# Chapter 177: Heavenly Demon Martial City
Being the senior brother was not so easy; a meeting gift was definitely required.
Zhang Ruochen smiled, took out a Wind Wing and a Barbarian Bone Bow, handed the Wind Wing to Yao Qingtong, and gave the Barbarian Bone Bow to Zi Qian.
The Wind Wing and Barbarian Bone Bow were both treasures of Yue Linchong.
Yue Linchong was killed by Lu Han, but the treasures on his body were taken by Zhang Ruochen.
The Wind Wing was worth five hundred merit points, equivalent to five hundred thousand silver coins—absolutely priceless.
The Barbarian Bone Bow was made from the spine bone of a fourth-rank barbarian beast, a sixth-rank True Martial Treasure, and its price was similar to the Wind Wing.
Zi Qian was already very familiar with Zhang Ruochen and unceremoniously put away the Barbarian Bone Bow.
Yao Qingtong, however, appeared quite shy, feeling that Zhang Ruochen's meeting gift was too valuable and somewhat embarrassed to accept it.
Zi Qian stuffed the Wind Wing into Yao Qingtong's hands and said, "Junior Sister Yao, you must not be polite with the senior brother. The senior brother simply does not lack these cultivation resources."
"Thank you, senior brother." Yao Qingtong held the Wind Wing, feeling very delighted in her heart.
With this Wind Wing, even if she encountered an Earth Extreme Realm expert in the future, she could escape very calmly.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Zi Qian and smiled slightly. To him now, a Wind Wing and a Barbarian Bone Bow were indeed not considered precious.
Time flew by, and Zi Qian and Yao Qingtong had been stationed in Dragon Martial Hall for a month.
To others, it was a month, but to Zhang Ruochen, it was three months.
Over the past three months, Zhang Ruochen had spent most of his time in seclusion cultivating, refining another fifteen Three-Leaf Sacred Qi Grasses, and his martial arts cultivation had reached the peak of Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection.
Jade Pure True Qi had completely filled the Qi Lake. If he did not break through to the next realm, the amount of true qi could no longer increase.
The brow Qi Lake had become extremely vast, like a real lake, with true qi surging, stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Although the amount of true qi has reached the limit of the Mysterious Extreme Realm, I can still continue to condense the true qi and enhance its purity."
Zhang Ruochen's current fastest burst speed reached seventy-nine meters per second.
"To break through to the Unrivaled Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm, I must start from two directions. First, temper the true qi and physical body. Second, cultivate the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow to Great Completion."
According to Zhang Ruochen's prediction, once he cultivated the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow to Great Completion, his speed could reach eighty meters per second.
If he also improved his physical constitution and true qi quality, there was still a certain chance of breaking through to the Unrivaled Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
Apart from cultivation, Zhang Ruochen also participated in the quarterly assessment half a month ago. Without a doubt, he became the number one of the Western Courtyard.
From now on, every quarter, he could receive ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid. The number one of each of the four courtyards all received this treatment.
Every month, Zhang Ruochen still had to enter the Divine Power Hall to cultivate his spiritual power, but the improvement in spiritual power was not significant.
Zhang Ruochen seemed to have entered a bottleneck, making it difficult to further increase his strength. Now he needed to continuously accumulate and temper, laying a solid foundation. Once he broke through the realm, it would be like a hidden dragon emerging from the sea, soaring to the sky.
At the same time, recently, Zhang Ruochen had also been practicing the recognition master space inscription and the defensive space inscription.
The defensive space inscription was further divided into "shield-shaped inscription," "cover-shaped inscription," and "formation-shaped inscription." If further subdivided, dozens of inscriptions could be distinguished.
Once these inscriptions were successfully carved, the space ring would not just be a ring but also a defensive True Martial Treasure.
Inside the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, Zhang Ruochen spent a month practicing, consuming tens of thousands of spirit papers, and finally successfully carved the recognition master space inscription.
