Her Majesty the Queen sat in the camp beneath the sacrificial altar, wearing a golden phoenix crown and a colorful phoenix dress. She appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties, graceful and dignified, not as old as Zhang Ruochen had envisioned. Instead, she gave off a noble air.
She said, "His Majesty is in seclusion for cultivation in the Life and Death Hall. This 'Sacrifice Ceremony' is presided over by this queen. National Teacher, have you determined the grade of the Shenwu Mark that Prince Nine has opened?"
The national teacher of Yunwu County Kingdom held a volume of iron-bound books in his hand and shook his head, saying, "The 'Complete Book of Shenwu Marks' records all the patterns of martial arts marks that have ever appeared in the Kunlun Realm since ancient times. From the first-grade martial arts mark to the ninth-grade martial arts mark, they are all documented. However, none of the marks match the Shenwu Mark of Prince Nine."
The Queen cast a glance at Zhang Ruochen and said with a hint of indifference, "Since we can't obtain the result, it's likely that his Shenwu Mark is of no grade. In other county kingdoms, there have also been martial artists who opened unknown Shenwu Marks, but their achievements in the end were quite limited."
Prince Ba also stood in the camp and immediately chimed in, saying, "Your Majesty is right. After all, Prince Nine is already sixteen years old and has missed the prime age for cultivation. For him, even if he opens a fourth-grade or fifth-grade Shenwu Mark, he won't achieve much."
The Queen nodded in agreement with Prince Ba and said, "Since Prince Nine has only opened an ungraded Shenwu Mark and he is already sixteen years old, in order to make the best use of the royal family's cultivation resources, we will only provide Prince Nine with one bottle of xisui liquid."
Lin Fei's face changed, and she said, "Your Majesty, the first year of opening the Shenwu Mark is the most crucial. When Prince Seven opened the Shenwu Mark, he received a total of twelve bottles of xisui liquid, and he could take a xisui bath every month. Why can Chen'er only get one bottle?"
The Queen said coldly, "Prince Seven opened the seventh-grade Shenwu Mark at the age of three. How can Prince Nine compare with him?"
Prince Ba fawned and said, "Prince Seven is Your Majesty's legitimate son and has inherited Your Majesty's powerful bloodline. He has the seventh-grade Shenwu Mark. Who in the entire Yunwu County Kingdom can match him? In the future, whether Yunwu County Kingdom can become more prosperous and stronger depends entirely on Prince Seven."
He added, "To be honest, one of Prince Seven's fingers is worth ten or a hundred times more than Prince Nine's life. There is no comparison at all."
Lin Fei gritted her teeth and continued to argue for Zhang Ruochen, saying, "But Prince Ba received four bottles of xisui liquid when he opened the Shenwu Mark."
The Queen was very displeased and said, "The higher the talent, the more resources one gets. Prince Nine has the lowest talent, so he naturally gets fewer resources."
"But..." Lin Fei said.
The Queen became even more impatient and said in a deep voice, "This queen has made a decision, Lin Fei. If you dare to say another word, do you believe this queen will have you beaten with a cane again?"
"Again..." Zhang Ruochen heard the Queen's words and suddenly raised his head.
Could it be that the Queen has beaten his mother in the past?
Lin Fei trembled slightly after hearing the Queen's words, as if recalling some terrifying memories. She immediately closed her mouth.
At this moment, someone had already brought a bottle of xisui liquid and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen took the xisui liquid and walked to Lin Fei's side. He turned around and stared at the Queen sitting above. Then he said, "Mother, let's go back."
"Okay!" Lin Fei gently pursed her lips and nodded with a bitter expression.
The Queen stared at the backs of Zhang Ruochen and Lin Fei as they left and said, "In three months, it will be the year-end assessment of the royal family. Prince Nine must work hard on his cultivation and strive to complete the 'Xisui and Chongmai' within three months and become a true martial artist. By then, His Majesty will also come out of seclusion. I hope you can bring him a pleasant surprise."
Immediately, Prince Ba's scornful voice rang out, and he said with a smile, "Even if he has three bottles of xisui liquid, it is impossible for him to complete the Xisui and Chongmai within three months. It took me half a year to do it. According to Prince Nine's qualifications, it is estimated that it will take more than a year for him to have a chance."
Zhang Ruochen didn't look back. He tightened his fists and his determination was unwavering. "Just wait and see. I will never let you down!"
After returning to the Ziyi Side Hall, Zhang Ruochen immediately closed the door and began to practice.
Although he didn't know what kind of Shenwu Mark he had opened, since he had the Shenwu Mark, he could definitely cultivate true energy.
The first step was to open the "Qi Pool" under the Shenwu Mark.
The so-called "Qi Pool" was a container for storing true energy.
The larger the pool, the more true energy it could hold. As his cultivation level increased, the "Qi Pool" would gradually expand.
Generally speaking, to open the "Qi Pool", one had to rely on the guidance of elders.
For Zhang Ruochen, who had rich cultivation experience, it was not a difficult task. It only took him half an hour to successfully open the "Qi Pool".
