Zhang Ruochen carried the Chenyuan Ancient Sword and the Flash Soul Sword back to the front yard of Qingxuan Pavilion, paid 31,000 silver coins, and returned to the palace with the two battle swords.
In the snowy courtyard of Ziyi Palace Hall, Zhang Ruochen held the four-foot-long broken sword, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.
Eight hundred years had passed. The world had changed; mountains and rivers had shifted, and people had come and gone. Who would have thought that even the once invincible Chenyuan Ancient Sword had broken?
Even as a broken sword, the Chenyuan Ancient Sword was incredibly heavy. If Zhang Ruochen hadn't reached the later stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, he might not have been able to lift it.
"The inscriptions on the Chenyuan Ancient Sword have completely shattered. Now, it's only sharper than other swords. To reconnect the inscriptions and restore the sword's power, at least a fifth-grade artifact refiner is required. Does Yunwu Commandery even have a fifth-grade refiner?"
Zhang Ruochen carefully put the Chenyuan Ancient Sword away.
Even if it was nothing more than a piece of scrap metal, he would carry it with him, for it served as a constant reminder to push himself in his cultivation. Only by becoming strong enough could he exact revenge on Empress Chi Yao.
Next, he unsheathed the Flash Soul Sword, a fourth-tier True Martial Treasure Weapon, and grasped its hilt, revealing the translucent, sapphire-colored blade.
Zhang Ruochen channeled his inner true energy into his palm, infusing it into the Flash Soul Sword.
The first inscription on the Flash Soul Sword—a power inscription—was activated by the infusion of true energy, causing the sword's weight to increase by 100 pounds.
The sword, originally 53 pounds, now weighed 153 pounds with the activation of the first inscription.
The sudden increase in weight made Zhang Ruochen's arm tremble slightly, and he had to adjust his stance to steady the sword.
Zing!
He thrust the sword forward, but the strike lacked precision; the weight of the sword made it hard to control.
With his current cultivation, Zhang Ruochen could unleash the power of a wild ox when performing the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm. He could even lift a 300-pound stone disk and throw it ten meters away.
But that was explosive power in a single burst.
Wielding a 300-pound sword would be a different story. Lifting the sword alone would be difficult, let alone executing precise sword techniques.
For now, a 153-pound sword was the heaviest weapon he could manage.
"Stab!"
"Slash!"
...
After an entire afternoon of training, Zhang Ruochen had finally begun to adapt to the weight of the Flash Soul Sword.
But only just begun!
Sword masters could easily kill a mosquito within ten feet, controlling the blade with such precision that it followed their will—reaching the realm of Sword Following the Heart.
Zhang Ruochen was far from achieving such mastery. Compared to those sword experts, he was still clumsy—the sword was simply too heavy!
"The Flash Soul Sword contains four power inscriptions. With only the first one activated, the sword already weighs 153 pounds. If I activate the second, how much heavier will it become?"
Zhang Ruochen attempted to channel more true energy to awaken the second power inscription.
However, his internal true energy was nearly depleted, and the second inscription remained dormant.
He had no choice but to give up.
"My true energy isn't enough to activate the second inscription. I'm still not strong enough!"
He withdrew his true energy, and the sword returned to its original weight of 53 pounds. After getting used to the 153-pound version, the 53-pound sword felt light as a feather.
Zhang Ruochen infused true energy again, this time activating an ice inscription.
The sword instantly radiated an icy chill, numbing Zhang Ruochen's fingers.
Whoosh!
As he swung the sword, tiny snowflakes appeared along the blade's edge—moisture in the air frozen into frost particles by the sword's aura.
"Electric inscription!"
"Light inscription!"
Zhang Ruochen tried activating an electric inscription and a light inscription next.
When the electric inscription awakened, the sword's surface crackled with small arcs of lightning. Thrusting the sword felt like hurling a bolt of lightning, emitting a crackling sound.
When the light inscription was activated, the sword was enveloped in a layer of white light, becoming incredibly sharp. The mere flash of the sword caused stones to split.
