Chapter 106: West Courtyard Master
Zhang Ruochen concealed part of his strength and did not reveal his sword intent at the peak of following the sword with the heart.
Once revealed, everyone would be even more shocked. At the advanced stage of following the sword with the heart, it was already enough to defeat Feng Zhilin.
“The advanced stage of following the sword with the heart?”
Feng Zhilin’s expression was extremely ugly. He never imagined that Zhang Ruochen’s attainment in the Sword Dao could reach such a formidable level.
“No, I won’t lose. I haven’t lost yet! I am three martial realms above him; I can definitely defeat him!”
Feng Zhilin gritted his teeth, refusing to admit defeat. He swung his long spear and attacked again.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. The tip of his sword traced an arc of air waves.
The flow of air resembled waves, with countless sword qi shuttling through the current, producing the sound of surging tides.
“Heart Stirring the Tides!”
With a single sword strike, the sword qi transformed into a five-meter-tall wave, crashing onto Feng Zhilin and sending him tumbling backward.
“Ah...”
Feng Zhilin screamed in agony. The long spear slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.
“Boom!”
The white martial robe on Feng Zhilin’s body was shredded by the sword qi, turning into strips of cloth. Only a silver-scale armor vest remained on him.
Except for the areas covered by the silver-scale armor vest, every other part of his body was slashed with bloody wounds by the sword qi, his entire body a bloody mess.
Zhang Ruochen had held back; otherwise, that strike would have severed Feng Zhilin’s limbs and head.
“Feng Zhilin, you have lost!”
Zhang Ruochen walked over, holding his iron sword, the tip pointing at Feng Zhilin’s neck. “I said I wouldn’t kill you. I only seek revenge for my fourth brother by breaking the bones in your arms!”
“Wait... wait a moment!”
Feng Zhilin trembled all over, crawled up from the ground, knelt before Zhang Ruochen, and kowtowed heavily. “Zhang Ruochen, thank you... thank you for sparing my life.”
Looking at Feng Zhilin kneeling before him, Zhang Ruochen’s face showed a hint of confusion. Suddenly, he sensed a dangerous aura.
Not good!
At that moment, Feng Zhilin abruptly raised his head and spat out three silver needles from his mouth.
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Tongue-dart arrows, a unique technique of the Feng Clan.
Feng Zhiyi could only shoot one silver needle with his tongue, but Feng Zhilin could spit out three in succession.
On the distant viewing platform, no one expected Feng Zhilin to launch a sudden attack.
At such close range, even a martial artist at the Great Perfection of the Mysterious Extreme Realm would be hit, let alone Zhang Ruochen.
“Clang! Clang!”
Zhang Ruochen swung his iron sword, precisely striking the three silver needles and sending them flying back.
One needle pierced Feng Zhilin’s throat.
The other two needles stabbed through Feng Zhilin’s eyes.
“Ugh... Prince... Prince... save me...”
Feng Zhilin pulled the needle from his throat, clutching his neck as he rushed toward the edge of the life-and-death platform. But his eyes were blind, and he couldn’t see the path. He accidentally stepped into empty air and fell off the thirty-meter-high platform.
Amid a series of screams, Feng Zhilin crashed into the iron spike forest below. His body was pierced by over a dozen spikes. He struggled twice, then his arms drooped, and he fell silent.
Silence.
The entire life-and-death platform fell into utter silence, broken only by the sound of breathing and heartbeats.
Zhang Ruochen sighed softly. He had only intended to teach Feng Zhilin a lesson, not to kill him. Even if he broke the bones in his arms, applying bone-knitting ointment would allow them to heal within half a month.
Shaking his head, Zhang Ruochen walked down the platform.
Then, the students of Yunwu Commandery all cheered and surged toward Zhang Ruochen.
“Your Highness the Ninth Prince is truly formidable! Even Feng Zhilin died by your hand. From now on, let’s see who dares to bully us students of Yunwu Commandery.”
A rather attractive female student gazed at Zhang Ruochen with adoring eyes. “Your Highness, the sword strike you used to defeat Feng Zhilin was absolutely stunning! Can I learn swordsmanship from you?”
Liu Chengfeng noticed that Zhang Ruochen seemed to be in a bad mood and guessed the reason. He smiled, “Your Highness, Feng Zhilin brought this upon himself. He died as he deserved. There’s no need to take it to heart! Besides, he fell off the platform and died on his own; it has nothing to do with you.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded lightly and said indifferently, “Since Feng Zhilin is dead, this matter is settled. Everyone, disperse.”
The students of Yunwu Commandery were all very excited, but Prince Huoxing’s expression was exceptionally cold. He stared at Zhang Ruochen’s retreating figure. “Useless. Feng Zhilin was a waste. He couldn’t even kill a Zhang Ruochen!”
A student from a neighboring commandery asked, “What do we do now? Are we just going to let Zhang Ruochen off?”
“Let him off? How is that possible?”
Prince Huoxing clenched his fists and said coldly, “I will immediately write a letter to inform my father. He will pay a high price to hire assassins from the Underworld Gate to eliminate Zhang Ruochen. If Zhang Ruochen doesn’t die, he will become a great enemy of the surrounding commanderies in the future.”
...
After the life-and-death platform duel, Zhang Ruochen returned to the Dragon Martial Hall and continued practicing his sword techniques.
On the third day, he finally received a summons from the West Courtyard Master.
The West Courtyard Master, dressed in a golden robe, sat on a white stone by the pond, holding a fishing rod as he fished.
