In the joyful gaze of the maid Xiaoxue at Ruyi Treasure Pavilion, Chen Ping'an readily purchased the Golden Bell Cover.
One thousand two hundred taels!
For an ordinary Family, this was an unimaginable fortune, a sum unattainable even after a lifetime of striving.
No matter how good silver is, it only has value when spent!
One thousand two hundred taels for a superior Cultivation Technique.
Worth it!
Chen Ping'an descended from the third floor of Ruyi Treasure Pavilion and encountered two Young Masters who were conversing.
"Recently, the old man at home has been pushing too hard, constantly Cultivating Martial Dao, with no chance to get out and breathe."
"That's right, I'm not much better! I haven't been out in a long time either. Today, I'm finally out, so I'll buy the latest New Talent Rankings to take back later."
New Talent Rankings?
Overhearing their conversation, Chen Ping'an's heart stirred.
"Exactly! In the last issue of the New Talent Rankings, Young Master Liu Ziming really brought great honor to my Weishui County City! He leaped directly from the ninety-ninth place to the eighty-seventh!"
"It truly is an honor. From the entire Canglong Province, only one hundred young Prodigies under thirty years old are selected. Young Master Liu, at twenty-seven, being ranked in the New Talent Rankings, is indeed a blessing for my Wei River. Most importantly, this is not Young Master Liu's limit; he still has three years, so Young Master Liu will surely have more room for improvement!"
"Indeed! Young Master Liu is truly worthy of being called the number one Prodigy of my Wei River!"
"......"
The two exchanged words, their faces showing a sense of shared glory.
Chen Ping'an's hearing was excellent; even after they had passed him, he still heard a lot of information. Primarily, the two did not deliberately avoid others.
It seems that the matter of the New Talent Rankings is not uncommon in the Inner City.
According to the information revealed in their conversation, in the entire Weishui County City, only Young Master Liu Ziming of the Prefect's Liu Family made it onto the New Talent Rankings. Moreover, being merely ranked eighty-seventh on the New Talent Rankings was enough for the two to praise him.
The value of these New Talent Rankings is quite high!
I wonder what Realm this Liu Ziming is in!?
Chen Ping'an had just reached the first floor of Ruyi Treasure Pavilion when he stopped.
"Young Master, what's wrong?"
Xiaoxue looked at Chen Ping'an with a puzzled expression.
"Where is the latest issue of the New Talent Rankings? Take me to see it."
......
When Chen Ping'an emerged from Weishui Inner City, he already had two books tucked into his embrace. One was the superior Cultivation Technique, Golden Bell Cover. The other was the New Talent Rankings they had spoken of.
Chen Ping'an had a deep impression of the book's cover; it was the same one Chief Warrant Officer Mu Wanjun had been reading a few days prior.
Rising Star Rankings of Canglong Province!
Chen Ping'an walked very quickly and soon arrived at Nanquan Lane Garrison Office.
Because he had gone to the Inner City, he was completely late for work today. To be precise, he wasn't just late, but had missed half a day of work.
If it had been before, he would inevitably have been reprimanded. He might even have had to endure some punishment.
However, now...
What kind of trouble could such a small matter cause?
Being the second-in-command of Nanquan Lane Garrison Office wasn't just talk.
Upon reaching his office, Chen Ping'an eagerly opened the book.
The Golden Bell Cover Cultivation Technique had already been added to his Golden Finger panel as soon as he purchased it at Ruyi Treasure Pavilion.
Therefore, Chen Ping'an first looked at the Rising Star Rankings of Canglong Province.
Canglong Province has numerous subordinate County Cities, beneath which are a considerable number of smaller cities, and below those, various towns and villages.
It could be said that the land is vast, stretching for ten thousand li!
Upon such a colossal land, naturally, Martial Dao Geniuses emerged. These Martial Dao Geniuses shone like stars. Some entered the Martial Artist with Qi and Blood Fourth Level in less than half a year of stepping into Martial Dao. Some achieved Qi Blood Sixth Stage Perfection in three years. There were also those who broke through the Qi Blood and stepped into the Internal Energy Realm before coming of age.
