Chapter 232: Divine Manifestation
Back at the Martial Market Arena, Zhang Ruochen had revealed his true strength, and Zhang Tiangui should have already confirmed that he was "Chen Ruo."
If that was the case, then the realm of Sword Heart Illumination must have been exposed as well, right?
The realm of Sword Heart Illumination used by "Chen Ruo" had only been witnessed by Lin Ningshan. Although Lin Ningshan later told Zhang Tiangui and Lin Chenyu, they simply hadn't believed it.
After all, according to legend, only Half-Saints could achieve Sword Heart Illumination.
They only thought Lin Ningshan's cultivation was too low, which led her to mistakenly believe that "Chen Ruo" had reached the realm of Sword Heart Illumination.
It was like an ant mistaking an elephant for a great mountain.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen unmoved, Lin Chenyu sneered and said, "Zhang Ruochen, standing before you is Senior Sister Han Qiu, the daughter of the Yuntai Sect Mansion's master. Senior Sister Han Qiu's swordsmanship has long reached an unfathomable and mysterious level. Her initiative to spar with you is an honor she bestows upon you. Don't be ungrateful. Don't think your swordsmanship is so remarkable that it makes you something special. There is always a sky beyond the sky, and people beyond people. You might not even be able to withstand ten moves from Senior Sister Han Qiu."
Han Qiu's brow furrowed slightly, and she coldly snapped, "I am discussing swordsmanship with Zhang Ruochen. What business is it of a servant like you to interrupt?"
"Forgive me, Senior Sister."
Lin Chenyu's face turned pale, and he immediately knelt on the ground, his hands flat on the floor, looking extremely terrified.
In Han Qiu's eyes, Lin Chenyu was merely a servant of Zhang Tiangui, whereas Zhang Ruochen was a young genius who could defeat Qing Chibai in swordsmanship. The status of the two was as different as heaven and earth.
Han Qiu could discuss swordsmanship and make friends with Zhang Ruochen, but she would never be an equal friend to Lin Chenyu.
Most importantly, Han Qiu was unaware of the conflict between Zhang Tiangui and Zhang Ruochen, regarding Zhang Ruochen as one of Zhang Tiangui's talented younger brothers.
Han Qiu fixed her gaze on Lin Chenyu and said contemptuously, "You think you're worthy of calling me Senior Sister? Since you've spoken wrongly, you must naturally be punished. Cut out your own tongue, lest I have to do it myself."
Lin Chenyu's eyes showed panic, and he looked to Zhang Tiangui for help.
After all, Lin Chenyu had already suffered castration and lost an arm. If his tongue were also cut out, it couldn't get any worse.
Zhang Tiangui said, "Junior Sister Han, Lin Chenyu is actually Zhang Ruochen's cousin."
"Oh!"
Han Qiu was somewhat surprised. She had only known Lin Chenyu as a servant by Zhang Tiangui's side before, unaware that he had such a background. Someone as insignificant as Zhang Tiangui hadn't garnered much of her attention.
To have taken Zhang Ruochen's cousin as a servant—this suggested that the relationship between Zhang Tiangui and Zhang Ruochen was probably not as harmonious as it appeared on the surface.
Han Qiu ignored Lin Chenyu and turned her gaze to Zhang Ruochen, deciding to clarify things. "Ninth Prince, I sincerely wish to exchange swordsmanship with you. I have no other intentions. I hope you won't overthink this."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Very well. It's just a sparring match, nothing too significant."
Han Qiu felt a surge of joy. Finally, she could cross swords with a swordsman of equal caliber.
She wondered just how far Zhang Ruochen's swordsmanship had reached.
Snowflakes drifted through the sky, blanketing the entire world in white.
The busy guards, eunuchs, and palace maids all stopped, gazing from afar at Zhang Ruochen and Han Qiu standing in the snow.
They were extremely excited. A sparring match between martial arts masters wasn't something you could see every day.
"I've always heard that the Ninth Prince's swordsmanship is superb, but I wonder just how high it has reached?"
"It must have already transcended the mundane, beyond what we can imagine."
"The one sparring with the Ninth Prince is the proud daughter of the Yuntai Sect Mansion. Does the Ninth Prince have a chance of winning?"
