Collecting the Corpse

The moment the post went live, it was flooded with traffic. The comment count rocketed past 99+ in seconds, and views mounted at a rate of dozens per second. Zhang Yuanqing clicked into the post, and after the webpage lagged for several seconds, the contents finally refreshed on screen. "Disclaimer: This ranking is based on past combat records, reputation, items, and other data. It is not one hundred percent definitive and is intended for reference only." 1: Zhao Chenghuang, Taiyi Sect, Level 3 Night Wanderer. [Notes: Great-grandson of Elder Zhao of the Taiyi Sect. Reached Level 3 three years ago and was the third-place finisher in that year's tournament. For unknown reasons, he has deliberately held himself back at the Transcendent stage and delayed his advancement to Saint. Zhao Chenghuang keeps an exceptionally low profile and rarely clashes with others. According to reliable sources, his sparring partners are walkers of the Saint stage; Transcendent-stage walkers can no longer catch his eye.] [Reason for Ranking: Maxed-out experience, well-stocked with items, commands a Level 4 yin corpse (Fire Master), and has honed every Night Wanderer skill to perfection.] 2: Earth God, Central Court, Level 3 Earth Monster. [Notes: Finished in the top five of last year's tournament. The old man specializes in pure defense. People still remember that year's champion nearly collapsing from sheer exhaustion and surrendering to him. Most of the top ten participants from back then are already Saints now. In a sense, Earth God and Zhao Chenghuang walk the same path, having tempered themselves at the Transcendent stage for years. The old gentleman has returned this year, and with that heavy armor of his—tsk, tsk—we believe many people are already beginning to panic.] [Reason for Ranking: Stacking the thickest armor to take the hardest beatings; the old master is still the master.] 3: Sun Miaomiao, Taiyi Sect, Level 3 Night Wanderer. [Notes: Miaomiao acquired her character card early last year. In just a year and a half, she has reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent stage with her superb talent. Because of her beauty and charm, she is immensely popular within the Taiyi Sect. It is worth mentioning that Sun Miaomiao is Elder Sun's granddaughter and is said to command an enviably large number of spirit servants.] [Reason for Ranking: During a trial against the evil factions, she was ambushed by two Level 3 evil class walkers and withdrew unscathed with poise.] 4: World Returns to Fire, Scarlet Fire Gang, Level 3 Fire Master. [Notes: A rare strategist among Fire Masters. Has cleared Grade A dungeons twice and is a genius capable of matching evil classes of the same level. Early this year, he was exceptionally recruited into the 'Shennong Guards' by the Fire Prince.] [Reason for Ranking: Compared to the three ahead of him, what he lacks is seniority and spending power.] 5: Tone-Deaf, Water God Palace, Level 3 Musician. [Notes: Under normal circumstances, a Musician at the Transcendent stage is positioned as support. However, thanks to an item called the 'Music Slave,' Tone-Deaf has become a powerhouse capable of both damage and support. He is exceptionally well-known within his local jurisdiction and has assisted Deacons in capturing numerous rogue practitioners and evil class walkers who violated regulations.] [Reason for Ranking: When a support can deal heavy damage, it's a terrifying thing.] 6: Jiang Jingwei, Scarlet Fire Gang, Level 3 Fire Master. [Notes: A child of a certain high-ranking member of the Scarlet Fire Gang, her background is shrouded in mystery. Some might know that Dominator-stage Fire Masters universally have red hair, which was said in ancient times to symbolize a Body of Fire Virtue. Jiang Jingwei is not a Dominator, yet was born with red hair, which conveniently corroborates the rumors of her high-ranking lineage.] [Reason for Ranking: Innate Fire Virtue. Such individuals possess tremendous fire affinity. Her control and usage of flame far exceed those of ordinary Fire Masters, making her a rare existence on par with top-tier classes.] 7: Qingsongzi, Baihui, Level 3 Wood Monster. [Notes: Be it a Night Wanderer adept at self-healing or an Earth Monster with boundless stamina, no one at the Transcendent stage can compete with Qingsongzi in physical endurance. We eagerly look forward to a match between him and old master Earth God.] [Reason for Ranking: You might drop dead of exhaustion, but he never will. A top-tier workhorse.] 8: Yuan Ting, Taiyi Sect, Level 3 Night Wanderer. [Notes: As one of the sixteen captains in the Taiyi Sect's Songhai branch, being assigned to an ultra-first-tier city is in itself an endorsement of his strength. Yuan Ting completed his training camp career back then as an outstanding graduate. Recently, for certain reasons, he was recalled to the camp by Elder Sun and subjected to grueling, hellish refinement, causing his strength to leap forward.] [Reason for Ranking: Elder Sun made a huge mistake!] 