188: Chapter 188 Baixiaotang Presents the List!

Snow Moon City, Ascending Heaven Pavilion.

Baili Dongjun and Sikong Changfeng sat opposite each other, drinking wine, gazing at one another, and both let out a sigh.

The sighs of the past six months exceeded those of the previous several decades combined.

"He's back, and he brought a Qilin with him. It lies by the entrance of the Martial Arts Hall basking in the sun all day."

Sikong Changfeng spoke first.

"Is it the one from the East Sea?"

Baili Dongjun frowned and asked.

"Most likely. After all, the news of its whereabouts came from the mouth of that person at the Martial Arts Hall."

Sikong Changfeng casually picked up the wine ewer in front of Baili Dongjun and took a huge gulp.

"Take it easy! I only have two jars of this wine in total!"

Baili Dongjun anxiously snatched the ewer back, shook it, and frowned with distress.

"Is it that serious? You look like that over a few sips of wine; you're so stingy."

Sikong Changfeng waved his hand dismissively.

"Easy for you to say!"

Baili Dongjun's expression darkened slightly.

"But speaking of which, his recent disappearance must have been to the East Sea, right?"

Sikong Changfeng smoothly changed the topic, and as expected, it worked.

"Otherwise? He brought the thing back, how could he not have gone there?"

"That fellow is truly capable, only letting the news out after everything was done. As far as I know, many people have already sent people to try their luck, but the Mo Cult's Eastern Expedition messed things up. By the time they reacted, the Divine Beast already belonged to him!"

"That's for the best. If it had fallen into others' hands, who knows how much trouble it would have caused."

Baili Dongjun shook his head with a wry smile.

"Speaking of which, Qianluo and the others also went there before. That one called Luo Xian seems to be from the Tianmen Sect, and might be connected to Di Shitian."

Sikong Changfeng mused thoughtfully.

"If that's the case, aren't you worried?"

"Worried about what? Now even I am almost no match for Qianluo. Besides, the Queen of Yin, Zhu Yuyan, went with her. With her guarding them, there are no safety issues. It's good for the youngsters to endure some hardship as experience."

Although he spoke casually, a trace of worry still lingered in Sikong Changfeng's eyes.

"That's true. It's just that the girls coming out of the Martial Arts Hall recently have progressed too quickly. If I hadn't found any hidden dangers, I would have suspected Mr. Su of using some forbidden methods."

"He must have used a method, but it should be harmless. That person has always been generous to his Disciples. Never mind treasures, he's even willing to give out Spirit Medicine capable of bringing the dead back to life. Why would he harm them?"

Sikong Changfeng sighed with emotion.

"Speaking of which, Brother Lei has already resigned from his post as Pillar State General. He wrote a letter a few days ago saying he plans to move to Snow Moon City to settle down. Even Ji Ruofeng, upon hearing this, was unwilling to stay in Tianqi and plans to move over as well."

"Let them come. Snow Moon City doesn't lack a few mouths to feed. By the way, Ji Ruofeng previously mentioned reorganizing the liangyu list and the hundred weapons ranking. Why has there been no movement?"

Sikong Changfeng was somewhat puzzled.

"You're asking me?"

Baili Dongjun rolled his eyes. "Once the Martial Arts Hall opened, Geniuses advanced by leaps and bounds. As soon as the rankings were set, the people in them broke through. How can you rank them?"

"Take Li Hanyi, for instance. She firmly held the top spot on the liangyu list during the Grand Competition, and now she's already in the Carefree Heaven Realm. Her title as Sword Immortal has spread throughout the Jianghu. Do you expect her to still occupy a spot on the list?"

... After a moment, Sikong Changfeng suddenly understood.

"City Lord, the Hundred Knowledge Hall is here to present the rankings!"

Before the words faded, a Snow Moon City Disciple rushed in, presenting two scrolls of rankings with both hands.

The two were stunned and exchanged a look.

Unfurling the liangyu list, Baili Dongjun first froze, then couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"That fellow is always playing these petty tricks!"

Sikong Changfeng leaned over to look and also laughed.

