Chapter 188: A Groundless Disaster
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
“Junior fellow apprentice Zhang, now warriors in the whole Devil Martial City are all saying that you’ve reached the Ultimate Realm of the Black Realm. I really admire people like you who are extraordinary geniuses. When I was in the Black Realm, I could only rank twelfth on the Profound Board. It’s really far from the Ultimate Realm.”
Chen Xier had a good personality. She was a cheerful and talkative person, her smile never left her face.
Her blue pupils were sparkling with dazzling light, as if they were a pair of gems. The small bell pinned on her bun made regular and melodious sounds as she walked.
Walking alongside her would make the other person feel as if his cheeks were being caressed by a gentle spring breeze.
Zhang Ruochen said, “It’s just a rumor. Reaching the Ultimate Realm of the Black Realm is no easy feat.”
Chen Xier nodded gently in agreement. She also did not believe that Zhang Ruochen could reach the Ultimate Realm, but she would never say it aloud.
Keeping the sweet smile on her face, she said, “In the Black Realm, if your top speed surpasses 75 meters per second, your name will be recorded in the history of the School of the Martial Market. Judging from Junior Brother Zhang’s innate talent, even if you haven’t reached the Ultimate Realm of the Black Realm, you’re still qualified to be recorded in the history. Am I right?”
Chen Xier beat around the bush, trying to find out Zhang Ruochen’s current top speed.
No matter what kind of martial art it was, if it was fast enough, then it would be invincible.
Of course, there were some exceptions. In most cases, the faster the warrior, the stronger he would be.
Had Zhang Ruochen surpassed 75 meters per second?
The No.1 genius in 36 commanderies of the Omen Ridge, Zhang Tiangui, had only achieved 73 meters per second as his best record in the Black Realm. From Chen Xier’s point of view, Zhang Ruochen was almost on par with Zhang Tiangui in terms of talent. It was unlikely for him to beat Zhang Tiangui’s speed, reaching 75 meters per second.
Zhang Ruochen pretended that he did not understand her implication. There was no way he could tell her that his top speed had already reached 80 meters per second.
If Chen Xier were to know about this, she would be completely flabbergasted.
After all, in the whole Late Antiquity, there were only nine people who could reach the speed of 80 meters per second in the Black Realm.
It can be said that Zhang Ruochen was the tenth person to have such speed in 10,000 years.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen did not reply, Chen Xier asked again, “I’m very curious about one thing. Now that junior fellow apprentice has already reached the Peak of the Completion of the Black Realm, why don’t you proceed to the Earth Realm?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “It’s may not a good thing to break through the Martial Arts Realms so fast. I want to take some time to settle down and refine my Genuine Qi so that my foundation will become more solid. It’s not too late to break through the Earth Realm by then.”
“I see. That’s how it is.” Chen Xier nodded her head gently. Then, she added on with a bright smile, saying, “With junior brother apprentice Zhang’s talent, you indeed should further solidify your foundation and try to break through the Heaven Realm before 30 years old.”
At some point during their conversation, the two had arrived at the Merit Tower.
Zhang Ruochen spent three drops of Half-Saint’s Essence in exchange for 600 merits.
When he walked out of the Merit Tower, he noticed that Chen Xier had stayed behind and was waiting outside for him.
As for Blackie, it had gone missing.
Zhang Ruochen did not worry about Blackie. It was pretty smart compared to an ordinary savage beast. He believed it would do just fine even in the Internal Academy of the School of the Martial Market.
Chen Xier did not ask Zhang Ruochen how many merits were exchanged, but instead, she said, “Junior brother apprentice Zhang, as you already know, every time you enter the Secret Room to practice, you need to spend 100 points. You can use the room for half a month. Also, if Huo Sheng and Zhao Minggong dare to find fault with you again, you can come to me. I’ll help you to kick their ass.”
“Thank you so much, senior sister apprentice Chen!” Zhang Ruochen said, immediately expressed his gratitude.
Obviously, Zhang Ruochen would not actually go to Chen Xier. After all, they were just strangers who had met by chance. In fact, they had only met twice. They could hardly be labeled as friends.
With a beaming smile on her face, she said, “Since you’re my cousin-in-law, there’s no need to be so polite. Anyway, I have things to attend to, so I’ll leave first. Let’s meet again some other time.”
Staring at Chen Xier’s graceful figure that was gradually disappearing from his sight, a gloomy feeling loomed over Zhang Ruochen.
