Chapter 225: First Place In The Heavenly Rankings (1)
The persona Wu Yuan adopted was that of Wan Liu, an identity he had employed only once, which was back at Skysaber Mountain. On the mountain, Wu Yuan had deliberately proclaimed, "With the exception of Imperator Jin, no one else in Great Jin is worthy of discussing the Dao with me."
This declaration rippled through the world, arousing the curiosity of the numerous major factions. Little did he anticipate that he would be using this identity once again so soon!
"Honorable Wan Liu," The mechanical voice echoed through the hall, "At present, the Middle Land Immortal Hall has opened only three sectors: the personal hall, the Soul Imprint Hall, and the Conference Hall."
"The details regarding these three halls, along with further information and instructions on the usage of the Middle Land Immortal Hall, can be found in the jade booklet in front of you."
Countless specks of light swirled together before Wu Yuan, forming a delicate, translucent jade booklet before Wu Yuan. His eyes widened in awe at the magical sight before him.
"How beautiful," Wu Yuan whispered in awe.
Only in voidrealms could such mystical abilities be possible. After all, they were virtual spaces, unbound by the limitations of the physical world. One could make any object as beautiful as one wanted to.
A jade booklet? Wu Yuan reached out and gently opened the hovering artifact. Instantly, a cascade of illusory characters burst forth from its pages, forming a virtual light screen in front of him. Countless words appeared, written in the script of the Middle Land civilization.
Honorable Heavenly Ranker Wan Liu, we extend our warmest welcome to the Middle Land Immortal Hall.
The Middle Land Immortal Hall, at its core, is a voidrealm opened by the Martial King. Its purpose is to serve as a communal and impartial platform for information exchange among the Heavenly Rankers across the thirteen continents and overseas continents of the Middle Land. During critical moments, it serves the function of connecting all Heavenly Rankers, ensuring the safety and well-being of the entire Middle Land.
Every user possesses an identical physical constitution upon entering the Middle Land Immortal Hall, namely the strength and speed of a first-grade martial artist. The physical strength of the user’s body in the real world will not be reflected in the voidrealm.
The only aspect of the user’s original body reflected is Soul Force. Every individual’s consciousness is unique, hence the establishment of the Soul Imprint Hall.
Distance is a large barrier to communication, and gathering all Heavenly Rankers in one place is a difficult task. Furthermore, large-scale casualties are likely to ensue if physical altercations occur.
With a strong soul, one is able to cultivate mana and arcane arts more quickly, and also improve their Dao comprehension. A powerful soul is also a sign of physical strength. Thus, the most effective criteria to decide the order of the Heavenly Rankings without causing large-scale damage is the strength of one’s soul imprint, formed by one’s Soul Force.
The personal hall stands as a dedicated, private hall for each user. No user may enter another user’s personal hall. The Soul Imprint Hall is the location where the Heavenly Rankings are decided via soul strength. The Conference Hall serves as a gathering place for all Heavenly Rankers of the Middle Land to communicate with one another.
With the resurgence of the immortal cultivation civilization, it is our hope to witness the unity of the fifteen provinces of the Middle Land, whether one is from the human or demonic race, ensuring the perpetual legacy of the Middle Land's rich civilization.
Though the introduction was concise, it clearly explained the history of the Middle Land Immortal Hall, as well as encapsulated the Martial King’s purpose for creating it – unity of the Middle Land.
The Martial King is truly the forefather of our civilization. Wu Yuan was sincerely impressed by how the man turned a desolate wilderness into a proper civilization. His contributions and achievements were truly immeasurable. He was someone who would always be remembered in the annals of history as the Middle Land's first recorded Heavenly Ranker.
According to the records, the Wu Sect collapsed and experienced a revival. Yet this Middle Land Immortal Hall was never lost? Even if Great Jin really unifies the world, it is unlikely that they will be able to eradicate Wu Sect.
For countless millennia, the Wu Sect completely dominated the Wu Continent and never expanded its territory. Rarely any faction throughout the Middle Land dared challenge the inheritors of the Martial King's legacy. Some Archdemons even had deep respect for the Martial King.
