Divine Strength Ranking Updated, Lu Changsheng Surges by a Hundred Ding of Strength!

For Lu Changsheng, the days that followed settled into a steady routine. In the mornings, he remained the "Divine Hand of Nine," seeing patients and saving lives. Come afternoon or evening—no, now there was usually no need to wait until evening. With the Wind of Perception Conception, taking just an afternoon was enough to complete his mission and slaughter a squad of northern barbarians. What was more, they were all Divine Strength Realm martial artists. Every day, he amassed several hundred minor merits. As time went on and more than twenty days passed, he accumulated several thousand minor merits in total. At first, hardly anyone noticed. As time went by, however, Lu Changsheng returned every single day carrying several severed heads, all belonging to Divine Strength Realm martial artists. Such astonishing efficiency naturally drew widespread attention. "Look! Dao Twelve has returned loaded with spoils again. He took down four Divine Strength Realm martial artists!" "I really wonder how Dao Twelve pulls it off. Is his luck truly that good, running into barbarian squads every single time?" "The real thing is, even when he runs into them, he manages to slaughter them every time. That's what's truly terrifying." "If he keeps killing like this—three Divine Strength martial artists a day—that's ninety a month, over a thousand a year! There are only several thousand Divine Strength martial artists among the northern barbarians across the entire Northern Region Battlefield. Wouldn't he wipe them all out single-handedly in just a few years?" "Heh heh, if the northern barbarians mobilized their entire nation, they'd have far more than just a few thousand Divine Strength martial artists. Still, with Dao Twelve culling them at such a steady pace, the northern barbarian experts must be sweating bullets by now, right?" "I heard plenty of northern barbarian experts have specifically set out to hunt down Dao Twelve, but they've never managed to cross paths with him." Outside the Martial Demonstration Tower, chatter broke out among the crowd as they watched Dao Twelve arrive carrying yet another batch of severed heads. Dao Twelve was ranked only eighty-first on the Divine Strength Ranking. Yet discussions about him were growing by the day. Dao Twelve had not done anything earth-shattering. He had not slain any top Divine Strength Realm powerhouses near the top of the ranking. He had not wiped out multiple squads in a single go. Nor had he stirred up sensational spectacles. And yet, more and more people came to know his name. His renown swelled steadily. The reason was simple: Dao Twelve was far too consistent! Like clockwork, rain or shine, he took a stroll around the Northern Region Battlefield in the afternoon and came back with the heads of several barbarian Divine Strength martial artists. To an outsider, Divine Strength Realm martial artists might have seemed like cabbages in a patch, harvested effortlessly on a casual walk outside. Yet those who watched him regularly could not shake the feeling that barbarian Divine Strength martial artists truly were like cabbages before Dao Twelve, ripe for reaping whenever he pleased. That Dao Twelve alone could eliminate over a thousand Divine Strength martial artists in a year might sound like a joke. However, if he kept this up with such unwavering consistency, it would cease to be a joke. "Four Divine Strength Realm martial artists. That comes to six hundred minor merits in total." "Brother Dao, be careful these days. The northern barbarians have dispatched numerous squads in search of you. You're now one of the highest-bountied targets on their side." The martial artist at the Martial Demonstration Tower could not help but offer a warning. "There's a bounty on me from the northern barbarians?" "And I'm one of their highest-bountied targets?" Lu Changsheng found this rather baffling. Hadn't he just gone to the Northern Region Battlefield each day to cull a few Divine Strength martial artists? Just for that, they put a bounty on his head? Lu Changsheng felt he had already been exceedingly low-key. Ever since gaining the Wind of Perception Conception, he had made a point to steer clear of anyone listed on the Divine Strength Ranking, deliberately targeting only "nobodies." Even with such restraint, he had still ended up on the northern barbarians' radar. The tower's martial artist said with wry helplessness, "Brother Dao, over this past month, you've slain ninety Divine Strength martial artists among the northern barbarians..." "If the northern