Chapter 175: Returning to the West Courtyard
Deep within the Demon Ridge, a massive fissure, several thousand meters long, was exposed on the barren surface of the earth. From this earth crack, highly toxic miasma perpetually surged forth, turning the surrounding thousand-mile region into a life-prohibited zone.
This was the entrance to the Crimson Void Secret Mansion.
Zhang Ruochen and the others had just escaped from underground and hadn't yet had time to report the situation below to the four Vice Deans.
Suddenly, a long howl echoed from the depths of the earth.
A man, his entire body enveloped in electric light, burst out from the earth fissure, leaping dozens of meters into the air.
This man wreathed in electric light was none other than Han Sanfu.
He had awakened the Lightning Divine Martial Mark, and his true qi contained the power of lightning. Thus, by fully circulating his true qi, he could unleash the force of lightning.
Han Sanfu had once been the chief commander of the Moon-Worshipping Cult in the Jingyue Commandery, ruling over the cult followers of the entire commandery. He had been quite formidable. But now, he appeared extremely disheveled, bearing at least five wounds and suffering from severe injuries.
A panicked expression was on his face. After escaping the earth fissure, he immediately fled eastward.
"Han Sanfu, do you think you can still escape the Crimson Void Secret Mansion?"
The East Courtyard Vice Dean was seated cross-legged on the east side of the earth fissure, clad in a silver robe. Seeing Han Sanfu charging towards him, a cold smile crossed his face. He stood up abruptly and struck out with a palm towards Han Sanfu.
Although Han Sanfu was powerful, he was only at the Great Perfection of the Earth Extreme Realm. The East Courtyard Vice Dean, however, possessed martial arts cultivation at the Heavenly Extreme Realm, and he quickly intercepted Han Sanfu.
The other three Vice Deans were about to make their move, joining forces to suppress Han Sanfu, when an even more piercing howl came from underground, causing the very ground to tremble slightly.
Wispy strands of crimson blood qi rose from the earth, coalescing into a blood-red cloud.
Within the blood cloud stood a slender figure, radiating a terrifying wave of power.
Looking closely, within that mass of blood cloud stood a blood-drenched, beautiful woman. She dragged long, blood-red hair, and her skin was crystal clear, as if carved from white jade.
Seeing this beautiful woman emerge from underground, the three Vice Deans were momentarily stunned.
The North Courtyard Vice Dean recognized the woman's face. "Lu Han, is that you?"
The blood-haired beauty didn't answer the North Courtyard Vice Dean. Instead, she transformed into a streak of blood light and charged towards him, letting out a piercing laugh. "Such rich blood qi! It must be delicious, right?"
"Vice Dean Jinghong, be careful! Her body has been possessed by Half-Saint light; she has turned into a blood-sucking evil creature."
The West Courtyard Vice Dean and the South Courtyard Vice Dean simultaneously unleashed their ultimate martial techniques, attacking the blood-haired woman.
The battle between Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists was terrifyingly destructive. Even a stray flying sword qi could kill an Earth Extreme Realm martial artist.
Zhang Ruochen and the others quickly retreated, taking cover in the distance.
Before long, the battle ended.
Han Sanfu was captured by the East Courtyard Vice Dean and once again imprisoned in the Crimson Void Secret Mansion.
Lu Han, however, escaped. Even with the three Vice Deans joining forces, they could not stop her.
Her body was protected by Half-Saint light, and the attacks of the three Vice Deans were completely unable to harm her.
Lu Han had already reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm, and her speed was astonishing. Transforming into a flash of blood light, she charged into the boundless Demon Ridge.
The West Courtyard Vice Dean and the North Courtyard Vice Dean immediately gave chase, while the East Courtyard Vice Dean rushed back to the Martial Market Academy to notify more top experts, preparing to deal with Lu Han together.
The remaining South Courtyard Vice Dean entered the Crimson Void Secret Mansion, suppressed all the escaped prisoners, and locked them up once again.
The students from the Crimson Void Secret Mansion gradually returned to the surface. Forty had entered, but only twenty-four came out alive—nearly half had died.
Some were killed by underground barbarian beasts, while others died in the struggle for treasures.
The infiltrator who had released the Black Market prisoners was also uncovered. It turned out to be Wang Kun, the second-ranked student of the North Courtyard, ranked ninety-ninth on the *Mysterious Ranking*. He was a formidable prodigy.
The South Courtyard Vice Dean personally executed Wang Kun, cut off his head, and threw his body into the earth fissure, where it smashed into bloody pulp.
The Martial Market Academy showed no mercy towards infiltrators; once discovered, they were killed without exception.
Of the ten students from the West Courtyard, seven survived: Luo Shuihan, Huang Yanchen, Duanmu Xingling, Tuo Muzi, Zhang Ruochen, Sikong Shu, and Zi Qian.
The Intermediate Secret Realm Exploration Exam thus concluded. Everyone's cultivation had greatly increased, and they had obtained many precious cultivation resources.
Once these resources were refined, their martial arts cultivation would undoubtedly advance by leaps and bounds. Even if they entered the Inner Palace, they would quickly become top experts there.
