The Peng Rises on the Winds of Ninety Thousand Li; Behold Our Great Dao Spanning the Sky

Northern Plains, North Mountain Commandery.

"Hurry! The Three Rankings have arrived! If you're late, there won't be any seats left at the teahouses and restaurants!"

On the street, pedestrians hurried by, and when they bumped into someone they knew, they called out in a hurry.

"Didn't you say it would be a few more days?" The passerby was taken aback and quickly ran after him.

When they arrived at a restaurant, it was already packed with guests, not a single seat available. They didn't even have time to feel regret before rushing off to the next teahouse or restaurant.

At the top of the restaurant, several figures sat silently overlooking the farce below.

They were all members of the Northern Plains Xie Household, of noble birth, and were always the center of attention wherever they went.

But at this moment, their gazes drifted unintentionally to the man in brocade robes opposite them, and they hesitated several times before swallowing their words.

The latter, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, no longer possessed his former arrogance; instead, he appeared rather melancholy.

A month has passed since the Dragon Gate ended, and the Three Rankings that everyone has been eagerly anticipating are being released today, three days ahead of schedule.

One of them cleared his throat and said, "Brother Linxue..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man in brocade robes opposite him stood up, turned around and left expressionlessly.

Watching the departing figure, everyone was speechless. Only after he disappeared did someone whisper:

"Is the Dragon Gate really that terrifying? Even this person's Martial Dao heart was shattered. I heard that Brother Linxue is already asking the clan for permission to switch from Martial Dao to Ancient Method cultivation methods..."

At this moment, everyone remained silent.

Although they were members of the Northern Plains Xie Household, they were not qualified to enter the Dragon Gate.

I was initially lamenting not getting a spot in the Dragon Gate tournament, considering it a lifelong regret, but now...

Perhaps this is a kind of luck?

Just by seeing this cousin's current state, one can imagine just how earth-shattering and astonishing the battle at Dragon Gate must have been...

Despair!

Just then, a burst of cheers erupted downstairs, as if the roof had been blown off.

"He's out! The top spot on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking — Yu Tunzhou!"

"Good!!"

The thunderous cheers made the windowpanes vibrate.

The crowd sat in silence, listening to the rising waves of noise from downstairs.

"Number one on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking! It really is Yu Tunzhou!"

"What's there to doubt?" someone laughed loudly, slamming their hand on the table and standing up. "Even a dozen Dao Path from Dragon Gate combined couldn't defeat him. If he's not number one, who is?"

"If Young Hero Yu isn't number one, then there must be something fishy going on at the Star Palace and Jixia Academy!"

"A dozen or so Dao Path cultivation?!" Some people still couldn't believe it, muttering to themselves. It wasn't that they didn't believe it, but rather that they couldn't believe it.

"Is that even a question? Just look at the list— An Ruyu, Deng Canglan, Huang Tian... Hiss, there are seven Dao Path manifesters on this list!"

"Wu Xuan of the Blood River Dao isn't on the list... As expected, he's already been killed by Young Hero Yu at the Dragon Gate!"

"Including the powerful figures from overseas, there are definitely more than ten!"

"Back when this person first topped the Reserve Ranking, how many people criticized Star Palace for being blind? And look at the result now, how long did it take to go from first place on the candidate list to first place on the official list, to becoming the undisputed leader?"

"A little over two years..." someone answered for him, their tone full of self-deprecation, "I heard that the fortune telling given to Young Hero Yu by the Jixia Academy back then was 'to be born like weeds in the countryside.' Hey, if this guy is weeds, then what are we? Dog shit?"

A middle-aged man picked up a wine glass from the table, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. The pungent liquor burned his throat, but it couldn't suppress the burning passion for Martial Dao he once had. He murmured almost in his sleep:

"So it turns out that there really are people in this world who appear out of nowhere, suppressing all the geniuses and making them unable to lift their heads."

"No wonder he dared to scatter the Martial Fortune back then without using it; perhaps only someone with such courage could create such a legend..."

