Northern Region Battlefield Divine Strength Ranking, Dao Twelve Makes the List!

In truth, these martial artists did not necessarily have to seek treatment from Lu Changsheng. Beiling City had plenty of physicians, and many of them were renowned. However, they were people of the martial world. What mattered most to people of the martial world? Face, naturally. When the "Sacred Hand of Nine Cures" refused to treat them, they felt they had lost face and insisted on being treated by him. "Considering you were wounded, and wounded fighting northern barbarians at that," Lu Changsheng said, "just this once, Lu will not pursue the matter." Having said that, Lu Changsheng went back to packing up his stall. "Do you truly think we dare not kill?" The martial artist instantly drew the saber in his hand. Yet the moment his blade cleared its scabbard— *Swish!* A flash of white light streaked past, gone in a blink. One could not even see it clearly. Yet a sharp, fierce edge could be felt falling instantaneously upon the hand that had drawn the blade. *Squelch.* A faint sound. The martial artist jerked his head down, followed immediately by a bloodcurdling scream. "Aaargh!" As it turned out, without anyone knowing when, the man's arm had been cleanly severed at the shoulder. "You..." For a moment, the martial artists stared at the Sacred Hand of Nine Cures in terror. Lu Changsheng said calmly, "Medicine and martial arts share the same roots. Who told you a physician cannot know martial arts? Lu's hands can bring the dead back to life and grow flesh on bare bone, but they can also hold a sword to take a life. If you do not scramble out of here right now, losing an arm will be the least of your worries." The martial artists dared not act insolent any longer. Picking up the severed arm from the ground and hoisting their companion, they sprinted dozens of paces, fleeing until they vanished from sight. And this scene was witnessed by many onlookers. "The Sacred Hand of Nine Cures knows martial arts too?" "If he didn't know martial arts, with the world in such turmoil, could he have made it to the Northern Region safely?" "Indeed. Anyone capable of reaching the Northern Region has a trick or two up their sleeve, to say nothing of someone like the Sacred Hand of Nine Cures. How could he not have martial arts to protect himself?" "It's far more than just having some martial arts to protect himself! Did any of you clearly see that sword strike just now? Could you honestly block a strike that fast?" "I truly never imagined the Sacred Hand of Nine Cures was an expert!" Beiling City was neither too large nor too small. Many people knew the Sacred Hand of Nine Cures, but no one knew his real name. They simply called him "Physician Lu." Everyone knew the Sacred Hand of Nine Cures possessed brilliant medical skills. Today, however, they had witnessed another side of him: his swordsmanship! The Sacred Hand of Nine Cures possessed exceptionally profound swordsmanship. Thinking carefully, blocking even a single sword strike from the Sacred Hand of Nine Cures would likely be no easy feat. Lu Changsheng did not pay much mind to what happened today. He finished packing up his stall and was about to return to his small courtyard. As he passed the Martial Demonstration Tower, he saw a large crowd gathered outside. *What is going on?* Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised. What could be causing such a stir at the Martial Demonstration Tower today? Unable to resist his curiosity, Lu Changsheng walked toward the Martial Demonstration Tower. Lu Changsheng stepped beside a young martial artist. The young man's face was flushed with fervor. "Why are so many people gathered here? What happened?" Lu Changsheng asked. The young martial artist glanced at Lu Changsheng and immediately began to chatter away. "You don't know? The Martial Demonstration Tower is about to release the Northern Region Battlefield Divine Strength Ranking! Any martial artist on the Northern Region battlefield—whether northern barbarians or martial artists from our Great Fish Dynasty—so long as they are in the Divine Strength Realm, will be ranked according to the strength they have displayed on the battlefield!" "A ranking?" Lu Changsheng understood. No wonder it drew so much attention. In literature there was no first, but in martial arts there was no second. Martial artists in particular valued "reputation" above all else. Now that the Martial Demonstration Tower had personally compiled the "Divine Strength Ranking," it was naturally the most authoritative list. Which Divine Strength