Making the Ranking

The Rising Dragon Pavilion.

It held a transcendent position throughout Great Zhou.

This transcendence differed even from that of the Tai Xu Sword Palace, the Sacred Martial Tower, and the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Its authority was such that even the imperial family of Great Zhou dared not defy any of its decisions.

Of course, while the Rising Dragon Pavilion possessed unprecedented authority within Great Zhou, it never interfered in any of the realm's affairs, great or small.

It was responsible only for the Dragon Gate Convention and publishing the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

This had been the case for as long as written records had existed in the land of Great Zhou.

Even the replacement of the previous dynasty by the Great Zhou Dynasty had not affected it in the slightest.

Asking the Dao Mountain, outside the Royal Capital of Great Zhou, stretched thirty to forty li around, lush with greenery and masses of blooming flowers.

Dark gray eaves and hipped-roof halls could just be made out, rising and falling here and there, half hidden amid the leafy shade.

At a rough count, there were more than a dozen main halls, over a hundred courtyard buildings, and upward of a thousand rooms.

Even from several li away, their carved balustrades, jade masonry, and magnificent splendor were still visible.

This was the headquarters of the Rising Dragon Pavilion.

It was also the site of Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, held once every five years.

At that moment, in a pavilion beside the main hall, an exquisitely dressed man handed a set of documents to a woman behind a desk who looked barely past thirty. "Tower Master, this is the final Hidden Dragon Ranking for this convention. Please review it."

The Rising Dragon Pavilion consisted of one pavilion and four towers, which kept the organization running smoothly.

The Pavilion Master appeared only at the Dragon Gate Convention. All everyday matters, great and small, were handled by the four Tower Masters.

The rather heroic-looking woman before him was Zhong Lingxiu, one of those four Tower Masters.

"The final one already? This ranking will essentially represent the final standings. When the convention begins, the seeded contestants will also be selected according to it."

Zhong Lingxiu raised her head slightly. "Have there been any changes from the previous ranking?"

"The top eight remain unchanged. Yan Yu is first, Xiang Yangsheng second, with Qi Liang, Yue Longsha, Su Jianxing, and the others following closely behind... but starting from ninth place, the others have slipped down. Li Xian has replaced the former ninth-place holder, Lin Buzhi, while Qiao Liushui has been pushed out of the top ten."

The man replied.

"Li Xian?"

As the person who gave final approval to the Hidden Dragon Ranking, Zhong Lingxiu had an impression of all thirty-six people on it.

But this Li Xian...

"These are Li Xian's records. This is his first appearance on the ranking."

Without waiting for Zhong Lingxiu to ask, the man had already handed over a detailed dossier.

Its first page was a condensed summary of his personal information.

"Straight into the top ten on his first appearance!?"

Zhong Lingxiu was somewhat astonished. "Hmm!? Only twenty-two?"

For a moment, the Tower Master, who had been turning the pages rather casually, focused a little more intently. "He followed the path of studying letters first, then taking up martial arts? Four months of martial training to reach Impervious Body?"

At this, Zhong Lingxiu could not help looking up. "Four months?"

"Strictly speaking, less than four months."

The man said, "We dispatched thirteen spirit falcons and confirmed it repeatedly with our informants in Jiangzhou. Three and a half months ago, nothing about the way Li Xian walked, stood, sat, or lay down showed any trace of martial training, nor did his movements reveal any martial skill. He truly took only three and a half months to advance from a frail scholar to an expert in the Body Without Leaks Realm of the Martial Dao Sixth Level."

"Three and a half months!?"

An unusual gleam flashed through Zhong Lingxiu's eyes. "To think someone this outstanding could still emerge in this convention!"

She immediately began reading Li Xian's dossier carefully.

In particular, when she saw that Li Xian had killed Blood Eagle, leader of the Thirteen Eagles of Luoyang, in head-on combat, then killed Zhang Shuheng, an Impervious Body guard commander from Prince Yue's Residence, with almost no rest in between, she confirmed the assessment of his strength in the dossier.

"Combat strength at greater mastery of Leakless."

She said.

That kind of combat strength, coupled with an age of just twenty-two...

Ninth place on the Hidden Dragon Ranking was well deserved.

Once this Dragon Gate Convention ended and the Hidden Dragon Ranking was updated again, with some of the eight above him dead and others gone, he stood an excellent chance of rising straight into the top three.

The only blemish...

"The Blood Jade Art."

Zhong Lingxiu looked at the cultivation method mentioned in the dossier. "Wasn't this simplified from the Blood Refining Technique some old fellows in my sect created specifically for their juniors and children? Their children use Blood-Nourishing Pills to replenish the blood and qi consumed during cultivation. Li Xian comes from an ordinary background. Practicing this method... I wonder whether it has damaged his foundations."

"Our informants saw no signs of damaged foundations in Li Xian."

The man said, "Li Xian's sponsor is the Sword Saint Guangyuan of the Sacred Martial Tower. According to the records, he once bestowed at least one portion of Blood Spirit Powder on Li Xian."

"Blood Spirit Powder?"

Zhong Lingxiu nodded. "That medicine is made by grinding failed Blood-Nourishing Pills into powder. Though its effects fall far short of those pills, Li Xian has only cultivated for three and a half months, after all. His blood and qi cannot have been depleted too badly. If he has had a steady supply of Blood Spirit Powder, it should not have left any hidden problems."