9: Maoshan Daoist, Taiyi Sect, Level 3 Night Wanderer. 10: Pawn Crossing the River, White Tiger Battalion, Level 3 Scout. 11: Yuanshi Tianzun, White Tiger Battalion, Level 3 Night Wanderer. [Notes 1: Regarding this walker's rank, we engaged in fierce and serious debate. After careful analysis combining his past records, physical combat, items, and other data, we believe his true caliber belongs in the top five. However, the tournament focuses on dueling rather than death matches, which greatly restricts the use of items. Excluding overpowered items, Yuanshi Tianzun's intrinsic combat prowess is not particularly outstanding. Therefore, placing him at 11 is relatively objective and fair.] [Notes 2: This individual has cleared two Grade S and one Grade A dungeon. If matched into a 'scenario-based' arena, Yuanshi Tianzun's combat power will surge straight into the top three.] [Reason for Ranking: Unquestionably, this is the most dazzling rising star in the Five Elements Alliance this year.] *What kind of bullcrap ranking is this? Wang Tai was one of the contributors, wasn't he? I'm gonna go beat him up...* Zhang Yuanqing forced himself to read through all top twenty entrants, silently gritting his teeth. He had anticipated that he wouldn't be ranked near the very top—fifth at best—but he never expected to be placed at eleventh. Who were they looking down on? *Hmph, they miscalculated one thing. It's true that I have strong items, but my items aren't one-hit-kill weapons. The Yinyang Robe is a formation-type item, totally different from Guan Ya's spear.* *Strictly speaking, I don't possess the kind of domineering item that instantly kills on hit. Even with the Red Dancing Shoes' pursuit ability, I can cancel it as the owner. As for the Bloodthirsty Blade, all I have to do is avoid striking vitals.* *So my strength won't be severely nerfed by the tournament rules at all. Once the fighting starts, I'll give all of you a huge surprise. Besides, I haven't even factored in my yin corpse...* Zhang Yuanqing was thoroughly displeased with the ranking. Still, he had to admit one thing: against the top ten on the list, especially the top three, he might not win even if he went all out. Take "Earth God," for instance. Among his trump cards, the Red Bridal Veil couldn't be used. As for the Yinyang Robe, in the Five Elements, Earth overcame Water, while Fire produced Earth, directly hard-countering the robe. He probably wouldn't even be able to breach the old man's defenses. The first- and third-ranked competitors were both Night Wanderers at Level 3 with near-maxed experience bars, and both came from prominent Spirit Realm families, meaning they certainly wouldn't lack powerful items. Zhang Yuanqing had no confidence against either of them. *Sun Miaomiao is Elder Sun's granddaughter. Elder Sun's reputation is in tatters because of me—will she target me? If I want to fight for first place, the chances of running into her are extremely high.* *And the others in the top ten each have unique traits. They're all formidable opponents where one misstep could land you in a trap. I'll need to hit up Wang Tai later for detailed files on them.* Once he cooled down, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized that taking first place would be extraordinarily difficult, but the Houtu Boots were something he had to acquire. Looking further ahead, they were vital to his growth during the Saint stage and even the Dominator stage. In the short term, assembling two pieces of the Heaven-Worship Attire would likely grant set attributes or skill buffs, greatly improving his odds of surviving the killing trial. *Let's see what the comments are saying...* He scrolled down the screen, browsing through the comments left by official walkers. [Please Call Me Queen: What is this garbage? How is my Yuanshi Tianzun only ranked 11? Trash tier list, ptui!] Sure enough, that woman was there. [Wangfei: Yuanshi Tianzun's rank is a bit low, but it's still fairly reasonable. As for the others, I think it's fine. At least the top three make total sense.] [Cephalosporin with Liquor, The More You Drink The Better It Gets: Fine? My heart went cold reading this. Just yesterday people were saying we can't let the Houtu Boots fall into the Taiyi Sect's hands, and look at it now—two of the top three are Night Wanderers.] [George the Pig: There's nothing we can do about that. Among the orderly classes, Night Wanderers are in a league of their own. If the top three were all Five Elements Alliance people, that'd be what's truly unreasonable. Besides, don't we still have old master Earth God? Maybe the old man can grind both number one and