The leader had to enter the top ten of the Heaven Board within three years.
Even Ao Xinyan, who was very confident about her own strength, would not dare to say that she could achieve the goal.
Other people were even less likely.
It was too difficult!
Demi-saint Lingshu glanced around. “Since none of you wants to be the Group Leader, I will appoint a leader for you. Zhang Ruochen, do you have confidence you will enter the top ten of the Heaven Board within three years?”
Zhang Ruochen answered, “Yes.”
Demi-saint Lingshu nodded. “Great! Well then, you are the Group Leader of the first group from now on. When I’m away, you will take charge of all the Saints in the first group. Of course, as a leader, you should really take the lead. Urge your group members to practice hard and provide guidance regarding their practice.”
Many of the Saints revealed looks of dissatisfaction.
Each of them was a God’s favored son. They were proud and not willing to obey anyone’s order. They were all aggrieved to hear that they had to follow Zhang Ruochen’s instructions.
Zhang Ruochen was only a bumpkin whose strength was slightly more powerful. How could he be compared with them?
However, none of them dared to be the Group Leader of the first group. If they objected to the appointment of Zhang Ruochen, Demi-saint Lingshu would definitely be unpleasant.
Therefore, they had to forbear their objection.
Demi-saint Lingshu continued, “Zhang Ruochen, come with me. The rest of you are dismissed. You can familiarize yourself with the Saint Academy or go to the Pavilion of Book Collection and read some rare books on exercises.”
Zhang Ruochen followed Demi-saint Lingshu to the center of the Saint Academy.
The students began to discuss what had just happened.
“I detest having to take orders from Zhang Ruochen. He is just a bumpkin from Omen Ridge. He’s nothing!” A rather unconvinced disciple of a Saint family complained.
His name was Zuo Qiuling and he was the disciple of Saint Zuo Gentry. His cultivation had reached the Final State of the Heaven Realm and his comprehensive strength ranked 17th in the first group. He was definitely an outstanding figure.
He was also one of Xi Yunxi’s pursuers. Therefore, he was quite hostile towards Zhang Ruochen.
Xi Yunxi stared at Zhang Ruochen’s back. “I think the reason Master Lingshu appointed him as the Group Leader is because she wants to take him as a disciple.”
“Definitely,” Zuo Qiuling agreed.
Among all the people present, only Duanmu Xingling, who remained silent, knew that the person who wanted to take Zhang Ruochen as his apprentice was not Demi-saint Lingshu, but the second headmaster, Elder Xuanji.
Demi-saint Lingshu was supposed to bring Zhang Ruochen to Elder Xuanji.
She took him to the center of the Saint Academy, Saint Mountain.
From afar, Saint Mountain was like a dark blue dragon lying on the horizon. It was 8,000 meters high. Numerous peaks stood among the mountain. The snow-capped and mist-shrouded mountaintop was like a retreat for immortals.
Zhang Ruochen felt an unusually rich Spiritual Qi blowing before he entered Saint Mountain.
“Saint Mountain is ahead. When you become a Half-Saint, you will be able to open up an abode to practice in Saint Mountain,” Demi-saint Lingshu explained to him.
Zhang Ruochen said, “Legend goes that a holy meridian that has been deposited for billions of years lies beneath Saint Mountain. The holy meridian releases thin Holy Qi. If a warrior in the Heaven Realm practices in Saint Mountain, his practice speed can be ten times quicker than usual.”
“That’s right. There is a holy meridian at the bottom of Saint Mountain. Tenfold speed is an exaggeration, but a warrior can expect his practice speed to increase at least five-fold.”
Demi-saint Lingshu stared at Zhang Ruochen. “Actually, saints of the Saint Academy can enter Saint Mountain to practice for one day if they accumulate 10,000 merits.”
“The merits can be exchanged with military merits. I suggest you gain experience in the Battlefield of the Primitive World for a period and try hard to reach the Ultimate Realm of the Heaven Realm.”
“Although the Battlefield of the Primitive World is extremely dangerous, it’s also a good place to exercise. Even if you can’t reach the Ultimate Realm of the Heaven Realm, getting some experience will also be beneficial for you to break into the Fish-dragon Realm.”
Zhang Ruochen replied, “Thank you Master Lingshu, for your advice.”
“You don’t have to call me master. Perhaps you will soon call me Senior sister apprentice. Let’s go. Follow me to Headmaster Xuanji.”
They entered Saint Mountain and came to a valley filled with pear trees.
The woods were filled with pear flower blossoms. The petals were white and flawless, emitting a light fragrance.
A thick layer of petals covered the ground like snowflakes.
Zhang Ruochen circulated his Genuine Qi into his leg Meridians. A Qi billow soon appeared under his feet. He stepped on it, just above the ground so as not to step on the petals. He looked at the surrounding pear trees in shock. “Are these pear trees the legendary Spiritual Crane Pear?”
Demi-saint Lingshu looked at Zhang Ruochen with surprise, then she smiled. “You do know something. Yes, the Spiritual Crane Pear Garden has 3,600 Spiritual Crane Pear trees in total.”
