Fourth on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking, a Year Before and a Year After

Danyang Commandery.

Qian Jinqing has been busy with clan affairs lately, especially the trade routes between the clan and Northern Dark Continent.

It's been a long time since we've heard anything about Yu Tunzhou.

That guy has been almost completely out of contact since he went to Northern Plains.

The last time I learned of his recent situation was when someone's heroic deeds in West Xuan Commandery spread throughout Danyang Commandery along with the line "Laughing through a cup of wine, killing people in the Mortal World".

As the place where Yu Tunzhou rose to fame, the warriors of Danyang Commandery paid far more attention to Yu Tunzhou than those of other counties.

"Miss, the latest Three Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man have been updated, and Young Hero Yu has made it into the top ten!"

The maid Jin Ding ran over excitedly, holding the latest Dragon and Tiger Ranking in her hand.

Qian Jinqing rubbed her temples wearily.

In the past few days, the trade routes between the clan and Northern Dark Continent have been besieged by multiple forces. According to their investigation, it should be the imperial court that has taken action.

She looked up, her expression relatively calm. "He was fifteenth last time. Given his rate of improvement, it would be strange if he didn't make the top ten this time."

Jin Ding chuckled and asked, "Then, Miss, guess where Young Master Yu ranks now?"

Qian Jinqing thought for a moment, "Around eight or nine?"

Although she did not practice martial arts, she learned from Wang Keqing that the quality of this generation's Dragon and Tiger Ranking was frighteningly high. Apart from Yang Che, who was ranked tenth and whose ranking was somewhat questionable, the rest of the top ten had the potential to reach the top in previous years!

That guy is equally extraordinary, but at this level, who can truly defeat whom?

"Fourth!" Jin Ding's eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at the list and muttered, "Young Master Yu has directly squeezed into the top five. The list praises him for displaying Dao Path Phenomenon and extraordinary abilities. His future is beyond question!"

Qian Jinqing froze.

fourth?

How could it be fourth?

Is this another case of being overly praised and then used to kill someone, similar to the case of the top Reserve Ranking?

She took the list and found the spot where Yu Tunzhou was located.

Fourth on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking: Yu Tunzhou.

Titles: Luofu Dao Seed, Madman, One Whose Fist Is in Heaven.

Strength: Form Refinement Perfection, seemingly possessing the Unity of Heaven and Celestial Person, seemingly possessing the method to break through Gang Qi, possessing a unique Dharma Aspect Divine Ability, and Dao Path Phenomenon cultivation.

Battle Record: In Danyang Commandery, he killed [Blood Sha] Yin Tianjue with a single finger; after disappearing for several months, he reappeared in West Xuan Commandery and defeated many young talents, including Yuan Mengzhou; in West Xuan Commandery, he used his Dharma Aspect Divine Ability to kill Jin Xiongfei, who was in the late stage of the Divine Power Late Divine Ability Stage; in Donghe County, he cooperated with Feng Yanleng to fight and kill Zhu Baichuan, who was in the Late Divine Ability Stage; in Twin Rivers Commandery, he defeated Hua Nongying, who was at the Half-Step External Scenery [Illusory Spider], in three moves.

Note: According to the latest news, this child manifested Dao Path Phenomenon in Donghe County. That night, Donghe County was divided in two by black and white, resembling a giant yin-yang symbol.

Evaluation: Based solely on the Dao Path Phenomenon, this young man is qualified to rival the top three. Furthermore, his Form Refinement Perfection Half-Step External Scenery, suggests he may have prematurely mastered the Unity of Heaven and Celestial Person. This is truly astonishing, placing him firmly among the world's top geniuses.

What are Dao Path Phenomenon?

Qian Jinqing suppressed the shock in his heart and looked up to ask.

It seems that the high praise given to "Yu Tunzhou" is largely due to this phrase?

A deep male voice came from outside the house.

"Once the Form Refinement Perfection, the Dao Embryo can be formed. Very few people can foresee their future Dao Path at this stage, and only a tiny fraction of them will be able to witness Dao Path Phenomenon."

