Chapter 107: Sacred Liquid
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised and asked, “Who was the first?”
“The one who lives in Heaven No.1 in Dragon Martial Temple!” Headmaster replied.
Black No.1 was Duanmu Xingling, Earth No.1 was Huang Yanchen, then naturally the occupant of Heaven No.1 was Luo Xu’s descendent, Luo Shuihan.
Lord of Western Yard still seemed somewhat unwilling to give up. He continued saying, “Zhang Ruochen, you have to think it over. I have taken a total of nine disciples. Six of them have reached the Heaven Realm and become the martial arts legends of the Heaven Realm. Another person is a prodigy who ranks in the top 10 of the internal school. The other two are the girls Huang and Duanmu. And you should know how powerful they are, right?”
“If you become my disciple, although you will not receive more resources for practicing, you will be able to use my name which has a lot of power in this school. Furthermore, no one will dare to be hostile to you without any forethought.”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “I have made up my mind. Even if I run into difficulties in the School of the Martial Market in the future, I won’t regret.”
“Well! Since you have such a firm belief on this, then I will not try to persuade you further.”
Lord of the Western Campus took out a small, delicate jade bottle, handed it to Zhang Ruochen and said, “There is one drop of Sacred Liquid in it, and I’m giving it to you. Take it as compensation!”
“Sacred Liquid!” Zhang Ruochen exclaimed with a look of delighted surprise on his face.
The students of the School of Martial Market were much more powerful than other warriors in the same realm. For example, Feng Zhilin. Although he was a warrior of the Final State of the Black Realm, he was still able to contend against seven or eight other warriors of the Final State. This was because these students had the opportunity to take Half-Saint’s Essence.
A normal Outer Palace student could receive one drop of Half-Saint’s Essence each year to refine their physical quality.
The first 100 Outer Palace students in Western Campus would get one drop of Half-Saint’s Essence every season.
The first 10 students of Western Campus, on the other hand, would receive two drops of Half-Saint Liquid every season.
Comparatively, the first ranked student in Western Campus would, of course, receive more benefits. The person could get up to 10 drops of Half-Saint’s Essence each season.
Using one drop of Half-Saint’s Essence was sufficient to see the results. The warrior’s physical quality would be significantly stronger, and he undoubtedly would be more powerful than other warriors of the same realm.
One drop of Half-Saint’s Essence could sell for an extraordinary price of a hundred thousand silver coins on the market. There was a price, but no market for such a thing.
For students, the Half-Saint’s Essence was regarded as a rare treasure that could not be easily obtained. Therefore, no one would take it out for sale.
The Sacred Liquid given to Zhang Ruochen by the lord of the Western Campus was much more precious than Half-Saint’s Essence. Each drop was worth more than 5 million silver coins. It could only be purchased in the superior commanderies. It was impossible to be found anywhere in the inferior and medium level commanderies.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen happily accepted the Sacred Liquid.
He then took his leave and returned to Dragon Martial Temple.
“One drop of Sacred Liquid, that’s amazing! With the help of this Sacred Liquid, my Body of Martial Arts will become even stronger. Perhaps I can even break into the Ultimate Realm of the Black Realm. ” Zhang Ruochen squeezed the little jade bottle in his hand, feeling extremely happy.
One drop of Holy Water was far insufficient for reaching the Ultimate Realm. The difference lay in the fact that Zhang Ruochen practiced the Scripture of Emperor Ming’s Empyrean . He opened 36 Meridians in his body and had reached the peak realm of the Sword Following the Mind. This was an advantage that other prodigies did not have.
The Sacred Liquid played a supporting role in this.
Moreover, even with all these attainments, Zhang Ruochen’s chance of reaching the Ultimate Realm was still quite slim.
Therefore, Zhang Ruochen had no plans to drink the Sacred Liquid at the moment. He would keep it until he reached the Completion of the Black Realm, so he could maximize the effectiveness and value of the Sacred Liquid.
“Every three months, Western Campus has a quarterly assessment. The first 100 in the assessment will be able to receive one drop of Half-Saint’s Essence. The effect of Half-Saint’s Essence could not compare to Sacred Liquid, but it is still very precious. It is difficult to purchase even with money.”
“Tthe quarterly assessment is two months away. I will try to get at least one drop of Half-Saint’s Essence.”
The first 100 in the assessment were almost all older students who had trained in the school for several years. Their cultivation was usually at the Completion of the Black Realm.
Even with Feng Zhilin’s cultivation, he could only rank 173 in Western Campus.
“I’ll first master the 12 strokes of the Sacred Sword Skill.”
Zhang Ruochen had successfully practiced six strokes of the Sacred Sword Skill. He was halfway to completing this low-class Spiritual sword technique.
One drop of Sacred Liquid was far insufficient for reaching the Ultimate Realm. The difference lay in the fact that Zhang Ruochen practiced the Scripture of Emperor Ming’s Empyrean . He opened 36 Meridians in his body and had reached the Peak realm of the Sword Following the Heart. This was an advantage that other prodigies did not have.