For other cultivators, it would take several days of trial and error to achieve the same result.
But Zhang Ruochen managed it in just half an hour.
"This body is indeed very weak. It has only opened a Qi Pool the size of an egg, and it can hold a very limited amount of true energy!"
Opening the "Qi Pool" was still not sufficient.
The Qi Pool was only a place to store true energy.
True energy had to circulate throughout the body, and one had to open up one's own cultivation meridians.
Only by completing this step could one possess true energy and become a true martial artist.
The next step was to undergo the Xisui and Chongmai process.
Zhang Ruochen took out the small jade bottle containing the xisui liquid. After smelling it with his nose to confirm that it was genuine xisui liquid, he directly poured the entire bottle of liquid into his mouth.
After the xisui liquid entered his throat, it was initially very cold, but in an instant, the coldness disappeared, replaced by a scorching heat.
It was as if a ball of fire was burning in his body!
Threads of fire penetrated every meridian of Zhang Ruochen's body and then merged into the meridians.
It was time!
"The First Layer of the Nine Heavens Mingdi Sutra: Taihuang Huangjing Tian."
The meridians opened up by practicing different skills were naturally different.
The more advanced the skill, the more complex and intricate the meridians were.
The running meridians of the "Nine Heavens Mingdi Sutra" totaled thirty-six.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen didn't need to open up all the meridians at once. He only needed to open up the first meridian to complete the Xisui and Chongmai.
"They said that I wouldn't be able to complete the Xisui and Chongmai in three months, but I will use my actions to prove that I can complete it tonight and become a true martial artist!"
Zhang Ruochen drew on his previous life's cultivation experience and used only a wisp of true energy to rush through the meridians. Soon, he had opened up most of the first meridian.
A sharp pain spread throughout his body, as if the meridians were about to be torn apart. Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but tremble.
If it were someone else, they would have failed in this process.
But Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth and persisted with his strong willpower. Despite the sweat continuously dripping onto the ground, he never gave up.
"Just... the last small section..."
Hope was in sight. He must succeed in rushing through the meridians!
He must succeed!
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and used up all the remaining true energy for a final push.
"Boom!"
A loud noise reverberated inside his body, almost making Zhang Ruochen faint.
After the pain subsided, he only felt a cool current flowing through the meridians, and the pain gradually disappeared. A feeling of unprecedented comfort spread throughout his body.
"Ha! I succeeded! I have successfully completed the Xisui and Chongmai and become a true martial artist!"
Prince Ba spent half a year to complete this step and consumed four bottles of xisui liquid.
Zhang Ruochen only used one night and only drank one bottle of xisui liquid.
Completing the Xisui and Chongmai meant that he had reached the initial stage of the Huangji Realm.
Martial arts cultivation was divided into four major realms: Huang, Xuan, Di, and Tian, namely: Huangji Realm, Xuanji Realm, Diji Realm, and Tianji Realm.
Each major realm was further divided into seven small realms: the initial stage, the middle stage, the later stage, the small extreme position, the middle extreme position, the big extreme position, and the great perfection.
There were four levels in each major realm and seven levels in each small realm.
Zhang Ruochen was now at the initial stage of the Huangji Realm.
In the "initial stage", "middle stage", and "later stage" of the Huangji Realm, one needed to open up meridians and cultivate the true energy tank to enhance one's physical strength. With each small realm advancement, the strength would increase significantly.
Prince Ba was at the later stage of the Huangji Realm. He could lift a three-hundred-jin stone plate with his bare hands and throw it out of ten zhang away. The power of his punch was comparable to that of a wild ox.
Most of the martial artists in the later stage of the Huangji Realm could cultivate the "strength of one ox".
Above the "later stage" was the "small extreme position", "middle extreme position", "big extreme position", and "great perfection" four realms.
Breaking through the later stage of the Huangji Realm could lead to the small extreme position of the Huangji Realm, where one could immediately possess the "strength of four oxen", and the strength would be quadrupled.
Therefore, a martial artist in the small extreme position of the Huangji Realm could easily defeat a martial artist in the later stage of the Huangji Realm.
Going up to the "middle extreme position", "big extreme position", and "great perfection" was even more terrifying, with unimaginable power.
Those realms were still far away from Zhang Ruochen. For the time being, he didn't need to worry too much. Steady cultivation was the key. Only by taking one step at a time could he go further.
Prince Ba had practiced for eight years to reach the later stage of the Huangji Realm, which could only be considered ordinary talent.
"It took Prince Ba half a year to complete the Xisui and Chongmai. I only used one night."
"It took Prince Ba eight years to reach the later stage of the Huangji Realm. I must complete this goal within three months. It is not impossible for me."
In three months, it will be the year-end assessment of the royal family. All the young martial artists of the royal family, including princes, princesses, and royal relatives, will participate in the assessment to evaluate their cultivation achievements over the year.
In the royal family, if you want to obtain status, respect, and more cultivation resources, you must prove your strength.
Three months!
Within three months, I must reach the later stage of the Huangji Realm. Not only for myself, but also for my mother, who loves and cares about me, I must strive to win back her dignity.