Land of Hundred Yue.
Hundred Yue City.
Yan Lingji held little Su Yue in her arms and looked up at the arena in the sky. She couldn't help but smile teasingly.
"Xiao Yue'er, do you want to get on the stage, defeat your enemies, and compete for a place on the Sword Ancestor Ranking?"
"No!"
Su Yue shook her head without hesitation.
Her cute response melted Yan Lingji's heart.
If only Xiao Yue'er were her real daughter, how wonderful would that be?
Unfortunately, that scumbag man still hadn't come to find her. Even if she wanted to have a child for him, she never got the chance.
Still, in her heart, she had already regarded Yue'er as her own daughter.
Her love and affection for her even surpassed that for Fei Yan.
"Why not? If you make it onto the Sword Ancestor Ranking, won't you become more famous?"
"Mother said that if I want to be on a ranking, it has to be the Sword Immortal Ranking!"
"Good, such ambition. The Sword Ancestor Ranking is nothing. The Sword Immortal Ranking is my Yue'er's true goal!"
"But if you want to enter the Sword Immortal Ranking, you'll have to work hard!"
"Of course! I will keep getting stronger. One day, I will become number one on the Sword Immortal Ranking and defeat that scumbag father!"
Su Yue clenched her tiny fists and spoke with fierce cuteness.
There was even a bit of extraordinary presence in her tone.
Hearing this, Yan Lingji couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Well said! That's the spirit. Go defeat that scumbag of a father!"
It seemed that Dongjun Yanfei knew she couldn't take revenge herself, so she pinned all her hopes on her daughter.
Just thinking about how that scumbag would be utterly humiliated when he faced Xiao Yue'er in the future filled her with joy.
Serves him right!
We can't deal with you, but your own daughter surely can!!
==========
Ming Martial World.
Mount Heng Sect.
"Junior Sister, are you going to participate in the Sword Ancestor Ranking this time?"
Yi He looked at her Junior Sister Yi Lin and asked gently.
Ever since Yi Lin became a genius on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, Master Ding Yi had not hesitated at all and directly passed the position of sect leader to her.
Although Yi Lin had grown immensely in strength, her personality was still too soft.
So the final decision was that Yi He and the other Senior Sisters would handle the sect's affairs.
Yi Lin's only responsibility was to focus on improving her strength.
As long as Yi Lin was around, the Mount Heng Sect would remain stable.
And when Yi Lin fully matured, there was a real chance she could attain the Land Immortal Realm.
That would truly bring glory to the Mount Heng Sect.
Enough to rival Shaolin and Wudang.
"Senior Sister Yi He, I don't want to participate in the Sword Ancestor Ranking."
"Why not? With your strength, you should be able to easily qualify."
"You might even receive the Heaven Dao Reward."
"Senior Sister, although my strength is decent now, in terms of swordsmanship, I still fall far behind those top geniuses from the Nine Provinces."
"Especially when it comes to Sword Intent. I've only barely reached just over 90% comprehension."
Yi He was stunned for a moment before rolling her eyes in disbelief.
If she didn't know Yi Lin's personality, she would have thought Yi Lin was bragging.
Just over 90%?
Even among Great Grandmasters, very few could reach that level.
Only sword cultivators on the verge of the Land Immortal Realm could surpass her.
Yet Yi Lin was only at the Great Perfection Great Grandmaster Realm.
On the Sword Ancestor Ranking, who else could be number one if not her?
"Junior Sister Yi Lin, I'm afraid that even if you don't want to participate, some people will still force you to the stage for a duel."
Yi He looked deeply at Yi Lin.
Yi Lin was ranked 11th on the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
She was a true top-tier Grandmaster.
Many sword cultivators at the Great Grandmaster Realm naturally wouldn't accept her ranking.
Challenging her on the stage was only to be expected.
If she refused, it would damage the Mount Heng Sect's reputation.
As the sect leader, Yi Lin wouldn't be able to just sit by, no matter how reluctant she felt.
==========
Ming Imperial Palace.
Imperial Harem, Courtyard in front of Long Bixia Chambers.
Two figures were sparring fiercely.
"Sister-in-law, how was my sword just now? Do you think I can earn a good rank?"
Princess Yun Luo looked excitedly at Long Bixia.
"Hmm." Long Bixia nodded slightly, her expression calm.
Princess Yun Luo pouted, clearly dissatisfied.
Long Bixia should have smiled and praised her.
Ever since the Golden Ranking appeared and the Empress Wu Zhao's information was revealed, the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Empress had turned icy.
Caught between the two, Princess Yun Luo felt torn.
If she got too close to the Empress, it would surely displease the Empress Dowager.