…
Deep in the night, much of the areas in Western Campus were still brightly lit. Some of the warriors were still practicing their martial technique on the training field and sweating heavily. They hoped to make a name of themselves in the quarterly assessment through their own efforts.
Other warriors gathered around, drinking wine and chatting leisurely. Occasional laughing sounds could be heard when they talked about the pretty female students on Western Campus.
Roars of savage beasts rang out from the Omen Ridge every now and then. But the students of Western Campus did not budge an inch as they had long grown accustomed to such sounds.
A black, slender silhouette skimmed over the top of the building. Melting into a Shadow, it flew into a dense forest.
Although she was wearing a black jumpsuit, one could still tell it was a female.
From the other four directions around Western Campus, four other shadows appeared and joined her.
The five men in black did not speak. They only exchanged hand gestures before hurrying together in the same direction to another place. Then, they stopped near the edge of a cliff.
At the edge of the cliff, there stood a person clad in a set of the black cloak. Black clothes covered his whole body, leaving only his left hand exposed. The back of his hand had visible wrinkles, which clearly belonged to an elder.
The five men in black approached the elder and neatly knelt on one knee before him. Then, they said in unison, “Greetings, presbyter.”
The Cloaked Elder turned to look at them. His gaze landed on one of the black men, who was rather slim and said, “You are a new student this year?”
The woman in black replied, “Yes.”
The Cloaked Elder gently nodded and drew a golden token from his sleeve. On the token was carved “Hades Department”.
Upon seeing the token, the five men in black immediately bowed their heads. They became even more respectful toward the elder.
The Cloaked Elder said, “In the past three months, there have been seven groups offering a bounty for the head of the Ninth Prince of the Yunwu Commandery, Zhang Ruochen. The bounty reward has reached a total of 3.3 million silver coins. The biggest reward is actually posted last night, reaching two million silver coins.”
“This matter has caught the attention of the Master. The Master has personally issued an order to kill Zhang Ruochen within a month at all costs. I’ll give you all 20 days to do it. If you don’t succeed within 20 days, then I’ll personally take him down!”
“The old rules stand. Your identities remain a secret, and all actions await my orders. You may all go back!”
“Yes!”
The five men in black all agreed unanimously. They parted and returned to Western Campus separately.
Watching them leave, the Cloaked Elder removed the hood of his cloak, revealing an old face.
If Zhang Ruochen were there, he would have recognized him. He was the head of presbyters of Western Campus, Elder Situ.
“3.3 million silver coins is not a small sum. That kid’s head is really worth a lot of money.”
Elder Situ’s eyes flashed with cold light. He pulled the hood of his cloak back up and slowly walked out of the forest.
…
The next day.
“Zhang Ruochen, there is a lovely lady goes by the name of Zi waiting outside Dragon Martial Temple. She wants to see you.”
Blackie’s voice floated into the Time and Space Spinel and rang out next to Zhang Ruochen’s ears.
While Zhang Ruochen was practicing in the internal space of the Time and Space Spinel, he usually had Blackie guarding the door. If someone came looking for him, Blackie would notify him immediately.
Zhang Ruochen put down the sword in his hands and walked out of the Time and Space Spinel. He glanced at Blackie who was reading attentively and gently shook his head before heading to the front door of Dragon Martial Temple.
Zi Qian wore a snowy white robe and held a sword in her arms. Standing with her back facing the doors of Dragon Martial Temple, she stared into the distance. She looked like a pure and flawless lotus at the center of a lake from far away.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “Junior sister apprentice Zi, I haven’t seen you for a few days. It seems that your cultivation has developed further.”
Zi Qian turned at the sound of Zhang Ruochen’s voice. She stared at him and asked, “Who tells you that I’m your junior sister apprentice?”
Zhang Ruochen said, “We are students in the same year. I’m the first among the new students, while you’re the second, and thus, I’m naturally the elder brother. Does it make sense to call you junior sister apprentice?”
Zi Qian did not seem to have the mood to debate with Zhang Ruochen. Her eyes were icy cold as she asked, “Don’t you want to invite me into Yellow No.1?”
Something clicked in Zhang Ruochen’s mind. According to his understanding of Zi Qian, she would not come looking for him without reason. Did something happen?
“Please, come in!”
With this thought, Zhang Ruochen’s face became serious. Then, he led Zi Qian into Dragon Martial Temple and headed toward his room.
Opposite Yellow No.1 was Earth No.1.
As of this moment, Duanmu Xingling and Huang Yanchen were both sitting upstairs in Earth No.1. They naturally saw Zhang Ruochen leading Zi Qian into Yellow No.1.
“This Ninth Prince is quite the playboy. He even managed to win the heart of the number one beauty of freshmen. If the news spread out, all the male students in Western Campus would cry their eyes out,” Duanmu Xingling laughed as she stole glances at Huang Yanchen.
Huang Yanchen snorted coldly and said, “Pervert!”
