Chapter 29

On the training ground, Zhang Ruochen and Situ Linjiang fought even more intensely, their sword and spear shadows colliding, producing deafening roars.

"Boom!"

Situ Linjiang held the long spear with both hands, striking the ground and shattering the stone slabs into fragments. With a wave of the spear, the fragments flew toward Zhang Ruochen.

"Bang bang!"

Zhang Ruochen swung his sword.

The fragments turned into stone powder.

At that moment, Situ Linjiang thrust his spear through the stone powder, aiming for Zhang Ruochen's chest.

Just as Situ Linjiang thought he had the upper hand, a sword shadow flashed past his eyes at incredible speed, leaving only a green sword light visible.

Then, he felt a pain in his wrist, and the black spear flew out of his hand.

Zhang Ruochen's sword had left a shallow blood mark on his wrist, almost severing his right hand.

"I haven't lost yet!"

As the spear flew out, Situ Linjiang was only momentarily stunned before he charged at Zhang Ruochen, aiming a punch at his face.

He wanted to turn the tide and win!

"Do you still want to fight?"

Zhang Ruochen held his sword in one hand and formed a palm with the other, his body tensed like a bow, and he charged forward, executing the first palm of the Dragon Elephant Bodhi Palm, "Mighty Elephant Charging the Earth." The palm strike unleashed the power of sixteen oxen.

At the same time, Zhang Ruochen's arm trembled, and the Green Water Sword emitted a sharp whistling sound, piercing forward like a white rainbow, forming seven sword shadows.

The Heavenly Heart Sword Technique, Heavenly Heart Breaking Plum!

He combined the palm technique and sword technique, executing them simultaneously.

Zhang Ruochen seemed to split into two, his left and right hands acting independently, launching attacks at the same time.

His combat power immediately doubled.

"Boom!"

Situ Linjiang's fist collided with Zhang Ruochen's palm. He was surprised to find that Zhang Ruochen's palm force was incredibly strong, able to match his own.

After all, he had unleashed the power of sixteen oxen. Could Zhang Ruochen also unleash such terrifying power?

Before Situ Linjiang could think more, Zhang Ruochen's sword pierced forward again.

"Whoosh!"

The sharp sword qi cut through Situ Linjiang's neck, leaving a crimson sword mark.

Zhang Ruochen alternated between using his palm and sword, forcing Situ Linjiang to retreat continuously.

Situ Linjiang had never seen anyone who could use their left and right hands completely independently, unaffected by each other. It was as if he was fighting two Zhang Ruochens at the same time, becoming increasingly passive.

Before long, he had two more sword wounds on his body.

"I have lost!"

Situ Linjiang admitted defeat, unwilling to continue the fight.

Zhang Ruochen immediately stopped, retracted the sword he was about to thrust, and prepared to leave the training ground.

Situ Linjiang said, "I want to know, how did you manage to use both your hands independently, one for the palm and one for the sword?"

Zhang Ruochen turned around, staring at Situ Linjiang, and said, "When your mental power reaches a certain level, not only can you use both hands independently, but you can even use three or four hands at the same time."

"Do martial artists also cultivate mental power?" Situ Linjiang asked in confusion.

"If you are willing to cultivate, you can choose to do so. If you are not willing, you don't have to. The choice is entirely yours," Zhang Ruochen said indifferently.

In the Kunlun Realm, only weapon masters, alchemists, and beast tamers cultivate mental power.

Because only with strong mental power can one engrave inscriptions, refine true martial treasures, and alchemical elixirs. Additionally, only by engraving inscriptions in the bodies of beasts can they be tamed into mounts and battle beasts.

Because it would waste time cultivating martial arts, martial artists generally do not deliberately cultivate mental power.

In fact, as one's martial cultivation improves, their mental power also increases, but the rate of increase is very slow.

If one does not deliberately cultivate mental power, a martial artist can only achieve the ability to use both hands independently when they reach the Heaven Extreme Realm.

In his previous life, while cultivating martial arts, Zhang Ruochen also cultivated mental power, and his mental power had reached a very high level.

Reborn in this body, although he had lost his cultivation, his mental power remained.

With Zhang Ruochen's current mental power, not only could he use both hands independently, but he could even use three hands at the same time.

After Situ Linjiang admitted defeat, the sound of conch shells and war drums immediately rang out outside the training ground, announcing the official end of this year's year-end assessment.

