Chapter 85: Ranking of People Released

Chapter 86: Ranking of People Released

With a sharp cicada-like cry, the needle precisely struck the mica crystal, instantly revealing that the weight was incorrect.

With a flick of the wrist, the sword vibrated, and tiny particles fell from the back of the crystal.

Lu Li didn't stop, his back arched, and he suddenly took a big step back.

A loud bang was heard, and a fire bomb exploded, kicking up a layer of mud and sand.

"That witch reacted so quickly. If she had accepted the mica crystal directly, she wouldn't have been killed, but she would most likely have lost an arm or a leg."

Lu Li felt a wave of fear. He picked up the cicada and carefully examined the crystal left on the sword. Only after confirming that it was not poisoned did he put it away in a special brocade bag.

Wen Nanzheng had already escaped dozens of feet away, her speed far exceeding that of others, likely due to the activation of the Overdraft Secret Technique.

Even the sound of the explosion didn't make her turn around; she didn't even bother to check if the fire grenades had worked, her only thought was to escape.

With such agility, it's impossible to catch up in a short distance.

If this drags on for too long, there's a real chance we'll run into the Rakshasa Palace stewards or the Xuanming Mansion disciples surnamed You who might turn back.

"See you later? Next time we meet, you'd better pray someone's still there to shield you from harm!"

Lu Li could certainly understand the meaning behind Wen Nanzheng's harsh words before she left.

However, those who extrapolate his growth in strength based on the normal timeline are bound to be wildly wrong.

With a four or five-month interval, one might think that Lu Li could at most break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, but in reality, he experienced two more Compass Worlds.

The extent of this improvement is something that outsiders can hardly fathom.

Besides, having more debts is not a burden. He has offended the Bureau of Criminal Investigation severely this time and is planning to stay in Yuzhang County and not move an inch.

If I cannot refine my spirit, I will refrain from venturing into the martial world for the time being.

Anyway, with the Compass World, there's enough experience to hone.

In two more months, when the Retreat Talisman refreshes, we'll have another three months.

Although the Rakshasa Palace is powerful, as one of the seven evil sects, it cannot appear openly and honestly. Its reputation is only slightly better compared to the Xuanming Palace.

If powerful figures in the demonic path want to deal with him, they can simply raise an appeal and use his status as a disciple of the White Deer Academy.

All the martial artists who have mastered the Divine Refinement Technique in Yuzhang County will stand on Lu Li's side.

Back at the carriage, the group was still fast asleep.

Lu Li sat quietly, waiting for dawn to break.

Xiong Shengnan was the first to wake up and immediately realized something was wrong; she had never slept so soundly before.

Upon seeing that the master and servants were missing, he quickly got off the carriage and woke up his companion.

After a search, no one found anything missing, and it didn't seem like a thief had broken in during the night, so the two must have left on their own.

Qin Feng, who had been brimming with pride all the way, deflated like a wilted eggplant.

Even without Xiong Shengnan's lecture, she knew she was being used.

Fortunately, no serious consequences resulted; it was a small lesson learned.

This person had a good attitude and soon returned to normal, discussing with Fang Qing the famous masters in Danyang County.

The portly merchant, who appeared to be quite wealthy and frequently associated with martial arts figures, chimed in with a few words upon hearing this.

Qin Feng shook his head repeatedly, disagreeing with the person's viewpoint, and then listed the masters in his mind.

Despite being a disciple of a sect at the foot of Mount Tiantai, he was very knowledgeable about the martial arts masters in the surrounding counties, which made him quite a remarkable person.

The key point is that these people he mentioned were not top-ranked experts, yet he was able to recount their life stories and their proudest martial arts techniques in detail.

Amidst Qin Feng and the merchants' banter, the last leg of the journey passed quickly, and they could already see the wide city gate, several times more magnificent than that of Chun Gu County.

Lu Li was slightly uneasy, hoping that the thief-catching team wouldn't be too efficient.

If the wanted posters have already been posted at the city gate, the journey home will be much more difficult.

