Currently, Zhang Ruochen possesses nineteen meridians in his body, a remarkable achievement for a martial artist. At the mid-level of the Yellow Extreme Realm, he is already capable of contending with martial artists at the peak of the Yellow Extreme Realm. If he can unlock twenty-seven meridians when advancing to the high-level Yellow Extreme Realm, his combat power would reach an astonishing level.
He consumed the first dose of the marrow-cleansing liquid and spent half an hour opening the twentieth meridian. After consuming the second dose, it took him two hours to unlock the twenty-first meridian. With the third dose, he spent four days opening the twenty-second, and the fourth dose took half a day for the twenty-third meridian.
The more meridians in his body, the harder it became to unlock new ones. After consecutively unlocking four meridians, Zhang Ruochen's true Qi was mostly depleted, and his body ached, leaving him feeling completely exhausted. He decided to pause and not immediately attempt to open the twenty-fourth meridian.
Zhang Ruochen took out a Three Purities True Qi Pill, swallowed it, and used its energy to replenish his depleted true Qi. Within fifteen minutes, his Qi reservoir was fully replenished, and his body was filled with strength once again.
Zhang Ruochen placed the meridian map from the Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture in front of him and studied it intently. The paths of the thirty-six meridians depicted in the diagram were etched firmly in his memory; even with his eyes closed, he could clearly visualize them.
In his previous life, Zhang Ruochen had unlocked a total of thirty-three meridians, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open the remaining three. These three meridians were the Meridian of Cycles, the Blood Spirit Meridian, and the Soul Meridian.
These three meridians were incredibly mysterious, beyond the comprehension of ordinary martial artists and even transcended martial arts itself. Otherwise, with Zhang Ruochen's talent in his previous life, he would have surely unlocked them.
The Meridian of Cycles represents the annual cycles within a martial artist's body. While most people know that trees develop rings annually, the Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture reveals that martial artists can also cultivate cycles.
Only those who manage to open this meridian within their skin can form these cycles. Each cycle functions as a layer of skin armor. For each additional year of cultivation, another layer forms, enhancing the skin's defense.
The rings are so thin that they are invisible to the naked eye. Even after a hundred years of cultivation, when one has a hundred layers, the skin remains as thin as an ordinary person's, yet its defense becomes incredibly powerful, rendering it impervious to weapons and fire.
The Blood Spirit Meridian connects with the blood. Cultivating a gaseous meridian within the liquid state of the blood defies common sense, and even Zhang Ruochen questioned its existence.
The Soul Meridian is even more enigmatic. According to the scripture, it resides within the soul and connects the body to the spirit. Once developed, a martial artist can see their own soul and even project it out of their body, traveling miles away in a single thought.
These three meridians—Meridian of Cycles, Blood Spirit Meridian, and Soul Meridian—were beyond ordinary comprehension, so Zhang Ruochen had been unable to unlock them in his previous life. However, in this life, he wasn't willing to miss any opportunity to strengthen himself. If he could unlock these three meridians, his physical strength would surpass that of his previous life.
"The Meridian of Cycles is the most likely to exist among the three; perhaps I can unlock it."
Focusing on the meridian map, Zhang Ruochen concentrated on comprehending the Meridian of Cycles, aiming to develop this meridian within his skin. After nine days of study, he gained some insight. He channeled his true Qi into his skin, but his attempts left him bruised and unsuccessful.
"Could it be that the Meridian of Cycles doesn't exist?" Zhang Ruochen's body was drenched in sweat, soaking through his clothes.
From within the Divine Wood Painting, a voice said, "Young lad, it's not that the meridian doesn't exist; you're just using the wrong method."
"My method is wrong? Then what is the correct approach?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"Let me out, and I'll tell you. Rest assured, I have no ill intentions. Even if I did, isn't the Divine Wood Painting there to suppress me? You could seal me back with just a thought," the voice replied.
Zhang Ruochen's mind moved, and the Divine Wood Painting flew out from his brow. He grasped the painting, infused it with his Qi, and released the black cat.
"Now, you can tell me how to unlock the Meridian of Cycles?" Zhang Ruochen demanded.
The black cat responded, "The answer is already in your hand."
"In my hand?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at the Divine Wood Painting and focused on the Celestial Divine Tree depicted on it. Suddenly, an idea came to him. "The Celestial Divine Tree?"
