81: Chapter 81 Ranking of Freshmen at Shanghai Martial Arts University

Han Ming picked up the nameplate, and a screen of light popped out.

"Has the monthly freshman ranking started?"

The light screen was densely packed with three thousand names, each followed by their Realm and affiliated faction. The rankings were listed from high to low, clear at a glance.

His gaze fell directly to the top of the list.

1st Place: Nangong Li, 2-Star Martial Ancestor, Nangong Family, SSS-Rank Heavenly Fire God Body, comprehended two layers of Fire True Intent. Trial Tower highest record: 55th floor.

2nd Place: Li Tianci, 2-Star Martial Ancestor, Modu Li Family, SSS-Rank Sun God Body, comprehended one layer of Yang Truth. Trial Tower highest record: 55th floor.

3rd Place: Gu Lingxi, 2-Star Martial Ancestor, Gu Family, SSS-Rank True Water God Body, comprehended one layer of Water True Intent. Trial Tower highest record: 55th floor.

Seeing this, Han Ming was taken aback; he hadn't expected these SSS-Rank Geniuses to be such Prodigies, and they had already cleared the 55th floor of the Trial Tower.

It seemed it was time for him to find a moment to challenge the Trial Tower himself.

He continued reading down the list.

4th Place: Han Ming, 1-Star Martial Ancestor, Jiangbei Base City, SS-Rank Wind-Thunder Spirit Body, SS-Rank Mystic Ice Spirit Body, comprehended three layers of Wind and Thunder True Intent, one layer of Ice True Intent.

Seeing his own ranking and the description of his Spirit Body, Han Ming frowned. This identity nameplate was too Heaven-Defying, wasn't it?

It had sensed his Breakthrough to Martial Ancestor immediately and updated the ranking in real-time, along with the Wind-Thunder Spirit Body he had just acquired.

It seemed that next time he bound a new disciple, he would have to let the System hide his Physique; otherwise, it would be too easy to expose his abilities.

5th Place: Wang Peng, 1-Star Martial Ancestor, Jiangzhou Wang Family, SS-Rank Earth Spirit Body. Trial Tower highest record: 53rd floor.

6th Place: Zhou Tianxing, 1-Star Martial Ancestor, Xichuan Zhou Family, SS-Rank Blazing Sun Spirit Body. Trial Tower highest record: 53rd floor.

7th Place: Han Qingyue, 1-Star Martial Ancestor, Magic City Han Family, SS-Rank Moonlight Spirit Body. Trial Tower highest record: 52nd floor.

8th Place: Ye Yunfeng, 1-Star Martial Ancestor, Modu Ye Family, SS-Rank Wind-Thunder Spirit Body.

A flash of surprise crossed Han Ming's eyes. Ye Yunfeng could only rank eighth, and this was his first time hearing of Zhou Tianxing and Wang Peng.

He continued to scan downwards.

From 9th place onwards, they were all 9-star Grand Martial Masters, among whom there were plenty of Geniuses with SS-Rank Talent, just that their foundation was slightly lacking, and they hadn't been able to take that step yet.

He flipped through to check Lin Fan's ranking: 137th, 3-star Grand Martial Master.

Li Xuewei was ranked 183rd, 2-Star Great Martial Master.

Gong Shuting's ranking was even lower; her Realm of 3-star Martial Master could only rank in the middle among the three thousand freshmen.

"Three thousand freshmen, and over two hundred have broken through to Grand Martial Master."

Han Ming nodded inwardly. This proportion was even higher than he had expected; it was truly a top-tier institution recruiting from the entire Great Xia Alliance.

Just as he was pondering, the nameplate vibrated again, and an announcement popped up.

"Monthly ranking rules: The monthly ranking is based on real-time monitoring by the nameplate. Each freshman has three challenge opportunities per month and can challenge any student ranked higher than themselves. If the challenge is successful, the rankings are swapped; if it fails, the rankings remain unchanged. The rankings will be locked in ten days, and point rewards will be distributed according to the final rankings at that time."

"Point rewards: 30,000 points for 1st place, decreasing by 300 points for each subsequent rank, down to 300 points per month for 100th place. There are no point rewards after 100th place." (I've modified this here; previously, 1st place only had 3,000 points, now it's changed to 30,000).

Out of three thousand freshmen, only the top one hundred received points.

Han Ming's mouth twitched. Those who couldn't make it into the top one hundred would have to work hard to earn points.

He was currently ranked 4th. If he maintained this position, he could get 29,100 points per month. But 4th place was not his goal.

...

Ye Family, Cultivation secret chamber.

Ye Yunfeng stared at the ranking on the nameplate, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Han Ming hadn't just broken through to Martial Ancestor, but was also in 4th place?

