"The Hidden Dragon List?"
Lu Qing looked at the scroll on the stone table.
"May I ask, Your Excellency Zhi Rui, what is the Hidden Dragon List?"
"The Hidden Dragon Ranking is a list compiled by our Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, ranking the top one hundred martial artists in the world who have the best chance of advancing to the Innate Realm among the many Inner Strength Realm martial artists.
Once a martial artist enters the Innate Realm, not only does their lifespan increase significantly, but they also possess various extraordinary abilities, like a flying dragon soaring through the vast天地 (heaven and earth).
Therefore, this list is named "Hidden Dragon".
Lu Qing:...
He thought that the Hidden Dragon List was something extraordinary because of its prestigious name.
So it turns out it was just a preliminary list for the Innate Realm.
If Lu Qing were just an ordinary country boy, he might think the Hidden Dragon Ranking was very impressive.
But he wasn't, so he could only maintain a polite smile.
It wasn't that Lu Qing looked down on the list.
Rather, he, who possessed multiple lineages, knew that in the path of cultivation, the Innate Realm was merely the beginning, far from being the path to becoming a true dragon.
Therefore, he finds it difficult to comment on this list.
The young man in plain clothes was no ordinary person. Seeing Lu Qing's calm expression, he immediately realized that Lu Qing didn't take the Hidden Dragon Ranking seriously.
Then, without realizing it, he fell silent.
He suddenly realized that the young man in front of him was unlike any martial arts genius he had ever met before.
His talent is simply too extraordinary.
For other martial artists in the Innate Realm, or even martial arts grandmasters, the Innate Realm might be an insurmountable barrier.
To overcome this hurdle, one must put in tremendous effort and dedication, along with an indispensable element of luck, before a breakthrough is even possible.
But for Lu Qing, it was not a difficult level to reach at all.
Is it really a glorious thing for a peerless genius who is almost certain to enter the Innate Realm to be listed on the Hidden Dragon List?
The young man in plain clothes sensed Lu Qing's thoughts, so he could only remain silent.
An awkward atmosphere suddenly settled over the courtyard.
Lu Qing sensed the awkwardness and felt that treating the guest this way was rather impolite.
He thought for a moment, then asked, "Your Excellency Zhi Rui, may I ask where I rank on this Hidden Dragon List?"
However, what Lu Qing didn't expect was...
When he asked the question, the young man in plain clothes fell even more silent.
After a long pause, he finally answered, "...twenty-ninth place."
Lu Qing was somewhat surprised: "It seems that this world is indeed full of hidden talents and geniuses. I wonder which martial arts experts are ranked ahead of me?"
"Most of those ahead of you are martial arts masters who have been at the peak of the Inner Vessel Realm for a long time. Some have even honed their own divine soul power and are only one step away from stepping into the Innate Realm."
Lu Qing nodded.
One of the most important keys to breaking through from the Acquired Realm to the Innate Realm is the power of the soul.
Those martial arts masters, having already reached this point, are only a hair's breadth away from the Innate Realm.
It's quite reasonable for him to be ranked ahead of him.
What Lu Qing didn't know was that on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, not only were those ranked ahead of him martial arts experts who were only one step away from breaking through, but also those who were already powerful.
Even those ranked behind him were mostly martial arts masters, and even the weakest among them were powerful martial artists who had reached the Great Perfection of the Inner Vessel Realm.
And almost all of them are renowned and have a considerable reputation throughout the world.
However, after realizing that the Hidden Dragon Ranking was dispensable to Lu Qing, the young man in plain clothes had no intention of saying anything more about it.
"The rankings on the Hidden Dragon List are changed every six months. I've left this one here. Young Master Lu can take a look when he's bored and learn about the martial arts masters of the world today."
The young man in plain clothes handed the scroll to Lu Qing.
Lu Qing took it and put it away without looking at it immediately.
The young man in plain clothes didn't care and said instead, "Dr. Chen, the last thing Zhi Rui has to say is about you."
"Oh? Please speak freely."
"In the next ten years, the world will likely undergo great changes, chaos will arise, and the struggle between good and evil will probably resurface. Even the Holy Mountain will likely be exhausted from dealing with it."
Doctor, you have one opportunity to enter the sacred pool for cultivation. If you do not wish to give it up, it is best to use this opportunity within five years.
