Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged at the bottom of the water, his heart calm and steady. He remained expressionless as he circulated his true qi through the three meridians within his body.
Each cycle of the true qi eased the pain by a small degree.
At his current level of martial cultivation, he couldn't hold his breath underwater indefinitely. Every five minutes, he surfaced to take in air.
After an hour, the pain gradually subsided, and a cool current flowed into his body, healing the damage to his flesh. The soothing sensation spread throughout his body, so satisfying it nearly made him moan.
Splash!
Zhang Ruochen stood up from the water, wiping the droplets from his body with a towel. He looked at his reflection in a bronze mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
After over ten days of cultivation, combined with the medicinal baths, his body had noticeably strengthened. He no longer looked frail and sickly like before.
Of course, the ten days spent inside the Temporal Spirit Stone had only amounted to four days in reality.
Four days ago, he had been a weakling, driven out of Jade Pure Palace by the Eighth Prince, ridiculed, and humiliated by everyone. Who would have guessed that only four days later, he would possess the martial cultivation of the mid-stage Huangji Realm?
It was practically a miracle!
"It's not enough! Reaching the mid Huangji Realm is only the beginning!" Zhang Ruochen clenched his fists tightly, his gaze sharp and determined.
After dressing, he took another blood pill and re-entered the inner space of the Temporal Spirit Stone to continue his cultivation.
Achieving the mid Huangji Realm in just four days wasn't solely due to his martial experience from his previous life, but also thanks to the Temporal Spirit Stone.
With the Temporal Spirit Stone, he had three times more cultivation time than other warriors. This was his unique advantage!
Boom!
Boom!
"Barbarian Elephant Charge!"
Zhang Ruochen bent his legs, stepping forward while continuously striking with his palms. Each palm strike summoned the strength of every muscle and bone in his body.
Having just finished a medicinal bath, he needed to perform these techniques to fully absorb the medicinal energy and convert it into his own power.
In the days that followed, Zhang Ruochen spent almost all his time cultivating in the inner space of the Temporal Spirit Stone, exiting only once every three days.
Consort Lin knew that Zhang Ruochen had only recently awakened his Divine Martial Seal and would need to go into seclusion to cultivate, open his qi pool, and cleanse his marrow. She didn't ask many questions, simply instructing Yun'er to take good care of Zhang Ruochen's daily needs.
She continued to sell her jewelry, using the silver she earned to buy blood pills for Zhang Ruochen.
During these times, Zhang Ruochen would have Yun'er discreetly buy back the jewelry at a higher price.
It was a silent expression of mutual care that deeply moved Zhang Ruochen's heart.
Gradually, Zhang Ruochen accepted the identity of his current body and began to regard Consort Lin as his real mother.
"Your Highness, the Ninth Prince, shouldn't we tell Consort Lin the truth? If she knew you're now a true warrior, she would be overjoyed," Yun'er suggested.
"Not yet. I want to surprise her during the year-end examination. Besides, my cultivation isn't strong enough. I need to become even stronger," Zhang Ruochen replied.
Now, Yun'er knew many of Zhang Ruochen's secrets.
Aside from the truth about his previous life and the Temporal Spirit Stone, he had told her almost everything.
In Yun'er's eyes, the Ninth Prince was nothing short of a martial prodigy. In such a short time, he had already reached the mid Huangji Realm, far surpassing the other princes.
Perhaps only the Seventh Prince, whose cultivation was unrivaled among his peers, could be considered a worthy match for the Ninth Prince.
After reaching the mid Huangji Realm, Zhang Ruochen spent another month in the inner space of the Temporal Spirit Stone. Every six days, he consumed a Qi Gathering Pill, and every ten days, he took a medicinal bath.
During the rest of his time, he focused on cultivating the second palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, "Flying Dragon in the Sky," and comprehending the Meridian Diagram of the Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture.
Although he had not yet fully mastered the second palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, his qi pool had been filled to capacity.
"Tonight, I can begin breaking through to the late Huangji Realm," Zhang Ruochen declared.
Yun'er's eyes widened in shock. "The late Huangji Realm? But Your Highness, you've only been at the mid Huangji Realm for ten days! It took the Eighth Prince four years to go from mid to late Huangji Realm."
Yun'er didn't know about the existence of the Temporal Spirit Stone, so she believed Zhang Ruochen had only been cultivating for ten days. In reality, he had already spent an entire month training.
And this was despite the fact that he had devoted much of his time to strengthening his body. Otherwise, his progress would have been even faster.
