The Heavenly Pride Ranking: 20th Place, 19th Place! (Please keep reading)

[Three Realms Heavenly Pride Ranking · Human Ranking, 20th Place: Nanjiang Martial Arts University, Zhang Xuan!]

[Zhang Xuan, first-rank, with excellent natural talent and perseverance far beyond ordinary people.

Though he came from a poor and difficult background, he had still managed to enter a martial arts university through sheer tenacity and become a martial artist. His future was immeasurable.]

"Who's Zhang Xuan? Some nobody from nowhere!"

"What! It's actually Zhang Xuan from Nanjiang Martial Arts University? How is that possible!"

"Unbelievable. Zhang Xuan actually made the Heavenly Pride Ranking!"

"Twentieth place on the Heavenly Pride Ranking... Incredible!"

"..."

The entire Capital Base erupted in an uproar!

Zhang Xuan was a second-year student at Nanjiang Martial Arts University, at the peak of the first rank.

Among the first-rank martial artists in the entire Capital Base, his combat strength wasn't especially outstanding, and there was nothing particularly remarkable about him.

No one had expected him to be the first heavenly pride to make the ranking!

What made it even more surprising was that Zhang Xuan and Wang Jinyang were in the same year and belonged to the same school.

Wang Jinyang was fourth-rank, while Zhang Xuan was only first-rank.

It was easy to see why people would think he was weak.

Wang Jinyang's expression was solemn, though he wasn't especially surprised.

After all, Zhang Xuan had lost both his parents and grown up in an orphanage, yet he'd still gotten into a martial arts university and managed to break through to become a martial artist during his second year!

Even if he'd only honed his bones once, his talent, perseverance, and temperament still ranked among the best of his year. At the very least, he surpassed 90 percent of the students at martial arts universities!

Students from ordinary families had it incredibly hard. For most families, buying a Vitality Pill that cost ten thousand yuan meant handing over most of their savings.

And Bone Tempering Pills, which were even more expensive, were completely out of reach.

"Zhang Xuan, you're in trouble!"

Wang Jinyang looked at Zhang Xuan with worry in his eyes, his expression grave.

He and Zhang Xuan had a good relationship, so naturally he was concerned for him.

Even without appearing on the ranking or taking part in the Three Realms Martial Arts Tournament, Zhang Xuan would have drawn hostility.

Now that he'd made the Heavenly Pride Ranking—and was the first human martial artist to do so—plenty of enemies would surely want to use him as a stepping stone to fame!

Zhang Xuan patted Wang Jinyang on the shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry, Old Wang. I'm not the one in danger. I'm the danger itself!"

Wang Jinyang's expression remained grave. "I'll give you special training from now on!"

At that, Zhang Xuan chuckled and accepted Wang Jinyang's offer.

Not far away, Fang Ping, Fu Changding, Zhao Lei, and the others were stunned!

Over the past few days, they'd gotten to know Zhang Xuan a little.

Neither his combat strength nor his talent seemed particularly outstanding.

It was already impressive that Zhang Xuan had reached the first rank in his second year at Southern Martial University, but at Magic Martial University, he would have been near the bottom of the class.

They'd never thought a "ordinary" martial artist like Zhang Xuan could be the first to make the Heavenly Pride Ranking!

Even if he was only ranked twentieth, this was the Heavenly Pride Ranking for the entire human race!

"Zhang Xuan must have been hiding his true strength!"

Fang Ping thought he'd figured it out!

A martial artist who belonged to the same school as Wang Jinyang couldn't possibly be weak.

Some of Magic Martial University's instructors thought highly of Zhang Qingnan, too.

As one of the best fifth-rank martial artists, Zhang Qingnan couldn't possibly have taught poor students.

Besides, Zhang Xuan's background was even worse than Fang Ping's and Old Wang's.

He'd lost both his parents and probably couldn't afford to eat meat regularly.

If his talent had truly been ordinary and he hadn't had much perseverance, how could his Vitality have reached the standards for martial arts students?

He'd even spent more than a decade saving up the ten-thousand-yuan application fee for the martial arts university entrance exam. In the end, he'd only managed to pay it with help from a kind teacher and villagers from his hometown.

To get into a martial arts university despite being so poor, then become a martial artist in his second year—

He was something of a legend at Southern Martial University.

Han Xu, who had honed his bones three times, was also surprised, but he didn't question the ranking.

The main reason was that he'd sparred with Zhang Xuan a few times, and he'd practically never been able to beat him!

Zhang Xuan hadn't managed to defeat him either, but now that he thought about it carefully, perhaps the other man had been hiding his true strength!

