Zhang Ruochen, dressed in white, stood tall and straight. He glanced at Yun'er in mild surprise, then nodded slightly, saying, "I succeeded! I've broken through to the late Huangji Realm! Yun'er, why haven't you gone to rest yet?"
Upon hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, Yun'er was utterly stunned. Her heart raced uncontrollably, overwhelmed with excitement, and she even felt like crying.
"That's wonderful! Truly wonderful!" Yun'er wiped her eyes as she spoke, "I said I would guard the door for Your Highness, and I wouldn't leave until I did."
Zhang Ruochen felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He took out a blood pill and handed it to Yun'er.
"It's snowing now. Don't catch a cold. Go rest early and take this blood pill—it should help warm you up!" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yun'er accepted the blood pill, holding it tightly in her hands. She nodded deeply and, as she walked back to her quarters, she thought to herself that tonight would probably be a sleepless night.
After sending Yun'er back, Zhang Ruochen returned to the snow-covered courtyard.
He stood motionless in the snow, allowing the snowflakes to fall on his head and shoulders.
"Still as a resting elephant, moving like a raging dragon. Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, second palm, Flying Dragon in the Sky!"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen stamped his foot on the ground, sending countless snowflakes swirling into the air. His arms and legs moved like a rapidly spinning turbine, whipping up the snow.
Using the force from his legs, he soared over seven meters into the air, letting out a deep dragon's roar as he struck a massive boulder, ten feet away, with a palm strike.
Boom!
The massive boulder shattered instantly, fragments flying in all directions, landing in the thick snow.
Standing amidst the snowy field, Zhang Ruochen gazed at the broken boulder with satisfaction. "I've finally mastered the second palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm. Now, its power rivals that of a mid-tier human-level martial technique."
Not only had the second palm, "Flying Dragon in the Sky," reached mid-tier human-level power, but the first palm, "Barbarian Elephant Charging the Ground," had also reached that level.
If Zhang Ruochen could master the third palm, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm would rival a high-tier human-level martial technique.
With each additional palm mastered, the technique's grade would increase, becoming even more refined and profound.
"Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, first palm, Barbarian Elephant Charging the Ground!"
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward rapidly, charging like a rampaging elephant. His palm struck through the air, producing a series of explosive sounds.
The snowflakes around him were sent flying by the force of his palm strike, melting into droplets of water in the air.
"The first palm, 'Barbarian Elephant Charging the Ground,' though slightly weaker than the second palm, has definitely reached mid-tier human-level power. The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm is truly profound."
At this point, Zhang Ruochen's strength hadn't reached that of a full-grown elephant, but it was comparable to that of a wild ox!
Among martial artists, this was known as "one ox's strength."
It's worth noting that not every martial artist at the late Huangji Realm could unleash "one ox's strength." Those who could were already considered above average at that level.
Zhang Ruochen had only just reached the late Huangji Realm, but with the advantage of six meridians and the power of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, he could already unleash "one ox's strength," showing his immense potential.
As his cultivation deepened and his body grew stronger, Zhang Ruochen would undoubtedly be able to unleash even greater power.
After clearing away the broken stones in the courtyard, Zhang Ruochen returned to his room. Instead of continuing his cultivation, he lay down on his bed, allowing himself to relax completely and drift into sleep.
Having reached the late Huangji Realm, he could finally enjoy a peaceful night's rest.
He had originally thought it would take him three months to reach this stage. However, with the help of the Temporal Spirit Stone's time-distorting powers and a wealth of cultivation resources, he had achieved this in just half a month.
Before the year-end examination, he was confident that he could break through to an even higher realm.
After a night's rest, Zhang Ruochen woke up feeling revitalized, his energy and spirit fully restored, his body brimming with strength.
"The Qi Gathering Pills and Body Tempering Powder have almost run out. I'll need to go back to the market to buy more."
After having breakfast with Consort Lin and Yun'er, Zhang Ruochen left the palace alone, heading toward the Martial Market.
He entered the Pill Market and walked into a shop called "Qingxuan Pavilion."
This shop, located at a crossroads, was one of the top three stores in the Pill Market. Most martial artists passing by would stop in, some to buy suitable pills and others to sell newly harvested rare herbs.
An old man with a black mole on the corner of his mouth suddenly appeared behind Zhang Ruochen, smiling as he asked, "Young master, are you here to buy Qi Gathering Pills?"
Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled and turned to give the old man a deep look.
This old man was no ordinary person—he had approached Zhang Ruochen without making a sound. If he hadn't spoken, Zhang Ruochen might not have noticed him.
Clearly, he was a martial arts expert!