number three into the ground.] [No Women No Fun: Hey pig above, you've got some nerve saying that. Earth God is sixty years old, and he still has to carry the banner for the Five Elements Alliance's Transcendent stage.] [White Dragon: Dammit, I didn't make the list. What's worse is that in our entire Kangyang District, not a single captain-level walker made it on.] [Tang Guoqiang: That's enough, that's enough. At least we have Yuanshi, though I do think his rank is a bit low. Besides, isn't Yuan Ting from Kangyang District too?] [Da Jiba: At least we signed up. Li Dongze, that wimp, didn't even have the guts to register.] Zhang Yuanqing kept scrolling down, but surprisingly, not a single person questioned the top three rankings. That was not a good sign. *If I can't take first place this time, I can only hope that my second solo Spirit Realm appears before the killing trial. Let's see what the Demon Lord's character card exclusive reward brings,* Zhang Yuanqing thought. Next, he opened the top twenty list for the Saint stage. 1: Fu Qingyang, White Tiger Battalion, Level 6 Swordsman. [Notes: Eldest young master of the Fu family, a prominent Spirit Realm clan. Fu Qingyang is hailed as the Five Elements Alliance's strongest Saint, the foremost figure beneath the Dominators. Even top-tier classes like Night Wanderers and evil-class Saints pale in comparison to him. Few know why he can be so overwhelmingly powerful as an ordinary orderly class. After extended research and comparison, we have finally analyzed the secret behind his strength...] [Reason for Ranking: His skill borders the Dao!] *Swordsman? The class advancement for Scout is called Swordsman? Uh, that seems to make sense. Fu Qingyang's main item is a bronze sword... What does 'his skill borders the Dao' mean? Does it mean his swordplay is insanely strong?* Zhang Yuanqing continued reading down to second place. 2: Ghost King of Fengdu, Taiyi Sect, Level 6 Star Official. [Notes: He was once the most dazzling genius of the Taiyi Sect and the former number one among official Saints. Back before Fu Qingyang's rise, he had already captured the spotlight of the entire organization. He once fought against the Demon Lord when both were Saints, ending in a draw.] [Reason for Ranking: The king of yesterday.] *Huh? Star Official...* Zhang Yuanqing's eyes lit up. *The advanced class for Night Wanderer is called Star Official? Did the power shift from the Lunar to the Stars?* Name-wise, Star Official sounded somewhat more elevated than Night Wanderer. He wondered what the core abilities of that class were. 3: Jiang Ju, Scarlet Fire Gang, Level 6 Fire Demon. [Notes: One of the official organization's Four Princes, known as the Fire Prince. Born with innate Fire Virtue, his strength is beyond question, but he is far too impulsive and short-tempered. This glaring flaw in his personality often leads those around him to overlook his sheer talent and might.] [Reason for Ranking: To be completely frank, both people above him are trash.] 4: Yin Ji, Taiyi Sect, Level 6 Star Official. 5: Huang Taiji, Central Court, Level 6 Mountain God. 6: Ten Men a Night, Baihui, Level 6 Beast King. 7: Minghe, Water God Palace, Level 6 Plague God. 8: Lingjun, Taiyi Sect (Baihui), Level 6 Beast King. [Notes: It must be said that compared to numbers one, three, and five, the reason this young master ranks among the Four Princes is probably his absurd popularity with women and his extraordinary family background.] [Reason for Ranking: Setting aside the facts, he is still very strong.] The comments underneath: [Lingjun: What do you mean 'setting aside the facts'? I'm so sorry for being so weak, alright? Who made this list? I'm gonna beat him to death.] [White Dragon: Young Master, Young Master! I'm your fan, mwah!] [Wangfei: Ahhh, the Young Master showed up! Caught him!] [Please Call Me Queen: Ahhh, Young Master, Young Master... wait, I don't think I'm a fan of yours, never mind. The Saint list is so much more comforting. Money Prince gives such a sense of security.] [Paparazzo Little Feng: Hey, did you guys know? That Yin Ji from the Taiyi Sect used to have a thing with the Demon Lord.] [Please Call Me Queen: What? It's that juicy? Spill!] [Paparazzo Little Feng: Yin Ji is quite famous in the Taiyi Sect, possessing both beauty and strength. Supposedly, the elders originally intended to set her up with the Ghost King of Fengdu, but the Demon Lord swooped in out of nowhere. Yin Ji was completely infatuated, fell head over heels for him, and eloped with him for three whole months before Elder Hongying forcibly dragged her back to the sect. Why did the Ghost King fight the Demon Lord back then? Exactly over this.] [No Women No Fun: Guy above, how do you know all this?] [Paparazzo Little Feng: I heard it from Jian Ji, a Night Wanderer in my jurisdiction. Jian Ji is