The Longest Man

The titles on the general Preaching Ranking were mostly normal.

For example, things like "A Single Sword's Chill Shakes Nine Heavens," "Carefree Immortal Venerable," "Dao Ancestor Like the Wind"...

But what were those titles on the annual Preaching Ranking?

First Place on the Annual Ranking: "Cultivating an Immortal Board";

Second Place on the Annual Ranking: "A Bald Monk is Stealing the Abbess from Me";

Third Place on the Annual Ranking: "I Want to Be the Sect Master";

Fourth Place on the Annual Ranking: "The Sect Master is My Son";

Fifth Place on the Annual Ranking: "Inner Sect's Most Devoted";

Sixth Place on the Annual Ranking...

Scanning them, not a single one was a proper name.

You have to understand, those who made it onto this annual Preaching Ranking were almost all the cream of the crop, the leading figures of the Immortal Dust Sect's younger generation.

It seemed the younger generation of the Immortal Dust Sect had a rather "improper" atmosphere.

Seeing these titles, Li Xiuchang finally began to believe that the key to the Preaching Ranking had truly been lost.

He looked around. The area around the Preaching Ranking was packed with people, disciples from both the Inner and Outer Sects.

Each of them had their eyes tightly shut, motionless, their consciousness already immersed within the Preaching Ranking.

A faint, ethereal barrier enveloped their bodies.

This was the Preaching Ranking's protection, ensuring their safety when their minds entered it, preventing them from being ambushed.

To establish a connection with the Preaching Ranking, one had to probe it with their Spiritual Sense. Therefore, these disciples could only use the Preaching Ranking when they were near it.

Li Xiuchang, at the Fourth Layer of Qi Condensation, had a weak Spiritual Sense that could only barely extend outside his body.

He had to be right next to the Preaching Ranking. So, he simply sat down directly on it, his Spiritual Sense entering the Preaching Ranking through his back.

Instantly, the scene before his eyes changed, and his consciousness sank into the interior of the Preaching Ranking.

Information poured down like rain, detailing the various rules of the Preaching Ranking.

Upon entering the Preaching Ranking with one's Spiritual Sense for the first time, one needed to choose a title for themselves.

This title would be bound to their Spiritual Sense and could never be changed.

Li Xiuchang had initially planned to choose a low-key title, but then he suddenly realized that the primary purpose of a title was to conceal one's true identity.

Therefore, it should be as far removed from his usual demeanor as possible.

The greater the contrast, the less likely others would be to associate the title with him.

He was usually low-key, so his title should be high-profile!

Besides, looking at the names on the rankings, which one of them was low-key?

After a moment of thought, Li Xiuchang willed it, and chose his title:

"The Longest Man"!

It was high-profile and factually accurate.

After confirming his title, Li Xiuchang finally saw the internal view of the Preaching Ranking.

The interior of the Preaching Ranking was not a real space. Li Xiuchang's consciousness entered it without a physical form, so he couldn't see anyone else.

All he could see was a "big screen" in the form of a scroll, displaying images and text.

What caught his eye most prominently were the two major rankings, the general Preaching Ranking and the annual Preaching Ranking. The difference now was that it supported viewing rankings beyond the top ten.

Under Li Xiuchang's conscious control, the two lists immediately began to scroll, allowing him to see up to the top five hundred titles.

And by scrolling through the entire screen, he discovered that below the two major rankings were rows of "posts."

These posts were called "Preaching Posts," and they were mainly where disciples of the Immortal Dust Sect shared their insights, realizations, and experiences.

Li Xiuchang scanned the titles of these Preaching Posts...

Postpartum Care for Mother Dragons... A Senior Beast Tamer Teaches You Hand-in-Hand How to Care for a Dragon Pet During Confinement—Author: Humble Poop Scooper

One Spirit Plant Cultivation Method Taught Per Day, Day 40,156, Today's Cultivation: Lustful Dragon Grass—Author: Back to the Loess, Yang Ding Tian

A New Attempt Every Year: Adding Ghost Peppers to Immortal Brew, Can It Enhance the Brew's Potency? I'll Tell You When I Wake Up—Author: Wakes Up Once a Year

Currently Building an Automatic Alchemy Puppet, Facing Difficulties, Seeking Advice from Fellow Disciples!—Author: Three Thousand Puppets for Slacking Off

Reflections on Foundation Establishment—Author: Inner Sect Junior Sister

A Small Trick to Slightly Increase the Chance of Forming a Golden Core—Author: Accumulating Steps to Reach the Great Dao

It seemed that the Preaching Posts sharing techniques from the Hundred Cultivation Arts, from their titles to their author names, had a hint of impropriety, while the posts sharing cultivation insights were relatively normal.

