Chapter 366: A Thunderclap on a Clear Day
The Yellow Extreme Realm, Mysterious Extreme Realm, Earth Extreme Realm, and Heavenly Extreme Realm are known as the "Four Martial Realms."
As for martial arts, no matter how high your cultivation, you can only be called a martial artist.
For example: a martial artist at the Heavenly Extreme Realm can, at most, be called a martial peak or a martial myth.
Only by breaking through martial arts can one enter the Saint Path.
Without stepping onto the Saint Path, one remains a mortal.
To step into the Saint Path, one must undergo the Nine Transformations of the Fish-Dragon Realm, each transformation a world of its own:
First Transformation: Innate Fetal Breath.
Second Transformation: Refining Skin into Gold.
Third Transformation: Refining Bones into Jade.
Fourth Transformation: Yin Qiao Saint Meridian.
Fifth Transformation: Yang Qiao Saint Meridian.
Sixth Transformation: Yin Wei Saint Meridian.
Seventh Transformation: Yang Wei Saint Meridian.
Eighth Transformation: Chong Ling Saint Meridian.
Ninth Transformation: Crystal Glass Divine Body.
…
Once one steps into the Fish-Dragon Realm, with each transformation completed, the martial artist undergoes earth-shattering changes, their strength multiplying repeatedly, drawing closer to the Saint Path.
After opening five Saint Meridians and completing the Nine Transformations of the Fish-Dragon Realm, cultivating the Crystal Glass Divine Body—where the physical body becomes imperishable and indestructible—only then does one qualify to strive for the Half-Saint realm.
Achieving the Half-Saint realm is far more difficult than martial artists can imagine.
Hua Qingye of the Spider Poison Merchant Guild had considerable innate talent. After nearly a hundred years of cultivation, he had only reached the First Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, "Innate Fetal Breath."
"Innate Fetal Breath" means absorbing internal Qi, holding firm and guarding the One, allowing one to draw on the world's spiritual energy as sustenance, reaching a state of fasting.
A cultivator who reaches this realm could lie at the bottom of a lake for a year without suffocating or starving to death.
Thus, stepping into the Fish-Dragon Realm already transcends the mortal, and one is no longer considered a mere martial artist.
Zhang Ruochen was still a vast distance from the Fish-Dragon Realm.
At this moment, he was refining the Half-Saint Light within his Qi Sea.
The Half-Saint Light, sacred and flawless, floated in the Qi Sea like a mysterious light flying across the sky, containing an immensely vast soul power.
Even just one percent of the Half-Saint Light contained soul power comparable to the Martial Soul of a cultivator at the Seventh Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm or above.
Zhang Ruochen's own Martial Soul, in the presence of that mass of Half-Saint Light, appeared incredibly weak—like a star comparing its brightness to the sun.
If Zhang Ruochen could fully refine that mass of Half-Saint Light, his Martial Soul would naturally advance significantly. Of course, it wouldn't grow to the terrifying level of the Seventh Transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
It's like a person eating a pound of meat—does that mean a pound of meat grows on their body?
Obviously not.
Even if Zhang Ruochen completely refined the Half-Saint Light, his Martial Soul could at most absorb one-tenth of it, which is one-thousandth of the Half-Saint Light's soul power.
But don't underestimate one-thousandth of the Half-Saint Light's soul power—it could definitely strengthen Zhang Ruochen's Martial Soul by three to four times.
"Hua!"
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands together, releasing his Martial Soul from his body, suspending it above his head.
As the Martial Soul breathed and absorbed, it continuously drew in the Half-Saint Light, making Zhang Ruochen's Martial Soul increasingly solid and towering, filled with a sense of sacred majesty.
The stronger a person's Martial Soul, the more their Spiritual Power would grow, though at a very slow rate.
Only when the Martial Soul advanced significantly would Spiritual Power increase by a rank.
According to Zhang Ruochen's estimate, fully refining the Half-Saint Light in his Qi Sea would take at least three months.
However, raising his Spiritual Power to the fortieth rank didn't necessarily require fully refining the Half-Saint Light. Because Zhang Ruochen's current Spiritual Power was already very close to the fortieth rank; breaking through only needed a final push.
Obtaining the Half-Saint Light gave Zhang Ruochen the opportunity to make that breakthrough.
After cultivating for about a month in the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, he had refined roughly one-third of the Half-Saint Light. Zhang Ruochen's Martial Soul strength had nearly doubled, and his Spiritual Power finally surged to the fortieth rank.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen felt as if his soul had undergone a new transformation, aligning with certain rules of heaven and earth.
Strands of formless Spiritual Power automatically converged toward his brow, forming a point of light that grew increasingly bright.
Zhang Ruochen felt a burning sensation coming from his brow, as if it were about to tear his body apart.
"Open the Heavenly Eye."
At the position of his brow, a light pattern indeed split open, forming the shape of a vertical eye. At its center, a pupil like a fireball condensed.
The Spiritual Power Eye.
Only when Spiritual Power reached the fortieth rank could one open such a Heavenly Eye, allowing one to see many things ordinary people couldn't.
"Haha! My Spiritual Power has finally reached the fortieth rank, opening the Spiritual Power Heavenly Eye, enabling me to perceive all kinds of mysteries."
