Chapter 43: High Martial Arts? Who's that?

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The Great Zhou capital, the All-Knowing Tower, Ranking Observatory!

This had always been where the tower’s master, Bai Xiaosheng, observed the martial-world rankings and kept watch over the martial world of Great Zhou.

The Empress, dressed in splendid robes, sat on the floor, lightly tapping her fingers against the boards.

Great Zhou had been founded upon martial strength. So long as the martial world remained peaceful, the foundations of the nation would remain secure!

Looking down at the countless people below, the Empress declared with imposing authority, “As my teacher said, the time has come. Open the Gate of the Seven Stars and lure the enemy into the trap!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” The young man atop the tower replied with unusual solemnity.

“I would very much like to see what this evil dragon looks like!” the Empress muttered before vanishing from the roof of the All-Knowing Tower.

Only after confirming that the Empress had left did the young man spit softly and grumble, “He may be an evil dragon, but you’re hardly any better!”

The four members of Gao Wu’s group had seen and heard of all manner of grand spectacles, but even they were captivated by the capital’s towering walls and uniquely styled buildings.

Still, the four of them showed relatively little surprise. Miao Chengtian and Zhong Xiaokui, on the other hand, were utterly dazzled. Their mouths had remained open the entire journey.

Ordinary people were not permitted to ride horses within the capital, so they could only lead their mounts by hand.

Following the Mighty Vanguard Escort Agency, they entered a nearby inn called the Friends’ Arrival Inn.

The Mighty Vanguard Escort Agency was one they had encountered shortly before reaching the capital. At the time, the escort agency had been under attack by mountain bandits. Gao Wu and Zhao Liying had driven the bandits away, and that was how the two groups had formed a connection.

“Young Master Gao, the Friends’ Arrival Inn is where this old Lin often stays. It’s clean, hygienic, and inexpensive. You can settle in without worry!”

“Very well! I’ll do as you say, Brother Lin!”

Now that they had arrived in the capital, no one was in a hurry to go out and handle business. Besides, the New Year was approaching, and the government offices probably had little interest in working.

Yet sometimes fate was simply too clever. Just as everyone had finished arranging their rooms, two constables entered the inn.

One carried a bronze gong, while the other held a notice and began posting it on the inn’s wall.

“This must be an extremely important notice if they’re posting it in every inn!”

“Could it be a wanted criminal?”

“If so, that would be wonderful. We could make a little extra money!”

The martial-world travelers staying at the inn emerged from their rooms and waited for the constable to finish posting the notice.

Before anyone could step forward to read it, the bronze gong rang out with a resounding clang that echoed throughout the entire inn.

“By order of the master of the Seven Stars Tower, the tower is recruiting talented individuals as of today. Anyone with a skill of their own may register. Three days from now, a martial contest will be held to select worthy recruits!”

Standing on the third floor, Gao Wu froze slightly after hearing the contents of the notice.

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“Now that really is a pillow delivered to someone who’s just fallen asleep. What a coincidence!” Shadow Baby said with a laugh.

“That’s what you call fortune smiling upon you! Have you noticed that your luck has improved considerably since I joined the group?”

“Hmm, now that you mention it, that does seem to be true. From now on, I’ll call you Lucky Baby!”

“You’re more like SpongeBob,” Gao Yifei teased from the side.

“All right, all right. We’ve been traveling for so many days that everyone’s exhausted. Go back to your rooms and rest for a while. We’ll have a feast tonight!”

By the time they reached the capital, it was already afternoon. After a brief rest, evening had arrived.

The capital was ablaze with lights that night and just as bustling as ever.

Before they set out, Gao Wu had instructed everyone to keep as low a profile as possible. Unfortunately, the five women each possessed their own beauty and distinctive charm. With Liu Yifei, one of the women ranked on the Beauty List, among them, remaining inconspicuous was no easy task.

Fortunately, Liu Yifei and the other two women had extensive experience evading paparazzi. Each of them wrapped herself up from head to toe, and their disguises were so similar that they looked almost identical.

Miao Chengtian and Zhong Xiaokui exchanged glances, wondering whether they ought to imitate them as well.

“All right, the two of you don’t need to wrap yourselves up so tightly.”

“Why not?”

“You don’t have the looks for it!”

“...”

