Chapter 69
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 69: Entering the Hidden Dragon Rankings
Though all passed the fourth trial, only Mu Lin received an excellent rating.
This meant Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo’s team, though arriving later, now claimed first place in Anping Taoist Palace. Many struggled to accept this outcome.
Yan Yunyu’s team suffered the greatest blow. Zhou Liang, who’d scoffed earlier, now stood silent like a choked duck. Yan Yunyu’s mindset crumbled completely.
She’d schemed relentlessly for victory – recruiting Zhou Liang, spending fortunes to gather talent, even using Mu Lin as deadweight to hinder her rival cousin Chu Lingluo. Every angle had been calculated.
Yet fate mocked her. The "burden" she’d dismissed had propelled Chu Lingluo to first place.
“Impossible…”
As Yan Yunyu reeled, blue light suddenly engulfed Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo’s names. Their glowing names soared upward, landing on the Tower of Illusions’ Hidden Dragon Rankings.
“The Hidden Dragon Rankings?!”
Gasps erupted. Even Teacher Ma leaped from his seat. “He… entered the rankings? With Level 3 Spiritual Roots? How?!”
The crowd buzzed like a marketplace. The Hidden Dragon Rankings weren’t ordinary – the Tower of Illusions, a Taoist Treasure created by Taoist Lords and Heavenly Masters, linked all branch towers across the Great Spirit Dynasty. Through this connection, capital officials monitored every Taoist Palace student’s performance nationwide.
Making these rankings meant Mu Lin’s talents ranked among the Great Spirit Dynasty’s finest.
Although Mu Lin’s current ranking was still low.
“Only 93rd? That’s too low… Wait, not even ninety-three.”
Looking closer, Mu Lin realized the Tower of Illusions rankings were based on teams, not individuals.
Most top teams had five members.
His actual position fell beyond three hundred.
“So low? Are there really this many talents in the Great Spirit Dynasty?”
The crowded rankings left Mu Lin dissatisfied.
Others disagreed.
This was a national leaderboard.
Merely being listed proved his talent, even at the bottom.
It would bring endless benefits.
Power, status, wealth, beauty – all connected.
In his past life, Western capitalists funded politicians through “donations,” receiving favors in return.
Here, though not a scholar, Mu Lin’s power as a Qi Practitioner granted him authority. He joked about Taoist Palace students being cannon fodder sent to battlefields after graduation.
But Qi Practitioners were rare and powerful. Those joining the Demon Suppression Division became officials immediately, not minor soldiers. Their influence naturally drew merchants seeking protection.
After all, Demon Suppressors decided merchants’ fates. When evil spirits attacked, these officials could “accidentally” arrive too late, letting rivals die. Conversely, favored merchants received swift rescues.
Smart merchants invested early in promising Qi Practitioners. Weak ones couldn’t protect anyone, while strong ones were hard to approach. Thus, mid-tier merchants gambled on Taoist Palace students.
But they weren’t fools. Low-talent students meant poor returns. Worse, if their chosen practitioner died young, investments vanished like water through bamboo – hence their focus on top talents.
Anyone on the Hidden Dragon Rankings qualified as elite. Now merchants would flock to Mu Lin with gold, Spirit Stones, and beauties. Noble families might even offer daughters – estates needed strong protectors in these dangerous times.
Marrying a daughter to a rising star? Good business.
Entering the rankings transformed Mu Lin completely, like a carp leaping the Dragon Gate. This was why they called it the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
Classmates burned with jealousy imagining his coming privileges…
Unaware of this envy, Mu Lin marveled at the dynasty’s abundance of talent. Beside him, Chu Lingluo cared more about his condition than rankings.
“Brother Mu, should we keep challenging the tower?”
He shook his head. “The Tower of Illusions gets harder each floor. The Fourth Floor was our limit. Let’s train more before trying the Fifth.”
They left together, but the crowd kept staring long after. Among them were Yan Yunyu with her Level 2 Spiritual Roots, and the aloof Ji Xue – even her pride couldn’t ignore being surpassed.
Mu Lin didn’t know it yet, but this victory would change far more than he imagined.