At his current level, Zhang Ruochen could only support one inscription at a time. If he used the power inscription, he couldn't tap into the ice, electric, or light inscriptions.
To activate multiple inscriptions simultaneously, he needed to improve his cultivation.
"That was 30,000 silver coins well spent!"
Zhang Ruochen sheathed the Flash Soul Sword.
"There are fourteen inscriptions on the Flash Soul Sword. Only when all fourteen are activated will the sword's full power as a fourth-tier True Martial Treasure Weapon be revealed. I must train harder!"
He entered the Time and Space Crystal to continue his cultivation, swallowing a Qi Gathering Pill to begin his practice.
Boom!
The pill exploded within his body, releasing a massive surge of energy.
His six meridians immediately began circulating the energy, converting it into true energy to be stored in his Qi Pool.
It took him most of the day to fully absorb and refine the energy from the pill.
However, he only managed to absorb 50% of the pill's energy; the other half was wasted, escaping through his pores.
Most martial artists would have been heartbroken at such a loss. After all, wasting half of the pill's energy was like throwing away 500 silver coins.
But Zhang Ruochen wasn't bothered. His true energy had increased significantly in half a day, a result that would have taken over ten days of regular training.
What were a thousand silver coins compared to that?
Silver could always be earned again.
But wasted time could never be reclaimed.
For the next few days, Zhang Ruochen spent most of his time cultivating within the Time and Space Crystal.
He used Qi Gathering Pills to increase his true energy and Body Refining Powder to temper his body.
He also spent a great deal of time practicing the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm and the Heavenly Heart Sword Technique.
By the end of the first month, Zhang Ruochen's Qi Pool contained five times more true energy than before.
By the end of the second month, he could unleash the strength of two bulls.
By the end of the third month, his true energy had increased tenfold, filling his Qi Pool to the brim and reaching the limit of the later stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm.
At this point, Zhang Ruochen could have begun opening new meridians to break through to the Small Extreme Rank of the Yellow Extreme Realm.
However, he decided not to rush and continued tempering his body with Body Refining Powder.
"With my current physique, I'll need to open four more meridians to reach the Small Extreme Rank, giving me ten meridians in total."
For a martial artist practicing a low-grade human-level technique, seven meridians were the maximum. Even if they reached the Great Perfection of the Yellow Extreme Realm, they would only have seven meridians.
To open ten meridians at the Small Extreme Rank was a feat that would place him among the top talents.
But Zhang Ruochen didn't feel it was enough.
In his previous life, he had opened thirteen meridians at the Small Extreme Rank.
"My body may not be as strong as it was in my past life, but I believe that with enough tempering, I can open eleven meridians at the Small Extreme Rank."
Zhang Ruochen's greatest advantage in this life was the Time and Space Crystal, giving him three times the training time of others. With this extra time, he was determined to surpass his previous self.
By the fourth month, his body had undergone an incredible transformation, allowing him to unleash the strength of three bulls using the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm.
By the sixth month, his strength had increased again, reaching the power of four bulls.
At this point, Zhang Ruochen felt his body had reached its limit. It had become exceedingly difficult to gain even a fraction more strength.
Even if he trained for another year, he might never reach the strength of five bulls.
In half a year inside the Time and Space Crystal, only two months had passed in the outside world.
"Reaching the strength of one bull at the later stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm places me among the top martial artists. Only those at the Small Extreme Rank can typically reach the strength of four bulls."
"Even though I'm still at the later stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, I can already unleash the power of four bulls, enough to rival those at the Small Extreme Rank. Once I break through, what kind of power will I be able to unleash?"
"Now that my body has reached its limit, I can finally begin breaking through to the Small Extreme Rank. I wonder how many meridians I can open?"
To be cautious, Zhang Ruochen took out six small jade bottles filled with Marrow Cleansing Liquid and placed them neatly before him.
"Let's do this! The more meridians I open, the stronger I'll become. It's time to give it my all!"
He grabbed the first bottle and drank the Marrow Cleansing Liquid, beginning the process of opening his seventh meridian.