Great Xia Beauty Rankings

"Don't worry, sir."

Attendant Liu reassured him again. "There will indeed be some danger, but what in this world is ever completely safe? We can't refuse to walk the road ahead just because it carries risks. It's like how you can't stop living today just because you'll die someday."

"When the time comes, there will always be a road to take."

"Besides, there's a high chance Golden Core experts won't come after you. After all, if all those dozens of your traits self-destructed at once, even Golden Core experts wouldn't be able to stomach it. Even if they could kill you, they would definitely be heavily injured. Even demonic cultivators wouldn't do something so harmful to themselves and beneficial to no one."

"Fine, then."

Wang Tiedan looked regretfully toward the west of Windward City. After Attendant Liu's analysis, the secret realm truly could not be entered. Still, the gains this time had been immensely abundant. Carrying so many Spirit Stones back to Fortune City, hundreds of li away, would be enough to accomplish many things.

Seeing that his master's mood had been soothed.

Attendant Liu finally let out a soft breath. Dressed in black robes, one hand tucked behind his back, he gazed westward with a complicated expression. A year ago, he had transmigrated into this unfamiliar world. From nearly starving to death at the beginning, he had finally begun to gradually acquire a bit of power.

The Lineage he had supported was also getting better and better, while his own status rose with the tide.

He had actually approached Wang Tiedan deliberately back then. He had secretly considered many factions to join, but in the end chose the Fortune City Wang Family. The reason was simple: the Wang Family was a small force built from scratch. The first-generation family head often held tremendous authority, his word final. There was little scheming and intrigue within the faction, making it relatively simple.

The second reason was that Family Head Wang was somewhat foolish, honest, timid, indecisive, and lacking in boldness.

They looked like nothing but flaws.

But in his eyes, they were all virtues. A master like this would not slaughter the donkey once it had left the millstone behind. At the very least, he would give him the treatment he deserved. Several months ago, he had learned that he was not the only one who had transmigrated to this world. Some predecessors had even arrived years earlier.

They had already risen to high positions in the capital.

But—

Who knows whether you earned that official position through proper means? How could you become a high-ranking official in just a few years? Eight times out of ten, you sold your ass for it. Give me another ten years, and I can make the Fortune City Wang Family into a renowned Golden Core faction of the Great Xia Kingdom!

We are both transmigrators. I am no weaker than you!

As the curtain fell, pedestrians within Windward City gradually dwindled. Large numbers of cultivators gathered beside a stream three li outside the city. What had usually been a sparsely populated place was now packed with people.

The Heavenly Dao Blessing had merely said that the secret realm would open here today.

It had not given a specific time for its opening.

Quite a few people had already sat cross-legged where they were, closed their eyes, and begun cultivating to restore their spirits. Yet with a single glance, one could see that there were no shortage of small groups.

There were disciples from the same Lineage traveling together to gain experience.

There were disciples from a certain sect who had left their sect together.

There were also Rogue Cultivators who had met and joined forces.

Basically, no one had come alone. At the very least, they came in pairs, because anyone within the secret realm could become an enemy. Being outnumbered was inevitable.

Chen Qiu did not sit cross-legged and cultivate. Instead, he leaned against a pine tree and observed the cultivators gathered here. His Heavenly Dao Foundation could rotate and cultivate automatically. Although it was not as fast as actively circulating a cultivation technique, its cultivation speed was roughly one-third of that.

But he was not short on that bit of time right now.

This was his first time seeing so many Foundation Establishment cultivators. Listening to their conversations, to their knowledge and stories from all corners of the world, gave him a fuller understanding of this world, even though many of them were colored by exaggeration.

Under the trait effect of Man with a Missing Heaven.

After he tightly closed his eyes, his hearing would be doubled. He could vaguely hear many people's whispered conversations.

He was still quite confident about this secret realm. He had prepared for this day for a long time.

His current Dao Foundation was ten thousand li wide, and it was filled with spiritual energy. It was enough for him to cast four or five hundred Lightning-Channeling Arts. Furthermore, under the effect of the Enlightenment Stone, this spell had reached the Great Perfection realm.

Every time he cast it, a bolt of lightning as thick as a century-old withered tree would crash down upon his enemy.

Its power was incomparably great.

Most importantly—

"Trait Name": Overwhelming Spiritual Energy.

"Trait Grade": White.

"Trait Effect": After your Dao Foundation width exceeds one hundred li, every additional li increases the power of your spells by a trace.

He also had this trait. With this trait and Focus Power, which could specifically amplify the Lightning-Channeling Art, the power of a single Lightning-Channeling Art had already become terrifying. It was simply that after his Dao Foundation width reached ten thousand li, he had yet to use it.

He did not know exactly how powerful it was.

After entering the secret realm, he would first find someone blind enough to test it on.

With such confidence, in addition to the more than six thousand Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment resentful spirits that had already chilled his body to the bone, several traits that could self-destruct at any time and erupt with Golden Core might, and nearly a hundred offensive and defensive talismans.

He had thoroughly armed himself to the teeth.

So what if they were prodigies from great Lineages and major sects?

As long as they did not carry an old grandpa around with them, he refused to believe that anyone below the Sixth Level of the Foundation Establishment Realm could defeat him.

Just then—

The scene suddenly grew noisy.

"That's Zhao Yishi of the Heavenward Sect. I heard he broke through to the Sixth Level of the Foundation Establishment Realm just days ago. He also ranks highly on the Great Xia Prodigy Rankings, at 107th. I never expected even him to be drawn here by this secret realm."