At first, he had a good impression of Chen Xier. She was very beautiful, but at the same time, she was also amiable and approachable. However, through the course of their conversation, he found that Chen Xier might have approached him with an ulterior motive.
It was as if she was being enveloped in a dense mist, and no one could see her true nature.
“Did she really approach me on purpose?”
“How could it be? She’s the daughter of the Great Palace Master, and her cultivation is already at the Mid Stage of the Earth Realm. It’s quite impossible that she would approach an external student of the school on purpose.”
Zhang Ruochen lightly shook his head, feeling that he was simply overthinking it. As someone who was regarded as God’s favored daughter, very few people could get into her sight. There was no way she would set her sight on a prince from an inferior commandery.
It simply could not be due to Huang Yanchen. Now that Chen Xier had known that he had fallen out with Huang Yanchen, how could she still be so kind to him? After all, they were cousins.
However, among all the women he had seen so far, it could be said that Chen Xier was indeed one of the women with the best personality. Not only did she have a profound background, she was also very kind and helpful. Her eloquence and elegance were in stark contrast to the capriciousness of other noble ladies.
On the contrary, Huang Yanchen did not resemble Chen Xier in any way. She was arrogant and headstrong, and often acted freely without the slightest scruples. Anyone who dared to offend her was digging his own grave.
While Zhang Ruochen was secretly comparing Huang Yanchen to Chen Xier, three internal students dressed in robes walked up to him. One of them was Zhao Minggong, who was responsible for guarding the gate of Mount Saint Crossing.
As soon as Zhao Minggong saw Zhang Ruochen, his face twisted into a cruel expression like a hawk. He pointed a finger at Zhang Ruochen and said, “Senior brother apprentice Zuo, he’s the external student that I’ve told you about.”
Standing at the forefront was Zuo Lengxuan. He walked up to Zhang Ruochen and stopped 10 steps before him. His eyes carried an icing air as he said, “I thought who it is! Turns out it’s the No.1 genius of the Western Campus, Zhang Ruochen, who is basking in the limelight recently.”
Zhao Minggong felt a little surprised and asked, “Senior brother Zuo, do you know him?”
“How could I not know him? He’s the fiancé of Commandery Princess Yanchen!” Zuo Lengxuan sneered and said coldly.
Zhao Minggong’s face immediately darkened.
He simply assumed that Zhang Ruochen was just an external student of the school. He certainly did not expect that he would be the fiancé of Commandery Princess Yanchen.
Oh, no! This was really bad.
Commandery Princess Yanchen was known to be extremely ruthless. She was even given the title of “Devil” by the students in the Western Campus. If he offended her, he would only end up suffering in the School of the Martial Market.
Besides, Commandery Princess Yanchen and Chen Xier were cousins.
It seemed that there was nothing wrong for the fiancé of Commandery Princess Yanchen and Chen Xier to be seen walking together. After all, they would be relatives in the future.
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he felt. He wanted to slap himself in the face. How could he do such stupid things?
Zuo Lengxuan felt somewhat confused too. He was wondering why Chen Xier and Zhang Ruochen were seen together.
He was at Tianyue Tower too when the incident happened. Therefore, he clearly knew that the relationship between Zhang Ruochen and Commandery Princess Yanchen had turned sour when he bid for the best eating accompany. Since Chen Xier was Huang Yanchen’s cousin, she should be hating him too.
There was only one plausible explanation for this. Zhang Ruochen must be the root of the problem.
“Zhang Ruochen, are you trying to impress junior sister apprentice Chen after you’ve fallen out with Commandery Princess Yanchen? I’m warning you, you’d better leave her alone.” Zuo Lengxuan said.
From the way he saw it, Commandery Princess Yanchen must have already broken off her engagement with Zhang Ruochen. Zhang Ruochen had no choice but to seek shelter from someone else, so he tried hard to please Chen Xier.
Zhang Ruochen said, “So what if I get close to senior sister apprentice Chen? It’s none of your business! Also, who are you? Do we know each other?”
Zuo Lengxuan was so enraged by Zhang Ruochen’s reply. He was a Martial Arts master who ranked in the top 50 in the School of the Martial Market. He was quite famous in the Devil Martial City too. How could Zhang Ruochen not recognize him?
He had a feeling that Zhang Ruochen was deliberately humiliating him.
