Chapter 12

Zhang Ruochen, dressed in a white robe, stood straight, looked at Yun'er with a slight surprise, and nodded gently, saying, "I succeeded! I have already broken through to the late stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm! Sister Yun'er, why don't you go to rest?"

Upon hearing Zhang Ruochen's words, Yun'er was completely stunned, her heart pounding wildly, feeling an indescribable excitement, and even a desire to cry.

"That's wonderful! That's wonderful!" Yun'er wiped her eyes and said, "Yun'er said she would guard the gate for the Ninth Prince, so I definitely won't leave."

Zhang Ruochen felt a surge of emotion and took out a Blood Pill, handing it to Yun'er.

"It's snowing, don't catch a cold. Go to rest early! Take this Blood Pill, it should warm you up quite a bit!" Zhang Ruochen said.

Yun'er took the Blood Pill, held it tightly in her hands, and nodded deeply. As she walked towards her residence, she thought to herself that tonight would likely be a sleepless night!

After sending Yun'er back, Zhang Ruochen returned to the center of the snow-covered courtyard.

Standing in the snow, motionless, he let the snowflakes fall on his head and shoulders.

"Still as a reclining elephant, swift as a mad dragon. The second palm of the Dragon-Elephant Bodhi Palm, Soaring Dragon in the Sky!"

Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen took a powerful step forward, and countless snowflakes flew up. His arms and legs moved like a rapidly spinning turbine, sweeping up the snow.

Using the force from his legs, his body soared over seven meters high, and he let out a low, resonant dragon's roar, striking a palm at a thousand-pound boulder ten meters away.

"Boom!"

The thousand-pound boulder immediately shattered into pieces, the fragments flying in all directions and landing in the thick snow.

Zhang Ruochen stood in the snow, staring at the shattered boulder, feeling a sense of joy. "Finally, I have successfully cultivated the second palm of the Dragon-Elephant Bodhi Palm. Now, the power of the Dragon-Elephant Bodhi Palm is comparable to a mid-grade human-level martial technique."

Not only the second palm "Soaring Dragon in the Sky," but also the first palm "Rushing Elephant on the Ground" had reached the power of a mid-grade human-level martial technique.

If Zhang Ruochen cultivated the third palm, the power of the Dragon-Elephant Bodhi Palm would be comparable to a high-grade human-level martial technique.

Each additional palm cultivated would increase the grade, making it more profound and mysterious.

"The first palm of the Dragon-Elephant Bodhi Palm, Rushing Elephant on the Ground!"

Zhang Ruochen stepped forward, charging out like a rapidly running elephant, striking a palm in the air, causing a series of air explosions.

Countless snowflakes were sent flying by the palm force, melting into droplets of ice in the air.

"The first palm 'Rushing Elephant on the Ground' may be slightly weaker than the second palm, but it has indeed reached the power of a mid-grade human-level martial technique. The Dragon-Elephant Bodhi Palm is truly profound."

With his current strength, he might not have the power of a wild elephant, but at least he had the strength of a wild ox!

In martial cultivation, this is known as "the strength of an ox."

It's worth noting that not every late-stage Yellow Extreme Realm martial artist can burst with "the strength of an ox." Being able to do so is already considered a mid-to-high level among late-stage Yellow Extreme Realm martial artists.

Zhang Ruochen had just cultivated to the late stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, and with the advantage of the six meridians in his body and the power of the Dragon-Elephant Bodhi Palm, he could already burst with "the strength of an ox," showing boundless potential.

As his cultivation deepened and his physical body strengthened in the future, he would surely burst with even greater power.

After clearing all the debris from the courtyard, Zhang Ruochen returned to his room, no longer cultivating, but lying on the bed to completely relax and fall into a deep sleep.

After breaking through to the late stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm, he could finally have a peaceful sleep.

He had originally thought it would take three months to reach this realm, but with the help of the time power of the Space-Time Spirit Crystal and a large amount of cultivation resources, he reached this realm in just half a month.

Before the year-end assessment, he was confident he could break through to a higher realm.

After a night's rest, Zhang Ruochen's spirit and energy were once again very full, his body brimming with strength.

"The Qi-Gathering Pills and Body-Strengthening Powder are almost used up; I need to buy more."

After having breakfast with Lin Fei and Yun'er, Zhang Ruochen left the palace alone and headed towards the Martial Market.

Arriving at the Pill Market, he entered a shop called "Qingxuan Pavilion."

This shop was located at a crossroads and was one of the top three largest shops in the Pill Market. Most passing martial artists would come in to take a look, some to buy suitable pills, and others to sell precious herbs they had just collected.

An old man with a mole on the corner of his mouth approached Zhang Ruochen from behind, smiling and asked, "Young sir, are you here to buy Qi-Gathering Pills?"

Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled and turned to look deeply at the old man.

