For someone like Pei Yankun,Su Xin couldn't be bothered to engage in empty flattery with him.He just sneered a couple of times and turned away.A warrior who came with Pei Yankun sneered,"Indeed,he's from the small region of Xiangnan,ignorant of etiquette.Pei brother invited him multiple times,and he actually dares to reject it,not knowing what's good for him."
Pei Yankun's face darkened a bit.He was patient,but Su Xin repeatedly denying him face made it hard for even him to endure.
While they were causing a commotion,several miles away on a luxurious flower boat,a young gentleman held a beautifully crafted telescope,observing everything that had just happened.The young man,dressed in white,had a handsome appearance with a faint smile on his lips,exuding confidence or rather,arrogance.
"Tsk,this telescope from the Western Regions is quite interesting.It can provide such clear vision from a distance,comparable to the Buddha Sect's secret technique,Heavenly Eye.If this item could be mass-produced,it would undoubtedly give a strategic advantage in military operations,foreseeing the enemy's movements and making tasks easier,"he remarked.
A charming maid behind him giggled,"Young master,you're being overly optimistic.This telescope was crafted by a master in the Western Regions over several years.Just the gemstones used in its making weigh dozens of pounds.It's impossible to mass-produce for military use."
The young man chuckled and shook his head,"Why not mass-produce?Jin'er,you must understand that the most crucial aspect for a warrior is imagination.In this world,nothing is impossible.Otherwise,the prosperity of today's martial arts wouldn't exist."
The maid,Jin'er,stuck out her tongue behind the young man.She knew she couldn't argue with him.The young man's name was Zhuge Qingtian,ranked tenth on the People's List as the'Heavenly Strategist.'When people mention him,they think of his almost supernatural intelligence rather than his strength.
Zhuge Qingtian hailed from the prestigious Langya Zhuge clan,with close ties to the Great Zhou Dynasty.The Zhuge clan's influence could be seen from the highest levels of government to the smallest local offices.
The Zhuge family members excelled in both governance and strategy,and as the youngest disciple of the Zhuge clan,Zhuge Qingtian took these qualities to the extreme.Ten years ago,as soon as he reached adulthood,he served as the advisor under the former General of the West Li Wei,leading a campaign to pacify the rebellion in the Western Regions.With eloquent persuasion,he manipulated the various ethnic groups into mutual destruction,leaving a field of corpses.
Since then,the title'Heavenly Strategist'was bestowed upon Zhuge Qingtian.While people knew he possessed the cultivation of the Innate God Palace Realm,he had never fought openly.Still,he secured his position at the tenth spot on the People's List without any doubts from the martial world.
Observing the disturbance caused by Su Xin and others,Zhuge Qingtian murmured,"Su Xin,the twenty-second on the People's List,the'Blood Sword Divine Finger.'He has quite a few secrets.To rise from an unknown wanderer to the twenty-second spot in less than two years,I can't believe it's solely due to his own abilities.Di Jingfei,the'Azure-eyed Flying Dragon,'is unique,and there probably won't be a second one for a hundred years.But you seem unlucky;getting invited by the Jiangnan Club this year.The Jiangnan Club this year won't be peaceful.Most of the top twenty on the People's List have heard some rumors.The first,'Dao Enthusiast'Lin Changhe,is in seclusion again.The second,'Sword Master'He Xiu,is still comprehending sword intent at Sword Pavilion.The fourth,'Fire Domain Demon God'Yan Naluo,has no excuses,but neither the Xiao family nor the court would send an invitation to him."
Curious,Jin'er asked,"Then why did you come,young master?You mentioned that the Third Young Master of Ba Di City invited you to appreciate an unearthed ancient Ba people sword manual.Yet,you pushed that aside to attend the Jiangnan Club."
Zhuge Qingtian shook his head,"In the martial world,one's actions are not always within their control.If someone wants to scheme against you,there's no avoiding it."
Jin'er shook her head.In her eyes,the young master was the smartest person in the world.Who could possibly scheme against him?
Zhuge Qingtian smiled faintly and returned to studying the telescope in his hands.