Realm martial artist would not want to be on it? Even for those who were not in the Divine Strength Realm, seeing the Divine Strength Ranking would give them something to boast and talk about. Still, Lu Changsheng could roughly guess what the Martial Demonstration Tower was planning. The Divine Strength Ranking was certainly not just a mere list. The ultimate objective of the Martial Demonstration Tower was to mobilize the power of the entire martial world to resist the northern barbarians. A single "Divine Strength Ranking" might very well rally the enthusiasm of countless martial artists, so why not do it? As for fairness and impartiality, with the Martial Demonstration Tower's centuries of prestige, even the northern barbarians trusted the ranking. Lu Changsheng also grew interested. Since arriving in Beiling City, he had actually gone out to "hunt" several times and even made a bit of a name for himself. Just what rank could he achieve? Time slipped by bit by bit. More and more people gathered outside the Martial Demonstration Tower. At last, the Martial Demonstration Tower revealed the Divine Strength Ranking. The so-called Divine Strength Ranking was actually carved onto a colossal stone stele. Name after name was etched upon the stone, exactly one hundred people in total! At this moment, how could there be merely a hundred Divine Strength Realm martial artists across the entire Northern Region battlefield? In fact, there were likely well over a thousand of them. The Northern Region battlefield had truly become the center of the entire martial world. To rank among the top hundred Divine Strength Realm martial artists from across the land, spanning both the northern barbarians and the Great Fish Dynasty, was an immense honor! Everyone immediately looked to the name ranked first. Tianxin! Seeing this name, the crowd erupted into an uproar. The reason was simple: this "Tianxin" was not from the Great Fish Dynasty, but a northern barbarian. A northern barbarian, yet ranked first on the Martial Demonstration Tower's Divine Strength Ranking! "Tianxin? If it's him, that's hardly surprising. Rumor has it that Tianxin is an unprecedented genius among the northern barbarians, seen only once in a century. They say that wasn't his original name, but he walks a martial path of supplanting Heaven's will with his own mind, hence the name Tianxin." "To dare liken oneself to the heavens—such people have been rare throughout all history. Still, Tianxin's strength is indeed terrifying; he has never tasted defeat among the northern barbarians." "Tianxin... He is indeed formidable, but do we truly not have a single Divine Strength Realm martial artist in our Great Fish Dynasty who can rival him?" Many people knew the legends of Tianxin. He was a supreme genius who had been a living legend since birth. Since arriving on the Northern Region battlefield, Tianxin had taken action no more than three times. Every single time, he emerged victorious. The reason he had not fought since was said to be that Tianxin felt no one was worthy of him taking action. The martial artist ranked second was named Sheng Yuanyi. Astonishingly, he was also a northern barbarian! Sheng Yuanyi was said to be the successor of the northern barbarians' Mind Sword Sect and was shrouded in mystery. No one expected this Sheng Yuanyi to be ranked second, second only to Tianxin. Third was Song Wuqing, successor of the Great Fish Dynasty's Absolute Saber. It was said that Song Wuqing's saber followed the path of heartlessness and was exceedingly terrifying; all who had witnessed him draw his saber were dead. Yet even someone as terrifying as Song Wuqing was ranked only third on the Divine Strength Ranking. The top three names stood apart from those that followed. Fourth, fifth, sixth, and so on belonged to another tier: the top ten. Among the top ten, the northern barbarians occupied a staggering seven seats! The crowd fell into an immediate uproar. "Are the martial artists of our Great Fish Dynasty truly weaker than the northern barbarians?" "Hmph, having fought on the Northern Region battlefield for so long, have you still not noticed the signs? The martial world of the northern barbarians is likewise brimming with talent—perhaps even more flourishing than ours!" "Hmph, our Great Fish Dynasty is a land of great men and fertile earth! It's just that many of our experts have not yet come to the Northern Region, that's all." For a time, many figures on the Divine Strength Ranking sparked fierce debate. Lu Changsheng read through the names one by one. One hundred names were too