The queen sat beneath the ceremonial altar in her tent, wearing a golden phoenix crown and a colorful phoenix robe. She appeared to be about 28 or 29, graceful and dignified, not as old as Zhang Ruocheng had imagined. Instead, she exuded an air of nobility.
She spoke, "The king is in seclusion in the Hall of Life and Death. This 'Sacrifice Ceremony' will be presided over by me. National Master, have you detected the rank of the Divine Martial Seal that Prince Nine has activated?"
The national master of Yunwu County, holding a scroll of iron, shook his head and said, "The 'Complete Record of Divine Martial Seals' contains depictions of all martial seals throughout the history of the Kunlun Realm, from the first-grade martial seal to the ninth-grade. However, none of the seals match the one activated by Prince Nine."
The queen glanced at Zhang Ruocheng with a hint of indifference and said, "Since no result can be detected, it is likely that Prince Nine's seal has no rank. In other states and counties, there have been martial artists who activated unknown Divine Martial Seals, but their achievements were ultimately quite limited."
Prince Eight, also standing in the tent, immediately chimed in, saying, "The queen is right. Prince Nine is already sixteen, which means he has missed the best period for cultivation. Even if he activated a fourth or fifth-grade Divine Martial Seal, his achievements would still be limited."
The queen nodded, agreeing with Prince Eight's statement. "Since Prince Nine has only activated a seal with no rank, and he is already sixteen, to save the royal family's cultivation resources, we will only give him one dose of marrow-cleansing liquid."
Concubine Lin's expression changed, and she said, "Your Majesty, the first year after activating the Divine Martial Seal is the most important. After Prince Seven activated his Divine Martial Seal, he received twelve doses of marrow-cleansing liquid and was able to cleanse his marrow once a month. Why should Ruocheng only receive one dose?"
The queen coldly replied, "Prince Seven activated a seventh-grade Divine Martial Seal at the age of three. How can Prince Nine be compared to him?"
Prince Eight, eager to please, said, "Prince Seven is the queen's legitimate son and inherited her powerful bloodline. He possesses a seventh-grade Divine Martial Seal, unmatched by anyone in Yunwu County. The future prosperity and strength of Yunwu County rely on him alone."
He continued, "I must speak bluntly. Even one of Prince Seven's fingers is worth more than ten times or even a hundred times Prince Nine's life. There is simply no comparison."
Concubine Lin bit her lip and continued to argue for Zhang Ruocheng. "But when Prince Eight activated his Divine Martial Seal, he also received four doses of marrow-cleansing liquid."
The queen, now very displeased, said, "The higher the talent, the more resources are given. Prince Nine's talent is the lowest, so he naturally gets fewer resources."
"But…" Concubine Lin began.
The queen, growing even more impatient, said, "I have made my decision. Concubine Lin, if you say one more word, I will have you dragged out and whipped again."
"Again..." Zhang Ruocheng suddenly raised his head upon hearing the queen's words.
Had the queen once whipped his mother?
Concubine Lin trembled slightly, as if recalling some terrifying memory, and immediately fell silent.
At this moment, someone brought over a dose of marrow-cleansing liquid and handed it to Zhang Ruocheng.
Zhang Ruocheng took the liquid and walked over to Concubine Lin's side. He turned and gave the queen a deep look before saying, "Mother, let's go home."
"Mm," Concubine Lin gently pressed her lips together and nodded with a bitter expression.
The queen stared at the retreating figures of Zhang Ruocheng and Concubine Lin and said, "Three months from now is the royal family's year-end assessment. Prince Nine must work hard to cultivate and try to complete the 'marrow-cleansing and meridian-opening' within three months, to become a true martial artist. By then, the king will also emerge from seclusion. I hope you can bring him a pleasant surprise."
Immediately, Prince Eight's dismissive voice echoed, laughing, "Even with three doses of marrow-cleansing liquid, it's impossible to complete marrow-cleansing and meridian-opening in three months. It took me half a year to achieve it. With Prince Nine's qualifications, he will probably need over a year to have any chance. Haha!"
Zhang Ruocheng did not look back, his fists clenched tightly, his resolve firm, "Just wait and see. I will not disappoint you!"
Upon returning to the Ziyi Side Palace, Zhang Ruocheng immediately closed the door and began cultivating without delay.
Although he didn't know what kind of Divine Martial Seal he had activated, since he had one, he was sure he could cultivate true Qi.
First, the first step was to open up the "Qi Pool" beneath the Divine Martial Seal.
The "Qi Pool" is the space where true Qi is stored.
The larger the pool, the more true Qi it can contain. As one's cultivation improves, the "Qi Pool" will gradually expand.
Normally, opening the "Qi Pool" requires guidance from an elder.