Before Zuo Lengxuan could take any action, Yue Qianfan, who was standing behind him, decided to step out. With a disapproving look on his face, he said, “Zhang Ruochen, you’re too arrogant! Senior brother apprentice Zuo was a well-known figure in the School of the Martial Market. As a disciple of the school, how could you not know him?”
“I’m sorry. I really haven’t heard of senior brother apprentice Zuo’s name.” Zhang Ruochen refused to continue to bicker with them. He quickly left the place and headed off in the direction of Mount Saint Crossing.
His priority was to succeed in his practice of the Shadow of the Royal Wind Dragon. Nothing else really mattered to him.
Once he achieved that, even if he encountered warriors who were at the Completion of the Earth Realm, he could still escape alive.
Zuo Lengxuan’s fingers were clenched into a fist. If he could put away his status and reputation, he would surely teach Zhang Ruochen a lesson.
After all, he was one of the top 50 masters in the School of the Martial Market. If the news that he picked on an external student had spread out, it would greatly damage his reputation. Worst of all, he would be despised by Chen Xier as well.
However, he did not plan to let this slide. Turning around, he quickly exchanged a glance with Yue Qianfan.
Yue Qianfan naturally understood what he meant. Giving a quick nod, he then rushed toward Zhang Ruochen and blocked his way. He smiled sinisterly and said, “I’ve heard that junior brother apprentice Zhang is a once-in-a-lifetime genius. Even Xun Guihai was defeated in your hands. Do you mind exchanging some Martial Arts techniques with me?”
Before Zhang Ruochen could respond, Yue Qianfan leaped into action and slammed his fist toward Zhang Ruochen’s abdomen.
Obviously, he did not come here to exchange techniques with Zhang Ruochen, but to teach him a lesson.
His fist was glowing. A powerful Qi billow surged forth ferociously, rolling in waves toward Zhang Ruochen.
“Waaa!”
The white robe on Zhang Ruochen fluttered when the fierce fist wind came sweeping over him. His body flew backward like a fallen leaf that was blown away by the wind.
Zhang Ruochen quickly took control of the center of his body mass and raised his hands high above his head as to regain his balance. He controlled Yue Qianfan’s fist wind and slowly descended to the ground.
“He can dodge my punch at such a close distance. It’s no wonder that he can defeat Xun Guihai. He does have some skills.” Yue Qianfan’s punch did not hit him the first time, so he immediately made a second punch.
His fist was as hard as a metal stone. Cracking sounds echoed out as his fist flew past the air.
Yue Qianfan’s martial cultivation had reached the Advanced Stage of the Earth Realm. The Genuine Qi in his body was rich and refined. It came forth endlessly like the water flowing in great rivers.
Judging from his strength, he could totally compete with masters at the Dawn State of the Earth Realm. He was more powerful than Xun Guihai, who had just become an internal disciple.
Zhang Ruochen did not want to fight head-on with Yue Qianfan. He displayed his footwork by side-stepping and successfully dodged Yue Qianfan’s full-power blow.
“How many punches do you think you can dodge? How dare you compete with a warrior at the Earth Realm in terms of speed! You’re courting death!”
Yue Qianfan sneered while twisting and turning his body to speed up. Dashing forward at full speed, he caught up with Zhang Ruochen in an instant. At the same time, he stretched out his five fingers and formed a palm print, slashing toward Zhang Ruochen’s neck.
Yue Qianfan’s top speed was 85 meters per second. If his opponent were some other warriors at the Completion of the Black Realm, they would be completely crushed in his hands before they could react in time.
Just when Yue Qianfan thought that he was about to succeed with this attack…
Zhang Ruochen’s figure suddenly split up and transformed into nine figures, darting in nine different directions. Right after that, these nine figures turned around and charged toward Yue Qianfan in the reverse direction.
Zhang Ruochen was no pushover either. Thus, he decided to strike back, knowing that the other party would not back off.
Since you want to fight, let’s see whose fist is stronger!
At that moment, Chen Xier was standing on a tall tower with her hands clasped behind her back. She had been watching the battle between Yue Qianfan and Zhang Ruochen from a distance. She exclaimed in surprise at the very sight of Zhang Ruochen, bursting into motion at full speed.
Chen Xier had known that Zuo Lengxuan would come here, and thus, she left early on purpose. However, she had not gone far. She had been paying close attention to Zhang Ruochen from the side. She wanted to know what would he do to solve the crisis.
Little did she know she would have an unexpected discovery.
Zhang Ruochen’s burst of speed that she witnessed earlier really surprised her.