Chapter 563: Chapter 345: Final Ranking

Three days passed in a flash. The day for the final release of the Lingyun List had finally arrived. Early in the morning, the group from the Purple Sun Sect left their residence and rushed to the stele pavilion where the list would be announced.

Even Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou, who had already been eliminated, woke up bright and early.

By the time they arrived, the pavilion was already swarming with people. The towering structure was densely packed with names. Because so many participants had been eliminated, the Lingyun List had undergone a massive overhaul, with many rankings shifting dramatically.

"Junior Brother Li, you’ve moved up to thirty-first on the Lingyun List!" Qi Xuancheng called out.

The first thing he noticed was Li Chuyang, who had skyrocketed from eighty-fifth to thirty-first.

"Thirty-first. That’s not bad." Li Chuyang revealed a faint smile, visibly satisfied. Previously, he had poured all his energy into cultivating the Li Family’s Three Yin Silver Palace Profound Gang True Technique, which had slowed his overall progress. His former ranking had severely mismatched his actual talent, but now, the discrepancy was corrected.

To rank thirty-first among Yun Province’s younger generation essentially marked him as an exceptional talent. At the very least, it wasn’t much lower than his father Li Lingdu’s ranking back when he participated in the Secondary Dragon Ascension.

However, Li Yunzhou soon found himself unable to smile. He noticed that Jiang Fan had surpassed him once again, securing the twenty-second spot. Xu Yang had also leapfrogged him, landing at twenty-sixth.

With two people he couldn’t stand ranking higher than him, there was no way he could feel happy about it.

"Haha... Excellent! Heaven blesses our Purple Sun Sect!" Bai Shaoling and Yue Zhong couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

The high rankings of Xu Yang, Jiang Fan, and Li Chuyang had completely exceeded expectations. Two of them had broken into the top thirty, and Li Chuyang had narrowly missed the cutoff. Xu Yang’s leap was particularly astonishing—he had surged from ninety-eighth straight into the top thirty, claiming the twenty-sixth spot.

"Xu Yang, you did exceptionally well. If your master, Huoyun, finds out about this, he’ll be thrilled for days," Yue Zhong said with a laugh.

"Junior Brother Xu, Brother Jiang, congratulations," Sun Tao said, clasping his hands in salute.

For Xu Yang, this ranking was exactly what he wanted: a satisfying result that didn’t draw too much attention.

"This Lingyun List is unfair."

A discordant voice broke the celebratory mood. Qi Xuancheng looked disgruntled as he complained, "During the final trial, the three of you comprehended the Baji Mountain-Shattering Fist at the exact same time. Why are your rankings so much higher than Junior Brother Li Chuyang’s?"

Xu Yang merely glanced at Qi Xuancheng and ignored him entirely.

Jiang Fan chuckled. "If you think it’s unfair, why don’t you go negotiate with the Celestial Strategy Academy and have them place Li Chuyang ahead of us?"

Qi Xuancheng instantly choked on his words. He had absolutely no standing to negotiate with the Celestial Strategy Academy.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Sun!" Xu Yang said, clasping his hands.

"Congratulations, Brother Sun!" Jiang Fan followed suit.

Yue Zhong, Bai Shaoling, and the others looked over in shock, only to realize that Sun Tao was ranked fourteenth on the Lingyun List.

While the top ten remained unchanged, the eleventh spot previously held by Lin Jingyu had been taken by Wu Xiuyuan. Li Yunfei had moved to twelfth, and Huo Xiaochen to thirteenth.

"How is this possible..."

Zhang Hanzhou and Qi Xuancheng wore expressions of utter disbelief. They had anticipated that Sun Tao would rank highly, but they never imagined he would reach fourteenth.

A deep wave of regret washed over Zhang Hanzhou once again. The two individuals he had previously looked down upon had turned out to be unattainable geniuses. If only he had chosen to ally with them back then, he would be a Celestial Strategy Academy disciple right now.

"Excellent!" Bai Shaoling shouted exuberantly.

Fourteenth on the Lingyun List was arguably the highest ranking the Purple Sun Sect had ever achieved in its history.

"That old geezer Gong Shu really lucked out," Yue Zhong remarked sourly.