For Zhang Ruocheng, who had extensive cultivation experience from his past life, opening the "Qi Pool" was not difficult. It only took half an hour for him to successfully open it.
For other cultivators, it would at least take several days of attempts before they could open the "Qi Pool."
However, Zhang Ruocheng only took half an hour.
"This body is really weak. The Qi Pool I opened is only the size of an egg, and it can hold very little true Qi!"
Opening the "Qi Pool" was only the first step.
The Qi Pool is just a storage place for true Qi.
To circulate true Qi throughout the body, one must open up their cultivation meridians.
Only after completing this step can one truly possess true Qi and become a martial artist.
Next came the second step, marrow-cleansing and meridian-opening.
Zhang Ruocheng took the small jade bottle containing the marrow-cleansing liquid, sniffed it to ensure it was real, and then poured the entire bottle into his mouth.
The marrow-cleansing liquid was cold at first, but after an instant, the chill disappeared and was replaced by an intense burning sensation.
It felt like a fire was burning inside his body.
Flames slowly traveled through every meridian, integrating into the meridians.
At this moment!
"Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture, First Layer, Taihuang Yellow Realm Heaven."
When cultivating different techniques, the meridian routes vary.
The more profound the technique, the more meridians it has, and the more complicated and extraordinary the meridian routes are.
The "Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture" has a total of thirty-six meridians.
Of course, Zhang Ruocheng didn't need to open all of them. He only needed to open the first meridian to complete marrow-cleansing and meridian-opening.
"They said it would take me three months to complete marrow-cleansing and meridian-opening, but I will prove with my actions that I can finish it tonight and become a true martial artist!"
With the help of his past life's cultivation experience and using the little true Qi he had, Zhang Ruocheng pushed forward with all his might and quickly opened most of the first meridian.
A sharp pain coursed through his body, as if his meridians were about to tear apart, causing Zhang Ruocheng to shudder.
If it were anyone else, they would have failed by now.
But Zhang Ruocheng gritted his teeth and, with a strong will, persevered, sweat dripping continuously onto the floor without giving up.
"Just a little… more…"
Hope was right in front of him, he had to succeed!
He pushed with all his remaining true Qi.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion rang out from within his body, deafening, almost knocking Zhang Ruocheng unconscious.
Once the pain subsided, he felt a cool stream of energy moving through his meridians, the pain gradually fading away, and an unprecedented sense of comfort spread throughout his body.
"Haha! Success! I've successfully completed marrow-cleansing and meridian-opening and become a true martial artist!"
Prince Eight took half a year to complete this step, consuming four doses of marrow-cleansing liquid.
Zhang Ruocheng only took one night and consumed only one dose.
He had successfully reached the "Yellow Extreme Realm, Early Stage."
Martial arts cultivation is divided into four major realms: Yellow Extreme, Profound Extreme, Earth Extreme, and Heaven Extreme.
Each major realm is subdivided into seven smaller realms: Early Stage, Middle Stage, Late Stage, Small Extreme Position, Middle Extreme Position, Great Extreme Position, and Great Perfection.
The four major realms and seven small realms.
Zhang Ruocheng was now at the Early Stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm.
In the Yellow Extreme Realm, the "Early Stage," "Middle Stage," and "Late Stage" focus on opening meridians, accumulating true Qi, and strengthening the body. Each time one advances a smaller realm, their strength increases significantly.
Prince Eight was at the Late Stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, capable of lifting a three-hundred-pound stone plate with his bare hands and throwing it ten feet away. His punch was as powerful as that of a wild ox.
Martial artists at the Late Stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm generally possess the strength of "One Ox."
After the Late Stage comes the Small Extreme Position, Middle Extreme Position, Great Extreme Position, and Great Perfection.
Those at the Small Extreme Position can possess "Four Ox Strength," multiplying their power by four.
So, a martial artist at the Small Extreme Position is far stronger than one at the Late Stage. It's like an adult fighting a child—one could easily defeat ten opponents.
The other stages—Middle Extreme, Great Extreme, and Great Perfection—are even more terrifying, with power beyond imagination.
Zhang Ruocheng was still far from those realms, and for now, there was no need to think about them. Steady and steady cultivation was the key. One step at a time would lead him further.
Prince Eight took eight years to reach the Late Stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, which meant he had only ordinary talent.
"Prince Eight took half a year to complete marrow-cleansing and meridian-opening. I only took one night."
"Prince Eight took eight years to reach the Late Stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm. I must achieve this in three months. It is not impossible."
Three months from now is the royal family's year-end assessment, where all young martial artists in the royal family, including princes, princesses, and royal relatives, will participate to test their cultivation progress over the year.
In the royal family, if one wants to gain status, be respected, and receive more cultivation resources, they must prove their strength.
Three months!
Within three months, I must reach the Late Stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm. Even if not for myself, I must do it for my dear mother, to fight for her dignity.