Free Web NovelChapter 340: Chapter 51: A Higher Realm and the Rankings
Then there were the Spirit Beasts that Su Zhou, itching for a fight, helped the authorities hunt down, and the extremely cooperative Thunder Marsh Jellyfish that appeared a while ago... These were all massive creatures, which kept the numerous professional Physicians in the Spiritual Energy Biology Department busy for a long time. It was then that everyone discovered that the Su Zhou whose name so often appeared on the lists was actually Ning Shiyu’s son.
Especially a while ago, when the massive, headless Peacock corpse was delivered, the residual energy reaction was so immense it triggered the research lab’s warning system, causing the high-risk red lights to flash wildly. And once again, Su Zhou’s name was on the paperwork.
"Oh, you flatter me, you flatter me." When faced with her colleagues’ looks of admiration and envy—looks that seemed to lament, ’Why can’t my son or daughter bring me lab materials?’—Su’s Mother could only nod without an ounce of humility and say, "That’s my boy. Pretty impressive, huh?"
It had to be said, that personality definitely ran in the family.
Lately, Father Su and Su’s Mother’s health had been improving steadily. This was especially true for Father Su, Su Beiluo, who had been overflowing with vigor and vitality. He was full of energy both at work and at home, and was even commended for his performance a while ago with a promotion to Second-level Inspector.
This was mainly because Su Zhou often sent them various Spirit Plants and Spirit Fruits he received as rewards from his department or the government. Just a few days ago, he had even sent over a few Peaches of Immortality. While these items might not directly raise one’s Cultivation, they were second to none for nourishing the body. The couple, who had recently begun their own Cultivation, both felt increasingly invigorated.
Of course, gifts were sent to Shao Qiming’s family as well. And Shao Nantian, who had more inside knowledge of the situation, did more than just marvel at how the new generation was surpassing the old. He keenly perceived that the Spirit Fruit industry was destined to become the primary source of Cultivation resources for the common people of Zhengguo.
If Peaches of Immortality like these could truly have their yield boosted by crossbreeding with ordinary peach trees, just as Su Zhou had casually suggested, then even if not all Zhengguo People could eat them, at least the vast majority of those who aspired to cultivate would reap the benefits.
This sector would undoubtedly spark a massive revolution in the domestic market. ’Investing in it can’t be a mistake!’
The world, though experiencing some turmoil, remained generally stable as it slowly moved past the peak of the "Spiritual Qi Burst and Ruin Openings." The nations of the world, each holding their own legacies, had begun to unlock their ancient inheritances... Although they had only accessed a portion, with the experience gained from opening the first, unlocking the second was merely a matter of time.
Furthermore, for the many ruins located not within national borders but in the public domain, various countries were even planning joint development projects. It wasn’t that nobody wanted to monopolize the benefits, but today’s world was different. Developing ruins alone was risky, and the potential rewards weren’t as great as one might think. After all, they might need support from other nations in the future to face a potentially larger-scale Otherworld invasion.
As a preliminary trial run and a way to test the waters, the three major global blocs each joined forces to explore several ancient ruins located in international waters. The entire expeditions were live-streamed to the public. When faced with various unexpected situations, it was a perfect opportunity for each country to showcase the elite skills of its Transcendents and compete subtly. They would even hold friendly spars from time to time. These spars were meant to be held back, of course, but aside from a few truly inseparable matches, it was usually possible to assess their respective strengths and weaknesses.
These became the two wildly popular, multilingual international programs of the day: *Walking into the Ruins* and *Pulling Punches*.
Thanks to these joint expeditions and spars, some internet enthusiasts even started creating various lists to rate, score, and rank the Transcendents who demonstrated exceptional skill and strength during the live streams. They even went as far as to analyze the agents’ performances, detailing their strengths and weaknesses.
On the surface, they seemed to be nothing more than the tier lists modern people were already used to, created to satisfy the public’s need to feel a sense of national superiority.
In reality, however, these lists were a tool used from behind the scenes by various governments to guide public opinion and deflect conflict. It was far better for the populace to vent their frustrations by arguing online over the rankings of different nations’ agents and Transcendents than to do so in the real world. Furthermore, by analyzing the numerous lists, polls, and big data, the governments could gain a clear understanding of the public’s desires and interests.
Additionally, while most of the commentary was baseless nonsense, some of the evaluations and analyses, presumably from actual Transcendents, held genuine value. These were opinions worth gathering.
All in all, the daily broadcasts of *Walking into the Ruins* and *Pulling Punches* had successfully replaced almost every other variety show in the world, becoming the true ratings Overlords of the New Era. They also successfully guided online public opinion, Gathering the vast majority of discussions about ruins and the strength of Transcendents into this single topic, which made it extremely easy and convenient to manage.
Of course, Su Zhou was not on any of these lists. Whether for ruin exploration or combat spars, none of the rankings had a place for him.
This was certainly not because he was being suppressed, blacklisted, or for any other messy reason.
The reason was quite simple.
Because now, the title "Professor Su Zhou" had made him the most authoritative professional analyst invited to comment on all the major, prestigious ranking lists.
Bar none.
