Tang Xiao Gets Humiliated! Ranked Below Chen Xin?

(Ah Yin artwork)

Tang Xiao stood before the hall with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the phantom of the golden ranking in the sky.

He said nothing, but a sharp gleam flickered in his tiger-like eyes, and heroic spirit surged within his chest.

He had cultivated bitterly for many years and believed himself inferior to no one. This was the perfect chance to prove his strength and restore the Clear Sky Sect's prestige to the world!

Yet the Heavenly Ranking's next change dealt him and the entire Clear Sky Sect a crushing blow!

[Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Nineteenth: Howling Sky Douluo Tang Xiao!]

[Affiliated Force: Clear Sky Sect]

[Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, Top-Tier Weapon Martial Soul Clear Sky Hammer, Level 96 Peak Douluo. The Clear Sky Hammer in his hand already weighed over three thousand jin, and when using Weapon Soul True Body, it could exceed ten thousand jin!]

[His power is immense and unmatched in ferocity. He has mastered numerous Self-Created Soul Skills! He deserves nineteenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking!]

[Reward Obtained: The age of all Soul Rings increases by one thousand years!]

[Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Eighteenth: Sword Douluo Chen Xin!]

[Affiliated Force: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect]

[Guardian Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, a Level 96 Assault Type Peak Douluo. He possesses the Top-Tier Weapon Martial Soul Seven Killing Sword. He devoted his life to the sword and reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. His attack power reigns supreme among those of the Same Level! He deserves eighteenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking!]

[Reward Obtained: The age of all Soul Rings increases by one thousand years!]

"What?!"

The confidence and heroic spirit on Tang Xiao's face instantly froze. His brows drew together as disbelief flashed through his eyes.

"I was actually... ranked below that Chen Xin? Only nineteenth?"

The expressions of the several Elders in the hall immediately turned ugly as well.

It was like being slapped across the face in public, leaving a burning pain behind.

Tang Xiao was currently the Clear Sky Sect's pillar, the one with the highest Soul Power and greatest combat strength in plain sight.

Yet he had actually been overshadowed by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sword Douluo?

Wasn't this telling the entire world that their proudly proclaimed "world's number one Weapon Martial Soul," the Clear Sky Hammer, was inferior to the Seven Killing Sword in a contest between those of the Same Level?

"How outrageous!"

The hot-tempered Fifth Elder could not help growling.

"This ranking is unfair! The Clear Sky Hammer is peerless in ferocity. How can that Seven Killing Sword compare?"

"The Sect Master must have suffered because he has been in seclusion lately, and his reputation has not spread!"

The Fourth Elder sighed, worry written across his face.

"After this, Soul Masters across the world will probably think our Clear Sky Sect is unworthy of its reputation... sigh."

Inside the canyon's VIP room, the atmosphere was completely different.

Bone Douluo Gu Rong was initially stunned.

Then, an unrestrained grin appeared on his usually stern face, and he even burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha! Good! Well done, Old Sword! You actually surpassed Tang Xiao of the Clear Sky Sect!"

"Let's see how the Clear Sky Sect will still have the nerve to call itself the world's number one Weapon Martial Soul and cling to its hollow position as the head of the Upper Three Sects!"

Ning Fengzhi also wore a smile. He lightly tapped the ground with the scepter in his hand, a trace of shrewdness and satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

Chen Xin ranking above Tang Xiao was not merely recognition of Chen Xin's personal strength; it also elevated the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's standing.

At this delicate juncture, with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan nearly wiped from the map and the Clear Sky Sect suffering repeated blows, this ranking was undoubtedly a powerful shot in the arm.

"Uncle Sword's path of the sword has indeed earned the Heavenly Ranking's recognition," Ning Fengzhi said softly, pride in his voice.

Eighteenth place on the continent's Soul Master Strongest Ranking was enough to give the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect greater influence and confidence in the coming turbulent times.

High in the heavens, the Golden Heavenly Ranking's light flowed without pause. A new ranking descended with even more shocking information.

[Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Seventeenth: Destruction Douluo Kai!]

