The Shocked Major Powers

Even the usually steady Mu En's eyelids twitched slightly, and he said slowly, "Xuan Zi, stay calm. The Golden Ranking's evaluation naturally has standards beyond our understanding."

"Your Godly Taotie Bull is powerful, but perhaps... in terms of potential and uniqueness, it truly falls short of the Martial Souls ahead of it."

Unfortunately, even Mu En himself did not believe the reason he had just given!

Yan Shaozhe's expression was extremely grave. "Teacher, Elder Xuan, three Martial Souls in a row—the Star Crown, Bright Phoenix, and Godly Taotie Bull. Which one of them wasn't, by our understanding, a top-tier existence capable of challenging the Top Ten?"

"And yet now they're all outside the top fifteen. The top ten of this Ranking List, even the top five, the first place... just what kind of terrifying existence must it be?"

Xian Lin'er, Elder Song, and the others also nodded one after another.

There was no longer the slightest joy on their faces from making the ranking one after another. In its place were incomparable seriousness and curiosity.

They all stared fixedly at the Golden Ranking!

They wanted to know just what other Martial Souls could stand above these top-tier Martial Souls famed across the continent.

At that moment, the Reward Light Pillar, filled with pure aura, enveloped Xuan Zi.

Xuan Zi could clearly feel the Taotie bloodline within him boiling and refining, while his physical strength surged dramatically.

That instinct to devour all things seemed to have grown even stronger as well.

The increase in strength was real.

But he could not bring himself to be happy right now. His heart was filled with shock and doubt toward the unknown rankings.

The Golden Ranking Radiance drew in slightly, as though gathering power.

It was preparing to announce an even higher rank.

This brief pause made Soul Masters across the entire continent hold their breath.

Countless gazes locked firmly onto that magnificent Ranking List suspended in the sky.

During the brief silence, the reactions of the various factions differed, but without exception, all were filled with extreme attention.

The Sun Moon Empire, deep within the imperial palace.

Xu Tianran leaned back in his wheelchair, shadow covering most of his face. Only the rhythmic tapping of his fingertips against the armrest echoed through the vast hall.

Jing Hongchen stood below him, bowing slightly, with faint beads of sweat seemingly forming at his temples.

"Hall Master Hongchen!"

Xu Tianran's voice revealed neither joy nor anger. "It seems our past intelligence work missed quite a lot."

Jing Hongchen's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, we have records of the top Martial Souls of open factions like Shrek and Star Luo."

"But the Golden Ranking's evaluation standards clearly far exceed our understanding. Some Martial Souls that may have remained hidden from the world, or whose bloodlines are so thin they're practically legends, might..."

"Legends?"

Xu Tianran chuckled, but his laughter carried a chill.

"Which of those capable of making it onto this Golden Ranking was not a legend in their own era?"

"What I'm more concerned about now is this: my Sun Moon Empire was founded on Soul Guidance Technology. Though our Martial Soul inheritance is not as deep as that of the Original Three Kingdoms, the first emperor of our imperial family still relied on the Purple Blazing Sky Dragon Martial Soul to establish the empire's foundation."

"Where can this Martial Soul rank on today's Golden Ranking?"

Jing Hongchen pondered for a moment, then replied cautiously, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Purple Blazing Sky Dragon is a top-tier dragon-type Martial Soul, possessing both the aura of Destruction and kingship. Its power is unparalleled."

"In this subject's humble opinion, its rank should be above the Godly Taotie Bull. It's just... whether it can enter the top ten will depend on how many hidden monsters this Golden Ranking can draw out."

Xu Tianran fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Pass down my order. Have the Intelligence Department use every means available to focus on the Affiliated To of Martial Souls that appear later on the Ranking List and do not belong to known major factions."

"If they can be recruited, recruit them. If not... you know what to do. The empire's grand ambition cannot tolerate interference from any unexpected factors."

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Jing Hongchen bowed deeply, a fierce glint flashing through his eyes.

The Holy Spirit Cult, in a sinister great hall.