Logically, outstanding disciples like Xu Yang and Sun Tao should have been taken under his wing. According to the Purple Sun Sect’s rules, Peak Masters had priority in selecting disciples, yet neither of them belonged to him.

He had personally pushed Xu Yang away. As for Sun Tao, when the boy first rose to prominence in the sect, Yue Zhong never expected him to reach such heights. To appease Elder Gong Shu, he had even stepped in to prevent other elders from fighting over Sun Tao.

If he had known Sun Tao would be this stunning, he would never have yielded him to Elder Gong Shu.

"Sun Tao actually ranked fourteenth."

"He’s another seed capable of ascending the Final Dragon Platform."

"The Purple Sun Sect is truly going to be famous this time."

The surrounding crowd stared at Sun Tao in awe. No one had expected someone originally ranked ninety-ninth to shoot up to fourteenth on the final list. In this Dragon Ascension, he was undoubtedly the biggest dark horse, followed closely by Xu Yang, who had leaped from ninety-eighth to twenty-sixth.

"Brother Sun, do you need a follower?" Someone approached Sun Tao respectfully.

He was a participant who had failed the Secondary Dragon Ascension. He openly expressed his desire to follow by Sun Tao’s side, pledge his loyalty, and accompany him into the Celestial Strategy Academy.

"A follower?" Sun Tao asked, confused.

Jiang Fan smiled and explained, "The Celestial Strategy Academy stipulates that geniuses on the Lingyun List can bring followers with them. After all, as Martial Artists, we spend most of our time cultivating and gaining comprehension. We can’t handle all our daily chores, like cooking and cleaning, by ourselves.

"Having followers to take care of these menial tasks frees up more time for cultivation."

Sun Tao nodded. He could understand that logic; having someone to attend to daily necessities and brew Medicated Baths for body tempering would indeed save a lot of time.

However, the person standing before him was a Dragon Ascending Genius. Even though he had failed, he was still a top-tier talent in Yun Province. Wouldn’t making him manage daily chores at the Celestial Strategy Academy be a waste of his talents?

Moreover, the Celestial Strategy Academy likely didn’t provide Cultivation Resources for these followers; they merely permitted the Lingyun List geniuses to bring servants for convenience.

Hearing his thoughts, Jiang Fan smiled. "It’s not necessarily a waste of talent. Brother Sun, you must realize that the Spiritual Qi within the Celestial Strategy Academy is far denser than in the outside world. Even if they simply absorb Spiritual Qi there, their cultivation speed will be much faster than outside.

"Of course, what these followers truly value is your potential. When you become a powerhouse in the future, would you mistreat the people who supported you when you were still weak?"

Sun Tao suddenly understood. This was no different from prominent families investing in young geniuses—it was all for future returns.

He politely declined the man’s offer. After all, he knew nothing about his background or character; there was no way he would blindly accept a stranger.

Several people also approached Xu Yang to offer their services as followers. However, Xu Yang harbored even more secrets than Sun Tao, so he naturally refused as well.

Li Chuyang and Jiang Fan were also approached, but both had strong backgrounds. Their families had long arranged trusted servants to accompany them to the Celestial Strategy Academy, so they had no need for outsiders.

Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou watched Xu Yang and Sun Tao eagerly. They desperately wanted to follow the two into the academy but couldn’t swallow their pride to beg. Besides, it was highly likely that neither of them would entertain the request anyway.

The group carefully reviewed the Lingyun List once more. Xu Yang noticed that Zhang Jun and Liu Rumei’s rankings had also shifted.

Zhang Jun was now eightieth on the list, and Liu Rumei had moved to fifty-second. As for the others, Xu Yang hadn’t paid much attention to them previously, so he didn’t know how drastically their rankings had changed.

After dining out, they returned to the Purple Sun Sect residence, where the servants dispatched by the Li Family and Jiang Family to accompany them were already waiting.

For Li Chuyang, there were two exceptionally pretty young women, both possessing Bone Marrow Cleansing Cultivation.

