Looking at the latest rankings on the Weapon Register, Shen Monkey fell silent.
To be honest, had it been one of the unofficial rankings circulating in the martial world—like the Hidden Dragon Ranking or the Fledgling Phoenix Ranking—he might have suspected someone was deliberately praising him to engineer his fall.
Yet the Weapon Register was different.
As a divine weapon used specifically by the Dashun imperial court to oversee martial renown, the Weapon Register never erred; whatever position one held accurately reflected one's true strength.
What was more, in all honesty, Shen Monkey felt the ranking might even be a little low when he recalled the climax of the incident in Longxing County—that strike Wang Ping had unleashed with the Dragon Head Guillotine, the terrifying destructive might that could be clearly felt even across a barrier, the storm of colored light that obliterated everything in its path...
The shifting expressions on Shen Monkey's face did not escape Chen Dragon's notice.
"Fascinating."
Stepping aside, Chen Dragon beckoned Shen Monkey and You Rooster into the inner courtyard, asking curiously, "You don't seem shocked. Past the initial surprise, you accepted the reality very quickly. So in your eyes, this Wang Ping's strength truly matches his rank?"
"Far more than matches it."
At this stage, Shen Monkey naturally held nothing back. He immediately recounted everything he had experienced in Longxing County from start to finish with vivid detail.
After listening to his account, Chen Dragon immediately drew a conclusion:
"His divine intent has undergone a qualitative leap... Remarkable."
Tapping his fingers against the tabletop, Chen Dragon said with certainty, "Divine intent accelerating its feedback into reality and driving the physical body to accelerate in turn—that is the hallmark of divine intent undergoing a qualitative leap.
"No wonder he was placed sixth on the Weapon Register. A titled martial master whose divine intent has undergone a qualitative leap could easily have joined the top five were there any vacancies. With cultivation like that, he only needs to refine this mortal shell a little further and use his divine intent to drive a qualitative leap in his physical body, and he will be a martial arts grandmaster."
"Seriously?"
To the side, You Rooster, who looked like a youth, clicked his tongue in amazement. "A martial arts grandmaster? I've practiced for so long and still haven't caught a clue, yet his talent is higher than mine?"
"Much higher than yours."
Chen Dragon shook his head and marveled, "A qualitative leap in divine intent—how many titled martial masters live out their entire lives from birth to old age, sickness, and death without ever seeing through this step? It can truly be called a chasm in the martial path.
"Cross it, and the sky opens wide to boundless seas.
"Fail to cross it, and one remains an ordinary mortal for all time.
"This Wang Ping is barely twenty years old, yet he has already completed this step. The only way to describe him is exceptionally gifted. No wonder you hold him in such high regard, Shen Monkey."
"That's not entirely so," Shen Monkey said, shaking his head with a sigh. "For a martial arts grandmaster, divine intent is a hurdle, but isn't the physical body a hurdle as well? Using divine intent to guide a qualitative leap in the flesh is a matter of life and death in a single thought. The slightest misstep, and the flesh mutates, reducing one to nothing more than another evil entity..."
"Fair point."
Chen Dragon nodded, then changed the subject. "Still, I never expected Wang Ping's title on the Weapon Register would turn out to be the Dragon Head Guillotine. It seems that blade strike of his was truly breathtaking. A pity I couldn't witness it with my own eyes."
At this point, Chen Dragon suddenly looked up. "Right, speaking of evil entities... the White Lotus Sect in Longxing County—has the truth behind Liansheng Bodhisattva backing them been uncovered?"
"Yes, it has."
Shen Monkey nodded. "Not an ordinary evil entity, but a puppet of a thaumaturge. Their methods are extraordinarily sophisticated, and their identity... in all likelihood, they hail from the immortal sects in the heavens above."
"Is that why you suppressed the news?" Chen Dragon asked.
"Indeed," Shen Monkey sighed. "One must admit that while Wang Ping is a once-in-a-millennium martial prodigy, the trouble clinging to him is as vast as his talent."
"Xu Bingzheng and Li Yiran?"
Chen Dragon sneered. "He merely killed two scholars from the Imperial Academy; that amounts to nothing. Even if the Imperial Academy found out, what could they possibly do?"
Hearing this, Shen Monkey shook his head.
"This has nothing to do with the Imperial Academy."
With that, he pulled a dossier from his robes. "These are the findings after I commissioned a friend in the Divine Constabulary to secretly investigate Wang Ping.
"He has three identities. Originally, he was merely a villager from a rural hamlet outside Longxing County, who later died in the chaos of battle. His second identity was a newly appointed constable at the Longxing County yamen, who died at Xu Bingzheng's hands. His third identity is in the Son of Heaven's Imperial Guard, a member of the gold-bearing armed cavalry with an impeccably clean background.
"The three identities never existed at the same time.
"Rather, the first died, and after some time, the second appeared. The second died, and after another interval, the third appeared.
"Every single identity has a traceable origin and complete records.
"Yet for none of these identities is there a living soul besides himself who can verify them—there is only a stack of paperwork, almost as if they were conjured out of thin air.
"Even right now.
"This persona of the Great Hero of the Shu Region came about just as strangely. For some reason, word of it spread everywhere, and he was even championed by the outlaws of the Shu region as a rebel king..."
Hearing this, Chen Dragon understood.
