Chapter 91

Outside the Martial Tower, the crowd could only see the third floor's tower light turn on, but they had no idea how far Zhang Ruochen had progressed in the third floor.

Not to mention that Elder Situ did not believe it, most of the young martial artists present also harbored doubts.

After all, for a freshman to pass the second level of the third floor was simply too shocking.

Elder Situ walked to the bottom of the Martial Tower, extended one arm, and pressed it against a sunken iron wall, infusing his true qi into the iron wall.

The Martial Tower was a genuine martial treasure, and under the stimulation of Elder Situ's true qi, some of the inscriptions within the tower were activated.

"Whoosh!"

The spiritual mirror on the third floor of the Martial Tower immediately emitted a white light.

The scene of Zhang Ruochen battling the second level of the third floor appeared on the surface of the spiritual mirror.

The nine elders, 468 freshmen, and many older students standing below the Martial Tower all looked up at the spiritual mirror on the third floor.

On the spiritual mirror, Zhang Ruochen was fighting against eighteen forging warriors. He fought with great enthusiasm, each move flowing smoothly, and he defeated all eighteen forging warriors with overwhelming force.

The battle scene made the young martial artists below boil with excitement, wishing they were Zhang Ruochen, fighting against the eighteen forging warriors.

As for the female students, their beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration, and in the end, they all looked at Zhang Ruochen standing below the Martial Tower with adoring eyes.

Zhang Ruochen's performance in the Martial Tower was truly astonishing!

In a world where martial arts were revered, a young hero like Zhang Ruochen would naturally make many women go crazy for him.

"How hateful! He actually really passed the second level of the third floor of the Martial Tower!"

Prince Huoxing stood among the freshmen, his eyes coldly fixed on Zhang Ruochen standing below the Martial Tower, determined to eliminate this ninth prince of Yunwu County.

Prince Huoxing, Zixi, and Yao Qingtong were all rare talents, but compared to Zhang Ruochen, they fell short by a large margin.

Therefore, this year's freshmen were almost all overshadowed by Zhang Ruochen.

The fourth person in the history of the Western Academy, who could compare to him?

In the subsequent Martial Tower trials, no one else managed to pass the third level of the second floor.

By dusk, the Martial Tower trials finally ended, and the top 120 participants became the outer disciples of the Western Academy of the Martial Market.

The rankings of the 120 freshmen were quickly assessed, and without any doubt, Zhang Ruochen became the top freshman.

Zixi ranked second, Prince Huoxing third, and Yao Qingtong fourth.

Among the top ten, there were six women and four men.

Fortunately, there was a Zhang Ruochen; otherwise, this year's freshmen would have been dominated by female students.

A total of fifteen young martial artists from Yunwu County became outer disciples of the Western Academy, while Sifang County had thirty-eight.

Overall, Sifang County had a significant advantage in the number of freshmen. However, Yunwu County dominated the top two spots, making a significant impact.

In previous years, the Western Academy would also admit 120 freshmen, and the martial artists from Sifang County would make up the majority. This year, however, they did not even reach one-third, and Prince Huoxing's face was quite grim.

"If it weren't for Zhang Ruochen and Zixi hunting down dozens of Sifang County's geniuses in the first round, how could Sifang County have only thirty-eight outer disciples this year?" Prince Huoxing's face was extremely dark, not hiding the killing intent in his eyes.

Xie Zhaowu said, "Your Highness, even if Zhang Ruochen is a genius, he is only at the mid-stage of the Xuanji realm. With our influence in the Western Academy, it would be easy to eliminate him. As for Zixi, it would be a waste to kill her. Why not make her your princess consort?"

Prince Huoxing's heart stirred, his eyes narrowing into a slit, and he smiled. "Zixi's talent is indeed high, ranking even above this prince. If I could make her my princess consort, it would be a great boost for me. However, she is close to Zhang Ruochen. Would she agree to me?"

Xie Zhaowu smiled. "Zhang Ruochen is just a prince of a lower county. If Sifang County defeats Yunwu County, he won't even be a prince in the future. Zixi is a smart woman; I believe she will know how to choose. If she still refuses to submit to Your Highness, we will use some forceful means to make her submit. In the face of power, she will have no choice but to yield."

Prince Huoxing's face showed a hint of a smile, and he looked at Zixi, finding her indeed very beautiful. If he could make her his princess consort, it would be a delightful thing.

When Prince Huoxing saw Zhang Ruochen, his smile instantly disappeared. "Zhang Ruochen must die! Xie Zhaowu, go tell Feng Zhilin to come see me tonight."

Feng Zhilin was Feng Zhiyi's older brother and had become an outer disciple of the Martial Market Academy two years ago, reaching the peak of the Xuanji realm.

Prince Huoxing decided to use Feng Zhilin to deal with Zhang Ruochen.

Feng Zhilin's younger brother died at the hands of Zhang Ruochen. As an older brother, how could he not seek revenge?

After becoming an outer disciple of the Western Academy, one must go to collect the outer disciple's robe, waistplate, and accommodation key.