For Jiang Fan, there was a man and a woman. The man was none other than Jiang Yan. The woman exuded a heroic aura, looking like a seasoned warrior fresh off the battlefield. She held a red-tasseled spear, standing perfectly straight with a deep, restrained presence and sharp eyes.

Xu Yang couldn’t sense her exact cultivation level, but to be able to hide it from his perception, she had to be a Celestial Essence Martial Artist at the very least.

"Pack your bags and head off to the academy. Peak Master Yue and I will also be leaving shortly," Bai Shaoling instructed.

"Young Sect Leader, Peak Master Yue, take care." Xu Yang and the others clasped their hands.

None of them were the type to dawdle. The group packed their belongings and headed out. Yue Zhong and Bai Shaoling were already waiting at the entrance, with Zhang Hanzhou, Qi Xuancheng, and the stationed Purple Sun Sect disciples standing behind them.

"We wish you all the best on your journey. May your Martial Dao advance triumphantly."

Bai Shaoling and Yue Zhong raised their hands in salute, and the others behind them followed suit. Xu Yang and his companions returned the gesture.

"Go on. If you ever need the Sect’s assistance, feel free to send word here," Bai Shaoling said, waving his hand.

The primary purpose of this residence was to serve as a communication hub between the Sect and its disciples at the Celestial Strategy Academy.

"Let’s go. It’s time we head back as well."

Bai Shaoling and Yue Zhong didn’t leave until they had watched Xu Yang and his companions disappear at the end of the street.

Zhang Hanzhou stared blankly for a moment before letting out a long, heavy sigh. "To think that out of the seven of us who came, only the two of us failed."

He had always been arrogant, fully believing he would succeed in his Secondary Dragon Ascension. He never expected that Ye Qiuling would succeed while he fell short.

"We were just lacking a bit in the end," Qi Xuancheng sighed.

He had failed the final trial, but he didn’t harbor much resentment. If Chu Nanguai hadn’t caused such chaos, he likely wouldn’t have even made it to the final stage. The same was true for Zhang Hanzhou. If it were purely based on talent, Zhang Hanzhou definitely wouldn’t have ranked in the top three hundred and sixty.

"What we lacked was luck."

Zhang Hanzhou, however, didn’t share that sentiment. He firmly believed his talent was superior to Ye Qiuling’s. If she could enter the Celestial Strategy Academy, why was he eliminated?

Qi Xuancheng shook his head, opting not to argue with Zhang Hanzhou.

"What are your plans, Brother Qi?" Zhang Hanzhou asked.

"I’ve already reached an agreement with the Li Family. I’ll be working for them. If you ever need a drinking buddy in the future, Brother Zhang, you can find me there."

With that, Qi Xuancheng turned and walked back into the Purple Sun Sect residence. A short while later, he emerged with his luggage and strode away.

Zhang Hanzhou stared blankly at his departing figure. He had been planning to invite Qi Xuancheng to roam the world together. He hadn’t anticipated that Qi Xuancheng, through his connection with Li Chuyang, had already secured a position with the Li Family, leaving him completely alone with nowhere to go.

Soon after, Yue Zhong and Bai Shaoling walked out as well. Looking at Zhang Hanzhou, Bai Shaoling could only let out a long sigh.

Back then, Zhang Hanzhou had been too afraid to align himself with the Marquis Mansion. Now, even if he wanted to, he no longer possessed the qualifications. Bai Shaoling had anticipated this outcome long ago.

If he hadn’t only wanted the benefits without bearing any of the risks, perhaps Zhang Hanzhou might have succeeded in his Secondary Dragon Ascension. Even if he failed, the Marquis Mansion wouldn’t have just ignored him. Furthermore, if he hadn’t made his relationships so strained, given his status, he might have been able to beg Xu Yang or Sun Tao to take him into the Celestial Strategy Academy as a follower.

"Take care, Junior Brother Zhang. Peak Master Yue and I will take our leave first."

Bai Shaoling clasped his hands and strode away with Yue Zhong.

"Even if I can’t enter the Celestial Strategy Academy, I, Zhang Hanzhou, will still make a name for myself!" Zhang Hanzhou’s body trembled slightly.

Bai Shaoling’s final sigh felt like a blatant mockery, completely striking a nerve.

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