Chapter 86: The Prodigy Luo Xu
"This year's top freshman will definitely be Prince Huo Xing."
"If he can get through the first trial of the third floor, that would be impressive. They say that when those three female demons from the Martial Market Academy took the entrance exam, they all passed the first trial of the third floor of the Martial Tower."
...
The crowd buzzed with excited discussion.
About ten more minutes passed before Prince Huo Xing finally emerged from the Martial Tower.
Elder Situ immediately went up to him and asked, "Did you pass the first trial of the third floor?"
A hint of a smile played on Prince Huo Xing's face as he glanced arrogantly at the other young martial artists. Finally, his gaze settled on Zhang Ruochen. Smiling, he said, "I passed the first trial of the third floor, but unfortunately, I was defeated at the second trial of the third floor."
"Excellent!" Elder Situ said, overjoyed.
As soon as Prince Huo Xing finished speaking, the area outside the Martial Tower erupted in excitement.
Incredible!
He had actually passed the first trial of the third floor. His talent was probably not far behind those three female demons who ruled the Western Campus.
"Amazing! With talent as strong as Prince Huo Xing's, he might be able to break the Western Campus's trend of feminine dominance," a male outer academy student said excitedly.
"He's definitely the top freshman."
Amid the chorus of praise, the next batch of martial artists entered the Martial Tower.
This batch included not only Zi Xi but also Yao Qingtong, the proud daughter of the Jingyue Commandery.
Ten people entered the tower at once.
Four minutes later, the first martial artist failed and withdrew from the tower.
Ten minutes later, five more had withdrawn.
Soon after, the lights on the second floor of the Martial Tower lit up.
The nine elders below nodded in approval. One of them remarked, "This batch isn't bad. Four of them made it to the second floor. I wonder how far they can go?"
"Yao Qingtong has been a genius since childhood. She awakened her Divine Martial Mark at the age of four, and it's a sixth-grade Flying Snow Divine Martial Mark. Passing the third trial of the second floor shouldn't be difficult for her."
Elder Xie was also confident in Zi Xi, believing she had a chance to pass the third trial of the second floor.
Half an hour later, the lights on the third floor of the Martial Tower lit up.
By this time, only eight martial artists had withdrawn from the tower. That meant two people had passed the third trial of the second floor.
And those two were now attempting the first trial of the third floor!
"Those two are Yao Qingtong of the Jingyue Commandery and Zi Xi of the Yunwu Commandery. It seems the Western Campus has produced two more exceptionally talented female prodigies this year."
The nine elders exchanged slightly awkward glances. The Western Campus had been dominated by women for nearly a century.
They had thought Prince Huo Xing's appearance might change that, but who could have predicted the sudden emergence of two more talented girls?
This was dangerous!
If they also passed the first trial of the third floor, then for the next few years, the Western Campus would continue to be ruled by female students, leaving the male students with little chance to rise.
Prince Huo Xing sneered, "The first trial of the third floor is so difficult that even I almost failed. There's no way they'll pass it."
Zhang Ruochen, however, had confidence in Zi Xi. After all, she possessed the bloodline of a Saint, giving her a unique constitution. Her vision, hearing, and sense of smell were all incredibly enhanced.
Her talent was definitely no less than Prince Huo Xing's—in fact, she might even be slightly superior.
Before long, Yao Qingtong and Zi Xi emerged from the Martial Tower almost simultaneously.
The nine elders immediately went to ask about their results.
Yao Qingtong said, "I passed the first trial of the third floor but was defeated at the second trial."
Zi Xi nodded as well. "Same for me."
All nine elders smiled at once. This year's freshmen were outrageously talented—three prodigies had passed the first trial of the third floor in a row.
In the history of the Western Campus, there were often decades without a single person passing that trial.
But in recent years, it had been happening frequently.
This was a sign of great prosperity!
Barring any surprises, Prince Huo Xing, Yao Qingtong, and Zi Xi would be the top three freshmen this year. Their exact rankings would depend on their performance in the Martial Tower.
"Miss Zi is incredibly strong! She passed the first trial of the third floor—she'll definitely receive focused training," a martial artist from the Yunwu Commandery said enviously.
Liu Chengfeng wore a bitter expression. "This year's freshmen are just too monstrous. I thought I had a chance at the top ten, but now that seems unlikely."
"Next round of Martial Tower challengers: Liu Chengfeng, Zhang Ruochen, Xie Zhaowu..."
Including Liu Chengfeng and Zhang Ruochen, ten young martial artists stepped forward from the crowd and stood before the nine elders.
Among them were six at the early Mysterious Extreme Realm, three at the mid Mysterious Extreme Realm, and one at the Minor Extreme Position of the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
That Minor Extreme Position martial artist was named Xie Zhaowu, a genius from the Xie Clan of the Four Directions Commandery.
Xie Zhaowu glanced at Zhang Ruochen and the others, a hint of disdain in his eyes. *Their cultivation is too weak. In this batch, I will definitely stand out and be the best.*
Prince Huo Xing stared at Zhang Ruochen, frowning slightly. "He managed to kill Qing You, so his talent must be high. But he's only at the mid Mysterious Extreme Realm. At most, he'll pass the third trial of the second floor."
The ten entered the first floor of the Martial Tower.
