Time passed.
As expected.
Before the entire Martial World had even recovered from the shock of the previous Kirin Ranking reshuffle, a new round of changes to the Kirin Ranking spread at breakneck speed, shaking the world.
"Holy shit, the Kirin Ranking changed again? It's Lu Chen again—ranked sixty-fourth on the Kirin Ranking!"
"No way, Lu Chen again? Could the Kirin Ranking have made a mistake?"
"It can't be wrong. Since the Kirin Ranking came into being, it hasn't made a single mistake in over three thousand years!"
"Fuck, he cut down the Twin Evils of Yin Mountain and the Four Fiends of the He Family? Those Twin Evils are notorious vicious villains of the unorthodox path. They were Seventh Rank experts, weren't they?"
"Is that even a question? They were definitely Seventh Rank..."
The world was in an uproar.
Countless people were left dumbfounded.
Even some aristocratic families and sects were astonished.
At first, they had not thought much of it, assuming that a genius had merely emerged by chance from some small place.
But now, he had triggered changes to the Kirin Ranking time and again. That was no longer something an ordinary genius could describe.
More importantly was his cultivation speed!
How many days had it been since he last cut down Yu Tianli, a Squad Leader of the Town Suppression Bureau?
It had not even been three days, yet he was already capable of killing the Seventh Rank Twin Evils of Yin Mountain. This was outrageous!
Qinghe County.
The county division of the Town Suppression Bureau.
Battalion Commander Gongsun Ming stared in astonishment at the latest urgent report that had just been delivered.
"Heartless Blade Lu Chen has entered the sixty-fourth place on the Kirin Ranking?"
His eyes widened, and he could scarcely believe it.
"Yes. That means he may have risen from Subordinate Sixth Rank to Seventh Rank in just three days."
The Hundred-Man Commander before him wore a shifting expression. "That's fucking fast. I've never encountered anything like it. What kind of monster emerged from that tiny Panshi City? How the fuck did Lin Mingyuan govern Panshi City?"
"Damn it, that dog Lin Mingyuan. I already knew he had been squeezing the people dry, but I never thought that bastard would provoke such a monster. With a monster like that in Panshi City, he actually didn't try to win him over?"
Gongsun Ming was utterly furious.
If they had discovered such talent from the beginning, they should have recruited him into the Town Suppression Bureau at any cost!
That would have been the glory of their entire Qinghe County!
And the glory of the Imperial Court as well!
But now, they had completely forced him onto the opposing side!
"Battalion Commander, what should we do? Should we recall He Qianxing?"
Hou Yuan, the Hundred-Man Commander, asked.
"Bullshit! What would be the point of recalling him at a time like this? Should we tell the whole world that we're no longer pursuing him? Where would the laws of the Imperial Court be? Where would the Imperial Court's majesty be? If everyone followed his example, wouldn't the world fall into chaos?"
Gongsun Ming shouted angrily.
"But with his cultivation speed, he might suddenly break into the Eighth Rank one day..."
Hou Yuan said.
That guy cultivated far too quickly!
And his strength was absurdly outrageous!
Even if He Qianxing caught up to him, he would likely only be delivering himself to his death!
"Tell He Qianxing to find Lu Chen as quickly as possible. There can't be any further delays. I refuse to believe he can break through to the Eighth Rank so quickly. He most likely used some kind of pill and drained his potential. Also, dispatch Hundred-Man Commanders Ying Qi and Hu Yun to assist him!"
Gongsun Ming said.
He had originally believed that with He Qianxing personally taking action, capturing Lu Chen would be as easy as turning over a hand.
But now, he had no confidence at all.
Because Lu Chen's growth simply could not be measured by common sense!
"Yes, sir!" Hou Yuan nodded.
In another direction.
Hundred-Man Commander He Qianxing, who was painstakingly tracking Lu Chen's trail midway through his journey, suddenly stopped when he heard that the Kirin Ranking had changed again.
"Fuck your mother, Lu Chen killed the Twin Evils of Yin Mountain and climbed to sixty-fourth on the Kirin Ranking? What the fuck kind of cultivation speed is this?"
It had been less than three days since he left the county city.
Lu Chen had already risen another realm!
By the time he caught up to Lu Chen, wouldn't Lu Chen's cultivation possibly have caught up with his own?
What kind of joke was this?
"Yes, sir. Are we still going after him?"
The Squad Leader beside him wore a changing expression. He too felt that Lu Chen was far too uncanny.
