"I've finally broken through to the mid-extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, and as expected, I've opened nineteen meridians!"
After three days of cultivation, Zhang Ruochen successfully opened eight meridians, pushing himself to the mid-extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm.
A surge of powerful True Qi coursed through his nineteen meridians, filling his entire body with an unprecedented sense of strength.
Even the Fifth Prince, who had advanced to the grand extreme stage, had only opened twelve meridians. For Zhang Ruochen to have opened nineteen meridians at the mid-extreme stage meant that his physique was already exceptionally strong.
However, in his past life, when he was at the mid-extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, he had opened twenty meridians, one more than he had now.
"Despite cultivating once in the Savage God Pool and absorbing a large amount of blood essence, my physical strength still doesn't match that of my past life. However, I now possess an advantage I didn't have before—a strong spiritual power and extensive cultivation experience."
"If I want to catch up to Chi Yao in martial prowess, or even surpass her, I must perform better than in my previous life by opening more meridians. To do so, I need a stronger body, even tougher than before. I need to fully open all thirty-six meridians described in the 'Meridian Diagram' of the Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Technique."
Zhang Ruochen emerged from the inner space of the Time and Space Crystal and washed away the impurities expelled from his body during the opening of his meridians. He then started practicing palm techniques in the courtyard.
"Boom! Boom!"
Each palm strike caused the air to crackle with explosive force.
Even without using the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm, he could unleash the power of sixteen oxen with a single strike. When using the technique, his strength could even reach the terrifying power of twenty-five oxen.
With his current strength, he could defeat Situ Linjiang in just three strikes. Even against a practitioner at the peak of the Yellow Extreme Realm, he could put up a fight.
In just a few days, Zhang Ruochen's combat power had reached a new level.
After moving back to Yushu Palace, Consort Lin and Zhang Ruochen were once again surrounded by a number of palace maids and eunuchs. Having already displayed his martial talent during the year-end assessment, Zhang Ruochen no longer felt the need to hide it. He practiced his palm techniques openly in the courtyard of Yushu Palace.
"Ninth Prince is amazing! I heard that even the Fifth and Sixth Princes are no match for him. Everyone in the palace is saying that he's a martial prodigy, on par with the Seventh Prince." A young maid, around fifteen or sixteen years old, gazed adoringly at Zhang Ruochen as he practiced, a shy blush appearing on her cheeks.
Power naturally earns respect, and genius inevitably becomes the object of admiration for many young girls.
One of the older maids, with a glint in her eye, discreetly left Yushu Palace, heading behind a rock garden within the royal palace.
"Miss Han, the Ninth Prince has exited seclusion! It seems he has broken through to the mid-extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm!" The maid knelt on one knee, speaking respectfully.
The young woman standing before her was also dressed in a palace maid's uniform, a light blue outfit. She appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old, with a tall, slender figure.
Her name was Han Qingluo, one of the four personal female guards serving the queen.
The four guards were trained assassins, raised and trained personally by the queen. They specialized in killing techniques and were strong and ruthless, tasked with eliminating the queen's enemies.
The mission to assassinate the Ninth Prince had been assigned to Han Qingluo.
With her hands clasped behind her back, Han Qingluo smirked slightly and said, "During the martial trials in the training ground, he was already at the peak of the small extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm. Given that he absorbed the blood essence from the Savage God Pool, with his talent, it would be surprising if he didn't advance to the mid-extreme stage."
A hint of killing intent flickered in Han Qingluo's eyes. She continued, "Keep an eye on him. Report to me immediately if he leaves the palace."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The maid retreated and returned to Yushu Palace.
After finishing his practice, Zhang Ruochen returned to his room and entered the inner space of the Time and Space Crystal.
Sitting cross-legged at the center of the inner space, he took out a Qi Gathering Pill and swallowed it, beginning the refining process.
With his current cultivation level, he could absorb the full medicinal effect of the Qi Gathering Pill without wasting any.
In just one hour, he had completely absorbed the pill's energy and converted it into True Qi.