As night fell,Su Xin casually found a restaurant,had dinner,and decided to stay for the night.The Jiangnan Club was still a month and a half away,giving him plenty of time to explore Jiangnan Prefecture.
The next morning,Su Xin headed to the Tianfeng Tower in Jiangnan Prefecture.
Similar to Shenglong Tower in Changning Prefecture,Tianfeng Tower was the largest restaurant in Jiangnan Prefecture and even the entire Jiangnan region.Moreover,Tianfeng Tower catered exclusively to martial practitioners.
Tianfeng Tower had nine floors.Those with postnatal cultivation could enter the first three floors,while those with innate cultivation were qualified to access the middle three floors.
As for the remaining three floors,they are not open to the public;they are individual private rooms reserved for some top-ranked individuals on the People's List and renowned figures in the martial world,each having their own exclusive chamber.
Su Xin,ranked twenty-second on the People's List,actually had the qualification to request a private room on the third floor for himself.However,Su Xin found it troublesome and didn't want to deal with the owner of Tianfeng Tower.Instead,he casually found a seat on the fourth floor.
Once Su Xin took his seat,he immediately attracted the attention of numerous martial practitioners.Despite being ranked twenty-second on the People's List,this was his first appearance in the Central Plains.
Moreover,Su Xin's debut was quite stunning.He swiftly defeated Li Chenfeng,the twenty-third on the People's List,turning him into a laughingstock.Inside Tianfeng Tower,a large display on the wall showed an enlarged version of the People's List rankings.
Back in Xiangnan,Su Xin had only seen the People's List rankings once in Shangshan City.After that,it was only through others'mentions.In over a year,even the top ten on the People's List had experienced several changes.
The current People's List rankings were as follows:
1.Lin Changhe,the'Dao Enthusiast,'from Taiyi Dao Sect.
2.He Xiu,the'Sword Master,'from Famous Sword Villa.
3.Xiao Huang,the'Little An Marquis,'from the Xiao family in Jiangnan.
4.Yan Naluo,the'Fire Domain Demon God,'from the Thirty-Six Western Regions.
5.Feng Linzi,the'True Man of the Red Pine,'from the Creation Dao Sect.
6.Chen Jing,the'Grand Luo Heavenly Blade,'from the Luo Tian Sect.
7.Yin Xixue,the'Thousand Faces Demon Witch,'from the Illusion Demon Dao.
8.Yan Dongchen,the'Seven Killing Spear,'from the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
9.Yue Qingping,the'Broken Jade Hands,'a wanderer.
10.Zhuge Qingtian,the'Heavenly Strategist,'from the Langya Zhuge clan.
The rankings continued with various renowned martial practitioners,including Xie Zhiyan,Lin Jiu,Zuo Feng,Ming Hui,Tang Sen,Huang Xi,Wang Shifeng,Shen Jin,Song Sanchi,Feng Zichong,Yu Feng,and finally,Su Xin.
Seeing Li Chenfeng's name,Su Xin didn't bother to read further.After all,those below were just people he had stepped on,and there was no need to know more about them.
Observing the top twenty on the People's List,Su Xin couldn't help but sigh at the strength of the younger generation in the martial world.There was a noticeable imbalance,with a significant representation from the six major families,the five sword sects,and the four Dao sects.Especially among the five sword sects,all except Qingcheng Sword Sect had someone ranked in the top twenty.
What surprised Su Xin was the rapid progress of Xie Zhiyan,who had already ascended to the eleventh spot.Even the renowned Shaolin Temple,one of the three Buddhist temples,had only one monk on the list,and that too,not in the top ten.It made him ponder about the declining trend of Shaolin Temple.
In Su Xin's view,Shaolin Temple had already been suppressed due to the rise of the Creation Dao Sect.Despite finally having a bold abbot,he was deposed after just a few decades,causing Shaolin Temple to revert to its previous state.This led to a lack of new disciples,making it normal for the younger generation to be suppressed.The strict rules and regulations of Shaolin Temple,including the requirement to study Buddhist scriptures before learning martial arts,made it much slower to cultivate disciples compared to other sects.
Moreover,there were very few self-cultivated martial practitioners among the top twenty,only two in fact.This indicated how challenging it was to enter the People's List without the support of a major force behind them.
