"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Never mind Saint King experts-I haven't even seen more than a handful of Spirit Light Realm experts!"
"Hahahaha! With the sorry state you're in, stop coming out here to make a spectacle of yourself!"
"But don't you think this Primordial Hall is even more mysterious?"
"Exactly! The strongest fighters in the top four factions are all Saint King experts. Just how powerful must Primordial Hall be?"
"Is it really that powerful, or is it all nonsense?"
For a time, opinions flew in every direction, and even more people began questioning whether Primordial Hall was real.
In fact, quite a few people had begun questioning Primordial Hall's authenticity as early as the release of the Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking.
But as several great battles unfolded, the accuracy of the Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking was gradually confirmed.
That accuracy was not absolute, however. Generally speaking, those higher on the Heaven's Chosen Ranking utterly crushed those below them, but a few people ranked close together had managed to turn the tables.
Of course, once someone successfully "turned the tables," the Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking would change!
Even then, some had mocked the Heaven's Chosen Ranking as utterly inaccurate.
"I heard the master of Primordial Hall made a move in Cloud Firmament City last time. He must have at least the strength of a Saint!"
"Hmph, I didn't hear about it-I saw it with my own eyes! I happened to be in Cloud Firmament City watching the excitement, and I saw a pair of enormous white jade hands descend from the sky... Clouds formed with a turn of his hand, rain fell with a flip, and in the blink of an eye, he forged a Half-Step Saint Artifact!"
"Seriously? Do you even know what a Half-Step Saint Artifact is? You're not just bragging, are you?"
Whatever the case, discussion of Primordial Hall among the cultivators of the Eastern Wasteland increased considerably.
While most cultivators were busy talking, practically no one noticed the streaks of light flying above the territories of the top twenty factions on the Eastern Wasteland Faction Rankings.
Above each of the top three factions on the Eastern Wasteland Faction Rankings, a dragon-shaped light circled, though their colors differed.
In an unnamed village, an old man opened his eyes.
His hair had already turned white, and his skin looked terribly aged, but his eyes were bright and lively, like a child's!
Those eyes were completely at odds with the rest of his face. As he opened them, he seemed able to pierce through the roof and see straight beyond the highest heavens outside.
Watching a golden dragon phantom tumble up and down through the clouds, the old man's lips could not help curling upward.
"Primordial Hall, is it? It seems what I sensed before wasn't an illusion!"
"To think such a faction exists in the Eastern Wasteland. There truly are crouching tigers and hidden dragons here."
As he spoke, the golden dragon phantom seemed to sense the old man's divine sense and affectionately drew closer. The golden dragon looked utterly adorable.
"So this is providence!" the old man marveled. For the people of the Eastern Wasteland, such providence could only be encountered, never sought.
With the blessing of providence, an entire sect would flourish. For a faction that had withdrawn from the world, such providence was exceedingly hard to come by.
"We owe Primordial Hall a favor this time," the old man said with feeling.
The Supreme Sword Sect's council hall.
"We've only withdrawn from the world for a few years, and the Eastern Wasteland has already forgotten the name of our Supreme Sword Sect?"
"Where did this Primordial Hall spring from? How dare they rank our Supreme Sword Sect fourth!"
"Never mind the Valley of Devouring and Saint King Yunteng's Tomb, but why exactly is that Short Sky Island ranked first?"
"We absolutely cannot tolerate this!"
"Exactly! Eighth Brother, Ninth Brother, let's go find out what this Primordial Hall is really made of!"
"We should indeed venture into the world again. Otherwise, any petty little sect will dare rank us however it pleases." An aged voice rang out, carrying an indescribable authority.
The moment that voice sounded, the cultivators who had been arguing fell silent.
"Eighth Elder, Ninth Elder, go there in person and investigate. If that Primordial Hall is too weak, simply destroy it," the aged voice continued. "As for you, Tenth, stay and continue cultivating!"
The Tenth Elder, who had just been brimming with righteous indignation, dared not defy the sect master after he personally spoke. He could only nod obediently. "Yes, Sect Master!"
"Yes, Sect Master!"
"Yes, Sect Master!"
The Eighth and Ninth Elders also nodded in acknowledgment.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed. At first, the cultivators of the Eastern Wasteland had remained doubtful about this new ranking, but soon, something happened that none of them had expected!
It was this very event that once again shook the entire Eastern Wasteland!
In those three short days, the cultivation speed of the top twenty sects increased visibly. Several sect elders who had been trapped at bottlenecks for years with no solution also seemed to gain sudden enlightenment.
Near the top twenty sects, flashes of golden light or lightning could frequently be seen. All manner of phenomena in heaven and earth had ceased to be anything unusual over those three days.
That was because people kept making breakthroughs one after another over the past few days.
Thus, the positions on the Eastern Wasteland Faction Rankings also kept changing. A sect might have been nineteenth one hour, only to rise to fifteenth the next!
The rankings kept shifting, but for the most part, it was merely the top twenty sects changing places. No new sects managed to squeeze in at all.
"It seems the Eastern Wasteland Faction Rankings are a contest of providence!" An old man versed in such matters stepped forward to explain the phenomenon.
"What do you mean?"
"Every sect is blessed with providence, and the Eastern Wasteland Faction Rankings have clearly made that providence visible. The higher a sect's rank, the greater its providence," the old man said slowly.
His words made countless cultivators draw sharp breaths.
Providence!
The most mysterious thing in the entire Eastern Wasteland!
Though it could neither be seen nor touched, when it was present, you would feel your cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds!
For a time, countless rogue cultivators scrambled to join the top twenty sects. Not only that, but sects outside the rankings also fought desperately to squeeze in.
However, because the top four were all far too mysterious, no useful information about them had been uncovered even now.
Yet these cultivators seemed tireless, forming groups to search throughout the Eastern Wasteland for Short Sky Island, the Valley of Devouring, Saint King Yunteng's Tomb, and the Supreme Sword Sect!
Even if they could not join these sects, simply taking a trip into their territories would allow them to improve their cultivation!
If the previous Eastern Wasteland Heaven's Chosen Ranking had only concerned those favored geniuses, the current Eastern Wasteland Faction Rankings held an allure for every cultivator!
For a time, there was scarcely anyone in the entire Eastern Wasteland who did not know the name of Primordial Hall, and all the cultivators were fervently discussing its various rankings!