Chapter 287: Chapter 7 The Jin Dynasty Dragon and Tiger List
The young man holding the knife appeared to be in his twenties, with a tall and straight figure. His face wasn’t handsome, but he exuded a fierce and stern aura that left a deep impression.
Listening to the discussions around him, his name was Yun Wuzheng, and he seemed to be a True Disciple of the “Heavenly Blade Sect” from Southern Jin.
“Another person from Southern Jin,” Lan Yingzhi touched her forehead lightly, a bit embarrassed, and said to Zhou Heng, “I’ve made a fool of myself in front of you.”
“It’s nothing,” Zhou Heng shook his head, without any interest in stepping forward to show them up. He glanced at the situation on the Dueling Platform and smiled, “Does Jiangzhou have many incidents like this one?”
“Not a lot, but it’s not uncommon,” Lan Yingzhi said somewhat helplessly, “After all, Jiangzhou borders Southern Jin, and the passage between the two countries is very convenient, so it’s unavoidable that young martial artists will come here to travel.”
“That makes sense,” Zhou Heng nodded lightly and said, “Let’s go, let’s see what else there is.”
If it had been before, he might have gone up to the stage to test his skills against this young man from Southern Jin, but after his experience in the Central Imperial City, he had lost much of his interest in the martial arts competitions of the jianghu.
He was no longer interested.
“Alright, please follow me,” Lan Yingzhi nodded and left the Dueling Platform with Zhou Heng.
However, when Zhou Heng left, the young man from Southern Jin on the Dueling Platform also noticed him. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out a light chuckle, “This person is quite interesting.”
After Zhou Heng had gone, several martial artists from Da Qi stepped up to the Dueling Platform to compete against the young man from Southern Jin, but each one was soundly defeated, almost without any ability to resist.
The onlookers around the platform let out sighs, gasps of admiration, and showed helpless expressions. Many of them wanted to go up and teach the young man from Southern Jin a lesson, but lacking sufficient martial arts skills, they were powerless, and could only watch.
In the end, the young man from Southern Jin stepped down from the Dueling Platform and strode away. As he was leaving, he laughed out loud, “This Qi Country truly has no one, hahaha!”
…
Yun Wuzheng returned to the inn where he was staying.
As he pushed open the door, he found his senior brother, Li Yuanxing, was already waiting for him.
“Senior brother, you didn’t go out today?” Yun Wuzheng asked curiously, “Is it because there’s further news?”
“No,” Li Yuanxing shook his head. He was close to thirty years old, much more steady than Yun Wuzheng, and smiled, “It’s just that we received a message from the sect that surprised me a bit.”
“What message?” Yun Wuzheng asked, puzzled.
“We’re to continue heading north and openly challenge the well-known young experts of Da Qi,” Li Yuanxing said with a smile. “In short, the sect actually wants us to ‘cleanse’ the list of renowned people in Qi.”
“The sect would actually make such a decision?” Yun Wuzheng was surprised, wondering, “Does this mean they want us to wield our martial skills in Da Qi to undermine the confidence of the young generation here?”
Although he had acted arrogantly on the outside battle stage, it was merely to attract more expert fighters for battle; he wanted to use this as an opportunity to hone his own martial arts.
It wasn’t simply about showing off in Da Qi.
“There might be a deeper meaning to it,” Li Yuanxing contemplated for a moment before saying, “The sect wouldn’t let us do this for nothing — for every renowned expert we defeat, there’s a generous reward.”
“What kind of reward?” Yun Wuzheng was very interested.
“The rewards are indeed generous,” said Li Yuanxing. “The top 100 on the human ranking will be rewarded with a Seventh Rank Martial Arts technique, and the top 80 will receive an additional Seventh Rank Martial Arts technique and a sharp weapon.