Zhang Ruochen stopped refining the Half-Saint Light, stepped out of the Time-Space Crystal, and emerged from the cultivation chamber. He carefully experienced the wonders of the Heavenly Eye.
With a light tap of his toes, Zhang Ruochen soared into the air, landing on the highest tower within the cultivation residence. Stepping on the glazed tiles, he gazed into the distance.
Even without opening the Heavenly Eye, Zhang Ruochen's vision was far superior to an ordinary person's, making his eyesight remarkable.
But when Zhang Ruochen used the Heavenly Eye to look into the distance, he penetrated the walls of Demon Martial City and directly saw mountain ranges eight hundred miles away.
Most importantly, the images he saw were extremely clear.
Eight hundred miles away, two barbarian beasts were fighting. One was a three-meter-tall Golden Fur Thunder Tiger, and the other was a Purple-Crowned Golden Python.
They fought fiercely, snapping large trees in their struggle.
In the end, the Purple-Crowned Golden Python emerged victorious, swallowing the Golden Fur Thunder Tiger in one gulp.
"How marvelous, how astonishing! This should count as 'clairvoyance,' right?"
The Heavenly Eye on Zhang Ruochen's brow flickered continuously, emitting an even brighter radiance.
Not only that, Zhang Ruochen discovered that the Heavenly Eye's penetrating power was also extremely strong. Even with obstacles, it couldn't block his gaze.
For example, the walls of Demon Martial City were not only thick and sturdy but also inscribed with formation runes. Yet Zhang Ruochen could see through them with almost no expenditure of Spiritual Power.
He shifted his gaze, looking down at the ground. He could easily see the terrain and underground creatures a hundred miles deep, buried war weapons, decayed bones, tattered armor… all presented before Zhang Ruochen's eyes.
This was the scene beneath Demon Martial City, something other martial artists couldn't see.
"With the Heavenly Eye activated, combined with the Flying Sword Technique, at my current cultivation level, taking someone's head from a hundred miles away should be a simple task."
The reason it was a hundred miles, not a thousand, was that Zhang Ruochen was still only at the mid-stage Heavenly Extreme Realm; his internal True Qi wasn't deep enough.
Once the sword flew a hundred miles away, it would be difficult to control.
Unless he could break through to a higher realm.
Although his cultivation remained within the Four Martial Realms, his strength had already surpassed martial arts, reaching another level.
Even compared to the legendary Ninefold Prodigy, he should be no less.
What is a Ninefold Prodigy? It's not simply about being able to fight across nine realms.
Why was he so powerful?
First, before the age of twenty, he had cultivated his Spiritual Power to the fortieth rank. Throughout history, few such divine figures could be found.
Second, a powerful Martial Soul. Zhang Ruochen's current Martial Soul strength could already compare with Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators.
Third, the realm of Sword Heart Illumination.
Any one of these three conditions, if possessed by a mid-stage Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist, would make that martial artist a renowned prodigy of their time.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen had all three conditions concentrated in himself. With such strength, it would be strange if he couldn't surpass martial arts.
After absorbing the Half-Saint Light, Zhang Ruochen's Martial Soul strength had doubled, allowing him to mobilize more of the world's spiritual energy.
If he were to face Hua Qingye again now, Zhang Ruochen was fully confident he could defeat him.
"Generally speaking, when Spiritual Power reaches the fortieth rank, some special abilities emerge. I wonder what my special ability is?"
When Spiritual Power reached the fortieth rank, in the Kunlun Realm, one was generally called a "Spiritual Power Master."
Some could use Spiritual Power to summon lightning, known as "Thunder Masters" or "Lightning Masters."
Others could use Spiritual Power to summon wind and rain, known as "Rain Masters" or "Wind Masters."
…
Zhang Ruochen guessed that his special ability was related to lightning, since his Martial Soul already possessed a lightning attribute.
So, Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, extended a finger, and pointed toward the sky.
In an instant, a purple lightning bolt shot across the originally clear sky, like a great dragon streaking through the air, striking the central square of Demon Martial City.
Then, a thunderous explosion erupted, and the entire Demon Martial City seemed to tremble.
In that instant, all the formation runes of Demon Martial City activated, shooting up beams of light to form layers of defensive formations, covering the entire city.
"Boom!"
Struck by the lightning, a crater over ten meters in diameter appeared in the center of the square.
Around the crater, everything was scorched black, with terrifying cracks extending outward. Some cracks were a full meter wide, as if the earth itself had been torn apart.
Countless fine electric patterns, like purple flood dragons, covered the entire square, emitting a "crackling" sound.
The terrifying destructive power of the lightning stunned the martial artists around the square.
A true thunderclap on a clear day!
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
The experts from the Martial Market Academy and the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion all thought a peerless master had come to Demon Martial City to cause trouble, and they rushed over immediately.
Among them was naturally the Silver Robe Elder Pavilion's Pavilion Master, Lei Jing.
Lei Jing released his True Qi, landing with a "bang" at the edge of the crater. His imposing figure stood tall, hands clasped behind his back, looking at the completely destroyed square. A worried expression appeared on his face as he muttered to himself, "Such powerful force—could the Blood Spirit King have come to Demon Martial City?"
He naturally couldn't connect this to Zhang Ruochen. After all, Zhang Ruochen was only at the mid-stage Heavenly Extreme Realm. No matter how outstanding he was, he couldn't have caused such a mighty display.