Those sharing cultivation insights were likely Inner Sect members, but not necessarily.

However, those sharing the Hundred Cultivation Arts were probably Outer Sect members.

So, the general atmosphere in the Outer Sect of the Immortal Dust Sect is not good?

These Preaching Posts went on and on, seemingly endless, with no telling how many. This was the accumulation of tens of thousands of years of the Immortal Dust Sect.

Li Xiuchang found many of these Preaching Posts quite interesting.

But he didn't click on any of them.

This was because these Preaching Posts could not be viewed unconditionally or without limit.

Reading the key content within these Preaching Posts required spending "Dao Grains," which were like points.

Dao Grains were also the sole basis for ranking on the Preaching Ranking.

The General Preaching Ranking ranked everyone based on the total number of Dao Grains they had accumulated on the Preaching Ranking.

The Annual Preaching Ranking, on the other hand, was sorted by the number of Dao Grains obtained in the past year. It was updated once a year, and those who had been in the top one hundred could not be on the list again.

Among them, the top one hundred on the Annual Preaching Ranking would receive an "Anointing" opportunity once when the rankings were updated, as a reward from the Preaching Ranking.

As a newcomer, Li Xiuchang received a reward of 10 Dao Grains upon his first entry into the Preaching Ranking. However, he didn't dare to use them carelessly, as obtaining Dao Grains later was not simple.

There were only two ways to obtain Dao Grains.

First, by publishing Preaching Posts, sharing experiences and insights, or helping others resolve doubts, one could earn Dao Grains.

Second, by meeting certain conditions and achieving certain accomplishments, one could receive Dao Grain rewards from the Preaching Ranking.

For example, publishing a certain number of Preaching Posts or having one Preaching Post reach a certain number of readers would result in Dao Grain rewards.

It was worth noting that knowledge within the Preaching Ranking was not divided by status, and the cost was uniform: 1 Dao Grain.

Reading any Preaching Post cost 1 Dao Grain, and one could not pay more.

This lowered the threshold for acquiring knowledge, aligning with the Confucian ideal of "education for all, regardless of background."

Li Xiuchang's meager 10 Dao Grains had to be spent wisely. He urgently needed a secret technique to conceal his cultivation and a Body Refining Technique.

He could try his luck at the Library Pavilion for the latter.

Searching for a secret technique to conceal his cultivation among the vast and disorganized Preaching Posts was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Fortunately, the Preaching Ranking had a "keyword search" function.

Li Xiuchang silently recited the words "conceal cultivation," and all the text on the scroll before his eyes rearranged, transforming into Preaching Posts containing the keyword "conceal cultivation."

"Essential for Acting Like a Pig to Eat a Tiger: Secret Technique for Concealing Cultivation!"

"Method for Refining a Magical Artifact Capable of Concealing Cultivation."

"Stealthy Cultivation Essential for a Low-Profile and Steady Life: The Qi Concealment Art for Concealing Cultivation."

Li Xiuchang clicked on the first Preaching Post. He found that it first introduced the secret technique for concealing cultivation, with only the actual content of the technique obscured, requiring the payment of 1 Dao Grain to view.

This was a secret technique that could be practiced during the Qi Condensation stage, called the "Cage Gauze Technique." It could conceal one's cultivation by up to two major realms.

After Li Xiuchang practiced it, he could even hide his true cultivation from Golden Core cultivators, which was quite good.

However, in the Immortal Dust Sect, Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators were very common. Only the number of Soul Transformation cultivators was smaller and they were not encountered as easily.

Li Xiuchang felt it would be best if he could conceal his cultivation from Nascent Soul cultivators to be on the safer side.

This "Cage Gauze Technique" could only be a backup option for now.