“The top 50 will also be rewarded with a Secret Sixth Rank Martial Arts technique, the top 30 with two Secret Sixth Rank Martial Arts techniques, and the tenth place with an additional technique plus a Life-saving Talisman. If one can defeat an expert in the top five, they can become a disciple taught personally by an Absolute Fourth Rank Elder and be rewarded with a treasure weapon.”
“This is more than generous!” Yun Wuzheng’s eyes nearly gleamed with excitement as he joyfully said, “Senior brother, this is our chance! If we can be taught by an Absolute Fourth Rank Elder and obtain a treasure weapon, that would truly change our fate.”
“Not only will you receive the higher-tier rewards, but you’ll get the previous ones as well,” Li Yuanxing said with a smile. “Moreover, I’ve heard that it’s not just our Heavenly Blade Sect that has sent out such a notice. Other sects like the Green Lotus Path, Jade Mountain Sect, and Xuanjian Sect have issued similar ones.”
“So many?” At this moment, Yun Wuzheng finally grasped the implications behind Li Yuanxing’s words and said, “Senior brother, are you suggesting that there might be a change in the situation in the world, especially between our Great Jin and Qi Country?”
“Exactly,” Li Yuanxing nodded. “Remember the abnormal phenomenon we saw a few days ago? Stars in the daytime and rising purple qi; it could be that there’s been a confrontation between the upper echelons of Great Jin and Qi Country.”
“Now that all the major sects are notifying their disciples to come to Qi Country to challenge their human ranking experts, could this be the aftermath of that confrontation?” Yun Wuzheng realized, hesitating, “Then should we get involved? Might we be affected by the strife between the two countries?”
“Haha, you worry too much,” laughed Li Yuanxing. “No matter what, we are still true disciples of the Heavenly Blade Sect, acting on the Sect’s instructions. If there’s trouble in the end, it won’t be blamed on us.”
“So, senior brother, what do we do next?” asked Yun Wuzheng.
“Naturally, we uphold the will of the Sect and challenge the human ranking experts of Qi Country,” Li Yuanxing stood up and said. “You and I are both listed on Great Jin’s Dragon and Tiger Ranking. We might not necessarily be weaker than the prodigies on the human ranking of Qi Country.
“However, since this may involve a conflict between the two countries, we should not make ourselves too conspicuous. It’ll be enough to defeat a few ordinary human ranking experts and receive the rewards, which will also make it easier to withdraw.”
“Right,” Yun Wuzheng nodded, smiling. “We both rank within the top sixty on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking; these positions were earned through combat with dragons and tigers. I think defeating someone in the top twenty of the human ranking shouldn’t be too hard.”
The Dragon and Tiger Ranking of Great Jin is not a combat record like the human ranking but a measure of combat power obtained after challenging dragons and tigers, with rankings assigned accordingly.
The so-called “dragons and tigers” refer to a “Golden Dragon” and a “White Tiger” raised by the royal family of Great Jin, both with the cultivation of Celestial Men.
The dragons and tigers can manifest in various counties of Great Jin, and martial artists under thirty can go to the County City to fight with dragons and tigers to verify their combat power.
The sects and noble families also have their ways to invite the dragons and tigers to test the combat power of their disciples.
Therefore, even young martial artists who devote themselves to training without leaving home can appear on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking.
In the eyes of the martial artists of Great Jin, their Dragon and Tiger Ranking is universal, with a unified standard of assessment and a wider coverage, leaving virtually no one unaccounted for. The top one hundred names never include a martial artist below the Peak of the Seventh Rank.
Qi Country’s human ranking, however, only considers the combat record, which means many martial artists who cultivate in seclusion miss out on the ranking. It also results in some people with less strength but cunning methods who luckily defeat stronger opponents getting on the list.
Usually, one has to reach around the top fifty of the human ranking to find martial artists at the Peak of the Seventh Rank. The rankings from eighty to sixty often include ordinary Seventh Rankers, and even the ranks from ninety to eighty might have Eighth Rank Martial Artists.
To Great Jin martial artists, this is clear evidence of the human ranking being “inflated.”
