Shocking Rankings

Somewhere in Sunset Forest.

An old man with dark green hair was hidden atop a towering ancient tree.

As he looked at his granddaughter's name and ranking on the Sky Screen, he was first stunned, then a complicated yet gratified smile appeared on his face.

"Yanyan, good! Wonderful! Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, tempered by ice and fire... Hahaha!"

Dugu Bo chuckled softly, a trace of reminiscence and relief flashing through his eyes.

"Back then, I was forced by that brat's... no, Dean Lu's strength to give up the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and send Yanyan there. It seems that was the wisest decision I've ever made!"

"With that mysterious Dean guiding her, Yanyan's future is limitless!"

"Perhaps the Martial Soul of my Dugu Lineage can truly flourish in her hands!"

The faint resentment he had once harbored over being forced to surrender that treasure ground vanished completely at that moment.

All that remained was wild joy over his granddaughter's opportunity, along with deep wariness and reverence toward the mysterious Dean of Big Dipper Academy.

The Soul Masters of the continent had yet to recover from the shock brought by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor.

The Golden Light on the Sky Screen changed once more, and a new ranking appeared:

[Martial Soul Ranking, 13th Place: Clear Sky Hammer]

[Holder: Tang San (Shrek Academy)]

[Rating: Top-tier Power Attack System Tool Martial Soul. Unparalleled strength and explosive power, hailed as the Number One Tool Martial Soul Under Heaven. Current development: 35%]

[Reward: Soul Power Level increased by three levels, all Soul Ring Ages increased by four thousand years, gains insight into the profound meaning of the Clear Sky secret technique, 'Great Sumeru Hammer']

Silence!

Dead silence!

If the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor ranking fourteenth had merely left people shocked and confused,

Then the Clear Sky Hammer ranking thirteenth was like a massive bomb exploding in the minds of every Soul Master.

The blast made their Divine Souls Tremble, leaving them nearly incapable of thought!

The Clear Sky Hammer!

The Number One Tool Martial Soul Under Heaven!

A symbol of power and explosive force!

A top-tier Martial Soul that existed like a faith in the hearts of countless Soul Masters!

It actually... actually ranked only thirteenth?

Even behind that previously unknown Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor?

How could that be possible?

Had the Heavenly Dao Ranking List gone mad?!

"No!! That's impossible!!"

Within the Clear Sky Sect, someone could not accept this fact and roared in disbelief.

"The Clear Sky Hammer, thirteenth... What kind of joke is this?!"

In the Star Luo Empire, a legion commander smashed the table before him with one strike, his fury soaring into the sky.

"Even the Clear Sky Hammer is only thirteenth. Then the Martial Souls ahead of it..."

In the Heaven Dou Empire, the teacup in Xue Ye's hand slipped to the ground and shattered.

Yet he did not notice at all, his eyes filled with shock.

The entire continent fell into a state of near-hysterical astonishment and doubt.

The ranking of the Clear Sky Hammer!

The impact it brought was ten, even a hundred times greater than the Seven Killing Sword's fifteenth place!

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong were completely petrified.

Gu Rong's mouth hung wide enough to fit a fist inside. After a long while, he finally blurted out a curse.

"Damn it! Am I seeing things? The Clear Sky Hammer? Thirteenth place? Did this damn ranking list get it wrong?!"

The knuckles of Chen Xin's clenched fists turned white. Sword Qi leaked uncontrollably from his body, carving marks into the stone slabs beneath his feet.

The small measure of relief and fighting spirit he had felt over the Seven Killing Sword's ranking was now replaced by an even deeper sense of absurdity and helplessness.

Even the Clear Sky Hammer was only thirteenth.

Then his Seven Killing Sword ranking fifteenth seemed to have... become some kind of "honor" instead?

Ning Fengzhi's face was pale, and even his breathing became hurried.

He had still held onto a sliver of hope, believing that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, as the Number One Support System Martial Soul Under Heaven, might achieve something in the rankings.

But now, even the Clear Sky Hammer, universally acknowledged as having the greatest attack power under heaven, ranked only thirteenth.

As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, he simply did not dare imagine the result.

It might not even make the top twenty. The thought filled Ning Fengzhi with deep disappointment.

"Shrek Academy, Tang San... Who is that?"

"Shouldn't a Soul Master with the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul be a disciple of the Clear Sky Sect?"

Ning Fengzhi forced himself to Calm Down and analyze the matter. "For someone so young to rank the Clear Sky Hammer thirteenth only proves how terrifying the potential of the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul itself is! Yet even so, there are still twelve ahead of it..."

His voice was filled with bitterness.

Spirit Hall, Pope's Palace.

When Bibi Dong heard that the Clear Sky Hammer ranked thirteenth, she abruptly rose from her throne.

A terrifying aura erupted from her body in an instant, shaking several stone pillars in the hall until cracks spread across them!

"The Clear Sky Hammer, thirteenth..."

Her voice was icy to the bone, carrying towering rage and disbelief. "Good! Very good! Even the Clear Sky Hammer is only worthy of thirteenth place!"

"I want to see exactly what kind of demons and monsters are ranked ahead of it!"

At that moment, the last trace of imbalance in her heart over the low ranking of Twin Martial Souls disappeared.

In its place was extreme vigilance toward unknown powerful enemies, along with a flicker of fear that even she herself was unwilling to acknowledge.

The waters of the continent ran far too deep!

"Investigate! Investigate at any cost! Find out where Tang San is now, and find that Dugu Yan as well!"

"And Shrek Academy and Big Dipper Academy—I want all information on both academies!"

Bibi Dong's voice seemed to rise from the Nine Nether Hell, filled with killing intent.

These two young rankers who had suddenly emerged, especially the Inheritor of the Clear Sky Hammer, had to be firmly controlled.

Or completely destroyed!

Worship Hall.

The Dead Silence was terrifying.

Several worshippers did not even dare breathe, their gazes all fixed on Qian Daoliu.

At last, a visible change appeared on Qian Daoliu's Calm as a still well face.

His golden eyes stared fixedly at the words "Clear Sky Hammer, 13th Place" on the Sky Screen. His hands, clasped behind his back, tightened into fists and even Trembled slightly.

"The Clear Sky Hammer, thirteenth..."

He repeated it softly, his tone filled with unprecedented Solemnity.

"Tang Chen, if your descendants knew that the Clear Sky Hammer you took such pride in ranked only thirteenth in the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, what would you think?"

His absolute confidence in the Six-winged Angel Martial Soul wavered at that moment, and it wavered greatly.

No one understood the quality of the Clear Sky Hammer better than he did. It was a top-tier existence capable of contending with the Six-winged Angel Martial Soul!

But now...

"Big Brother..."

Golden Crocodile Douluo spoke in a dry voice.

Qian Daoliu slowly raised a hand, stopping his remaining words. In a hoarse voice, he said, "No need to say more. Let us wait and see. Right now, I only want to know who is first."

The hearts of all the worshippers sank to the bottom.

If even the Clear Sky Hammer was like this, then the Angel Martial Soul...

Shrek Academy.

Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale as paper. His body swayed, and he nearly collapsed before Flender and Liu Erlong hurriedly supported him.

"How could it be thirteenth? The Clear Sky Hammer, the Number One Tool Martial Soul Under Heaven..."

Yu Xiaogang muttered absentmindedly.

The theories he had studied his entire life, his greatest pride, all seemed to have become a joke at that moment.

This ranking dealt a devastating blow to him.