# Chapter 176: Vice Dean’s Expectations
Vice Dean Qinghua, seeing Zhang Ruochen walk out, had a flicker of brightness in her originally murky eyes. Her voice hoarse, she smiled and said, “Zhang Ruochen, this intermediate relic exploration exam has brought you quite a harvest! Has your martial cultivation reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection?”
Zhang Ruochen gave Vice Dean Qinghua a slight bow, appearing courteous and refined, and said, “Reporting to the Vice Dean, this student has indeed reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection.”
Vice Dean Qinghua nodded, a look of admiration in her eyes.
She was quite satisfied with Zhang Ruochen. This young man not only possessed powerful spiritual power, but his martial talent also far surpassed other gifted prodigies. His future achievements would surely surpass her own.
Vice Dean Qinghua said, “It hasn’t even been half a year since you came to the Western Academy, has it?”
“Yes,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Vice Dean Qinghua’s expression turned serious. “In less than half a year, you’ve gone from the Mysterious Extreme Realm Initial Stage to the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection. Your cultivation has advanced too quickly!”
Zhang Ruochen understood Vice Dean Qinghua’s meaning. Advancing too quickly in cultivation meant an unstable foundation. The path of martial cultivation was a long road. If the foundation was not solid, it would bring no benefit to Zhang Ruochen’s future cultivation.
Vice Dean Qinghua had high expectations for Zhang Ruochen and did not want him to be ruined at the foundational level. She spoke earnestly, “In the early stages of martial cultivation, cultivation resources play a significant role. An ordinary genius, as long as they have sufficient cultivation resources, can also advance quite quickly.”
“Thirty years ago, the Western Academy produced a prodigy of unparalleled talent. At just twelve years old, he reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm; at thirteen, the Earth Extreme Realm; and at fifteen, the Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection, shocking all thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge. At the time, all the academy’s elders praised him highly, believing he could reach the Half-Saint realm, and even had hope of becoming a Saint.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “What happened afterward?”
Vice Dean Qinghua sighed, shook her head, and said, “Cultivating too fast led to an unstable foundation, and his later cultivation progress became extremely slow. After the age of fifteen, it took him another fifteen years to reach the Heavenly Extreme Realm.”
“The talented students who were his peers have already surpassed him, and he is still only at the Heavenly Extreme Realm Initial Stage. Let alone becoming a Half-Saint, even whether he can reach the Heavenly Extreme Realm Late Stage is a big question mark.”
Zhang Ruochen could feel Vice Dean Qinghua’s regret—a deep sense of disappointment.
Vice Dean Qinghua’s gaze turned back to Zhang Ruochen. “So, don’t rush to break through to the Earth Extreme Realm. First, stabilize yourself at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Great Perfection for two years, refine the true qi within your body, and improve its purity. At the same time, you must temper your physique, making yourself as unbreakable as a rock. Only by laying a solid foundation can you go further on the path of martial cultivation.”
Vice Dean Qinghua did not know that Zhang Ruochen possessed the Time-Space Crystal. She thought he had only cultivated for half a year, so she was very worried that he might go astray.
In reality, with the time power of the Time-Space Crystal, Zhang Ruochen had already cultivated for over a year at the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
Of course, Vice Dean Qinghua’s words were not without reason. Zhang Ruochen also did not plan to rush into breaking through to the Earth Extreme Realm. He intended to continue tempering himself and take this opportunity to strive for the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
Zhang Ruochen set himself a time limit of one year. If he could not reach the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm within a year, he would have to break through to the Earth Extreme Realm.
The younger one was, the faster cultivation progressed.
Zhang Ruochen had already wasted sixteen years. He was now seventeen and had no more time to waste.
“One year, with the time power of the Time-Space Crystal, that’s three years. Three years to lay the foundation should be enough,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
If he could not break through to the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Mysterious Extreme Realm even after spending three years, it would mean that he simply could not reach that realm, and there would be no need to waste more time.
Vice Dean Qinghua smiled. “Zhang Ruochen, I have high expectations for you. I hope that in two years, you can become number one on the Xuan Ranking, surpassing that number one genius of the Cloud Platform Manor, Zhang Tiangui, in talent. Do you have confidence?”
“This student will definitely not let the Vice Dean down.”
Zhang Ruochen was certainly confident. Even if he went to the Martial Market Arena right now, he was confident he could become number one on the Xuan Ranking.
However, after experiencing several assassination attempts, Zhang Ruochen had already seen the situation clearly. He was no longer the son of Emperor Ming; he was a prince of a low-ranking commandery.
If his talent was too heaven-defying, he would surely incur jealousy, and people would stop at nothing to kill him in the cradle.
He should keep a low profile as much as possible.
If there was no need, he did not want to contend for a spot on the Xuan Ranking.
Vice Dean Qinghua said, “If you can become number one on the Xuan Ranking, you will receive a huge silver coin reward. Once you reach the Earth Extreme Realm, you can use those silver coins to purchase cultivation resources, allowing you to cultivate quickly even at the Earth Extreme Realm.”
“Of course, becoming number one on the Xuan Ranking is no easy task. Even Zhang Tiangui only reached third place on the Xuan Ranking, and Luo Shuihan only reached second place. They both fell one step short.”
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised. “Wasn’t Senior Sister Luo sixth on the Xuan Ranking? When did she reach second place?”