Fortunately, the garrison was just conducting routine checks and collecting fees. The notices at the city gate had been soaked by rain countless times and were yellowed and faded.

We arrived smoothly at the most bustling street in the city, where Tongfu Inn was located.

The fact that they were able to open a shop in this location suggests that the owner of the carriage and horse shop has considerable influence.

The driver was talking animatedly about the advantages of his inn when several waiters came out with basins and hot towels to wipe the faces of the passengers.

This kind of service brought smiles to the faces of several merchants, who knew without asking that they would stay here.

Lu Li washed his face and hands. If he hadn't been in a hurry to return to Yuzhang, he would have stayed at Tongfu Inn for two more days.

The name itself gave him a sense of familiarity.

"The list of most popular people is out! The latest list has been posted!"

Several thugs ran past on the street, shouting as they went, attracting many people to rush towards the government office, eager to be the first to see them.

There are three lists: Heaven, Earth, and Human. The Heaven list is shrouded in mystery, and the Earth list hasn't seen a single newcomer for years. Only the Human list, which is held every quarter, has a lot of fresh blood, and its rankings rise and fall are the most eye-catching.

Which martial artist hasn't felt the youthful passion and ambition of wearing thin spring clothes and trudging through the snow alone, and hasn't imagined himself enjoying the pleasures of revenge and wielding his sword as a chivalrous hero?

The big names on the Heavenly Ranking and Earthly Ranking are too distant; the heroes on the Human Ranking are more relatable.

Moreover, even if someone falls off the list, they can become a true master of spirit cultivation within a few years.

Because of their age, they often outshine the established powerhouses on the leaderboard who have been around for many years.

"Let's go take a look—we'll see how many places Young Master Lu has advanced, and where that mysterious young expert I mentioned will end up."

With a hint of smugness, Qin Feng, having learned the inside story in advance, looked at the crowd pushing and shoving in front of the government office and felt a subtle sense of superiority.

"When you're traveling, it's unavoidable that you're a step behind in receiving information."

Fang Qing shook his head and said.

Each issue of the rankings is copied by the Martial Arts Academy on the third day of the season and sent to all prefectures and counties of the Great Chu through the Privy Council's intelligence channels as quickly as possible.

The notices in the capital were always posted immediately, and all the cities in Wu County received them before sunset on the same day.

In nearby prefectures and counties, it would take two or three days.

The farthest prefectures may not receive this freshly released list for another ten days to half a month.

"The list of successful candidates is out?"

Lu Li's heart stirred; it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious.

Because of this list, he had to rush back to Yuzhang County, and he might face trouble from the bandit-catching office again in the future.

But since it was his first time on the list, he couldn't help but feel a little proud.

The Xiabu Sword Technique requires me to show my sharpness, so I directly entered the rankings by killing the Silver Fish Envoy of the Thief Catcher's Office. That should be enough to make me stand out, right?

After returning, I need to find the academy to claim the promised reward of the precious soldier.

Otherwise, if he returned the cicada's song to the Luo family, he wouldn't have a suitable weapon, and he couldn't possibly go back to using the Hundred-Refined Green Steel Sword.

Once you're used to using powerful weapons, your strength will be greatly diminished when you switch back to using more advanced ones.

Moreover, the enemies Lu Li faced were all far superior in cultivation and came from distinguished backgrounds.

If your weapon is at a disadvantage and your sword is broken by someone else's attack, you'll have no way to complain.

Given his current status, carrying a precious weapon is just right and more than enough for him.

With this in mind, he followed the crowd toward the tall archway next to the government office, which had been covered with brand-new yellow paper.

"As expected, Shaolin Hengjing is still number one. The little monk has only been down the mountain for two years, yet he's held the top spot on the leaderboard for a year and a half!"

"Upon breaking through the Bronze Man Formation and descending the mountain, he comprehended the three schools of the Seventy-Two Arts, making him the first person in Shaolin in nearly a hundred years—the head of the Bodhidharma Hall praised him for his innate wisdom, his instant understanding of martial arts, and his profound mastery of Zen, comparable to that of an elder. It is estimated that the day the results are announced will be the time for his Spirit Refinement!"