Someone nearby clicked their tongue and shook their head, their tone full of envy. "The Danyang Qian Household is probably going to make a fortune. Originally, Lu Huaiqing swindled them out of a lot of money, but who would have thought that they would follow the trail and directly invest in Yu Tunzhou..."

"What's there to make money from? The Danyang Qian Household is now in cahoots with the Northern Dark Sea. If anyone's going to make money, it'll be Northern Dark Sea."

"Do you know Drunken Sea Tower? That's the restaurant where Young Hero Yu stayed in Sea City before he entered the Dragon Gate. Now, the top-floor room where Young Hero Yu stayed is being sold for ten taels of gold a night, and even then, it's priceless!"

"Hiss--Are those people crazy? That's enough for an average family to live on for eight or nine years!"

"What do you know? Rumor has it that Young Hero Yu left behind Martial Intention legacy there! He topped the Dragon and Tiger Ranking in just two years, dominating the younger generation with his fists, even overseas, where no one could stand up to him. The Dao Path and the fist techniques he has comprehended must be the best in the world. Ten taels of gold for a chance to comprehend it is cheap enough. I heard that reservations are already booked until next year!"

"Can you really understand it?" someone questioned on the spot.

"Hey, if you can't grasp it, it just means you lack the right affinity—that's what Drunken Sea Tower says."

"Pah! A bunch of unscrupulous merchants!"

"It's alright, no matter how cunning they are, they can't harm us. It's the scions of the Aristocratic Clan and wealthy merchants who get screwed over," someone said gloatingly.

Below the restaurant, a group of martial arts figures were excited and discussing animatedly. They talked about everything from the top of the Dragon and Tiger Ranking Yu Tunzhou's past achievements, from killing Yin Tianjue with a single finger in Danyang Commandery to the chivalrous poem "Laughing and Drinking a Cup of Wine" in West Xuan Commandery, and from pursuing the Seven Bandits in the Western Desert to dominating all the heroes at Dragon Gate...

They knew very well that they were witnessing the birth of a legend.

Years later, this restaurant may have long since closed down, and they may have long since been buried in the earth, but the person they are discussing today may still be like a bright sun, hanging high at the pinnacle of Martial Dao!

Just then...

Suddenly, a gasp of surprise rang out, drowning out all the noise.

"The Earth Ranking... How come there's a ' Yu Tunzhou ' on this Earth Ranking?!"

The restaurant fell silent.

Even the Xie Household members on the top floor couldn't help but change their expressions, craning their necks to look down at the notice posted below.

Then, an even louder uproar erupted.

It wasn't just this one restaurant; the entire street, the whole city, erupted in chaos at the same time.

"Ranked seventy-second on the Earth Ranking! Jixia Academy's assessment, Young Hero Yu, though only at the Early Divine Ability Stage, is already comparable to External Scenery Third Layer expert with Ultimate Art!"

"How is that possible?!"

The list includes the reason: On April 27th, Yu Tunzhou, within the territory of the Nanhua Sect, summoned a heavenly tribulation, severely injuring Xuanyangzi, the Supreme Origin Sect Elder of the Taishang...

The room fell silent.

The top spot on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking represents the number one player of the younger generation.

The Earth Ranking, however, represents the top 100 in the Central Plains today, a glory that countless powerful cultivators in the Outer External Scenery pursue throughout their lives!

seem...

The legend belonging to that person has begun in a grand and spectacular fashion with the release of the Three Rankings.

Star Palace.

"Only seventy-two?" Mo Shougui rubbed his bald head and chuckled, "Those guys from the Jixia Academy are still too cowardly."

Daoist Purple Mountain couldn't help but ask curiously, "If you were to make the selection, where would you place this person?"

"Nineteen, of course!" Mo Shougui confidently. "He chased Xuanyangzi so hard he was running naked all over the mountain; he should rightfully take that old man's place!"

Daoist Purple Mountain shook his head, offering no comment, and said:

"In any case, this person is the only one in history to have reached the Earth Ranking at the Early Divine Ability Realm."

