Chapter 381: First Day of the Holy Academy Examination
cpa300_4(); Then, Si Xingkong said, "I'm a bit better than you. I've cultivated two thousand four hundred drops of true qi. Having dragon blood really has accelerated our cultivation speed dramatically. Based on my estimate, I should be able to break through to the late stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm within this year."
Chang Qiqi also nodded. Without the dragon blood, it would probably take another three to five years of cultivation to reach their current level of cultivation.
So, they still had to thank Zhang Ruochen.
If Zhang Ruochen hadn't taken them to the underwater Dragon Palace, they wouldn't have obtained the dragon blood, and they certainly wouldn't have come to the Holy Academy to take the examination.
Since they had the dragon blood, they had to cherish this opportunity and must become holy disciples of the Holy Academy.
Everyone was chatting and laughing, except for Duanmu Xingling, who remained silent the whole time, seemingly preoccupied with something.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Duanmu Xingling, sensing something was off, and asked, "Senior Sister Duanmu, what are you thinking about?"
Duanmu Xingling shuddered, as if startled by Zhang Ruochen, and quickly said, "N-nothing. I just feel happy that I'll get to see Senior Sister Luo and Sister Chen today."
"That's right! Luo Shuihan, Huang Yanchen, and Chen Xi'er should also be arriving at the Holy Academy today to take the examination. When that happens, we must definitely get together and have a good time." Chang Qiqi said excitedly.
Under Lei Jing's guidance, Zhang Ruochen, Si Xingkong, Chang Qiqi, and Duanmu Xingling headed to the Holy Academy.
Outside the Holy Academy, it was already a sea of people. Inner court disciples from various Martial Market Academies had all gathered here. Looking out, all one could see were figures, with no end in sight.
Some of them had arrived outside the Holy Academy last night and were waiting there.
There were also some disciples of noble status, riding in luxurious carriages pulled by savage beasts. They didn't need to queue and directly entered the gates of the Holy Academy, making other disciples envious.
"That's the proud son of the Xu Holy Clan, Xu Qing."
"The Xu Holy Clan has a half-saint who is a lecturer at the Holy Academy."
"No wonder Xu Qing doesn't have to queue and can directly enter the Holy Academy for the first round of examination."
...
Amidst the crowd's discussions, Zhang Ruochen glanced at that carriage. He saw a young man dressed in a white robe embroidered with flying pythons, sitting upright inside the carriage. His brows were sharp, and his bearing was imposing.
Four golden-armored mammoth beasts pulled the carriage, moving slowly forward, giving off a sense of overwhelming momentum.
Behind the carriage followed thirty-six young martial artists, both male and female, all with cultivation at the Heavenly Extreme Realm.
Moreover, they were full of energy, their blood qi vigorous, and all one hundred thousand pores on their bodies were absorbing spiritual energy. They were clearly not ordinary martial artists.
Those thirty-six young martial artists were also talents cultivated by the Xu Holy Clan, joining Xu Qing in taking the Holy Academy examination.
"As expected of a saintly clan, they've actually cultivated so many talented individuals. If every generation of the Xu Holy Clan's children is this outstanding, after dozens of generations of accumulation, how terrifying would that be?" Si Xingkong said, somewhat shocked.
Lei Jing said, "That's the kind of foundation only a saintly clan possesses. Other families simply can't compare. Besides, how many saintly clans are there in the entire Eastern Domain?"
The Xu Holy Clan's appearance of dozens of talented disciples at once did indeed cause quite a stir outside the Holy Academy. Everyone was discussing it, some in awe, some envious.
The talented disciples from Nanyun Commandery were also standing among the crowd, gazing at the Xu Holy Clan's carriage.
Xue Yingrou looked at Xu Qing sitting in the carriage, a strange light shining in her beautiful eyes. That's right, in her eyes, only a proud son of a saintly clan like Xu Qing was worthy of her.