Zhong Xiaokui had a childlike face, so saying she lacked the necessary beauty was at least understandable. Miao Chengtian, however, was a mature beauty, with curves where there ought to be curves and a slender waist where there ought to be one. Her delicate, oval face was especially striking. Saying that she lacked beauty was certainly a bit excessive.

Zhao Liying was lively and energetic, pausing to look here and there along the way. When they finally decided to find a restaurant, they discovered that the establishment was already packed with people.

The restaurant was called Fragrant Osmanthus Tower, one of the better-known restaurants in the eastern district where Gao Wu and the others were staying.

“It seems that no matter what world we’re in, we can never escape waiting in line!”

“Why bother waiting? We can simply find somewhere else.” Zhou Zhiruo had no patience for such a thing and turned to leave.

“Don’t be so hasty. I’ll go up and ask,” Gao Wu said, unwilling to give up. A crowd made things livelier, and they had been traveling every day lately, speaking so little that he had nearly forgotten how to converse.

Besides, since Fragrant Osmanthus Tower had attracted so many customers, it naturally had something exceptional about it. Wouldn’t it be a shame not to try it?

“Excuse me, let me through—ah, there’s the manager!”

Gao Wu was tall, powerfully built, and possessed tremendous strength. He successfully forced his way into Fragrant Osmanthus Tower, though the people crowded around the entrance immediately voiced their displeasure.

“Hey, young hero, please wait outside and join the line!” The manager was a middle-aged man with a pale, clean-shaven face. His voice was soft and delicate, but his tone brooked no argument.

“Wait, Manager. Don’t you have VIP seating? Or perhaps super-VIP seating?”

“No. We don’t have any kind of VIP seating.”

“I’m not talking about anything vulgar. I mean honored guests. How does one become an honored guest of Fragrant Osmanthus Tower?”

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“What a coincidence. We have no vulgar sort of VIP, but we do have honored guests!” The manager covered his mouth with a soft laugh, his eyes curving into crescents. “Anyone ranked on the Heaven, Earth, or Human List is considered an honored guest. Do you know any of them, young sir?”

“Hahaha...”

The people Gao Wu had pushed aside burst into hearty laughter when they saw him being mocked.

The three rankings—the Heaven List, the Earth List, and the Human List—contained a total of two hundred and ten names, fewer than the number of people who passed the imperial examination each year.

Moreover, the ten names on the Heaven List had remained unchanged for ten years.

Even in the capital, the imperial city of Great Zhou and the center of its talent, how many people could truly make it onto the rankings?

“Go to the back and join the line before you embarrass yourself any further!”

“Exactly. Who wouldn’t want to taste the dishes at Fragrant Osmanthus Tower? And who wouldn’t want to sample its famous osmanthus wine?”

“Come on, young man. Go back outside!”

Gao Wu cupped his fists toward the people jeering at him and said with a smile, “Everyone, it is not my intention to push myself forward. It is only that my younger sister is frail and frequently ill. Since it was so difficult to bring her outside, naturally, as her elder brother, I would like to let her enjoy something good.”

The moment Gao Wu said this, everyone turned to look outside. Sure enough, three frail-looking women were wrapped up so tightly that they appeared afraid of catching a chill. The other two women looked like maids, carefully attending to them from the side.

Even so, someone called out, “That still doesn’t mean you can skip the line! Whose household doesn’t have its elderly, weak, sick, or disabled?”

Gao Wu laughed heartily. “The manager just said that anyone on the three rankings may be treated as an honored guest. An honored guest should have a private room available, should they not?”

The pale-faced middle-aged man said with a beaming smile, “Naturally. My master does indeed keep private rooms for entertaining honored guests.”

“Then how am I supposed to prove to you that I’m on one of the three rankings?”

“Young hero, simply give me your name. My master will know whether it is true.”

“Aren’t you afraid someone might give a false name?”

“Not at all!”

“Very well. For the sake of letting my younger sister taste the delicacies of Fragrant Osmanthus Tower today, I shall have to trouble everyone.”

As he spoke, he bowed apologetically to the guests behind him.

“Hurry up and give your name! Stop wasting everyone’s time!” The guests were not moved by his words and began shouting impatiently.

“I am Gao Wu of the Human List!”

“Gao Wu? Who’s that? I’ve never heard of him...”

“He sounds vaguely familiar, but I can’t remember where I heard the name.”