barbarians still hadn't noticed what an anomaly you are, they'd have to be utter fools." Lu Changsheng understood. "How many minor merits do I have now?" Lu Changsheng asked. Previously, he had spent one thousand minor merits to exchange for the Heavenly Cloud Wood, the final rare treasure required for the Qiantian Treasure Transformation Secret Method, cultivating it to the Seventh Layer perfection. After that, Lu Changsheng had only exchanged for a few third- and fourth-tier martial arts, keeping the rest of his minor merits untouched. "You currently have nine thousand five hundred minor merits. Adding the six hundred just now brings your total to exactly ten thousand one hundred." "Ten thousand minor merits?" Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. Ten thousand minor merits was a threshold. With ten thousand minor merits, one could exchange for one major merit. And a single major merit could be exchanged for a pill coveted by Divine Strength Realm martial artists. Pills like the Divine Strength Great Pill could increase one's physical might by a hundred ding of strength with a single dose! "Exchange for a Hundred Tripods Great Pill for me." "Right away, one Hundred Tripods Great Pill!" Before long, Lu Changsheng secured a Hundred Tripods Great Pill from the Martial Demonstration Tower. The Hundred Tripods Great Pill was similar to the Divine Strength Great Pill; both could boost one's physical body by a hundred ding of strength. For Divine Strength Realm martial artists, such pills could not be taken repeatedly to gain the same effect. Each time, one had to exchange for a different pill. Yet each pill cost at least ten thousand minor merits or one major merit. That was by no means an easy sum to amass. For many people toiling away on the Northern Region Battlefield for several months, scraping together a thousand minor merits was already an achievement. Ten thousand minor merits? That was unimaginably difficult! Even if one possessed great strength and remained stationed on the battlefield indefinitely, one still needed enough luck to cross paths with northern barbarians in the first place. Some wandered the Northern Region Battlefield for more than half a month without encountering a single northern barbarian. Thus, taking all factors into account, "Dao Twelve" had amassed over ten thousand minor merits—ranking undisputed first among those in the Divine Strength Realm! However, only the Martial Demonstration Tower possessed these figures. And the Martial Demonstration Tower would never make them public. "With the Hundred Tripods Great Pill in hand, I'll head back and take it to bolster my physical body first." Lu Changsheng prepared to leave. "By the way, Brother Dao, tomorrow marks one full month since the Divine Strength Ranking was revealed." "The ranking is updated once every month. I wonder what rank you'll achieve this time, Brother Dao?" Even the Martial Demonstration Tower's martial artist was intensely curious about Dao Twelve's rank. "My rank?" Lu Changsheng shook his head and said, "I know my own limits. I'll probably still be somewhere in the eighties." With that, Lu Changsheng left the Martial Demonstration Tower. He harbored little expectation regarding the Divine Strength Ranking. After all, he had not displayed any overwhelming techniques, nor had he fought any martial artist listed on the ranking. Under such circumstances, how high could his rank possibly be? Lu Changsheng returned to his small courtyard. He produced the Hundred Tripods Great Pill. In the time since arriving at the Northern Region Battlefield, his strength had not truly seen any massive leaps. At his current level, every minor advancement was incremental. Only by consuming pills or rare treasures would his strength surge explosively. As it stood now, a single Hundred Tripods Great Pill would grant him a hundred ding of strength! "Time to begin." Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng swallowed the Hundred Tripods Great Pill in one gulp. Instantly, the qi and blood within him surged violently, and his physical body strengthened at a pace visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Lu Changsheng remained immersed in fortifying his flesh. He had completely forgotten the Martial Demonstration Tower martial artist's reminder, paying no heed to the Divine Strength Ranking. Thus, while Lu Changsheng was still refining the Hundred Tripods Great Pill, the Martial Demonstration Tower had already erupted into a cacophony of clamor. Countless martial artists congregated outside the tower. Over the past month, the number of martial artists