Otherwise, this opportunity might be wasted.
The young man in plain clothes said solemnly.
"Great chaos is about to break out. What do you mean by that?"
The old doctor's expression hardened, and he couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know the specifics of the chaos, but it is the last words left by the founder of my Tianji Tower, so it should be correct."
The old doctor thought for a while and said, "I understand. If I have nothing to do in the next few years, I will make a trip to Zhongzhou."
In recent days, after communicating with Wei Shanhe, the old doctor has learned a lot.
In addition, I just heard that Lu Qing was given a Seven Kill Order by the Seven Kill Tower.
This made him more attentive to cultivation.
"Very well. It's getting late, Doctor. It's time for me to set off."
Having said everything he needed to say, the young man in plain clothes took his leave.
"Leaving so soon? Ah Qing, go inside and get some flower tea for Zhi Rui to take away."
After the young man in plain clothes left, Lu Qing took out the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
He didn't open it directly, but instead activated his special ability and stared intently at it.
A faint golden hue emerged from the scroll.
"gold?"
Lu Qing was somewhat surprised.
It's just a list, how can it have a gold quality rating?
That's interesting.
Lu Qing looked at the note.
【Hidden Dragon Ranking: A ranking list compiled and calculated by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion based on data collected from countless martial artists at the Acquired Realm.】
【This list records the top one hundred most promising acquired martial artists in the world, according to the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, who have the best chance of breaking through to the Innate Realm.】
Those who make it onto the Hidden Dragon List will receive the attention of the world and will unknowingly receive a boost of fortune, making their path of cultivation smoother.
"This Hidden Dragon Ranking actually has the effect of gathering fortune?"
After reading the message on the note, Lu Qing was genuinely surprised.
He was a little surprised when he heard the young man in plain clothes speak in a tone that suggested all martial artists in the world greatly admired and longed for the Hidden Dragon Ranking.
I see.
From this perspective, it's not entirely a bad thing that he made it onto this list.
Lu Qing opened the scroll and immediately began searching downwards.
Then, I found my name in the twenty-ninth position.
Lu Qing from Cangzhou, seventeen years old, has just entered the initial stage of internal organ cultivation.
The information was extremely limited; apart from his name, age, and cultivation level, no further details were revealed.
Lu Qing then looked at the other names on the list.
The information it displays is similar to his.
At most, the sect or family to which the person on the list belongs will be added.
Other information, such as the martial arts techniques they practiced and the weapons they were skilled with, was not revealed.
Lu Qing was quite satisfied with this.
This shows that Tianjilou was still prudent and did not reveal too much information about those on the list.
He looked around the list again and actually found a few familiar names.
One of them was the name of a young man in plain clothes, listed before him, in the seventeenth position.
The other two were Wei Xinghe and Zhao Xiong, a burly man from the Tiancang Sect.
The two are ranked very close together, one at seventy-eighth and the other at eighty-first.
but......
Even two martial arts masters who had reached the peak of the Inner Vessel Realm could only be ranked so far down.
It seems there are quite a few martial arts masters in the world.
Lu Qing looked again and found that there were actually several Seven Kill Tower disciples' names on it.
The most powerful one among them is a person named "Greedy Wolf," who ranks ninth on the list and is extremely formidable.
Most importantly, Lu Qing also discovered a characteristic.
That means that none of the people who made it into the top fifty were over thirty years old.
Even among the bottom fifty, the oldest is only forty-eight years old, which is still considered the prime of life for a martial artist.
In other words, the Hidden Dragon List is actually a very "young" list.
The martial artists above are all at their peak.
"That's right. This Hidden Dragon Ranking lists the martial arts experts who are most likely to break through to the Innate Realm."
Once a person is over thirty, their vital energy and blood will gradually decline from their peak, and the probability of breaking through to the Innate Realm will also decrease accordingly.
The reason why the Wei family head and Zhao Xiong are ranked so low is probably related to their age.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Qing understood the reason.
Not everyone has the talent and luck of a master.
The master who created the health-preserving boxing style was old, but he maintained his energy very well.
He disliked fighting with others and had almost no health problems.
After consuming the Earth Vein Elixir, not only did his body recover to its peak, but he also forged his divine soul power in one fell swoop.
In addition, there is the protection of the light of merit.
