Zhao Wuji frowned.
A Nine-Opening Golden Elixir—a precious elixir capable of fundamentally transforming one's mortal bone—had actually only elevated Ye Mengyan from the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation Realm to the First Layer of Meridian Opening Realm?
She had managed to clear a mere ten meridians!
Was Ye Mengyan's martial physique simply too weak, or was it too strong?
If her physique were too weak, the medicinal efficacy she could absorb would be limited, resulting in a minimal improvement.
If her physique were too strong, even with total absorption of the medicinal power, the gains would still be limited.
Zhao Wuji's gaze lowered to Ye Mengyan's dantian, and he leaned toward the second possibility.
Thus, Zhao Wuji continued, "Mengyan, after waking up in the ancestral grounds, Tianqi learned of your entire performance during the entrance examination."
"Senior Brother Chu must be... must be very disappointed in me."
The ten fingers hidden inside Ye Mengyan's sleeves clenched tightly together. Her hatred for Ling Yun was deep-seated and bone-deep.
"I wouldn't call it disappointment."
"Tianqi's perspective is not something I can fathom. He is not the sort to care about gains or losses in a single moment or place."
"Take his recent clash with the Cult Master of the Divine Cult, for instance. Although he was injured, he pushed further ahead, successfully condensing a Mystic Elixir and achieving the status of a True Martial Daoist."
"For ordinary people, becoming a True Martial Daoist is the peak of their life, but for Tianqi, this is merely the starting point."
"He is about to head to the Primeval Secret Realm to condense his Dharmic Form True Body. Once he succeeds and emerges..."
"I fear he will become the only genius in the Tianxuan Martial Academy in a century with the qualifications to challenge the Heavenly Ranking."
In her mind, Ye Mengyan involuntarily conjured the invincible posture of Chu Tianqi wielding the Man-Sword Unity to battle the Cult Master of the Divine Cult.
Her heart rippled uncontrollably, and she gushed, "Senior Brother Chu is truly a dragon among men, a worthy top prodigy of the Tianxuan Martial Academy. One day, I, too, shall be like Senior Brother Chu and make my mark on the Heavenly Ranking."
Only geniuses with the potential to reach the Heavenly River Realm were qualified to challenge the Heavenly Ranking.
Yet for an entire century, no one at the Tianxuan Martial Academy had possessed the qualifications to make the attempt.
And yet Chu Tianqi was about to shatter this destiny, reclaiming glory for the Tianxuan Martial Academy.
Zhao Wuji said, "Tianqi's intent this time is that you must not only re-test your spiritual roots, but also enter the contention for the Mountains and Rivers Ranking and seize first place!"
"Master, but I only possess the cultivation of the First Layer of Meridian Opening Realm. Can... can I really do it?"
Ye Mengyan clearly lacked confidence.
"Elder Cao said that the senior brothers and sisters competing for the top ten of the Mountains and Rivers Ranking all possess at least Mysterious-tier top-grade talent."
"Furthermore, every single one of them has deliberately suppressed their cultivation at the Tenth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm for over half a year."
"They do this precisely so they can soar to success during the Mountains and Rivers Ranking battle, claim the grand rewards, and enter the Inner Academy directly."
Zhao Wuji nodded. The situation was indeed as she described.
Those who dared to contend for the top ten of the Mountains and Rivers Ranking were without exception individuals gifted with both exceptional talent and formidable strength.
The reason the Tianxuan Martial Academy established the Mountains and Rivers Ranking and offered heavy rewards was precisely to temper these geniuses.
"Mengyan, in the early stages of the martial path, cultivation has a relatively small supplementary effect on actual combat power."
As he spoke, Zhao Wuji raised his palm, and a black scroll materialized.
"This is the ancient protective secret technique—the Black Iron Rock Armor Technique—brought back by Tianqi from the Primeval Secret Realm. He entrusted me to pass it on to you."
"With this technique, Mengyan, you will essentially be invincible in the competition for the Mountains and Rivers Ranking."
"Next, you will follow your master to learn offensive combat techniques. With all this in place, do you still lack the confidence to fight for first place on the Mountains and Rivers Ranking?"
Hearing this, Ye Mengyan was pleasantly surprised. "Many thanks, Senior Brother Chu! Many thanks, Master!"