Spending another day, Zhang Ruochen simultaneously carved eight types of basic space inscriptions and the recognition master space inscription onto a storage bracelet, refining a brand new space storage treasure.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen dripped a drop of blood onto the storage bracelet.
A flash of blood light, the recognition master space inscription absorbed Zhang Ruochen's blood, turning into a blood-red pattern.
Recognition successful.
From now on, even if Zhang Ruochen's storage bracelet was taken away, others could not open the bracelet.
"After adding the recognition master inscription, the value of the space storage bracelet has at least doubled." A smile appeared on Zhang Ruochen's face as he continued practicing the defensive inscription.
About four months had passed since the end of the Intermediate Relic Exploration Exam, and Zhang Ruochen had cultivated for a year inside the Time-Space Crystal.
In one year, Zhang Ruochen had made tremendous progress. Although he could still only burst out a speed of seventy-nine meters per second, the true qi in his body had become more condensed, and his combat power had increased significantly.
Zi Qian came to the number one Heavenly Character Room and found Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Senior Brother, I am going to the Martial Market Arena of Heavenly Demon Martial City to challenge the Xuan Ranking martial artists. Do you want to come along?"
"Heavenly Demon Martial City."
Zhang Ruochen was planning to go to Heavenly Demon Martial City to find a skilled artifact refiner to help him repair the broken Abyssal Ancient Sword.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword was the sword that Princess Chi Yao gave him eight hundred years ago. Although the sword had broken, Zhang Ruochen still wanted to reconnect the inscriptions inside the sword and continue using that old sword.
Only by using the Abyssal Ancient Sword could he unleash his most perfect sword technique.
In Yunwu Commandery, he could not find such a skilled artifact refiner, so Zhang Ruochen planned to try his luck in Heavenly Demon Martial City.
Heavenly Demon Martial City, after all, was the largest city of the thirty-six commanderies of Heavenly Demon Ridge, hiding dragons and crouching tigers, with experts as numerous as clouds. Perhaps there were some artifact refining masters who could repair the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian rode a third-rank lower-class barbarian bird, a Snowflake Eagle, leaving the Western Courtyard and flying toward Heavenly Demon Martial City.
The Snowflake Eagle's strength was comparable to a mid-stage Earth Extreme Realm martial artist. Its wingspan was over twenty meters, its feathers snow-white without a trace of impurity, and its maximum speed could reach ninety meters per second.
This Snowflake Eagle was not exchanged by Zhang Ruochen using merit points at the Martial Market Academy, but a barbarian bird subdued by Xiao Hei in Heavenly Demon Ridge.
As Zhang Ruochen's cultivation improved, Xiao Hei's strength also increased significantly. In battle mode, its body could become as large as a barbarian elephant, and even late-stage Earth Extreme Realm martial artists were no match for it.
At this moment, Xiao Hei's body had shrunk to the size of a fist, lying on Zhang Ruochen's shoulder, holding a book, studying artifact refining inscriptions.
"Zhang Ruochen, take out that broken sword. Perhaps I can help repair it." Xiao Hei closed the book, stood upright, raised its proud head, and said very seriously.
"You know artifact refining?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
"I am the Emperor Who Slays Heaven and Destroys Earth. Is there anything in this world I cannot do?"
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment, took out the four-foot-long broken sword, and handed it to Xiao Hei.
Seeing the Abyssal Ancient Sword, Xiao Hei's round eyes lit up.
It grabbed the sword hilt with its cat claws, leaped down from Zhang Ruochen's shoulder, and landed on the Snowflake Eagle's back.
"Shua shua!"
Holding the Abyssal Ancient Sword, Xiao Hei continuously swung sword techniques, sending sword qi flying into the air, producing whistling sounds.
Its skill in swordsmanship was also extremely high.
"Zhang Ruochen, this sword is not simple!"