"Is it fast? It's merely the natural course of things."
Zhang Ruochen didn't think his cultivation speed was particularly remarkable. If other geniuses had the same resources as he did, their progress would undoubtedly be swift as well.
The fact that the Eighth Prince needed four years to reach the late Huangji Realm only proved his lack of talent.
In any case, Yun'er was deeply moved. "Your Highness, I believe in you! Once you reach the late Huangji Realm, we won't have to fear the Eighth Prince anymore."
"Yes, now go outside. Don't let anyone disturb me tonight," Zhang Ruochen instructed.
Yun'er nodded enthusiastically, her head bobbing like a pecking chick. "I'll guard the door all night! If anyone dares to disturb you, I'll stop them, even at the cost of my life."
Zhang Ruochen gave her a deep look and softly said, "Thank you."
Once Yun'er left his room, Zhang Ruochen re-entered the inner space of the Temporal Spirit Stone.
"To break through to the late Huangji Realm, I must open three meridians in one go, linking them to my five organs, arms, and legs."
Zhang Ruochen arranged three small jade bottles in front of him, each containing a dose of Marrow Cleansing Elixir.
After preparing himself mentally and physically, he swallowed the first dose and used its power to begin opening his fourth meridian.
After half an hour, the fourth meridian was successfully opened.
The fourth meridian extended from the qi pool, down his neck, through his chest, and along both arms, up his spine, and back to the qi pool in his forehead, completing a full cycle.
Without pausing, Zhang Ruochen swallowed the second dose of Marrow Cleansing Elixir and started opening the fifth meridian.
The fifth meridian stretched from the qi pool, through his chest and abdomen, down both legs, and back to the qi pool.
This meridian's path was longer, taking him a full three hours to open.
Most of his true qi was depleted, and his body was drenched in sweat. Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to grasp a spirit crystal, quickly absorbing its energy and converting it into true qi to replenish his qi pool.
Once his qi pool was full again, Zhang Ruochen swallowed the third dose of Marrow Cleansing Elixir and began opening the sixth meridian.
This meridian ran through the five vital organs: the spleen, lungs, kidneys, liver, and heart. As true qi flowed through these organs, it strengthened them. But the organs were also the most delicate, requiring careful control.
It took him a full six hours to reach the end, his true qi nearly exhausted. Yet, the meridian was still incomplete, with only a small section left to open.
If the flow of true qi stopped now, all his efforts would be wasted, and the five organs could suffer damage.
Opening this meridian later would be ten times more difficult.
Zhang Ruochen made a bold decision. With swift precision, he swallowed a Qi Gathering Pill.
Boom!
The pill exploded within his body, releasing a surge of powerful energy.
Zhang Ruochen split his focus. On one hand, he used the five open meridians to absorb the pill's energy, converting it into true qi and channeling it into his qi pool.
On the other hand, he carefully guided the true qi to complete the sixth meridian.
This required immense mental strength, but fortunately, Zhang Ruochen had been a perfected Heaven's Extremity Realm expert in his previous life. His mental fortitude was extraordinary, and he succeeded in the delicate task.
The sixth meridian was fully opened!
From Zhang Ruochen's forehead, a bright white light shone, and his qi pool expanded tenfold once more.
At the mid Huangji Realm, his qi pool had been the size of a large vat.
Now, it had grown to ten vats in size, vast and capable of holding immense quantities of true qi.
"I've finally broken through to the late Huangji Realm!"
Grasping a spirit crystal, Zhang Ruochen activated the Divine Martial Seal on his forehead, drawing in an endless stream of spiritual energy.
With all six meridians operating at full capacity, the absorption rate of spiritual energy doubled.
Once his cultivation stabilized, Zhang Ruochen ceased his training.
He opened his eyes, and his pupils shone as brightly as two dazzling stars.
Having opened three new meridians, a large amount of impurities had been expelled through his pores, emitting a foul stench.
Zhang Ruochen exited the inner space of the Temporal Spirit Stone, washed himself in a pre-prepared wooden tub, dressed, and stepped outside.
By now, it was late at night.
Snowflakes as soft as goose feathers floated gently in the air, covering the courtyard in a blanket of frost.
Yun'er sat curled up on the steps outside Zhang Ruochen's room, rubbing her hands together and blowing warm air into her palms.
Creak!
Hearing the door open behind her, Yun'er immediately stood up, her face lighting up with joy as she looked at Zhang Ruochen.
"Your Highness, Ninth Prince, you did it, didn't you?"