Chapter 638: Fish-Dragon Fourth Transformation
Zhang Ruochen once again picked up "Sword One," reading it with rapt fascination, nodding occasionally as he comprehended its meaning. Every character in the book seemed like a sword, imprinting itself into his mind.
Over the following period, Zhang Ruochen continued to spend three hours each day cultivating the "Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture," devoting the rest of his time entirely to practicing Sword One.
Three more months passed in the blink of an eye. Zhang Ruochen broke through consecutively, advancing Sword One all the way to the fourth level.
Even the Azure Cloth Star Envoy, who had reached the Fish-Dragon Seventh Transformation, had only managed to cultivate Sword One to the fourth level. And she had spent at least ten times more time on it than Zhang Ruochen.
Having secluded himself for cultivation in the Scroll World for half a year, Zhang Ruochen had finally fully consolidated his cultivation. The true qi within his body had become extremely pure, and his cultivation realm had swelled to its peak.
"In my current state, I have at least a seventy percent chance of opening the first sacred meridian on my own."
Seventy percent was still quite dangerous, but Zhang Ruochen decided to take the gamble anyway.
He spent an entire day adjusting his condition, allowing his mind to relax completely before beginning to assault the next realm.
Sacred meridians were the foundation of sacred path cultivation.
The first three stages of the Fish-Dragon Realm were entirely about tempering the body, preparing it to open the sacred meridians. This was because an ordinary martial artist's physical body could not withstand the assault of sacred qi.
Reaching the Fish-Dragon Fourth Transformation and opening the first sacred meridian marked the true beginning of the sacred path.
The first sacred meridian was called the "Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian." It started from the qi sea at the brow, passed through most of the body, connected to the left foot, and finally opened the Zhaohai acupoint at the bottom of the left foot.
Opening the Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian would allow it to run through most of the body, taking the martial artist's cultivation a major step forward.
Zhang Ruochen mobilized the sacred dragon qi from the dragon pearl, letting it surge out from his heart and converge into his qi sea. Following the guidance of the fifth layer of the "Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture," he began to assault the entrance of the sacred meridian.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
With each impact of the sacred dragon qi, a thunderous roar echoed in Zhang Ruochen's ears.
Other cultivators could ask a Half-Saint to help them open their sacred meridians, which was much simpler. But Zhang Ruochen couldn't do that; he had to rely solely on his own strength to forcibly open the meridian.
After more than two hundred consecutive impacts, a trace of blood seeped from the corner of Zhang Ruochen's mouth. His entire body trembled, yet the entrance to the sacred meridian still hadn't opened.
But Zhang Ruochen didn't give up. He drank a mouthful of Wood Spirit Red Chan to suppress his injuries, then mobilized the sacred dragon qi and continued to assault.
After more than thirteen hundred impacts, Zhang Ruochen finally managed to open a crack at the entrance of the sacred meridian. He controlled the sacred dragon qi and slowly pushed it forward.
Even advancing the sacred dragon qi by just an inch caused Zhang Ruochen to endure a pain akin to his body being torn apart.
After spending an entire half-day, Zhang Ruochen had only opened one-tenth of the Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian. By now, blood beads were beginning to seep from his pores, and all the blood vessels on his body were bulging.
Opening the first sacred meridian required a single, unbroken effort. If one gave up halfway or fainted midway, the chaotic sacred qi would flow back.
If that happened, even if the cultivator didn't die, their entire cultivation would be ruined.
That was why opening the first sacred meridian was so perilous.
With his powerful willpower, Zhang Ruochen struggled to persevere, finally managing to open half of the Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian.
His entire body was already numb with pain. Beads of blood emerged, rolling down from his forehead, neck, and arms, staining his white clothes red.
This was a pain that ordinary people couldn't endure, enough to shatter one's will. All one wanted was to give up immediately, even if it meant dying on the spot.
Even death seemed preferable to enduring this agony.
"I must persevere. I can't give up. I can do this."
Zhang Ruochen clenched his teeth, his entire body tensing as he mustered all his strength to continue the assault downward.
Just as he had opened ninety percent of the Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian, the skin on the left side of his body began to crack, revealing blood-red lines like broken porcelain.
It was terrifying to watch. Would he explode and die at any moment?
Mu Lingxi stood not far away, holding her breath, afraid to make a sound. She was extremely nervous, terrified that Zhang Ruochen might meet with an accident while opening his first sacred meridian.
"He can definitely do it."
Mu Lingxi bit her lip, her beautiful eyes, as bright as stars, fixed unblinkingly on Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom!"
Suddenly, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth began to flow faster, all of it converging toward Zhang Ruochen, entering the Zhaohai acupoint at the bottom of his foot, passing through the Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian, and flowing into his qi sea.
As the spiritual qi passed through the Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian, it transformed into a faint trace of sacred qi, then surged out into all thirty-six meridians of his body, circulating internally.
Gradually, the blood-red lines on the left side of Zhang Ruochen's body healed rapidly.
The tormenting pain disappeared, replaced by an indescribable feeling of comfort.
The first sacred meridian, the Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian, had been successfully opened.
