Chapter 126: Blood Condenses Nine Swords
How could Zhang Ruochen possibly not be interested?
In the Martial Market Academy, only inner palace disciples could exchange merit points for Half-Saint True Liquid.
Even if outer palace disciples had merit points, they couldn't exchange them for Half-Saint True Liquid; they could only receive the annual and quarterly allotments.
If outer palace disciples wanted to obtain Half-Saint True Liquid, they had to pay a high price to buy it from the Black Market.
However, the Black Market was extremely dangerous. Without a familiar guide, one could easily fall prey to the evil forces within, losing both money and life.
Zi Qian was different. She was originally an assassin from the Black Market, so having her go to the Black Market to purchase Half-Saint True Liquid was the best course of action.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Zi Qian and said, "No wonder your cultivation has advanced so quickly. So you've already refined five drops of Half-Saint True Liquid. How much does a drop cost in the Black Market?"
Zi Qian didn't hide anything from Zhang Ruochen. "If an outsider buys it, it costs at least four hundred thousand silver coins per drop. But our Underworld Gate has its own channels, so the price is much cheaper. Buying one drop only costs two hundred thousand silver coins."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, then stuffed all three hundred-plus bottles of pills into Zi Qian's hands.
After that, Zhang Ruochen took out all one hundred-plus True Martial Treasures and handed them to Zi Qian. "Sell these pills and True Martial Treasures, and use all the proceeds to buy Half-Saint True Liquid. If you can get any Saint Liquid, that would be even better."
"Alright! I'll be back in three days. Wait for my good news." Zi Qian gave Zhang Ruochen a deep look, walked forward a dozen steps, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and smiled brightly at him. "After selling the pills and True Martial Treasures, we split the silver coins seventy-thirty?"
Zhang Ruochen knew Zi Qian loved silver coins and spirit crystals, so he didn't argue with her. He smiled and nodded. "Seventy-thirty split."
"Shua!"
Zi Qian transformed into a beautiful purple shadow, left the Western Courtyard, and disappeared into the towering mountains of Demon Ridge.
Returning to the Dragon Martial Hall, Zhang Ruochen entered the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal and prepared to break through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position.
He took out eight drops of Half-Saint True Liquid and arranged them in a row before him.
"With ten days until the quarterly assessment, that's a month inside the Time-Space Crystal. It should be enough for me to break through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position."
He consumed the first drop of Half-Saint True Liquid. A piercing cold energy appeared in his abdomen, spreading through his meridians to every corner of his body.
This wasn't Zhang Ruochen's first time taking Half-Saint True Liquid, so he quickly adapted. It only took him three and a half days to refine that first drop.
Then he refined the second drop, the third drop...
After refining the seventh drop of Half-Saint True Liquid, Zhang Ruochen finally broke through the bottleneck and reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position.
A loud boom sounded from within Zhang Ruochen's body. The capacity of his Qi Sea expanded thirteenfold, and all thirty-six meridians in his body also expanded. The true qi within his meridians flowed faster, producing a sound like rushing water.
After breaking through, Zhang Ruochen consumed the eighth drop of Half-Saint True Liquid. It only took him three days to fully refine that drop.
With the eighth drop refined, Zhang Ruochen's cultivation was completely stabilized.
"Having reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position, what level has my speed reached?" Zhang Ruochen could clearly feel that his cultivation had taken a significant leap forward.
Both his strength and speed had reached a new height.
When he had cultivated the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow to minor completion, Zhang Ruochen's maximum burst speed had already reached fifty-seven meters per second.
What about now?
"Swish! Swish!"
Zhang Ruochen sprinted rapidly across the square of the Dragon Martial Hall, his speed as fast as a gale. If another Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position martial artist were here, they probably wouldn't even be able to see his shadow.
After running ten laps around the square, Zhang Ruochen stopped and excitedly exhaled a breath. "Without using the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow or activating my bloodline, my speed can reach fifty-eight meters per second. If I use both the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow and my bloodline power, my maximum burst speed can reach sixty-two meters per second."
The experts ranked at the bottom of the "Mysterious Ranking" had maximum burst speeds of around sixty meters per second.
Although he had never truly fought against a Mysterious Ranking martial artist, Zhang Ruochen was now confident he could contend with some of the weaker ones and even defeat them.
It could be said that Zhang Ruochen now possessed the strength to fight against Earth Extreme Realm martial artists.
With his current strength, if he were to face General Hong Ye again, even if he couldn't win, he could retreat safely. He wouldn't need to rely on Huang Yanchen's help like before.
"Having reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position, I can now 'condense weapons from blood qi.' Let's see what kind of battle weapon will form."
Zhang Ruochen stood in the center of the square. Blood qi surged from his body, streaming out from his pores and covering the space within ten meters, turning it into a massive blood cloud.
Within the blood cloud, the shadows of nine battle swords condensed, suspended around Zhang Ruochen in nine directions, emitting a powerful sword aura.
"Why are there nine swords?"
When martial artists reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position, they could all "condense weapons from blood qi," but they always formed a single blood weapon.
For Zhang Ruochen to simultaneously condense nine blood swords was something unheard of and unseen.
