Chapter 89: Suppressing the Newcomer
Leaving the training ground, Zhang Ruochen arrived at the second trial of the third floor of the Martial Tower.
"Among this year's young martial artists, it seems no one has yet managed to pass the second trial of the third floor. This trial definitely won't be as easy as the second trial of the second floor."
Zhang Ruochen stared at the text on the wall, reading the rules for this trial.
"So that's all there is to it."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, then opened the door to the second trial of the third floor of the Martial Tower.
It was also a thirty-meter-long enclosed corridor, only three meters wide, with nine metal bronze warriors standing on each side of the corridor.
A total of eighteen metal bronze warriors!
According to the introduction in the trial rules, each bronze warrior's body weighed a thousand jin, all crafted by artifact refiners. Their bodies were inscribed with runes, embedded with spirit crystals, and as hard as True Martial Treasures.
In the field of artifact refining, they were called—Artifact Refining Warriors.
The strength and speed of each Artifact Refining Warrior were comparable to a peak Mysterious Extreme Realm late-stage martial artist.
It was worth noting that the bodies of Artifact Refining Warriors were like bronze and iron, possessing immense strength and no weaknesses. So, in actual combat, one Artifact Refining Warrior could contend with a Mysterious Extreme Realm Minor Extreme martial artist.
In other words, Zhang Ruochen now faced eighteen warriors comparable to Mysterious Extreme Realm Minor Extreme martial artists, all within such a narrow passage.
For a Mysterious Extreme Realm mid-stage martial artist to walk through this passage was nearly impossible.
"Zi Qian, Prince Huo Xing, and Yao Qingtong were all at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Minor Extreme level, so they must have faced eighteen Artifact Refining Warriors comparable to Mysterious Extreme Realm Major Extreme. No wonder they all failed. This trial is too insane!"
Zhang Ruochen put away the Flash Soul Sword because this trial prohibited the use of weapons.
"Let's fight!"
Zhang Ruochen rolled up his sleeves, his gaze gradually turning resolute, and took a step into the passage.
The two Artifact Refining Warriors at the front stirred slightly, and from their deep, hollow black eyes, two flames burst forth.
A metallic clang rang out as the two Artifact Refining Warriors came to life.
"Whoosh!"
Both Artifact Refining Warriors attacked simultaneously.
The one on the left threw a punch at Zhang Ruochen's face, its fist blazing with fire like a flame fist, unleashing terrifying power that surged toward Zhang Ruochen as a wave of heat.
The one on the right extended a steel leg, carrying a chilling icy force, sweeping toward Zhang Ruochen's lower body.
Their speed was astonishing, and within the narrow space, there was no way to dodge.
Zhang Ruochen leaned his body back slightly, dodging the metal fist of the left Artifact Refining Warrior. At the same time, he quickly struck out with a palm, hitting the warrior's chest.
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen's palm strike was incredibly powerful, sending that Artifact Refining Warrior crashing backward into the wall, causing the entire wall to tremble slightly.
But that Artifact Refining Warrior suffered no damage and immediately attacked Zhang Ruochen again.
"Immortal body?"
Zhang Ruochen was much faster than the Artifact Refining Warriors. He took three quick steps forward, evading the consecutive attacks of those two warriors.
However, a greater crisis emerged.
Because Zhang Ruochen had stepped forward three paces, he awakened the two Artifact Refining Warriors ahead.
The two warriors in front and the two behind surrounded Zhang Ruochen in the center, attacking him simultaneously.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Four Artifact Refining Warriors, eight metal arms, and eight metal legs all came at Zhang Ruochen at once.
Palm shadows and leg shadows filled every direction.
Zhang Ruochen's true qi circulated rapidly within his body. His legs moved swiftly, either side-kicking or sweeping. His arms swung continuously, either striking with palms or blocking.
"Elephant Charging the Earth!"
At an extremely fast speed, Zhang Ruochen unleashed four palm strikes in succession.
"Boom!"
All four Artifact Refining Warriors were sent flying by Zhang Ruochen, some crashing into the walls, others falling to the ground, scattered and chaotic.
Zhang Ruochen continued forward, and two more Artifact Refining Warriors attacked him simultaneously, while the four behind picked themselves up and chased after him again.
"No good! I must finish this quickly. If I get surrounded by all eighteen Artifact Refining Warriors, I'll definitely lose." This thought flashed rapidly through Zhang Ruochen's mind.
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen crouched down, his arm slashing diagonally, sending the left Artifact Refining Warrior flying backward, knocking down the four chasing warriors.
He quickened his pace and charged forward.
"Dragon-Elephant Returns to the Field!"
"Soaring Dragon in the Sky!"
"Elephant Charging the Earth!"
...
"Bang! Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen moved with incredible speed, sweeping through the corridor in a dominating manner.
After he passed through the corridor, all eighteen Artifact Refining Warriors returned to their original positions and stood still.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the bruises on his arms and sighed, "After all, I'm just flesh and blood. Fighting these Artifact Refining Warriors is too disadvantageous. But at least I made it through!"
Zhang Ruochen continued forward, entering the third trial of the third floor.