“The tree needs 300 years to blossom, 300 more years to bear fruit and another 300 years to ripen. Taking a Spiritual Crane Pear cannot only promote cultivation and open the spiritual intelligence of a Monk, it also adds 30 years of life expectancy. When I reached the Half-Saint realm, the Master gave me a Spiritual Crane Pear.”
Zhang Ruochen nodded, amazed.
There was an abundance of Spiritual Crane Pears in the Saint Academy. This was why the Martial Market Bank was far more powerful than other Suzerains and families.
Through the pear garden, a steep black cliff appeared in front of them. On the cliff was a waterfall, like an extremely long white silk leaping down from the Nine Heavens above.
Under the cliff, a white-bearded white-haired elder in a white robe sat cross-legged on an irregular stone table. His wrinkled and old hand was holding a bronze pen and writing something.
Demi-saint Lingshu knelt on one knee and bowed to the elder. “Master.”
“So this is the famous Elder Xunaji, one of the Three Great Sword Saints in the Eastern Region.”
Zhang Ruochen promptly knelt down and saluted Elder Xuanji. He did not dare to be disrespectful.
“Haha! Get up!”
Elder Xuanji laughed brightly and stopped writing.
He seemed to make Zhang Ruochen and Demi-saint Lingshu stand up automatically without showing any means.
SWISH!
When he stopped writing, the sheet of silk cloth on the stone table began to give off a dazzling light and turned into an imperial edict.
This was a real imperial edict. It contained the Saint Power of the Saint and represented the volition and decision of the Saint.
Elder Xuanji looked at Zhang Ruochen and nodded with a smile. He said, “Great, absolutely great. Your sword technique realm has almost reached the Intermediate Stage of the Heart Integrated into Sword.”
Demi-saint Lingshu knew that Elder Xuanji did not compliment disciples easily, but today, he had praised him twice. This showed that Zhang Ruochen’s talent was indeed brilliant.
Zhang Ruochen just stood and listened quietly.
Elder Xuanji suddenly became serious and asked, “I have accepted five disciples. Even Ling Shu, whose cultivation is the weakest, has already reached the Half-Saint realm. Zhang Ruochen, would you like to be my sixth disciple?”
“I would.”
Zhang Ruochen did not refuse. He knelt down again and kowtowed to Elder Xuanji. “I bow to my Master,” he said.
Elder Xuanji stood up. He laughed loudly and said, “Since you agree, take the edict.”
With a sweep of the arm, the blue imperial edict flew from his hand and landed in front of Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen stretched out both hands to receive the imperial edict, then held it in his hands.
The imperial edict recorded that Elder Xuanji would formally accept Zhang Ruochen as his apprentice. The words on it glittered. They contained the volition of a Saint.
Accepting an apprentice was not a simple process; it was a very important decision for a Saint. He needed to issue an imperial edict to affirm the identity of the disciple.
Only Monks who had the imperial edict could be called “disciples of Saints”.
The imperial edict proved the identity of the disciple.
Elder Xuanji smiled. “The imperial edict contains a stream of my Saint Power. If you meet any danger that you cannot deal with, unfold it and the Holy Qi will carry you away thousands of kilometers, providing you an escape route.”
“Of course, if you use up the Holy Qi, it will lose its effect. Therefore, unless there is no other way, you should try your best to overcome difficulties on your own first.”
“I’ll follow your advice,” Zhang Ruochen said.
Elder Xuanji said, “Until you reach the Half-Saint realm, your fifth Senior sister apprentice, Ling Shu will replace me to teach you the means of practice. What do you think?”
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Demi-saint Lingshu. “The fifth Senior sister apprentice has profound cultivation. Her sword technique realm has far exceeded mine. I will surely learn a lot from her.”
Elder Xuanji nodded. “Since it is so, you may leave. If you have anything important, you can hold the imperial edict and meet me at Saint Mountain. No one will stop you.”
Zhang Ruochen suddenly felt that Elder Xuanji had just hinted something.
“Right! He said that I can enter Saint Mountain freely with the imperial edict. Did he mean that I can enter Saint Mountain anytime to practice?”
Zhang Ruochen was happy. He suddenly felt it was extremely worthwhile to be Elder Xuanji’s disciple.
Other Saints needed to accumulate 10,000 merits to practice a day in Saint Mountain. He could enter Saint Mountain anytime to practice without any merit. What a gain!
When Elder Xuanji saw Zhang Ruochen’s eyes change, he knew that Zhang Ruochen understood his meaning. He really was a smart young man, well worth teaching.
“Ling Shu, stay here. I have something to tell you.”
Demi-saint Lingshu stayed with Elder Xuanji. Zhang Ruochen stepped out of the Spiritual Crane Pear Garden and walked toward the outside of Saint Mountain.
Just as he was leaving Saint Mountain, he ran into the God’s favored daughter of Divine Dragon and half-human clan, Ao Xinyan.
Ao Xinyan had been accepted as a disciple by a Half-Saint. She was also on her way out.
When she saw Zhang Ruochen, she quickly chased him and shouted from a distance, “Zhang Ruochen, fight with me. Today, one of us must win.”