With that, she said directly, "Publish the ranking in this order."

"Yes."

The man acknowledged her and was about to withdraw.

Just then, as though something had occurred to her, Zhong Lingxiu asked, "Has Li Xian entered this Dragon Gate Convention?"

"They have not registered yet, but according to the records, they have already set out for the Royal Capital. Whether they will register to compete remains uncertain."

"I see..."

Zhong Lingxiu nodded slightly. "He seems to have some conflict with the Yan Family. Keep an eye on that. Our Rising Dragon Pavilion does not interfere in Great Zhou's internal affairs, but wasn't Li Xian a promising talent Guangyuan unearthed? There's no harm in sending him word if anything happens."

Finally, she added, "Let me know when he reaches the Royal Capital."

"Yes."

The man's heart tightened, and he hurriedly acknowledged her order.

It seemed the Tower Master attached considerable importance to this Li Xian.

But that made sense. With the young man's talent, even if he failed to leap over the Dragon Gate this time, he was certain to ascend to the heavens at the next convention.

With Zhong Lingxiu's approval, the Rising Dragon Pavilion soon released the latest Hidden Dragon Ranking.

Since this Hidden Dragon Ranking essentially offered a preview of who would be Leaping Over the Dragon Gate, every faction hoping to make one last investment had been waiting with craned necks.

The moment the Hidden Dragon Ranking was published, it was placed on the desks of every major faction.

The top eight...

Held no surprises.

But when everyone saw the name in ninth place, almost all of them voiced the same question.

"Who is Li Xian?"

They soon read the Hidden Dragon Ranking's information and assessment of Li Xian.

Li Xian, originally named Li Xian, was a native of Qinghe County, Lijiang Prefecture, Jiangzhou. He later changed the written character of his name himself and was currently twenty-two years old.

Following the ancient practice of carrying the Dao through literature, he had diligently studied poetry and books since childhood. His exceptional learning made him one of Lijiang's Four Great Talents.

After four months of martial training, he comprehended Primordial Unity and entered the Heavenly Cycle Without Leak Realm directly.

Besieged outside Lijiang City by the Thirteen Eagles of Luoyang, he slew their Body Without Leaks Realm leader, Blood Eagle, in battle despite interference from Sparrowhawk and Gray Eagle, two Blood Exchange and Marrow Washing martial masters. He then joined forces with another Body Without Leaks Realm martial master to annihilate the Thirteen Eagles of Luoyang.

Afterward, he still had enough strength to kill Zhao Tianming, master of the Lihuo Martial Arts Hall, who had attained greater mastery of Blood Exchange and Marrow Washing; slay the Body Without Leaks Realm martial master Zhang Shuheng, the Four Absolutes Saber; and kill the Blood Exchange martial master Bai Yup an with a single punch.

Based on his performance in combat, the Rising Dragon Pavilion judged that he might possess combat strength at greater mastery of Leakless.

Taking his age, strength, and speed of advancement into account, he was placed ninth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

After reading this information, every faction of any standing within Great Zhou erupted in an uproar.

The Thirteen Eagles of Luoyang had run rampant through Luoyang without restraint and were extremely notorious. Almost every faction had heard of them.

Zhang Shuheng, the Four Absolutes Saber, was slightly less famous, but in Jiangzhou and the surrounding prefectures, there was likewise no one who did not know him.

Li Xian, four months of martial training, Impervious Body!

In a single battle, he had slain two Body Without Leaks experts, four Blood Exchange and Marrow Washing experts, and several Internal Organ Refinement practitioners!

He had used these two groups of established experts as stepping stones.

Such a record was simply appalling!

Countless people drew a sharp breath at that moment.

Those who attained Impervious Body were considered first-rate in the martial world, each a figure whose name resounded throughout a prefecture.

A single prefecture had no more than eight or ten of them.

In Jiangzhou, for instance, the Canglang Sword Sect alone accounted for four. There were four others: Recluse Baiyun, the Prince's Mansion's guard commander, Jiangzhou's military superintendent, and Jiangzhou's commander-in-chief.

Though the Royal Capital had more first-rate experts than other places, among the nearly one hundred million people of Great Zhou, there were fewer than two hundred such figures.

The moment Li Xian emerged, he had forged his fearsome reputation upon the bones of two experts of this caliber, shocking the world.

Especially since he was only twenty-two.

Ranked ninth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking at twenty-two, even if he could not leap over the Dragon Gate this time, he was bound to have a place among those who shed their serpent forms and became dragons at the next convention.

Once they understood this, discussion of "Li Xian" among countless factions in the Royal Capital and throughout Great Zhou immediately reached an unprecedented pitch.

Those factions that considered themselves well supplied with both manpower and money, and capable of offering Li Xian better treatment, issued orders at once.

"Li Xian!? Good! You've successfully caught my attention!"

"One hour. I want all his information!"

"To think a dark horse like this could charge onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking at the very last moment. What a surprise!"

All manner of discussion rose into a clamor.

Some factions, upon learning that Li Xian was on his way to the Royal Capital, had already begun preparing to approach him ahead of time and extend their goodwill.

Truly, ten years of bitter study drew no inquiries, yet one appearance on the ranking made his name known throughout the world.

(End of chapter)