Zhongli Wu's scarlet eyes stared at the Golden Ranking as though he were admiring peerless delicacies one after another.

"The Star Crown's star power, the Bright Phoenix's sacred aura, the Taotie's Devour origin... Tsk, tsk. They're all excellent nourishment!"

"If I could extract all these Martial Soul Origins and fuse them into my Death God Puppet..."

Ye Xishui said calmly, "Wu'er, stay calm. These Martial Souls are good, but their owners are all quite powerful."

"Besides, the further this Ranking List goes, the stronger the Martial Souls that appear will be, and the purer and more enticing their origins will become."

"Our Martial Souls are special by nature and surpass common sense. Their ranks will definitely not be low. Once the Ranking List has been fully announced, we can make our decision. As for the target... we must choose the best one."

Long Xiaoyao, who had been resting with his eyes closed all along, slowly opened them now.

His eyes were as deep as the night. "Xishui is right. This Golden Ranking is stirring up the winds and clouds beneath heaven. It is the perfect opportunity for our Holy Cult to build strength and wait for the right moment to act."

"My Dark Holy Dragon is a top-tier Spirit among dragon-type Martial Souls, so it should have a place. It's just... I wonder if his Bright Holy Dragon will appear as well?"

His gaze seemed to pierce through the roof of the hall and look toward the distant direction of Shrek.

Body Sect.

Du Busi folded his arms across his chest, the muscles in his thick arms bulging like knotted roots. He stared at the Golden Ranking, his brow tightly furrowed. "Something's wrong. Each one is more absurd than the last!"

"Star Crown, Bright Phoenix, Godly Taotie Bull—on any normal day, which one of those wouldn't be a Top-tier Spirit capable of dominating a region? But on this damned ranking, they're like cabbages, lined up all the way past fifteenth place!"

Golden Peng stood at his side and said in a deep voice, "Sect Master, the Golden Ranking's evaluation probably places greater weight on a spirit's 'essence' and 'uniqueness.' No matter how powerful Beast Martial Souls and Tool Martial Souls are, in the end, they rely on something external."

"But our Body Martial Souls unearth the boundless treasure that is the human body itself. They are an evolution of the level of Life."

"Especially you, Sect Master. Your Second Golden Awakening of Body Martial Soul can be said to have developed the fleshly body to a certain extreme. Its potential and uniqueness are absolutely not something ordinary spirits can compare to."

Hearing this, Du Busi's brow eased slightly, and he let out a muffled sound. "That's possible. I hope so!"

That was what he said aloud.

But the trace of uncertainty deep in his eyes did not completely fade.

This Golden Ranking was far too mysterious, far too transcendent.

Star Luo Empire.

Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu stood side by side, the night wind stirring their robes.

"Brother, it seems that if our Star Luo Empire wants to seize the initiative in the great upheaval that is about to arrive, relying on the Star Crown Martial Soul alone is still far from enough."

Xu Jiujiu spoke softly.

The enhancement she had just received had increased her confidence, but the impact brought by the ranking was even greater.

Xu Jiawei stood with his hands behind his back, his imperial bearing carrying a hint of gravity. "That's right. The Golden Ranking's appearance means the old order will be broken. Powerful individual strength, at certain moments, is enough to change a nation's fate."

"Jiujiu, it's a good thing that your Star Crown Martial Soul has been strengthened, but we must pay even closer attention to the others on the ranking."

"Especially those unaffiliated wandering cultivators, or geniuses from minor factions. We must win them over to the empire's side at any cost."

He paused, then continued, "And I have a feeling that on this ranking, there may appear certain spirits that... exist only in the records of ancient texts. Those are the powers that can truly decide the course of the future."

At this moment, similar conversations were also taking place among the imperial families and top sects of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Dou Ling Empire.

Shock, solemnity, curiosity, greed, schemes...

All manner of emotions spread across every corner of the continent.

The Golden Ranking was like a massive stone thrown into a calm lake, and the ripples it stirred were rapidly expanding.

In the end, they would inevitably turn into raging waves that swept across the world.