many, so he simply started reading from the bottom up. "Hm? Lu Jianming made the list too?" Suddenly, Lu Changsheng spotted a familiar name. Lu Jianming! A Divine Strength Realm martial artist from Suspended Sword Villa. Moreover, Lu Jianming was ranked eighty-ninth! Lu Changsheng knew Lu Jianming's strength. The man had comprehended sword intent! Yet he was ranked only eighty-ninth. Either the Martial Demonstration Tower did not know Lu Jianming possessed sword intent, or the Northern Region battlefield was even more treacherous than Lu Changsheng had imagined. Looking further up, Lu Changsheng's gaze paused slightly. He finally saw his own name. Dao Twelve, ranked... Only a few spots above Lu Jianming. "..." Lu Changsheng murmured under his breath. In truth, he did not care much about what rank he held. Because regardless of rank, if he truly encountered them, he would beat them to death! Lu Changsheng certainly did not believe the Martial Demonstration Tower could know his true strength. After all, Lu Changsheng possessed two martial conceptions, the Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method, and even methods like the Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method. The Martial Demonstration Tower could only gauge his strength based on the strikes he had shown on the Northern Region battlefield. This also proved that the Divine Strength Ranking was merely a reference. If someone truly relied on these rankings as gospel, they wouldn't even know how they died. Lu Changsheng did not examine the list any further. It held little meaning for him. And so, he turned and returned to the small courtyard he had purchased. The reason he, the "Sacred Hand of Nine Cures," treated only nine patients a day was not out of some bizarre eccentricity, but because Lu Changsheng needed to go kill people. Kill northern barbarians! That required time, which was why he treated only nine patients each day. Lu Changsheng knew that news of the Divine Strength Ranking would swiftly reach the ears of the northern barbarians. Moreover, the ranking would motivate even more martial artists to battle on the Northern Region battlefield. Perhaps Lu Changsheng would soon encounter some truly heavyweight opponents. After a bout of disguise, "Dao Twelve" reappeared. Lu Changsheng did not change the alias. He continued to use the name "Dao Twelve." He was very fond of this name, and even fonder of what it represented: Acting as he pleased, obsessed with the martial path, intent only on scaling the pinnacle of martial arts! It was just early afternoon. Though the air was chilly, the weather was fair, and a warm sun hung in the sky. Lu Changsheng walked out of the courtyard and strode out of Beiling City. The sky was vast, the wild expanse boundless. Lu Changsheng arrived at the grasslands outside the city. Stretching into the distance without end, the scenery appeared uniform. Yet Lu Changsheng knew that beneath this vast grassland, deadly perils lurked everywhere. This was a true "hunting ground." Lu Changsheng did not bother hiding, simply weaving across the grasslands in the open. *Thwip, thwip, thwip!* The next moment, crossbow bolts suddenly shot toward Lu Changsheng. At the same time, three figures concealed beneath the lush green grass advanced silently on him, intent on the kill. Swift, precise, vicious! A single strike to kill! This was entirely an assassin's style. Without utmost vigilance, even a powerful martial artist would perish with grievances unavenged. Yet Lu Changsheng was not alarmed in the least. *Clang!* Lu Changsheng unsheathed his saber. Across the grassland, the sound of surging waves seemed to echo in the ears of the barbarian martial artists. Billowing ocean waves swept forward in an overwhelming rush. "Not good, it's Dao Twelve!" A hint of panic crept into the barbarian assassins' voices. The name "Dao Twelve" had become exceedingly renowned over the past few days. The reason was simple. Almost everyone who encountered Dao Twelve wound up dead; rare was the person who managed to escape. Only a scant few barbarian martial artists had gotten away, recounting the characteristics of Dao Twelve's strikes and martial methods. Only then did the northern barbarians learn that a ruthless figure named Dao Twelve had arrived on the Northern Region battlefield. Hearing that it was Dao Twelve, the barbarians did not hesitate for a second and turned to flee immediately. "Too late!" Lu Changsheng snorted coldly. In the next instant, the sound of the ocean waves abruptly swelled, turning into a towering tsunami that slammed down viciously upon the barbarian martial artists. "Aaargh!" Instantly, the barbarians screamed in agony. A flash of blood-red blade light flickered and vanished, leaving several corpses falling to the ground. All fell quiet once more. The heads of these corpses could be traded for silver or taken to the Martial Demonstration Tower to exchange for martial arts. Lu Changsheng, however, had no interest in them. The heads of martial artists at the Refining Organs level held little value for him. Lu Changsheng glanced back in a certain direction and said flatly, "These heads are yours." *Whoosh.