A middle-aged man strode into the house. It was Wang Shubo, the External Scenery retainer of the Qian Household. He exclaimed in amazement, "Among the current top ten of the Dragon and Tiger Ranking, Young Hero Yu is the fourth to display Dao Path Phenomenon. Therefore, his fourth-place ranking on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking is well-deserved!"

"Miss may not understand the significance of Dao Path Phenomenon. Let me give you an example and you'll understand."

Wang Shubo paused, then said in a deep voice, "Almost all of the top ten on the Heaven Ranking, if there are any records, have displayed Dao Path Phenomenon!"

Qian Jinqing was stunned, then understood what this person meant, and murmured, "----The appearance of Dharma Aspect being?"

That guy's future isn't just about reaching the External Scenery, then Grandmaster, or even Grandmaster; it's possible he could even surpass the External Scenery?

"You could say that," Wang Shubo remarked sincerely.

Unlike him, a martial artist who barely made it into the External Scenery and could hardly advance any further, that Young Hero Yu truly had a bright future ahead of him.

During this period, with the strong support of the Qian Household patriarch and the enticements of Qian Jinqing, Wang Shubo temporarily pledged his allegiance to Qian Jinqing.

The other factions did not give up on winning him over, offering increasingly better terms each time, which made him somewhat hesitant.

But now, looking at this Dragon and Tiger Ranking, Wang Shubo knows that his current choice does not need to be changed.

Leaving aside the fact that the Qian Household has now chosen to side with the Northern Dark Continent, the Qian Household's "investment" in Yu Tunzhou alone has determined whoever is closer to Yu Tunzhou will naturally become the next clan leader.

Qian Jinqing's gaze fell on the list again, and after a long while, he muttered, "This guy has gained two more titles—"

The South Sea Dragon Palace.

Under pressure from all sides, and in order to ensure the smooth opening of the Eternal Dragon Gate soon, the Dragon Palaces of the Four Seas had no choice but to seek help from the Central Plains Dragon Vein.

An embarrassing fact is that, in terms of bloodline purity, the Dragon Palaces of the Four Seas is far inferior to the Central Plains Dragon Vein.

As one of the representatives of the Central Plains Plains' dragon vein, Liu Zhizhou, who hailed from Dongting, chose to come to the South Sea Dragon Palace for Ao Xiyu.

Of course, Liu Zhizhou did not come here specifically to mock the latter, but rather to try to join forces with Ao Xiyu to fight against his brothers and sisters.

According to the ancient history that Liu Zhizhou searched, the depths of the Eternal Dragon Gate are the Land of Guixu, the source of all water transport in the world.

Ao Xiyu seems to have a unique talent in the art of water transport. For example, in Luofu Grotto-Heaven, this guy often took advantage of her resting time to swallow up the water transport of the section of the river she occupied!

This time, Ao Xiyu did not refuse Liu Zhizhou.

Although they didn't get along in Luofu Grotto-Heaven, that was all in the past.

After all, during this trip to the Eternal Dragon Gate, few of her former companions from the cave heaven would likely be able to team up with her. Even her ability to enter was due to her Dragon Race lineage.

until----

The latest list of Dragon and Tiger Ranking has reached the Dragon Palace.

As one of the Three Rankings, it has never missed a single issue, not only for the Dragon Palace but also for overseas regions, making it an important channel for understanding the Central Plains Human Race.

"No way—what gives this guy the right?!"

Deep within the Dragon Palace.

The light from countless luminous pearls illuminated Ao Xiyu's boudoir, while the angry voice of her newly minted best friend Liu Zhizhou, stirred the surrounding air even more violently than the light of the pearls.

Ao Xiyu was already standing there, so no one in the room answered Liu Zhizhou's question.

At this moment, Liu Zhizhou couldn't help but recall the day she arrived at the grotto.