If she could become Xu Qing's woman, she too could be as glorious as this in the future.
Just then, a sound like a tidal wave rose from the crowd.
"The proud son of the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor has arrived!"
"Heavens! The Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor has actually dispatched so many talented individuals, several times more than the Xu Holy Clan."
"The Chen family of the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor is a medieval aristocratic clan, countless times more powerful than an ordinary saintly clan. That is a truly peak-level family."
...
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He thought of Huang Yanchen and Chen Xi'er—weren't they from the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor?
So, Zhang Ruochen looked towards the direction of the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor, searching for Huang Yanchen's figure.
The Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor was led by three purple-gold carriages, each four zhang high, like three small palaces, moving slowly forward.
The savage beasts pulling the three purple-gold carriages were fifth-rank savage beasts, qilins.
Three qilins drove side by side, emitting a vast and imposing savage beast aura, instantly suppressing the momentum of the Xu Holy Clan.
Inside the three purple-gold carriages sat three talents, two men and one woman. They were three of the most outstanding individuals of the Chen family's current generation.
Although these three were not saintly bodies, their strength was extremely close to that of a saintly body.
Behind the purple-gold carriages followed one hundred and fifty-seven young martial artists at the Heavenly Extreme Realm, talents cultivated by the Chen family, coming to take the Holy Academy examination.
After searching for a long time, Zhang Ruochen did not find Huang Yanchen or Chen Xi'er, which slightly surprised him.
Just then, Zhang Ruochen sensed a pair of eyes staring at him from behind. It was Huang Yanchen's aura.
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly and immediately turned around to look.
Huang Yanchen stood ten zhang away, wearing a silver robe, her sapphire-blue hair flowing proudly. She held a white war sword between her hands, her chest held high.
Still with that proud and aloof demeanor, chin raised, she exuded a chilling coldness, as if keeping everyone at a distance.
Before Zhang Ruochen could greet her, Duanmu Xingling rushed forward first and embraced Huang Yanchen, saying joyfully, "Sister Chen, I've missed you so much! By the way, why aren't you with those talented individuals from the Eastern Domain Saint Prince Manor?"
Chen Xi'er walked out from behind, smiling, "We are disciples of the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy. Since we're taking the Holy Academy examination, of course we should be with you all."
After saying this, she glanced at Zhang Ruochen and winked playfully.
Luo Shuihan, wearing a white veil, walked out from the crowd. Her gaze fixed on Zhang Ruochen, and she said in a clear, cold voice, "Junior Brother Zhang, I have successfully cultivated it!"
No one else understood the meaning of Luo Shuihan's words, except for Zhang Ruochen.
Luo Shuihan must have successfully cultivated the fist technique that Luo Xu left behind in the half-saint sacred intent diagram, activating her saintly body and undergoing a complete transformation.
Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred with joy, and he showed a delighted expression, "Congratulations, Senior Sister Luo."
"I must thank you. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to succeed."
Luo Shuihan stood right in front of Zhang Ruochen, but her entire body seemed to flow with wisps of mist, as if she were standing in another dimension, quite ethereal, giving off a hazy beauty.
Without using his heavenly eye, even Zhang Ruochen found it difficult to see through her.
She had probably truly cultivated a saintly body.
Chang Qiqi laughed heartily, "Now that everyone is gathered, today is the day we prove ourselves for the Demon Ridge Martial Market Academy. Let's not have some random cats and dogs look down on us, thinking that just because we come from a remote place, we have no skills. Let's strive for everyone to pass the examination and become holy disciples."
Luo Shuihan said, "Today is only the first round of the examination, and it's not strict. I have a token for the Holy Academy, so I can enter directly to take the examination without queuing. All of you, follow me."
Luo Shuihan walked ahead first, and Zhang Ruochen and the others followed.
(I'm not in a good state today, so I'll only write this much. I'll think carefully tomorrow and try to write more.)