The black cat nodded. "If you think of yourself as a human, you'll never open the Meridian of Cycles. But if you think of yourself as a tree, it might not be as difficult."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen had a sudden moment of clarity. He sat down cross-legged, gazing at the tree in the painting and imagining himself as the Celestial Divine Tree. For two days, he remained motionless, like an ancient tree, even his breathing seemed to stop.
At this moment, he entered a mystical state. Unconsciously, he drank a bottle of marrow-cleansing liquid and began to open the Meridian of Cycles. An hour later, his skin emitted a faint glow. A white line ran along his skin like a web, enveloping his entire body.
"He actually did it! Damn, the Meridian of Cycles really exists?" The black cat's eyes widened in astonishment.
It hadn't known for sure about the Meridian of Cycles; it had only said those words to get Zhang Ruochen to release it.
"Success!" Zhang Ruochen was ecstatic. He had finally opened the Meridian of Cycles, a filament-like meridian coursing through his skin.
When he circulated his true Qi, a layer of invisible armor formed on his skin. Even if he stood still, an ordinary blade wouldn't pierce it.
This was the twenty-fourth meridian!
With newfound confidence, Zhang Ruochen continued to unlock more meridians, pushing to reach the high-level Yellow Extreme Realm.
After four more days, he opened a total of twenty-seven meridians, finally reaching the high-level Yellow Extreme Realm. With this breakthrough, his Qi reservoir expanded tenfold.
"Twenty-seven meridians, amazing! If I keep working hard, I'll definitely surpass my past life. With my current strength, I could likely send a peak Yellow Extreme Realm warrior flying with just one punch."
A peak Yellow Extreme Realm martial artist could generate a force of twenty-five bulls. Zhang Ruochen, when he first reached the mid-level of this realm, could unleash a force of twenty-five bulls with the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm. As he neared the peak, his strength surged to thirty-six bulls.
Now, after breaking through to the high-level of the Yellow Extreme Realm, even without the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, a casual strike would produce thirty-six bulls of force. With the technique, he could reach forty-nine bulls.
Zhang Ruochen's peak strength now reached forty-nine bulls, almost double the force of a typical peak Yellow Extreme Realm warrior.
Legend has it that the maximum strength a warrior could attain at the Yellow Extreme Realm was one hundred bulls, known as the "Extreme Limit." No one had ever surpassed this threshold, no matter how powerful their martial skills or physical strength were.
In fact, Zhang Ruochen had never encountered anyone who could unleash one hundred bulls of force in this realm. While it might be possible to get close, he believed it was impossible to fully reach it.
In his past life, even at his peak, he had only managed to unleash ninety-four bulls of force.
"Young lad! I must admit, you're nearly catching up to my strength when I was young!" the black cat boasted.
Zhang Ruochen calmed his excitement and glanced at the black cat. "I can now inscribe six of the eight basic spatial inscriptions: point, horizontal, vertical, height, line, and flat. But I can't manage the remaining two no matter what I do. Do you know why?"
"What? You've already mastered six inscriptions? How can that be so fast?" The black cat shook its head in disbelief.
In fact, before reaching the high-level Yellow Extreme Realm, Zhang Ruochen had already managed to inscribe six of the basic spatial inscriptions. Three months of practice had not been without results.
Zhang Ruochen immediately pulled out six pieces of spiritual paper and quickly inscribed the six types of runes, showing them to the black cat.
The black cat crawled closer, examined the runes on the paper, and nodded. "Impressive! You've indeed mastered six of the basic spatial inscriptions! The remaining two—'expansion' and 'contraction'—are inherently more difficult. It's no surprise you've struggled. Young lad, do you have any jade artifacts on you?"
"Jade artifacts?" Zhang Ruochen was puzzled, but he handed over the jade ring on his thumb. "What do you need it for?"
The black cat glanced at the jade ring and nodded. "This jade is of decent quality, suitable for crafting."
"Crafting?" Zhang Ruochen queried.
The black cat explained, "Yes, crafting. With your mastery of six basic spatial inscriptions, you can begin creating the simplest spatial-type True Martial Artifact: a spatial ring. Only you possess the capability to craft it."
"What's a spatial ring?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
The black cat continued, "It's a ring that contains an independent space. If your spiritual power and cultivation are strong enough, you could even store a mountain or a world within it. For now, though, with your current skills, a one-cubic-meter space would be an impressive feat."