Beneath the large characters "liangyu list," there was an additional line of small text:

["This list's scope is limited to the period before and after the Snow Moon City Grand Competition."]

One sentence resolved the dilemma.

Although Li Hanyi and the other young ladies had already stepped into the Carefree Heaven Realm, they were still young. Logically, being on the list was reasonable.

This way, the matter naturally subsided.

The reason the two called Ji Ruofeng's action a trick was because once the list was released, everyone from the Martial Arts Hall was selected, leaving no place for outsiders.

They also knew clearly that if the list were truly released like that, Ji Ruofeng would likely be cursed by the entire world.

But when they saw the final rankings, their eyelids twitched.

Good heavens, out of eight spots, the Martial Arts Hall occupied five, and the remaining three barely managed to take the other spots.

And the scope of the list was limited to the young talents of Northern Li; geniuses from other nations were not included in the statistics.

The top spot was without suspense—

The Martial Arts Hall's Eldest Senior Sister, Li Hanyi, was prominently listed.

["Li Hanyi: Zizai Earth Realm Peak"]

Second place was Sikong Qianluo;

Third place was Qingcheng Mountain's Zhao Yuzhen;

Fourth place was Mu Liangyue;

Fifth place was a tie between Su Hongxi and Su Ziyi;

Seventh place was Tang Sect's Tang Lian Yue;

Eighth place was Wushuang City's Song Yanhui.

Among the eight people, half hailed from the Martial Arts Hall.

"This is going to be lively!"

Baili Dongjun was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Fortunately, Su Rui didn't take too many Disciples back then. Otherwise, if there were a few more, this list might have been completely monopolized.

What was even more brilliant was that every entry was supported by evidence, leaving no room for objection, making it hard for anyone to refuse.

"Every entry is clearly written, ironclad evidence. Who can say anything?"

Sikong Changfeng sighed, but his tone couldn't hide his pride.

With his own daughter ranking second, his mouth was nearly split ear to ear.

As long as she wasn't compared to Li Hanyi—that girl could probably contend for the guanjue ranking now, and no one would dare question it.

"Next, people will definitely flock here to seek discipleship. We need to arrange personnel to maintain order."

Baili Dongjun instructed solemnly.

"Naturally."

Sikong Changfeng responded, then unfurled the hundred weapons ranking scroll in his hand.

His gaze swept over it, and his brow furrowed slightly.

["Spear Immortal Sikong Changfeng, dual spears named Silver Moon and Black Moon; his daughter Sikong Qianluo uses the phoenix blood spear, an heirloom from the Chi family."]

He was listed first, which immediately added immense pressure.

Looking further down—

["Sword Immortal Li Hanyi, carries the sword containing light; Dao Sword Immortal Zhao Yuzhen wields a peach wood sword, containing the Profound Yang Sword Blank; Confucian Sword Immortal Xie Xuan uses the Myriad Volumes of Books as his sword; Lone Sword Immortal Luo Qingyang holds the Nine Songs Sword."]

Sikong Changfeng's nose stung: "Did this kid just throw caution to the wind?"

"Eighty percent, yes."

Baili Dongjun nodded, his expression subtle.

["Wine Immortal Baili Dongjun, City Lord of Snow Moon City, his fist techniques are god-like, and he is proficient in all manner of weapons."]

"Hey! You're on the list too, Lord Wine Immortal, hahaha!"

Sikong Changfeng suddenly burst into laughter.

"What's so funny? I think this title is quite fitting. Wine Immortal? It suits me perfectly."

Baili Dongjun stroked his beard and nodded, quite satisfied.

["Fairy Luoxia Yin Luoxia, wears snow rainbow silk around her waist, passed down from an old lineage of the Immortal Sect."]

"What the heck! He dares to write even this?"

Sikong Changfeng's eyes widened.

If this continues, won't everyone in the Martial Arts Hall be able to have a title bestowed upon them?

Continuing to read—

["As it involves secrets, some content is inconvenient to disclose. This list is for reference only."]

"..."

Sikong Changfeng sucked in a cold breath.

This is acceptable?

"Someone!"