"Didn't you visit the nearby Heaven-Question Market? He had already arrived there days ago."

"Exactly. The Heavenward Sect was only ranked 79th on the Great Xia Sect Rankings to begin with. It hasn't produced any prodigies in recent decades, so its ranking drops a little every year. In recent years, I heard the sect has poured a massive amount of resources into him. As long as they find a trait that suits him extremely well, the Heavenward Sect's ranking will surely soar next year!"

"After all, possessing the Pink Trait Sky-Piercing Giant is worth the Heavenward Sect supporting him with all its strength."

A middle-aged man more than forty zhang tall appeared in the sky, carrying a thirty-odd-zhang saber on his shoulder. With lotus flowers blooming beneath every step, he descended from the heavens in an exceptionally eye-catching manner.

Chen Qiu opened his eyes and calmly looked toward the conspicuous middle-aged man who had landed among the crowd, saying nothing.

In this world, a seven-foot man was equivalent to one meter seventy from his previous life.

One chi equaled twenty-four centimeters, while one zhang equaled ten chi. This man was over four hundred chi tall—ninety-six meters. When a man of such height stood among a crowd, he was no longer merely a crane standing among chickens.

He was far too conspicuous. The instant he appeared, he drew the attention of everyone present.

Many people stared at him with envy. Sometimes, luck truly was important.

But that was not all—

Just as everyone was marveling, plum blossoms suddenly filled the sky. Then a delicate young woman in a pink gown, her expression cold and aloof, slowly descended to the ground while stepping upon plum blossoms.

At her side followed four or five young men in different outfits, each looking at the surrounding people with hostility.

"This... this is Ma Yinxue, ranked 78th on the Great Xia Beauty Rankings?"

"That's right, it's her. I've seen her portrait before, but this is my first time seeing her in person. She truly looks as though she stepped out of an immortal realm. Mortal women cannot compare at all."

"What kind of man could touch such a woman? Being able to marry her as his wife would be a blessing earned over three lifetimes!"

"The men beside her should be her followers, right?"

"Definitely. What woman on the Great Xia Beauty Rankings does not have several followers behind her? I heard that the top ten beauties each have over a hundred permanent followers at their side. Every time they go out, the commotion is enormous."

"Hmm?"

Chen Qiu looked oddly at the woman who had entered the crowd. He had heard Fat Dragon mention that this world had something called the Beauty Rankings, but this was still his first time personally seeing a True Person ranked upon them.

To be honest, she was quite beautiful.

She carried an indescribable charm, fresh and dewy, especially that cold and aloof temperament of hers. It could stir the desire for conquest in many men's hearts. No matter the price, they wanted to witness the contrast she would show in bed.

There was just one thing he did not understand.

"Fat Dragon, these rankings are all automatically arranged through the Heavenly Dao's perception, right? I can understand the Sect Rankings and Prodigy Rankings, since they have clear boundaries. But everyone has different tastes. What is the Beauty Rankings based on?"

"..."

For some reason, Fat Dragon was not as animated as usual this time. Instead, he remained expressionless and silent for a long while before softly saying, "Brother Qiu, the Beauty Rankings are arranged by the Heavenly Dao itself."

"Whose ranking rises and whose ranking falls all depends on the Heavenly Dao's perception."

"There are one hundred women on the Great Xia Beauty Rankings. These hundred beauties are not merely pretty skeletons beneath rouge and powder; they possess special effects, and every beauty's effect is different."

"Some beauties can increase their husband's pill-refining success rate. Some can accelerate their husband's cultivation speed. Some can let their husband break through without bottlenecks."

"But the prerequisite is that you must win the beauty's heart. Only if she truly falls for you can you possess that effect."

"And beauties are creations favored by the Heavenly Dao. Anyone who dares to use force, coercion, or imprisonment to make one give her heart or offer her body will suffer the Heavenly Dao's loathing."

"In the Great Xia Kingdom, these Heavenly Dao Beauties are an extremely special existence. The children of every great Lineage or powerful faction have dreamed of marrying a Heavenly Dao Beauty."

"Whether in practical benefits or sheer prestige, they far surpass ordinary women."

"Mm."

Chen Qiu chuckled. "Your methods for obtaining information are as impressive as ever. You even know the Beauty Rankings so well."

"..."

After remaining silent for a while, Fat Dragon continued, "The Heavenly Dao Beauty you see is my ex-girlfriend. She and I transmigrated here during the same period. After arriving, I gathered some information and did hard labor, because I was afraid she would awaken a demonic cultivator trait at the government office and be executed."

"So I saved money for more than ten days and bought a potion that could help someone break through to the First Level of the Qi Refining Realm."

"I gave it to her."

"After she broke through to the First Level of the Qi Refining Realm, she became a Heavenly Dao Beauty and rose onto the Great Xia Beauty Rankings."

"Many Foundation Establishment cultivators came to pursue her. Some were even biological sons of Golden Core experts. Later... later, she left. After being despondent for a while, I saved money again and bought a potion for myself, awakening the Strength of Nine Oxen trait."

"Not long afterward, I was captured by the Flower-Offering Sect and used as a supplement."

"Afterward, I escaped to Windward City and met you, Brother Qiu."

"..."

The smile on Chen Qiu's face slowly froze. He looked once more toward the beauty in the crowd, his lips opening and closing for a long while before he ultimately fell silent.