So she ended up spending her time with Long Bixia instead.
One was lively and energetic. The other cold and reserved.
Logically, their personalities shouldn't mesh.
But strangely enough, the two got along extremely well.
Their relationship was arguably even better than Yun Luo's relationship with the Empress.
Living in the palace, Yun Luo was all too aware of the schemes and power plays.
She appeared nonchalant on the surface but always kept her guard up.
Even with the Empress, despite calling her Sister-in-law, she never let down her guard.
Especially after the Empress's secrets were revealed, she became even more cautious.
But with Long Bixia, Yun Luo could truly relax.
She knew Long Bixia was the purest person in the entire palace.
Uninvolved in any scheming or backstabbing.
Her brother had always protected her, shielding her from the dark side of the court.
Yun Luo loved the sense of peace she felt when with Long Bixia.
Now, nearly half of her time was spent with her.
Yun Luo could chatter all day, and Long Bixia could quietly sit and listen without saying even ten words.
In Yun Luo's eyes, no one in the world understood her better than Long Bixia.
What Yun Luo admired most was Long Bixia's talent for cultivation.
In just a few short months, she had witnessed Long Bixia's astonishing breakthroughs.
From Great Grandmaster, to Half-Step Land Immortal Realm, and now to Heavenly Human Realm Land Immortal.
Such terrifying talent could probably only be matched by her brother and the Empress, those two hidden monsters.
Of course, she wasn't doing badly either.
With Long Bixia as her god-tier sparring partner, her own progress had been extraordinary.
Now she has also reached the Great Grandmaster Realm.
With the Single Edge Sword Art, she feared no one on the stage.
If she could make it onto the Sword Ancestor Ranking, her name would surely shake the Nine Provinces.
==========
Imperial Palace.
Xue Yuan, Shi Feixuan, Wan Wan, and Huang Rong Palace.
"Nun Shi, are you going up for the arena battle?"
"With your sword skills, you should be able to get a pretty good rank."
"How far have you gotten with that Extreme Heart Zen Sword the scumbag taught you?"
"How strong is your Sword Intent now? 95%?"
"Why is it Sword Immortal Ranking and Sword Ancestor Ranking? If they made Martial Immortal Ranking or Martial Ancestor Ranking, I, Wan Wan, could definitely get on the ranking!"
"98% Sword Intent. Still a bit short of Great Perfection comprehension."
"Hehe, I just found out. Song Yuhua, daughter of the famed Heaven Blade Song Que, has already achieved Great Perfection of Sword Intent. She's just a step away from the Land Immortal Realm."
"Nun Shi, we've fallen behind!"
"Back in the Hidden Dragon Ranking, Song Yuhua ranked below us!"
"In the future, life in the palace might be tough without the Land Immortal Realm."
"Murong Qiudi, Lin Shiyin, You Ruo, Song Yuhua, and many others cannot be underestimated."
"The pressure here is worse than when I was in the Yingui Sect. I was their Saintess, and now I'm stuck in the scumbag's Imperial Harem?"
Just imagining the future made Wan Wan's scalp tingle. She couldn't help but complain.
"In that case, Sister Wan Wan, why don't you leave now?" Huang Rong giggled.
"It's not too late. You're not officially a Consort yet."
"You little brat. You want to trick me out of here so you have one less rival, don't you?"
"Exactly. I'm afraid with a stunning beauty like you here, the scumbag won't even look at me."
Watching the two bicker again, Xue Yuan and Shi Feixuan seemed long used to it. Their expressions remained unchanged.
But what Wan Wan said was true.
In the future, in this palace, lacking Land Immortal cultivation could truly affect their status.
Not because the scumbag would mistreat them.
Despite being a bit of a scoundrel, Zhu Houzhao was always good to them regardless of strength.
The real problem was the competition.
Others reached Land Immortal, while you remained a Great Grandmaster.
Naturally, you'd fall behind from the start.
==========
Ming Dynasty, Snow Moon City.
"Junior Sister, with your sword skills, can you make it onto the Sword Immortal Ranking?"
"Senior Brother, there are only three spots in the Mythical Realm. I honestly can't be sure."
"From what I know, there are many powerful sword cultivators in the Nine Provinces. I may not be able to defeat them."
Snow Moon Sword Immortal Li Hanyi shook her head without any confidence.
She had heard Zhu Houzhao mention the secrets of the Nine Provinces Martial World.
Many powerful cultivators and sword cultivators hid in the shadows.
Some had lived for hundreds, even thousands of years.
The Nine Provinces were unimaginably deep. No matter how confident she was, she couldn't guarantee anything.