"Now that he's on both the list of successful candidates, he should have already felt the blessing of the Unseen. His cultivation in the Divine Ability Realm should be a smooth path ahead."

Mo Shougui suddenly grinned and said, "Do those old fogies in the palace still have any objections to me ranking Yu Tunzhou first among the candidates back then?"

Looking at his rather vengeful junior brother, the Daoist Purple Mountain was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Luofu Grotto-Heaven.

Every so often, people would send supplies from outside the town into the cave. In the past, the town keeper was responsible for receiving them, but since that Great Hero Mo left, the town has no one to serve as the town keeper.

The opening of the grotto-heavens is the responsibility of the guardians from both the Daoist and Buddhist lineages.

At this moment, the True Martial Sect elder, who had replaced Li Jingxuan in guarding the cave, opened the cave and saw an unfamiliar man. He frowned and asked:

Who are you?

The newcomer was a man with a smile on his face. He put his hands together and said, "I am from Little Thunderclap Temple. Greetings, Brother Xuanyin."

The Daoist Xuanyin asked in confusion, "You are a monk from Little Thunderclap Temple? Then why do you have hair?"

"Buddha resides in the heart, not in the hair," the man said solemnly.

The Daoist Xuanyin looked at the man in front of her with suspicion, finding him quite suspicious, but after checking his identification, she found nothing wrong.

The Daoist Xuanyin suddenly asked, "Why is it that the Little Thunderclap Temple is responsible for delivering these supplies this time?"

The man said earnestly, "Delivering supplies is just a side job. My real purpose this time is to visit the Buddha."

The Daoist Xuanyin nodded. This answer was not surprising. As for why the monks of Little Thunderclap Temple wanted to pay homage to the Buddhist disciple of Vajra Chan Temple... that's none of his business!

He is a member of the Daoist School. If there are any internal problems in the Buddhist School, he will absolutely maintain a fair and neutral attitude, just watching the show without interfering!

"Give me the supplies," Daoist Xuanyin said casually. "Has anything major happened outside lately?"

The Dragon Gate Contest has ended, and the new Three Rankings have been released.

"Oh?!" The Daoist Xuanyin's eyes gleamed. "What was the result? Did you bring the Three Rankings?"

The man smiled broadly, "Elder Xuan Yin, rest assured, I deliberately waited two extra days until the Three Rankings was released before arriving here."

Elder Xuan Yin stroked his beard and smiled, "This child is teachable."

The man sighed, "I guessed that the guardians of each grotto-heaven must miss that person very much, so I brought news of that person from afar so that the guardians could remember the past."

Elder Xuan Yin's eyes flickered, and he lowered his voice, saying, "You mean... Yu Tunzhou? His ranking has risen again?"

The man smiled and said, "Let's talk inside."

As the Daoist Xuanyin stepped aside to Opening the Dao, the man stepped into the cave, secretly relieved—it went much more smoothly than he had expected.

As soon as he entered the cave, the man sensed more than a dozen auras locking onto him.

Tsk...

There weren't many External Scenery, which is a bit weak.

Deng Canglan's gaze shifted slightly as he looked up at the sky. This was... Martial Fortune?

He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to draw upon the Martial Fortune ' power.

Calm down. Brother Yu has chosen to abandon his Martial Fortune, how could he possibly accept it? There must be some scheme by the Martial Ancestor hidden within!

If I swallow this Martial Fortune today, I might have to shield that person from disaster in the future!

Before long, the garrison commanders from various towns sent messages asking who he was.

After the Daoist Xuanyin confirmed his origins, Deng Canglan took out the Three Rankings lists and thoughtfully placed the Dragon and Tiger Ranking at the top so that everyone could browse them with their Primordial Spirit.

It's pointless. Brother Yu can't pull off the act, so he's doing it for him!

After the townspeople were all deeply shocked and filled with regret, unable to shake off their shock, he went to visit the Buddhist disciple and search for the Buddha's relics hidden there.

Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic!