Let’s go see what’s outside. Wu Yuan decided, stretching his body. His illusory body was completely guided by his consciousness. It was a long time since he last experienced this, so Wu Yuan initially felt slightly unfamiliar with this sensation.
With purposeful steps, he strode towards the entrance of the personal hall. Stepping past the threshold, the scenery around him changed instantly.
Wu Yuan found himself standing outside his personal hall. Before him sprawled a vast square plaza, stretching for what seemed like more than 1000 kilometers. The entire plaza was paved with jade stones that emitted a soft, radiant glow, creating a breathtakingly dreamlike atmosphere.
The jade stone plaza floated in mid-air, suspended over an endless sea of clouds. Above was an infinite sky of light. Numerous purple chains were connected to three sides of the square plaza, which tethered numerous identical floating halls to the plaza. Clouds and mists swirled around the structures. Just from appearances alone, the place was worthy of being called an immortal hall.
My personal hall? Wu Yuan glanced back at his own hall, located ten meters away. Then, he calculated the number of personal halls along all three chains. A total of 67!
So, there are a total of 67 Heavenly Rankers in the world? Wu Yuan pondered over this figure, slightly lower than his initial expectations. However, he knew that it might be inaccurate. The Wu Sect might not be aware of the existence of every Heavenly Ranker, and some might have chosen to abstain from entering the Middle Land Immortal Hall. Furthermore, he wasn’t sure what would happen to the personal halls of Heavenly Rankers who met their demise.
As he mulled over these thoughts, a golden-robed figure emerged from the personal hall beside him, coming to a stop not far from Wu Yuan.
"Old Fang," Wu Yuan said someone hoarsely. As his gaze settled on the figure, the person’s name appeared in his mind. Name: Fang Xia. This was a function of the Middle Land Immortal Hall. Furthermore, Fang Xia had made no effort to obscure his true appearance.
"Old Wan," Fang Xia replied with a mischievous grin, using the name they had agreed upon. No one knew if the Wu Sect could monitor their actions and speech, hence the need for caution.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Two more streaks of light darted towards them. They were Huan Jian and Bu Yu, both of whom did not make substantial adjustments to their appearance and attire.
“Ancestor, Senior Wan.” The two approached Fang Xia and Wu Yuan with a deep bow, showing extreme reverence.
Since this was a charade, each of them played their roles to perfection. The four gathered.
"The Pleiades Guild's intelligence reported over 60 Heavenly Rankers. Here, I see an equal number of halls," Fang Xia gestured toward the surrounding structures. "I wonder how many Heavenly Rankers truly inhabit the Middle Land?"
"We will find out," Wu Yuan chuckled. "Eventually, the Cloudstride Sect will form our own versions of such intelligence.”
Intelligence had to be accumulated over time. In the past, the Cloudstride Sect lacked the qualifications to interact with Heavenly Rankers, thus they had little information on them.
Suddenly, the air before the four began to thrum and countless specks of light converged, forming three distinct figures. Leading the trio was a domineering man in black armor. It was none other than Emperor Dong Pan.
"Daoist Fang Xia, welcome to the immortal hall," Emperor Dong Pan spoke with a cordial smile. His gaze swept to the side, landing on Bu Yu and Huan Jian. "Daoist Bu Yu? Daoist Huan Jian? I wasn’t expecting to witness two new entrants in the Heavenly Rankings. Congratulations are certainly in order."
"You are too polite, Daoist Dong Pan," Fang Xia chuckled.
Bu Yu and Huan Jian were more reserved. They were well aware that the man before them was one of the top cultivators in the Middle Land – Emperor Dong Pan.
Emperor Dong Pan's gaze finally fell on Wu Yuan. He bowed slightly. "Dong Pan pays his respects to Senior Wan Liu."
"Wu Nonghan pays his respects to Senior Wan Liu!"
"Dong Guangbo pays his respects to Senior Wan Liu!" The two accompanying Heavenly Rankers also bowed in respect.
A glint of puzzlement flashed through Fang Xia’s eyes. Emperor Dong Pan addressed Wu Yuan as his senior and paid respects as a junior? One had to understand that the Immortal Hall was controlled by the Wu Sect. This meant they had the ability to sense Wu Yuan’s Soul Force through his hall jade. Emperor Dong Pan's respectful attitude towards Wu Yuan indicated that Wu Yuan's Soul Force might have reached the level of a Golden Core Superior.
