Chapter 30: A Single Entry on the List, Known to All Under Heaven

In the previous edition of the Mortal Ranking, Zhang Zifan had barely made the list with his cultivation at the peak of the Qi-Refining stage.

Gao Wu, currently only at the peak of the Martial Movement stage—a full major realm behind—had never imagined he would make the list himself. Upon hearing his name, his first reaction was that someone else must share it. It was only when he heard that this "Gao Wu" was also a native of Bianzhou that he realized the list was indeed referring to him.

"This Gao Wu’s inclusion is not as simple as it seems. If you all knew his cultivation level, you would be truly astonished!"

"Gentlemen, this Gao Wu is at the Martial Movement stage—and he only just broke through five days ago!"

A wave of commotion rippled through the audience. This was surely the first time a warrior at the Martial Movement stage had ever graced the Mortal Ranking. Although he was at the very bottom, his inclusion meant he had distinguished himself from the masses. While his strength might not yet reach the top hundred, his potential was clearly recognized by the Baixiao Pavilion.

In a private room on the second floor, Manager Tong merely shook her head upon hearing of Gao Wu’s ranking. "This is not entirely a good thing. With such low strength, being exposed to everyone's eyes so early—if the Demonic Cult catches wind of him and sends assassins, he will perish prematurely."

The lady in yellow did not even look up as she replied, "There is a reason the Mortal Ranking is also known as the Poison Ranking. Young people are hot-blooded and refuse to submit to anyone. Those ranked lower challenging those above, or those off the list challenging those on it—it is all perfectly normal."

"If he cannot withstand the pressure himself, his ranking matters little; he would never have amounted to anything anyway."

"Oh, you, acting so mature at such a young age!"

"Hehe, I am just teasing because I see Sister Tong is interested in this person."

"You little brat!"

In Yunzhou, at the Night Watchman’s office, a handsome copper-gong official struck the instrument on his chest. "Martial Movement stage! Interesting! Guangxiao, Old Song, where the hell are you two? Hurry up, let's go listen to some music at the pleasure house!"

"Qian, my good brother, please keep your voice down! Don't shout right in front of the Haoran Pavilion!"

"Hmph, I have the Princess backing me now; I don't fear anyone!"

"Oh? Which princess? The Grand Princess or the Young Princess?"

"Go on, go on! I want both!"

Gao Wu’s entry onto the Mortal Ranking caused a stir, but the public soon accepted the result. There are always brilliant talents emerging in the pugilistic world; whether he can grow successfully will depend on whether his name remains on the next issue of the Mortal Ranking.

***

Zhang Zifan climbed five spots as expected, reaching 90th place.

Linghu Chong, the senior disciple of the Huashan Sect; Xu Qian, the copper-gong official; Fan Xian of the Qing Kingdom; the heir to the Northern Liang throne—all appeared on the Mortal Ranking as predicted.

The top ten of the Mortal Ranking were all at the Innate stage, a magnificent spectacle that drew gasps of admiration.

When the Earth Ranking was announced, the top two from the Mortal Ranking both appeared on it. In particular, the first-ranked Zhou Zhiruo had surged into the top twenty of the Earth Ranking, landing at eighteenth place.

It must be noted that the Earth Ranking consists entirely of long-renowned masters and venerable seniors, every one of them a titan in their own territory. Zhou Zhiruo’s inclusion was based on a single, albeit monumental, achievement: the crushing defeat of the Ghost King, Zhu Youwen.

At Ghost Gate Mountain, the headquarters of the Xuanming Cult, the dwarf Underworld Emperor, with his fair skin and black-and-white hair, roared, "Useless! Second Brother, you have single-handedly boosted her ranking!"

Zhu Youwen, who stood nearly twice as tall as the Underworld Emperor, kept his head bowed, not daring to utter a sound.

The Underworld Emperor, wreathed in black mist, spoke in a shrill, piercing voice. "Zhou Zhiruo! Daring to use my Xuanming Cult as a stepping stone—I will make you feel the wrath of Zhu Yougui!"

