Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Rankings Announced

Ye Zhao Zhao still won. Li Shuang glanced once, then looked away, calm. [None of this matters to me anymore.]

Long Yan had years of understanding in the Way of the Sword as a foundation; at this stage he barely did the job. But that was all. Since Ye Zhao Zhao had not found a better treasured sword yet, she could put up with Long Yan for now. With her temper, if a better sword appeared, Long Yan would be tossed aside at once. But none of that concerned Li Shuang anymore.

Meng Yi Fei smiled and said: “The matches are about done, Li Shuang, go wait below for the results.”

Li Shuang nodded and left the high platform.

All three round robin bouts had finished.

The leaders of each sect discussed the results with care. Originally, Immortal Ling Xu was supposed to join the talk, but he left early. Meng Yi Fei did not call him back, and the leaders who remained talked it through and wrote the final list.

The list of fifty names was soon posted.

Luo Ming Yue spotted the name of the Ranking Champion at once and cried out: “First place, Junior Sister, you are first.”

Everyone turned to look.

Li Shuang, only at Qi Refining Stage, had taken the Ranking Champion among Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. The result looked shocking, yet no one questioned it. Over three battles, Li Shuang used strength to prove she deserved it.

The only pity was that in the third match, Senior Sister Jiang did not use her Foundation Establishment strength. Otherwise, they might have seen her stunning Lotus in Ice.

Li Shuang’s one finishing move was hard for many to follow, but its power was amazing. Now that she had a Purple Affinity Sword Spirit, if she used that move again, it would only be stronger.

They would have plenty of chances to watch later. In this secret realm, Li Shuang might meet Yan Fan of Cangyuan Sect, and perhaps only such a peerless genius could force Li Shuang to go all out.

Someone summed up the ranking rule and said: “Those with three wins line up at the front by default. Because Senior Sister Jiang lost to Li Shuang, she dropped out of the top ten.”

Another added: “That could not be helped. But by raw strength, Senior Sister Jiang should still be second.”

A third voice spoke up: “Now the second is Wen Lin. Senior Brother Wen’s thunder spiritual root is as overbearing as ever. He ended all three fights fast, so second place fits what everyone expected.”

Wen Lin, who owned the fiercest lightning root, looked a bit shy. He glanced at Li Shuang from afar, then slipped out of the crowd in silence.

Third place was another Variant Single Spiritual Root genius: Mu Jin.

Someone praised her and said: “Senior Sister Mu’s wind attribute Variant Spiritual Root gives her a huge speed boost. Her third place makes perfect sense.”

With the top three all rare Variant Spiritual Roots, fourth place went to Emotionless Peak’s Liu Jun Cheng.

Liu Jun Cheng had Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots. His cultivation speed was not as fast as a single root, but water and wood helped each other, so his power did not lose to a single root. Ten years ago he barely ranked tenth; this time he had improved a lot.

Liu Jun Cheng smiled and said: “I should not have won all three. But a few days ago, Junior Sister and I discussed the sword. I gained something from it and made a small breakthrough in the Way of the Sword, so I could keep winning.”

Li Shuang paused, then quickly said: “Second Senior Brother, it was just a normal exchange.”

Liu Jun Cheng looked at her gently and said: “I learned and broke through because of it. That is your credit, Junior Sister.”

Luo Ming Yue laughed and said: “Little Shuang, his sword art had not moved for years, and now it broke through. Listen to me: squeeze a few jars of good wine out of him.”

Liu Jun Cheng muttered: “For Junior Sister to drink, I am happy to bring out as much wine as needed. But First Senior Sister, please spare my good wine. With you drinking like an ox, even the best wine is wasted.”

Luo Ming Yue raised her fist as if to punch him.

Watching them, Li Shuang’s eyes curved with a small smile.

After checking their own rankings, the group from Emotionless Peak did not read further. They left together, chatting and lively.

Elsewhere, several disciples gossiped. One clicked his tongue and said: “Tsk tsk, it really is Senior Sister Li. Did you hear? Senior Brother Liu’s sword art broke through, and Senior Sister Li shares the credit.”

Another said: “She has not even been at Emotionless Peak long, and Senior Brother Liu already improved.”

A third sneered and said: “The key is that Senior Brother Liu spoke so openly. Before, at Ling Xu Peak, that Shen Yue… Senior Sister Li spent lots of training time guiding him. What did he say? He claimed he was born a Way of the Sword genius. His current level was all his own work and owed nothing to anyone.”

“Shh, stop,” someone hissed, tugging his sleeve; the speaker turned and saw Shen Yue and a few others from Ling Xu Peak standing there with dark faces.

The disciple coughed a few times and fell silent.

“Senior Brother Shen, ignore them,” Ye Zhao Zhao said hotly: “It must be Senior Sister Li telling them something again. She truly hates us now.”

She waited for everyone to echo her. But this time, except for Chang Le An who agreed with a few words, Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue were silent.

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face stiffened, and her heart sank. [So they are going to turn their backs on me now?]

She ground her teeth in secret. [Ling Xu Peak really is full of ingrates. I tried to win them over for ten years. Even if I made no great achievements, I put in the effort.]

[Now that Li Shuang has shown a bit of awakening, they all act regretful. Who are they trying to impress?]

Sheng Yuan sighed and said: “Junior Sister, let us not talk about this. Your rank is thirty three, and Third Junior Brother is forty two. At least you both made the top fifty. Seven days from now, the Langya Secret Realm will open, so use these days to prepare.”

Ye Zhao Zhao’s face darkened. Talking about the rankings only made her angry. She had won two matches, and the middle one was nearly a win. Yet Li Shuang ranked first while she was only thirty three.

For years, Ling Xu Peak had told the outside world that Ye Zhao Zhao was the true peerless genius, the one whose talent crushed Li Shuang. Now that the list was out, who knew how many would mock them in secret.

Chang Le An said with full confidence: “Zhao Zhao, forget the rankings. The Langya Secret Realm is not a place where only the strong gain things. This ranking means little. I have towering luck. No matter the genius, I will step on them. When we enter the secret realm, just follow me.”

Ye Zhao Zhao smiled and answered: “Okay. With Third Senior Brother here, I feel at ease.”