"Please rest assured, Master. Mengyan will not let you down this time."
Ye Mengyan threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin, brimming with confidence. In her mind, she already envisioned herself seizing first place on the Mountains and Rivers Ranking amidst the gaze of the multitudes, and then testing for a Heaven-tier spiritual root, making her name resound across the entire Cangfeng Prefecture.
Time flowed like water.
Today was the grandest event of the Outer Academy: the opening day of the Mountains and Rivers Ranking tournament.
Early in the morning, banners fluttered across the martial arts arena, which was already a sea of humanity.
Not only had many elders of the Inner Academy arrived in person to select a few disciples for themselves, but influential figures from all over the Cangfeng Prefecture had also been invited to observe.
This was a moment for the Tianxuan Martial Academy to showcase its heritage and prestige.
Clang!
Accompanied by a heavy, lingering bell chime, the bustling martial arts arena instantly quieted down.
A poised and luxurious-looking matron slowly rose into the air.
Under the gaze of the multitude, her seductive red lips parted slightly, and her enchanting voice echoed across the entire grounds:
"Fellow Daoists, I am Li Tianrong, the host for this session of the Mountains and Rivers Ranking competition!"
***
### Chapter 21: Two Lying-Flat Salted Fish
"So this is Li Tianrong, who was hailed as the top beauty of Cangfeng Prefecture in the previous generation. Truly alluring, charming, and peerlessly elegant."
"To think Dean Zhao could win such a woman as his wife—it really makes one endlessly envious."
"Just listening to that voice makes my bones melt."
In the audience, whether they had seen Li Tianrong before or not, every man gazing at her suspended in mid-air found himself unable to suppress various fantasies arising in his mind.
"This competition for the Mountains and Rivers Ranking consists of two rounds. The first round is the qualifier."
"Ten thousand Outer Academy disciples will have their consciousness enter ten partitioned battlefields within the Demon-Slaying Grand Array to hunt demonic beasts."
"There are no restrictions on rules or methods; the higher the grade of the demonic beast slain, the more points acquired."
"Killing other participants will also allow you to acquire the points dropped by them."
"Everyone has three chances of resurrection. With each death, thirty percent of one's points are dropped."
"The time limit is one day!"
"When the time limit expires, the top ten of each partitioned battlefield will earn the qualification to enter the next round."
"All others will be eliminated!"
"Now, the Demon-Slaying Grand Array, activate!"
Following Li Tianrong's final word, an ancient, mottled stone platform at the center of the martial arts arena erupted with a dazzling blue light, transforming into a deep-blue light barrier that expanded to every corner of the Outer Academy.
Gazing at the light barrier overhead, everyone present was filled with awe.
This was the heritage of a millennium-old sect.
Driving an ancient array of this scale consumed an astronomical amount of energy.
The moment Ling Yun stepped out of his room, he felt his consciousness enter a dilapidated city.
All around him were Outer Academy disciples who, like him, wore expressions of amazement.
However, even more numerous were the experienced Outer Academy veterans who sprinted toward the city gates with practiced ease.
Right at that moment, a kind-hearted veteran shouted to the newcomers like Ling Yun, "This city is a safe zone. Once you step outside the safe zone, you'll be fighting demonic beasts to earn points. Each time you die, you'll be sent back to the city."
"Die three times, and you won't have any more chances to leave the city. Your points will be locked in, and you can only wait here until the battlefield closes."
After expressing their gratitude, the new disciples excitedly rushed out of the city gates as well.
Ling Yun had no interest in this competition for the Mountains and Rivers Ranking.
His real stage was the spiritual root re-test that would follow the ranking battle.
Only then could he secure the status of a true transmission disciple.
Naturally, he had no interest in fighting for the so-called top ten of the Mountains and Rivers Ranking.
After all, these people were fighting tooth and nail merely to secure the identity of an Inner Academy disciple—and there were only a miserable ten spots available at that.
Of course, it was also partly because his current strength simply didn't permit it.
Just a moment ago, Ling Yun had discovered dozens of veterans at the Tenth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm.
Furthermore, these were definitely not people who had just broken through to the Tenth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm; their aura was immensely profound, and they had lingered at the Tenth Layer for a long time, ready to break through to the Wheel Sea Realm at any moment.