The old man smiled and introduced himself, "I am Mo Hanlin, the shopkeeper of this pill store."
"So, you're the shopkeeper. My name is Zhang," Zhang Ruochen nodded and continued, "I'd like to buy fifty Qi Gathering Pills and thirty portions of Body Tempering Powder. Does Qingxuan Pavilion have enough in stock?"
Mo Hanlin was slightly shocked. That was a large order. Only great families typically purchased such a vast amount of cultivation resources at once. It was rare to see an individual martial artist buying so many pills.
Qi Gathering Pills and Body Tempering Powder weren't cheap, and most ordinary martial artists couldn't afford them.
"If you were to go to other stores, they might not have enough in stock. But as it happens, Qingxuan Pavilion just received a batch of Qi Gathering Pills and Body Tempering Powder, more than enough to meet your needs," Mo Hanlin said, pulling out an abacus and calculating the total. With a smile, he added, "Fifty Qi Gathering Pills and thirty portions of Body Tempering Powder normally cost eighty thousand silver coins. However, since you're buying such a large quantity, I'll give you a discount. You only need to pay seventy-two thousand silver coins."
Zhang Ruochen chuckled, "You're a straightforward shopkeeper. From now on, I'll buy all my pills from you."
Since Zhang Ruochen didn't have enough silver coins on him to cover such a large expense, he went to the Martial Market Bank to withdraw 200,000 silver coins.
After spending 72,000 silver coins, he still had 135,000 silver coins remaining.
After completing the transaction, Mo Hanlin's face beamed with joy. "Young master Zhang, is there anything else you wish to purchase?"
Zhang Ruochen replied, "What I'm looking for, I doubt you have."
Mo Hanlin guessed, "Are you in need of a suitable weapon?"
Zhang Ruochen was impressed by the shopkeeper's sharp insight. "You're quite perceptive, shopkeeper."
Mo Hanlin laughed, "After decades in this business, I've seen tens of thousands of martial artists, and very few walk around without a weapon. We happen to have a branch in the Weapon Market. I'll have one of my assistants take you there."
Moments later, Mo Hanlin called over a chubby teenager, about fifteen or sixteen years old, and instructed him, "Hanzi, take this esteemed young master to the Weapon Market and inform the proprietress that he is a distinguished guest of Qingxuan Pavilion. Be sure to offer him a good price."
The boy named Hanzi widened his eyes and shook his head vigorously. "I'm not going! I'm not going! I don't want to see the proprietress—she can steal men's souls! If I see her, I'm done for!"
Mo Hanlin, exasperated, scolded, "You're not even a man yet! You're barely a half-grown boy! What are you afraid of? Fine, if you don't go, I'll withhold your Qi Gathering Pills for this month."
Hanzi panicked and quickly replied, "No, no, I'll go! I'll go! Is that good enough?"
He then turned to Zhang Ruochen, bowing respectfully, "Young master Zhang, please follow me."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and followed Hanzi toward the Weapon Market.
Zhang Ruochen couldn't shake the feeling that Mo Hanlin, the shopkeeper of Qingxuan Pavilion, was somewhat unusual, as though he wasn't just an ordinary person. However, Zhang Ruochen wasn't concerned that the shopkeeper harbored ill intentions. After all, the Martial Market was heavily guarded by soldiers, with strict management. No one would dare cause trouble within its bounds.
Hanzi whispered, "Young master Zhang, are you really going to buy a weapon from the proprietress? She can steal men's souls! Young master, are you a man?"
"Uh... I'm just a boy," Zhang Ruochen replied.
Hanzi let out a long sigh of relief, "That's great then!"
Hanzi was a chubby boy, his hair tied in a small ponytail on top of his head, with two protruding ears and tiny eyes that resembled soybeans.
Zhang Ruochen, curious, asked, "You say the proprietress can steal men's souls. Does that mean she's very beautiful?"
Hanzi nodded, "Of course, the proprietress is incredibly beautiful—she's practically a goddess. She's sexy, enchanting, and just one look from her will make a man's heart race. But what you don't know is that she's already been married to seven different husbands."
"Seven husbands?" Zhang Ruochen was surprised.
Hanzi continued, "Yes! All seven husbands died—every single one on their wedding night."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "And what happened to their businesses?"
"Naturally, all their businesses became hers! Even our shopkeeper works for her," Hanzi whispered.
"The proprietress is practically a harbinger of doom, a soul-reaper in human form, a fox spirit. Any man who meets her won't live longer than three days. Luckily for us, we're just boys, so we should be safe from her charms."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, "Let's hope so!"