This old man was not simple; he could approach Zhang Ruochen silently. If he hadn't spoken, Zhang Ruochen would have had a hard time noticing him.

He was definitely a martial arts expert!

The old man smiled and introduced himself, "I am Mo Hanlin, the shopkeeper of this pill shop."

"Shopkeeper, I am surnamed Zhang," Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "I need to buy fifty Qi-Gathering Pills and thirty Body-Strengthening Powder. I wonder if Qingxuan Pavilion has enough stock?"

Mo Hanlin was slightly startled. This was a huge order; only large families would buy so many cultivation resources at once. It was rare for an individual martial artist to buy so many pills.

Qi-Gathering Pills and Body-Strengthening Powder were not cheap; ordinary martial artists couldn't afford them.

"If Young Master Zhang goes to another shop, you might not be able to buy so many pills. It's fortunate that we have a batch of Qi-Gathering Pills and Body-Strengthening Powder in stock, which can definitely meet Young Master Zhang's needs."

Mo Hanlin took out an abacus, clicked it a few times, and smiled, saying, "Fifty Qi-Gathering Pills and thirty Body-Strengthening Powder, the original price is 80,000 silver coins. However, since Young Master Zhang is buying such a large quantity, there will be a discount. Yes! You only need to pay 72,000 silver coins!"

Zhang Ruochen smiled, "Shopkeeper, you are a straightforward person. In the future, I will buy pills from you."

Zhang Ruochen didn't have enough silver coins left to pay such a large sum, so he went to the Martial Market bank to withdraw 200,000 silver coins.

Spending 72,000 silver coins, plus the remaining silver coins, he still had 135,000 silver coins left.

Completing this large transaction, Mo Hanlin's face was beaming, and he asked, "Young Master Zhang, do you need to buy anything else?"

Zhang Ruochen replied, "The things I need to buy, you definitely don't have in stock."

Mo Hanlin asked, "Is Young Master Zhang looking for a suitable weapon?"

Zhang Ruochen looked at the shopkeeper with more respect, "Shopkeeper, you have a keen eye."

Mo Hanlin smiled, "I've been a shopkeeper for decades and have seen thousands of martial artists. I've rarely seen anyone not wearing a weapon. How about this! Our Qingxuan Pavilion also has a branch in the Weapon Market. I'll send a young helper to take you there."

A moment later, Mo Hanlin found a chubby boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old and said to him, "Hanzi, take this distinguished Young Master Zhang to the Weapon Market immediately. Tell the boss lady that Young Master Zhang is a distinguished guest of our Qingxuan Pavilion and should be given an appropriate discount."

The chubby boy, Hanzi, widened his eyes and shook his head vigorously, "No! No! I don't want to see the boss lady. She can steal a man's soul. If I see her, I'm dead."

Mo Hanlin was furious and shouted, "You're not a man yet, you're just a half-grown boy. What are you afraid of? Fine! If you don't go, I won't give you any Qi-Gathering Pills this month."

Hanzi immediately panicked and said, "No, no, I'll go, I'll go! I'll go, okay!"

Hanzi walked over to Zhang Ruochen and respectfully said, "Young Master Zhang, please follow me."

Zhang Ruochen nodded and followed Hanzi to the Weapon Market.

Zhang Ruochen felt that this shopkeeper of Qingxuan Pavilion was somewhat unusual, not an ordinary person. Of course, he wasn't worried that the shopkeeper had any ill intentions, as the Martial Market was strictly guarded by the military, and no one dared to cause trouble there.

Hanzi whispered, "Young Master Zhang, are you really going to buy a weapon from the boss lady? The boss lady can steal a man's soul! Young Master Zhang, are you a man?"

"Um... I'm just a boy!" Zhang Ruochen replied.

Hanzi let out a long sigh of relief, "That's great!"

Hanzi was chubby and fair-skinned, with a topknot and large ears, and his eyes were as small as soybeans.

Zhang Ruochen was curious and asked, "You say the boss lady can steal a man's soul. Is she very beautiful?"

Hanzi nodded, "The boss lady is indeed very beautiful, a true beauty. She is sensual and alluring, and a single glance from her can make a man's heart race. Just looking at her can make a man blush and feel flustered. But what you don't know is that the boss lady has already married seven husbands."

"Married seven husbands?" Zhang Ruochen was somewhat surprised.

Hanzi continued, "Yes! All seven husbands died, and they all died on their wedding night."

Zhang Ruochen asked, "What happened to their businesses after they died?"

"Of course, they all went to the boss lady! Even our shopkeeper is just working for her."

Hanzi whispered, "The boss lady is like a heavenly curse, a soul-stealer, a fox spirit. Any man who sees her can hardly survive for three days. Fortunately, we are just boys, so we shouldn't be affected by her."

Zhang Ruochen nodded, "I hope so!"