Chapter 12: Qingxuan Pavilion
Zhang Ruochen stood straight in a white robe, slightly surprised as he glanced at Yun'er. He nodded gently and said, "Success! I've broken through to the late stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm! Sister Yun'er, why haven't you gone to rest yet?"
Upon hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, Yun'er was completely stunned. Her heart pounded wildly, and an indescribable excitement surged within her, making her feel like she might cry.
"This is wonderful! This is truly wonderful!" Yun'er said, wiping her eyes as she spoke. "Yun'er said she would guard the Ninth Prince's gate, and she definitely won't leave."
Zhang Ruochen felt a touch of gratitude. He took out a Blood Pill and handed it to Yun'er.
"It's snowing. Don't catch a cold. Go rest early! Take this Blood Pill—it should warm you up quite a bit," Zhang Ruochen said.
Yun'er took the Blood Pill, holding it tightly in her hands, and nodded deeply. As she walked toward her own quarters, she thought to herself that tonight would probably be a sleepless night.
After seeing Yun'er off, Zhang Ruochen returned to the center of the snow-covered courtyard.
Standing in the snow, he remained motionless, letting the snowflakes fall one by one onto his head and shoulders.
"Still as a resting elephant, moving like a raging dragon. Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, second palm: Flying Dragon in the Sky!"
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen stomped hard on the ground, sending countless snowflakes flying into the air. His arms and legs seemed to transform into a rapidly spinning turbine, whipping up a mass of white snow.
Using the force from his legs, his body soared more than seven meters into the air. A low, resonant dragon roar escaped his throat as he struck a palm toward a thousand-pound boulder ten zhang away.
"Boom!"
The thousand-pound boulder instantly shattered into pieces, with fragments flying in all directions and landing in the thick snow.
Standing in the snow, Zhang Ruochen stared at the broken boulder, a hint of joy in his eyes. "I've finally mastered the second palm of Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm. Now, its power is comparable to a mid-grade Human-level martial technique."
Not only the second palm, "Flying Dragon in the Sky," but also the first palm, "Wild Elephant Charging the Earth," had reached the power of a mid-grade Human-level martial technique.
If Zhang Ruochen were to master the third palm, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm's power would rival a high-grade Human-level martial technique. Each additional palm mastered would raise its grade, making it more profound and mysterious.
"Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, first palm: Wild Elephant Charging the Earth!"
Zhang Ruochen stepped forward and charged out, his body like a wild elephant sprinting at full speed. He struck a palm into the air, producing a series of explosive sounds.
Countless snowflakes were blasted away by the palm force, melting into droplets of icy water in the air.
"Although the first palm, 'Wild Elephant Charging the Earth,' is slightly weaker than the second, it has indeed reached the power of a mid-grade Human-level martial technique. The Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm is truly profound."
With his current strength, while he might not have reached the power of a wild elephant, he had at least achieved the strength of a wild bull.
In martial cultivation, this is called "one-bull power."
It's worth noting that not every martial artist in the late Yellow Extreme Realm can unleash "one-bull power." Being able to do so already places one at the mid-to-upper level among late-stage Yellow Extreme Realm cultivators.
Zhang Ruochen had only just reached the late Yellow Extreme Realm. Leveraging the advantage of his six opened meridians and the power of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, he could already unleash "one-bull power," showing his immense potential. As his cultivation deepened and his physical body strengthened, he would undoubtedly be able to unleash even greater strength.
After clearing away all the broken stones from the courtyard, Zhang Ruochen returned to his room. Instead of continuing to train, he lay down on the bed, fully relaxing himself and falling into a deep sleep.
Having broken through to the late Yellow Extreme Realm, he could finally sleep peacefully.
He had initially thought it would take three months to reach this level. But with the time power of the Time-Space Spirit Crystal and ample cultivation resources, he had achieved it in just half a month.
Before the year-end assessment, he was confident he could break through to an even higher realm.
After resting for a night, Zhang Ruochen's spirit and energy were once again full, his body brimming with strength.
"I've used up most of my Qi-Gathering Pills and Body-Tempering Powder. I need to go to the Martial Market to buy more."
After having breakfast with Lin Fei and Yun'er, Zhang Ruochen left the palace alone and headed toward the Martial Market.
Arriving at the Pill Market, he entered a shop called "Qingxuan Pavilion."
This shop was located at a crossroads and ranked among the top three large stores in the Pill Market. Passing martial artists often stopped by—some to buy suitable pills, others to sell precious medicinal herbs they had just gathered.
An old man with a black mole at the corner of his mouth somehow appeared behind Zhang Ruochen. Smiling, he asked, "Young master, are you looking to buy Qi-Gathering Pills?"
Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled. He turned and gave the old man a deep look.
This old man was no ordinary person. He had managed to approach Zhang Ruochen without a sound. If he hadn't spoken first, Zhang Ruochen might not have noticed him at all.