Furthermore, they were all geniuses among geniuses. Having passed the Intermediate Relic Exploration Exam, they would surely receive focused training from the Martial Market Academy in the future.
Escorted by the South Courtyard Vice Dean, Zhang Ruochen and the others returned to the West Courtyard.
Luo Shuihan, Huang Yanchen, Duanmu Xingling, Tuo Muzi, and Sikong Shu all broke through to the Earth Extreme Realm, becoming Inner Palace disciples. After staying in the West Courtyard for three days, they received orders from the Inner Palace and left the West Courtyard, truly stepping into the Inner Palace Academy of the Martial Market Academy.
Only Zhang Ruochen remained in the entire Dragon Martial Hall.
The Dragon Martial Hall became quite quiet. Neither Duanmu Xingling's laughter could be heard, nor was there any worry about Huang Yanchen coming to demolish the building.
Zhang Ruochen began seclusion cultivation, preparing to refine the cultivation resources he had obtained in the Crimson Void Secret Mansion to enhance his own cultivation.
Sitting cross-legged in the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal, Zhang Ruochen took out a foot-long jade box and placed it on the ground before him.
Opening the jade box, a rich aura of sacred power and medicinal qi emanated from it.
Sixty-eight three-leaf sacred qi grasses, each containing potent medicinal properties. For a martial artist at the initial stage of the Mysterious Extreme Realm, refining even a single one could break through a realm.
Zhang Ruochen didn't rush to refine all the three-leaf sacred qi grasses at once. Instead, he refined one each day, spending the rest of his time cultivating the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm.
He wasn't just refining the three-leaf sacred qi grasses; he needed to fully absorb their medicinal power, transforming it into his own strength.
Half a month passed. Zhang Ruochen refined fifteen three-leaf sacred qi grasses, and his cultivation improved once again. The true qi in his qi lake reached sixty percent of its capacity, double what it had been half a month ago.
The increase in cultivation was secondary.
More importantly, Zhang Ruochen's physique had improved.
Zhang Ruochen's current maximum burst speed reached seventy-seven meters per second. In terms of speed, he had already far surpassed the martial artist ranked first on the *Mysterious Ranking*.
However, Zhang Ruochen's goal was not the top of the *Mysterious Ranking*, but the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
A speed of eighty-one meters per second was the hallmark of the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
Although Zhang Ruochen seemed close to the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm, the gap was actually enormous, and it was even possible that he would never reach it.
"According to my current rate of progress, by the time I cultivate to the peak of the Great Perfection of the Mysterious Extreme Realm, my speed will only reach seventy-nine meters per second. It's absolutely impossible to reach the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm."
In Zhang Ruochen's hands was a massive ancient book, one meter long and half a meter thick.
In the Near Ancient Era, all geniuses who had cultivated their speed to over seventy-five meters per second in the Mysterious Extreme Realm were recorded in this book.
The Near Ancient Era refers to the period between ten thousand years ago and five hundred years ago.
In the Near Ancient Era, no one in the Kunlun Realm had reached the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm. Nine geniuses had reached a speed of eighty meters per second in the Mysterious Extreme Realm; seventy-eight geniuses had reached seventy-nine meters per second; seven hundred and sixty geniuses had reached seventy-eight meters per second...
The book recorded this in great detail, listing a total of over seventy-five thousand names. Behind each name lay a legend.
Zhang Tianqui, the number one genius of the thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge, had only reached a speed of seventy-three meters per second in the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
It could be said that each of the over seventy-five thousand people recorded in the book was more outstanding than Zhang Tianqui.
Yet, with so many talented individuals, not a single one had reached the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
Especially those nine geniuses who had pushed their speed to eighty meters per second—they were exceptionally brilliant. Their performance in the Mysterious Extreme Realm was even more dazzling and shocking than Zhang Ruochen's current performance. But even they had all failed, not one succeeding.
Zhang Ruochen closed the thick book and let out a long breath. "In the Near Ancient Era, which spans only ten thousand years, so many heroes were born. In the more distant Middle Ancient, High Ancient, and Primeval Eras, even more heroes emerged. Yet, how many have managed to cultivate to the Supreme Extreme Realm?"
Zhang Ruochen deeply felt the difficulty of reaching the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm. Of course, if he succeeded, he would trigger the Second Resonance of the Gods, and the benefits would be equally immense.
"Perhaps someone in the Near Ancient Era did reach the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm, but they weren't recorded in this book. The Kunlun Realm is so vast; even with the Martial Market Academy's immense power, it's impossible to record the data of all martial artists. At the very least, the Martial Market Academy has no record of my reaching the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Yellow Extreme Realm."
Zhang Ruochen gradually regained his confidence, his gaze becoming incredibly resolute.
Just because others couldn't do something didn't mean he couldn't either.
"Zhang Ruochen, Vice Dean Qinghua wants to see you." Xiao Hei's voice came from outside the Time-Space Crystal.
"Vice Dean Qinghua has returned! She went to pursue Lu Han. I wonder what the outcome was?" Zhang Ruochen was quite concerned about Lu Han's situation. He immediately walked out of the inner space to go and receive Vice Dean Qinghua.