* As soon as he spoke, his silhouette swiftly vanished from sight. Just after Lu Changsheng departed, two black-clothed martial artists emerged from beneath the tall grass in the direction he had been looking. The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with pleasant surprise. "It was Dao Twelve!" "Yes, it had to be Dao Twelve!" "Dao Twelve looks down on the heads of Refining Organs martial artists, but we certainly don't." "Rumor has it that Dao Twelve kills almost anyone in a single slash. The rumors truly weren't lying—that slash just now was terrifying to the extreme." "I wonder when we will ever reach such a level." "On the Divine Strength Ranking just released by the Martial Demonstration Tower, Dao Twelve is ranked right up there! He is an undisputed powerhouse!" "Heheh, with Dao Twelve on the move today, the northern barbarians are in for bad luck again!" The two had clearly heard of Dao Twelve's great name as well. Every time he set out, it was practically a catastrophe for the northern barbarians. Anyone who crossed paths with Dao Twelve was doomed to die! Lu Changsheng wandered aimlessly by himself. The grasslands were vast. Even as a battlefield where martial artists clashed, it was simply too immense. He could easily spend an entire day with nothing to show for it, without encountering a single northern barbarian. *Hm? The smell of blood?* Suddenly, Lu Changsheng caught a thick scent of blood. He immediately gave chase, following the scent. Out on the grasslands, a northern barbarian was brutally cutting down a group of Great Fish Dynasty martial artists with his blade. "The martial artists of the Great Fish Dynasty are truly pathetic." "After all this time, I haven't encountered a single interesting opponent." "Could it be the martial artists of the Great Fish Dynasty only have this much to offer?" "The Martial Demonstration Tower just announced their Divine Strength Ranking, yet they dared not include me on it!" The northern barbarian appeared to be a mendicant. A string of beads hung around his neck. However, these beads seemed to have been polished from human finger bones. Each finger bone represented a significant opponent. "It's the Bone Mendicant!" "The Bone Mendicant is the most bloodthirsty of all, full of ferocity and brutally cruel. I thought it was just rumor, but seeing him now, it's all true—he's even more vicious than the tales say!" "Still, the Bone Mendicant is a top powerhouse of the Hundred Tripods Realm who has run rampant for decades. Who could do anything to him?" "Even here on the Northern Region battlefield, he has seemingly never tasted defeat. Yet he doesn't seem to be ranked among the top hundred on the Divine Strength Ranking!" "It's precisely because the Bone Mendicant wasn't named on the Divine Strength Ranking that he is so enraged today. He's probably going on an all-out slaughter! We have to run, flee at all costs!" Seeing the Bone Mendicant, the remaining Great Fish Dynasty martial artists turned deathly pale. Though they had known they might perish when coming to the Northern Region battlefield, none wished to die in such a humiliating manner. And so, each fled frantically. Yet no matter how they ran, the Bone Mendicant seemed capable of running them down. *Whoosh.* Suddenly, the surviving martial artists looked up. Not far ahead, they saw a figure walking toward them, taking one measured step after another. Seeing this silhouette, everyone was momentarily stunned before erupting into wild ecstasy. "Dao Twelve! Dao Twelve is here!" "Has Dao Twelve, ranked on the Divine Strength Ranking, appeared here specifically to hunt down the Bone Mendicant?" "Quick, run over to Dao Twelve and we'll be safe!" The martial artists were overjoyed. One after another, they sprinted toward "Dao Twelve." They knew full well that Dao Twelve was named on the Divine Strength Ranking, while the Bone Mendicant had not even made the list. As for who was stronger and who was weaker, did anyone even need to ask?