To compare the various Martial Dao Geniuses, the New Talent Rankings came into being.
The New Talent Rankings are updated every three months. Each issue only records the most renowned and exceptionally talented Prodigies in Canglong Province under the age of thirty.
After reading the introduction at the beginning of the New Talent Rankings, Chen Ping'an turned to the main text of the book.
New Talent Rankings First, Gu Family Prodigy of Canglong Province City, Gu Qingcheng.
New Talent Rankings Second, Wang Family Prodigy of Canglong Province City, Wang Si Yuan.
New Talent Rankings Third, Xue Zirou of the Xue Family in Canglong Province City.
New Talent Rankings Fourth...
Chen Ping'an saw at a glance that most of the top ten on the New Talent Rankings were from Canglong Province City. As the central core of Canglong Province, Canglong Province City has deeply rooted Families with Legacies spanning thousands of years.
Thinking about it carefully, it was not at all strange for the top ten of the New Talent Rankings to have such a proportion.
Behind each Prodigy, their respective Cultivation experience, current Cultivation Realm, and proficient Martial Dao Cultivation Technique were recorded, along with a brief overview of a few famous battles.
Profound Light Realm!
Looking at the Prodigies ranked at the forefront of the New Talent Rankings, Chen Ping'an's heart trembled slightly.
Above Internal Energy is the Profound Light Realm!
These Prodigies, not yet thirty, possessed such terrifying Martial Dao Realms?
New Talent! New Talent!
The so-called New Talent, perhaps, was only considered so by the great figures standing at the top.
For the vast majority of people, the Profound Light Realm was already a Realm they could only look up to their entire lives.
Such a Realm was already enough to determine the rise and fall of a faction.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Chen Ping'an turned the pages one by one and finally found Liu Ziming of Weishui County City in the latter half of the book.
New Talent Rankings Eighty-eighth, Liu Family Prodigy of Weishui County City, Liu Ziming.
Liu Ziming, Inner Qi Third Level, Tianlin Descends Peak. Three months ago, he single-handedly fought the Ten Thousand Demons Sect Protector Weng Qianjing, ultimately defeating him and forcing him to escape with severe injuries.
......
"Inner Qi Third Level, Tianlin Descends Peak!"
Chen Ping'an's gaze slightly narrowed as he read Liu Ziming's Martial Dao Realm.
Inner Qi Third Level, it seems this is the highest combat power among the younger generation in Weishui County City.
Aside from Liu Ziming, no one else in the vast Weishui County City made it onto the New Talent Rankings.
Three months ago, Liu Ziming was ranked eighty-seventh on the New Talent Rankings. Now, three months later, Liu Ziming's ranking has actually dropped by one place.
It seems that the competition for the New Talent Rankings is probably more intense than imagined.
After carefully examining Liu Ziming, Chen Ping'an read through the remaining Prodigies on the New Talent Rankings one by one.
"It seems that one needs at least the Martial Dao Realm of Inner Qi Third Level, Tianlin Descends Peak, to even make it onto the New Talent Rankings!"
After reading the entire New Talent Rankings, Chen Ping'an came to a conclusion.
The Prodigy ranked one hundredth in this issue of the New Talent Rankings also possessed the Martial Dao Realm of Inner Qi Third Level, Tianlin Descends Peak.
"Under the same Martial Dao Realm, the combat power displayed varies greatly due to differences in Cultivation Technique, martial arts skills, and actual combat experience. These are all normal situations."
"However, according to the book, the Prodigies on the New Talent Rankings, in addition to their Martial Dao skills, have also comprehended the Martial Arts Concept!"
"......"
Chen Ping'an silently digested the newly acquired knowledge.
His Foundation was shallow, lacking System support. Therefore, some information that was common knowledge in large Families might be extremely difficult for him to obtain, yet crucial.
This was determined by his background, meaning he would find it very difficult to enjoy the Cultivation environment possessed by those major forces and large Families. He had an unbridgeable chasm compared to most of the Prodigies on these New Talent Rankings.
However...
With his Golden Finger panel, anything is possible in the future!
As long as he is given enough time, this unbridgeable chasm will eventually be completely crossed by him.