As the Three Rankings were produced, none of the experts from each family moved; they simply swept over the list with their Primordial Spirit.

In an instant.

That familiar name once again came into everyone's view.

Number one on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking: Yu Tunzhou

Title: Madman

Strength: Early Divine Ability Stage (comparable to the External Scenery Third Layer), a cultivator of the Dao Path, whose physical training far surpasses that of ordinary External Scenery, Primordial Spirit has been forged into the Kunpeng Spirit Aspect.

Battle record: In Danyang Commandery, he killed [Blood Sha] Yin Tianjue with a single finger... He used the Form Refinement Perfection to kill Sun Xiongman, a great bandit from the Western Desert who had just entered the External Scenery; In the Dragon Gate, he single-handedly suppressed more than ten Dao Path from the Central Plains and overseas; He triggered a lightning tribulation and Supreme Origin Sect Old Devil Xuanyang the Taiyuan Sect.

Note: [This person's top ranking on the Dragon and Tiger Ranking is well-deserved.]

I've heard that one of the moves in his newly created boxing style is called "Ten-Thousand-Ren High Mountain," but how many of today's young people, upon seeing it, dare to claim they can even come close to its level?

Looking back thousands of years, I wouldn't dare say there were virtually no ones who could rival this young man; after all, several had already attained Dharma Aspect and joined the ranks of immortals. Only time will tell.

And so all was silent.

For the people who have been living in the cave for years, every line seems to challenge their understanding and overturn their past worldview.

Luo Shiwu Liu Zhizhou to demand Dragon Fish from Yu Tunzhou, felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and in the end, all that remained was a bitter smile.

Given his current status, he's probably already forgotten about him, let alone bothered with him...

The Daoist Qingzhi of the Nanhua Sect stared at Xuanyangzi and his group, stunned for a long time, then murmured, "Am I insane, or has the world gone mad?"

The old man from the Jiang Household fell silent, lost in thought, as if he saw a figure several times more dazzling than Lu Huaiqing walking towards this world.

Zhang Qingtong of Evergreen Mountain was also somewhat dazed at this moment.

He imagined that the boy would one day make a name for himself.

He has always believed that those who achieve great things in the world not only possess extraordinary talent, but also unwavering perseverance.

But what if... both were available?

His gaze slowly swept across the entire cave, then he suddenly chuckled softly. So this was it—

With the winds blowing ninety thousand miles high, the roc soars into the sky; behold, we, the great generation, are on the path to enlightenment!

On this day, the Three Rankings were officially announced.

In addition to the major changes to the Dragon and Tiger Ranking after a six-month hiatus, the Heaven and Earth Rankings have also undergone changes!

The first thing affected was that the number of seats on the Heaven Ranking increased from ten to thirteen.

Three more seats were added, namely --

The Daoist Fuyao, Chen Fuyou, killed a Dharma Aspect True Dragon. Although he relied on the power of the great formation, he still ranked eighth on the Heaven Ranking.

Blood River Daoist Xue Wuya is currently ranked tenth on the Heaven Ranking.

Northern Dark Sea of Jiang Wenxuan, who wields the Cosmic Heaven Grand Array and is Half-Step Dharma Aspect, ranks at the bottom of the Heaven Ranking.

In an instant, the world changed dramatically.

At this very moment, Yu Tunzhou and Zhang Buyu arrived together in Taikang City in the Eastern Wilderness.

Eastern Wilderness, also known as Eastern Hua Continent, is located Central Plains and at the border with the East Sea. Its geographical location is similar to that of the Northern Dark Continent and Western Frontier.

However, unlike other regions, such as the Three Thousand Great Mountains in Western Frontier, although dangerous and teeming with poisonous insects, they also contain many unique resources.

The Eastern Wilderness is utterly barren, a place of hardship since ancient times. Not only are the mountains and rivers barren, but it also contains vast ancient battlefield ruins. Even after being cleared by later cultivators and martial artists, it remains difficult to cultivate and even harbors many dangers.