He simply could not be judged by common sense. Even eating and drinking was not this fast!
"Damn it, the Battalion Commander definitely still wants us to pursue him. Fine, we'll keep chasing him. Even if we catch up, don't make a move. Watch him from the shadows first. If he really reaches the Eighth Rank, I'll turn around and run!"
He Qianxing gritted his teeth.
He had a rough, rugged face. Though his name contained the word crane, his way of doing things had not the slightest thing to do with a crane.
For a few hundred taels of silver a month, why risk his life?
"Wise indeed, sir!"
That Squad Leader hurriedly said.
They continued chasing into the distance.
The secluded manor was arranged in orderly layers.
In the innermost chamber.
A handsome middle-aged man frowned and turned around. "What did you say? The Twin Evils of Yin Mountain are dead, and Cui Qingqing was taken away?"
"Yes. The one who acted is named Lu Chen—the very person who has stirred up the Kirin Ranking several times over these past days. I never expected him to interfere in this matter."
Cold sweat streamed down the forehead of the person before him.
"Lu Chen..."
The middle-aged man's expression darkened slightly as he calmed down.
Though he rarely involved himself in matters of the Martial World, he had heard quite a bit about that name over the past few days.
He had cultivated for less than ten days, yet triggered changes to the Kirin Ranking three times.
It could be called one realm every two days!
His cultivation speed rivaled eating and drinking!
The secret on this person's body reached straight to the heavens.
Could it be that he had used some kind of pill that burned away potential?
"Overestimating himself. Since he dared interfere in this matter, deal with him as well. Tell the people below to move quickly and stop dragging their feet. More and more people have already set their sights on Cui Qingqing, and even some martial aristocratic families have mobilized. We must take her first!"
The middle-aged man said coldly.
"Yes, sir!"
His subordinate's expression tightened.
The great river surged mightily, vast and turbulent.
A crimson sun at the horizon cast its light down, making the river's rolling surface gleam with scattered shards of light.
They resembled enormous dragon scales, making for a beautiful sight.
On a massive pleasure boat.
A man and a woman were reading the latest news of the Kirin Ranking delivered by spirit pigeon.
"It really proves the saying: small temples breed great Demon Winds, shallow waters breed many turtles."
The young man on the left, handsome and appearing to be in his early twenties, sighed softly.
"He cultivated for less than ten days and cut down the Seventh Rank Twin Evils of Yin Mountain. Brother, his talent is even greater than yours."
The girl beside him said in surprise.
"Bullshit. How do you know he didn't use some forbidden technique? If I soaked myself in medicinal baths like a medicine jar, I could rise three realms in ten days too. It's nothing but a gimmick. Qinghe County really knows how to put on a show—hiding his strength, pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger. I've seen that routine plenty of times. It's garbage to the extreme!"
The young man said disdainfully.
"So you aren't afraid of him?"
The girl looked astonished. "You're only sixty-fifth on the Kirin Ranking, while he's sixty-fourth!"
"What the hell does a brat like you know!"
The young man pressed one palm directly onto the girl's head. "The Kirin Ranking measures potential, not strength. Besides, my first battle after entering the Martial World put me at sixty-fifth on the Kirin Ranking. I was simply too lazy to rise any further afterward. Otherwise, I'd be at least among the top fifty on the Kirin Ranking by now."
"Do you know what I hate most in my life?"
"I hate people like this who pretend to be pigs to eat tigers and hide their strength. If I don't teach people like that a lesson, my whole body itches. Besides, the old man told us to bring Cui Qingqing back. That kid is just unlucky."
"Stop messing up my hair."
The girl bared her teeth and claws. "You'd better restrain yourself. The old man only told you to bring Cui Qingqing back. He didn't tell you to cause trouble everywhere. If you hit too hard and someone's backer comes looking for you, the old man won't spare you."
"A backer?"
The young man sneered. "Only the weak rely on backers. True experts have always disdained them. If he wants to pretend to be a pig to eat a tiger, then I'll show him what a real tiger looks like!" Boom!
His aura erupted without the slightest concealment.
He was clearly... at the Seventh Rank.
Together with his family's inherited cultivation method and top-tier martial arts.
He could kill ten people like the Twin Evils of Yin Mountain with his eyes closed!
Those on the Kirin Ranking fought above their ranks as easily as eating and drinking!
Who wasn't a genius?
"How do you know he'll travel by water?"
"Use your brain!"
"..."
Before you continue