Chapter 42
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Chapter 42: The Talents List
"What instructions do you have, Senior?"
Mu Yunsheng and the City Lord of Linglong stepped forward, bowing as they awaited orders.
"System, how many heavenly secrets points are required to inquire about the top one hundred talents across the entire Yuan Realm?" Ye Xu had an idea and asked.
"A vague inquiry requires one hundred sixty thousand points."
Ye Xu frowned slightly.
Too expensive.
His reserves were too thin, and he couldn’t afford it yet.
"Then inquire about the talents in the Southern Wilderness who are under two hundred years old," Ye Xu said. "A vague inquiry."
"Inquiry successful."
Ding!
A soft chime sounded, and three thousand heavenly secrets points were deducted from Ye Xu’s account.
A specific inquiry would require thirty thousand points.
But for now, Ye Xu didn’t need the specific information; he just needed to create a ranking list.
Information flooded Ye Xu’s mind.
Fifty individuals in total made the list.
Humans, the demon clan, and spirits were all included.
Since one sought to compile the Talents List across all realms, where countless races and beings, both divine and demonic, existed – naturally, it had to encompass all intelligent life forms from every realm to ensure absolute fairness.
Ye Xu recorded the information onto a jade slip, divided it into two copies, and handed them respectively to the City Lord of Linglong and Mu Yunsheng.
"Senior, may I take a look?" Mu Yunsheng asked.
Ye Xu nodded.
Mu Yunsheng channeled his Divine Sense into it.
Instantly, a ranking list appeared before his mind’s eye.
Yuan Realm · Talents List in the Southern Wilderness!
[Ji Ning: 120 years old, Divine Catastrophe stage; aptitude of a Great Emperor.]
[Ji Mingyue: 110 years old, Divine Catastrophe stage; aptitude of a Great Emperor.]
[Ning Xuan: 142 years old, Divine Catastrophe stage; aptitude of a Great Emperor.]
…
[Lu Shaojun: 169 years old, Divine Catastrophe stage; aptitude of a great sage.]
[Li Ruofeng: 158 years old, Divine Catastrophe stage; aptitude of a great sage.]
…
Mu Yunsheng frowned deeply.
Scanned around, but surprisingly didn’t find any disciples of the Tianxin Sect.
The City Lord of Linglong was also baffled; what was the use of this list?
Why had he not heard of any of those top-ranked individuals?
As for Lu Shaojun and Li Ruofeng, he did know them; one was the strongest of the younger generation in Xuanfu Palace, the other was the strongest among the youth of the Red Dust Demon Sect.
Apart from that, he had never heard of Mu Yunsheng.
"Senior, is this the Southern Wilderness’ elite genius ranking?" Mu Yunsheng looked at Ye Xu, his eyes uncertain, hoping for an explanation.
"Genius ranking?"
Ye Xian’er’s expression flickered slightly, "Then, is our Master on the list?"
Qi Qingsi was the eternal deity in her heart.
Ye Xu said, "This list only includes geniuses in the Southern Wilderness under two hundred years of age and below the Divine God realm; the evaluation criteria include combat strength, potential, and Dao heart."
"But why have I never heard of any of those people on it?" Mu Yunsheng asked in surprise.
Could it be that he was living in another world?
Ye Xu frowned; not having heard of those people, how could that be possible?
The City Lord of Linglong also echoed, "Just like Senior Mu, I haven’t heard of people like Ji Ning and Ji Mingyue."
Ye Xu was stunned.
"System, are you playing with me?" Ye Xu asked.
【The Southern Wilderness includes Godfall Ridge.】
The system simply replied to Ye Xu.
"Godfall Ridge?"
Ye Xu’s eyes lit up, "You mean, this list includes cultivators from Godfall Ridge?"
"What exactly is Godfall Ridge?"
【Three million heavenly secrets points, you can vaguely inquire.】
【Twenty million heavenly secrets points, you can specifically inquire.】
Upon hearing this, Ye Xu’s face darkened like water.
Heartless system.
But from the changes in the list, Ye Xu vaguely sensed a trace of strangeness.
Within Godfall Ridge, there were cultivators.
The so-called extremely dangerous place was only for outsiders.
"Among those people, some are from Godfall Ridge," Ye Xu said lightly.