She sat under the eaves, listening absentmindedly as Master Luo described the boy whose life was as fragile as a rock being carved into a fire. She watched the raindrops drip from the eaves into the puddles, splashing up ripples that dispersed and gathered again, like a rootless duckweed, or more like that penniless country boy.

This left her somewhat dazed.

A year ago, someone was at a loss as to how to obtain cultivation Cultivation Method, and it seemed that all that lay ahead was a dead end.

A year later, however, he had risen to fourth place on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking, possessing Dao Path Phenomenon, a unique Dharma Aspect Divine Ability, and seemingly having mastered the Unity of Heaven and Celestial Person, becoming someone they could only look up to.

Master Luo, who once looked down on the boy, is now no match for him.

That figure, with its back to them, rising higher and higher, becoming increasingly dazzling, seemed to be telling everyone in the former grotto, "Your judgment is truly inadequate."

Liu Zhizhou couldn't understand how this guy had gotten to this point in such a short time.

now.

Ao Xiyu blinked. Tunzhou was doing so well; he'd probably participate in the Eternal Dragon Gate too, right?

Then it seems I don't need to involve Liu Zhizhou anymore.

Purely a drag on the Nanhua Sect.

"Master, this disciple wishes to enter the Sword Pool!"

Dressed in a pure white Daoist robe, Cao Jianjia, whose beauty was already beginning to show, stood before Yan Huifeng with a resolute expression.

Yan Huifeng paused for a rare moment, gazing at the blue lotus in Cao Jianjia's heart and the single thread of fate, and slowly said, "With your current strength, the probability of you entering the Sword Pool and coming out alive is less than 50%."

"I can lose to others, but I don't want to lose to him by too much."

Yan Huifeng looked up into the distance and calmly said, "Then let's go."

"If I manage to get out alive, I'll go and try my luck at the Eternal Dragon Gate."

Cao Jianjia bowed respectfully, then rose and turned to leave. His movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation, befitting a sword immortal.

Yan Huifeng looked towards the direction of Luofu Grotto-Heaven, his gaze deep. He missed his junior sister Qingzhi and wanted to chat with her about how she protected him, her foolish disciple, in the cave heaven.

Within the Luofu Grotto-Heaven.

Daoist Qingzhi sneezed unexpectedly and immediately looked around warily.

Given her cultivation level at the initial stage of the External Scenery, how could she possibly fall ill? There must be someone secretly plotting against her.

Could it be that the man surnamed Mo has returned?

After searching for a while without finding an answer, she looked up at the mountain.

Unexpectedly, the one from Highest Purity was preparing to leave after less than a year.

On the mountainside, the young monk, who had grown another year older, had a dream.

In his dream, he entered a temple with the words "Great Thunderclap Temple" written on the plaque above the gate.

However, there were no monks, no scriptures, no Buddha, and naturally no Buddhist teachings in the temple.

And when he entered the temple, there were monks, Buddhist teachings, scriptures, and...

The little monk, who had been taking a nap, suddenly woke up, picked up the Little White that was sleeping on his chest, and moved it aside, saying angrily, "Little White, you're making it hard for me to breathe! Have you gotten fatter again?"

The Little White fox, who had been dozing with its eyes half-closed, didn't resist, but upon hearing the keyword "gained weight," it immediately woke up and started babbling.

The young monk touched his bald head and sighed for no reason, "When will I be able to grow thick, black hair like my senior brother? I might as well not be a monk anymore."

Immediately, he clasped his hands together and chanted, "Buddha my senior brother so that he may also be safe and sound today, and may this humble monk be freed from suffering soon—"

In the next room, Li Jingxuan, who was handing over the reins to the next Daoist School guardian, looked at the empty spot where a small wooden sword had once hung from the roof beam and said helplessly, "Nephew, that talisman really wasn't taken by this humble Daoist."

The old Daoist priest, addressed as his junior disciple, glared and said, "The Supreme Purity Lineage is being unreasonable again, isn't it? It's either you or Shouxin, who else could it be!"