Fortunately, Floating Hill Mountain, as the lineage of the Human Emperor, inherited the Human Emperor's will and has been rooted in the Eastern Wilderness Eastern Wilderness since the end of High Antiquity times. It drove away Demon Beast and led the people of the Eastern Wilderness to change the world, opening up a large amount of arable land and saving the people of the Eastern Wilderness from fire and water time and time again.

Therefore, the most powerful force in this land is Floating Hill Mountain, the ancestral home of Daoist School.

Secondly, there was the Five Rivers Chamber of Commerce, which pioneered the East Sea trade route.

It is said that the Five Rivers Chamber of Commerce is backed by several top aristocratic families with extremely strong backgrounds, and they maintain close cooperation with Floating Hill Mountain. Therefore, even though their reputation among the common people is not very good, they still have no obstacles in the Eastern Wilderness.

In addition, there are several Martial Dao sects that are considered vassals of Floating Hill Mountain.

Most of the cities in the Eastern Wilderness are basically half under the control of the imperial court and half under the control of Floating Hill Mountain.

--The above information is from Zhang Buyu's introduction.

After Yu Tunzhou and Zhang Buyu met up, the two continued their journey to the Eastern Hua Continent. They encountered no further obstacles along the way and arrived at Taikang City.

The Eastern Wilderness has no prefectures or counties, only large cities.

"If we travel another five hundred li east, we'll reach the gate of Floating Hill Mountain." Zhang Buyu wiped the sweat from his brow and pointed to the official road ahead. "We'll rest in Taikang City tonight and set off early tomorrow morning."

Yu Tunzhou nodded and walked into the city with Zhang Buyu, his eyes scanning the pedestrians coming and going.

The local people are mostly dark-skinned and dressed simply, but their eyes hold a tenacity that comes from struggling to survive on this barren land, a resilience etched into their very bones.

I've heard that the Eastern Wilderness was also the place where the Human Emperor rose to power in his early years...

The two randomly chose a restaurant located on the street to stay in.

After traveling for many days, Zhang Buyu did not meditate, but instead took a deep sleep.

In another room, Yu Tunzhou sat cross-legged by the window, calming his mind and resting.

On this trip, Yu Tunzhou plans to visit Floating Hill Mountain under the guise of inheriting the Human Emperor's legacy, hoping to uncover the existence behind Floating Hill Mountain...

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

Yu Tunzhou suddenly opened his eyes.

Call out!

A black iron token flew through the air and landed precisely on the wooden table in front of Yu Tunzhou.

His Primordial Spirit power spread out at an astonishing speed.

Even now, if his Primordial Spirit perception were to be extended to its limit, it would be able to encompass an area of ten miles.

Under the cover of night, a slightly plump figure disappeared into the depths of the alley in a few leaps, seemingly extremely familiar with the terrain of Taikang City.

Yu Tunzhou did not rashly give chase.

He frowned slightly, his gaze not falling on the token that shone in from outside the window, but instead looking down at the bed.

He got up, pondered for a moment, reached under the bed and took out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and wrote on it:

[Floating Hill Mountain is related to the death of the Human Emperor]

Yu Tunzhou raised his hand again and used his Gang Qi to summon the token. The token also had a small note wrapped around it, the ink still wet.

Yu Tunzhou didn't rush to open it, but instead glanced around the room.

interesting.

The token that had just been shot from outside seemed to indicate that he had been targeted as soon as he entered Taikang City.

But there's a letter under the bed...?

He only discovered the existence of this letter when he scanned the surrounding area with his Primordial Spirit.

Yu Tunzhou chuckled, finding the matter quite amusing.

He and Zhang Buyu randomly picked a room by the roadside, and after entering, they didn't leave. Who was it that got there first and placed the letter under the bed?

He looked up, silently saying, "Don't blame me, don't blame me." His Primordial Spirit swept across the entire inn room in an instant. After confirming that there was no letter except under his own bed, he thoughtfully looked at the Highest Purity the letter.

Did they know in advance that they would be staying in this house?

What concerned him even more was the content of the letter—