on the Northern Region Battlefield had not dwindled; rather, it had swelled—surging dramatically! Though lives were lost every day, the Northern Region Battlefield acted as a magnet, drawing innumerable martial artists from across the Great Fish Dynasty. Consequently, martial artists from both the Great Fish Dynasty and the northern barbarians steadily converged upon the Northern Region Battlefield. Having circulated and fermented for a full month, the influence of the Divine Strength Ranking grew with every passing day. It was no longer confined to the Northern Region Battlefield, spreading far and wide across the Great Fish Dynasty and the lands of the northern barbarians. In a sense, many had come to view the Divine Strength Ranking as an authoritative benchmark for Divine Strength Realm martial artists. "I wonder if first place on the ranking will still belong to Tianxin this time?" "I'd wager Song Wuqing might take his spot. After all, Song Wuqing took action several times, cutting down his opponents in virtually a single stroke each time—effortless, casual, his strength fathomless." "Heh heh, so what if Song Wuqing fought? Sheng Yuanyi made his moves too, and he never broke a sweat either." "In my view, still no one can replace Song Wuqing." Countless eyes were fixed on the top position. Without question, the pinnacle of the Divine Strength Ranking commanded everyone's undivided attention! Lu Jianming stood among the crowd as well. He, too, harbored a flicker of anticipation. Lu Jianming's team hunts had proceeded smoothly; battle after battle, hunt after hunt, his sword intent had grown ever sharper. A swordsman was meant to grow amidst life-and-death struggle, tempered through countless clashes. Lu Jianming felt that his strength had undergone an earth-shattering transformation compared to a month ago. This time, perhaps his position on the ranking would climb higher. "I wonder what rank I'll take this time?" Lu Jianming murmured under his breath, heart filled with eager anticipation. "The people from the Martial Demonstration Tower are here!" "The Divine Strength Ranking is updated monthly. They're about to unveil it!" Personnel from the tower had veiled the ranking's stone stele beneath a cloth earlier on. Whoosh. The next moment, they whipped off the cloth shrouding the stele. The new Divine Strength Ranking was laid bare before all! The updated ranking was officially revealed. Almost everyone cast their initial glance toward the number one spot. Tianxin! First place was still Tianxin. In fact, not just first place. Second and third were also unchanged. It was still Tianxin, Sheng Yuanyi, and Song Wuqing, their positions unshakable. Fourth place, however, had shifted. From fourth to tenth, various changes had taken place. Beyond the top ten, the shifts were even more drastic. Moreover, the crowd noticed that many names had vanished altogether. Most of those who disappeared had fallen in battle. "First place is still Tianxin; the top three truly are irreplaceable." "Aside from the top three, many of the other spots have changed names." "A lot of familiar names are gone, replaced by unfamiliar ones." Discussions erupted in the crowd. Lu Jianming immediately scanned for his own name. Previously, he had been ranked eighty-ninth. Searching upward, he indeed found it. Eighty-fifth. He had risen by only four places. "Eighty-fifth?" Lu Jianming was not satisfied. He continued reading upward, looking almost instinctively toward eighty-first. That was the spot where "Dao Twelve" had been. In truth, not just Lu Jianming, but many others immediately checked eighty-first as well. The name Dao Twelve was not at eighty-first. "Dao Twelve is gone?" Lu Jianming paused, taken aback. He looked downward—nothing. From eighty-first down to one hundred, Dao Twelve's name was nowhere to be found. Then Lu Jianming continued scanning upward. Eighty-one, seventy-five, sixty-nine... Finally, at sixty-first, he found Dao Twelve! Instantly, an uproar swept through the crowd. "Impossible!" "How could Dao Twelve leap twenty ranks in one go?" "From eighty-first all the way to sixty-first!" Lu Jianming could hardly believe his eyes. His own strength had grown so much, yet his ranking had only nudged up a few spots. Yet what about Dao Twelve? He had shot up twenty entire places! Many knew that Dao Twelve was exceptionally "consistent." Yet did the Divine Strength Ranking evaluate someone on consistency? Impossible! The ranking measured raw strength! Did this mean the Martial Demonstration Tower believed Dao Twelve's current strength warranted sixty-first place? That was utterly