Chapter 120: Instruction
A freshman actually dared to tell her not to be arrogant. As a "female demon," how could Huang Yanchen tolerate this?
"Zhang Ruochen, do you dare say that again? Believe me, I'll break your legs and throw you out!" Huang Yanchen extended five snow-white, jade-like fingers, strands of true qi swirling between them as a small whirlpool condensed in her palm.
Zhang Ruochen's expression remained calm. He said flatly, "There's no need for Senior Sister Huang to act. I'll leave now."
With that, Zhang Ruochen went to Earth Character Number One to pack his things, preparing to move out and no longer stay in Dragon Martial Hall. Huang Yanchen was simply unreasonable. Being with her always gave Zhang Ruochen a very unsafe feeling, as if his life was in danger at any moment.
Whoever married her in the future would surely have eight generations of bad luck.
"Junior Brother, Sister Chen was just joking with you. Don't take it seriously." Duanmu Xingling chased after him, standing in front of Zhang Ruochen, squinting her beautiful eyes and revealing a smile that could charm a person to death without consequence.
"Really?" Zhang Ruochen glanced at Huang Yanchen.
Huang Yanchen stood straight in the distance, struggling to control her anger, forcing a smile. "Of course it was just a joke."
"Alright then. For Senior Sister Duanmu's sake, I can teach you to cultivate Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. But whether you succeed depends on your talent."
Zhang Ruochen wrote down the cultivation formula for Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow and handed it to Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling. "For now, I can only tell you the cultivation formula. As for the footwork, given my current martial arts cultivation, I can't depict the essence of the steps. I'll have to teach you while we practice together."
Zhang Ruochen was telling the truth. Although he had once been a Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection expert, he could only depict the essence of a Spirit-level lower-grade martial technique.
Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow was a Spirit-level upper-grade martial technique. Based on his understanding of martial arts, even if he barely sketched the footwork, it would only capture one or two-tenths of its essence. Following such footwork, Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling would never succeed in cultivating Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow.
Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling took the formula booklet and read it together. At first, they just read it seriously, but the further they went, the more shocked they became.
After finishing the booklet, Huang Yanchen's eyes were like two cold swords, fixed on Zhang Ruochen. "The formulas recorded here are extremely exquisite. There's no way this is just a Spirit-level lower-grade martial technique. What grade is Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow exactly?"
"No comment."
Zhang Ruochen added, "If you want to learn, I'll teach you with all my heart. If not, then please go back."
"Learn! Why wouldn't I? I definitely want to learn!" Duanmu Xingling could naturally see the power of Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. Even if she only reached minor success, her combat strength would surely increase significantly.
Huang Yanchen's expression shifted uncertainly. "Xingling, have you memorized the formula?"
"Of course, I've memorized it all. Sister Chen, have you forgotten? Once your spiritual power reaches the twentieth level, you have a photographic memory." Duanmu Xingling laughed.
Huang Yanchen nodded. With a tearing sound, she crushed the formula booklet into powder.
She was well aware of the value of Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. If outsiders saw it, it would surely bring endless trouble upon them.
In the following time, Zhang Ruochen demonstrated the nine types of footwork for them, then explained the eighty-one variations of those nine steps.
Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling were both top-tier geniuses with extremely high comprehension. They could draw inferences from one example and quickly grasped the basic essentials, beginning their cultivation.
Zhang Ruochen also practiced alongside them, but his progress was noticeably faster.
After dark, Zhang Ruochen returned to the Earth Character Number One training ground, while Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling remained on the square, still cultivating Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. Their obsession with martial arts was no less than Zhang Ruochen's.
Zhang Ruochen had only just reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Minor Extreme Position. His martial realm was still relatively low, so he needed to spend more time cultivating true qi, leaving only a small amount of time for martial techniques.
Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling had already reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection and could devote all their time to martial technique cultivation. That was their advantage.
Returning to the training hall, Zhang Ruochen entered the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, took a Three Purities True Qi Pill, and began to refine it.
Since he wasn't short on pills, he could treat them like candy, as long as it quickly improved his cultivation.
After a day and a half of cultivation in the Time-Space Crystal, Zhang Ruochen refined eighteen Three Purities True Qi Pills in succession. He could clearly feel that the true qi in his qi lake had increased significantly. The Mysterious Extreme Realm Minor Extreme Position realm was finally stabilized.
When he stepped out of the Time-Space Crystal, it was early morning the next day. He found that Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling were still on the square, practicing their footwork.
Zhang Ruochen looked into the distance, seeing two graceful, blurry figures darting across the square. Their footwork was ethereal, the wind sounding like a dragon's roar, and their speed was extreme.
"No wonder they're Xuan List experts. After just a day and a night of cultivation, they've already developed some feel for Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. It seems they're about to enter the gate."
The Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow they were now performing only resembled the form. Only when they achieved spiritual resemblance would they be considered to have entered the gate.
Entry, Minor Success, Major Success, Perfection — all martial techniques had these four stages.