There was still some difference in Vitality between someone who'd honed their bones three times and someone who'd done so once.

At the same level, the Vitality released by someone who'd honed their bones three times should far exceed that of someone who'd done so once!

Yet Han Xu, despite honing his bones three times, had never managed to defeat Zhang Xuan, who had only done so once.

The more Han Xu thought about it, the more certain he became that Zhang Xuan was incredibly powerful—perhaps even terrifying!

"How do Wang Jinyang and Zhang Xuan cultivate? They're both completely ridiculous!" Han Xu grumbled.

Zhang Tao, Li Zhen, and Nan Yunyue were also a little surprised.

They'd made predictions earlier, but the first person to make the ranking hadn't been among their guesses.

"Zhang Xuan..."

Zhang Tao shook his head. Zhang Xuan wasn't from Yang City, so he probably had no connection to the Three Emperors Great Dao laid out by the War Heavenly Emperor.

They could be almost certain that the Future Human King was Fang Ping.

But the Three Emperors Great Dao had to have its inheritors, and they were just as important to humanity.

Wang Jinyang was one possible candidate, but there should be two others.

Li Zhen's expression was grave. "Now that Zhang Xuan's made the Heavenly Pride Ranking, the Earth Caves are bound to see him as a target that must be killed!"

"We need to increase his training over the next few days and strengthen him!"

Zhang Tao and Nan Yunyue nodded.

Martial artists who made the ranking were sure to face fiercer attacks from their enemies. They would also draw fire away from those who hadn't made it, so strengthening them was essential.

In the Earth Caves,

"Zhang Xuan? I'll take his head!"

Liu Ji, who had fallen in rank, looked cold and spoke in an icy tone. "He'll be the first human heavenly pride to die by my blade!"

The others said nothing.

He was only a bottom-rung nobody. Why not leave him to Liu Ji?

Besides, Liu Ji was in an awful mood, and no one wanted to offend him over something so trivial.

Liu Ji had originally planned to fall only to the sixth rank. He was a heavenly pride from Heaven Beyond Heaven, but he'd accidentally fallen too far, all the way to the first rank. Talk about bad luck.

"His future is immeasurable? Hahahaha! What future does he have now?" the Earth Cave martial artists jeered.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"A first-rank human can count as a heavenly pride? At my full strength, I could swallow one whole!"

"The first person to make the Death Ranking has appeared!"

"Once you're on the Death Ranking, death is your only fate!"

"I can't wait for the second human to show up and throw his life away!"

The martial artists from the Earth Caves and various other factions burst into laughter, mocking them with disdain.

In their eyes, they could kill a first-rank heavenly pride with a wave of the hand!

For a time, they eagerly awaited the Three Realms Martial Arts Tournament.

When it came, Martial King, Heaven Suppressing King, and the others would watch as the human heavenly pride was killed with a single slash. Their expressions would be priceless!

Elsewhere,

God Emperor, Heaven Fighting Emperor, and Eastern Emperor were somewhat surprised by the first human heavenly pride to appear, but they didn't find it unexpected.

"First-rank, ordinary aptitude, yet an immeasurable future... The Sky Screen's idea of a heavenly pride clearly isn't based solely on natural talent."

Eastern Emperor smiled, looking as though he'd expected it.

Heaven Fighting Emperor gazed at the Sky Screen and murmured, "I wonder if there's an age limit."

God Emperor stood with his hands behind his back. "The Sky Screen probably won't limit its ranking to the younger generation.

Human martial artists as exceptionally talented as Zhang Tao should make the list as well."

At that, Heaven Fighting Emperor and Eastern Emperor nodded in agreement.

In the Human Realm,

Zhang Xuan looked at the Sky Screen, the corner of his mouth lifting.

There must be plenty of people who wanted to kill him now, right?

He couldn't wait to see their priceless expressions as they died!

He'd entered the first-rank division of the Three Realms Martial Arts Tournament to crush the weak.

Zhang Xuan had considered taking on the entire battlefield himself, but that would have been too conspicuous.

The ranking hadn't even been fully revealed yet. How could he turn the Three Realms upside down already?

"The Three Realms Martial Arts Tournament... It should really be called the Three Realms Funeral!" Zhang Xuan murmured to himself.

It wouldn't be humanity that got buried, but a bunch of greedy monsters who didn't know their place.

[Basic Reward: Unimpeded Great Dao, Transcend the Three Realms.

Advanced Reward: Make up for an insufficient foundation, one hundred years of martial arts experience.]

"Holy crap, he's transcended already?!"

"The Sky Screen's rewards are generous again! But why am I still not on the list?"