Zhang Ruochen had finally reached the Fish-Dragon Fourth Transformation.
The Yin Qiao Sacred Meridian could not only absorb spiritual qi from heaven and earth through the Zhaohai acupoint, converting it into sacred qi, but it could also circulate within the body, converting true qi into sacred qi.
Now that he had opened a sacred meridian, he could naturally mobilize sacred qi to execute martial techniques.
How powerful would martial techniques be when executed with sacred qi?
"Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm."
Zhang Ruochen leaped up from the ground, soaring into the air. His entire body turned red-hot like a piece of iron, radiating blazing yang energy.
He struck out with a palm, producing a seven-zhang-long flaming handprint that shot straight into the sky, scattering the clouds in all directions.
"Whoosh."
Landing on the ground, Zhang Ruochen looked at his palm, delighted. "Using sacred qi to execute martial techniques really does double their power."
However, a cultivator at the Fish-Dragon Fourth Transformation had only opened one sacred meridian, so the sacred qi within their body was quite thin. Just now, Zhang Ruochen had exhausted all his sacred qi with a single palm strike.
He would have to continue circulating his cultivation technique to convert true qi into sacred qi before he could unleash such power again.
Only by breaking through to the Fish-Dragon Fifth Transformation and opening a second sacred meridian could he speed up the conversion of sacred qi.
"Congratulations! Congratulations! Zhang Ruochen, your willpower is truly remarkable. To open your first sacred meridian relying solely on your own strength—I can't help but admire you."
Mu Lingxi's beautiful face broke into a stunning smile. She walked over to Zhang Ruochen with graceful steps, bringing with her a faint, fragrant breeze.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at her, a strange expression flickering in his eyes. He smiled and said, "Senior Sister Duanmu, haven't you also broken through to the Fish-Dragon Sixth Transformation? That's equally worth celebrating. Your cultivation speed is something I truly admire as well."
Mu Lingxi rolled her eyes at Zhang Ruochen. "My cultivation was already at the peak of the Fish-Dragon Fifth Transformation. After obtaining the sacred source and secluding myself in this Scroll World for half a year, it would be strange if I couldn't break through to the Fish-Dragon Sixth Transformation."
"If you had devoted all your energy to cultivation, your speed would definitely have been faster than mine."
Although Zhang Ruochen had been in seclusion for half a year, he had spent most of his time practicing the Instant Sword Technique and comprehending Sword One, not dedicating much time to elevating his cultivation realm.
Zhang Ruochen looked unconcerned and smiled. "Whether it's the sacred path or the sword path, once you cross the threshold, everything becomes much easier."
"Cultivation techniques and martial techniques complement each other. From now on, I'll probably have to spend a lot of time comprehending the sword path and practicing martial techniques as well," Mu Lingxi said.
Suddenly, her smile faded, and her expression turned serious. "What are your plans next? I heard from Xiao Hei that you want to disguise yourself as Lin Yue, a disciple of the Liangyi Sect, and go there to investigate some matters?"
Zhang Ruochen didn't hide it from her. "That's indeed my intention."
Mu Lingxi warned, "The Liangyi Sect is full of experts. Even with the best disguise techniques, you probably can't fool a Half-Saint. Isn't this too risky?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't gamble with my life without at least seventy percent certainty."
Zhang Ruochen was a cautious person. Seeing how confident he was, Mu Lingxi figured he must have some extremely clever method to fool Half-Saints, or even Saints. So she stopped worrying about him.
Mu Lingxi's bright eyes and white teeth formed a smile. "Alright then. On the ninth day of the ninth month, I'll come find you at the Liangyi Sect."
"You're leaving already?" Zhang Ruochen was slightly taken aback.
Mu Lingxi had a cheerful and optimistic personality. Being with her gave Zhang Ruochen an indescribable sense of relaxation.
Moreover, whenever Zhang Ruochen was in danger or needed help, no matter how powerful the enemy, she would step forward without hesitation and face the danger alongside him.
It was as if she had always been by his side, always watching over him, ready to appear the moment he needed her.
She was like a confidante with a bright personality who could dispel the shadows in Zhang Ruochen's heart. At the same time, she was like a steadfast comrade who could fight alongside him.
The feelings she invested—no matter how hard-hearted a man might be—could not be ignored.
So when Mu Lingxi said she was leaving, Zhang Ruochen naturally felt reluctant, a faint sense of loss stirring within him. But he buried that emotion deep in his heart, not showing it.
Mu Lingxi blinked her eyes, gazing at the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree not far away. "The Scroll World of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map is practically a perfect secluded cultivation paradise. If I had a choice, I wouldn't leave either. But unfortunately, I'm not a herald who shuns fame and fortune. I'm the Holy Maiden of the Moon-Worshipping Cult. I've been away for too long this time; I have to go back."
Mu Lingxi was clearly even more reluctant than Zhang Ruochen, but she too hid her emotions, not showing them too openly.
"All good things must come to an end."
Zhang Ruochen let out a long breath, a warm smile on his face. Then, as if remembering something, he frowned slightly and asked, "On the ninth day of the ninth month, you're also going to the Liangyi Sect?"