Among them, Huang Yanchen's speed was clearly a notch faster than Duanmu Xingling's. At most, another day would be enough for her to reach the entry stage.
Thanks to her awakening of the Gale Divine Martial Mark, the true qi in her body carried a wind attribute. Her physique and true qi were very compatible with Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow, so her cultivation speed was naturally fast.
"Whoosh!"
Duanmu Xingling flew to Zhang Ruochen's side, gently wiping the fine sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. Her eyes sparkled. "Junior Brother, Sister Chen and I discussed it. We think Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow is more suitable for cultivation in a windy mountain wilderness. In Dragon Martial Hall, it's all flat ground with no breeze at all — not suitable for cultivating this advanced speed-type martial technique."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "What do you have in mind?"
Duanmu Xingling said, "There's a valley in Demon Ridge called Demon Wind Valley. Hurricanes blow there year-round. It's an excellent place to cultivate Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. Do you want to come with us?"
Zhang Ruochen asked, "How far is Demon Wind Valley from the Western Courtyard?"
Huang Yanchen walked over. "Demon Wind Valley is only four hundred miles from the Western Courtyard. At our speed, if we travel at full speed, we can get there in just one hour. The question is, can your speed keep up with us?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "My cultivation has reached the Minor Extreme Position. Though there's still a gap between me and the two senior sisters, I shouldn't hold you back."
"You only broke through to the late Mysterious Extreme Realm not long ago. How did you reach the Mysterious Extreme Realm Minor Extreme Position already?" Duanmu Xingling looked at Zhang Ruochen with suspicion.
Huang Yanchen said, "He obtained ten drops of Half-Saint True Liquid. Given his speed at refining Half-Saint True Liquid, it's not hard for him to break through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Minor Extreme Position in a short time."
"Half-Saint True Liquid is, after all, a treasure for tempering the martial body and expanding the qi lake. It only has a noticeable effect on cultivation at low realms. As cultivation increases, its effect on improving cultivation weakens."
Zhang Ruochen agreed with Huang Yanchen's words. When he was at the late Mysterious Extreme Realm, he had refined three drops of Half-Saint True Liquid to reach the Mysterious Extreme Realm Minor Extreme Position.
But even if he refined all the remaining eight drops of Half-Saint True Liquid now, he wouldn't reach the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position.
So, he planned to first use other pills to cultivate the true qi in his qi lake to perfection, then take the eight drops of Half-Saint True Liquid to make a breakthrough to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position in one go.
It wasn't that the medicinal power of Half-Saint True Liquid was insufficient, but rather that its main function wasn't to improve cultivation.
"Two senior sisters, I need to go back and pack some things." Zhang Ruochen thought of Xiao Hei and was uneasy about leaving him alone in the Western Courtyard. Without someone to restrain him, who knew what trouble he might cause.
"We'll wait for you outside the academy gate. You'd better hurry." Huang Yanchen said.
Zhang Ruochen returned to Earth Character Number One, opened the study door, and sure enough, saw Xiao Hei sitting on a chair, reading a book with great concentration.
"Xiao Hei, I'm going to Demon Ridge to cultivate. You have to come with me." Zhang Ruochen said.
"Great! I was just thinking of taming a barbarian beast mount. If only I could subdue a Vermilion Bird... but alas, my cultivation is all sealed in the Cosmic Divine Wood Map. I can't subdue a Vermilion Bird, only some low-level barbarian beasts... well, maybe later!" Xiao Hei jumped off the chair, tucked a book under his arm, and followed Zhang Ruochen out of the Western Courtyard.
As soon as Zhang Ruochen left the Western Courtyard with Xiao Hei, the news reached Prince Huo Xing's ears.
"Are you sure Zhang Ruochen left the Western Courtyard alone?" Prince Huo Xing stood up abruptly, his eyes shooting out two murderous, cold gleams.
That student thought for a moment, then added, "And a cat."
"There's no need to report about a cat!" Prince Huo Xing's face twisted into a cold, mocking smile. He muttered to himself, "Zhang Ruochen, Zhang Ruochen. Heaven has a path you refuse to walk; hell has no door, yet you barge in. While you stayed in the Western Courtyard, I couldn't touch you. But now that you've left, you're walking to your death. This time, I'll kill you with my own hands."
That student hesitated slightly. "Even Feng Zhilin died at Zhang Ruochen's hands. With Your Highness's cultivation, I'm afraid you might not be able to kill him."
"Idiot!"
Prince Huo Xing glared at him. "Do you think I'll act personally? Our four commandery kingdoms have forty thousand Blazing Tiger troops stationed in Demon Ridge. I just need to go to the military camp and dispatch an elite squad. Killing Zhang Ruochen will be as easy as slaughtering a pig or a dog."
Not long after Zhang Ruochen left the Western Courtyard, Prince Huo Xing also left, heading for the Blazing Tiger military camp a thousand miles away.
"Two senior sisters, let's set off now."
Zhang Ruochen met Duanmu Xingling and Huang Yanchen on a mountain ridge outside the Western Courtyard.