"Kill Zhang Xuan, and I'll make a name for myself!"

"Unimpeded Great Dao, Transcend the Three Realms?

"Hah. Does a dying man deserve such a reward?"

"..."

In the Earth Caves,

Changshan Qi looked at Liu Ji with an indifferent gaze and said coldly, "Liu Ji, Zhang Xuan now has a hundred years of martial arts experience. You might not be able to kill him."

"Hah! He's just a young brat. Ridiculous!"

Liu Ji smiled faintly. "If he were the Demon Emperor reborn or the Future Human King, I naturally wouldn't underestimate him.

"But he's only twentieth on the Human Ranking. He's nothing worth mentioning!

"I can kill him with a flick of my hand!"

Hearing that, the Earth Cave martial artists and those from the other factions all laughed.

"A hundred years of martial arts experience is nothing. Plenty of us were once top experts who fought for a hundred or even a thousand years!

"Are we supposed to fear a low-rank martial artist?"

"If Martial King Zhang Tao, Demon Emperor Mo Wenjian, or the Future Human King had a hundred years of martial arts experience at the same rank, we'd naturally have to avoid their edge!

"But he's only twentieth on the Heavenly Pride Ranking?

"Hah! I'd like to see just how extraordinary this man is to have earned the Sky Screen's recognition!"

In the distance, at the gathering place of the Heavenly Fate Royal Court,

Ji Yao found the crowd's dismissive laughter extremely irritating.

She might be proud and arrogant, but she'd never believed that the heavenly prides recognized by the Sky Screen were mere fame-seekers.

Zhang Xuan wouldn't be so easily killed.

"Future Human King... Who exactly will the Future Human King be?" Ji Yao gazed up at the Sky Screen, her beautiful eyes glimmering as she murmured to herself.

At the Origin Source,

Western Emperor stared gloomily at the Sky Screen, looking dejected.

Another person had transcended the Three Realms... When would he finally make the Sky Screen's ranking and transcend the Three Realms himself?

"Zhang Xuan... Twentieth place! There are actually twenty people on the Human Ranking!"

Human Emperor was surprised.

Before this, the Sky Screen had revealed people ten at a time, but when it came to the Human Ranking, it had revealed twenty!

This was enough to show that humanity would have an enormous number of powerful figures in the future. No wonder they could kill the Heavenly Emperor and suppress the Three Realms!

Humanity truly had extraordinary fortune!

In the Human Realm,

Zhang Tao, Li Zhen, and Nan Yunyue couldn't help feeling pleased when they saw the reward the Sky Screen had given Zhang Xuan.

What Zhang Xuan, Fang Ping, and the others lacked most at their current stage was martial arts experience gained through combat!

Among martial artists of the same rank, the Military Department was strongest, with martial arts universities next!

Military Department martial artists began fighting in the Earth Caves as soon as they reached the first rank, living every day on the brink of death.

Martial arts university students only began fighting once they reached the third rank, and had to rely on themselves for every resource and bit of experience.

When low-rank martial artists fought, what mattered most was their experience in battle!

The gap between low-rank martial artists who had honed their bones three times and those who had done so once wasn't that large. The weaker side often won against the stronger!

With the Three Realms Martial Arts Tournament approaching, Zhang Tao and the others had already given them all the resources they could.

But as for combat experience, Zhang Tao and the others couldn't very well take all the participants into the Earth Caves for real life-or-death battles!

Without genuine life-or-death battles, no matter how much they taught them combat techniques, or had them kill captured human traitors, it still wouldn't be enough.

Besides, if the Sky Screen really gave the human heavenly prides divine weapons, True Blood, or other incredibly precious resources, they wouldn't be able to hold on to them.

Even if they absorbed the resources themselves, if an Earth Cave martial artist killed them, the enemy might devour them alive.

Capital Base,

Wang Jinyang couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief for Zhang Xuan.

With a hundred years of martial arts experience, Zhang Xuan would probably have few rivals among first-rank martial artists.

Even if he really couldn't defeat his opponent, he wouldn't end up dead.

That meant Zhang Xuan's safety was no longer much of a concern.

Han Xu and Fu Changding were envious. They wanted martial arts experience too!

Before this, the Military Department's warriors had nearly crushed them in battle.

That was because the Martial Arts University students lacked their experience fighting to the death.

Once people panicked and got scared, they couldn't make use of their strength.

Fang Ping was envious too, and he couldn't help wondering.

"How exactly does one go about making up for an incomplete foundation?"

Did a single bone tempering somehow become equivalent to Triple Bone Honing?

