"Indeed! This Tianxin Sword Technique is a genuine low-tier Spirit-level technique, and the sword diagrams were personally drawn by a powerful Heaven Extremity Realm expert!" Lin Fengxian's face lit up with joy as he immediately stowed away the mnemonic and sword diagrams of the Tianxin Sword Technique.
This was fantastic! Acquiring such a technique would significantly bolster the strength of the Lin family.
The head steward approached Zhang Ruochen and said, "My lord, the Tianxin Sword Technique fetched a total of 1.24 million silver coins at auction. After deducting the 12,000 coins owed to the auction house, you're left with 1,228,000 coins. Would you like to convert all of it to spirit crystals, blood pills, or deposit it in the Martial Market bank?"
In common transactions, people typically used copper, silver, and gold coins, but martial artists usually dealt in blood pills or spirit crystals.
Zhang Ruochen replied, "Deposit 1.2 million coins in the Martial Market bank, convert 20,000 into spirit crystals, and give me the remaining 8,000 silver coins directly."
Half an hour later, the head steward handed Zhang Ruochen a yellow, crystalline card. "My lord, this is a three-star nobility card from the Martial Market bank, and the 1.2 million silver coins have already been deposited."
A "nobility card" was a status symbol. In Yunwu Commandery, very few people possessed a three-star card, which indicated that the holder's wealth exceeded one million silver coins.
The head steward also handed Zhang Ruochen a bundle containing 20 spirit crystals and 8,000 silver coins.
Without a word, Zhang Ruochen took the bundle and left the central auction hall.
"That man's silhouette looks very familiar," Lin Ningshan remarked, staring at the mysterious figure as he walked away, a strange sense of familiarity washing over her.
"I feel the same," Lin Fengxian said. "I must have seen him at the royal palace. This person is not to be trifled with; his true identity is likely very intimidating."
Curious, Lin Ningshan asked, "Father, why do you say that?"
Lin Fengxian's expression grew serious. "The ink on the Tianxin Sword Technique diagrams hasn't dried yet, meaning they were just drawn today. The person who drew them must be a Heaven Extremity Realm expert."
"In other words, either this man is that Heaven Extremity Realm expert, or he has such an expert backing him. In either case, he's not someone we can afford to provoke."
"A Heaven Extremity Realm expert…" Lin Ningshan was shocked. "Even grandfather hasn't reached that realm."
Lin Fengxian nodded, his eyes filled with a hint of longing. In martial cultivation, there were four major realms: Huangji Realm, Xuanji Realm, Diji Realm, and Tianji Realm.
The Heaven Extremity Realm was the pinnacle of martial cultivation, a legendary level of mastery. A Heaven Extremity martial artist could fly and single-handedly fend off an army of 100,000. They were truly powerful figures.
Beyond the Heaven Extremity Realm, martial skills transcended the physical body, and the abilities they wielded were beyond the comprehension of ordinary martial artists.
"There are only a few Heaven Extremity Realm experts in the royal palace. If we investigate, we might figure out who this person is," Lin Ningshan suggested.
"Absolutely not!" Lin Fengxian's face turned stern. "Don't do anything foolish. If we anger a Heaven Extremity expert, the entire Lin family will pay the price."
A flash of cunning appeared in Lin Ningshan's eyes. "Father, I'm curious. If he's a high-ranking figure from the palace, why would he need to auction off a Spirit-level sword technique? He shouldn't lack silver coins."
After a moment of thought, Lin Fengxian said, "The royal family has eight famous Spirit-level martial techniques, and the Tianxin Sword Technique isn't among them. Let's not delve any deeper into this matter. Heaven Extremity Realm experts are beyond our reach."
He continued, "Ningshan, you possess a Divine Martial Seal for swordsmanship, making you the best candidate to train in the Tianxin Sword Technique. When we return, you should enter seclusion and practice it. If you can master the first move within three months, you'll shine in the royal family's year-end assessment."
After leaving the central auction hall, Zhang Ruochen circled through the royal city before finding a hidden spot. There, he removed his black cloak and Kirin Gold-Embroidered Boots, storing them in the Temporal Spirit Stone. He changed into an ordinary pair of cloth shoes.
Now, he looked just like any other young martial artist.
"No one should be able to recognize me as the mysterious man who auctioned the Tianxin Sword Technique."
With the bag of spirit crystals and silver coins in hand, Zhang Ruochen re-entered the Martial Market to purchase what he needed.
First, he spent 4,000 silver coins to buy 20 vials of Marrow Cleansing Elixir.