[Affiliated Force: King's Hall]

[He possesses the Top-Tier mutated Body Martial Soul Demon Armor. A Level 96 Peak Douluo, he is a cold-blooded warrior with an Asura Soul!]

[With the Demon Armor covering his body, the man himself becomes a weapon. Offense and defense become one, and the instinct to kill is etched into his soul. He is the ultimate weapon born for battle!]

[His unique Martial Soul makes him nearly invincible in direct one-on-one combat among those of the Same Level! He deserves seventeenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking!]

[Reward Obtained: The age of all Soul Rings increases by one thousand years!]

[Soul Master Strongest Ranking, Sixteenth: Carefree Douluo Zhuang Zhou!]

[Affiliated Force: King's Hall]

[He possesses the ancient Top-Tier Beast Martial Soul Kun! A Level 96 Peak Douluo, with a single thought he enters dreams, his body merges with heaven and earth. Zhuang Zhou dreams of a butterfly, unable to tell reality from illusion. Free beyond all things, his depths are impossible to fathom!]

[He deserves sixteenth place on the Powerhouse Ranking!]

[Reward Obtained: The age of all Soul Rings increases by one thousand years!]

"King's Hall again!"

"Two people in a row! And both rank above the Clear Sky Sect Master and Sword Douluo!"

"My heavens, just how many Peak Douluo does this King's Hall have?!"

After a brief silence, the entire canyon erupted in thunderous cries!

If they had previously only witnessed the formidable strength of Si Kong Zhen, Zhong Wuyan, and the others, then the Heavenly Ranking's placements now once again proclaimed something to everyone in the continent's universally recognized, authoritative fashion.

King's Hall did not merely possess a staggering number of Peak Douluo. Their quality was even more terrifying!

Just two of them could overpower the strongest experts of the long-established Upper Three Sects!

Almost the instant Zhuang Zhou's name appeared, the enormous Kun Peng in the sky, so vast that no one knew how many thousand li it spanned, leisurely flicked its tail.

Carrying the handsome man lounging atop it in a lazy doze, it soared back at a mysterious speed that appeared slow yet crossed space in an instant, landing as lightly as nothing behind Lin Jiang.

Zhuang Zhou even gave a small, contented yawn, as though his trip into the distance had merely been a stroll.

His relaxed manner stood entirely at odds with the boiling atmosphere around him, making him seem even more unfathomable.

"King's Hall... its foundation is actually this deep!"

Countless people heard those words echo through their hearts again, but this time, they carried more weight than ever before.

One powerhouse after another had climbed onto the highly prestigious Soul Master Strongest Ranking. This was no longer something coincidence could explain.

Inside the Clear Sky Sect's snowy mountain hall, the atmosphere had fallen to freezing point.

Tang Xiao's face was so dark it seemed water might drip from it. His fists clenched with cracking sounds.

"We are all Level 96 Peak Douluo, yet Kai and Zhuang Zhou of King's Hall are both ranked above me!"

"Does the Heavenly Ranking's evaluation of my Clear Sky Hammer truly fall below that damned sea fish of his?!"

The Third Elder's eyes flickered with uncertainty. His voice carried suppressed fury and a hint of suspicion.

"Sect Master, this matter is far too strange!"

"King's Hall did not emerge earlier or later, but suddenly appeared only after the Heavenly Ranking descended. And now, people from its Inner Hall are repeatedly occupying the top positions..."

"Could it be, as some insignificant outsiders have guessed, that this Heavenly Ranking... is simply a scam they orchestrated themselves to build momentum? They placed themselves at the top so the world would believe it?!"

This bold and malicious speculation made the several Elders in the hall shudder inwardly.

Though they found it somewhat unbelievable, in light of these successive "coincidences," a fury at being deceived began quietly taking root.

Meanwhile, within Shrek Academy.

Tang San looked at the dazzling golden ranking in the sky and the unfamiliar Martial Soul names, curiosity filling his heart.

He turned toward the teacher beside him, who appeared so knowledgeable, and asked in a low voice.

"Teacher, why have I never seen the Martial Souls 'Demon Armor' and 'Kun' in your theoretical texts? What categories do they belong to, exactly? What characteristics do they possess?"