"Yes! It is indeed a sword technique of inferior spiritual grade, and moreover, it is a set of sword moves personally drawn by a powerful predecessor of the Heavenly Extreme Realm!" Lin Fengxian's face lit up with joy, and he promptly put away the oral formulas and sword move diagrams of the Heavenly Heart Sword Technique.
Excellent! Acquiring this kind of inferior spiritual grade sword technique would greatly enhance the Lin family's heritage.
The chief steward approached Zhang Ruyi and said, "My lord, the 'Heavenly Heart Sword Technique' was auctioned for a total of 1.24 million silver coins. After deducting the 12,000 coins paid to the auction house, the net amount is 1.228 million coins. Would my lord like to exchange it all for spiritual crystals, exchange some for blood elixirs, or deposit it in the Wushi Bank?"
Ordinary people conduct transactions using copper, silver, and gold coins. However, martial practitioners typically trade in blood elixirs or spiritual crystals.
Zhang Ruyi replied, "Deposit 1.2 million silver coins into Wushi Bank, exchange 20,000 coins for spiritual crystals, and take the remaining 8,000 coins as cash."
Half an hour later, the chief steward handed Zhang Ruyi a yellow crystal card made of spirit stone and said, "My lord, this is a three-star noble card from Wushi Bank, with 1.2 million silver coins already deposited."
The "noble card" symbolized status, and very few people in the Yunwu County could possess a three-star noble card. Having a three-star noble card indicated a wealth of over one million silver coins.
Subsequently, the chief steward handed Zhang Ruyi a parcel containing twenty spiritual crystals and eight thousand silver coins.
Without saying a word, Zhang Ruyi picked up the parcel and walked out of the central auction house.
"That person's figure looks familiar!" Lin Zengshan stared at the gradually receding figure and felt a sense of familiarity.
Lin Fengxian said, "I also feel somewhat familiar. I believe I saw him in the royal palace. This person is extraordinary, and his true identity is likely quite intimidating."
Curious, Lin Zengshan asked, "Father, why do you say that?"
Lin Fengxian solemnly replied, "The ink of the 'Heavenly Heart Sword Technique' has not dried, indicating that the sword diagrams were drawn today. The person who drew the 'Heavenly Heart Sword Technique' must be a powerful practitioner of the Heavenly Extreme Realm."
"In other words, either he is the practitioner of the Heavenly Extreme Realm himself, or he has the backing of one. In either case, this person is not someone we can provoke."
"The practitioner of the Heavenly Extreme Realm..." Lin Zengshan was shocked and said, "Even Grandfather seems to have not yet broken through to the Heavenly Extreme Realm."
Lin Fengxian nodded, his eyes revealing a hint of longing.
The four major realms of martial arts are: the Yellow Extreme Realm, the Profound Extreme Realm, the Earth Extreme Realm, and the Heavenly Extreme Realm.
The "Heavenly Extreme Realm" represents the ultimate level of martial arts, a mythical realm where one person can withstand ten thousand troops alone, truly embodying the essence of a formidable warrior.
After surpassing the Heavenly Extreme Realm, one transcends the scope of martial arts, even the limits of the mortal body, and uses techniques that ordinary martial artists cannot imagine.
Lin Zengshan said, "There should not be many practitioners of the Heavenly Extreme Realm in the royal palace. If we investigate, we might be able to uncover his identity."
Lin Fengxian's expression turned serious as he said, "Never do such a foolish thing. If we offend a practitioner of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, our entire Lin family will pay a painful price."
Lin Zengshan's eyes shimmered with wisdom as she said, "Father, I have a question. Since he is an important figure in the royal palace, he shouldn't lack silver coins. Why did he put up a spiritual-grade sword technique for auction?"
Lin Fengxian contemplated for a moment and said, "The eight spiritual-grade martial arts of the royal family are all renowned battle skills, and the 'Heavenly Heart Sword Technique' is not among them. It's best for us not to investigate further. A practitioner of the Heavenly Extreme Realm is not someone we in the Lin family should offend."
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"Shan'er, you possess the Martial Mark of the Sword Dao and are the best candidate to practice the 'Heavenly Heart Sword Technique.' When you return, you should seclude yourself to cultivate the technique. If you can master the first move within three months, you will surely shine among the young talents of the royal family at the year-end assessment."
Leaving the central auction house, Zhang Ruyi exited the Wushi and circled around the city, finding a secluded location to change out of his black cloak and golden-ornamented boots, putting them into a temporal crystal and donning a pair of plain cloth shoes.
In this attire, he appeared as an ordinary young martial practitioner.
"No one should recognize me as the mysterious figure who just auctioned the Heavenly Heart Sword Technique."
With the package containing spiritual crystals and silver coins in hand, Zhang Ruyi re-entered the martial market to purchase the items he needed.
First, he spent 4,000 silver coins to buy twenty vials of Marrow-Cleansing Elixir.
Then, he spent 1,000 silver coins to purchase two hundred blood elixirs. With his current cultivation, one superior blood elixir was sufficient. Two hundred superior blood elixirs would last him half a year.