Zhang Xuan deliberately let his vitality fluctuate. It was incredibly dense—even Han Xu, who had undergone Triple Bone Honing, couldn't match him!

At the sight of this, everyone's gaze sharpened.

"So this is what makes the Sky Screen so impressive? It's unbeatable!"

The crowd was green with envy. They stared at the Sky Screen, their gazes burning with anticipation as they hoped they might make the list themselves.

Zhang Xuan patted Wang Jinyang on the shoulder and grinned. "Old Wang, looks like it's my turn to give you some special training."

Wang Jinyang chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "I'll suppress my realm. Want to spar?"

Unlike Zhang Xuan, Wang Jinyang wasn't short on experience in life-or-death battles.

Even if Zhang Xuan had a hundred years of martial arts experience, Wang Jinyang was confident he wouldn't lose to him at the same realm!

"Sure."

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. He was going to get to beat up Wang Jinyang?

That sounded fun.

The Sky Screen's reward was nothing more than a pretext.

A hundred years of martial arts experience? He wasn't lacking even ten thousand years of it now!

But with the Sky Screen as his excuse, he could use the opportunity to show off his invincible strength.

Zhang Xuan and Wang Jinyang had a brief spar, leaving Fang Ping, Fu Changding, and the others in an uproar!

Strong—too strong!

Wang Jinyang and Zhang Xuan were both monsters, each more outrageous than the other!

Fang Ping, Fu Changding, and the rest admired Wang Jinyang immensely.

Wang Jinyang was the most famous and strongest student from an ordinary Martial Arts University in recent years!

At the first rank, he had swept through Magic Martial University. At the third rank, he had swept through the Northland. Even several vice presidents of Capital Martial University's Martial Arts Club had been defeated by a single slash from him!

Even Zhang Yu, the current president of Magic Martial University's Martial Arts Club, wouldn't dare claim he could suppress Wang Jinyang.

Li Hansong, president of Capital Martial University's Martial Arts Club, wouldn't dare claim he could beat Wang Jinyang for certain at the same realm, either.

They had thought Wang Jinyang was a one-in-a-million anomaly from Southern Martial University. They hadn't expected another one!

Zhang Xuan's strength was nothing like what a first-rank warrior should possess!

The others had sharp eyes and could naturally see that something was off about him.

"Good grief. If the twentieth-ranked prodigy on the Heavenly Pride Ranking is this strong, how powerful must the prodigies ranked above Zhang Xuan be?!"

At the thought, Fu Changding, Han Xu, and Zhao Lei felt a twinge of dread.

Using Zhang Xuan as their standard, none of them stood much chance of making the Heavenly Pride Ranking.

Unless... Zhang Xuan had no long-term future and died before his time!

That would be why the Sky Screen had ranked him twentieth.

If not, why hadn't the Sky Screen stated what realm Zhang Xuan would ultimately reach?

Instead, it had summed up his future with the words "his potential is immeasurable."

At that moment, Fu Changding, Zhao Lei, and Han Xu all felt conflicted.

"Prodigies? Maybe the ones who survive long enough are the real prodigies..."

Zhang Tao and the others had also noticed Zhang Xuan's brief spar with Wang Jinyang.

They shared Fu Changding and the others' suspicions.

Zhang Xuan's displayed strength and talent were far beyond what one would expect from someone ranked twentieth.

Unless...

"Did he die before his time?"

Zhang Tao furrowed his brow, but he wasn't too troubled by the thought.

Warriors had to fight for what they wanted and nurture themselves through bloodshed!

Anyone could fall in battle and die!

Over the years, humanity had lost countless prodigies fighting the Earth Caves.

But if someone was a prodigy, then all the more reason to fight!

If they avoided battle for fear of dying, how could they grow into true powerhouses?

Even he, Li Zhen, and Nan Yunyue might die in battle someday.

The forces beyond the Human Realm knew nothing of this scene.

The Earth Cave warriors, the forces of Heaven Beyond Heaven, and others were still shouting:

"Why hasn't the Sky Screen revealed the next human prodigy yet?"

"Let's have the next doomed man!"

"What realm will the next human prodigy to appear on the Death Ranking be? I can't wait to find out!"

Rumble!

Golden light burst across the Sky Screen, and the gilded characters shifted once more!

[Three Realms Heavenly Pride Ranking: Human Realm List, 19th Place: Chen Yunxi of Magic City Martial University!]

Please keep reading, and thank you for all your support!

Didn't see that coming, did you? There are twenty people on the Heavenly Pride Ranking!

I'll explain later, and compare why Chen Yunxi ranks last among the prodigies in the truest sense of the word.

You can also take a guess at who the prodigy in first place will be.