close friends with Yuan Ting, and he heard it directly from Yuan Ting.] [Jiang Yang: If Yuan Ting said it, then it's probably true...] [Quri Kuduo: Yeah, Yuan Ting of the Taiyi Sect has a big mouth, but he never lies.] Compared to the foul-mouthed grumbling under the Transcendent top twenty post, the comments here were far more relaxed. That was because the top spot belonged to Fu Qingyang—the man reputed to be invincible beneath the Dominators. This undoubtedly brought a massive sense of security to many low- and mid-tier walkers within the Five Elements Alliance. *The Taiyi Sect's Yin Ji was the Demon Lord's lover? Holy shit, could the Elvis speaker blast audio of her in bed with the Demon Lord next time? That dog of a Demon Lord really poisoned everything he touched...* Zhang Yuanqing suddenly felt a twinge of pity for the Ghost King of Fengdu. *Mm, given the Demon Lord's scumbag nature, Yin Ji's love for him has probably turned to hatred by now. As the Demon Lord's successor, I'd better watch out for that woman.* *** Huatai Hotel. Xie Lingxi stood beside the table like a little maid, craning her neck to look at the list before pouting unhappily. "What is this? Brother Yuanshi is only ranked 11? I think nobody in the Transcendent stage can beat him!" Dressed in a flowing red gown, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter sat lazily by the desk, her pale hands tapping away at the keyboard. Keeping her eyes on the computer monitor, she said blandly, "Yuanshi Tianzun isn't here. Reel in your green-tea routine." Xie Lingxi whimpered aggrievedly, "Sister Palace Master, how could you say that about me? I'm speaking straight from the heart." The Palace Master uttered a flat "Mm" and added, "I forgot. Your act is baked into your bones. It's second nature by now." "Hmph!" Powerless to refute her, Xie Lingxi scrunched up her nose. Right then, Xie Lingxi's phone on the desk rang. The caller ID showed: *Dad!* "It's my dad..." She picked up the phone, whispering to the Palace Master. Only after receiving a nod of permission did she answer the call. "Lingxi, your dad has to enter a Spirit Realm soon, so I won't have time to go watch the official tournament. I'll pass the 'ticket' to you. Go watch it in my place." "Thanks, Dad! Mwah~" Xie Lingxi was overjoyed. Father Xie paused thoughtfully, then asked, "By the way, did you see the Transcendent top twenty list? Is there a mistake on it? Why is Yuanshi Tianzun ranked so low?" Xie Lingxi hurried to reply, "Dad, Brother Yuanshi's overall strength is definitely top-five material. Sister Palace Master thinks so too." Father Xie let out an "Oh" and was finally reassured. "If that crazy girl thinks so as well, then all is well. Watch closely on your dad's behalf this time and give me a detailed report afterward. If Yuanshi Tianzun can break into the top three, I'll send him an invitation to our August crab banquet and invite him over to the house." "Okay!" Xie Lingxi chirped happily. After she hung up the phone, the Palace Master sneered coldly, "Why not just recruit Yuanshi Tianzun as the Xie family's live-in son-in-law while you're at it?" Xie Lingxi didn't dare respond, because the look in Sister Palace Master's eyes was anything but friendly. *** White Tiger Guards Group Chat. Sweeping the World: "@Lingjun, I just saw people on the forum talking about Yin Ji and the Demon Lord. Is that true?" Lingjun: "..." Sweeping the World: "Looks like it's true then. Interesting. Yin Ji is usually so cold and aloof—she actually fell for the Demon Lord and even ran away with him? You really don't live up to your title as a Prince, do you?" Lingjun: "Good women fall for bad boys, what can I say? She still hasn't married to this day, and her heart still longs for him. Sigh, a scumbag ruined her whole life." Phoenix Arriving with Grace: "Even though I also think the Demon Lord was scum, for a woman to hold onto him in her heart for years, there must have been quite a story between them. For this tournament, I bet two million on our guild leader to win, and one million on Zhao Chenghuang. If I lose, I'll be eating dirt." Lingjun: "You woman, you clearly don't take our Yuanshi Tianzun seriously at all. @Yuanshi Tianzun" Little Tiger: "Stop fanning the flames. Yuanshi taking first is undeniably a massive uphill battle. I bet one million on Yuanshi taking third." *Third place? Isn't the prize for that just that cute hairpin?* Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself. *What the hell would I want third place for? To pin a hairpin on my head and act cute?* Just as he was about to grumble a few words into the chat, a text message from Aunt Xiaoyuan arrived first: "Come collect the corpse!" *Come collect the corpse...* Zhang Yuanqing froze for a second, then realization struck, and delight washed over his face. His yin corpse had arrived!