As for him, although he had refined that section of the Scarlet Flame Essence, as Wu De had said, the energy leakage of that item was simply too severe.
Even after spending several days, Ling Yun had only managed to raise his cultivation to the Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm.
How was he supposed to play this?
There was no playing this!
Therefore, Ling Yun simply found a quiet spot, sat down, and waited for the qualifiers to end.
"Oh? Brother Yun, to think we'd end up assigned to the exact same battlefield."
Ning Xiaodong walked out from a small path with a smile and sat down right next to Ling Yun, showing not the slightest intention of going out to hunt demonic beasts.
Ling Yun was somewhat surprised. "Brother Ning, you can't possibly be planning to lie flat like me?"
Ning Xiaodong released his aura, revealing the Third Layer of Meridian Opening Realm.
He then shook his head and said, "No help for it. I still have a few minor physical issues to resolve, and with only this bit of cultivation, how could I possibly compete? Better to just lie flat."
Ning Xiaodong's tone was exceptionally relaxed, light dancing within his eyes, completely devoid of the desolation of someone unable to make a name for themselves.
"Brother Yun, what about you? This is your first time entering the Demon-Slaying Grand Array—don't you want to go outside the city and see the world?"
"It's just mindless slaughter, nothing much to look at. I'm just planning to wait right here until the qualifiers end."
"Haha, Brother Yun is truly a man of genuine character! That's wonderful then, we can just chat. Otherwise, sitting here doing nothing for a whole day would be agonizing."
Ning Xiaodong possessed vast knowledge, ranging from wondrous tales of Tianxuan to romantic gossip, and he chattered on endlessly.
The two "salted fish" chatted animatedly, while back at the martial arts arena, after a brief silence, discussions were already buzzing.
"Chu Tianyang is truly worthy of being the top contender for this Mountains and Rivers Ranking. Only an hour has passed, and his points have already reached 5,838,574! Not only is he ranked first in our partitioned battlefield, but he's also first in the overall rankings, leaving second place far behind."
"In the previous session, Chu Tianyang was already expected to enter the Inner Academy directly, but regrettably, because of someone named Ning Xiaodong, he ultimately placed twelfth and missed out."
"Speaking of this Ning Xiaodong, I wonder how he's ranking this time?"
Some busybody looked down the massive overall ranking light screen in the arena.
"Huh? This person named Ye Mengyan must be a newcomer. Her name doesn't seem to be anywhere in the top one hundred of the last Mountains and Rivers Ranking, but look how fast her ranking is shooting up! She's practically about to break into the top ten of the overall rankings. Simply incredible!"
The top ten of each Mountains and Rivers Ranking were basically occupied by those ranked eleventh to twentieth from the previous session, with rare exceptions.
Yet now, a completely unfamiliar name had suddenly broken into the top ten of the overall rankings. How could it not spark astonishment?
"Clan Head Huang, your information is a bit outdated."
An Inner Academy elder smiled and said, "During the entrance examination, Ye Mengyan caused the spirit-testing stele to explode. She very likely possesses the legendary Heaven-tier spiritual root!"
"What?! A Heaven-tier spiritual root!"
Clan Head Huang's buttocks jerked as if pricked by a needle, and he bounced right out of his seat, his face plastered with shock.
Hearing this, those around him were similarly struck dumb with astonishment.
A Heaven-tier spiritual root!
Throughout the entire Cangfeng Prefecture, aside from the Tianxuan Daoist of a thousand years ago, no one else had ever tested for such a terrifying talent!
"Although Ye Mengyan only entered recently, she has already been accepted as a disciple by Dean Zhao. I imagine Dean Zhao must have expended quite a massive price to nurture her these past few days."
"This time around, the top ten of the Mountains and Rivers Ranking will definitely have a spot for her!"
Hearing this, the crowd let out yet another wave of exclamation.
To have entered only a few days ago and yet be capable of contending for the top ten of the Mountains and Rivers Ranking—she truly lived up to her Heaven-tier spiritual root talent.
The future of the Tianxuan Martial Academy had gained yet another pillar holding up the heavens.
Zhao Wuji sat not far away, listening to the discussions of the crowd while watching Ye Mengyan's ever-rising rank on the overall leaderboards, and could not help nodding with gratification.