Inside the tower's entrance, there were ten smaller doors.
Above each small door were three ancient characters—First Trial.
Zhang Ruochen acted casually, walking straight into the second small door. The other nine martial artists each chose a door and entered.
As soon as Zhang Ruochen stepped through the small door, he found himself in a closed training ground with iron walls on all four sides.
The training ground was quite spacious—twenty meters long and wide, with a height of thirty meters. On the iron walls were sixteen recesses, each holding a bronze lamp.
Zhang Ruochen walked to the center of the training ground and looked up at the stone ceiling.
A young martial artist, about twenty years old, emerged from the stone wall and stood opposite Zhang Ruochen. "I am Luo Xu, representing the strongest power at the mid Mysterious Extreme Realm. If you can withstand three of my strikes, you will pass the first trial."
The Luo Xu standing before Zhang Ruochen was not a real person but a spiritual construct formed by the Martial Tower's spiritual energy.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "You represent the strongest power at the mid Mysterious Extreme Realm?"
Luo Xu smiled. "The Western Campus of the Martial Market Academy in the Demon Ridge has been open for 460 years. Every year, young martial artists come to challenge the Martial Tower—not just freshmen like you, but also senior students who have trained here for a while. I am the most powerful mid Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artist in the Western Campus's 460-year history."
Zhang Ruochen seemed to understand. "So if my cultivation reaches the late Mysterious Extreme Realm, I would face the most powerful late Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artist in the Western Campus's history?"
Luo Xu smiled. "Exactly."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "So, if I withstand three of your strikes, I pass the first trial?"
"That's right."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "And what if I defeat you?"
Luo Xu replied, "Then you would advance directly to the second trial, and from now on, you would replace me as the gatekeeper for mid Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artists. But defeating me won't be easy."
"Let's give it a try."
Zhang Ruochen drew his Flash Soul Sword, holding it horizontally as he stood, his entire being merging with the surrounding space.
He did not use his Space Domain. He simply wanted a fair fight against the most powerful mid Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artist in the Western Campus's 460-year history.
In the central chamber of the Martial Tower, two exceptionally beautiful women sat.
The woman with the surname Huang and the young girl with the surname Duanmu sat cross-legged in the center of the chamber. Before them floated ten spiritual mirrors, displaying the challenge scenes of the ten martial artists.
Normally, the tower was guarded by two silver-robed elders of the Martial Market Academy.
But the woman surnamed Huang and the girl surnamed Duanmu wanted to see the prodigies among this year's freshmen, so they had negotiated with the two elders to take over guarding the tower.
The woman surnamed Huang exuded a cold, elegant aura. Her sapphire-blue hair cascaded down her cheeks, making her skin appear exceptionally fair. Staring at the ten spiritual mirrors, she said indifferently, "After Huo Xing, Yao Qingtong, and Zi Xi, there's nothing interesting left in this year's Martial Tower challenge. Even if another prodigy appears, they won't surpass those three. Overall, this year's freshmen are decent. I'm going back to cultivate."
The woman surnamed Huang seemed uninterested. She stood up, her tall, graceful figure fully revealed, and walked toward the exit of the tower.
The girl surnamed Duanmu, however, continued staring at one of the spiritual mirrors, her eyes growing brighter. "Interesting! Very interesting!"
The woman surnamed Huang, who had already reached the door, stopped and said flatly, "Duanmu Xingling, are you still watching?"
The girl, who looked about thirteen or fourteen, was one of the three female demons of the Western Campus—Duanmu Xingling.
The woman surnamed Huang was also one of the three female demons, named Huang Yanchen.
Both were martial artists on the Xuan Ranking, dominating the Western Campus and practically invincible.
Duanmu Xingling waved at Huang Yanchen. "Chen Jie, come look! That mid Mysterious Extreme Realm martial artist is actually fighting evenly with Luo Xu!"
"Impossible! Luo Xu is the most outstanding prodigy in the 460-year history of the Martial Market Academy in the Demon Ridge—a true genius. Could someone actually match him at the same cultivation level?"
Huang Yanchen found it hard to believe, but she walked back and looked at the spiritual mirror.
On the mirror, two men were engaged in fierce combat.
They moved at incredible speed, leaving behind over a dozen afterimages.
Huang Yanchen's expression finally shifted slightly. A hint of joy appeared in her beautiful starry eyes, as if she had discovered a new continent. "How many moves have they exchanged so far?"
Duanmu Xingling said, "Seventy-four moves!"
Huang Yanchen sat back down cross-legged, picked up a list from the ground, and glanced at it. "He must be the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery, Zhang Ruochen. His name also contains the character 'Chen'—doesn't he know that's a taboo for me?"
Duanmu Xingling laughed. "Are you going to force him to change his name?"
"We'll talk after he finishes the Martial Tower challenge."
Huang Yanchen said coldly, "If he can withstand a hundred moves from Luo Xu, that means he's a top-tier prodigy. As long as he changes his name, I might spare his life."
She did have some appreciation for top-tier prodigies.
Suddenly, the scene on the spiritual mirror changed. Zhang Ruochen's swordsmanship became fierce, forcing Luo Xu to retreat step by step.
"Impossible!"
Duanmu Xingling and Huang Yanchen both held their breath, staring intently at the mirror.