However, after advancing to the mid-extreme stage, his qi pool's capacity had expanded tenfold. The energy from one pill barely made a dent in the amount of True Qi required.
With only two pills left, Zhang Ruochen spent two more hours refining them. Despite refining a total of three Qi Gathering Pills, his True Qi only increased by a fifth. To fill his qi pool completely, he estimated he would need to consume over a hundred pills.
"The Qi Gathering Pill is becoming less effective. When I reach the grand extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, it will likely become useless. I'll need to purchase higher-grade pills to maintain my cultivation speed."
Both the Qi Gathering Pill and Body Refining Powder were first-grade elixirs, highly effective for lower-level warriors. However, as a warrior's cultivation advanced, the effects of first-grade elixirs diminished, requiring second-grade elixirs to sustain rapid progress.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was preparing to leave the inner space of the Time and Space Crystal to purchase higher-grade pills, his gaze fell upon a stone platform within the space.
On the platform lay a painting and a silver book titled The Secrets of Time and Space.
"With my current cultivation at the mid-extreme stage, I should be able to open the painting now!"
The scroll was incredibly heavy; at the initial stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, Zhang Ruochen couldn't even lift it.
According to the first page of The Secrets of Time and Space, once Zhang Ruochen reached the small extreme stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, he would be able to open the painting.
Zhang Ruochen channeled his True Qi into his right arm, grasping the scroll and slowly lifting it.
"What a heavy scroll—it must weigh at least eight hundred pounds!"
Controlling his strength, Zhang Ruochen laid the scroll flat on the ground and slowly unfurled it.
On the scroll was a grand depiction of a primeval landscape, with towering mountains, a vast ancient river, and steep cliffs. At the center stood an enormous tree.
The ancient tree rose above the clouds, its roots as thick as dragons, as massive as mountains. Each leaf was large enough to cover a lake.
"How could such a gigantic tree exist?" Zhang Ruochen chuckled and shook his head lightly.
Suddenly, a voice echoed, "Who says it doesn't exist? Such ignorance. You can't even recognize the Connecting Heaven Divine Tree, the sacred tree holding up Kunlun Realm. I'm quite disappointed."
Zhang Ruochen was startled. He looked around the inner space but saw no one.
"Where did that voice come from?"
"Who's speaking?" Zhang Ruochen asked cautiously.
The voice spoke again, "Didn't you see? I'm in the painting."
"In the painting?"
Zhang Ruochen was even more surprised. "Are you the Connecting Heaven Divine Tree? But according to historical records, the tree was cut down in the middle ages."
"The middle ages?" the voice echoed.
Zhang Ruochen nodded, "The middle ages were over a hundred thousand years ago. So, are you really the Connecting Heaven Divine Tree? Does it truly exist?"
The voice sighed, "Of course not! You said it yourself—the tree was cut down. How could I be a tree?"
"Then, who are you?" Zhang Ruochen asked, staring at the painting.
"I am not a person," the voice replied.
Zhang Ruochen remained silent.
The voice continued, "I am a cat!"
The voice then added, "But don't underestimate me. I have a grand title—The Emperor Who Slays Heaven and Earth. A mighty being like me isn't easily erased by time. Even after a hundred thousand years, my legacy should be well-known. Young man, you must have heard of me, right?"
"No," Zhang Ruochen replied after a moment's thought, shaking his head.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen noticed something on the painting—a tiny black cat the size of a grain of rice beneath the tree. It was barely visible without careful observation.
"Are you really a cat, or are you just part of the painting?" Zhang Ruochen found the situation increasingly bizarre.
The voice responded, "I already told you—I am the Emperor Who Slays Heaven and Earth. I made some mistakes in the past, and that's why I was sealed in the painting world. Only you can release me."
"Why only me?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Because you bear the Time and Space Sacred Mark, and you can harness the power of space. You have the ability to break the seal of the painting world. You must know that from ancient times, only three or five people have ever activated the Time and Space Sacred Mark. Young man, you are very fortunate!"
Zhang Ruochen began to understand the situation and smiled. "But why should I release you?"