And he, Ye Yunfeng, was only 8th. A feeling of unwillingness surged into his heart.

Wasn't that hick from Jiangbei only an 8-star Grand Martial Master? How did he suddenly break through to Martial Ancestor?

"How is this possible!"

Ye Yunfeng punched the wall. The light of the Formation flickered, and the wall remained unscathed, but his fist was shaken until it ached.

What was even harder for him to accept was that Han Ming was actually a dual SS-Spirit Body, and he had even comprehended three layers of Wind and Thunder True Intent.

Han Ming not only had the Wind-Thunder Spirit Body that he, Ye Yunfeng, was so proud of, but he also had an additional Mystic Ice Spirit Body.

"Dammit, how is this possible?"

Ye Yunfeng almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood. He knew it was impossible to defeat Han Ming in the short term unless he also comprehended True Intent.

...

Once the ranking on the nameplate was announced, the entire Modu Martial Arts University freshman area exploded.

The area in front of the bulletin board was packed, and people were discussing this ranking everywhere—in the cafeteria, downstairs in the dormitories, and by the training grounds.

"Nangong Li from the Nangong Family is in 1st place; well-deserved! SSS-Rank Heavenly Fire God Body, and he's even comprehended two layers of Fire True Intent. This setup is too luxurious!"

"Li Tianci's Sun God Body is not bad either. It is said that when he makes a move, the whole person is like a blazing sun, and people of the same Realm cannot even get close."

"Gu Lingxi's True Water God Body is the truly terrifying one. Water True Intent is ever-changing, unparalleled in both offense and defense. It is said she can condense One-Yuan Heavy Water for attacks; a single drop weighs ten thousand jin."

"Have you noticed? The top three have all cleared the 55th floor of the Trial Tower! I went to try it yesterday and only barely passed the 39th floor."

"For an 8-star Martial Master, passing the 39th floor is already pretty good. You have to know that the 39th floor is equivalent to the Peak of Martial Master."

"Exactly! The top three can reach the 55th floor while only being 2-Star Martial Ancestors. You have to know that the 55th floor is equivalent to the strength of a Five-star Martial Ancestor. This combat power is simply Heaven-Defying; they truly deserve to be SSS-Rank Geniuses."

The focus of the discussion quickly shifted from the top three to Han Ming.

"4th place, Han Ming? The one from Jiangbei who defeated Ye Yunfeng?"

"That's him! He was only an 8-star Grand Martial Master when he defeated Ye Yunfeng, and it's only been a few days, and he's already a 1-Star Martial Ancestor?"

"Dual SS-Spirit Body, three layers of Wind and Thunder True Intent, one layer of Ice True Intent... Is this guy a monster?"

"Can a small place like Jiangbei produce such a Prodigy? Do you think he might be the Bloodline of some big Family left outside?"

"That's actually possible! The Young Miss of the Magic City Han Family, Han Qingyue, is only ranked 7th. He also has the surname Han; could he have some connection with the Magic City Han Family?"

"Stop guessing. There are tons of people with the surname Han in the world. But this Han Ming is truly fierce. Coming from an outside base city, he killed his way into the top five, trampling geniuses from big families like Wang Peng and Zhou Tianxing under his feet."

"Ye Yunfeng is the miserable one, 8th place. He was defeated by Han Ming in public before, and now his ranking has been suppressed by Han Ming by four places."

"If I were Ye Yunfeng, my mentality would have collapsed long ago."

"Do you think Han Ming can go further and break into the top three when the rankings are locked in ten days?"

"Top three? Are you crazy? Those three have SSS-Rank God Bodies and are all 2-Star Martial Ancestors! Han Ming is only a 1-Star Martial Ancestor. Although a dual SS-Spirit Body is rare, there is still a gap compared to a God Body."

"I actually think Han Ming has a chance. Don't forget, he has comprehended three layers of Wind and Thunder True Intent! The level of True Intent is harder to improve than the Realm, and those three SSS-Rank Geniuses have only comprehended one or two layers of True Intent."

"That's right, True Intent is the key to determining combat power. Han Ming's comprehension of True Intent has already surpassed those three."

"Let's wait and see. In any case, someone will definitely challenge him within ten days."

...

Jiangbei Base City, outside the city gate.

Two figures stood in the air. They did not hide their figures, and their powerful auras radiated out, as if two gods were overlooking the city below.

The person on the left had a tall, straight posture and a resolute face. He looked to be in his twenties or thirties. His aura of a Martial Venerable Early Stage was as deep as the sea, and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within a radius of a hundred miles trembled because of it.

The person on the right looked to be about forty years old, with a thin build, and similarly emitted the pressure of a Martial Venerable Early Stage.

These two were none other than Han Yongsheng and Han Tiande, who had come from the Magic City.