Chapter 127: Four Academy Freshman Competition
Zhang Ruochen was not at all worried about the war between the Yunwu Commandery and the Sifang Commandery. The two commanderies had been fighting for years. If the Yunwu Commandery were truly that vulnerable, it would have been swallowed up by the Sifang Commandery long ago.
Right now, his only concern was his mother, Consort Lin.
Given the Queen's venomous nature, she would certainly not let her off.
"As long as I become an inner palace disciple of the Martial Market Academy, I can bring my family here and gain the academy's protection. I must become an inner palace disciple as soon as possible!" Zhang Ruochen resolved in his heart.
Zi Qian was about to leave. Just as she opened the door, she saw Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling walking in from outside.
Huang Yanchen seemed to be in a good mood, a smile on her face. But the moment she saw Zi Qian, her smile vanished instantly.
With a *shing*, she drew her war sword, unleashing a dazzling flash of sword light, and shouted coldly, "Zhang Ruochen, you lecher, you keep corrupting the atmosphere of the Dragon Martial Hall. Today, I will kill you!"
"Whoosh!"
A whirlwind formed around Huang Yanchen. Her feet left the ground as she swung her sword, sending out a blade of energy over ten meters long.
Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled. He immediately grabbed Zi Qian's shoulder and executed the Wind-Riding Flying Dragon Shadow. His body flickered, and in an instant, he shifted sideways, dodging the sharp sword energy.
"Boom!"
Four pillars were severed, and the newly rebuilt pavilion collapsed once again into a pile of rubble.
"Meow!"
Xiao Hei crawled out from the debris, covered in dust and mud, his head dizzy from the impact. It took him a moment to clear his mind.
Seeing that the culprit was Huang Yanchen, he gnashed his teeth in fury. If Zhang Ruochen hadn't stopped him, he would have already pounced on her for a fight to the death.
"You dodged quickly enough. Try taking another strike from me."
Huang Yanchen's face was cold as she raised her war sword, ready to strike again.
Zhang Ruochen shielded Zi Qian behind him and said calmly, "Huang Yanchen, can we talk this out peacefully?"
Huang Yanchen glared at Zi Qian, then at Zhang Ruochen, and said, "Who allowed you to bring another student into the Dragon Martial Hall?"
"I had some matters to discuss with Junior Sister Zi, so I brought her to Yellow Number One. That doesn't seem to concern you, Senior Sister Huang, does it?" Zhang Ruochen replied.
"If you were just discussing matters, why did you close the door? What is it you don't want others to know?" Huang Yanchen was about to say this, but then she realized it really had nothing to do with her.
Right! It has nothing to do with me. Why am I so angry?
Duanmu Xingling immediately stepped forward and stopped Huang Yanchen, saying, "Chen Jie, we still have important matters to discuss. Let's deal with this small issue later."
Taking the opportunity to back down, Huang Yanchen sheathed her sword and snorted, "Considering tomorrow is the quarterly assessment, I'll let you off today. Since Junior Sister Zi is also here, that's even better. Come with me to Earth Number One. I have some things to tell both of you."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the ruined pavilion, shook his head slightly, and followed.
Once they arrived at Earth Number One, Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling sat at the head, while Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian sat on opposite sides of the hall.
Huang Yanchen picked up a freshly brewed cup of snow lotus ice tea, took a light sip, and said, "You should know that tomorrow's quarterly assessment is divided into two parts. The first is the freshman competition among the four academies, and the second is the West Academy's internal quarterly ranking assessment."
"This year, it's the West Academy's turn to host the freshman joint competition. You two are the first and second-ranked freshmen of the West Academy. So, whether the West Academy's freshmen can take the top spot this year depends on your performance tomorrow."
Huang Yanchen continued, "Zhang Ruochen, I know your cultivation is high, but don't take this lightly. The other three academies also have top-tier experts among their freshmen, and some might even be stronger than you."
Duanmu Xingling nodded and said, "Among the four academies, the East Academy is the strongest. They've won the freshman championship almost every year. This year, the East Academy has a top expert among their freshmen named Dugu Lin, who has already reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position."
"Not long ago, Dugu Lin defeated the East Academy's tenth-ranked expert, Hua Xueyi, shaking up the entire four academies."
"The academy's elders unanimously believe that Dugu Lin has the potential to enter the top fifty of the *Xuan List*. Right now, ordinary Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artists are no match for him."
"His main target in coming to the West Academy is you. He wants to defeat you, the greatest spiritual power genius in the history of the Martial Market Academy, in front of everyone."
Huang Yanchen added, "The South Academy and North Academy also each have a freshman at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position. They're slightly weaker than Dugu Lin, but they're still formidable opponents for you."
"Zhang Ruochen, your talent is exceptional, surpassing theirs. But you've only just broken through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Small Extreme Position, while they're two realms ahead of you. In a real fight, the outcome is hard to predict."
Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling didn't know that Zhang Ruochen had already broken through to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position yesterday. They thought he was still at the Small Extreme Position.
They didn't ask, and Zhang Ruochen didn't mention it. Breaking through to the Middle Extreme Position wasn't really worth bragging about.
Huang Yanchen looked at Zi Qian and said, "Junior Sister Zi, have you reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position?"
Zi Qian nodded slightly and replied, "I just broke through a couple of days ago."
Under normal circumstances, Zi Qian would have needed another six months of training to have a chance at reaching the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Extreme Position. But for the quarterly assessment, she had spent a high price to buy a fourth-grade pill from the black market. After refining it, she managed to break through.
Of course, the reason she could afford the fourth-grade pill was that during the first round of the academy exam three months ago, she had killed nearly a hundred candidates and obtained millions of silver coins. In the past, she could never have afforded such a pill.
Huang Yanchen nodded and said, "Your talent is slightly inferior to Dugu Lin's, but it's on par with the top freshmen of the North and South Academies. You should at least make it into the top five."
"As long as both you and Zhang Ruochen make it into the top five, even if Dugu Lin takes first place, the West Academy still has a good chance of being the overall top academy among this year's freshmen."
Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling went over some more precautions for the freshman competition, finishing only after dark.
After seeing Zi Qian back, Zhang Ruochen went to find Zhang Shaochu and Liu Chengfeng.
They had already sold all three hundred and forty Sanqing True Qi Pills. Zhang Ruochen didn't ask how much they had sold them for; he just took his share of three thousand silver coins per pill.
That came to a total of one million and twenty thousand silver coins!
Before leaving, Zhang Ruochen quietly pulled Zhang Shaochu aside and handed him five drops of Half-Saint True Liquid.
Zhang Shaochu was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, and he refused to accept the five drops of Half-Saint True Liquid.
"It's just five drops of Half-Saint True Liquid. If I wanted more, I could buy plenty. If I win first place in this four-academy freshman competition, I'll get another ten drops. Fourth Brother, there's no need to be polite with me," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen knew that although Zhang Shaochu's talent was decent, he seemed rather mediocre among the geniuses gathered at the Martial Market Academy.
Only by taking the Half-Saint True Liquid could he improve his physique, go further on the path of cultivation, and become stronger.
"Ninth Brother... thank you."
Zhang Shaochu tightly gripped the five bottles of Half-Saint True Liquid in his hands, fully aware of their value. His heart was filled with both joy and gratitude.
Five bottles of Half-Saint True Liquid were worth over two million silver coins on the black market. Only his ninth brother would give him something so precious. No one else would.
Zhang Ruochen then took out the Reaping Scythe and handed it to Zhang Shaochu, saying, "This is a fifth-rank True Martial treasure. Use it from now on."
He patted Zhang Shaochu on the shoulder, turned, and left, returning to the Dragon Martial Hall.
The next day, just after dawn, a resounding bell rang out across the West Academy.
The bell tolled nine times.
All the students of the West Academy gathered in the West Academy Martial Ground. Everyone wore white martial robes, their spirits high and their energy soaring. There were over eight hundred people in total.
They stood in order according to their rankings. The first-ranked, Luo Shuihan, stood at the front of the first column, followed by Huang Yanchen, Duanmu Xingling, Tuo Muzi, and so on.
After defeating Feng Zhilin, Zhang Ruochen was ranked one hundred and eighty-fourth among the West Academy students, standing in the middle of the crowd.
Before long, the formation at the edge of the West Academy opened.
The freshmen of the East, South, and North Academies, led by a vice dean, also entered the West Academy Martial Ground.
In addition, each of the three academies brought a few senior students—no more than ten per academy. All were top-tier experts, most of them *Xuan List* martial artists, exuding an air of sharp confidence.
Among the East Academy's freshman camp, a student who looked about twenty years old let out a snicker. "I've heard before that the West Academy is strong in yin and weak in yang. Seeing it today, the rumors are indeed true. The male students here are really disappointing."
Martial artists had sharp hearing, and many West Academy students heard the East Academy freshman's mockery.
The female students didn't mind much, but the male students felt humiliated, their faces twisting with anger.
One of the top ten freshmen, a male student named Chi Minghai, who had reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Middle Extreme Position, said coldly, "This is the West Academy. You'd better watch your words."
The East Academy freshman laughed again. "Am I wrong? Look—among the top hundred standing at the front of the West Academy Martial Ground, at least seventy are female students, and only about twenty are male. Now look at the three hundred at the back—over two hundred are male, and only a few dozen are female."
"What does that prove? It only shows that the West Academy isn't lacking male students—they're just all cowards. None of them strive for improvement, so of course they end up at the bottom. Hmph!"