On the drill ground, Zhang Ruochen fought against Situ Linjiang fiercely. The sword shadow and spear collided with each other, which let out a deafening bang.
“Boom!”
Gripping a long spear in his hands, Situ Linjiang stabbed it into the ground, shattering the flagstone, turning it into gravel instantly. He spun his spear and then all of the gravel flew toward Zhang Ruochen.
“Bang, Bang!”
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword and chopped straight down.
All of the gravel was smashed and altered into stone powder immediately.
Then Situ Linjiang seized his chance and tried to stab at the chest of Zhang Ruochen through the stone powder.
While Situ Linjiang was immersed in complacency since he thought he was sure to win, his eyes then blurred suddenly and a sword shadow flashed before him. All he saw was a streak of blue sword radiance.
Then Situ Linjiang felt a pain in his wrist. His long black spear slipped out of his grip and flew from his hand.
It was Zhang Ruochen who left a deep wound on his wrist, very close to cutting off his right hand.
“I still have a chance to win!” Situ Linjiang said to himself.
Situ Linjiang was being absent-minded when his long spear flew out of his fist. He immediately sobered and dashed toward Zhang Ruochen. This time, Situ Linjiang intended to plant his fist in the face of Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen realized that Situ Linjiang was going to strike to win!
“Want another round of fighting?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
With one hand holding his sword, Zhang Ruochen used his other hand to use the first palm of the Dragon and Elephant Prajna Palm, Elephant Galloping. He bent his body and charged forward. After giving one palm, he unleashed the Strength of Sixteen Bulls.
When Zhang Ruochen shook his arm, a loud screech broke out from the Blue Water Sword. It looked like the landscape of a white rainbow crossing the sun, casting seven sword shadows onto the ground.
“The Sacred Sword Skill! The Sacred Breaking Plum Sword!”
By integrating his palm technique with his sword technique, Zhang Ruochen used them at the same time.
It was almost like Zhang Ruochen had split into two, and he made the attack simultaneously and smoothly with each hand.
His fighting capacity was suddenly doubled.
“Boom!”
When Situ Linjiang’s fist made contact with Zhang Ruochen’s fist, he was surprised to find that the palm strength of Zhang Ruochen was quite violent and the equivalent to his fist.
After all, Situ Linjiang could manifest the Strength of Sixteen Bulls. He wondered if Zhang Ruochen could also break out such awesome power.
Situ Linjiang had no time to really think about it since Zhang Ruochen was thrusting his sword toward him again.
“Phhf!”
A blast of sharp Sword Breath whipped through Situ Linjiang, leaving a red sword mark on his neck.
Zhang Ruochen easily shifted between his palm and sword, forcing Situ Linjiang to keep stepping back.
Situ Linjiang had never seen someone separate his left hand from his right hand. They could work independently without any difficulty. He thought that it was like contending with two incarnations of Zhang Ruochen, thus landing himself in a defensive position.
It was not long before he had another two wounds caused by Zhang Ruochen’s sword.
“I’ve failed!”
Situ Linjiang gave in and had no intention to continue fighting.
Zhang Ruochen stopped his attack and withdrew his sword, planning to exit the drill ground.
Situ Linjiang asked, “Can you tell me how you were able to accomplish that level of multitasking? One hand for the palm, the other hand for the sword? It seems impossible.”
Turning around, Zhang Ruochen glanced at Situ Linjiang and answered, “When your Spiritual Power is strong enough, you are able to do two, three, or even four things at the same time.”
“Do warriors also need to practice their Spiritual Power?” Situ Linjiang asked.
“You can practice if you want. You can choose not to practice if you want. Your choice is your own,” Zhang Ruochen replied coolly.
In Kunlun’s Field, only weapon refiners, alchemists, and tamers often practiced their Spiritual Power.
Only after your Spiritual Power had become strong enough would you be able to depict the inscription and refine the Genuine Martial Arms and panaceas. In the meantime, only when one’s recorded inscription was in the body of the savage beast were you able to tame them to be your flying mount or warbeast.
Generally speaking, warriors did not bother with practicing their Spiritual Power as it was a time-consuming process.
Actually, with the enhancement of Martial Arts cultivation, a warrior’s Spiritual Power would also improve, but fairly slowly.
If the warrior did not practice their Spiritual Power purposely, they would not attain that level of Multitasking until they arrived at the Heaven Realm.
In his last lifetime, Zhang Ruochen practiced both his Martial Arts and Spiritual Power. Notably, the strength of his Spiritual Power had entered into a high realm.
In this lifetime, he had been reborn into this weak body. Although he had lost all of his cultivation, his Spiritual Power had been retained.
With his present Spiritual Power level, he could achieve Multitasking, doing even three things at one time.
When Situ Linjiang gave up the battle, the sound of a triton’s trumpet and a war drum came from the military drill ground, which officially announced an end to this year’s Year-end Assessment.