"Dean Zhao, to think Miss Ye Mengyan is your beloved disciple! Congratulations, congratulations."
"Dean Zhao, having a peerless genius with a Heaven-tier spiritual root as a disciple means your position in the Tianxuan Martial Academy is unshakable."
"More than just unshakable, in this humble Hu's view, the position of the Tianxuan Martial Academy dean has been vacant for far too long with the dean's prolonged absence. How can a group of dragons be without a head?"
The heads of various factions seized the opportunity to step forward and flatter Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji sat securely in his seat, his peripheral vision glancing toward the completely empty primary seat. The heart that had lain dormant for so long could not help surging with ambition.
Right at that very moment!
A bloody head came flying from thousands of miles away, causing the bustling and lively martial arts arena to instantly plunge into a silence so profound that a falling leaf could be heard!
***
### Chapter 22: Plan Changes, No More Being a Salted Fish
Everyone's gaze instinctively turned toward the rapidly flying head.
It drew closer.
The people finally made out the face on the head!
"It's Elder Liu Qingfeng!"
Immediately, an elder of the Tianxuan Martial Academy soared into the air, catching the head as it plummeted toward the ground.
An elder of the Tianxuan Martial Academy had been killed, and his head tossed from thousands of miles away. If that head were allowed to land in the dirt, the face of the Tianxuan Martial Academy would be thoroughly trampled into the dust.
"Elder Zhou, be careful, the head is poisoned!"
An experienced elder shouted, but it was already too late.
Elder Zhou, who had just caught Liu Qingfeng's severed head, saw both his hands instantly turn pitch-black, and his complexion quickly turned ashen.
Then, crashing to the ground along with Liu Qingfeng's head, he drew his last breath.
Another elder had fallen!
And this happened right in front of all the influential figures of Cangfeng Prefecture.
"Ghost-Seeing-Sorrow, Venerable of Five Poisons, do you truly wish to provoke a full-scale war?!"
Zhao Wuji burst into a fury, his figure vanishing from the spot and reappearing outside the light barrier in the blink of an eye.
The golden robe on his body radiated a blinding golden light, and the boundless true qi of a Nirvana Realm Grandmaster surged across a hundred miles.
"Hehehe, Zhao Wuji, your injuries healed up quite fast, didn't they? It's a pity the Cult Master of my sect didn't come, otherwise I'd send you back to lie down in the dirt again."
Ghost-Seeing-Sorrow's voice echoed from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint his location.
"Zhao Wuji, every single spirit-testing stele on the market in Cangfeng Prefecture has been bought up by our Xuanming Divine Cult."
"This Elder Liu went to the black market to borrow one, but unfortunately for him, he ran into this venerable self."
"The Cult Master of my sect has spoken: within one year, the Tianxuan Martial Academy will not have a single spirit-testing stele available for use."
"Xuanming Divine Cult... you go too far!!"
Zhao Wuji slammed his foot down fiercely into the void, his body transforming into a streak of golden light that shot toward a certain direction in the firmament.
Boom!
Accompanied by a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar, violent energy fluctuations rippled outward.
"Hehehe, Zhao Wuji, although you are a Nirvana Realm Grandmaster, wanting to keep me, Ghost-Seeing-Sorrow, here is simply impossible!"
"Listen up, everyone of the Tianxuan Martial Academy: anyone who goes out to buy a spirit-testing stele meets only one word—death!!"
"Haha... The Mountains and Rivers Ranking competition is a grand event of the Outer Academy. Please continue, enjoy yourselves..."
Ghost-Seeing-Sorrow's voice gradually faded into the distance.
Zhao Wuji descended from the void onto the spectator platform, his expression ashen.
If no spirit-testing stele could be bought back, the grandest climax of this Mountains and Rivers Ranking competition would fall through.
At the same time, Zhao Wuji was extremely perplexed as to why the Xuanming Divine Cult was stubbornly making an issue out of such a trivial matter.
Was it to prevent the Tianxuan Martial Academy from testing for a Heaven-tier spiritual root?
That made no sense.
The news of Ye Mengyan causing the spirit-testing stele to explode during the entrance examination had already been leaked.
Coupled with Ye Mengyan's dazzling performance in the Demon-Slaying Grand Array and her expected shining display in the upcoming second trial,
it was practically a done deal that the Tianxuan Martial Academy would add another peerless genius to its ranks.
