Outside the Zhu Yi Building, Su Yue, the “Golden-Eyed Constable,” wearing his dark golden constable’s uniform, walked slowly, intending to report some unusual activities of the evil sects.
As soon as he entered the small building, he saw a familiar golden-badge constable coming down. The latter was momentarily stunned upon seeing him, then broke into a smile, clasped his hands, and said, “Congratulations, Constable Su! Wishing you more success, Constable Su!”
“What’s the occasion for celebration?” Su Yue raised his eyebrows in amusement.
The golden-badge constable smiled and said, “Your nephew, Meng, or rather, Ziyuan, has thrice repelled Blue-Rank assassins in Northern Zhou and gravely injured them. His ascension to the Earth List is all but certain. Seeing that your family has such a promising heir, with hopes of revival, I, too, am delighted for you, Constable.”
Su Yue narrowed his eyes slightly, remaining silent for a while before bursting into laughter. “Indeed, he is the prodigy of our Su family.”
Once the golden-badge constable left, his smile vanished instantly, and he let out a long sigh.
…
At the Marquis Huan’s mansion.
Wang Wenxian, the Vice Chancellor, looked at several thin sheets in his hands and fell into brief silence. After several breaths, he remarked, “More than three years ago, I still praised him highly, thinking him a promising junior worthy of promotion. Yet, in what feels like a mere ‘blink,’ he has nearly reached my level. Truly, the younger generation is formidable.”
Wang Zai, with a square face, sat on the chair to the left. Startled by his father’s words, he blurted out, “Has Senior Su entered the Earth List?”
From being his father’s junior to nearly reaching his level in under four years, Wang Zai could only think of Meng Qi. Considering his usual feats, it wasn’t hard to guess that the paper in his father’s hand was the latest Earth List.
“The changes in the world seem like a dream, as if the Jade Blossom Banquet were just yesterday…” Wang Wenxian sighed again. He was the youngest Patriarch of his generation in the Wang family, but “young” was only relative. Compared to the Mad Blade, he felt aged prematurely, with time passing swiftly.
At his current age, he had still been preoccupied with his ranking on the Human List.
“Years ago, Su Wuming entered the Earth List five years after reaching the Outer Scenery, slightly slower than Senior Su. Truly, he is a man who has endured an extra tribulation,” Wang Zai, having known Meng Qi for many years and long accustomed to being overshadowed, responded with a teasing smile.
Wang Wenxian’s face turned serious. “Do you think his rapid advancement is solely due to the four tribulations he has endured?”
The solemnity made Wang Zai straighten his already upright back further, and he composed his expression. “The four tribulations are merely the foundation. Without sufficient effort, training, and contemplation, even the best foundation would go to waste.”
“It’s good that you understand this,” Wang Wenxian softened his tone. “Therefore, you needn’t feel discouraged. Our family’s martial arts are inherited from the Benevolent Sage. Without sufficient experience, deep contemplation of the relationships between heaven, earth, and humanity, and practical governance experience among the people, it’s difficult to progress. That’s why I summoned you to the capital—to encourage you to settle down and serve as the chief official of a county or prefecture, gradually enhancing your abilities by addressing the conflicts between the martial arts world and the common people.”
Wang Zai had previously honed his skills through traveling, and from the experiences of family elders, he knew he would eventually go through this phase. He replied earnestly, “Your son will obey, and surely not disappoint your high expectations.”
In his heart, he optimistically thought that perhaps once Senior Su reached the Half-Step Dharma King stage, like Su Wuming today, he might have an opportunity to narrow the gap.
After speaking, he returned to the present and furrowed his brows. “Senior Su has many enemies. Once he enters the Earth List and the news of his impending attainment of Patriarch status spreads, many might take desperate measures. This move by Chief Constable Sima seems inappropriate.”
“This matter is likely already widely known in Northern Zhou. If Sima, the Vice Chancellor, were to conceal it, the credibility of the Heaven, Earth, and Human Lists would be undermined,” Wang Wenxian said while lifting his teacup to blow on it. “Rest assured, I will personally look after the Su family.”
In the imperial capital, with a Vice Chancellor watching over them, only a Dharma King-level expert could pose a threat; others would be powerless to cause any significant trouble.
…
At the Pingjin Marquis’s mansion, an elder and a younger were also in conversation.
Cui Yan, the Minister of the Left and current Prime Minister, rubbed the paper in his hand and spoke as if in reflection: “I always knew Su Meng would advance rapidly, likely repeating the myth of a new level each year, but I never expected him to be even faster and sharper than Su Wuming.”
Though a great figure himself, who hadn’t climbed from weakness to strength step by step, recalling the time he spent on the first six Heavens, and comparing it with the “Mad Blade” Su Meng, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of frustration, envy, and helplessness.
Living in the same era as such a figure felt strangely sorrowful, especially since he had experienced several such eras before—first with Master Lu, his own “Twin Dragons,” and the “Radiant Twin Stars,” then with Su Wuming, who outshone a generation, and now with the “Mad Blade” Su Meng. What was most disheartening was that even if he couldn’t match the Mad Blade, it was one thing, but even other outstanding figures of this generation could easily surpass his younger self.
