Chapter 427: Returning to the Eastern Domain Sacred City
Si Xingkong took out a half-meter-long metal cylinder and infused true qi into it.
On the surface of the metal cylinder, strands of light-thread inscription patterns emerged, surging toward the bottom of the cylinder.
"Whoosh!"
A white beam of light shot out from the metal cylinder, rising from the ground and piercing straight into the clouds.
Generally speaking, once a martial artist sent out a signal, a Ministry of War warship would arrive within half an hour to extract them from the void realm battlefield.
Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Zhang Ruochen withdrew the Cosmic Divine Wood Map into the qi sea between his eyebrows.
Although Zhang Ruochen trusted Huang Yanchen, Si Xingkong, and Chang Qiqi, he still had to be cautious. Some major secrets should not be exposed if they could be avoided.
If they were exposed, it would not benefit Zhang Ruochen, nor would it benefit them.
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes and released his spiritual power, clearly sensing that the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was weakening.
The entire Five Elements Void Realm seemed to be gradually perishing.
"The Cosmic Divine Wood Map has absorbed the wood spirit origin energy of the Five Elements Void Realm. I'm afraid that in a hundred years, the Five Elements Void Realm will become a dead world without any life."
Having lost its wood spirit origin energy, the Five Elements Void Realm would not perish immediately; it would undergo a long process of decline.
First, the flowers, trees, and plants would gradually wither, eventually becoming completely extinct.
Next, the environment would become extremely harsh, and countless humans and barbarian beasts would starve to death, until they were entirely wiped out.
Finally, the Five Elements Void Realm would become a desolate wasteland. Perhaps only some alien lifeforms that did not rely on wood-type spiritual energy could survive, such as rock life, metal life, water spirit life, and flame life.
Zhang Ruochen naturally did not want to see such a situation occur. After all, that was an entire world of living beings. Even though he had not killed them with his own hands, they would die because of him.
"The saints of the Kunlun Realm will surely notice the anomaly in the Five Elements Void Realm. With their powerful cultivation, they should be able to forcibly alter the origin energy of the Five Elements Void Realm, allowing its creatures to continue surviving."
The First Central Empire only wanted to rule the Five Elements Void Realm, not to exterminate it. They would certainly find a way to compensate for the loss of wood spirit origin energy.
Moreover, over a long period, the Five Elements Void Realm would naturally generate new wood spirit origin energy on its own.
After all, the five elements mutually generate and restrain each other, forming a great cycle.
However, relying on natural laws to nurture wood spirit origin energy would take at least a hundred thousand years, or even a million years. By then, the creatures of the Five Elements Void Realm would likely have gone extinct.
Only saints, with their great divine abilities, could rapidly generate wood spirit origin energy, preventing the spiritual energy of the Five Elements Void Realm from collapsing.
"A Heavenly Ranking expert from the Holy Academy, Nie Wenlong, actually appeared in the Five Elements Void Realm. The Xu Holy Clan must be behind this. I must report this to the Holy Academy and have it investigated," Huang Yanchen said coldly.
Huang Yanchen had already frozen Nie Wenlong's corpse in thick ice, intending to use it as evidence to bring back to the Holy Academy and uncover the mastermind behind it all.
Anyone could see that Nie Wenlong had come to the Five Elements Void Realm to kill Zhang Ruochen.
However, Zhang Ruochen's strength was far greater than Nie Wenlong had imagined, so he ended up dying under Zhang Ruochen's palm instead.
To send a Heavenly Ranking expert to the Five Elements Void Realm, at least a half-saint would have been required.
The thought that a half-saint within the Holy Academy was scheming against Zhang Ruochen sent chills down one's spine.
Si Xingkong's expression turned serious. "Even if the Xu Holy Clan really sent Nie Wenlong to kill Zhang Ruochen, they would have already prepared for the possibility of failure. Even if we investigate, we won't find any results."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "This matter involves a saintly clan. You'd better not get involved. Moreover, even if I bring Nie Wenlong's corpse back to the Holy Academy, I can't do anything to the Xu Holy Clan. It would only alert the enemy."
"Boom!"
Walking up to Nie Wenlong's corpse, Zhang Ruochen struck down with his palm. With a cracking sound, he shattered the corpse, along with the ice encasing it, into dust.
Huang Yanchen wanted to stop him but was too late.
Zhang Ruochen did not want Huang Yanchen to get involved. With the power behind her, she did not need to fear the Xu Holy Clan. However, Zhang Ruochen was worried that the Xu Holy Clan might make a move against her in secret, which would be impossible to guard against and would do her no good.
Since the Xu Holy Clan wanted to play, Zhang Ruochen would play along slowly.
About a quarter of an hour later, a massive metal warship, over one hundred and thirty meters long, flew in from the horizon and stopped above everyone's heads.
Half-Saint Lingshu, dressed in a red robe and carrying a sacred sword on her back, flew down from the metal warship and smiled. "Zhang Ruochen, congratulations. On your first entry into the void realm battlefield, you've become a Heavenly Ranking martial artist. In the third round of assessment, your military merit ranks first. Master was right about you."
Killing the Divine Skeleton Dharma King had earned Zhang Ruochen ten thousand military merit points, enough to enter the Heavenly Ranking.