"The Yuntai Sect Mansion is a sacred ground of martial arts. Even the King himself was once a disciple there. The sword techniques she uses must be exquisite and unparalleled. The Ninth Prince will likely find it hard to win."
Zhang Ruochen held his left hand behind his back, and his right hand turned into a blur as he extended it forward. Using two fingers, he accurately caught a snowflake drifting in midair.
The snowflake was extremely thin, crystal clear, and emitted a faint chill.
Strangely, the snowflake caught between his fingers didn't melt.
"Swish, swish!"
Zhang Ruochen's arm kept extending, creating dozens of afterimages before him.
When his hand finally stopped, there were one hundred and eight snowflakes on his fingertips, strung together in a long line, forming a crystalline sword.
The surrounding onlookers—eunuchs and palace maids—all gasped in awe, letting out exclamations of wonder.
This single feat of "gathering snow into a sword" was already profoundly mysterious.
Only those who had reached the peak of Sword Follows the Heart could achieve the realm where a flower or a blade of grass could serve as a sword. Even a single snowflake could become a sword in Zhang Ruochen's hand.
"Impressive!"
Seeing Zhang Ruochen's technique, Han Qiu also extended two slender jade-like fingers, waving her arm repeatedly. Soon, she too condensed a sword from snowflakes.
However, the sword she formed only had seventy-two snowflakes.
That was the limit of what she could achieve.
Zhang Ruochen swung the ice-crystal snow sword, releasing his inner true qi. The snow on the ground, stirred by the surging sword qi, all flew up, forming a vortex of sword energy.
Han Qiu watched Zhang Ruochen standing amidst the flying snow and gently shook her head. "There's no need to continue. In terms of swordsmanship, I am inferior to you."
"Whoosh—"
The ice-crystal snow sword in her hand shattered, turning back into seventy-two snowflakes that fluttered and fell to the ground.
Zhang Ruochen also withdrew his true qi and tossed the ice-crystal snow sword in his hand, which dissolved into a flurry of snowflakes.
Han Qiu stared at the young man's retreating figure, her beautiful eyes shimmering. Her voice was crisp as she said, "Ninth Prince, your swordsmanship is superb. I hope that when we return to Heavenly Demon Martial City, we'll still have time to discuss swordsmanship together."
"Miss Han's swordsmanship is also quite remarkable. Among the younger generation, it ranks at the top level. Farewell!" Zhang Ruochen said.
Han Qiu's swordsmanship was indeed formidable. At such a young age, she had already reached the peak of Sword Follows the Heart, on par with the Half-Saint disciple Qing Chibai.
Han Qiu watched Zhang Ruochen leave, a look of admiration in her eyes. "With his talent, in at most five years, he will undoubtedly become the number one expert of the younger generation."
Seeing Han Qiu's expression, Zhang Tiangui's eyes flashed with killing intent.
What was Zhang Ruochen? He had never been worth noticing before, and now he had cultivated his swordsmanship to such a level. Fortunately, his cultivation wasn't high yet. Dealing with him wouldn't be difficult. With just a little scheming, he could be nipped in the bud.
Winter Solstice, the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony.
For a commandery, what was most important?
Naturally, it was the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony.
Not only for every commandery, but also for every sect, every clan, every city, and every town—all regarded sacrifice as a matter of utmost importance.
Because only during sacrifices could one communicate with the gods.
Only by communicating with the gods could humans awaken their Divine Martial Marks, embark on the path of cultivation, and become martial artists.
Those who hadn't awakened their Divine Martial Marks couldn't absorb spiritual energy into their bodies.
A nation's state sacrifice was particularly crucial, determining the rise and fall of the country. The more grand the sacrifice, the more Divine Martial Marks the gods bestowed, and the higher the grade of those marks.
The more martial artists a country had, the stronger its national power.
The state sacrifice of the Yunwu Commandery could only be considered a medium-level sacrificial ceremony. But in the eyes of the martial artists of the Yunwu Commandery, it was already a remarkably grand event.
Almost all the people of the royal capital had gathered at the Ancestral Shrine of the Gods. Looking out, the crowd was a sea of people, stretching endlessly.