“Greetings, Master!”
Zhang Ruochen came behind the West Courtyard Master and bowed slightly.
“Zhang Ruochen, do you know why I summoned you a full month after the academy exam?” The West Courtyard Master still held the fishing rod, staring at the pond surface without turning to look at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Student does not know.”
During the academy exam, Zhang Ruochen had seen the West Courtyard Master once, but it was from too far away, and he had only glanced casually.
Now, Zhang Ruochen began to seriously observe this master—the only top-tier expert in the West Courtyard allowed to wear a golden robe.
He appeared to be seventy or eighty years old, with a head full of white hair, but his hands and side face had not a single wrinkle, nor any sign of senility.
“I wonder what level this West Courtyard Master’s cultivation has reached?” Zhang Ruochen could not see through the master’s cultivation at all.
The West Courtyard Master put down the fishing rod, stood up, turned to look at Zhang Ruochen, and said, “Do you know that every year, the top newcomer is taken as a personal disciple by the vice master? Of course, if a newcomer shows exceptional talent, I will also take them as a personal disciple.”
“Your performance in the Martial Tower was quite outstanding. At that time, I already had the intention of taking you as a disciple. I’m not referring to your clearing of the second level of the third floor of the Martial Tower, but rather your clearing of the third level of the third floor and your defeat of Luo Xu at the same realm.”
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised. “Master knows about what happened in the Martial Tower?”
“Haha!”
The West Courtyard Master laughed heartily. “Do you really think that such an important place as the Martial Tower is only guarded by that Huang girl and Duanmu girl? Some secrets are unknown even to them.”
Then, the West Courtyard Master’s expression turned serious. “However, I do not oppose their actions. In fact, if they hadn’t stopped you, I would have personally prevented you from ascending to the fourth floor of the Martial Tower.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Master was worried that if I displayed too much talent, I might be targeted for assassination by certain individuals?”
The West Courtyard Master nodded. “The Martial Market Academy is not absolutely safe. Over the years, the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demon Sect have continuously infiltrated the academy. Not only are there their people among the students, but also among some of the academy’s high-ranking officials.”
“If you had ascended to the fourth floor of the Martial Tower, the Black Market forces would have spared no effort to eliminate you in the cradle. Even I would have found it difficult to protect you.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Master is referring to the ‘Seedling Elimination Operation’?”
The West Courtyard Master raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You know about the ‘Seedling Elimination Operation’?”
It was well known that the Black Market and the Martial Market Bank had been in opposition since ancient times, fighting and killing each other, expanding territories, and competing for market resources.
The Martial Market Academy was the Martial Market Bank’s base for cultivating talent. To strike at the Martial Market Bank from its source, the Black Market had launched the “Seedling Elimination Operation,” specifically targeting elite talents in the Martial Market Academy for assassination.
The Seedling Elimination Operation had been initiated eight hundred years ago, so Zhang Ruochen naturally knew about it.
Zhang Ruochen couldn’t explain to the West Courtyard Master how he knew, so he attributed it to the Yunwu Commandery King. “Before I came to take the academy exam, I heard my father mention it once. Actually, I’m not very clear about the details of the Seedling Elimination Operation.”
“So the Yunwu Commandery King has already warned you. Then I don’t need to say more.”
To the West Courtyard Master, it wasn’t surprising that the Yunwu Commandery King knew about the Seedling Elimination Operation, as it had been ongoing for over a thousand years and was no secret.
Zhang Ruochen’s expression shifted. “Master delayed summoning me for a month. Could it be that you wanted to use me as bait to root out the evil elements from the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demon Sect lurking in the West Courtyard?”
“Exactly!” The West Courtyard Master smiled. “You won’t hold a grudge against me, will you?”
Zhang Ruochen smiled. “Since Master has told me this face-to-face, how could I hold a grudge? I am very curious to know if Master has uncovered the evil elements hiding in the West Courtyard.”
“Some clues have been found, but we are still waiting for the big fish to take the bait. I believe we will soon be able to close the net.” The West Courtyard Master said.
Then, the West Courtyard Master added, “Zhang Ruochen, are you willing to become my personal disciple?”
The difference between a student and a personal disciple was significant.
A teacher could teach many students, but personal disciples were extremely few.
Once he became a personal disciple of the West Courtyard Master, it would be like gaining a powerful backing. Zhang Ruochen’s status in the West Courtyard would immediately rise, and no one would dare to cause him trouble. Even when he entered the inner palace of the Martial Market Academy, his status would still be higher than that of other inner palace students.
However, Zhang Ruochen did not want to become the West Courtyard Master’s disciple because he had too many secrets and didn’t want outsiders to know. If he became the master’s personal disciple, some of those secrets would inevitably be exposed.
Zhang Ruochen respectfully bowed to the West Courtyard Master. “Thank you, Master, for your favor. However, the student wishes to cultivate his own martial path and currently has no intention of taking a teacher.”
Surprisingly, the West Courtyard Master was not angry. Instead, he showed a hint of a smile. “Heh heh! In my thirty-four years as the West Courtyard Master, I have actively taken disciples eleven times. You are the second person to refuse me.”
...
Note: The earlier mention that the West Courtyard’s history is only four hundred and sixty years refers to the West Courtyard of the Martial Market Academy in the Demon Ridge. The Martial Market Academy’s branches cover the entire Kunlun Realm, and its history extends far beyond four hundred and sixty years.