Li Jingxuan was both amused and exasperated. He wondered if his Senior Brother Yu had grasped the True Intention of the wooden sword. If not, wouldn't he have taken the blame for nothing?

Each update of the Three Rankings is a grand event for the world.

As the new rankings are updated, the parties involved, who have stirred up quite a storm across the country, have temporarily fallen silent.

Five Thunder Temple.

The Daoist temple is not large. I heard that in its heyday, the influence of Five Thunder Temple was enough to radiate for miles around. Later, it shrank continuously and only this dilapidated Daoist temple remained.

The essence of the Five Thunder Temple is a Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Orthodox Method.

According to the records in the temple, the elders of the sect in the early years, after learning this method, could control clouds and rain, command ghosts and gods, and exorcise evil spirits.

Even if one's cultivation level is not high, one can temporarily invoke the ancestral master to possess them, slay demons and monsters, or even invoke the divine power of the Thunder Ministry Orthodox God!

--

However, as the world changed drastically, the Orthodox God went into hiding, and even the patriarchs who ascended to heaven gradually lost contact with them.

Having witnessed the lightning-attracting formation in Twin Rivers Commandery firsthand, Chen Xuanjing seemed to see the records passed down within the temple, and stepped back into the mortal world—

Therefore, he overruled all objections and passed on this Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Orthodox Method to Yu Tunzhou for him to observe.

Of course, there weren't many people in the Five Thunder Temple. Besides Chen Xuanjing, his two junior brothers, a middle-aged junior brother, and only a young Daoist priest who had entered the temple at a young age.

Even those with better talent wouldn't come to the Five Thunder Temple to become disciples. That little Daoist was abandoned in front of the temple when he was young because his family couldn't afford to raise him. He was then adopted by Chen Xuanjing and taken in by him. They weren't even taught the Thunder Method.

Therefore, Chen Xuanjing mainly persuaded his two elderly junior brothers.

Yu Tunzhou returned to the Daoist temple with Abbot Chen and stayed there for two months.

For the past two months, he has been discussing Thunder Method with Abbot Chen almost every day.

During this discussion, for some reason, Chen Xuanjing always felt that Young Hero Yu's Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Orthodox Method seemed more orthodox than theirs?

It's shameful that the same Method Formula produced different effects.

This day.

After receiving Chen Xuanjing's orders, the young Daoist priest, whose Daoist name was "Qingyu," arrived at the courtyard where Great Hero Yu was staying. He saw that the small courtyard was full of charred pits, making it difficult to find a place to stand.

Meanwhile, the young man with a buzz cut, who sat cross-legged in the middle of the courtyard, exhaled white breath like clouds and mist, with wisps of fine golden lightning moving through the clouds and flowing through the young man's seven orifices like dragons and snakes.

The young Daoist priest was filled with envy. After he finished cleaning and daydreaming, when he had nothing to do, he would secretly rummage through the temple's secret collection, which his master regarded as his lifeblood.

It records that the great Divine Ability beings before High Antiquity had such profound cultivation that every breath and circulation of qi would produce extraordinary phenomena. Among them, the most outstanding ones could manifest the rising and setting of the sun and moon, and the shifting of stars.

Although Great Hero Yu is far from reaching that level, he has already shown initial signs of divine abilities, truly deserving of being the fourth-ranked Martial Dao on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking!

Qingyu squatted down at the courtyard gate, intending to talk to Great Hero Yu after he finished his cultivation.

Boom!

A clap of thunder sounded from the sky.

The Thunderclap filled his ears, Qingyu was not shaken to the core. Without thinking, he turned and ran.

Soon, a thick, bucket-sized bolt of silver-white lightning descended from the sky and struck a spot in the courtyard, just a few steps from the gate.

Another crater in Jiaoya!

Yu Tunzhou opened his eyes, still shaken, and touched the stubble of his newly grown hair, staring at the crater in front of him.

This High Antiquity Thunder Method is indeed easy to cultivate but dangerous.

Even with his foundation in the unity of Unity of Heaven and Celestial Person, he still found it difficult to freely control the heavenly lightning he could summon.