Everyone was greatly shocked.
Could Godfall Ridge have living beings?
This was truly astonishing secret news.
As is widely known, ever since various sects established themselves in the Southern Wilderness over a hundred thousand years ago, Godfall Ridge had already existed.
Historical records show that Godfall Ridge was one of the most perilous places in the Yuan Realm, existing for more than millions of years, with almost no one daring to venture inside.
Judging by the information listed on the ranking, the cultivators from Godfall Ridge vastly surpassed those in the Southern Wilderness; each possessed the potential to become Great Emperors.
"Senior, what should we do?" Mu Yunsheng inquired respectfully.
"This ranking list was created by Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. City Lord of Linglong, erect a stone tablet in Linglong City and engrave the talents ranking onto it."
"Daoist friend Mu, you will be responsible for spreading the word."
Ye Xu rose to his feet, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and declared, "From this day forward, I intend to make the name of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion resonate throughout the world, ensuring everyone knows its name."
"Understood."
The City Lord of Linglong was overflowing with excitement.
This senior was finally taking action. Even if Linglong City merely benefited from a fraction of it, the rewards would be boundless.
"Senior, are the disciples of Tianxin Sect truly so… mediocre?" Mu Yunsheng cautiously probed.
Ye Xu chuckled softly. "Once this ranking is released, many will inevitably feel resentful."
"There are also cultivators not from Godfall Ridge listed here."
"You are more than welcome to send Yu Qinge to issue challenges."
"The truth will be revealed with a single test."
Yu Qinge was the strongest contemporary disciple of Tianxin Sect, belonging to the same generation as Qi Hongchou, and had already reached the complete Divine Catastrophe stage.
"Then which one among them hails from the Southern Wilderness?" Mu Yunsheng pressed.
Ye Xu shot him a glance. "How vast is the Southern Wilderness? You wield authority over several prefectures. Obtaining information on a single individual should be almost effortless. Is there truly a need to ask me?"
"My apologies, Senior; this junior was indeed careless. Please forgive my thoughtlessness."
Mu Yunsheng offered an embarrassed smile.
He had made up his mind: once back at Tianxin Sect, he would conduct searches one by one.
If anyone turned out to be a rogue cultivator, he would bring them back to Tianxin Sect for nurturing.
With this thought, his eyes lit up.
If there truly were rogue cultivators, he would be the first to possess the list, allowing him a decisive head start.
"Thank you, Senior."
Having clarified this plan, Mu Yunsheng felt profoundly grateful for Ye Xu’s tremendous kindness and bowed deeply.
"Consider this part of your compensation," Ye Xu replied with a smile.
"Begin."
"This junior shall take his leave."
The City Lord of Linglong, Mu Yunsheng, and the others withdrew from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.
"Those who can make the list must be truly exceptional, right?" Ye Xian’er murmured, her eyes filled with admiration.
Ye Xu patted her head gently. "Diligently focus on your cultivation. Your talent is no less than theirs. In the future, you will assuredly appear on the Talents List in the Southern Wilderness, or even the Yuan Realm Talents List."
"There is also a Yuan Realm Talents List?" Ye Xian’er was shocked.
Ye Xu nodded.
The next target was the Yuan Realm Talents List.
Of course, there would also be the divine weapons list, the profound skills list, and the divine techniques list.
Regarding crafting lists, Ye Xu had great expertise.
"What is the City Lord doing?"
At the center of Linglong City, a huge statue was toppled, and a stone tablet ninety-nine zhang tall rose from the ground.
The City Lord of Linglong personally carved the information from the jade slip onto the stone tablet.
He held a spiritual brush, large as a rafter, and drew name after name.
These names, as if alive, were deeply imprinted on the stone tablet.
At the pinnacle of the stone tablet were three large golden characters.
Heaven’s Secret Pavilion!
Beneath it, seven more large golden characters,
Yuan Realm • Talents List in the Southern Wilderness!
Then came names one by one.
"My Lord City Lord, you are truly generous to use the Wuliang Stone, gifted by Monk Wuliang, to carve the Talents List." Zhao Cheng felt heartbroken.
This Wuliang Stone was exceedingly marvelous.
Although words were carved on it, they could be changed at any time.
