38: A hidden dragon emerges from the abyss, its sword strike startling the capital!

Tianxia Tower, ninth-floor private room.

Outside the window was the bustling traffic and diverse life of Tianjing City.

Inside, Chu Xuanjin and his three Disciples had their full attention drawn by the conversation at the neighboring table.

"The hidden dragon ranking covers the top Prodigies under thirty across the entire Azure Cloud Continent."

"Those who make the list are all blessed with Luck, Prodigies with the hope of reaching Soul Transformation or even attaining Void Refining in the future!"

"Tomorrow at noon, the Heavenly Secret Pavilion's 'hidden dragon gold ranking' will descend upon the Sacrificial Altar Square in the city center. At that time, Geniuses from the entire Eastern Desolation and Western Region will likely gather there."

The Cultivators at the next table were in high spirits, their voices filled with yearning and awe.

Wang Duojin's eyes sparkled as he listened, the abacus at his waist almost unable to be held back.

"Revered Master, this hidden dragon ranking is just a giant billboard!" He lowered his voice, rubbing his hands excitedly.

"Whoever makes the list sees their value skyrocket! The traffic behind this... tsk tsk, it's all Spirit Stones!"

Su Linger's small hand gripped her teacup. She wasn't interested in fame, but she felt a hint of curiosity about those so-called 'Prodigies'.

"Would they be stronger than Senior Brother?"

Ye Chenfeng was still wiping his sword, his movements unceasing, as if everything in the outside world had nothing to do with him.

However, the frequency of his wiping was a fraction faster than usual.

Chu Xuanjin's fingertips lightly rubbed the rim of his teacup.

"The hidden dragon ranking of the Azure Cloud Continent..."

He thought to himself, "It's quite a good stage."

He looked at Ye Chenfeng.

With Ye Chenfeng's Aptitude and cultivation, if he were to travel outside and his reputation spread, there would surely be a place for him on this hidden dragon ranking.

But now, he was unknown.

"Reputation is also a kind of power," Chu Xuanjin spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it made his three Disciples listen intently.

"Sometimes, it's more useful than blades and swords."

He put down his teacup and stood up.

"Let's go, back to the inn."

"Tomorrow, we'll go join the fun as well."

...The next day, at noon.

Tianjing City, Sacrificial Altar Square.

This place was paved with massive lapis lazuli, vast and boundless, enough to accommodate a hundred thousand people.

Today, however, it was packed so tightly that not a drop of water could trickle through.

Countless Cultivators gathered from all directions, waiting expectantly with excited expressions.

At the very center of the square was a hundred-zhang-tall white marble altar.

"Look! It's coming!"

Someone shouted.

In the sky above, the clouds parted, and a brilliant golden light crashed down like a pillar of heaven, accurately shining upon the altar.

Within the golden light, a hundred-zhang-long golden scroll slowly unfurled.

Upon the scroll, Dragon patterns coiled, and auspicious mists swirled. An aura of justice and majesty, originating from the Heavenly Dao, instantly enveloped the entire square.

hidden dragon gold ranking!

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on that golden scroll.

Hum—

The golden ranking trembled slightly.

Names flashing with golden light began to emerge slowly on the list from bottom to top.

"100th place, Hundred Beasts Manor, Xiong Batian!"

"99th place, Surging Waves Sect, Xiao Lang!"

"..."

With every name that appeared, a burst of exclamations or discussions erupted from the crowd.

Chu Xuanjin and his three Disciples blended into a corner of the crowd, completely unremarkable.

Wang Duojin stood on his tiptoes, watching more enthusiastically than anyone.

"Revered Master, this thing even has a live broadcast!"

Chu Xuanjin ignored him, his gaze calmly watching the list.

Soon, the names on the list climbed to the top thirty.

"28th place, Zhao Kingdom, Crown Prince, Zhao Wuji!"

The moment this name appeared, the square erupted with cheers like a mountain tsunami.

A handsome young man wearing a four-clawed golden dragon robe, with a disdainful gaze, showed a reserved and proud smile amidst the surrounding crowd.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is mighty!"

"The Prodigy of our Great Zhao shall suppress the Eastern Desolation!"

The list continued to climb.

When the 15th name appeared, the other side of the square also caused a significant stir.

"15th place, Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, Li Piaoxue!"

"Sword technique: Swift Snow and Clear Weather Sword Technique!"

"Record: Once defeated a Nascent Soul Early Stage in three swords with Golden Core Great Perfection cultivation!"

In the crowd, a young man dressed in white with a long sword on his back and a solitary, proud expression merely nodded faintly to the surrounding congratulations.

His gaze swept across the ranking, seemingly not very satisfied with this placement.

Ye Chenfeng's gaze also fell upon that name.

"Fast sword?"

The qingshuang sword in his hand emitted a nearly imperceptible hum.

Finally, all one hundred names on the hidden dragon gold ranking were revealed.

Golden light flashed, and a world-shaking pressure descended.

Just as everyone thought it was all over.

Below the golden ranking, a line of small characters slowly appeared.

[The ranking is set, and Luck is bestowed. Those who are dissatisfied may step onto the stage to challenge. If you win, you take their place. If you lose, your Luck will be damaged, and you cannot fight again for one year.]

Boom!

The entire square boiled over again!

"Challenges!"

This was the true highlight!

Every year the hidden dragon ranking was updated, dark horses would emerge to knock down the Prodigies on the list and become famous in a single battle!

"I'll do it!"

With a loud shout, a burly man holding a giant axe was the first to leap onto the altar.

He pointed at a Disciple of a noble family ranked 90th on the list.

"I, Wang Meng of the Mountain Splitting Sect, challenge you!"

The battle was on the verge of breaking out.

For the next hour, spiritual light flashed and Sword Qi surged across the altar.