The crowd looked down at the list of names.

Lu Li looked up at the top first row; these were the people he would challenge in the future sword trials.

Name: Heng Jing Age: 23 Cultivation Level: Foundation Establishment Perfection, Mastered Thousand Leaf Hand, Maha Finger, Dharma Palm, and possibly also a sword technique, possibly the Compassionate Sword.

Battle record: Defeated a half-step Refining Spirit cultivator with three palm strikes, fought to a draw with the early Refining Spirit stage of the Lushan Sword Alliance in a hundred moves, and stunned the Foundation Establishment Perfection Water Bandit leader in the Thirty-Six Marshes by sitting cross-legged and roaring.

Identity: Ranked first among the Heng generation of Shaolin Temple.

"A Foundation Establishment Perfection expert who is only two years older than me—this is the true value of being number one on the Human Ranking—the two Buddhist temples truly live up to their reputation."

Lu Li did not back down in fear; instead, he was filled with a surge of fighting spirit.

The fact that someone at the Foundation Establishment stage could fight to a draw with someone at the Spirit Refinement stage shows that they are not just skilled in cultivation, but also have extraordinary martial arts skills, just like me.

The Shaolin Temple boasts seventy-two unique skills, the lowest of which are at the level of perfect spiritual refinement. It also has more than twenty martial arts techniques that can condense a Dharma body, making it the most powerful sect in the world.

Hengjing must have cultivated the three gates he comprehended to a high level, otherwise he would never have been able to fight beyond his level.

"Don't be fooled by Heng Jing's illustrious career. He is actually from the Heng generation, and his peers are all middle-aged. He was only accepted as a disciple by the head monk of Bodhi Temple because of his exceptional talent. However, four or five monks from the Miao generation, who should have made a name for themselves, have already left the mountain, but none of them have made it onto the list of successful monks."

Qin Feng lowered his voice, showing off his knowledge.

Lu Li, separated by several layers of people, heard an interesting anecdote.

As the rankings remained unchanged, until fifth place, which was taken by Lu Hengling of the Jade Flute. A new achievement was added to his record: a draw against Wang Rui of the Qushui Sword, which sparked a lively discussion.

There were few changes after that, only a few one or two rankings changed, and one disciple from Baiyun Temple was removed from the list because he was too old.

It wasn't until the twenty-fourth place that an unfamiliar name jumped onto the list, causing an uproar among the onlookers.

Everyone says they're unfamiliar with this person, proving they've never been on the list before and were directly parachuted into this position.

Such a situation is extremely rare.

Only young martial artists ranked in the top ten or even higher, when they are just starting out, will exhibit similar performances.

Most people, however, slowly climb up from the bottom of the list.

"There must be some mistake. Yuzhang Prefecture? That place is just like our Danyang, with no top-tier sects. How could such a person have emerged from there!"

"Stop making a fuss. Someone with good eyesight, please read it out. Staring at it for too long will strain your eyes."

Name: Lu Li Age: 21 Cultivation: Early Foundation Establishment stage He has learned the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique, but his exact level is unknown. However, he has mastered one particular sword technique, which is so powerful that it is unstoppable.

Battle record: He killed a Foundation Establishment Perfection Silver Fish Envoy and two Foundation Establishment Early Stage Silver-Clad Captains with a single sword strike, and then left triumphantly.

Identity: Disciple of Bailu Academy, from Pengcheng, Yuzhang Prefecture.

Rank: 24th on the list of people.

A silence fell over the list, not because the person was unworthy of the title, but because the record was astonishingly exaggerated.

Even those ranked higher than him in the top twenty might not have such impressive achievements.

However, the reason given for being listed was so brutal and direct that it made one wonder if the yamen runners had posted it by mistake.

"Third brother, I remember White Deer Academy is one of the four Confucian academies, not one of the seven demonic sects, right?"

The bald hanger-on who had spoken out earlier nudged his companion and asked uncertainly.