Next, he spent another 1,000 silver coins to buy 200 first-grade Blood Pills. Given his current level of cultivation, first-grade blood pills were sufficient. Two hundred would last him for six months.
He then purchased two other cultivation-enhancing medicines: Body Refining Powder and Qi Gathering Pills. These were costly items, often too expensive for even the genius disciples of prominent families at the early stages of the Huangji Realm.
But for the "wealthy" Zhang Ruochen, as long as the medicines could speed up his cultivation, no price was too high.
In the end, he spent five spirit crystals on five vials of Body Refining Powder and ten spirit crystals on ten Qi Gathering Pills.
Additionally, he spent 500 silver coins to buy a vial of Bone Healing Ointment for Yun'er. After all his purchases, excluding the money in the Martial Market bank, he had five spirit crystals and 2,500 silver coins left.
Storing the purchased medicines in the Temporal Spirit Stone, Zhang Ruochen returned to the palace.
"Sister Yun'er, I bought you some Bone Healing Ointment. It should help your arm recover quickly," Zhang Ruochen said, handing her a delicate ebony box.
Yun'er was momentarily stunned, then nervously accepted the box, opening it.
A fragrant medicinal scent wafted out.
Her heart swelled with gratitude and surprise as she asked, "Ninth Prince, where did you get the money to buy this ointment?"
After all, even the cheapest Bone Healing Ointment cost 200 silver coins, and better ones could go for as much as 500 silver coins.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "I have my secrets, Sister Yun'er. I can't tell you yet, but I hope you can keep this secret for me."
Yun'er stared at Zhang Ruochen for a moment, then nodded. She whispered, "Can I tell Consort Lin?"
"Not yet," Zhang Ruochen replied.
"Alright, I promise." Yun'er clutched the ebony box tightly, feeling a sense of comfort. If the Ninth Prince could afford to spend hundreds of silver coins on such an expensive medicine for her, he must have encountered an extraordinary opportunity.
Perhaps the Ninth Prince would become a great martial artist in the future!
Zhang Ruochen then asked, "There's something I've been curious about. Sister Yun'er, could you tell me the truth? Why did my mother sever ties with the Lin family? What really happened three years ago?"
Yun'er sighed. "You were always so weak and ill, unable to handle stress, so the matter was kept from you. Now that you've awakened your Divine Martial Seal, I suppose it's time you knew the truth."
She continued, "You should remember Lin Chenyu, the Lin family's greatest genius and your cousin. At just seventeen, he had already reached the peak of the Huangji Realm."
"But three years ago, Lin Chenyu offended an even greater genius. That person broke his legs and threw him into prison."
"How could that happen?" Zhang Ruochen asked. "The Lin family is one of Yunwu Commandery's most powerful families. Who would dare imprison their top genius? Did Lin Chenyu offend someone with a truly remarkable background?"
Yun'er nodded. "That's right. Lin Chenyu offended none other than the most brilliant talent in Yunwu Commandery, the Seventh Prince. Compared to him, all other geniuses pale in comparison."
"Now I understand!" Zhang Ruochen nodded, his thoughts becoming clearer.
Yun'er continued, "After Lin Chenyu was imprisoned, the Lin family head rushed to the palace to plead with Consort Lin, hoping she would beg the king for mercy. The family was willing to pay any price to save him."
"Naturally, Consort Lin immediately went to the king, but the queen intercepted her. This led to a confrontation between Consort Lin and the queen, and in her fury, the queen ordered Consort Lin to be flogged thirty times. By the time it was over, Consort Lin was covered in blood and barely clinging to life."
Bang!
Zhang Ruochen slammed his hand against a pillar, gritting his teeth. "And the Yunwu King did nothing?"
Yun'er explained, "You must understand, the Seventh Prince is the most gifted of the king's nine sons. The king has high hopes for him. After investigating the matter, it was clear that Lin Chenyu was entirely in the wrong. In fact, the Seventh Prince almost died because of him."
"The king was furious. He felt that since Lin Chenyu was clearly in the wrong, Consort Lin had no right to plead for him, and that her actions were unreasonable."
"Before this incident, the king loved Consort Lin dearly. But afterward, his attitude toward her grew cold."
Yun'er continued, "The Lin family didn't understand the injustice Consort Lin suffered. They didn't dare offend the queen or the Seventh Prince, so they placed all the blame on her. They believed that Lin Chenyu's downfall was due to her failure to plead successfully. From that moment, the Lin family severed all ties with Consort Lin."
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, feeling a deep bitterness on behalf of his mother. Clenching his fists, he struck the pillar again and muttered, "Power! In this world, without strength, there's no way to stand tall, no way to receive fair treatment!"