Prodigy Ranking and Martial Artist Ranking

At the start of the month, the morning light carried a faint chill.

As usual, Fang Han headed straight for the Grade A No. 10 Martial Dao Room deep within the Inner Hall.

As he passed the Martial Arts Arena, he found that it was utterly unlike its usual solemn, heavy atmosphere.

No shouts or sounds of weapons slicing through the air rang out from the arena. In their place was a sea of discussion.

Dozens of Inner Hall disciples, new and old alike, had gathered in groups of three or five, flipping through booklets in their hands, their faces filled with rare excitement and eagerness.

Animated conversations rose and fell one after another, and the air was steeped in a restless heat.

"Look at the Prodigy Ranking! That 'Jade-Faced Sword' Liu Qingfeng from Mystic Cloud Sect was still eighty-ninth last month, but this month he's shot up to seventy-seventh—twelve places in one leap!"

"What's that? Look at the Martial Artist Ranking. Iron Eagle City's commander, 'Iron Palm' Zhao Gang, charged straight from seventy-third to forty-eighth. He rose a full twenty-five places!"

"Tsk, tsk. With Commander Zhao's strength, he's probably about to be promoted, isn't he?"

"The rankings update once a month. Who knows what dark horses will emerge next month?"

Fang Han's steps halted of their own accord.

The terms Prodigy Ranking and Martial Artist Ranking, drifting into his ears, stirred his interest.

His gaze swept over the crowd before finally settling on the group of newly admitted Inner Hall disciples.

Fang Lin, Fang Tao, Fang Chen, and the other four were gathered together in discussion. Fang Chen was the most animated among them, gesturing wildly as spittle flew from his mouth.

Compared to the older disciples, Fang Han was naturally more familiar with these seven. He walked over.

His approach was like a stone cast into a clamorous lake. The discussions nearby immediately quieted.

After all, he was no longer an ordinary Inner Hall disciple. He was now the tenth-ranked disciple, and every move he made drew considerable attention.

"Fang Han, you're here."

The newly admitted disciples promptly fell silent as well. Their eyes focused on Fang Han in unison, carrying obvious reverence and a faint, barely detectable desire to curry favor as they greeted him.

"Were you discussing the Prodigy Ranking and the Martial Artist Ranking just now? What exactly are these two rankings?"

Fang Han nodded slightly in response, then directly asked what interested him.

"The Prodigy Ranking and Martial Artist Ranking are two ranking lists for martial artists within Qingyang Prefecture."

"The Prodigy Ranking lists the hundred strongest genius martial artists in Qingyang Prefecture under thirty years old. The Martial Artist Ranking lists the hundred strongest martial artists in all of Qingyang Prefecture, with no age restriction."

"These two rankings are updated at the start of every month. The newly updated lists arrived in Liangshui City today and are being sold in the city. We only learned about them from the older disciples, so we specially bought them to have a look."

To Fang Han's surprise, the first to answer was Fang Lin.

After seeing Fang Han rapidly rise to tenth place on the Martial Dao Stele, Fang Lin had already regretted clashing with him.

After his family learned that he had clashed with Fang Han, they repeatedly warned him never to make an enemy of Fang Han and to find a way to ease their relationship.

But with his personality, he simply could not bring himself to offer a humble apology, so he had never found an opportunity to mend things with Fang Han.

Hearing Fang Han's question and recognizing it as an opportunity to improve their relationship, he hurriedly answered.

"Two rankings listing all martial artists in Qingyang Prefecture...?"

Fang Han was greatly astonished.

As far as he knew, Qingyang Prefecture governed several hundred cities. Each city had a population ranging from a hundred thousand to over a million. Its total area was no smaller than a province from his previous life.

In a world where the transmission of information was far less convenient than in his previous life, they could actually produce rankings on such a vast scale across the territory of an entire province?

What kind of colossal intelligence network would that require?

"What force possesses such capabilities that it can compile and publish rankings covering an entire prefecture?"