The top five in this year's year-end assessment, from first to fifth, were: Zhang Ruochen, Situ Linjiang, Xue Kai, the Fifth Prince, and Lin Nishan.

The top five young geniuses, besides being able to cultivate in the Savage God Pool once, would also receive additional rewards.

Zhang Ruochen's reward was a sixth-grade true martial treasure-grade armor, the "Icefire Qilin Armor," said to be made from the scales of the legendary beast king, the Qilin, and was extremely precious with astonishing defensive power.

In terms of value, armor is much more precious than weapons of the same grade.

One could say that a sixth-grade true martial treasure-grade armor is worth as much as a seventh-grade true martial treasure-grade weapon.

"This Icefire Qilin Armor is worth at least a million silver coins, comparable to a lower-grade spirit-level martial technique. Even the royal family of Yunwu County probably doesn't have many such treasures! The reward for the first place in the year-end assessment is so generous?" Zhang Ruochen was very surprised and glanced at the Yunwu County King standing above.

Then, he understood.

After all, he was the son of the Yunwu County King. Even if the Icefire Qilin Armor was given to him, it would still be a treasure of the royal family.

If Situ Linjiang had won first place, the reward would definitely not be something of the same level as the Icefire Qilin Armor.

Moreover, the Yunwu County King giving the Icefire Qilin Armor to Zhang Ruochen was likely to make up for the years of neglect.

The Icefire Qilin Armor was actually a piece of armor that only covered the upper body. When Zhang Ruochen infused it with true qi, the Icefire Qilin Armor immediately emitted a blue and red glow, releasing the power of ice and fire.

"Humph!"

Seeing Zhang Ruochen put on the Icefire Qilin Armor, the queen, sitting above, had a cold expression, her eyes flashing with a hint of killing intent.

She stood up, flicked her sleeves, and turned to leave, leaving behind a cold and proud back.

At that moment, the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince were staring at Zhang Ruochen with envy and jealousy.

The Fifth Prince's heart was filled with hatred, and he sneered, "So what if he shows talent in cultivation? The higher the talent, the faster the death. Just wait and see! The queen will not let him grow!"

"Even if his talent is high, compared to the Seventh Prince, he is still far behind. Haha! Even the woman he likes will marry the Seventh Prince as a concubine. What's there to be proud of?" The Sixth Prince sneered.

In fact, they were just jealous of Zhang Ruochen. Because of jealousy, they harbored hatred.

...

The Savage God Pool, one of the most precious treasures of the royal family.

Over the course of hundreds of years, the royal family's generations of strong warriors captured tens of thousands of beasts, gathering their blood into a massive blood pool. This blood pool is the Savage God Pool.

Only the most outstanding geniuses can enter the Savage God Pool to cultivate.

The Savage God Pool is located beneath the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Every year, during the grand ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the blood of the beasts sacrificed would flow directly into the Savage God Pool, replenishing it with fresh blood.

Because the Savage God Pool is infused with sacrificial blood, it has given birth to a mysterious power. Young martial artists who enter the Savage God Pool can absorb the blood essence, strengthening their martial bodies and helping to open more meridians.

The more talented the martial artist, the more benefits they receive.

Under the guidance of the Imperial Tutor, Zhang Ruochen, Situ Linjiang, Xue Kai, the Fifth Prince, and Lin Nishan came to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

"Entering the Imperial Ancestral Temple, one must bow to the emperors and kings of the Kunlun Realm, showing respect to the sages. Especially to the Great Sage Empress Chiryo! Empress Chiryo! Ruling the world, her power extends in all directions! Eternal youth, immortal and undying!"

The Imperial Tutor recited aloud and knelt to bow, extremely devout.

"Empress Chiryo! Ruling the world, her power extends in all directions! Eternal youth, immortal and undying!"

Then, Situ Linjiang, Xue Kai, the Fifth Prince, and Lin Nishan also recited aloud, kneeling and bowing to the stone statue of Empress Chiryo.

Only Zhang Ruochen stood there, motionless, his eyes devoid of any respect, filled only with intense hatred.

Chiryo, wait for me. When my cultivation is complete, it will be the time to see you.

Eight hundred years! You probably don't know that the person you killed eight hundred years ago has come back to life!

...

I am very sorry, there was a power outage today, so there is only one chapter. This chapter was written in an internet cafe! Sweat!