Arranged from high to low, the top five for the Year-end Assessment were: Zhang Ruochen, Situ Linjiang, Xue Kai, the Fifth Prince, and Lin Ningshan.
The top five young geniuses would get an extra reward besides the opportunity to practice in the Savage God’s Pool.
Zhang Ruochen obtained the armor of a sixth-class Genuine Martial Arm called the Ice-fire Kylin Armour. Recognized for its great value and amazing defensive power, it was said to be refined from the scales of the king of the savage beasts, a kylin.
When compared to a warrior from the same class, the armor was considered more valuable than the soldier.
Namely, the value of the armor of a sixth-class Genuine Martial Arm was equal to a soldier of the seventh-class Genuine Martial Arm.
“At a cost of at least a million silver coins, this Ice-fire Kylin Armor is comparable to a martial technique of the Low Class of the Spiritual. It’s even scarce for the Royal Family in the Yunwu Commandery. I can’t believe such a treasure was given to me as a reward for first place.” Zhang Ruochen was astonished and looked at the Yunwu Commandery Prince, who was standing on the top.
After pondering for just a moment, he understood immediately.
After all, Zhang Ruochen was the son of the Yunwu Commandery Prince. The precious Ice-fire Kylin Armor, though it was presented to him, still technically belonged to the Royal Family.
If Situ Linjiang had ranked first place, he would not have been rewarded the same treasure. It would have been another treasure, inferior to the Ice-fire Kylin Armor.
Perhaps the Yunwu Commandery Prince felt regret for Zhang Ruochen and Concubine Lin, thus rewarding the Ice-fire Kylin Armor to Zhang Ruochen as a form of compensation for his faults over the past years.
The Ice-fire Kylin Armor was an armor that only covered one’s upper body. When Zhang Ruochen injected his Genuine Qi into the armor, the Ice-fire Kylin Armor appeared blue and red instantly, emitting a combined power of icy cold and roaring flame.
“Humph!”
Upon seeing Zhang Ruochen wearing the Ice-fire Kylin Armor, the queen, sitting at the top, pulled a long face and looked quite serious. With a murderous intent flashing across her eyes, she stood up from her seat.
The queen swung her sleeves and turned away, turning her back on the drill ground.
The Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince all glared at Zhang Ruochen with great jealousy and admiration.
Harboring resentment in his heart, the Fifth Prince said with a grim smile, “It doesn’t matter how gifted he is in practice. The more outstanding he does, the sooner he will die. Wait and see. I believe our queen won’t let him reach his potential!”
“Even if he is extremely talented, he still falls far behind our Seventh Brother. Huh! Even his favorite woman will marry our Seventh Brother as his side imperial concubine. That’s nothing.” The Sixth Prince laughed coldly.
Actually, they just spoke out of jealousy. However, jealousy was the source of their hatred.
…
The Savage God’s Pool was one of the most precious and treasured places of the Royal Family.
It took hundreds of years for the pool to catch tens of thousands of savage beasts and to collect their blood from the past, which then changed into a vast blood pool. That was why it was named the Savage God’s Pool.
Only the most outstanding geniuses were allowed to practice in the Savage God’s Pool.
The Savage God’s Pool was beneath the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
The Ceremony of Worship was held annually in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, where people would kill savage beasts to replenish the Savage God’s Pool with fresh blood.
A mysterious power came into being when the blood from the sacrifice blended with the Savage God’s existing pool. Therefore, the young warriors who practiced in the Savage God’s Pool absorbed the essence of blood, and it would build up their body of Martial Arts, opening up more Meridians.
The greater the talent of the warrior, the more benefits he would gain.
Under the guidance of the minister, Zhang Ruochen, Situ Linjiang, Xue Kai, the Fifth Prince, and Lin Ningshan were brought to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
“Anyone who enters the Imperial Ancestral Temple should kowtow to the great emperors and queens of the past in Kunlun’s Field. Everyone should show respect to them, especially to the Holy Queen of Majesty and Morality, Empress Chi Yao, my lord! She governs the world and enjoys the majesty in all directions. Wish her a forever young and eternal life!”
The minister was piously praying and reading aloud while kneeling on the ground.
“Empress Chi Yao, my lord! She governs the world and enjoys the majesty that is in all directions. Wish her a forever young and eternal life!”
Situ Linjiang, Xue Kai, the Fifth Prince, and Lin Ningshan read and prayed. They knelt and kowtowed to the stone statue of Empress Chi Yao.
Only Zhang Ruochen stood still showing no respect but was filled with a bitter hatred for her.
“Chi Yao, wait for me. I will come to see you when I succeed in my cultivation,”Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
“800 years have passed. You probably don’t know that the one you killed 800 years ago was reborn anew!”
…