Free Web NovelIt was high noon, with the sun shining brightly.
Inside the Dragon Gate, light shimmered and gold leaped.
The liveliness by Fish Dragon Lake was comparable to the previous Martial Arts Summit in Sword City, with an exceptionally large number of Jianghu people present.
They were all Jianghu individuals who owed Sword City a favor, and had come at its summons to discuss important matters.
“Sword City urgently summoned us; could it be that something major has happened?”
“Could it be related to what happened in the Southern Border?”
“Zhennan King’s reporting team has already arrived in our Yunzhou. Since he’s not in the Southern Border, will there really be a big disaster there?”
“Speaking of which, during the last ranking reveal, Li Shaoxia and Ying Xianzi seemed to be in the Southern Border, slaying demons and monsters...”
“What a pity. I came to Yunzhou, hoping to catch a glimpse of their demeanor.”
........
The discussions among the Jianghu guests quickly quieted down.
Because characters had begun to appear on the Dragon Gate.
“Qianlong Ranking, 100th Place: Xiao Qin”
“Martial Arts: Guan Shen Two Apertures, Six Harmonies Fist Perfection, Xuan Iron Wind-Slaying Sword Major Achievement, has learned a high-level Image Mimicking Martial Arts. In the Guan Shen Realm, he possesses more than ten types of Upper Forms and two types of Extreme Forms. All his martial arts are comprehensive, with no obvious weaknesses, and he possesses a secret technique.”
“Achievements: Fought evenly with the Guan Shen Eight Apertures’ Hidden Wolf King, exchanging severe injuries for the latter’s broken leg; in Thunderclap Fortress, sparred with Thunder Jiao Jiao, who is ranked among the top twenty on the Qianlong Ranking, showing no disadvantage in the same realm.”
“Title: Wind-Slaying Crippled Sword”
.....
“Qianlong Ranking, 86th Place: Huang Donglai”
.....
“Qianlong Ranking, 68th Place: Xu Yi”
.....
“Qianlong Ranking, 60th Place: Zhong Zhenyue.”
.....
Zhong Zhenyue’s ranking had climbed another five spots.
However, this achievement did not break the silence on the second floor of the restaurant, as if even the clamor from below could not reach it.
“Father, since you have Your Majesty’s imperial decree, your son will take his leave shortly.”
Zhong Zhenyue said resolutely.
Zhong Qin’s eyelids were slightly lowered. This Zhennan King still maintained his composure even at this moment.
“But Nanguan (Southern Pass) is still there. Your son has no imperial decree. If I abandon my post and become a deserter, facing a great enemy, I should be executed according to military law.”
Zhong Zhenyue didn’t think too much.
Even if Qingmu City was gone, at least Nanguan (Southern Pass) remained.
If he didn’t return either, the soldiers of Nanguan City would be leaderless, and Nanguan (Southern Pass) itself might also fall.
However, before leaving, he wanted to confirm one thing on the Qianlong Ranking first.
Is Brother Li... still alive?
A moment later, the ranking on the Qianlong Ranking had reached eighth.
Zhong Zhenyue didn’t see the name he wanted to see.
Not only was Li Mo not there, but Ying Bing was gone too.
The two Elders of Sword City had completely changed their expressions.
Eighth, seventh, sixth—none of them were there.
Did this mean that those two young people, who had left a profound mark on Sword City’s history, had fallen along with Qingmu City?
This made the hearts of those who shared their feelings sink to the bottom.
But the next second, Zhong Zhenyue’s eyes suddenly widened.
He pointed at the strong, elegant characters on the Dragon Gate, his mouth agape, but he found himself speechless, unable to utter a sound.
“Qianlong Ranking, 5th Place: Ying Bing”
“Martial Arts: Guan Shen Five Apertures, Sword Heart Clarity. Her martial arts attainment has reached the pinnacle of creation. She possesses extremely powerful secret techniques. Her observed divine forms are unknown.”
“Achievements: Contemporary Chief of Qingyuan Sect, Sword Genius of Yunzhou, Qingluan Goddess. She crossed realms in the Southern Border and slew several Disaster Beasts. In the Battle of Qingmu City, her command of the army was unparalleled, directing tens of thousands of soldiers as if they were her own limbs. She used military formations to condense a field comparable to Outer Scenery. Her musical attainment has fully inherited the true essence of the Qingluan Clan Chief, surpassing her teacher. Later, she summoned a true Phoenix to descend, startling away numerous high-grade Disaster Beasts.”
