Chapter 1065: Chapter 1064 109_1
The Emperor List might look like a booklet, but it was actually made of silk fabric, and the writing on it was not done with ink, but intricately embroidered by the weavers of the "Moon Silkworm Workshop," with unmatched craftsmanship that made it nearly impossible to counterfeit.
Of course, this was the limited edition of the Emperor List, available only to a select few. The common edition circulating in the market was indistinguishable from ordinary books.
Flipping open the first page was an introduction to the Emperor List, including its origins, the compiling members, and even the information it gathered, all meant to demonstrate the utmost fairness of the list.
Indeed, it was a collaboration crafted by the four great intelligence organizations, and hardly anyone would have doubts about it.
Turning to the second page, Shi Xiaole’s gaze immediately sharpened.
"Number one on the Emperor List, the Flying Horse Martial Emperor, a forbidden-level master! This man is nine hundred and twenty-six years old, began practicing martial arts at seven, absorbed Qi that same year, harnessed Xuan Qi at eight, and defeated a Dragon Gate Realm Lord with a single move upon debuting at eighteen. He achieved Void Origin at sixty-two and has been unbeatable throughout the world since his hundredth birthday..."
A lengthy yet concise introduction allowed people to grasp the life story of the Martial Emperor, which could probably only be described with the words "unmatched in his generation, a natural-born genius."
Indeed, before Zhang Xiangfeng and Shi Xiaole came into the picture, any reference to martial arts record and you could never bypass the two words "Martial Emperor." To this day, only a few people know his original name because no name fits him as appropriately as "Martial Emperor"!
Emperor among martial artists, this title isn’t just a realm, but also the honorific used by the entire Martial World to address him.
Moving his eyes down, Shi Xiaole quickly found that after the Martial Emperor’s biography, what followed were his martial path’s name, characteristics, and martial arts, among other things.
"Martial Path: Emperor’s Martial Way, one of the rare Supreme Martial Arts in the world, possessing the power to make people submit, reigning supreme, and none dare to defy..."
The effects of any Supreme Martial Arts are beyond the guesswork of outsiders, even for the four great intelligence organizations. Therefore, the description of the Emperor’s Martial Way was brief. Still, even so, it was enough to amaze the readers.
"Martial Arts: Emperor’s Eight Heavens Skill, one of the top martial arts, presumably taught to the Martial Emperor by a mysterious individual in his child years, complementing the Emperor’s Martial Way."
Shock ran through Shi Xiaole’s heart.
Matching martial paths with martial arts was already rare, but pairing a Supreme Martial Arts with top martial arts could unleash unimaginable power. No wonder the Martial Emperor was ranked first on the Emperor List.
Shi Xiaole turned the third page with relish.
"Number two on the Emperor List, the Daxia Martial Emperor, a forbidden-level master..."
"Martial Emperor" is an honorific title and a totem of the Martial World. Each of the three great dynasties, the hundred states of the Western Region, and even the islands of the West Sea have their own Martial Emperor, which makes five in total.
Theoretically, these five are the top five experts of the Martial World.
But to Shi Xiaole’s surprise, ranked third on the Emperor List wasn’t another Martial Emperor but the master of the Ghost Carriage! His talents were described as nothing less than those of the Flying Horse Martial Emperor, and his cultivation was regarded as unique, belonging to the type that accumulates power over a long time before unleashing it.
This revelation caused many readers’ hearts to skip a beat.
A slow accumulation of power to release a sudden force, could this be the foundation of the Ghost Carriage master’s confidence?
"Number four on the Emperor List, the Western Region Martial Emperor."
"Number five on the Emperor List, the West Sea Martial Emperor."
"Number six on the Emperor List, the Northern Liang Martial Emperor."
"Number seven on the Emperor List, the Dark Axe Emperor."
...