"You think he can revive after death and assume a new identity?" Chen Dragon chuckled. "Truth be told, that is hardly an earth-shattering ability. Divine weapons, evil entities, and thaumaturges can all accomplish such a thing. Besides, didn't you mention earlier that he does indeed possess a divine weapon capable of controlling fiends? Perhaps this is merely that divine weapon's esoteric power?"
Shen Monkey sighed upon hearing this. "If it were merely the wondrous workings of a divine weapon, that would be one thing. My main worry is that the situation is the reverse... Not that a martial artist obtained a divine weapon, but that a divine weapon developed sentience, seized a mortal's body, forged an identity, and infiltrated the imperial court. To put it bluntly, I fear he is a spy from the heavens above."
Before he could finish, Chen Dragon burst out laughing.
"Old Shen, oh Old Shen, you worry too much... A celestial spy? How could those aloof, high-and-mighty immortals ever deign to care about rough martial artists like us? Besides, didn't you say it yourself... in the end, Longxing County emerged safe and sound."
Shen Monkey nodded. "The Imperial Academy's scheme failed, the White Lotus Sect mysteriously retreated, and the lifespans of all the law-abiding citizens and common folk in the county were returned."
"That is more than enough."
The corners of Chen Dragon's mouth curved into a smile. "He ruined the schemes of the heavens above. That in itself is the greatest pledge of allegiance. If that makes him a spy, I'd gladly take several more like him sent our way!"
With that, the current helmsman of the Royal Enshrinement Hall stood up and said, "Come, I shall go with you to meet this Wang Ping."
"You want to go see him in person?"
Shen Monkey was taken aback. "The First Seat is in secluded cultivation, Chou Ox and the others are away on missions, and right now the Enshrinement Hall relies entirely on you to hold the fort. How can you leave the capital?"
"I'll just make it a quick trip."
Chen Dragon rubbed his hands together. "Old dog Cheng Bochun ended up in the Imperial Hospital, throwing the Imperial Academy into disarray. They have no time to cause us trouble, making this the perfect opportunity to slip away. Besides, if we're recruiting a new enshrinee, how can I make the final call without meeting him in person?"
"True enough..."
Shen Monkey nodded, then seemed to remember something and pressed, "But with the First Seat absent, we won't be able to settle on which title to bestow on him, will we?"
"Well..."
Chen Dragon's brow furrowed at the question. But before he could speak, a gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, bringing with it a voice:
"Shen Monkey, did you say he mastered the Thirteen Taipo Horizontal Training Hard Qi Art?"
The voice was not deep or resonant; rather, it was ethereal and airy.
Before the words had faded, the previously relaxed Chen Dragon, Shen Monkey, and You Rooster all snapped to attention. Without the slightest hesitation, they bowed together.
"Greetings, First Seat!"
Immediately after, Shen Monkey hurried to answer, "Reporting to the First Seat, he indeed mastered it."
The voice sounded again: "How long did it take him?"
"A single night!"
At those words, the breeze in the courtyard suddenly whipped into a gale, and the voice grew ever clearer:
"Chen Dragon, put aside the trivial affairs of the capital and go see this man at once. I grant you permission to impart the Martial God Catalog to him. Let us see how long it takes him to master it this time.
"Within a thousand days, and he shall be the next Yin Tiger.
"Within a hundred days, and you shall also impart the Five Weapons Sacred Lord to him.
"Within ten days, report back to me, and I shall meet him in person."
Chen Dragon cupped his hands and voiced his assent, but inwardly he shook his head: 'To think even the First Seat was listening in... But the First Seat is measuring others by his own standards; these requirements are set far too high.'
Within a thousand days—mastering the Martial God Catalog in less than three years?
One had to know that this was universally acknowledged as the paramount internal cultivation art in the world today. Thinking back to his own youth, he had studied it for three years and bitterly trained for another thirteen before barely mastering it.
And within the Enshrinement Hall, his talent was second only to the First Seat's among all the martial artists.
Even if that Wang Ping were stronger than him, he couldn't possibly surpass him by that much. Demanding mastery within a thousand days was undoubtedly setting him up for failure, let alone the conditions of a hundred days or ten days.
In other words:
'The First Seat intentionally set such an impossibly high standard because he actually wants me to temper the newcomer, keeping him from growing arrogant. That way, he won't lose control of his transformed divine intent and take a wrong path when breaking through to grandmaster in the future, turning into an evil entity. Yes, that must be it. The First Seat's intentions are truly thoughtful...'
It was just a pity for the newcomer.
After all, he was a favored son of heaven, proud and ambitious, yet he was about to smash his head against a bottleneck until he bled. It would probably take him a long time to recover afterward.
After lamenting for a moment, Chen Dragon cheered up again.
'Still, according to what the First Seat said, I can stay out and about for at least a thousand days? That's wonderful! I won't have to keep rotting in this prison of a capital.'
Even as an esteemed martial arts grandmaster, true freedom was hard to come by in this paragon city of the realm. Having to intrigue and scheme against others every day was thoroughly stifling.
He had long had his fill of it.
At that thought, Chen Dragon couldn't help but grin, looking forward to the future.
The world was vast, and he wanted to see it!
Such a rare long vacation—he would journey through the four quarters of the Central Plains, the Eastern Sea, the Northern Plains, the Western Border, and the Southern Ridges, taking in all the exotic sights and foreign wonders!
Chapter 84