Some challengers made powerful comebacks, replacing those on the list and drawing cheers from the audience.

Others lacked the strength and were easily defeated by the Prodigies on the list, leaving the scene dejectedly.

Wang Duojin watched with boiling blood.

"Senior Brother, do you want to go up and have some fun too? Pick that 15th-ranked fast sword guy and knock him down!"

Ye Chenfeng didn't speak, only watching the dazzling sword light on the stage and slowly shaking his head.

Chu Xuanjin's gaze remained calm throughout.

Until only the last challenger remained on the stage.

That was a bitter Cultivator from a small Sect; he challenged a saber user ranked 72nd.

The two fought fiercely for hundreds of rounds, and finally, the bitter Cultivator narrowly lost by half a move.

"Is there anyone else who wants to challenge?"

A grand and majestic voice came from above the altar.

The entire field was silent.

Those who were meant to challenge had already done so.

Just as that voice was about to announce that the ranking was finalized.

A plain voice rang out from a corner of the crowd.

"I will."

Whoosh!

Everyone's gaze instantly converged.

A youth dressed in green robes with a long sword on his back slowly walked out from the crowd.

His expression was calm, his steps steady, as he climbed the high-profile altar step by step.

"It's him!"

Someone in the crowd recognized him.

"That Disciple from the... whatever Divine Sect of the Qingyun Sword Sect!"

"Who is he going to challenge?"

"Is he crazy? Every single person on the list is a battle-hardened Prodigy!"

Ye Chenfeng stood in the center of the altar, ignoring all the discussions around him.

His gaze pierced through the crowd and landed on that solitary, white-clad figure.

He raised his hand, his sword still in its scabbard, pointing the scabbard directly at the opponent.

"Myriad Dao Divine Sect, Ye Chenfeng."

"Challenge: 15th place, Li Piaoxue."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field fell into a dead silence.

Then, an explosive uproar of ridicule followed!

"He's crazy! An unknown nobody dares to challenge senior brother li Piaoxue?"

"senior brother li is a monster who can defeat a Nascent Soul Early Stage in three swords! Where does this kid get his confidence?"

"Myriad Dao Divine Sect? Never heard of it! Probably from some backwater gully, not knowing the heights of the heavens!"

The challenged Li Piaoxue slowly walked out from the crowd.

He looked at Ye Chenfeng on the stage, his eyes holding a hint of scrutiny and even more disdain.

"Nascent Soul Middle Stage? Your Sword Intent is restrained, and your Foundation is quite solid."

He took a step forward, and his figure already appeared on the altar.

"Unfortunately, you chose the wrong opponent."

He slowly drew the long sword from his back; it was a soft sword as thin as a cicada's wing and bright as snow, its blade reflecting piercing light in the sun.

"My sword is very fast."

He looked at Ye Chenfeng, his tone arrogant.

"I will only use three swords. If you are not defeated within three swords, I will consider it my loss."

There was still no expression on Ye Chenfeng's face.

He just slowly placed his hand on the hilt of the qingshuang sword at his waist.

"Three swords are unnecessary."

His voice spread calmly throughout the field.

"One sword is enough."

Arrogant!

Too arrogant!

Below the stage, everyone thought Ye Chenfeng had gone mad.

Li Piaoxue laughed out of extreme anger.

"Fine! 'One sword is enough', how very well said!"

"I'd like to see just how fast your sword is!"

The moment his words fell, he moved!

No starting stance, no warning!

His entire being turned into an afterimage that was difficult for the naked eye to capture.

In the air, only a patch of brilliant snowflakes remained.

Every snowflake was a lethal sword light!

"Swift Snow and Clear Weather Sword Technique"!

The sword momentum was complete!

Below the stage, the pupils of Great Zhao's Crown Prince Zhao Wuji slightly constricted.

"What a fast sword! This move is thirty percent faster than it was half a year ago!"

He asked himself, and even he would need to go all out to block this sword.

That guy named Ye Chenfeng is as good as dead.

However, at the very moment those sky-filling snowflakes were about to touch Ye Chenfeng's body.

A faint sword hum, almost negligible, resounded through the field.

Clang.

The sword was unsheathed.

A green sword light, like a bolt of lightning chasing the wind, struck second but arrived first.

It didn't try to block the sky-filling snowflakes.

It simply passed through the gaps in the sword light with an inconceivable trajectory.

Fast!

Indescribably fast!

At this moment, time seemed to be infinitely stretched.

Everyone only saw that green sword light flash and vanish.

Ding.

A soft sound.

Li Piaoxue's figure suddenly froze three feet in front of Ye Chenfeng.

The arrogance on his face and the disdain in his eyes both stiffened.

He lowered his head, looking at his chest in disbelief.

There, at some point, a small hole had appeared.

A small hole pierced by Sword Qi, yet not a single drop of blood had flowed out.

The Flash Snow Sword in his hand let out a wail, its tip drooping powerless.

"You..."

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but in the end, he couldn't.

His body went limp, and he fell backward.

Defeated.

One sword.

He really only used one sword.

The entire field was as silent as death.

One could hear a pin drop.

Everyone seemed to have been hit by a freezing spell, staring blankly at the green-robed figure standing with his sword on the stage.

Ye Chenfeng slowly sheathed his sword.

He turned and bowed slightly toward a certain corner below the stage.

Then, under the shocked, terrified, and incredulous gazes of everyone, he slowly walked down the altar.

Hum—

High in the sky, the golden hidden dragon gold ranking shone brilliantly.

In the 15th position.

The name "Li Piaoxue, Flowing Cloud Sword Sect" slowly faded and finally disappeared.

Replacing it were four brand-new golden characters radiating endless sharpness.

[Myriad Dao Divine Sect, Ye Chenfeng!]