Moreover, the Wuliang Stone was incredibly hard; even cultivators at the Dao Palace stage peak found it difficult to shatter.
"The Talents List?"
Cultivators kept expressing amazement.
How could anyone create a Talents List for the Southern Wilderness?
This was truly a massive project.
However, when everyone saw the words ‘Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’, all doubts vanished.
In Linglong City, the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was like a god.
Anything from Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was absolutely top-tier.
After finishing the carving, the City Lord of Linglong addressed the crowd, "Everyone, this is the Talents List in the Southern Wilderness crafted by the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, which includes cultivators from Godfall Ridge."
"It lists fifty names in total, the most outstanding talents of the Southern Wilderness!"
"Godfall Ridge?"
One cultivator questioned, "Isn’t that the forbidden land in the Southern Wilderness? There are cultivators there?"
"This is the list created by Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."
Another cultivator said, "The master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion is unparalleled. He perceives the ways of Heaven and delves into the underworld. Nothing in this world escapes his attention. If he says there are cultivators in Godfall Ridge, then there absolutely are."
Whoosh!
Even so, this pebble made waves.
The news was astounding.
In the most terrifying forbidden land of the Southern Wilderness, living beings existed—and the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion had detected them.
"Quick! Look there!" one cultivator pointed at the name on the stone tablet. "Lu Shaojun of Xuanfu Palace, who reigns supreme over the younger generation in the Southern Wilderness, is only ranked forty-ninth on the Talents List!"
"Li Ruofeng of the Red Dust Demon Sect is actually fiftieth."
Murmurs arose among the crowd.
Nearly all the cultivators in Linglong City now flocked to the stone tablet, a sea of people.
Buzz!
Strands of Symbols shimmered into existence, coalescing into a barrier that separated the masses from the tablet.
This was the formation laid by the City Lord of Linglong.
While it might not halt supreme experts, cultivators within Linglong City still struggled to bypass it.
"At most two weeks," declared the City Lord of Linglong, swelling with pride, "and the Talents List will spread across the entire Southern Wilderness."
With Heaven’s Secret Pavilion here, Linglong City would inevitably become the heart of the Southern Wilderness.
"My Lord," Zhao Cheng suddenly spoke, "do you think this list might find its way into Godfall Ridge?"
"That’s not entirely impossible," the City Lord of Linglong chuckled. "This time, the sect masters and sect leaders of the major powers across the Southern Wilderness are going to have headaches."
Godfall Ridge harbors life.
This news wouldn’t just shock everyone in the Southern Wilderness. Once it reached the Eastern Region and the Western Region, it was bound to draw in even more people.
Take a sect like Xuanfu Palace—it saw itself as the leader in the Southern Wilderness. Yet its strongest disciple was only ranked forty-ninth on the Talents List.
They were likely finding that hard to digest.
"The Talents List of the Southern Wilderness?"
High above, in the void, a hidden eye observed the stone tablet.
It belonged to a semi-saint.
He had come seeking news, making his way to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.
He simply hadn’t expected to be stunned the moment he arrived in Linglong City.
"This master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion truly doesn’t hold back," the semi-saint marveled. "If every piece of information on that list is genuine, then Heaven’s Secret Pavilion’s capability is even more mysterious and powerful than I imagined."
"But," he wondered, "what’s this they’re discussing about Godfall Ridge?"
"There are cultivators in Godfall Ridge?"
"That… that can’t be possible, can it?"
He remained hidden in the void for a full half hour, committing every detail on the Talents List to memory. Only then did he melt back into the void and head towards Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.
"Old Ghost Fei, wait for me!"
A voice suddenly cut through the air. "You’re headed to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion too, aren’t you? Let’s go together."
"You’re here as well?" The semi-saint turned to see a gray-robed old man appearing behind him.
"And me."
Another figure materialized.
"Hahaha… to think we’d all collide here."
"Our meeting is kismet. Let us proceed together."
In that instant, nine figures emerged within the void.
These nine were extraordinarily powerful, each possessing the strength of a semi-saint.
They had clearly been present for some time, biding their hours, none rushing to enter Heaven’s Secret Pavilion immediately.
The very next second.
All nine semi-saints descended upon Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.
Ye Xu opened his eyes. "We have guests."