Making the ranking would be good fortune. Failing to make it wasn't a big deal.
Given time, she could aim for the God Demon Realm and beyond.
By then, would she still care about a mere ranking reward?
Spending time with Zhu Houzhao had broadened her horizons greatly.
She now faced the future with confidence and would not be easily shaken.
So what if they were ancient monsters?
Sooner or later, she would surpass them all.
==========
Wudang Mountain, Wudang Sect.
"Sword Immortal Ranking? Master, can your Taiji Sword make the ranking?"
"Humph, with Master's Taiji Divine Exercise and Taiji Sword, He once dominated the world. How could he not make the ranking?"
"I thought so too! Master even killed a true Land Immortal with his Taiji Sword."
Hearing his disciples' confidence, Zhang Sanfeng could only smile bitterly.
Although he was confident in his Taiji Sword, the competitors this time included all the hidden cultivators of the Nine Provinces.
Especially the leaders of the forces ranked on the Martial Force Ranking and Forbidden Land Ranking.
Any one of them was his equal or better.
He would not underestimate any of them.
If the Sword Immortal Ranking was already this competitive, then what of the future Martial Immortal Ranking or Land Immortal Ranking?
Those were what everyone truly cared about.
After several rounds of ranking, everyone understood that those who made the ranking were not just powerful.
Their potential was guaranteed.
A Heavenly Human Realm Sword Immortal had the qualifications for the Mythical Realm.
A Mythical Realm Sword Immortal had the qualifications for the God Demon Realm.
So what about a God Demon Realm Sword Immortal?
Would they have the qualifications to reach the Sage Realm?
Compared to the Sword Immortal Ranking of the Nine Provinces, the Sword Ancestor Ranking, based purely on current battle power, no longer appealed to some people.
==========
Southern Song Dynasty, Outside Xiangyang, Dugu Sword Tomb.
"Master, with your strength, you will definitely make the Sword Immortal Ranking!"
"If even you don't get selected, this Sword Immortal Ranking would be nothing but a joke!"
Yang Guo spoke proudly.
As if to say the Golden Ranking wasn't even worthy of the name if it didn't include Dugu Qiubai.
Hearing his disciple's words, Dugu Qiubai felt that this kid was talking big, but he was indeed confident in his swordsmanship.
Even if there were only three spots, he had confidence in being one of them.
He might even be number one.
If not for his limited cultivation realm, he would dare to challenge even the God Demon Realm Sword Immortals.
==========
Han Dynasty, Zhonghua Pavilion.
"Master, among the three Mythical Realm Sword Immortals, you must be the top!"
"In all the Nine Provinces, who in the Mythical Realm can match you?"
Watching Shangguan Fei and A Fei practicing Sword Techniques in the sky, Jian Chen's eyes were full of disdain.
His scorn was clear.
"Jian Chen, do not be arrogant. The Nine Provinces World is full of hidden talents. Never look down on others."
"Putting aside everyone else, Snow Moon Sword Immortal Li Hanyi is no weaker than me."
"The Sword Demon Dugu Qiubai of the Southern Song Dynasty is also a formidable opponent."
"Then there's Desolation Sword Yan Fei, Rain Overturning Sword Lang Fanyun, and many more."
"I cannot say I can defeat any of them for certain."
"Not to mention the many mysterious forces such as the Heaven Palace and the Earth Mansion. Surely they hide powerful Sword Immortals."
Nameless plucked his erhu, shaking his head with a calm expression.
Although he stayed in Zhonghua Pavilion, he was well aware of all happenings in the Nine Provinces.
His knowledge of the Martial World far exceeded Jian Chen's.
"How could that be? How can they compare to you, Master?"
Jian Chen couldn't believe it.
Nameless simply shook his head and said no more, losing himself in the sound of his erhu.
==========
Ming Dynasty, Sword Tomb.
"Who do you think will make it onto the Sword Immortal Ranking?"
Murong Xisheng asked curiously.
"Isn't it obvious? Your husband, of course, is destined to be number one!"
"In all of the Nine Provinces, who can rival my swordsmanship?"
"With a single stroke of my Azure Lotus Sword Qi, I can instantly kill a God Demon Realm opponent!"
Zhu Houzhao spoke proudly.
He was already at the Sage Realm.
Even when he was still at the God Demon Realm, his swordsmanship was unmatched.
No one could compare.
Even those like Wu Wudi, the Longevity Immortal God, Di Shitian, Xiao Sanxiao, none could match him.
Of course, unless there were some unknown hidden masters in the Nine Provinces.
Then he would take back what he said.
But his swordsmanship had already transcended martial boundaries and was like the art of a true Sword Immortal.