Chapter 113: The Greatest Spiritual Power Genius in the Academy’s History
Under the gaze of the crowd, Luo Shuihan walked up to the Spirit Testing Stone, extended a slender jade hand, and pressed it against the stone’s surface.
“Whoosh!”
Instantly, rings of light patterns emerged, radiating increasingly bright brilliance, finally reaching twenty-six rings.
The students below were almost all petrified, stunned into silence.
“Only seventeen years old, and her spiritual power has already reached the twenty-sixth rank.” Even Elder Yue Jingchan, who had been mentally prepared, was taken aback.
He had specialized in cultivating spiritual power for eighty years and had only reached the thirty-ninth rank. In the thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge, there were hardly a few people stronger than him.
“The younger students nowadays are stronger with each generation. We’re all getting old.” Vice Academy Head Qinghua sighed.
Duanmu Xingling looked somewhat displeased, staring at Luo Shuihan and muttering under her breath, “Freak.”
Originally, she and Huang Yanchen both had spiritual power above the twentieth rank, which was considered quite outstanding. But compared to Luo Shuihan, they fell far short.
The talents of the three female demon kings were indeed significantly higher than others, and all of them had become the top freshman before the age of sixteen. Huang Yanchen was sixteen, Duanmu Xingling was fifteen, and Luo Shuihan was thirteen.
Zhang Ruochen’s mind stirred, as if he understood something.
Wasn’t he exactly sixteen when he became the top freshman? That was why they had accepted him and made him the Yellow Character Number One of the Dragon Martial Hall. That must be the reason.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Zhang Ruochen. Only he had yet to undergo the Spirit Testing Stone’s examination.
Prince Huoxing glanced at Zhang Ruochen and laughed, “Wasn’t someone just boasting that his spiritual power had reached the twenty-fifth rank? Why hasn’t he gone to test it yet?”
Xue Ling snorted coldly, “You actually believe his bragging? Do you think his talent can compare to Senior Sister Luo’s?”
Prince Huoxing smiled, “That’s not certain. The Ninth Prince is a heaven-defying genius. I believe his spiritual power far surpasses everyone else’s, definitely above the twenty-fifth rank.”
Zhang Ruochen ignored their sarcastic remarks and walked straight toward the Spirit Testing Stone, pressing his palm against its surface.
At that moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the Spirit Testing Stone.
Although no one believed his spiritual power could reach the twenty-fifth rank, since he had comprehended the high-level realm of the sword following the heart, his spiritual power couldn’t be low either—probably around the twentieth rank. That was the highest evaluation everyone gave Zhang Ruochen.
“Whoosh!”
The light patterns on the Spirit Testing Stone lit up.
One ring, two rings, three rings… ten rings, eleven rings… eighteen rings, nineteen rings, twenty rings…
When the light patterns on the Spirit Testing Stone reached twenty rings, the faces of Prince Huoxing, Xue Ling, and Yuchi Tiancong turned deathly pale. They couldn’t believe their eyes.
The light patterns on the Spirit Testing Stone didn’t disappear; they continued to increase.
Twenty-one rings, twenty-two rings, twenty-three rings, twenty-four rings…
Zhang Ruochen didn’t want to steal the spotlight. If his spiritual power surpassed Luo Shuihan’s, who knew how much trouble it would cause? Since that was the case, he would stop while he was ahead.
When the light patterns on the Spirit Testing Stone reached twenty-five rings, Zhang Ruochen immediately withdrew his palm and walked back down.
“He… he actually reached the twenty-fifth rank.” Huang Yanchen bit her red lips tightly, her gaze toward Zhang Ruochen becoming quite complex.
“Just as freakish as Luo Shuihan. Annoying, so annoying!” Duanmu Xingling saw Zhang Ruochen walk past her, so she quickly stomped her foot out and stepped hard on his shoe.
Zhang Ruochen hadn’t expected Duanmu Xingling to strike so viciously. His instep hurt, and he glared at her, his expression as if to say, “Are you crazy? Why are you stepping on me?”
Duanmu Xingling crossed her arms in front of her chest, her snow-white chin slightly raised, looking very pleased with herself.
“Truly impressive, almost catching up to Luo Shuihan.” Vice Academy Head Qinghua stared at Zhang Ruochen, finding it incredibly hard to believe. She thought to herself that she must focus on cultivating Zhang Ruochen in the future.
Vice Academy Head Qinghua smiled, “Elder Yue Jingchan, Zhang Ruochen and Luo Shuihan’s achievements in spiritual power can rank in the top ten in the history of the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy, right?”
Elder Yue Jingchan nodded and smiled, “Luo Shuihan’s spiritual power achievement is enough to rank third among all the geniuses in the history of the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy. Zhang Ruochen can rank fourth.”
Duanmu Xingling asked, “Who is the number one spiritual power genius in the history of the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy? And who is the second?”
Elder Yue Jingchan said, “The student ranked first reached the twenty-eighth rank in spiritual power at the age of sixteen. However, he was an artifact refiner who specialized in cultivating spiritual power, so his spiritual power intensity naturally couldn’t be compared to martial artists who primarily cultivate martial arts.”
“The student ranked second is Senior Luo Xu. At the age of sixteen, his spiritual power reached the twenty-seventh rank, making him the number one among martial artists, a record that remains unbroken to this day.”
Just as everyone was still stunned by Zhang Ruochen and Luo Shuihan’s spiritual power intensity, Luo Shuihan spoke a sentence that stirred up a thousand waves with a single stone.