The outer disciple's robe was all white.

As for the waistplate, it was not so simple. The Martial Market Academy's waistplate was carved from white jade, inscribed with inscriptions, and refined into a genuine martial treasure, appearing only palm-sized.

The waistplate not only recorded each student's information but also their merit points.

For example, as the top freshman of this year, Zhang Ruochen was awarded 3,000 merit points, so his waistplate displayed 3,000 points.

Zixi, as the second-ranked freshman, was awarded 2,000 merit points, also recorded on her waistplate.

As for Liu Chengfeng, who ranked fourteenth among the freshmen, his waistplate displayed 5 points.

The Western Academy only gave 5 merit points to outer disciples each month, and freshmen who did not rank in the top ten also received 5 points.

In the Martial Market Academy, all cultivation resources had to be exchanged with merit points.

Without merit points, one could not move an inch.

Merit points represented one's contribution to the Martial Market Academy. Apart from the 5 points given by the academy each month, other merit points had to be earned.

In addition to merit points, the waistplate also recorded the strength ranking of each outer disciple of the Western Academy.

Zhang Ruochen infused his true qi into the waistplate, and it immediately displayed his strength ranking: 670th.

Zixi also infused her true qi into the waistplate, and it displayed her strength ranking: 597th.

Zhang Ruochen asked, "What is the ranking on the waistplate?"

Liu Chengfeng, who clearly knew more about the Martial Market Academy than Zhang Ruochen and Zixi, explained, "The ranking on the waistplate is the strength ranking of the Western Academy's outer disciples. It is mainly based on the students' martial realm, the number of tasks completed for the academy, and the quarterly and annual assessments. These are all criteria for ranking!"

Liu Chengfeng then added, "The ranking in the Western Academy doesn't mean much. Only those who enter the Xuan List are truly formidable."

Only those who entered the Xuan List were considered true powerhouses.

Liu Chengfeng asked, "Ninth Prince, which key did you get?"

Zhang Ruochen looked at the bronze key in his hand and noticed that it was different from Liu Chengfeng's accommodation key.

"Longwu Hall, Yellow No. 1." Zhang Ruochen said.

"Longwu Hall..."

Liu Chengfeng's face changed, and his body trembled slightly. "I knew it, I knew it..."

Zhang Ruochen looked at Liu Chengfeng curiously. "Is there something wrong with Longwu Hall?"

Liu Chengfeng shook his head vigorously. "Longwu Hall is the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in the Western Academy. Only the top freshman of each year can live there. Cultivating in Longwu Hall has many benefits, not just abundant spiritual energy."

Zhang Ruochen was relieved. "If so, it seems to be a good thing."

Liu Chengfeng continued to shake his head. "There is a saying in the Western Academy: any man who enters Longwu Hall will either be crippled or ruined. It is said that the top freshman of two years ago, the son of the prime minister of Sifang County, Weichi Tiancong, had his legs broken on the first night he entered Longwu Hall and was thrown out. Since then, Weichi Tiancong has never dared to step into Longwu Hall again."

It was unimaginable how tragic it was for a top freshman to have his legs broken and be thrown out of Longwu Hall.

Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen remembered what Huang Yuchen and Duanmu Xingling had said.

Looking at the key in his hand, Zhang Ruochen felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his head.

"Are they so brutal that they even break the legs of a top freshman? Don't the elders of the Martial Market Academy do anything about it?" Zhang Ruochen asked.

Liu Chengfeng shrugged. "What can they do? One of the female tyrants claimed that Weichi Tiancong had intruded into her room and tried to peep at her bathing. So, in anger, she broke his legs and threw him out of Longwu Hall. The fault was with Weichi Tiancong, so the academy elders couldn't do anything!"

Zixi said, "If Weichi Tiancong knew that the three female tyrants lived in Longwu Hall, how could he dare to peep at them bathing?"

Liu Chengfeng laughed. "Even if Weichi Tiancong had ten lives, he wouldn't dare. But the female tyrant accused him of this crime. What could he do?"

Zhang Ruochen asked, "Did Weichi Tiancong admit to the crime?"

Liu Chengfeng said, "Dare not to admit? If he didn't admit, the next time he would be beaten to death. Weichi Tiancong was naturally afraid, so he admitted. After admitting, it wasn't over. He also had to compensate the female tyrant, so the 3,000 merit points he earned as the top freshman were used to compensate her. Truly tragic!"

Zhang Ruochen drew a deep breath, suddenly feeling that Longwu Hall should be the first forbidden place in the Western Academy, not unlike a dragon's lair or a tiger's den.

"Ninth Prince, you must take care! Try to be like Weichi Tiancong and at least save your life. Even if your legs are broken, as long as you get timely treatment, you can stand up again. A man must be able to bend and stretch. Isn't that right?"

Liu Chengfeng patted Zhang Ruochen's shoulder meaningfully, sighed, and then walked to his accommodation.

...

Please give me a recommendation! Old Fish still tearfully begs for recommendations, for Zhang Ruochen!