“Titles: Gu She Goddess, Han Xianzi”
.....
“Qianlong Ranking, 4th Place: Li Mo”
“Martial Arts: Guan Shen Five Apertures, Hammer Dao reaching the heavens. His Image Mimicking Martial Arts cultivation is profound to the point of creation. His observed divine forms are unknown.”
“Achievements: Slew Hélián Wù, who was previously ranked sixteenth on the Qianlong Ranking. He possesses the potential of a foe of ten thousand, capable of bearing hundreds of military forces. Amidst tens of thousands of troops, he slew the former imperial preceptor, dispelling the Blood God’s phantom, and his might shook the Southern Border. He jointly defended Qingmu City with Ying Bing, and his Heaven-Tilting Hammer saved the heavens from falling.”
“Titles: Wang Qi Dou Hun, God Hammer Little Overlord”
Fish Dragon Lake fell silent.
No one even paid attention to the top three on the Qianlong Ranking anymore. After all, it was still the same three: a current crown prince, the young manor lord of Tianshan Sword Manor, and a Saint of the Demon Summoning Sect. They had already been discussed repeatedly many times.
Even if there were discussions, they would be about the next time for the top three positions...
Would it still be these three?
Countless Jianghu people in Yunzhou had faces that looked as if they were dreaming, standing ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ stunned for a long time, unable to recover. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
The bad news was that many people had guessed correctly: something major had indeed happened in the Southern Border, and it was even bigger than imagined.
The good news was that the matter had already been settled.
A situation that even Human Ranking and Earth Ranking experts might not have been able to handle.
Was resolved by two rising stars from the Qianlong Ranking.
Up in the restaurant.
“Ah? This...”
Zhong Zhenyue looked bewildered.
He had just made up his mind to go down with the ship, having built himself up psychologically for so long that he felt fired up.
Now, a bucket of cold water was poured over him.
“......”
Elder Xu’s face flushed red, and it took him a long time to utter a sentence:
“They are so young, why are they so awesome?”
“Good, good, good...”
Elder Zeng let out a heavy sigh of relief, unable to suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth.
He had thought there was no more excitement, but he didn’t expect it to get even more awesome. How could he even begin to explain this?
“So, we don’t need to gather the heroes to defend Yunzhou?”
“Hahaha, since they’re already here, tell them to go to Sword City for a drink.”
“Precisely, precisely! Let’s raise a toast to our Sword Genius and Li Jianxian!”
The Elders were overjoyed, and Elder Zeng even expressed that he had new inspiration and would definitely write two poems that night.
Zhong Qin’s expression, which had remained unchanged even when Mount Tai collapsed before him, finally relaxed a little, then became even more complex.
He looked up at the three suns.
The heavy burden on his shoulders still remained.
“Set off for Dijin.”
When Zhennan King spoke, his voice had returned to calmness.
Zhong Zhenyue was about to say something, but Zhong Qin interrupted:
“They will eventually come to Dijin. You can wait for them in Dijin.”
“Yes, Father.”
........
Eastern Wasteland Region, Ziyang Prefecture Fu City.
Ziyang Prefecture Fu City did not have a Dragon Gate, but each issue of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Wind and Cloud Rankings would be posted on the notice board at the city gate.
Qingyuan Sect sent people to post it.
Any Sect that was officially enfeoffed by the imperial court and had its own territory would receive the news around the same time.
The news had now arrived.
Inside Happy Sheep Hot Pot Restaurant, everyone fell silent.
The Elders exchanged glances, and couldn’t help but recall how, at the beginning of the year, that boy was still ignorant and hadn’t touched martial arts, and that girl was still troubled by a cold illness, facing the danger of a short life.
Suddenly, these two names appeared simultaneously in the top five of the Qianlong Ranking.
And they had become famous heroes throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, truly renowned across the world.
It hadn’t been that long, had it?
Why did it suddenly feel like a lifetime had passed?
“No need to leave, hahaha, we don’t need to leave!”
Xue Jing laughed so hard his gums showed.
“That brat, why didn’t he reply to my Concentric Bell?”
Shang Wu was happy in her heart, but her beautiful, flower-like face was puffed up with anger. She put her hands on her hips and said that when Li Mo returned, she would definitely extort her Baby Disciple.
“Five xuan crystals, five! I knew I shouldn’t have fully charged the warship all at once.”
Elder Qian’s face twitched in pain:
“Forget it, it’s done now. Let’s eat first.”