Xiao Hei stopped, holding the heavy sword with both paws, and said, "The sword body contains not only basic inscriptions but also intermediate inscriptions and advanced inscriptions. At least a fifth-rank artifact refiner is needed to reconnect the inscriptions. Moreover, they can only reconnect the basic inscriptions and intermediate inscriptions, not the advanced inscriptions."
Even the inscriptions carved into ninth-rank True Martial Treasures were only basic inscriptions, not intermediate inscriptions.
Only war weapons surpassing True Martial Treasures could possess intermediate and advanced inscriptions.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Can you reconnect them or not?"
"I can try." Xiao Hei said, "With my current strength, I can only reconnect the sixty-six basic inscriptions in the sword body. Once the sixty-six basic inscriptions are repaired, the power of this broken sword will reach the level of a ninth-rank True Martial Treasure."
Hearing Xiao Hei's words, Zi Qian, standing nearby, was slightly shocked. "The power of that broken sword can reach the level of a ninth-rank True Martial Treasure?"
Every ninth-rank True Martial Treasure cost over ten million silver coins. In Yunwu Commandery, there were only three in total. Two of them were in the royal clan, serving as nation-guarding war weapons.
Many Heavenly Extreme Realm martial arts legends only used seventh-rank True Martial Treasures. Very few people could possess a ninth-rank True Martial Treasure.
Xiao Hei glanced at Zi Qian and said contemptuously, "A mere ninth-rank True Martial Treasure, what is there to make a fuss about?"
If he went to find another artifact refining master, Zhang Ruochen was indeed somewhat uneasy. If Xiao Hei could repair the Abyssal Ancient Sword, that would naturally be the best.
Zhang Ruochen temporarily handed the Abyssal Ancient Sword to Xiao Hei, letting it repair the sword before returning it to him.
Although the problem of the Abyssal Ancient Sword had been resolved, Zhang Ruochen still planned to go to Heavenly Demon Martial City.
Heavenly Demon Martial City was built among the lofty mountains of Heavenly Demon Ridge. It did not belong to any country but was a city established by various sects, organizations, and forces in Heavenly Demon Ridge.
At first, Heavenly Demon Martial City was just a trading post established by various forces in Heavenly Demon Ridge, serving as a trading venue for martial artists.
Later, with the rise of the thirty-six commanderies, more and more martial artists were cultivated, and one super sect after another appeared in Heavenly Demon Ridge.
Martial artists from various commanderies joined sects and entered academies, making the trading post increasingly lively, gradually expanding, and eventually becoming a city.
In the vast and boundless Heavenly Demon Ridge, besides the Martial Market Academy, there were two fourth-rate forces, five fifth-rate forces, twelve sixth-rate forces, and thirty-six seventh-rate forces.
A force with at least one Heavenly Extreme Realm martial arts legend could be called a "seventh-rate force."
A lower commandery like Yunwu Commandery was roughly equivalent to a "sixth-rate force." A medium commandery like the Four Directions Commandery was roughly equivalent to a "fifth-rate force."
A force with a Half-Saint could be called a "fourth-rate force."
Although the Martial Market Academy was powerful, it did not dominate Heavenly Demon Ridge. The two fourth-rate forces were not much weaker than the Martial Market Academy.
Those two fourth-rate forces were: Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion and Supreme Purity Palace.
The Martial Market Academy, Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion, and Supreme Purity Palace formed the three most powerful forces in the Heavenly Demon Ridge region. Besides them, the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demon Sect, hidden in the shadows, could also contend with them.
The inner palace of the Martial Market Academy was established in Heavenly Demon Martial City. Once one became an inner palace disciple of the Martial Market Academy, they could move their family to Heavenly Demon Martial City and become a member of the city.
Additionally, Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion and Supreme Purity Palace were also established in Heavenly Demon Martial City, forming a tripartite balance with the Martial Market Academy.
Heavenly Demon Martial City, hiding dragons and crouching tigers, with experts as numerous as clouds, and the young generation of talented geniuses emerging endlessly, was definitely a gathering place for martial artists from the thirty-six commanderies.