Baili Dongjun suddenly opened his eyes and shouted an order.

"City Lord!"

"Has Ji Ruofeng arrived at Snow Moon City?"

"Disciple does not know."

"Go check immediately!"

"Yes!"

The Disciple hurried away.

"That brat, he truly doesn't care about anything anymore!"

... At the same time, as soon as these two lists were released, they instantly stirred up massive waves.

Since the Mo Cult's Eastern Expedition, the Jianghu had never experienced such an uproar.

In the tavern near the Martial Arts Hall, the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, holding a tobacco pipe, squinted at the rankings.

"Grandpa, should we talk about this during the storytelling session this afternoon?"

Sun Little Red asked, her face full of excitement.

"That would be fine. Since it's already public, there's no harm in talking about it."

The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets slowly nodded.

... At this time, inside the Martial Arts Hall, Su Rui glanced at the two lists delivered to him and casually set them aside.

"Alluring Sword Immortal? Fairy Luoxia? Heh..."

He spoke with a hint of mockery.

Li Hanyi and Yin Luoxia lowered their heads, appearing slightly awkward.

It was fine if others called them that, but hearing it from their Master made them feel strangely embarrassed.

"Master, what exactly is a Sword Immortal...?"

Xu Longxiang asked haltingly.

"It means the person who is best at wielding a sword in Northern Li."

"Oh... Then I won't be one. I want to be the top expert in Liyang Dynasty!"

Xu Longxiang had found his focus now and learned things extremely quickly.

However, the time had been short, and his speech was still slightly slurred, but his eyes were much more spirited.

Xu Zhihu stood to the side, her heart filled with joy.

This younger brother had always been a handful since childhood, yet he also caused her immense heartache.

Now that he was finally clear-headed, his mind sound, and his appearance was gradually taking on the look of a young man.

What made her even more gratified was that Su Rui was exceptionally attentive to this brother, looking after him everywhere.

"Impressive, worthy of being the number one person in the Liyang Dynasty!"

Su Rui smiled, rubbing the little fellow's head, his gaze unintentionally sweeping over Xu Zhihu before returning to Xu Longxiang.

"Come, how is the 'Martial Saint Visualization Method' I taught you progressing?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Longxiang's eyes immediately lit up—knowing he was about to be tested, he straightened his body without hesitation.

"I... I already know it!"

As soon as the words fell, a faint cyan light emanated from around him, followed by the appearance of a figure two zhang tall behind him: clad in green robes, with a face like ripe jujubes, holding a heavy crescent blade in his right hand, stroking his long beard with his left, radiating an imposing Aura that instantly brought forth pressure.

Li Hanyi and Yin Luoxia were stunned, their eyes fixed on the ethereal figure.

This child possessed such talent?

Su Rui nodded slightly, satisfied in his heart.

This visualization method was far from simple; it could almost be considered a orthodox method for entering the Dao through martial arts.

Although it didn't strictly demand exceptional bone structure, it placed great emphasis on one's state of mind.

Those with chaotic thoughts would find it difficult to succeed, whereas those with pure, untroubled minds would naturally find it easier to begin.

And since Xu Longxiang had just regained clarity, his heart was as clear as water, making his cultivation naturally twice as effective with half the effort.

At this moment, the tavern outside the Martial Arts Hall had already exploded.

Everyone felt an invisible pressure emanating from the direction of the Martial Arts Hall, causing a tightness in their chests.

"Who is breaking through? This Aura doesn't seem like that of an ordinary expert."

A young swordsman murmured, his eyes full of envy.

What one cannot obtain is always the most longed for.

"This movement is a bit different from the previous ones," the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Grandpa, maybe it's the new Disciple the Pavilion Master accepted? Quite a few people have been moving in recently!"

His granddaughter, Sun Little Red, said softly.

The grandfather and granddaughter duo had not left the vicinity these past few days.

The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets no longer cared about competing.

Snow Moon City was peaceful and tranquil, guarded by top experts, making it perfectly suited for retirement.

Unlike before, when as the top name on the hundred weapons ranking, he had to hide all day, fearing some reckless challenger would come knocking.