Only then could he, in his old age, step into the realm of the innate and create an almost impossible miracle.
Other older martial artists, past fifty or sixty, would find it harder than climbing to heaven to break through without the accumulation and luck of a master.
Therefore, the names of those elderly masters were not on the Hidden Dragon List.
After glancing at the Hidden Dragon Ranking for a while, Lu Qing rolled it up, intending to study it more carefully when he had time.
"Master, what are you thinking about?"
After putting away the Hidden Dragon Ranking, Lu Qing looked up and saw his master with a slight frown, deep in thought.
"I was thinking about what Lord Zhirui said earlier. I also heard people discussing the impending upheaval in the Wei residence. I wonder if it is the same thing he said about the great chaos that is about to break out."
The old doctor was somewhat troubled.
After hearing the young man in plain clothes say that great chaos was about to break out, for some reason, he felt a sense of unease.
This seems to relate to something extremely important.
Lu Qing thought for a moment, and finally said, "Perhaps this disciple knows a little about what Your Excellency Zhi Rui is referring to."
"Ah Qing, do you know?" The old doctor looked up in surprise.
"I'm not entirely sure either, but a while ago, I found a strange book in an old bookstore in the county town. It contained some very peculiar information..."
"...According to that carefree hermit, if his calculations are correct, the so-called spiritual energy revival may be happening in our time."
"And what Your Excellency Zhi Rui meant by the great upheaval that will occur in ten thousand years is perhaps this."
Lu Qing recounted some of the events recorded in the notes left by the carefree hermit.
"The era of cultivation, a resurgence of spiritual energy?"
After hearing Lu Qing's account, the old doctor was dumbfounded.
He never expected that this matter would involve ancient events from tens of thousands of years ago.
only......
"Does the era of cultivation for immortality really exist? Are there really immortals in this world?"
The old doctor found it hard to believe.
Although he was a powerful expert at the Innate Realm, he always regarded the concept of immortals and gods as just a legend.
Hearing that immortals and gods actually exist has truly shocked his mind.
"This disciple also finds it incredible, but after witnessing some things, I feel that this may not be something unfounded, such as the large cauldron in the underground cave of the Wei family," Lu Qing reminded him.
The old doctor suddenly realized what was happening.
Indeed, the large cauldron belonging to the Wei family is truly remarkable.
Not only does it contain profound Taoist principles, but according to Wei Shanhai, it was originally only the size of a finger, yet it has grown to such a large size in the past hundred years.
A cauldron that grows on its own—it doesn't look like an ordinary object at all.
Perhaps only a powerful immortal could create such a mysterious object.
"In that case, it seems that the upheaval His Excellency Zhi Rui spoke of in ten thousand years is indeed referring to this spiritual energy revival," the old doctor sighed.
He had initially thought that what the young man in plain clothes was saying was at most a struggle between sectarian forces, or that another war between prefectures and kingdoms was about to break out.
Unexpectedly, it involved such a tremendous change in the world.
But how should they cope with such a drastic change in the world?
For a moment, the old doctor was somewhat bewildered.
“Master, there’s no need to worry too much. Even if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up.”
Lu Qing noticed his master's confusion and comforted him.
"Although His Excellency Zhi Rui has not explained the reason for the great change, I think he must know something. Even if he doesn't know, the powerful sects behind him must know something."
These sects certainly don't want the world to descend into chaos, so let's wait and see.
The old doctor realized what was happening.
Indeed, even that carefree hermit could find the jade disc. Those powerful sects with millennia of heritage, possessing vast resources and influence, probably know even more hidden information.
They were probably already prepared, waiting for the big change to come.
If that's the case, then what's he worrying about here?
"Well, in the end, we are just doctors. We are insignificant and can only do so much. Treating the sick and saving lives is our duty. As for the affairs of the world, let the major sects worry about them."
After the old doctor figured it out, his mindset changed immediately, and he spoke in a relaxed tone.
Seeing this, Lu Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, although Master was kind-hearted, he always regarded himself only as a doctor and had no ambition to save people from all walks of life.
Otherwise, if he gets stuck on something, he really wouldn't know how to comfort him.
While Lu Qing and his master were chatting idly.
Unbeknownst to him, the outside world was in an uproar over the newly released rankings of the Hidden Dragon List by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.
The reason, of course, is that his name appears on it.
