Chapter 89

Leaving the martial arts hall, Zhang Ruochen came to the second level of the third floor of the Martial Tower.

"Among this year's young martial artists, no one seems to have been able to pass the second level of the third floor. This level will definitely not be as easy as the second level of the second floor."

Zhang Ruochen stared at the text on the wall, reading the rules for this level.

"So it's this simple."

Zhang Ruochen nodded, opened the door to the second level of the third floor of the Martial Tower.

It was also a thirty-meter-long enclosed corridor, only three meters wide, with nine metal statues standing on each side of the corridor.

A total of eighteen metal statues!

According to the rules, each statue's body weighed a thousand catties, all crafted by alchemists, with inscriptions carved inside and spirit crystals embedded, making their bodies as hard as true martial treasures.

In the field of alchemy, they are called—Alchemy Warriors.

Each Alchemy Warrior's strength and speed are comparable to that of a peak late-stage Xuanji Realm martial artist.

It's important to note that the bodies of Alchemy Warriors are like copper and iron, with immense strength and no weaknesses. Therefore, in actual combat, one Alchemy Warrior can match a small-extreme Xuanji Realm martial artist.

In other words, Zhang Ruochen now faces eighteen Alchemy Warriors comparable to small-extreme Xuanji Realm martial artists, and he is in such a narrow corridor.

For a mid-stage Xuanji Realm martial artist, it is almost impossible to pass this corridor.

"Zi Qian, Prince Huo Xing, and Yao Qingtong all have the cultivation of a small-extreme Xuanji Realm. Therefore, they must have faced eighteen Alchemy Warriors comparable to a large-extreme Xuanji Realm. No wonder they all failed! This level is too extreme!"

Zhang Ruochen put away the Flash Soul Sword because this level does not allow the use of weapons.

"Let's fight!"

Zhang Ruochen rolled up his sleeves, his eyes gradually becoming determined, and he took a step into the corridor.

The two Alchemy Warriors at the front moved slightly, and two flames emerged from their deep, black eyes.

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and the two Alchemy Warriors came to life.

"Whoosh!"

The two Alchemy Warriors attacked simultaneously.

The Alchemy Warrior on the left punched towards Zhang Ruochen's face, with flames bursting from his fist, like a blazing fist, unleashing terrifying power, turning into a wave of heat rushing towards Zhang Ruochen.

The Alchemy Warrior on the right extended a steel leg, carrying a cold ice force, sweeping towards Zhang Ruochen's lower body.

Their speed was astonishingly fast, and in such a narrow space, there was no way to dodge.

Zhang Ruochen's body leaned back slightly, dodging the metal fist of the Alchemy Warrior on the left. At the same time, he quickly struck a palm at the chest of the Alchemy Warrior.

"Bang!"

Zhang Ruochen's palm strength was so powerful that he sent the Alchemy Warrior crashing into the wall, causing the entire wall to shake slightly.

However, the Alchemy Warrior was not damaged and immediately attacked Zhang Ruochen again.

"Immortal body?"

Zhang Ruochen was much faster than the Alchemy Warriors, having taken three quick steps to dodge the continuous attacks of the two Alchemy Warriors.

But a greater crisis appeared.

Because Zhang Ruochen had taken three steps forward, he had awakened the two Alchemy Warriors in front.

The two Alchemy Warriors in front and the two Alchemy Warriors behind surrounded Zhang Ruochen and attacked him simultaneously.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Four Alchemy Warriors, eight metal arms, and eight metal legs all attacked Zhang Ruochen.

From all directions, there were palm shadows and foot shadows.

Zhang Ruochen's true qi rapidly circulated, his legs moved swiftly, either side-kicking or sweeping. His arms continuously swung, either as palms or blocking.

"Rushing Elephant on the Ground!"

Zhang Ruochen, at an extremely fast speed, struck four palms in succession.

"Boom!"

All four Alchemy Warriors were sent flying by Zhang Ruochen, some crashing into the walls, others falling to the ground, scattered everywhere.

Zhang Ruochen continued to move forward, and two more Alchemy Warriors attacked him simultaneously. The four Alchemy Warriors behind also got up from the ground and pursued him again.

"No! I must win quickly. If I am surrounded by eighteen Alchemy Warriors, I will surely lose." This thought flashed rapidly through Zhang Ruochen's mind.

"Bang!"

Zhang Ruochen squatted down, his arms slashing diagonally, sending the Alchemy Warrior on the left flying backward, crashing into the four pursuing Alchemy Warriors, knocking them to the ground.

He quickened his pace and rushed forward.

"Dragon and Elephant Return to the Field!"

"Flying Dragon in the Sky!"

"Rushing Elephant on the Ground!"

...

"Bang! Bang!"

Zhang Ruochen's speed was extremely fast, and he swept through the corridor.

After he passed through the corridor, the eighteen Alchemy Warriors all returned to their original positions, standing still.

Zhang Ruochen looked at the bruises on his arms and sighed, "After all, I am made of flesh and blood. Fighting these Alchemy Warriors is too disadvantageous! But, I have finally passed!"

Zhang Ruochen continued to move forward, entering the third level of the third floor.

