Chapter 466: First Day of School
To rapidly improve his cultivation, he could only rely on the Cosmic Divine Wood Map.
Only when the Cosmic Divine Wood Map absorbed enough Wood Spirit Origin Qi could the Sky-Connecting Divine Tree within it grow, supporting the inner world of the scroll.
The time flow rate in the inner space of the Cosmic Divine Wood Map differed greatly from the outside world. Cultivating inside for ten days meant only one day passed outside.
In other words, as long as Zhang Ruochen could enter the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, his cultivation speed could increase tenfold.
"Tomorrow, when I enter the Saint Academy, I'll go to the academy's library to look through books. I should be able to find a lower-level Ruins Realm rich in Wood Spirit Origin Qi."
Zhang Ruochen pondered ways to quickly boost his cultivation as he walked forward. Soon, he stepped out of the bamboo grove.
Nie Honglou stood upright outside the bamboo grove. Seeing Zhang Ruochen emerge alone, he asked, "What about that senior?"
"She's gone," Zhang Ruochen said.
Nie Honglou said, "Zhang Ruochen, I'm leaving too. Tomorrow, once you enter the Saint Academy, I'll depart."
For the past half month, Nie Honglou had been protecting Zhang Ruochen, following him wherever he went, quite diligently.
For a top-tier expert like him to go this far was already remarkable.
Zhang Ruochen didn't try to stop him. After all, Nie Honglou also needed to cultivate and had his own path. He couldn't spend all his time on Zhang Ruochen.
After a moment's thought, Zhang Ruochen took out a jade box and handed it to Nie Honglou with a smile. "If it weren't for your protection these past two weeks, Brother Nie, I'd probably have been assassinated by Black Market experts by now. You must accept this gift."
Nie Honglou, being a Fish-Dragon Sixth Change powerhouse with cultivation far surpassing Zhang Ruochen's, naturally had his pride. He certainly wouldn't accept a gift from Zhang Ruochen.
Just as he was about to refuse, he paused, sensing a strange fluctuation coming from the box.
Could it be that the box contained some extraordinary treasure?
His heart stirred. He took the box and opened it.
Inside was a black crystal, smooth on the surface, with a faint mist. Using spiritual power to probe, one could detect pure water-attributed spiritual energy within the black crystal.
"This... this... could it be the Black Water Glass Crystal, one of the Five Elements Spiritual Treasures?" Nie Honglou's eyes widened.
Zhang Ruochen nodded affirmatively. "That's right."
If it had been any other treasure, Nie Honglou would have refused. But since it was the Black Water Glass Crystal, he couldn't bring himself to say no.
Nie Honglou licked his lips and shook his head with a wry smile. "Zhang Ruochen, you're deliberately trying to make me owe you a favor!"
"If Brother Nie doesn't want it, I'll take it back now," Zhang Ruochen said.
"No, I want it, of course."
Without a moment's hesitation, Nie Honglou immediately put away the Black Water Glass Crystal.
Are you kidding? A treasure like the Black Water Glass Crystal was rare and hard to come by, enough to save him ten years of bitter cultivation. How could he refuse?
With the help of the Black Water Glass Crystal, Nie Honglou was confident he could make further progress and reach Fish-Dragon Seventh Change in a short time.
"How about this? Since you've given me the Black Water Glass Crystal, I'll protect you for another half month." Nie Honglou didn't want to owe anyone a favor and hoped to repay it quickly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Brother Nie, there's no need to be so polite. I gave you the Black Water Glass Crystal just to make a friend, nothing else. Besides, starting tomorrow, I'll be entering the Saint Academy, so I won't need your protection anymore."
Nie Honglou laughed. "Do you really think entering the Saint Academy means you're completely safe? The competition there is even fiercer than outside, especially with the senior students who take pleasure in bullying the new ones. Those heirs of saintly clans also enjoy humbling students from humble backgrounds."
"You're the top newcomer, the center of attention. Plenty of people want to step on you to make a name for themselves."
"With your strength, you don't need to fear anyone among Heaven Realm martial artists. But can you handle the Fish-Dragon Realm prodigies in the Saint Academy? They won't dare kill you, but they can humiliate you. Standing firm in the Saint Academy isn't easy."
Zhang Ruochen stared intently at Nie Honglou. "How do you know so much about the Saint Academy? Are you also a saint disciple there?"
"Sort of. But I haven't been back in over ten years. I guess most people have forgotten me by now," Nie Honglou said with a self-deprecating laugh.
Why wasn't Nie Honglou cultivating at the Saint Academy instead of joining mercenary groups for risky missions?
Zhang Ruochen didn't ask. Everyone had their own choices. Perhaps Nie Honglou believed that training with a mercenary group was more beneficial to his cultivation than staying at the Saint Academy.
Back at the Martial Market Inn, Zhang Ruochen brought Lin Fei, Kong Xuan, Xiao Hei, Han Xue, and the Demon Ape to the Half-Saint Mansion, settling them all in.