Young Master’s Soul Force has already gotten this strong? Fang Xia gaped inwardly.
A Soul Force range with a radius of 500 meters was the criteria for advancing to the Golden Core phase. But after breaking through to become a true Golden Core Superior, their soul strengthened greatly after being nourished by their Golden Core, extending the radius of Soul Force perception to ten li.
Fang Xia's surprise was nothing compared to the storm of emotions raging within Huan Jian and Bu Yu. This unexpected display shattered their understanding of the situation. Emperor Dong Pan, a renowned top cultivator, addressed Wu Yuan as 'Senior'? Though they were bewildered, they were certain that Dong Pan was not a fool. There had to be a reason for his actions.
"You are Dong Pan?" Wu Yuan, shrouded in black robes, gazed down at Emperor Dong Pan with eyes as cold as ice. "I’ve only returned to the Middle Land for a year, but I’ve heard of you. Old Fang mentioned you as well."
"I heard that Senior made an appearance at Skysaber Mountain," Emperor Dong Pan replied, his smile respectful. Wu Yuan's demeanor, and the natural expressions of Fang Xia, Huan Jian, and Bu Yu only further confirmed his suspicions. Wan Liu had to be an ancient monster returning from overseas. Even if he was not a Golden Core Superior, his soul could rival that of a Golden Core cultivator. He was likely not any weaker than Fang Xia.
"Mm," Wu Yuan nodded slightly, choosing not to say anything more and maintaining a cold, unfriendly demeanor. In his experience, the more one spoke, the more likely one was to make errors. It was better to say nothing at all.
"Daoist Dong Pan, Old Wan is not one for excessive conversation," Fang Xia interjected, laughing. "I had to persuade him several times before he agreed to come and take a look at the immortal hall."
"It is our Wu Sect’s honor that Senior Wan graced the Immortal Hall with your presence," Emperor Dong Pan said with a smile.
"This voidrealm is not bad," Wu Yuan suddenly spoke, his tone indifferent. "It is slightly better than a ninth-grade voidrealm. Is it eighth or seventh grade?"
"But it’s a pity that you’re not using it to its fullest potential," Wu Yuan shook his head.
"Functions such as information depositories, equipment refining simulations, pill refining simulations, and combat simulations, are going unused. If you activated these features, the Middle Land could produce twice as many Heavenly Rankers at least, and the standards of medicinal pills and artifacts would greatly improve. Instead, you only use the voidrealm for simple communication. What a waste of a treasure," he remarked with disdain.
His words left Huan Jian and Bu Yu in complete confusion. Even Fang Xia, who had received an inheritance, was somewhat clueless about such common cultivation know-how.
But when Emperor Dong Pan and Wu Nonghan heard these words, their hearts jolted, and chills went down their spines! Their last shred of doubt completely evaporated. At this moment, they confirmed that Wan Liu was indeed a senior expert from beyond the ocean.
“We have made a fool of ourselves in front of Senior.” Emperor Dong Pan bowed even lower, forcing a bitter smile. "This voidrealm consumes too much energy, and its essence has been damaged, it can only be maintained at the lowest setting." He didn't dare to show the slightest disrespect.
"Don't worry, young Dong Pan," Wu Yuan's eyes were as cold as ice. "I have little interest in voidrealms of this level. I returned to the Middle Land at Old Fang’s invitation, to stand by his sect and wipe out those who dare to cross them."
Emperor Dong Pan and the others got goosebumps. In their minds, the image they had of Wan Liu was an old monster who had been wandering overseas for many years, with no attachments, and was a close friend of Fang Xia. He had returned to the Middle Land to help Fang Xia revitalize the Cloudstride Sect...
Heavens! The status of the Cloudstride Sect was elevated once more in the minds of Emperor Dong Pan and the others. Dealing with just Fang Xia was already a challenge. Adding on a mysterious Wan Liu? And several new Heavenly Rankers? Their foundation was now solid bedrock.
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