360: Chapter 360 Heavenly Ranking and Earthly Ranking, Chu Xing

When the waiter took the spirit crystal, his fingers trembled noticeably, as if confirming whether he was dreaming.

His gaze lingered on the spirit crystal for a moment, then he looked up at Jiuer, his tone three parts more obsequious than before.

"Senior, you are certainly right to ask about the Hundred Know Pavilion, but I have stayed in this Hundred Herb City for two hundred years, so I count as half a know-it-all. If you trust me, I can share a few things."

Jiuer glanced at him, neither saying yes nor no, just lifting her teacup to take a slow sip.

The waiter understood, hurriedly lowering his voice to pour out all the information he knew.

"This is the territory of Medicine King Valley. Medicine King Valley is one of the twelve giants of the Central Domain; you should know them. They are similar to the Star Gazing Tower, ranked in the lower tier, but they have excellent connections, widely cultivating good relations, and they have businesses everywhere in the Five Regions."

"Furthermore, most Medicine King Valley Disciples have good tempers; they don't stir up trouble or take sides, so they get along well in the Central Domain."

After listening, Jiuer offered no evaluation, only asking: "Then how much do you know about the World Martial Arts Tournament?"

Hearing this, the waiter perked up.

"Miss, you asked the right person! This World Martial Arts Tournament is a grand event held once every twelve years, divided into the Heaven and Earth Ranks..."

"The Heaven Rank is for those under two hundred years old, and one cannot be higher than the Divine Ability Realm. But to be honest, a two-hundred-year-old in the Divine Ability Realm... basically no one can achieve that, so the Heaven Rank is essentially a place for the Disciples of various Sects to compete."

"The Earth Rank is for those under sixty years old, and one cannot be higher than the Dao Palace Realm. This threshold is lower, and more people participate."

The waiter added at this point: "It is said that the Heaven Rank rewards are much more generous than the Earth Rank, especially the top grade heaven rank magic treasure for third place, and the Withered Wood Meets Spring for second place; those are things even the Elders of Medicine King Valley covet."

Jiuer nodded slightly after hearing this, turning her head to glance at her robe.

To be precise, she glanced at the figure tucked inside her robe.

She said calmly: "It's a pity, I could have tried, but I exceed the age limit for the Heaven Rank."

She added in her heart, "And my cultivation level exceeds it too..."

From inside the robe came Chu Sheng's muffled voice, carrying a hint of a smile: "That's just as well. In terms of age, I could participate in the Earth Rank. But my cultivation level exceeds it... I originally wanted the Heaven Rank rewards..."

He paused, his tone carrying a sigh of feigned regret: "Mostly it's just my fault for being too outstanding, achieving Dao Completion at such a young age. If I had had my Breakthrough a few years later, I could have gone to the Earth Rank."

Jiuer looked down at him, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly: "Are you saying I'm an old cow eating tender grass?"

Chu Sheng hurriedly lowered his voice: "Not at all, or rather, it would be an old fox eating tender greens, pui pui pui... I didn't say that—"

Jiuer's fingers moved slightly, as if she were about to lift the robe: "Then I'll just shake you out."

Chu Sheng immediately yielded, his voice carrying a hint of amusement and weakness: "No, no, no, I was wrong. You are just mature and steady."

Jiuer finally couldn't help but smile, though it was faint, a gentle curve was clearly visible in her eyes and brows.

She did not tease him further, just lifted her teacup again, as if the previous conversation had never happened.

The waiter stood to the side, and although he didn't hear the voice coming from inside the robe clearly, he vaguely sensed something. He tactfully lowered his head, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

Chu Sheng leaned against Jiuer's side; the inside of the robe was soft and warm, carrying a faint, enchanting fragrance, making him almost drowsy.

He relaxed his vigilance, no longer deliberately sensing the movements around him, just quietly listening to the conversation between Jiuer and the waiter.

The waiter said more about the registration process for the Martial Arts Tournament and previous years' situations, but Chu Sheng didn't pay much attention to remembering it.

He thought: "Anyway, just go directly to the Star Gazing Tower when the time comes; it won't be too late to ask about the details on the road."

However, just as he was about to lose focus, the waiter casually mentioned: "By the way, Medicine King Valley recently produced a Genius named Chu Xing, who is only in his early twenties and is already a seventh-rank Alchemist."

Chu Sheng's body paused slightly.

He didn't move immediately, but his originally relaxed posture adjusted slightly at that instant, as if his attention had been pulled back by those two words.

Chu Xing.

He, of course, knew who that was.

That was his and Lin Wanqing's son.

Back then, he had arranged for Chu Xing to go to Medicine King Valley to study medicine, never expecting that this kid had actually become the youngest seventh-rank Alchemist.

"A seventh-rank Alchemist in his early twenties..."

Chu Sheng silently repeated this sentence in his heart, not making a sound, but the corners of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

He stayed quietly against Jiuer's side, not moving again.

The waiter didn't notice his change and continued speaking.

"Medicine King Valley treasures that kid highly; I heard even the Valley Master has personally instructed him a few times. However, that kid doesn't usually show his face, focusing solely on Alchemy, so it's very difficult to meet him."

Chu Sheng didn't interject, nor did he ask further questions.

He stayed quietly inside the robe, as if he had re-immersed himself in that warm, resting state, as if the fluctuations from a moment ago had never happened.

But his attention was clearly no longer as completely relaxed as it was just before.

Jiuer seemed to have sensed something as well; her tone didn't change at all, still calmly asking a few more details about registration and qualifications following the waiter's words.

But the gesture of her placing the teacup was a beat slower than before.

It was like an inadvertent pause, yet under the illumination of the candlelight, it was silently captured by that quiet figure inside the robe.

The night in Hundred Herb City was deepening; the street lamps were still bright, but the voices of people were beginning to thin out.

The tavern's candlelight swayed gently in the night breeze, casting flickering shadows on the ground.

And thousands of miles away from this city, a young figure was in a pill room halfway up a mountain.

Facing a furnace of Medicinal Pill that had just taken shape, he tilted his head slightly, as if judging the heat.

An elderly Elder had somehow arrived at the door of the pill room, holding a bowl of freshly brewed spirit soup, steam rising in wisps.

He looked at that thin and focused figure in front of the Pill Furnace; on that face, which was usually so stern that all the Disciples of the Pill Peak would detour to avoid him, a rare trace of heartache appeared.

He set down the soup bowl, his voice a few shades softer than usual: "Good Disciple, take a rest. You've been practicing Alchemy for three days and three nights."

Chu Xing did not turn his head, the hand seals controlling the fire not faltering in the slightest, his voice carrying a near-paranoid firmness: "Master, this Disciple is not tired."

"The Earth Rank tournament is coming soon, and this Disciple must have a Breakthrough to the next rank before then."

His knuckles were slightly white, his gaze never leaving the dancing flames in the furnace.

"This Disciple must stand on that arena, make everyone look at me with new eyes, and not let down my mother's trust."

He paused, his voice lower but heavier: "I must avenge my father."

He did not know that someone hiding in a large robe silently sneezed, silently remembering this name.