He was definitely a martial arts expert.
The old man chuckled and introduced himself, "This old man is Mo Hanlin, the shopkeeper of this pill store."
"So you're the shopkeeper. My surname is Zhang," Zhang Ruochen said with a nod. "I want to buy fifty Qi-Gathering Pills and thirty portions of Body-Tempering Powder. Does Qingxuan Pavilion have enough stock?"
Mo Hanlin was inwardly surprised. This was a large order—only major clans would buy such a quantity of cultivation resources at once. It was rare for an individual martial artist to purchase so many pills.
Qi-Gathering Pills and Body-Tempering Powder were not cheap items, and ordinary martial artists simply couldn't afford them.
"If Young Master Zhang went to another shop, you might not be able to buy this many pills. But as luck would have it, Qingxuan Pavilion just received a batch of Qi-Gathering Pills and Body-Tempering Powder, enough to meet your needs."
Mo Hanlin took out an abacus, clicked and clacked it a few times, and smiled slightly. "Fifty Qi-Gathering Pills and thirty portions of Body-Tempering Powder. The original price is eighty thousand silver coins. However, since Young Master Zhang is buying in such bulk, there will naturally be a discount. Hmm, you can pay seventy-two thousand silver coins."
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Shopkeeper, you're a straightforward man. From now on, I'll buy all my pills here."
Zhang Ruochen didn't have enough silver coins left to pay such a large sum, so he first went to the Martial Market Bank to withdraw two hundred thousand silver coins.
After spending seventy-two thousand silver coins, plus what he had left, he still had one hundred thirty-five thousand silver coins on him.
Having completed this big deal, Mo Hanlin's face was beaming like a flower. "Young Master Zhang, would you like to buy anything else?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "What I want to buy, Shopkeeper, you probably don't sell here."
Mo Hanlin said, "Is Young Master Zhang looking for a suitable weapon?"
Zhang Ruochen thought even more highly of the shopkeeper. "Shopkeeper, you have sharp eyes."
Mo Hanlin chuckled. "After decades as a shopkeeper, I've seen no fewer than ten thousand martial artists, and I've rarely met anyone who doesn't carry a weapon. How about this? Qingxuan Pavilion also has a branch in the Weapon Market. I'll have a young assistant take you there."
A moment later, Mo Hanlin called over a chubby fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy and said to him, "Hanzi, take this honored Young Master Zhang to the Weapon Market immediately. Tell the boss lady that Young Master Zhang is a distinguished guest of Qingxuan Pavilion and that she should give him a suitable discount on the price."
The chubby boy named Hanzi widened his eyes and shook his head vigorously. "No! No! I don't want to see the boss lady. She can steal a man's soul. Seeing her means certain death."
Mo Hanlin was exasperated and said gruffly, "You're not a man yet—you're just a half-grown boy at best. What's there to fear? Fine, if you don't go, you won't get your Qi-Gathering Pill this month."
Hanzi panicked immediately. "Wait, wait, I'll go! I'll go, alright!"
Hanzi walked over to Zhang Ruochen and said respectfully, "Young Master Zhang, please, this way."
Zhang Ruochen nodded and followed Hanzi toward the Weapon Market.
Zhang Ruochen felt that the shopkeeper of Qingxuan Pavilion was somewhat unusual, as if he wasn't an ordinary person. Of course, he wasn't worried about any malicious intent, as the Martial Market was heavily guarded by the military, and no one dared to cause trouble there.
Hanzi lowered his voice and said, "Young Master Zhang, do you really want to buy weapons from the boss lady? She can steal a man's soul! Young Master Zhang, are you a man?"
"Uh... I'm just a boy too," Zhang Ruochen said.
Hanzi let out a long sigh of relief. "That's great!"
Hanzi was fair and chubby, with a little topknot on his head, two prominent ears, and eyes as small as soybeans.
Zhang Ruochen was curious. "You say the boss lady can steal a man's soul. Is she very beautiful?"
Hanzi nodded. "The boss lady is naturally very beautiful—absolutely stunning, seductive and enchanting. One glance from her makes your little heart pound wildly. Just looking at her makes your face flush and your mind race. But what you don't know is that she's already been married to seven bosses."
"Married to seven bosses?" Zhang Ruochen was surprised.
Hanzi added, "That's right! All seven bosses died—every single one on their wedding night."
Zhang Ruochen said, "And after the seven bosses died, what happened to their businesses?"
"They all went to the boss lady, of course! Even our shopkeeper is just working for her."
Hanzi lowered his voice further. "The boss lady is practically a lone star of doom, a reincarnated soul-snatcher, a fox spirit. Any man who sees her rarely lives past three days. Luckily, we're both boys, so she probably won't steal our souls."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Let's hope so."