Fang Han could not help asking further.

He could not help suspecting that the force behind these rankings was the government or some super sect with incredibly deep foundations.

Only a force like that could possibly accomplish such rankings.

"These two rankings were not published by any force."

Fang Chen shook his head.

"Not published by any force?" Fang Han froze. "Then where did they come from?"

"At the beginning of the Great Chu Dynasty's founding, on a night of thunder and torrential rain, two gigantic stone steles as huge as mountains appeared out of thin air beyond Qingyang Prefecture City. They were neither metal nor jade, indestructible beyond measure, and these two rankings appeared upon them."

"From that day onward, the rankings on the steles have updated automatically at the start of every month, without the slightest trace of human interference!"

Fang Lin took over, his tone carrying a hint of mystery and reverence.

"Appeared out of thin air? Updated automatically?"

Fang Han's heart shook violently, and his pupils contracted slightly.

He had personally experienced the marvels of the Martial Dao Stele and had considered it a creation beyond the understanding of the current martial world.

Yet there were even more inconceivable steles, capable of covering an entire prefecture and automatically arranging the ranks of martial artists within it?

No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem like something that should exist in this world of martial artists.

"This is so strange. Has no force investigated the origins of these two stone steles?"

He looked at Fang Lin and asked.

"Many major forces have sent people to investigate, but all came away empty-handed. No one has been able to damage the steles in the slightest, nor can they be moved."

"There are speculations that... these two stone steles may be connected to the Imperial Family, perhaps even controlled by them through some mysterious means. But the Imperial Family has neither admitted nor denied it. Their stance has been rather ambiguous."

Seeing that Fang Han was interested in what he had said, Fang Lin replied with delight.

"The Great Chu Imperial Family?"

Fang Han's gaze narrowed slightly.

The Great Chu Imperial Family was an extraordinary force that had ruled the Great Chu Dynasty for over three thousand years.

Dynasties in his previous life usually lasted only two or three hundred years, yet the Great Chu Dynasty had endured for over three thousand years, its rule still secure. Its mystery was evident.

Now that he had heard the Great Chu Imperial Family might be connected to the mysterious stone steles, the image of this colossal entity ruling vast territories became even more unfathomable in his mind.

At the same time, intense curiosity rose within him.

If the mysterious stone steles truly had something to do with the Great Chu Imperial Family, how had they achieved it? And what was their purpose?

Many questions swirled in his mind, but Fang Han knew that such matters were still far too distant from his current self.

Suppressing his curiosity, he asked instead.

"Who are the top ten on the Prodigy Ranking? Could you lend me the booklet so I can take a look?"

After hearing of such a ranking, he was quite curious just what level Qingyang Prefecture's foremost young geniuses had reached.

"Here!"

Fang Lin hurriedly handed his booklet to Fang Han.

"Thank you."

Fang Han nodded to Fang Lin, his attitude becoming much gentler.

He could naturally sense Fang Lin's attempt to mend their relationship. Since he had never intended to hold a grudge against Fang Lin, he was naturally happy to see it.

He opened the booklet and began reading.

"First place, Yue Lingtian, third son of the Prefecture Governor of Qingyang, twenty-eight years old, with mid third-grade cultivation. Second, Liu Bai, personal disciple of Mystic Cloud Sect, a swordsmanship genius, with mid third-grade cultivation... Third..."

Fang Han read through the top ten's names, backgrounds, and approximate strength. Every one of them was a renowned favored child of heaven with an astonishing background, their cultivation at least beginning at the Inner Qi Realm. They were far beyond what young people from a place like Liangshui City could compare to.

The Five Heroes, acknowledged as the strongest among Liangshui City's younger generation, could not even make it onto the bottom of this ranking.

Yet Fang Han felt no discouragement. Instead, a surge of lofty spirit and motivation rose in his heart.

The world was vast, Liangshui City was small. One day, Fang Han's name would stand among them as well!