The only thing missing was the official confirmation of Ye Mengyan's spiritual root grade.
Unable to make sense of it, Zhao Wuji temporarily pushed the thought aside and immediately summoned his trusted elders to gather intelligence on spirit-testing steles, determined to ensure that one would be available by the end of the Mountains and Rivers Ranking competition tomorrow.
Of all this, however, Ling Yun knew nothing.
What he *did* know was that tomorrow's spiritual root re-test was going down the drain.
His plan to directly become a transmission disciple had been artificially disrupted!
"Damn it!"
Ling Yun rose angrily, startling Ning Xiaodong, who was still chattering away incessantly. "Br... Brother Yun, what's wrong with you?"
"Brother Ning, how do I check the partitioned rankings? Who is currently ranked first in our partition?"
Ling Yun exuded a murderous aura, a stark contrast to his previous salted-fish demeanor.
Ning Xiaodong hurriedly stood up, tapped a few times, and a miniaturized leaderboard instantly appeared before them.
"Holy crap, Brother Yun, we actually ended up in the same partition as that bastard Chu Tianyang."
"This punk—damn it, his current points are actually 343,435,656! Not only is he first in our partition, he's first on the overall rankings too!"
Ning Xiaodong was dumbfounded; Chu Tianyang had nearly a hundred million more points than the second place on the overall rankings.
Hearing that the partition's number one was actually Chu Tianyang, and that his points were so astronomical, Ling Yun hurriedly asked,
"How many points does the second place in our partition have?"
Ning Xiaodong looked down. "Second place is Zhang Anyue. Her points are 58,357,893."
Ling Yun did a quick mental calculation. Every time a person died, they dropped one-third of their points.
If he killed Chu Tianyang just once, his points would instantly skyrocket by over a hundred million.
Qualifying from the partition would be an absolute breeze!
"Brother Ning, the plan has changed. No more being a salted fish—I'm going to qualify!"
Ling Yun cupped his fists in a salute, turned on his heel, and sprinted toward the city gates.
Ning Xiaodong was left dumbstruck, staring blankly.
What on earth was going on here?! They had agreed to lie flat together and be salted fish!
Once outside the city, Ling Yun frequently spotted participants. Every one of these people had a number floating above their head, representing their current points.
This mechanism was guaranteed to generate enough hatred to make the slaughter outside the city exceptionally brutal and bloody.
Every participant not only had to battle demonic beasts, but also had to guard against being backstabbed by others looking to steal their points.
After all, dying even once meant losing a third of your points!
And under this rule, the later the stage, the more naked and brutal the plundering of points would become!
Ling Yun sprinted wildly with a giant zero over his head. The other participants merely glanced at Ling Yun and couldn't be bothered to waste time killing him.
The setting sun gradually dipped low.
The one-day time limit was drawing closer and closer.
Ling Yun couldn't help feeling a bit anxious. He had run through so many areas—surely that punk Chu Tianyang hadn't flown up to the heavens, had he?
Just as he was thinking this,
accompanied by the sharp, piercing screech of a raptor, a massive black vulture flapped its wings and rapidly swooped in.
Down on the ground below, a tall girl in purple robes was running for her life.
As she ran, she shouted frantically, "Chu Tianyang, my father is also an Inner Academy elder! Are you really going to take things this far?"
"Haha, Miss Anyue, blame your father for being the master of that loser Ning Xiaodong. How about this: I'll kill you one more time, and then I'll let you off?"
A laugh drifted down from atop the giant vulture.
Only then did Ling Yun notice that standing proudly on the back of the giant vulture was a handsome, refined young man.
Who else could it be if not Chu Tianyang?!
"Holy crap, this punk really *did* fly up to the heavens! No wonder I couldn't find him all day!"
Ling Yun sneered coldly. "No wonder this punk's points are so ridiculously high; so he was pulling this kind of stunt too."
"In that case, I, Ling Yun, shall return the favor using his own method!"
Ling Yun dashed forward to intercept Zhang Anyue's path.
The giant zero floating above his head was simply too eye-catching.
Zhang Anyue: "? ? ?"
Chu Tianyang: "?"
Chu Tianyang was startled for only a split second before decisively making his move.