inconceivable. One had to realize that above sixty-first, especially in the top fifty, almost everyone shared a common trait: Virtually all of them were in the Thousand Tripods Realm! Starting from fiftieth on up, practically all were top-tier Thousand Tripods Realm martial artists. Dao Twelve's current rank was barely any distance away from the top fifty. "Dao Twelve truly is something else. He doesn't seem to have slain many renowned powerhouses, yet his rank rocketed straight up!" "Rumor has it Dao Twelve has comprehended martial conceptions as well, and more than one at that. Aside from conceptions, he also wields bizarre, formidable secret methods. Otherwise, do you really think slaying ninety Divine Strength martial artists in a single month comes down to mere luck?" "Ninety Divine Strength martial artists in one month. Tsk tsk, even among the top fifty, not many could boast a tally higher than that." "Say, where's Dao Twelve? It seems he didn't come?" Outside the Martial Demonstration Tower, the martial artists debated fervently. Yet Lu Changsheng had not shown up. He had remained in his courtyard all along, refining the Hundred Tripods Great Pill. Whoosh. At last, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "Done!" "Having refined this Hundred Tripods Great Pill, my physical body has reached three hundred and sixty ding!" Lu Changsheng muttered softly. He was thoroughly satisfied. Three hundred and sixty ding was a profoundly significant number for him. After all, when he unleashed the Three Transformations of the Divine Dragon now, his physical body would instantly hit one thousand and eighty ding! In other words, by activating nothing more than the Three Transformations of the Divine Dragon, his physical strength would surpass one thousand ding. Still, at this level, especially among martial artists capable of erupting with over a thousand ding of strength, raw power was no longer the sole arbiter; the contest of martial conceptions mattered just as much. Without a martial conception, one could not even be called a top Divine Strength Realm martial artist. Lu Changsheng rose and left the courtyard. "Hmm? Why is the Martial Demonstration Tower so lively?" Only after stepping out did Lu Changsheng notice the commotion around the Martial Demonstration Tower. Crowds had gathered in front of the building. After a moment's thought, he finally remembered. Today was the day the Divine Strength Ranking was updated. The ranking was revised once every month, and by then, many names were bound to shift. Engrossed in refining the Hundred Tripods Great Pill, he had almost let it slip his mind. "Last time I was eighty-first. I wonder what rank I am now?" In truth, Lu Changsheng did not care much about the exact placement. He was merely curious. After all, though he had taken action every day over the past month, he had never truly revealed much of his strength. Soon, Lu Changsheng arrived outside the Martial Demonstration Tower and saw the updated Divine Strength Ranking. "Sixty-first?" Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised. He had not expected his rank to jump by twenty places. 'I thought I was keeping a low profile, but the Martial Demonstration Tower likely deduced my capabilities quite accurately.' 'Coupled with the fact that I exchanged for a Hundred Tripods Great Pill, they might have estimated my strength grew significantly and adjusted my rank accordingly.' 'Sixty-first. Neither high nor low—not bad, actually.' Lu Changsheng did not place much stock in the rank itself. However, it did serve as vital intelligence. Still, quite a few unfamiliar names had appeared on the ranking. Detailed intelligence might not be readily available for these newcomers. If that were the case, Lu Changsheng might not recognize those newly emerged experts, and one day he could stumble into trouble. That was a very real possibility. Lu Changsheng could only do his best to prevent such an occurrence. "Dao Twelve." "You ranked sixty-first on the Divine Strength Ranking this time. I don't know how you pulled it off, but your situation is perilous right now. Experts among the northern barbarians are even willing to embed themselves in ordinary squads just waiting for you to show up." "So, you'd better watch your back." With that, Lu Jianming turned and walked away. It was merely an acquaintance's word of caution. "I'll be careful!" Lu Changsheng nodded, taking Lu Jianming's warning to heart. Even so, he still had to go to the Northern Region Battlefield! And so, Lu Changsheng turned, left Beiling City, and stepped once more onto the Northern Region Battlefield.