Cui Hao, who had just embarked on another journey, could only respond with a wry smile: “When your grandnephew first met Su Meng, he hadn’t yet awakened his potential, and his Qi cultivation was barely complete. He was undergoing rigorous training at the relic pagoda in the back mountains of Shaolin. In less than a decade, he rose like a comet, surpassing his peers and even many from the previous generation. People gradually shifted from resentment to envy, then to admiration and respect, until eventually, they could only look up to him with pure reverence, devoid of any other emotions.”
When the gap becomes too large, even admiration and jealousy become powerless and fade away.
“However, his easy journey ends here. Once he enters the Earth List, he will find that every named figure, whether righteous or evil, is an outstanding individual of their time, possessing complete cultivation methods, experience, and temperament, each with their own strengths and brilliance, none of them easy to overcome. Even Su Wuming, after entering the Earth List, climbed step by step to the top,” Cui Yan put down the paper.
Cui Hao nodded slightly. The top forces could only have a few Patriarchs, and they were definitely not ordinary!
…
At the Dou Family Inn, a place teeming with all sorts of people, bustling and noisy.
Someone brought the latest issue of the Heaven, Earth, and Human Lists and hung it at the corner on the second floor.
With a rustling sound, the list unfurled, revealing its contents. A stream of gazes first focused on the Human List, the closest and most attainable ranking for them, naturally drawing the most attention.
Whispers and discussions filled the air as martial artists found numerous topics of conversation from the Human List.
Once they were satisfied, they turned their attention to the Heaven and Earth Lists. The Heaven List had few names and rarely changed, so it was quickly scanned. The Earth List, however, had two hundred names, making it the most time-consuming to go through.
The top rankings of the Earth List showed no significant changes. Differences only appeared after the fiftieth place, reigniting the interest of the martial artists, who discussed with great enthusiasm, much like how street-side cart drivers love to gossip about political affairs.
As they talked, someone chuckled, “There’s a new face, ‘Mad Blade’ Su Meng…”
His voice suddenly froze.
“‘Mad Blade’ Su Meng?”
“‘Mad Blade’ Su Meng!”
Voices filled with surprise and doubt echoed through the Dou Family Inn. Though called a new face, this figure was hardly unknown. A few years ago, he was at the top of the Human List, well-known to everyone. Yet, in just three and a half years, someone who had yet to set out on a journey found himself already on the Earth List!
It seemed the gap between the Human List and the Earth List was not six or seven Heavens, but merely a small ditch!
Gazes from all directions turned toward the Earth List. Due to the large number of names and the involvement of Patriarch-level experts, each entry was brief. The martial artists quickly absorbed the information:
“Name: Su Meng.”
“Age: Under twenty-four.”
“Nicknames: Mad Blade, Blade King.”
“Cultivation techniques: Unknown, similar to the Diamond Indestructible Art. His blade has reached the ultimate realm, questioning the heart and the Dao, acting as Heaven’s enforcer.”
“Feats: Three victories over Blue-Rank assassins from the Bureau of Injustice, gravely injuring them.”
“Rank: 178th.”
“Evaluation: From becoming famous in the martial world to becoming renowned across the land.”
“Under twenty-four, yet already renowned across the land…” someone murmured as if in a daze.
…
In a private room of a certain tavern, there was a sudden “crack” as someone crushed the wine cup in his hand. He had dark skin, an aged appearance, a thin frame, and double pupils in his eyes, looking as if he were perpetually weeping.
Opposite him sat a woman with a high nose, phoenix eyes, and a cold demeanor.
Knock, knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” the old man, who seemed to be crying, asked softly.
He couldn’t even sense the person outside clearly!
“One who can help you kill Su Meng,” the person outside replied calmly.
…
Ten days later, Meng Qi met “Frost Immortal” Ye Yuqi, who had hurried back to the manor.
Ye Yuqi’s thick, black hair cascaded smoothly as she spoke bluntly upon meeting him: “All the martial lords involved in the feedback about the grassland spies have denied any large-scale surveillance activities.”
Had I misjudged? How did he accurately find Old Zhou? Meng Qi was momentarily stunned.
Ye Yuqi didn’t offer an explanation but instead rolled her starry eyes and continued, “The Lone Wolf’s contingency plan worked. Without interference from Blue-Rank assassins, a mother and son secretly approached the person in charge of the Plum Manor in a nearby city, mentioning two things: first, nearly a year ago, the Heavenly Execution Axe exhibited unusual activity, prompting Gourdo to retreat into seclusion and recently break through to the Earth Immortal realm.”
“Second, the Nine Evil Sects have been sending people to the Golden Tent Alliance, planning to act as spies from within.”
The Nine Evil Sects? Meng Qi slightly furrowed his brow. This was different from what he had expected. With Gourdo’s breakthrough, truly, the winds were rising, and a major change was imminent!
Then he finally reacted to the first sentence: nearly a year ago, the Heavenly Execution Axe showed unusual activity?
Wasn’t that around the time he had destroyed the Heavenly Punishment Gate?
And the Heavenly Execution Axe had originated from there…
After finishing her report, Ye Yuqi looked at Meng Qi: “What do you make of this?”
Meng Qi’s lips twitched slightly as he smiled bitterly, “My fault…”
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