As for Si Xingkong, Chang Qiqi, Duanmu Xingling, and the others, they were all saint disciples of the Saint Academy and could stay in the academy's dormitories, so there was no need for them to live at Zhang Ruochen's mansion.
He worked until late at night before finally lying down on the bed for a good night's sleep.
Although, with his current cultivation, he wouldn't tire even if he went ten or fifteen days without rest, actively sleeping was always a relaxing thing.
Keeping one's nerves too tight and overworking oneself wasn't good for cultivation either.
The next morning, before dawn, Zhang Ruochen got up to practice his swordsmanship.
The training ground at the Half-Saint Mansion was spacious, fifty meters long and forty meters wide. A fifth-rank defensive formation was set up at the edge, so Zhang Ruochen didn't worry about sword energy flying out and hurting anyone.
He practiced swordsmanship for an hour.
Finally, the sun rose, breaking through the clouds and illuminating the earth.
Zhang Ruochen's robe was completely soaked with sweat.
Returning to his room, he changed into the special martial uniform of the Saint Academy, took his token, and walked out of the mansion toward the academy.
The Saint Academy's martial uniform was golden, woven from special gold threads. Ordinary blades couldn't damage it, making it comparable to a sixth-rank True Martial Treasure.
In the Martial Market Bank, only Gold Robe Elders were qualified to wear such golden martial uniforms.
In other words, becoming a saint disciple meant enjoying the same treatment as a Gold Robe Elder.
If a saint disciple could enter the top one hundred of the Heaven Ranking, they could even wear a purple robe and enjoy even higher treatment.
When Zhang Ruochen arrived at the Saint Academy, the area inside and out was filled with ornate carriages. The young martial artists stepping out of them were all at the Heaven Realm, every one a proud son of heaven.
This year, a total of 13,478 students became saint disciples. As a result, on the first day of school, the Saint Academy was packed, lively, and bustling with activity. Handsome men and beautiful women could be seen chatting everywhere, radiating youthful energy.
Before long, Zhang Ruochen spotted a familiar, stunning figure in the crowd—tall, with long legs—Huang Yanchen.
Huang Yanchen was also wearing a golden robe, with a gold-inlaid jade belt around her slender waist, outlining her curvaceous figure. Her sapphire-blue hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. She had tied it into a small bun, secured with a jade hairpin.
As she stepped down from an ornate carriage, she immediately drew the attention of many young martial artists. A beauty like her was impossible to ignore.
"Beautiful. Who is she?"
A young saint disciple holding a folding fan stared at Huang Yanchen with infatuation as she stepped out of the carriage.
"She's from the Chen Clan of the East Domain Saint King Manor. Don't get your hopes up—she's already engaged to a remarkable fiancé."
The young saint disciple waved his fan, looking suave and confident. "How remarkable can he be? As long as they're not married yet, I'm confident I can win her over."
"Haha! Her fiancé is Zhang Ruochen, one of the new generation kings of the East Domain. With your cultivation, you dare compete with Zhang Ruochen for a woman? Can you even last ten moves against him?"
"What? Her fiancé is Zhang Ruochen?" The young saint disciple's face changed, and he no longer dared to think about Huang Yanchen. He was no match for Zhang Ruochen.
Huang Yanchen sensed a familiar presence and immediately turned around, locking eyes with Zhang Ruochen.
"Zhang Ruochen, your reputation is growing bigger and bigger. You've fought hundreds of matches at the Martial Market Arena, haven't you? Want to spar with me too? I'd like to know how many of your moves I can withstand."
Huang Yanchen puffed out her chest, wearing an icy expression, and walked toward Zhang Ruochen under the envious gaze of the other saint disciples.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Senior Sister Yanchen, why challenge me? If you're confident in your strength, you can go to the Martial Market Arena and challenge various experts."
"Are you saying I'm no longer worthy to be your opponent?" Huang Yanchen asked.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "If you want to spar, I have no objection. But today is the first day of school, and there's a lot to do. We can fight another time, right?"
Huang Yanchen nodded. "Fine. Let's go register for the Sword Dao Department first."
This year, the Sword Dao Department recruited 6,000 saint disciples, making it the largest department. It was divided into 100 groups, each with 60 saint disciples.
Based on the results of the three rounds of assessment, they were ranked from top to bottom.
The top 600 students were all placed into the Half-Saint Groups, totaling ten such groups.
The remaining students were assigned to the Fish-Dragon Groups, totaling ninety such groups.
The so-called Half-Saint Groups meant that Half-Saints served as instructors, teaching the saint disciples the path of cultivation.
The so-called Fish-Dragon Groups meant that Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators served as instructors, teaching the saint disciples the path of cultivation.
The Fish-Dragon instructors were almost all top experts above Fish-Dragon Seventh Change, but compared to Half-Saint instructors, there was still a significant gap.
Therefore, being placed in a Half-Saint Group was a great honor for a saint disciple. If they performed exceptionally well, they might even have the chance to become a Half-Saint's personal disciple.
(Alright! It's the end of the month. Little Fish is asking for monthly tickets.)