Among the top twenty masters, the Daxia Dynasty had six, the West Sea archipelago had five, and the Flying Horse Dynasty, Bei Liang Dynasty, and the hundred states of the Western Region had three each, roughly reflecting the strengths of the various martial factions.
Of course, although the Flying Horse Dynasty was short on numbers, they boasted high quality, with two among the top five experts, so in the hearts of the people of the world, they were just as weighty as the Daxia Dynasty.
It is worth mentioning that Shi Xiaole also saw Uncle Wang high up in ninth place on the Emperor List, but with Uncle Wang’s strength, such a ranking was only to be expected.
Continuing to browse, Shi Xiaole found that among the top one hundred masters, there was not a single person below five hundred years old; the oldest even reached over three thousand four hundred years.
It made sense—reaching the level of Void Origin Realm, while talent would still have layers, the gap wouldn’t be that significant for most people beyond a few exceptional individuals, and it certainly would require time to climb.
The longer the cultivation time, the more theoretical lead one would have—it is a high-probability event, and there is nothing to argue against it.
Additionally, many names were completely unheard of, some dating hundreds, even thousands of years back; some had never even made a public debut.
This fact alone showed that apart from the South Sea and Miaojiang, the four great intelligence organizations truly made full efforts, flipping though all the high-profile, secluded, and hidden masters, leaving no stone unturned.
It can be said that this Emperor List is, to date, the most comprehensive list of top martial artists in the Martial World!
Shi Xiaole suddenly raised an eyebrow.
Seeing this, Qu Wuyan, Zhu Ling, Su Yanru, Xia Yunxi, and even Niu Dali and Qiu Mingyue all started to smile.
"Number one hundred and nine on the Emperor List, Shi Xiaole, a first-tier Heavenly Realm expert! Ranked first in the Ten Thousand Forms Stele talent assessment, one of the eight unparalleled swordsmen on the Sword Evaluation Mountain, acclaimed as the unparalleled prodigy of all time, a rare swordsmanship genius."
"At fifteen years old, he was at the second level of the Hidden Qi Realm. That same year, he began to show his prodigious nature, first standing out in the talent contest of Qingxue State and snatching the laurel crown."
"Later, he became famous in a battle at the Linjiang Immortal Gathering in Xuanwu State, and then at the Endless Risky Peak, he fought against the Destroying Saint Sect’s Holy Son... Along the way, he constantly created miracles, surpassing the Divine Border I with the power of the Dragon Gate Realm, and ascending to the Void Origin Realm at the age of thirty-nine, hailed as unparalleled under heaven. In the Martial World of the Flying Horse Dynasty, his peerless combat strength is described as crushing those at the same level, establishing an unprecedented legacy..."
In Shi Xiaole’s martial arts profile, unprecedentedly, two martial arts are marked, making it a unique case on the Emperor List.
After reading through the lengthy introduction, Shi Xiaole himself felt that the person described was too exceptional, too extraordinary, yet as the person in question, he had never realized this before.
Perhaps it is just so, people often take the path they’ve walked for granted, little knowing that what they leave behind to the world is an insurmountable shadow.
The people in the pavilion, looking at the young man in green clothes who was deep in thought with a calm expression, all felt as if they were in a dream. The person who had been so highly praised by the Emperor List as unparalleled in both heaven and earth was sitting right there before their very eyes.
To others, his deeds were legendary, but to them, they were real events, unforgettable experiences in a lifetime.
"Xiaole is in his forties and already ranked one hundred and nine. When he reaches a hundred years old, getting to the top of the Emperor List won’t be a problem. By that time, old Niu can proudly say that the number one expert in the Martial World is my brother, hahaha!"
Niu Dali threw back his head and gulped down a large mouthful of liquor.
Qiu Mingyue did not roll her eyes this time; instead, she smiled and scolded him, "As if you’re the clever one!"
But the Mandarin Duck Blade Lovers and the Purple Wood Sword Emperor had complex looks in their eyes.