"Ridiculous! He passed the second trial of the third floor without a scratch. With his ability, he might even get through the third trial of the third floor." Duanmu Xingling clenched her fair jade-like hands tightly, staring at the spiritual energy mirror, feeling very displeased.
After all, the first time she entered the Martial Tower, she hadn't passed the second trial of the third floor either.
In the history of the Western Academy, only three freshmen had ever passed the second trial of the third floor on their first entry into the Martial Tower.
Zhang Ruochen was the fourth.
Duanmu Xingling said, "Chen Jie, do you think he can pass the third trial of the third floor?"
Huang Yanchen pondered for a moment, then said, "In the history of the Western Academy, only one freshman has passed the third trial of the third floor—that was the Martial Tower's gatekeeper, Luo Xu. Since Zhang Ruochen could defeat Luo Xu at the same cultivation level, he might be able to pass the third trial of the third floor."
"Moreover, if he passes the third trial of the third floor, he won't need to attempt the first trial of the fourth floor, because he already passed it during the first trial of the second floor."
The first trial of the fourth floor was to withstand Luo Xu's nine punches.
Zhang Ruochen had already withstood Luo Xu's nine punches during the first trial of the second floor.
Duanmu Xingling blinked her eyes, as if thinking of something, and said, "If he passes the first trial of the fourth floor, he'll definitely overshadow us and become the number one sensation in the Martial Market Academy. It might even alarm the inner palace of the academy."
Huang Yanchen said, "What do you mean?"
Duanmu Xingling gave a sly smile and said, "If he passes the third trial of the third floor, we'll stop him and prevent him from entering the fourth floor."
Huang Yanchen nodded and said, "That works. Since the male students in the Western Academy call us female demons, we should act like female demons. For example, by suppressing newcomers."
"It's not suppression; we're saving him. If he performs too outrageously, it might not be a good thing for him." Duanmu Xingling seemed to be trying to convince herself, nodding slightly and muttering to herself, "Everything I do is for his own good."
But the wicked smile on her face betrayed her.
Judging by her appearance, she didn't look like a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl but more like a little demon.
The third trial of the third floor was somewhat similar to the third trial of the second floor. It also involved a one-zhang-square pool and counting ripples.
The difference was that this time, two silver coins fell into the pool simultaneously, creating two sets of ripples.
The martial artist had to focus on two things at once, watching both sets of ripples without any negligence.
Moreover, two silver coins falling into the water at the same time would greatly interfere with the martial artist's observation, undoubtedly increasing the difficulty.
To achieve dual focus, one needed to cultivate their spiritual power to at least the twentieth level.
But to accurately count the number of ripples from two sets, a spiritual power of the twentieth level was far from enough; at least the twenty-fifth level was required.
It was worth noting that, aside from artifact refiners, alchemists, and beast tamers who specialized in cultivating spiritual power, most martial artists wouldn't waste time on it.
Without deliberate cultivation, a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist's spiritual power would only reach between the twentieth and twenty-fifth levels.
For a young martial artist to pass this trial was nearly impossible.
Of course, for Zhang Ruochen, whose spiritual power had reached above the thirtieth level, this trial wasn't particularly difficult.
After the water surface completely calmed, Zhang Ruochen picked up the inscription brush and wrote down the number of ripples he had observed on the jade tablet, thus passing the trial with ease.
"Among this year's freshmen, the best only managed to pass the first trial of the third floor. Now that I've passed the third trial of the third floor, I should be able to secure the top spot among this year's freshmen. I'd better not attempt the fourth floor of the Martial Tower. Showing off too much talent might not be a good thing." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
He wasn't one to seek the spotlight. Even if he passed the fourth floor of the Martial Tower, he wouldn't get any extra rewards. So, it was best to quit while he was ahead and leave the Martial Tower now.
Just as Zhang Ruochen was thinking this, two stunningly beautiful women emerged from a metal door, blocking his path.
"Zhang Ruochen, you don't need to go to the fourth floor of the Martial Tower."
Huang Yanchen stood with her hands behind her back, her posture straight and proud. She slightly lifted her snow-white chin, looking down at Zhang Ruochen from above.
She was about one meter seventy-five tall, and standing on the steps made her appear even taller, with a slender waist, long legs, and a perfectly proportioned figure.
Standing below, Zhang Ruochen looked up at Huang Yanchen's breathtakingly beautiful face and said, "Since I've passed the third trial of the third floor, why can't I go to the fourth floor?"
He hadn't originally planned to attempt the fourth floor, but being warned not to go was a different matter.
What were they trying to do?
Zhang Ruochen naturally recognized these two beautiful senior sisters. They were both Xuan List experts with formidable cultivation, running rampant in the Western Academy. Even the older students were afraid of them.
But so what?
Zhang Ruochen wasn't intimidated by them. After all, this was the Martial Tower, so he wasn't afraid they would kill him.
Huang Yanchen said sternly, "We're saving you, not harming you. If you perform well enough, you'll naturally receive plenty of cultivation resources and become an important training target for the academy. But if you perform too exceptionally, it won't be a good thing for you. Instead, it will bring you deadly trouble."
"That sounds somewhat reasonable."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, then added, "But since we're not related, isn't it a bit unreasonable for you to care so much about my safety? What exactly are you after? Just say it directly!"