"Greetings, Half-Saint."
Huang Yanchen, Si Xingkong, and Chang Qiqi all respectfully bowed to Half-Saint Lingshu.
Zhang Ruochen clasped his hands and also bowed to Half-Saint Lingshu, saying modestly, "I've only just entered the Heavenly Ranking. The road ahead is still long."
Other Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists had to fight on the void realm battlefield for years, even decades, to accumulate ten thousand military merit points and become Heavenly Ranking martial artists.
Zhang Ruochen had done it in just one month.
However, Zhang Ruochen's goal was to accumulate thirty million military merit points and strive for the supreme extreme realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm.
Over ten thousand military merit points was just the beginning for him.
Half-Saint Lingshu said, "No need to be modest in front of me. Your strength is formidable, and your talent is extraordinary—everyone has seen it. You even wiped out the Evil Wood Palace. No other student could have achieved such a feat. Of course, among this batch of students, besides you, there is one other who has accumulated ten thousand points and entered the Heavenly Ranking."
"Oh? Who is it?" Zhang Ruochen asked curiously.
Half-Saint Lingshu replied, "Also a student from your Demon Ridge—named Duanmu Xingling."
"It's her."
Although Zhang Ruochen looked quite surprised on the surface, he was not at all shocked inside.
Zhang Ruochen, Duanmu Xingling, and Luo Shuihan were all among the six kings of the new generation.
Zhang Ruochen had trump cards that allowed him to kill Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators. Duanmu Xingling and Luo Shuihan surely had their own trump cards as well, enabling them to kill Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators.
The difference was that Luo Shuihan had a gentle, quiet, and ethereal personality and did not enjoy killing, so she would not have gone on a large-scale hunt of the natives. Once she accumulated enough military merit points, she would have stopped.
Aside from her, only Duanmu Xingling had the strength to accumulate ten thousand military merit points.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Half-Saint, I tamed a barbarian beast in the Five Elements Void Realm and want to bring it back to the Kunlun Realm..."
Half-Saint Lingshu glanced at the demon ape and said, "No need to explain further. It's a trivial matter. I'll take it back to the Holy Academy for you. Don't call me Half-Saint anymore. When we return to the Holy Academy, you'll probably have to call me senior sister. From now on, we're on the same side."
Zhang Ruochen gave a faint, bitter smile. He had originally not wanted to take Xuanji Saint as his master, but since Half-Saint Lingshu had already put it that way, it showed that Xuanji Saint truly admired him.
If he continued to refuse, it would seem too arrogant.
Of course, taking Xuanji Saint as his master was also a good thing, with more benefits than drawbacks for Zhang Ruochen.
Under Half-Saint Lingshu's guidance, the group boarded the warship and headed to the void realm passage of the Five Elements Void Realm.
At the void realm passage, they waited another day.
The students who had participated in the assessment were gradually retrieved. Then, the students boarded the warship and passed through the void realm passage, returning to the Chaotic Myriad Realms Mountain.
Of the thirty-five thousand students who had gone to the Five Elements Void Realm for the third round of assessment, only about thirty thousand returned. Over five thousand talented students had lost their lives.
Most of them had died in the bellies of native barbarian beasts.
In the Five Elements Void Realm, the barbarian beast clans were far stronger than humanity.
Humanity occupied only a small territory, far from being able to contend with the barbarian beasts, surviving only in the cracks.
In the third round of assessment, only fourteen thousand three hundred and seventy-eight students accumulated one hundred military merit points, officially becoming holy disciples of the Holy Academy.
The rest were all eliminated.
They did not stay long at the Chaotic Myriad Realms Mountain. Everyone was transported back to the Eastern Domain Sacred City and returned to the Holy Academy.
The students who had become holy disciples were overjoyed. After receiving their tokens and robes, they gathered in groups to hold celebratory banquets.
Becoming a holy disciple was an immensely honorable achievement, promising a bright future.
Those who had not entered the Holy Academy were somewhat sad but not discouraged.
Since they could not enter the Holy Academy, they could still apply to other academies and martial halls, or even join the Ministry of War.
In the Seventh City District, there were not only the Holy Academy but also many other institutions, such as:
The "Royal Academy" founded by the First Central Empire's imperial court. Although it did not have as long a history as the Holy Academy, it still had half-saints and saints as instructors, and in some respects, its treatment even surpassed that of the Holy Academy.
Moreover, students of the Royal Academy had the opportunity to enter the imperial court, receive official positions and titles, and become regional lords.
Many talented youths from the Eastern Domain Sacred King Manor's Chen family cultivated at the Royal Academy, preparing to enter the imperial court in the future.
In addition, various saintly clans had set up martial halls in the Seventh City District, recruiting talents from across the land.
These martial halls, though not as prestigious as the Holy Academy or the Royal Academy, were still a good choice, offering cultivation techniques for the sacred path.
Zhang Ruochen did not attend Huang Yanchen's celebratory banquet. After receiving his holy disciple robe and token, he took the demon ape and left the Holy Academy, returning to the Martial Market Inn.
He briefly reunited with his mother, reported his safety, and then immediately entered the inner space of the Time-Space Crystal to continue studying the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.
He had to uncover the secrets of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map—it would be of tremendous help to his cultivation.