Luo Shuihan’s gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen, and she said, “Junior Brother, you didn’t use your full strength. Twenty-fifth rank isn’t your true ability.”
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised inwardly. She had seen through him?
“Twenty-fifth rank in spiritual power isn’t his true ability?” Huang Yanchen found it hard to believe. In her view, reaching the twenty-fifth rank was already quite exaggerated.
Could Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power be even higher than the twenty-fifth rank?
Exposed on the spot, Zhang Ruochen felt a bit awkward and smiled, “Senior Sister Luo truly has keen eyesight; I can’t hide it from you. I did hold back, but not by much. There’s no need to show it all.”
Luo Shuihan said calmly, “Are you afraid of overshadowing me? You don’t need to worry. If your talent is truly high, I will admire you even more.”
Hearing the word “admire” from Luo Shuihan, even Vice Academy Head Qinghua was slightly startled and kept signaling Zhang Ruochen with her eyes.
No one understood the nobility of Luo Shuihan’s identity better than Vice Academy Head Qinghua. If Zhang Ruochen could truly display exceptional talent and gain Luo Shuihan’s appreciation, with just one word from her, Zhang Ruochen’s future would be bright.
Vice Academy Head Qinghua said seriously, “Zhang Ruochen, since you have talent, you should show it. The Martial Market Academy is a place for you to fully display your abilities. Only true geniuses can receive more and better cultivation resources. If you can surpass the number one spiritual power genius in the history of the Demon Ridge, I will immediately apply for ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid from the academy for you.”
Prince Huoxing, Yuchi Tiancong, and Xue Ling had originally wanted to see Zhang Ruochen humiliated, but now they felt like clowns themselves, utterly disgraced.
If Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power truly surpassed that of the number one spiritual power genius in history, he would definitely gain Luo Shuihan’s appreciation and the attention of the academy’s higher-ups. Then he would truly soar to the heavens.
Ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid were extremely important to Zhang Ruochen.
For the sake of ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid, Zhang Ruochen walked up to the Spirit Testing Stone again. As he raised his palm, he turned and asked, “Vice Academy Head, can the ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid really be applied for?”
Vice Academy Head Qinghua had the urge to punch Zhang Ruochen. So it turned out he was only willing to show his true spiritual power intensity for the ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid. What a rascal.
Vice Academy Head Qinghua snorted coldly, “Don’t worry. If your talent is truly high, the academy will not treat you unfairly.”
“Alright.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded and pressed his palm against the Spirit Testing Stone.
“Whoosh—”
The light patterns on the Spirit Testing Stone lit up again, quickly reaching twenty rings, then flickering continuously until they reached twenty-five rings.
After twenty-five rings, the growth of the light patterns slowed. After a brief pause, the twenty-sixth ring formed, followed by the twenty-seventh…
Zhang Ruochen naturally couldn’t reveal all his spiritual power. Although higher spiritual power meant more resources and better cultivation, if his spiritual power truly exceeded the thirtieth rank, it would not be a good thing for him—rather, it would be a disaster.
This time, Zhang Ruochen was smarter. He deliberately pretended to be struggling, working up a sweat and trembling all over. Finally, the light patterns on the Spirit Testing Stone reached twenty-nine rings.
“Huff!”
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his arm, let out a long breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and bowed to Vice Academy Head Qinghua and Elder Yue Jingchan. “Student has done his best, only reaching the twenty-ninth rank.”
When Zhang Ruochen looked up, he found Vice Academy Head Qinghua and Elder Yue Jingchan staring at him as if petrified, motionless, like statues.
Zhang Ruochen then looked at the students below. Their expressions were even more exaggerated than Vice Academy Head Qinghua and Elder Yue Jingchan’s, as if they were looking at a monster.
Damn it.
Zhang Ruochen’s heart cried out in alarm. For the sake of ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid, he had dug himself into a hole.
At that moment, Zhang Ruochen saw a pair of calm eyes. The owner of those eyes was Luo Shuihan. Luo Shuihan nodded at Zhang Ruochen, showing a very appreciative expression.
After a long while, Elder Yue Jingchan was the first to recover from the shock. “Excellent! The Western Academy has produced a heaven-defying little fellow. It seems that this year’s freshman quality should rank the Western Academy first, not second. Haha!”
Vice Academy Head Qinghua’s face was also flushed with excitement, very pleased. “Zhang Ruochen, don’t worry. The ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid will definitely be applied for you.”
Prince Huoxing’s face was filled with wild jealousy. In front of Zhang Ruochen, he felt like a complete mediocrity.
“What’s going on with those assassins from the Underworld Gate? Why haven’t they killed him yet?” Prince Huoxing gritted his teeth. Just seeing Zhang Ruochen filled his heart with rage.
Vice Academy Head Qinghua said, “Testing spiritual power has already wasted a lot of time. Now everyone can enter the Divine Power Hall to cultivate. Remember, you only have one hour. Make sure to cherish it.”
Next, the twelve genius students entered the Divine Power Hall one by one.
For the four freshmen, cultivation in the Divine Power Hall was full of mystery and the unknown.
…
This week, the recommendation vote total ranking is ninth, reaching five thousand votes. Unfortunately, it didn’t break ten thousand votes, so only one extra chapter will be added. I originally planned to add the chapter today, but my arm is strained and very painful—partly due to writing. Of course… ahem… I have to admit that a bigger reason is that I played mahjong all night the night before last. Sigh!
The extra chapter will be scheduled for today or tomorrow, within these two days.
Also, today is Monday again. I hope everyone will vote enthusiastically! Let “Eternal God Emperor” break into the top five or top three of the overall rankings.