No matter how they had estimated Shi Xiaole’s strength or how optimistic they were about him, seeing the actual ranking given by the Emperor List still brought a feeling of unspeakable shock.
This is almost an official ranking, acknowledged after including all experts from the five lands, certifying him as the one hundred and ninth in the Martial World. There might be omissions, there might be errors, but it was largely accurate. And how old was he again?
Shi Xiaole quickly finished reading through the Emperor List and made another astonishing discovery.
Among these five hundred top experts, there were actually three Martial Emperors under a hundred years old. Aside from himself, there was the Fiery Flame Child Emperor ranked at number two hundred and ninety-six, and Monk Liaolia ranked at number four hundred and twenty-three.
The Fiery Flame Child Emperor was from the Secret Sect of the Western Region and was ninety-one years old. Monk Liaolia was from the Shaolin Temple of the Flying Horse Dynasty, only eighty-six years old, both of them first-tier Heavenly Realm Martial Emperors.
"From the one hundred and second place onwards, all are of the first-tier Heavenly Realm level, and the gap in strength between them is not large. The Emperor List has been out for a few days now, and there have already been several challenges, all initiated by those ranked lower against those ranked higher. However, all results proved victorious for those with the higher rankings, which also confirmed the fairness of the list."
Xia Yunxi glanced at Shi Xiaole and said in a low voice, "I heard that the Fiery Flame Child Emperor is in seclusion, and he has made claims that once his seclusion ends, he is going to challenge the heroes of the world and become the foremost under a hundred years old."
Caught among the four hundred and ninety-seven ’old fellows,’ these three Martial Emperors under a hundred years old were hard not to notice and naturally drew various comparisons.
It was just that the Fiery Flame Child Emperor had a volatile temper and was extremely proud. His words before seclusion clearly pointed a finger at Shi Xiaole, heralding something.
Su Yanru also said, "I heard that the Fiery Flame Child Emperor is the Secret Sect’s once-in-a-millennium prodigy. He has cultivated their Turn-the-Sky God-slaying Art to a level that rivals his predecessors. This seclusion is for the purpose of surpassing them. Lele, you mustn’t let your guard down."
Above the heavens, there are other heavens; beyond men, there are other men. Despite Shi Xiaole’s smooth sailing, one must not underestimate the people under heaven. As his aunt, Su Yanru was worried that he might suffer an unexpected setback.
The others also offered reminders.
Mainly because the introduction of the Fiery Flame Child Emperor was terrifying. Any martial art that he practiced turned from decay to marvelous achievement. His cultivation of the "Turn-the-Sky God-slaying Art" was even said to have the power to slay gods. With each breakthrough, his power would increase manifold.
Shi Xiaole gave a faint smile and said, "Rest assured, I know what I’m doing."
Of course, he wouldn’t underestimate anyone, but he also had no need to place too much importance on this.
On the contrary, this was precisely the sort of atmosphere a grand era should have. Aside from the Fiery Flame Child Emperor and Monk Liaolia, there was Zhang Xiangfeng who obtained the "Golden Pellet Great Method." His strength was bound to improve by leaps and bounds daily, and entering the Emperor List was just a matter of time.
Then there were the three prodigies and Hua Yiyun who were simply too young. Given appropriate age and the resources of Nine Heavens Mountain, they were sure to be top experts on the Emperor List. And not to mention others, either not yet debuted or currently in hiding.
The throne of the genius leader is not something one can just decide to sit upon. Whether Shi Xiaole acknowledged it or not, he was already in that position, basking in the highest glory while inevitably becoming the target of countless others.
If he wanted to defend his throne, he needed to defeat one challenger after another, withstand wave upon wave of assaults. Victory would secure his position as the unrivaled leader, while defeat would make him a stepping stone for another leader.
Shi Xiaole never feared challenges; let him see just how strong the prodigies of this grand era are. Let him also discover where his own limits truly lie.