"Extreme! He passed the second level of the third floor without a scratch. With his abilities, he might even pass the third level of the third floor." Duanmu Xingling tightly clenched her white hands, staring at the spirit mirror, feeling very unhappy.

After all, when she first entered the Martial Tower, she did not pass the second level of the third floor.

In the history of the Western Academy, only three freshmen have ever passed the second level of the third floor on their first entry.

Zhang Ruochen is the fourth.

Duanmu Xingling said, "Sister Chen, do you think he can pass the third level of the third floor?"

Huang Yanchen thought for a moment and said, "In the history of the Western Academy, only one freshman has ever passed the third level of the third floor, and that is the guardian of the Martial Tower, Luo Xu. Since Zhang Ruochen can defeat Luo Xu at the same realm, he might be able to pass the third level of the third floor."

"Moreover, if he passes the third level of the third floor, he won't need to pass the first level of the fourth floor, because he has already passed the first level of the fourth floor in the first level of the second floor."

The first level of the fourth floor is to withstand nine punches from Luo Xu.

Zhang Ruochen had already withstood nine punches from Luo Xu in the first level of the second floor.

Duanmu Xingling's eyes blinked lightly, as if thinking about something, and said, "If he passes the first level of the fourth floor, he will definitely overshadow us and become the top figure in the Martial Academy. I'm sure even the inner palace of the Martial Academy will be alarmed."

Huang Yanchen said, "What do you mean?"

Duanmu Xingling smiled brightly and said, "If he passes the third level of the third floor, we will stop him and prevent him from entering the fourth floor."

Huang Yanchen nodded and said, "It can be done. Since the male students of the Western Academy call us female devils, we should do what female devils should do. For example, suppressing new students."

"It's not suppression; we are saving him. If he performs too outstandingly, it might not be a good thing for him!" Duanmu Xingling seemed to be trying to convince herself, nodding slightly and muttering to herself, "Everything I do is for his own good."

However, the evil smile on her face betrayed her.

Looking at her, she didn't seem like a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl but more like a little devil.

The third level of the third floor is somewhat similar to the third level of the second floor, both being a square water pool of one zhang, with ripples.

The difference is that this time, two silver coins fall into the water pool, forming two sets of ripples.

The martial artist must use their mind to focus on both sets of ripples simultaneously, without any negligence.

Moreover, the two silver coins falling into the water simultaneously will greatly interfere with the martial artist's observation, undoubtedly increasing the difficulty.

To focus on two things at once, one must cultivate their mental power to at least the 20th level.

To count the number of ripples in two places, merely 20th-level mental power is far from enough; at least 25th-level mental power is required.

It's important to note that, except for those who specialize in cultivating mental power, such as alchemists, pill refiners, and beast tamers, other martial artists do not waste time cultivating mental power.

If one does not deliberately cultivate mental power, a Tianji Realm martial artist's mental power can only reach the 20th to 25th level.

For a young martial artist, passing this level is almost impossible.

Of course, for Zhang Ruochen, whose mental power is above the 30th level, this level is not particularly difficult.

When the water surface was completely calm, Zhang Ruochen picked up the inscription pen and wrote down the number of ripples he observed on the jade stele, thus easily passing this level.

"This year's freshmen, the best, have only passed the first level of the third floor. I have now passed the third level of the third floor, and I should be able to firmly become this year's top freshman. The fourth floor of the Martial Tower, I won't go to. Performing too outstandingly is not necessarily a good thing." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.

He is not a person who likes to seek attention. Passing the fourth floor of the Martial Tower won't give him any additional rewards. Since that's the case, he should know when to stop and leave the Martial Tower now.

Zhang Ruochen was just thinking this when two beautiful women walked out of the metal door, blocking his way.

"Zhang Ruochen, you don't need to go to the fourth floor of the Martial Tower."

Huang Yanchen stood straight, her hands behind her back, her expression very proud, her white chin slightly raised, looking down at Zhang Ruochen from above.

She was about 1.75 meters tall and standing on a step, making her appear even taller, with a slender waist and long legs, her figure almost perfect.

Zhang Ruochen, standing below, looked at Huang Yanchen's beautiful face and said, "Since I have passed the third level of the third floor, why can't I go to the fourth floor?"

Originally, he did not plan to go to the fourth floor of the Martial Tower, but being warned not to go was a different matter.

What do they want to do?

Zhang Ruochen naturally recognized the two beautiful senior sisters in front of him. They were both Xuan榜 experts, with powerful cultivation, virtually lawless in the Western Academy, and even the older students were afraid of them.

But so what?

Zhang Ruochen did not buy into their act. After all, this is the Martial Tower, and he was not afraid they would kill him.

Huang Yanchen said solemnly, "We are saving you, not harming you. If you perform well enough, you will naturally receive a large amount of cultivation resources and become a key cultivation target of the academy. However, if you perform too outstandingly, it will not be a good thing for you and may even bring you deadly trouble."

"It sounds like there's some truth to it."

Zhang Ruochen nodded and said, "But, I am not related to you, and you are so concerned about my safety. Isn't that unreasonable? What is your real purpose? Just say it!"