Duanmu Xingling’s eyes narrowed as she smiled and said, “Sister Chen, are you just going to watch and sit by as Zhang Ruochen gets stolen by another girl? Even I’m unwilling to accept this. Don’t you feel anything?”
Huang Yanchen lifted her jade teacup and said in a bland voice, “Who he socializes with is his business. It has nothing to do with me. I thought you quite liked him. If that’s the case, why don’t you do something to get rid of that beauty?”
Duanmu Xingling pursed her lips and did not look like she was about to take any action. She smiled and said, “I only said that I might like him in the future. As for now… I have no rhyme or reason to do anything. Sister Chen, you’re the one who had spent one night with Zhang Ruochen. You have a reason to do so.”
“What do you mean that we had one night together? If you weren’t my junior sister apprentice, I would certainly cut out your tongue.” Huang Yanchen’s expression turned unusually cold. Her hands were pressed hard against the surface of the table, causing a layer of icing cold to form on top of it.
Duanmu Xingling showed no trace of fear. She continued to speak with a faint smile on her face. “So are you going to do something or not? If you don’t take any action now, it might be too late.”
“Fine, I’ll go. I can’t let that pervert ruin the morale of Dragon Martial Temple.” Huang Yanchen picked up her sword, rose to the tip of her toes, and melted into an aromatic breeze. She drifted down from upstairs and walked toward Yellow No.1.
“Yes! Yes! He shouldn’t do such bad things during the day. He should be taught a lesson.” Duanmu Xingling chuckled, a gloating expression appeared on her face.
…
Zi Qian walked into Yellow No.1. She spoke up as soon as she took a seat in the room, “Zhang Ruochen, do you know how much your head is worth?”
Hearing this, even Blackie who had been focusing on reading raised his head and stared at Zi Qian.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “How much?”
“3.3 million silver coins,” Zi Qian replied.
Blackie’s eyes shone, and his gaze fell on Zhang Ruochen’s neck. He looked as if he was considering to decapitate him, in exchange for the huge amount of silver coins.
3.3 million silver coins were possibly more than the total fortunes of a seventh-class family leader.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “You’re not going to tell me you’re here to kill me, right?”
“If I wanted to kill you, I still could.” The corners of Zi Qian’s eyes lifted slightly, showing a hint of disdain. She said, “But, I am not interested in your head.”
Zhang Ruochen understood her meaning and said, “3.3 million silver coins is not a small amount. Even the martial arts legends of the Heaven Realm would be moved by such a huge sum. Seems like Hades Department is prepared to spare no expense in getting me assassinated. By revealing the news to me, aren’t you afraid of the other assassins in Hades Department would hunt you down?”
Zi Qian stood up and said, “I haven’t told you anything. I only let you know how much your head is worth.”
Finishing her sentence, she rose to leave.
Zhang Ruochen thought for a brief moment and said, “Since you have told me a message, I’ll return the favor and tell you something. You’d better be careful these day. The School of the Martial Market is ready to clean out people like you, who’ve sneaked into the school from the Black Market.”
“Thanks!”
Zi Qian paused briefly, and then quickly rushed to the door.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door.
“There’s someone outside.”
Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian’s expressions shifted. Had they been discovered?
“Boom!”
The front door was smashed into pieces by a Sword Breath. Even the two bowl-wide pillars besides the door were broken in two, causing the entire wooden building to teeter unstably.
Huang Yanchen, who was wearing a robe and wielding a sword, barged into the room in an overbearing manner. Her eyes shone with cold light as her gaze swept over Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian who were standing in the entrance way.
Huang Yanchen deeply regretted her decision the moment she walked in.
Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian’s clothing were tidy, with no indications of any untoward behaviors. They looked like two friends meeting up normally.
On the contrary, it was her who had her sword drawn and broken down the door. She was ready to catch them red handed, but now she did not know how to react.
But, as the female devil of Western Campus, she naturally could not show the slightest embarrassment. She put on a strong face instead, revealing a gaze as sharp as two icy swords.
On the other hand, Zhang Ruochen and Zi Qian’s feelings were completely different from her.
“Oh no! She must have overheard our conversation earlier!” Zhang Ruochen noticed that Huang Yanchen’s expression was not exactly friendly. He knew the situation did not look good.
He stole a glance at Zi Qian, feeling a little bit worried.
Since Huang Yanchen knew Zi Qian was a killer from Hades Department, she definitely would not let her go. If Zi Qian was caught, she would die without a doubt.
Zi Qian exposed her identity when she came to deliver a message to him, and thus, Zhang Ruochen did not want to see her die because of him.
Zi Qian’s mind was rattled as soon as she saw Huang Yanchen made her entrance, but she managed to calm down quickly. Her fingers inched toward the hilt of her sword. Since her identity was exposed, she could only fight to the death!
Zhang Ruochen also quietly released his Time and Space Domain and shrouded Huang Yanchen within it. He must block Huang Yanchen and give Zi Qian a chance to escape when necessary.