That bolt of lightning was the result of his minor success in cultivating Thunder Method.

Although the Five Thunder Five Thunders Orthodox Method of the Five Thunder Temple is incomplete, it still reveals the profoundness of the Eastern Kingdom during its heyday. There are more than a dozen different paths to follow.

Yu Tunzhou chose the path that was most difficult, but also the Higher Vehicle one. It wasn't that he had a penchant for difficult public battles, but rather that this path was perfectly suited to his future.

This path views the human body as a vast universe, where every acupoint can become a minefield, ultimately forming its own universe, wielding yin and yang, controlling creation, and capable of unleashing thunder with a single word.

This path is not only compatible with the Eight-Nine Mysterious Art, but can also assist his future Inner Heaven and Earth.

However, this path was inherently difficult, and because the world was different, there was no one to guide him or plant the seed of thunder for him. Therefore, cultivation was extremely difficult. After trying for two days, Yu Tunzhou consulted the Great Sage Huntian. The two of them, one human and one bird, decided to use a simple method to summon heavenly thunder to descend upon the world, to absorb its Fazhen, and to store it in their acupoints, thereby condensing the thunder pool and generating thunder within their bodies.

While the Thunder Pool is still being refined, he has already mastered how to use the Unity of Heaven and Celestial Person to trigger the descent of heavenly lightning.

The only problem is that it's difficult to precisely control the landing position; there's only an approximate location, usually with an error of several meters.

Even so, its power far surpasses that of ordinary External Scenery Divine Ability.

Thunder Method is the source of all magic; this is not just empty talk!

Since the beginning of this period, his understanding of Thunder Method has reached a new level.

When he was in the Northern Plains Grotto, he incorporated the Thunderclap into a thunderous aura similar to that of a lion riding a chariot.

Now, he has come to understand the profound truth that "yin and yang complement each other, their light is lightning, their sound is thunder, one sound and one breath complement each other," and what he lacks is not just the Thunderclap.

After Zan Dong finished his cultivation, Yu Tunzhou looked towards the courtyard gate. Qingyu, who had turned back again, relayed the abbot's message to Yu Tunzhou.

Yu Tunzhou nodded and thanked the young Daoist priest.

The news came from Twin Rivers Commandery.

Not long ago, Twin Rivers Commandery sent several messages, which included not only the court's handling of the recent calamity in Twin Rivers Commandery, but also some personal requests from him.

This time, however, it is a final punishment for Qi Anmei.

Interestingly, the court's handling of the matter involved only Qi Anmei from beginning to end; neither Yu Tunzhou nor the Twin Rivers Wang Household were involved.

As the person in charge of the Gold-Wielding Guard in Twin Rivers Commandery, Qi Anmei's merits and demerits canceled each other out, and he was soon transferred out of Twin Rivers Commandery to be replaced by a new garrison commander.

His merit was to promptly prevent the Six Paths of Evil and Demons from conquering Twin Rivers Commandery.

However, this was an act of arresting and even torturing a prince of the current dynasty without permission.

This result is tantamount to issuing a command.

However, according to Qi Anmei's news, he was summoned by the Old Wang above and will go to the Divine Capital to report for duty after the new garrison commander arrives.

Judging from Qi Anmei's tone, it's no surprise that this is an internal reward from the Gold-Wielding Guard.

The imperial court issued an order, Gold-Wielding Guard bestowed rewards upon the commanders.

Yu Tunzhou pondered to himself, "It seems the power struggle at the top is already quite intense."

However, this has nothing to do with him.

According to his and Qi Anmei's original deductions, Lecha's fate would naturally be to be wanted by the imperial court and thus be listed on the Secondary Ranking.

The Secondary Ranking differs from the Three Rankings of Heaven, Earth, and Man. It refers to the second list of wanted persons issued by the imperial court. Those who make it onto the list are mostly Six Paths of Evil and Demons, as well as some serious criminals who have disobeyed the imperial court.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that the Old Wang has exerted his influence, causing the court to completely ignore him and not hold him accountable for the capture of Ji Zhaole.