Vice Dean Qinghua said, “Before entering the intermediate relic exploration exam, Luo Shuihan had a secret duel with Wang Tong, who was ranked second on the Xuan Ranking. After a thousand moves, she defeated Wang Tong. Fewer than ten people know about this. The Luo family imposed a gag order, so the matter was not announced publicly.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Since Senior Sister Luo could defeat Wang Tong, why didn’t she challenge Yan Lixuan, the number one on the Xuan Ranking?”
“It would be impossible to succeed.”
Vice Dean Qinghua shook her head. “Yan Lixuan’s strength far exceeds Wang Tong’s. He has held the number one spot on the Xuan Ranking for twenty years, and no one can shake him. If Luo Shuihan did not break through to the Earth Extreme Realm and cultivated for another three years, she might have a chance to defeat Yan Lixuan. But she can’t wait that long, and there’s no need for her to fight for the number one spot on the Xuan Ranking.”
Luo Shuihan also did not want to linger too long at the Mysterious Extreme Realm.
Vice Dean Qinghua smiled. “Huang Yanchen and Duanmu Xingling also have some secret battle records. Due to requirements from the forces behind them, their records have not been made public. But they, too, have the strength to be in the top ten of the Xuan Ranking. It can be said that your generation is the most outstanding in the Western Academy in several hundred years. I hope your martial achievements will not stop at the Heavenly Extreme Realm.”
Zhang Ruochen asked curiously, “Does Senior Sister Duanmu also have a force behind her?”
Vice Dean Qinghua smiled. “Luo Shuihan, Huang Yanchen, and Duanmu Xingling—the reason they are called the three female demons of the Western Academy, and even the elders of the Western Academy can’t control them, is not just because of their talent, but also because of the massive forces backing them. So, they can act recklessly without fear. No one dares to provoke them. Even if they break someone’s leg, that person can only endure it and wouldn’t dare complain to the academy’s elders.”
“The force behind Luo Shuihan is the Saint-level Luo family. The Luo family’s Saint Master, Luo Xu, was once the number one prodigy of the Western Academy. He not only founded the Luo family but is still alive to this day. A family with a Saint sitting in it—who would dare to offend them? Of course, the Luo family’s influence is not within the thirty-six commanderies of the Demon Ridge. You simply cannot imagine the Luo family’s prosperity right now.”
“The force behind Huang Yanchen is also very powerful. It’s not just that she is the princess of the Thousand Water Commandery. Among the many princesses and princes of the Thousand Water Commandery King, why does he value Huang Yanchen the most? It’s mainly because of her mother’s family, which wields tremendous power. Even the Thousand Water Commandery King relied on the power of Huang Yanchen’s mother’s family to ascend to the throne.”
“Do you know why Huang Yanchen doesn’t cultivate at the Martial Market Academy of the Thousand Water Commandery, but instead comes to the Martial Market Academy of the Demon Ridge? It’s because the Grand Academy Master of the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy is her mother’s elder brother, that is, Huang Yanchen’s maternal uncle. With this connection, who in the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy would dare to provoke her?”
“As for Duanmu Xingling, her situation is more special. All I know is that she was sent to the Western Academy by a Half-Saint’s disciple. Apparently, she was sent to study at the Martial Market Academy, to take advantage of the highly competitive environment there to receive better training.”
Zhang Ruochen thought he had a good relationship with them, but only today did he realize how little he still knew about them.
Perhaps in their eyes, Zhang Ruochen was not yet qualified to enter their circle, so some things were not told to him.
Vice Dean Qinghua smiled. “Zhang Ruochen, your engagement to Huang Yanchen will bring you endless benefits in the future, but also endless harm.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. “Why would the Vice Dean say that?”
“Once you enter the Inner Palace, you will know just how many people pursue Huang Yanchen. Challengers will appear one after another, until they defeat you or kill you.”
Vice Dean Qinghua said, “Some of the things I’ve told you today, you’d better keep to yourself and not speak of them. Speaking of them will do you no good.”
“This student understands,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Vice Dean Qinghua paused and then continued, “You are now the number one expert of the Western Academy, so you should rightfully take the Heaven Number One position. Additionally, two others will also enter the Dragon Martial Hall as new members. You should take care of them in the future. Zi Qian, Yao Qingtong, come in.”
Zi Qian and Yao Qingtong walked in from outside, slightly cupping their hands in salute. “Greetings to the Vice Dean. Greetings to Senior Brother.”
Zi Qian needed no introduction. At the time of new student enrollment, she was already at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Small Extreme Position and had passed the first level of the third floor of the Martial Tower. She was certainly qualified to enter the Dragon Martial Hall.
Yao Qingtong was also a new student in the same cohort as Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian. She, too, had enrolled at the Mysterious Extreme Realm Small Extreme Position and passed the first level of the third floor of the Martial Tower. Her talent was not inferior to Zi Qian’s, and her cultivation had already reached the Mysterious Extreme Realm Large Extreme Position.
Vice Dean Qinghua said, “Zi Qian, from now on, you will be the Earth Number One of the Dragon Martial Hall. Yao Qingtong, you will be the Mysterious Number One of the Dragon Martial Hall. I hope you can grow quickly and become Xuan Ranking martial artists within a year.”
Vice Dean Qinghua glanced slightly at Zhang Ruochen. “As the senior brother, now that two junior sisters are entering the Dragon Martial Hall, aren’t you going to give them a welcome gift?”