the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel. He held the blade and charged it with his Genuine Qi.
"Crash!"
The first inscription, the Inscription of Power Series, was activated now. This led to the increase of the weight of the Flash Shinning Sword, which was 153 pounds now.
Then, the second inscription, the Inscription of Ice Series, was activated as well. A blast of icy air was released from the blade, making the air around it a bit colder.
With the current skill level of Zhang Ruochen, activating two inscriptions was already his limit.
Over the past half year, Zhang Ruochen had spent much time practicing the Sacred Sword Skill and the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm, rather than on improving his physique only.
Exercises, physique, and martial techniques—each of them was a must.
The Sacred Sword Skill, which was part of the Low-Class of Spiritual, consisted of 12 sword techniques.
Unlike those Human Stage sword techniques, each one move of that sword technique was subtle and ingenious, with great variations.
If warriors in the Yellow Realm would like to fully acquire the Sacred Sword Skill, a great deal of time had to be dedicated. It could take them several months of hard work before practicing even just one move of the sword technique.
Even for Zhang Ruochen, who had practiced the Sacred Sword Skill before, it took half a year to get three of the sword techniques.
Now the Flash Shinning Sword, which was 153 pounds, was held in Zhang Ruochen's hand. However, the sword seemed to be weightless to Zhang Ruochen now. He was amazingly skilled and relaxed when using this sword, as if he was just naturally stretching his arms or legs.
He was so skilled at using his sword that it moved the moment he wanted to move his arm in his mind.
"Sacred Guiding Sword!"
Zhang Ruochen lifted his right arm and waved the sword.
Within a second, a loud sound along with that of the wind was heard by Zhang Ruochen. Meanwhile, he saw a blast of Sword Breath flying out.
"Crash!"
A seven-meter-long, three-inch-deep icy cold sword mark was left on the ground. Grasses and rocks nearby were destroyed by the Sword Breath and the scar.
It was like a sword path!
"Sacred Breaking Plum Sword!"
Zhang Ruochen shook his arm and waved the sword!
The Flash Shinning Sword was turned into a blue light shuttle with seven phantoms. Those seven sounds were like seven swords flying out to stab the enemy.
The sound from the seven sword shadows touched the sword tip on the stone wall, causing some "Ding, Ding!" sounds.
Seven tiny holes, caused by sword tips, were left on the stone wall and displayed a plum blossom.
Sacred Breaking Plum Sword—Virtually, it was not about plums, but the glabella.
Once this technique was used, seven tiny holes would be left on the enemy's glabella, which would look like a bloody plum blossom.
Only when one whose Sword Comprehension had practiced to the level of Sword Following the Heart could this person finally get the Sacred Breaking Plum Sword.
The Realm of Sword Comprehension could be divided into three levels: Sword Following the Heart, Heart Integrated into Sword, and Human Sword.
Zhang Ruochen was now in the realm of Sword Following the Heart, which was not far away from the Heart Integrated into Sword level.
Apart from the Sacred Guiding Sword and the Sacred Breaking Plum Sword, Zhang Ruochen also practiced one move defensive sword technique, the "Sacred Bell Sword"!
"Sacred Bell Sword!"
Zhang Ruochen continuously charged the Genuine Qi into the Flash Shining Sword. The Sword Breath was moving fast, so he used the sword to guide it to form an illusory image of a light blue bell. This illusory image was spinning quickly and parceled Zhang Ruochen, protecting him from the Bell Sword.
Once Zhang Ruochen used this one move, he could be protected from a big hit from the enemy, even if the enemy was a warrior in the Final State of the Yellow Realm. However, if the same enemy practiced the sword techniques at the level of the Spiritual Stage, he could defeat Zhang Ruochen as usual.
Sacred Guiding Sword!
Sacred Breaking Plum Sword!
Sacred Bell Sword!
Zhang Ruochen was continuously practicing these three sword techniques in order to reach the "Heart Integrated into Sword". However, he knew it would be impossible to reach that level in a short period of time.
Zhang Ruochen went back to the Ziyi Side Hall after he had exhausted his Genuine Qi.
"In 13 days, we will have our Year-end Assessment. I must further cultivate my skills."
Zhang Ruochen sat inside the Mystery of Time and Space with his legs crossed. He ate another Energy Pill before practicing again.
As the Year-end Assessment was approaching, all the princes and princesses of the Yunwu Commandery were busy practicing. Each one of them was eager to excel and be respected by all the people.
Only scions of the Royal Family or the noble families who were below 20 years old were eligible for the Year-end Assessment. The assessment was for enhancing youths' motivation and making them more competent.
In previous years, Zhang Ruochen was banned from attending the Year-end Assessment, thus, he could only stand in the crowd. Of course, that was an embarrassing moment for both he and Concubine Lin.
This year, it could be different.
When Zhang Ruochen was making progress, others were also improving themselves.
The Jade Palace had belonged to Zhang Ruochen and Concubine Lin, but now it was for the Eighth Prince Zhang Ji and his mother, Concubine Xiao. Inside a luxurious room of the Jade Palace, Zhang Ji was laughing loudly. "Ahahaha! I finally reached the Dawn State of the Yellow Realm!"
A hint of satisfaction played on Concubine Xiao's face, she said proudly, "Good job, Ji! With your current skill level, although you can't beat the Fifth Prince or the Sixth Prince, your lord father will surely see your progress and reward your hard work."
Zhang Ji nodded. He clearly knew he was far from good enough when compared to these two brothers.
The Sixth Prince had reached the Peak of the Dawn State at last year's Year-end Assessment. He could have reached the Medium Stage by now.
As for the Fifth Prince, he was even better. It was said that he had reached the Final State.
The Eighth Prince smiled coldly and said, "Never mind, there is one who will be at the bottom of the list. He will only make me appear more excellent."
"Are you talking about the Ninth Prince? He just obtained the Sacred Mark of Martial Arts, I assume he hasn't even washed his marrow or broken out of the channels. He won't be present at the Year-end Assessment," Concubine Xiao said.
"Haha! Whether or not he will be present is not up to him." A hint of a smile played on Zhang Ji's face, but it was a cold and disdainful smile.