The sacrifice was an extremely sacred matter. Even evil-path martial artists dared not cause trouble during the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony, fearing they would anger the gods and suffer divine retribution.
This year's Grand Sacrificial Ceremony was presided over by the Seventh Prince, Zhang Tiangui, on behalf of the Yunwu Commandery King. It seemed to be sending a signal to everyone that the Yunwu Commandery intended to establish Zhang Tiangui as the heir apparent.
This year's Grand Sacrificial Ceremony was unprecedentedly grand. The number of cattle and sheep used for the sacrifice alone exceeded one hundred thousand, along with several thousand massive barbarian beasts.
After the bell tolled, the National Preceptor began to read the sacrificial text.
Subsequently, Zhang Tiangui led the civil and military officials up the altar, looking triumphant, as if he were already the Commandery King of the Yunwu Commandery.
Standing high on the altar, Zhang Tiangui searched everywhere for Zhang Ruochen's figure but couldn't find him at all. He felt quite pleased, thinking that Zhang Ruochen must have been overshadowed and thus hadn't even come to attend the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony.
Zhang Tiangui infused his true qi into his voice and declared loudly, "The Grand Sacrificial Ceremony begins!"
On the altar, the sounds of conch shells and large horns rang out, shaking the heavens and the earth. At the same time, various musical instruments began to play.
Soldiers clad in armor started slaughtering the livestock, letting the blood flow into the altar to sacrifice to the gods.
Driven by the blood, the altar began to slowly operate, revealing ancient inscriptions.
"Whoosh!"
A thick pillar of blood shot up from the altar, piercing straight into the high sky, shattering the clouds, as if it were about to tear into the vast void.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged in the center of a hall within the palace.
His Martial Soul flew out from his body, taking on a sacred form, radiating a brilliance that shone for ten thousand zhang.
"Materialization!"
The Martial Soul suddenly changed its appearance, transforming into a divine shadow clad in blood-red armor, stepping on auspicious clouds as it flew out of the palace and arrived above the Ancestral Shrine of the Gods.
Before Zhang Ruochen had cultivated the False God Body, ordinary people couldn't see his Martial Soul. But now it was different. As long as he was willing, even people who hadn't practiced martial arts could see the phantom of his Martial Soul.
Of course, this was on the condition that he actively released the False God Body. Otherwise, ordinary people still couldn't see his Martial Soul.
The divine shadow grew larger and larger, expanding to a height of one hundred and twenty zhang. Its eyes were like two blazing suns, looking down at the people below, emitting an incredibly terrifying aura.
It was as if a projection of a god had appeared in the mortal world.
Someone was the first to notice the divine shadow in the sky and exclaimed excitedly, "A divine manifestation! A divine manifestation!"
Then, everyone raised their heads to look at the enormous divine shadow in the sky.
"It's a god..."
"Kneel before the god!"
Almost everyone in the entire royal capital knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the divine shadow in the sky, both excited and devout.
Divine manifestations were not unheard of in the Kunlun Realm, but they occurred very rarely, and almost exclusively during top-tier sacrificial ceremonies.
When a divine manifestation appeared, it would surely bring divine blessings, proving that the gods were watching over the people of that world.
Not only the commoners, but even the powerful martial artists and court officials were extremely excited. For the Yunwu Commandery to have a divine manifestation—what an honor that was!
"During the sacrificial ceremony I presided over, a divine manifestation appeared. Could this be an omen of something?"
Zhang Tiangui was thrilled inside. He immediately knelt on the ground, bowing to the divine shadow above, and shouted loudly, "Heaven blesses the Yunwu Commandery! I, the mortal Zhang Tiangui, kowtow to the true god, my lord!"
Since the Seventh Prince had already knelt in worship, the National Preceptor, the Grand Marshal, the generals... all the officials knelt on the ground, kowtowing incessantly. They hoped their devotion would be known to the gods, who would then bestow blessings.
Even a tiny bit of divine blessing could benefit them immensely.
Even the Queen, seated above, immediately descended from her golden phoenix throne, gathered her skirts, knelt on the ground, and respectfully kowtowed to the divine shadow.