Of course, it could also be due to concerns about reputation.

According to Qi Anmei, Ji Zhaole's collusion with the Six Paths of Evil and Demons has been ordered to be stopped by the imperial court.

This matter is now known to those who need to know, but it hasn't spread widely among the general public yet.

For example, Wang Chongyi was very concerned about his reputation. On the first day after the war, he sent people to inform the surrounding Aristocratic Clan, especially those prefectures that had also been granted fiefs by princes, reminding them to be extremely careful.

This news even reached all the way from the Western Desert to the Eastern Ridge.

In this respect, Wang Chongyi, who came from the Aristocratic Clan, was completely different from Qi Anmei, who came from the Gold-Wielding Guard, and was utterly unafraid of the imperial authority.

The Aristocratic Clan are never united, but if the royal family were to fight amongst themselves, the major Aristocratic Clan of the Western Desert would naturally form an alliance to defend themselves.

If Yu Tunzhou's guess is correct, the imperial family's plan to weaken local Aristocratic Clan by appointing princes to rule has probably failed.

After a moment's thought, Yu Tunzhou decided to set off.

Now that he has made some progress in his Thunder Method, transforming the state of oneness with Unity of Heaven and Celestial Person into actual combat power, and since he is not wanted by the authorities, it is about time for him to venture deeper into the Western Desert.

The news brought by Qingyu this time also included information about the whereabouts of Sun Xiongman.

According to the new intelligence from Gold-Wielding Guard, Sun Xiongman likely already entered the External Scenery.

A martial artist who has just entered the External Scenery is currently at his weakest point.

Yu Tunzhou prepared to venture deep into the Western Desert to hunt down the fifth of the Seven Bandits, [Ghost Blade] Sun Xiongman, as the final battle of this trip to the Western Desert.

He hoped that this battle would allow him to confirm the Dao Path ahead!

After that, he was to head south to the South Sea Dragon Palace.

The details regarding the Eternal Dragon Gate have already been given to him by the Gold-Wielding Guard.

As for why he chose the South Sea, it was because he recognized a girl named Ao Xiyu called Thirteenth Sister.

With Xin Cheng's approval, Yu Tunzhou prepared to set off tonight, heading straight into the depths of the Western Desert to hunt down Sun Xiongman, thus bringing this trip to a perfect close!

He immediately stood up, explained his plans to Chen Xuanjing and Jian Er, and then bowed to take his leave. It seemed that after practicing Thunder Method, his style of doing things had become more decisive and efficient.

Chen Xuanjing did not stop him and saw him off.

Before he left, Qingyu, fearing he might never have the chance to meet him again, mustered his courage and asked Great Hero Yu about his Martial Dao talent.

Yu Tunzhou glanced at the old abbot, who put on a stern face, as if to say, "Don't even think about my eldest disciple." Yu Tunzhou understood and smiled, "If it were a few months ago, I would have advised you to learn martial arts, but now, I would advise you to diligently practice Thunder Method under Abbot Chen's guidance."

The young Daoist priest from Qingyu was astonished. Thunder Method?

Hasn't this skill become so obsolete that even the master is unwilling to pass it on?

And as the saying goes, "Yu Tunzhou, and a crow is known."

In these two months, not only has he made progress, but the old abbot has also taken a big step forward, equivalent to the Divine Ability Realm in Martial Dao.

The speed at which the world was changing far exceeded their expectations!

After seeing Yu Tunzhou off, Chen Xuanjing led Qingyu to the courtyard where Yu Tunzhou was staying.

Looking at the dilapidated courtyard, Chen Xuanjing suddenly said, "Qingyu, from today onwards, you will move into this room."

A courtyard, seemingly full of potholes, yet its profound and subtle Fazhen is truly weighty!

Young Hero Yu left behind a training ground that was extremely suitable for beginners.

"Starting tonight, I will teach you the Thunder Method!"