Next, he purchased two other items to enhance his cultivation, Body-Refining Powder and Qi-Gathering Pill.
Both of these items were extremely expensive. Even the talented disciples of prominent families could not afford such treasures during the early stages of the Yellow Extreme Realm.
For Zhang Ruyi, who was "wealthy and powerful," it was worthwhile to spend as much silver as needed to rapidly enhance his cultivation.
Finally, he used five spiritual crystals to buy five vials of Body-Refining Powder and ten spiritual crystals to buy ten Qi-Gathering Pills.
In addition, he spent five hundred silver coins to buy a Bone-Mending Ointment for Yuner. Excluding the 1.2 million silver coins in the Wushi Bank, he had five spiritual crystals and two thousand five hundred silver coins left.
After storing all the elixirs in the temporal crystal, Zhang Ruyi returned to the royal palace.
"Yuner, this is the Bone-Mending Ointment I bought for you. It will surely help your arm heal faster." Zhang Ruyi took out an exquisite ebony box and handed it to Yuner.
Yuner was slightly shocked and somewhat flustered as she accepted the box, opening it to reveal a fragrant medicinal scent.
Feeling both grateful and astonished, she asked, "Prince Nine, where did you get the silver to buy the Bone-Mending Ointment? The cheapest ointment costs two hundred silver coins, and some better ones can cost up to five hundred."
Zhang Ruyi smiled and said, "Yuner, I have some secrets that I can't tell you for now. I hope you can keep them for me."
Yuner stared deeply at Zhang Ruyi, nodded, and whispered, "Can I tell Lady Lin Fei?"
"Not for now," Zhang Ruyi said.
"Alright, I promise," Yuner clutched the ebony box tightly, feeling both relieved and content. If Prince Nine could spend several hundred silver coins to buy her the Bone-Mending Ointment, he must have an extraordinary opportunity. Perhaps Prince Nine could become a formidable martial practitioner in the future!
Zhang Ruyi asked, "There's something I've been puzzling over, and I hope you can tell me the truth, Yuner. Since Mother is the biological sister of the Lin family head, why did she sever ties with the Lin family? What happened three years ago?"
Yuner sighed and said, "Because Prince Nine has always been frail and sickly, we kept this matter concealed. Now that Prince Nine has awakened his Martial Mark, I'll tell you."
"You should remember the Lin family's top talent, Lin Chenyu. He is your cousin and the eldest son of the Lin family head, having reached the complete stage of the Yellow Extreme Realm at just seventeen."
"However, three years ago, Lin Chenyu offended an even more extraordinary genius and had his legs broken by that individual, then imprisoned."
"How could this happen?" Zhang Ruyi asked. "The Lin family is a top family in the Yunwu County. Who would dare imprison the Lin family's top talent? Does the genius whom Lin Chenyu offended have an outstanding background?"
Yuner nodded and said, "That's right! The person Lin Chenyu offended is none other than the most illustrious genius in the Yunwu County, the Seventh Prince. None of the other geniuses can hold a candle to him in front of the Seventh Prince."
"I see," Zhang Ruyi finally understood.
Yuner continued, "After Lin Chenyu was imprisoned, the Lin family head immediately rushed to the royal palace to implore Lady Lin Fei to intercede with the County Prince. As long as Lin Chenyu's life was spared, the Lin family was willing to pay any price."
"Lady Lin Fei went to plead with the County Prince, but she was stopped by the Queen. Because of this incident, Lady Lin Fei and the Queen had a dispute, and the Queen, in a fit of rage, ordered thirty lashes for Lady Lin Fei. By the time the thirty lashes were administered, Lady Lin Fei was covered in blood and barely alive."
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruyi struck the pillar with his fist, gritting his teeth and saying, "How could the Yunwu County Prince ignore this matter?"
"You should know that the Seventh Prince is the most favored son of the County Prince among his nine sons, and the County Prince has high hopes for him. When the Yunwu County Prince learned the truth, he found that Lin Chenyu was truly at fault and had nearly been killed by Lin Chenyu."
"Due to this incident, the Yunwu County Prince was furious. He believed that it was Lin Chenyu's fault, yet Lady Lin Fei still sought leniency for him, which was utterly unreasonable."
"The Yunwu County Prince used to adore Lady Lin Fei, but after this incident, he became very distant from her."
"Despite Lady Lin Fei's suffering, the Lin family members failed to understand. They did not dare to offend the Queen and the Seventh Prince, and so they placed all the blame on Lady Lin Fei. They believed that it was because Lady Lin Fei did not plead with the County Prince that the Lin family lost a top talent. Since then, the Lin family has completely cut ties with Lady Lin Fei and no longer recognizes her as part of the family."
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Ruyi felt a bitter resentment towards the injustice suffered by Lady Lin Fei. He clenched his fist, struck the pillar again, and said in a low voice, "Power! In this world, without great power, one cannot stand firm, nor can they receive fair treatment!"
(End of this chapter)