That’s why Yun Wuzheng felt confident he could defeat someone in the top twenty of the human ranking, even though he was only ranked in the fifties on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking.
“Although the lower ranks of the human ranking of Qi Country are rather laughable, the ones in front are not to be underestimated, especially the top ten,” Li Yuanxing cautioned. “I’ve seen the battle records on the human ranking of Qi Country. The top ten are definitely strong, at least equivalent to the top twenty of the Dragon and Tiger Ranking.”
“I feel there’s some exaggeration, particularly regarding that second-ranked Zhou Heng,” Yun Wuzheng snorted. “A martial artist at the Peak of the Seventh Rank defeating two Secret Sixth Rankers, one of them even in the True Gang Realm? That’s simply impossible.”
“Perhaps he used some powerful secret treasure. After all, the human ranking is all about combat records, and using a treasure must count, haha.” Li Yuanxing chuckled. “But even if it was with a treasure, we shouldn’t underestimate Zhou Heng’s abilities; after all, he is a disciple of Pure Yang Palace and reincarnation of a great power.”
“Senior brother, now you’ve got me looking forward to facing him, hoping he won’t use secret treasures against me,” Yun Wuzheng laughed. “However, we’ve come to Qi Country this time for that… are we still going to search for it?”
“`
“We still need to continue the search,” Li Yuanxing said. “The land of Pure Yang is beneficial for both of us to perfect our Ultimate Yang Blade Realm, facilitating the convergence of external scenery. Moreover, we already have some preliminary clues; it would be a pity to give up now.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too,” Yun Wuzheng nodded and said, “Next, we’ll search for the high-ranking martial artists on the Qi Country’s list and look for further clues about the land of Pure Yang.”
“Let’s do that,” Li Yuanxing agreed, then added, “By the way, junior brother, have you seen any young masters on the list who look suspiciously skilled in the past few days?”
“Not really, those who have been challenging me are mostly in their thirties or forties at the peak of the Seventh Rank… wait, no!” Yun Wuzheng first shook his head, then seemed to remember something, “There might be one.”
“Who?” Li Yuanxing’s eyes lit up immediately.
“Today, I saw Lan Yingzhi at the fighting platform,” Yun Wuzheng pondered for a moment before he continued, “She seemed to be accompanying a young man who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, and Lan Yingzhi was quite respectful to him.”
“It might be some elder who has rejuvenated his age,” Li Yuanxing shook his head, “Lan Yingzhi is the acting Family Head of the Lan Family in Jiangzhou, a Fifth Rank Sect Master. It’s unlikely that she would show such respect to a young master unless it’s not a young skilled martial artist.”
“No, senior brother, you haven’t seen that person,” Yun Wuzheng disagreed, “That person clearly had a vibrant energy about him, like a rising morning sun, not like an old predecessor.”
“Don’t just go over there rashly; find out who he is first,” Li Yuanxing still felt it would be prudent to be cautious, “If he’s really a famous young master on the list, he won’t be unknown. It won’t be hard to inquire about his identity.”
“Senior brother is more thoughtful; I will go right away,” Yun Wuzheng nodded, his impulsive nature showing as he spoke and immediately left the inn to gather information.
“This kid,” Li Yuanxing shook his head and smiled wryly, then furrowed his brows and thought, “What’s happening between Da Jin and Qi Country? It seems like there’s an impulse within the Sect to suppress martial artists from Qi Country with the combined effort of the major Sects and noble families. Strange.”
…
At this moment, Zhou Heng and Lan Yingzhi were taking a walk along the bank of the Tongxia River.
The Tongxia River is the largest and longest river in Jiangzhou, spanning both Da Qi and Southern Jin countries and leading directly to Qingxia Mountain in Southern Jin, hence the name “Tongxia River.”
In the Jiangzhou region, the Tongxia River flows smoothly with a broad channel, winding around most of the County City, therefore, there are quite a few boats for sightseeing.