Withdrawing the blood qi back into his body, Zhang Ruochen fell into thought and muttered to himself, "Is it because I opened all thirty-six meridians of the Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture that this phenomenon occurred?"
Condensing nine blood swords was certainly a good thing.
However, simultaneously condensing nine blood weapons was too shocking. If others discovered it, it might not be a good thing for Zhang Ruochen.
"I should try not to use my bloodline power from now on," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Tomorrow was the time for the quarterly assessment. With Zhang Ruochen's current strength, achieving first place among the new disciples of the four courtyards was not difficult, so he felt no pressure at all.
Zhang Ruochen headed to Zi Qian's residence to pick up the Half-Saint True Liquid.
As soon as he arrived at the female dormitory building, it caused a commotion.
"Look, that's the number one new disciple of our Western Courtyard. They say his spiritual power has reached the twenty-ninth level, making him the greatest spiritual power genius in the history of the Martial Market Academy." An eighteen- or nineteen-year-old female disciple screamed excitedly, as if Zhang Ruochen were about to assault her.
Another beautiful senior sister at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection stared at Zhang Ruochen with sparkling eyes. "They say if he chooses to cultivate spiritual power, he has at least a fifty percent chance of becoming a Spiritual Saint."
Every Saint was a lofty and revered existence, worshipped by countless martial artists, with disciples and followers spread across the world. Many martial artists had never even seen a Saint in their lives, yet Zhang Ruochen had a fifty percent chance of becoming one. How could the girls present not be excited?
"I want to bear his little prince," a rather pretty young girl said, a bit lovesick.
Before Zhang Ruochen could even see Zi Qian, he was surrounded by a group of female disciples, unable to move a single step. Some bold girls even tried to kiss him, but Zhang Ruochen dodged just in time, or his face would have been covered in lip prints.
Zi Qian naturally heard the commotion and saw Zhang Ruochen standing below the pavilion. She leaped down directly, landed beside him, and pulled him out of the encirclement.
"Let's talk somewhere else," Zi Qian said.
Zhang Ruochen knew the matter of the Half-Saint True Liquid was of great importance, so he said, "Let's go to the Dragon Martial Hall. Senior Sister Huang and Senior Sister Duanmu aren't there, so we don't have to worry about being overheard."
Zhang Ruochen led Zi Qian to the Dragon Martial Hall and returned to Yellow Character Room Number One.
Closing the door, Zhang Ruochen asked, "Junior Sister Zi, did you exchange for the Half-Saint True Liquid?"
Zi Qian said, "The pills and True Martial Treasures you gave me sold for a total of five million eight hundred thousand silver coins. According to our agreed seventy-thirty split, you get four million sixty thousand silver coins, and I get one million seven hundred forty thousand. I bought twenty drops of Half-Saint True Liquid for you. As for the remaining sixty thousand silver coins, do you want them?"
Her meaning was clear: it's only sixty thousand silver coins; if you don't want them, I'll take them.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since it's my money, of course I want it."
Zi Qian rolled her eyes at Zhang Ruochen, then took out the sixty thousand silver coins and twenty small jade bottles, placing them on the table.
Zhang Ruochen opened one of the jade bottles. A fragrant medicinal aroma wafted out—it was indeed the scent of Half-Saint True Liquid.
He put away the twenty bottles of Half-Saint True Liquid and the sixty thousand silver coins, then suddenly looked up and stared deeply at Zi Qian. "Junior Sister Zi, in the future, can you leave the Underworld Gate?"
Zi Qian's face turned a few shades paler. She didn't dare meet Zhang Ruochen's gaze. "You don't understand how powerful the Underworld Gate is. If I dared to leave, I would die within ten days."
"Besides, I'm not a prince or a princess. I don't have a powerful background or family support. If I don't kill people, where would I get the money to buy cultivation resources?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't press her further. He knew she had her difficulties.
"If you ever run into trouble in the future, feel free to come to me," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Mm."
Zi Qian nodded lightly. "There's one more thing you might not know. The Four Directions Commandery and the Yunwu Commandery are about to go to war."
Zhang Ruochen frowned. "Because of Prince Huo Xing's death?"
"Was Prince Huo Xing really killed by you? This time, you acted too rashly. The Four Directions Commandery has wanted to annex the Yunwu Commandery for a long time; they were just waiting for an excuse."
After a moment's thought, Zi Qian added, "If you really wanted to kill Prince Huo Xing, why did you have to do it yourself? I could have helped you."
Zhang Ruochen's expression turned serious. "Since Prince Huo Xing is already dead, saying all this now is useless."
Zi Qian said, "The Four Directions Commandery King used Prince Huo Xing's death to pressure the Yunwu Commandery King into handing you over and compensating the Four Directions Commandery with eight million silver coins. The Yunwu Commandery King naturally refused outright, so the Four Directions Commandery has begun amassing troops at the border, planning to launch an attack early next year to seize the Yunwu Commandery."
"What about the internal situation in the Yunwu Commandery?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Zi Qian said, "I've heard that the Queen and Minister Xue advocate handing you over to appease the Four Directions Commandery's anger. But the Yunwu Commandery King and several high-ranking generals firmly oppose it. In any case, the internal situation in the Yunwu Commandery is turbulent, and it's quite unfavorable for you."