Chapter 175 - 135: Human List No. 1! Chen Xuan
Chapter 175: Chapter 135: Human List No. 1! Chen Xuan
The dead of night.
A dark room.
A beautiful figure lay on the bed, feeling the warmth under the covers. Only her head was exposed. Her body was flush with an uncontrollable heat, and a muffled groan escaped her lips...
After a long time.
Wang Qinglian slowly sat up, feeling more relaxed than ever before. She let out a long breath as the flush faded from her face, her eyes holding a trace of emptiness and fatigue.
"I shouldn’t be so depraved..."
"Stronger. I must become stronger!"
The emptiness in her dark eyes was instantly replaced by a brilliant light.
’If I don’t get stronger, he’s going to leave me completely in the dust...’
’By then, it’ll be too late for regrets.’
’I’m a once-in-eight-hundred-year genius. With enough hard work, I can still catch up to him... Right now, all I lack are Martial Dao resources. In terms of talent alone, I can crush countless others.’
Wang Qinglian’s eyes were firm with resolve.
She took out a silk handkerchief and fiercely wiped her fingers.
’Next time we meet, I’ll show you just how strong I’ve become!’
...
...
「The night passed.」
News that both the Celestial Sword Sect and Mixed Element Sect had been annihilated spread like wildfire among the various factions, sending shockwaves through the entire martial world.
This was especially true for the Celestial Secret Pavilion.
Early in the morning, at least several dozen Spirit Doves descended upon the pavilion from all directions, blotting out the sky.
The chaotic scene startled a group of elders who were still half-asleep, their faces paling in shock as they scrambled from their beds.
Thinking the sky was falling, they hurriedly grabbed the Spirit Doves to inspect their messages.
But what they found next shocked them even more.
The messages carried by the dozens of Spirit Doves were all identical.
[Chen Xuan destroyed the Celestial Sword Sect and the Mixed Element Sect! He killed the Celestial Sword Sect Master and the Mixed Element Sect Master!]
WHOMP!
The minds of the several elders reeled, buzzing from the shock.
They had been barely awake, and this news had already shattered them completely.
"Chen Xuan killed the Celestial Sword Sect Master and the Mixed Element Sect Master..."
"The Celestial Sword Sect Master was in the Half-Step True Essence Realm, wasn’t he?"
The elders muttered to themselves, their faces slack with disbelief.
’Then this Chen Xuan...’
’We got the ranking wrong again.’
’Just like last time, it’s ridiculously wrong.’
’Unbelievably, absurdly wrong!’
’How many times in a row has the Celestial Secret Pavilion messed this up?’
’They had just sent out the message updating Chen Xuan’s ranking last night.’
’And now, today, news of something this big arrives...’
Their faces were ashen. They wrung their hands, so anxious they felt like tearing their hair out.
If not for the restrictive rules of the Celestial Secret Pavilion, they would have already captured Chen Xuan to study him personally.
’This is fucking illogical!’
’How could a man in his early twenties kill someone in the Half-Step True Essence Realm?’
CREAK!
The door opened, and the Head Elder walked in, his face grim. He wore a purple robe, and his oppressive aura felt like a dormant volcano, causing the other elders’ expressions to shift as they hurriedly bowed in respect.
"Greetings, Head Elder!"
"Head Elder..."
They bowed their heads, not daring to breathe too loudly.
The Head Elder himself had personally decided on Chen Xuan’s ranking as sixth on the Human List...
But now, that decision had come back to slap them all in the face...
It was hard to imagine the Head Elder’s current mood.
"Have you received the news?"
The purple-robed Head Elder’s voice was low and deep.
"We have..."
one of the elders replied meekly.
"This Chen Xuan... what should his rank be now?"
the Head Elder asked, his voice dark.
"..."
The elders exchanged glances, and one finally said, hesitantly:
"How about... number one on the Human List?"
"Even if he used a Secret Technique to kill the Celestial Sword Sect Master, he should still qualify for first place. After all, a feat like this is unprecedented..."
"Indeed. The Celestial Sword Sect Master was a genuine expert of the Half-Step True Essence Realm..."
"There’s another benefit to putting him at number one. Even if we get it wrong again, it won’t matter. He’ll already be at the top, so his rank can’t possibly go any higher..."
"He can’t possibly jump all the way to the Earth List, can he?"
...
The current number one on the Human List was "Star-Cutting Sword" Xie Xinghe.
He hailed from the Sword Cleansing Pool, a Grotto Heaven.
Number two on the Human List was "Nine Heavens Startling Dragon" Ye Guiyuan.
He hailed from the Great Snow Mountain, another Grotto Heaven.
Among all the experts on the Human List, only these two hailed from the mysterious Grotto Heavens.
The rest were mostly from first-rate or second-rate factions...
These so-called Grotto Heavens were transcendent places, far removed from the mortal world. Their inhabitants were aloof, existing as if behind a veil of mist—unseen and untouchable.
The first and second-rate factions, on the other hand, were still powers of the mortal world, their ambitions fixed on worldly domination.
Thus, there was a fundamental difference between the two.
But without a doubt, the Grotto Heavens were far more formidable.
Historically, few masters from the Grotto Heavens chose to enter the mortal world. Those who did were typically from the older generation and were quickly ranked on the Earth and Heaven Lists.
This generation’s Human List, however, was an exception.
Three years ago, Xie Xinghe and Ye Guiyuan had emerged simultaneously.
Since then, they had firmly occupied the top two spots on the Human List.
Moreover, their martial prowess was nearly equal.
Sometimes Xie Xinghe would claim the top spot, and other times, Ye Guiyuan would...
Neither had ever managed to thoroughly defeat the other.
With those two dominating the Human List, all other prodigies could only stand aside.
But now, it seemed the long-standing number one and two on the Human List would have to make way.
Chen Xuan’s accomplishments were simply too great to be placed beneath them.
After all, no matter how incredible the two of them were, neither had a feat like killing a Half-Step True Essence expert on their record...
Besides, Chen Xuan’s strength was bizarrely erratic. It was like he had drunk Dragon Blood, growing stronger by the day. If they didn’t rank him first, they feared they would just be proven wrong again.
’So, putting him at number one is the best choice!’
’If we rank him first, we can just let Xie Xinghe and Ye Guiyuan test him themselves.’
’Then, even if Chen Xuan is defeated, it won’t be our fault.’
’Who’s to blame but yourself for having such an unpredictable level of strength?’
...
The purple-robed Head Elder listened to the other elders, his expression cold and detached. He gave a slight nod. "Fine. Rank him number one!"