Grandmother Meng advised from the side, "Underworld Emperor, Zhou Zhiruo was able to defeat the Ghost King in a single encounter; her strength cannot be underestimated. Furthermore, she has an Innate-stage master by her side—the second-ranked Xiaolongnü."

The Underworld Emperor was even more incensed. "Where did they even come from? Two Innate-stage masters, and both under the age of thirty!"

The others remained silent. This was the intelligence that the entire Great Zhou pugilistic world was desperate to uncover. Unfortunately, whether it was the Baixiao Pavilion that compiled the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal rankings, the Ghost Tower that controlled the black markets, the Great Zhou’s premier intelligence agency, the Seven Stars Tower, or the intelligence bureaus of various kingdoms—all were fixated on these two names, hungering for more information.

Compared to Gao Wu’s minor entry at the bottom of the Mortal Ranking, these two not only topped the Mortal Ranking but simultaneously ascended to the Earth Ranking, causing a much greater tremor.

At Mount Emei, the Emei Sword Sect—a sect comprised entirely of women—had carved out a vast reputation in the Qingzhou pugilistic world, becoming a second-tier or even near-first-tier power within the Ming Kingdom. Naturally, they had their own unique strengths.

The atmosphere here was peaceful; on the surface, it appeared to be a place removed from worldly conflict, with graceful figures practicing swordsmanship everywhere. In a plaza, several women in white paused their practice to gather and whisper.

"The Heaven, Earth, and Mortal rankings were updated today. I wonder how many people from Qingzhou made the list?"

"In any case, our Emei Sect hasn't produced any world-shaking talents in recent years. It’s hard for anyone to make the list!"

"Hush, keep your voice down. Master has been worrying herself gray over this lately. I heard she just brought back a junior sister, saying she intends to take her as her final closed-door disciple."

"Alas, ever since the previous Grandmaster made the Earth Ranking, no one else from our sect has appeared on it. If this continues..."

In the pugilistic world, conflict is constant and often arises from the most inexplicable reasons—perhaps because one is beautiful and catches the eye of a lecher, or perhaps because one occupies a blessed land, drawing the envy of other sects.

The Emei Sect’s current problem is that it occupies a precious site but lacks successors. The current sect leader can barely hold the line, but among the next generation of disciples, not a single one has reached the Innate stage. How can they hold their ground?

At Mount Zhongnan, the Quanzhen Sect, Yin Zhiping slashed frantically with his sword at a wooden dummy in the training field.

"Xiaolongnü, Xiaolongnü! Why does hearing this name make me lose control and feel like I’m going mad?"

"The Beauty Ranking, the Mortal Ranking, the Earth Ranking—appearing on all three at once. What kind of person is she?"

Yin Zhiping did not know that the "Lady’s Sword" listed in the Weapon Encyclopedia also belonged to Xiaolongnü.

After half an hour of venting, he still could not purge the dark fire in his chest. This terrified Yin Zhiping. He did not know why simply hearing the name "Xiaolongnü" nearly caused him to suffer a cultivation deviation.

In the Central Plains, within the Imperial City of the Great Zhou, inside a tower that seemed to hang in the sky, a white-haired youth in white robes sat quietly by a window, gazing down at the entire Imperial City and the vast Great Zhou Empire.

A young girl in red climbed to the top of the tower, panting. "Master, Master! Our rankings have all been published. Have you seen that evil dragon?"

The youth in white nodded, then shook his head. "The evil dragon has emerged, the Ziwei star is shifting; the Great Zhou Empire is unstable, and a great storm is about to rise in the pugilistic world!"

"But, Master, the Empress has reached the Qimen stage at only twenty years old, suppressing all the prodigies of this generation. Who else could stir up such a storm?"

"Some are born accompanied by auspicious omens, and their cultivation progresses a thousand miles a day."

"But others remain hidden and obscure, until the moment of enlightenment, when they suddenly reach the Heavenly Gate!"

"Now, he has arrived."