Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint

Chapter 446: Chapter 200: Clouds Surging

Soon after, the members of the Wutai Sect and the Xuanjia Sect were also guided to their respective rooms by an inn attendant.

Despite the minor disturbance earlier, everything had ended without any real danger.

In their room, Chu Jinyun and Sang Yanping sat opposite each other, the flickering candlelight casting shadows on their grave faces.

"I never thought we’d run into Ruan Wenju here."

"His power is immense," Chu Jinyun said in a low voice. "Over a decade ago, he was already at Late-stage Astral Force, his might renowned throughout Celestial Balance Prefecture. Now... I wonder if he’s reached the Realm of Perfection."

Ruan Wenju looked to be around forty, but in truth, he was from the same generation as He Yuzhou.

It was no wonder she was worried.

The gap between each minor realm in the Outer Astral Realm was like a chasm. If Ruan Wenju had truly reached Perfection, the threat he posed would be far beyond what they could imagine.

Beneath Sang Yanping’s graying eyebrows, his gaze was as placid as an ancient well.

He slowly filled a cup of tea, his voice steady. "Don’t worry. The Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s selection on Xu Wang Mountain is imminent, a major event watched by all Three Paths. No matter how audacious Ruan Wenju might be, he wouldn’t dare to act recklessly at this moment and openly defy the order maintained by the Upper Sect."

"Our primary duty on this trip is to escort these disciples safely to Xu Wang Mountain, and I believe Ruan Wenju’s goal is the same. His Chaoyang Sect also needs this opportunity to present its talented prospects, so he would never cause trouble now and risk a great loss for a minor gain."

He took a sip of hot tea and continued, "He didn’t use the earlier incident as a pretext to cause trouble. Instead, he went straight upstairs. That action made his attitude clear—he has no desire to escalate the conflict right now. For both our sects, maintaining a superficial peace is currently the greatest advantage."

"Mm."

Hearing this, the deep furrow in Chu Jinyun’s brow relaxed slightly.

Sang Yanping’s analysis was sound. Ruan Wenju’s actions earlier had indeed seemed more like avoidance than provocation.

Fengye County was currently a chaotic mix of powerful figures. The Puppet Sect was based here, and no matter how influential the Chaoyang Sect was, it still had to be wary of the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s authority.

Chen Qing returned to his room and shut the door.

The room was sparsely furnished but clean.

First, he reached into his sleeve, and a Bone-Eroding Spider slowly crawled out.

The future of this long journey was uncertain, so he had brought every asset he could. The Bone-Eroding Spider was no exception.

He had spent several years and many precious materials raising it, and it had now fully matured. Its carapace was a glossy, dark black, and an acrid stench emanated from its mandibles as they opened and closed. The silk it produced was exceptionally tough and laced with a sinister poison, making it a powerful asset in a critical moment.

He carefully took out a specially formulated Poison Feeding Pill and fed it to the spider. Only after watching it quietly settle down to absorb the pill’s power did he feel at ease.

After finishing, Chen Qing quickly washed up, changed into a clean green robe, and went downstairs to the inn’s main hall.

At that moment, Nie Shanshan, Yan Yaoyang, Li Wang, and Li Lei, along with Shi Ziyi and Fang Rui from the Xuanjia Sect, were gathered around a table.

They were staring with grave expressions at a silk scroll spread out on the table, discussing something in low voices. They seemed to have no appetite, not even touching the food that had been served.

"What’s going on?"

Chen Qing walked over and asked.

"Junior Brother Chen, you’re here."

Yan Yaoyang looked up and handed the silk scroll to Chen Qing. "Take a look at this. It’s the latest issue of the Heroes’ Record, published by Pingjiang Pavilion, the largest intelligence network in the Three Paths. They supposedly expended immense effort to compile a preliminary list of the talented disciples likely to participate in the Xu Wang Mountain selection, complete with a rough ranking based on their strength and combat achievements."

"Oh!?"

Hearing this, Chen Qing took the so-called list and examined it closely.

The scroll was made of a special silk, and the writing on it was exceptionally clear.

His eyes scanned it quickly, and he soon found his own name.

Sixty-fifth: Chen Qing.

Shen Xiuyong’s name was ranked eighty-third, with a note beside it: veteran Early-stage Astral Force, solid foundation, richly experienced.

Further down, the list ended abruptly after the one hundred and fiftieth name.

Xiao Bieli’s name appeared at one hundred forty-fourth, with a clear note that he cultivated two paths of True Qi—Cold Ice and Langyue—and had reached Embracing Pill Power Perfection.

’I wonder how strong the Chaoyang Sect’s disciples are?’

Chen Qing’s gaze swept toward the top of the rankings, and he soon noticed that the Chaoyang Sect had three members on the list.

"Ninth: Zhao Cheng, Chaoyang Sect, Late-stage Astral Force."

"Twenty-third: Liu Wu, Chaoyang Sect, Mid-stage Astral Force."

"Seventy-first: Ruan Hongjin, Chaoyang Sect, Early-stage Astral Force."

Chen Qing was inwardly alarmed. ’The Chaoyang Sect truly lives up to its reputation as the hegemon of a prefecture. Its foundation is incredibly deep, producing one genius after another.’

The strongest from the Chaoyang Sect was Zhao Cheng. At nearly forty, he just barely met the age requirement for the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect’s selection.

He also spotted Duan Shan of the Puppet Sect, whom he had briefly encountered outside the inn. He was ranked fifty-fifth, with a high evaluation.

"Only one hundred and fifty rankings?" Chen Qing asked, looking up.

’This means countless geniuses at Late-stage Embracing Pill Force didn’t even qualify for the list.’

Li Wang sighed. "Only one hundred and fifty names. People like us... we can’t even get close to making the list."

His words voiced the thoughts of most people present.

Yan Yaoyang and Nie Shanshan, in particular, lowered their heads, their expressions grim.

Back in Yunlin Prefecture, they were part of the highly acclaimed Five Heroes and Seven Talents, darlings of the heavens. Yet on the grand stage of the Three Paths and Fifty-One Mansions, they didn’t even qualify for this preliminary list. The disparity was immense.

The other disciples also wore solemn expressions, and the atmosphere grew oppressive.

The list offered a narrow glimpse, yet it was enough to feel the terrifying pressure of the competition for the Xu Wang Mountain selection.

Even someone as strong as Chen Qing, with his Astral Force Cultivation and a verifiable achievement of slaying a Demon Sect master, was only ranked sixty-fifth. This meant there were more than sixty other Astral Force experts ahead of him who were potentially even stronger!