For just ten coins per person, one could hire a boatman to enjoy the scenic views of Jiangzhou City.
There were also many stalls on the shore, bustling with activity.
“Actually, I have a question,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.
“Please, sir, go ahead,” Lan Yingzhi responded.
“Miss Lan was trying to conceal my tracks earlier, why don’t you seem to care about doing so anymore?” Zhou Heng asked; he had been somewhat perplexed by this.
After all, when he went to the Lan Family with Lan Yingzhi’s guidance, Lan Yingzhi used many tricks and illusion techniques to hide or eliminate their tracks, seeming very afraid of being discovered.
“This… is quite embarrassing,” upon hearing this, Lan Yingzhi felt somewhat sheepish and continued with a wry smile, “Please forgive me, sir. The truth is, I was worried about the life-extension effect; after all, I’ve never heard of the Eight Diagrams Purple Gold Pill before.
“If the life extension for our elder ancestor didn’t succeed and others came to know of her need for it, the Lan Family could have been in danger. Now that the life extension has been successful, naturally, there’s no need for me to be so cautious anymore.”
“As the acting Family Head, it is right and proper that you think of your family’s welfare,” Zhou Heng smiled, showing no concern. He understood Lan Yingzhi’s concerns.
Being cautious is never a mistake for a family leader.
“Sir, you shouldn’t be so casual about this; it is indeed my fault,” Lan Yingzhi gently shook her head and said, “Actually, I’ve been wanting to broach the subject and apologize to you.
“I didn’t expect you to bring it up first. You have done a great favor for the Lan Family, yet I doubted you before any proof was present, which is improper both emotionally and logically. I owe you an apology.
“Later, I would ask you to accompany me to select a Magic Weapon as a gesture of apology. Please don’t hold it against me, and if there is anything you need in the future, I will do my utmost to help.”
“Miss Lan, you are being too polite,” Zhou Heng shook his head, “It’s not a big deal and there’s no need to take it so seriously. There’s no need for a Magic Weapon, but I may need to craft a magic weapon in the future and will require the help of the Lan Family.”
“Your magnanimity is admirable, and I will be at your service when the time comes,” Lan Yingzhi couldn’t hide her admiration, surprised that Zhou Heng would decline a gift of a Magic Weapon.
Such a Magic Weapon, even a common Sect Fifth Rank would treasure as a precious item.
The lord with such a generous spirit, truly extraordinary.
Just as they finished their conversation and were about to continue enjoying the sights along the Tongxia River bank, two young men walked towards them.
One appeared to be just over twenty, the other seemed to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old.
The former was Yun Wuzheng, who Zhou Heng had seen at the fighting platform; the latter was his senior brother, Li Yuanxing. They had already found out Zhou Heng’s identity.
To them, this was an ideal opportunity to issue a challenge.
After all, a record of victories might be deceiving, and actual strength could be less impressive. And since the opponent was the second on the list of warriors, even if they truly lived up to their reputation, losing wouldn’t be a disgrace.
If they actually won, although it would go against their initial intent not to stand out too much, defeating the second on the list of warriors would yield a tremendous reward.
Worth taking the risk.
Upon seeing Zhou Heng, Yun Wuzheng’s eyes brightened, and he quickly stepped forward with a smile, “I am Yun Wuzheng, a True Disciple of the Heaven Blade Sect of Da Jin. Zhou Heng, would you care to have a match with me?”
Before his words even finished, the passersby and the tourists on the nearby riverboats all turned their attention toward them.
A challenge on the streets to the second on the list of warriors by a young man from the south?!
How explosive!!
There was a moment of profound silence all around.
Lan Yingzhi furrowed her brows slightly but said nothing.
Zhou Heng, however, simply raised an eyebrow, looked Yun Wuzheng over briefly, and shook his head, “I’m not interested.”
“????”
The smile on Yun Wuzheng’s face instantly froze.
What’s going on??
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