Chapter 78: Dragon Phoenix

Three days later.

Jiang Ding silently watched a young girl at a distance, effortlessly evading attacks from a Qi Refining Completion warrior and two Qi Refining Foundation warriors, occasionally striking with a sharp sword thrust that forced them into chaos.

Her body was petite and delicate, almost childlike compared to the three towering warriors, yet extraordinarily agile, leaping between three whirling, impenetrable broadswords, perilous at every step, yet never struck.

Along the way, Jiang Ding had gained some understanding of Chizhou and the customs of Chizhong Prefecture.

Much larger than Dongzhou, with several times the population and fertile land, it produced far more warriors.

But in recent years, droughts persisted without official relief or irrigation projects, and taxes grew heavier; many farmers, overwhelmed, abandoned their fields and fled to other prefectures.

Warriors themselves wouldn’t starve, but meat, medicinal herbs, and aged elixirs needed for cultivation were hard to obtain; mixed with refugee and famine conditions, public order deteriorated sharply, and several counties had been captured and retaken.

Gong Caiyu’s current situation was exactly this.

A Qi Refining Completion warrior had come out to rob the road with only two men—that was extremely rare in Dongling Prefecture; Qi Refining Completion strength was enough to become a high-ranking member of a gang or merchant guild, enjoying the spoils without lifting a finger.

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“One copper coin for city entry!”

Jiang Ding refused the man’s kindness, placing two copper coins in the basket. This had never been required before—he had never carried copper coins, only silver fragments, which he had exchanged with a shopkeeper before entering the city.

The short-turbaned old man’s face changed; he quickly bowed and stuffed over a dozen copper coins into the man’s hand: “This humble old man’s small trade can’t afford smuggled goods. You’ve gone to so much trouble, sir… so much trouble…”

Gong Caiyu’s face fell. I just defeated three opponents above my level! Yet she focused even harder, memorizing every word; after just a few days of instruction, she felt her sword technique had already risen a level.

If so, a massive uprising would inevitably occur sooner or later.

“In Chizhong Prefecture, our prodigy, Young Master Yang Ye of the Flying Dragon Gang—the ‘Cutting Water Knife’—deserves a place on the Dragon Phoenix List!”

Jiang Ding finished speaking and walked toward Chizhong Prefecture, where dark dots had appeared on the horizon; the towering city walls slowly came into clearer view.

Noble rule, family land—though the ceiling is low, at least there’s a floor; they won’t drain the pond to catch all the fish.

She didn’t rest, her star-like eyes scanning the surroundings repeatedly until she spotted beneath a tree a young man in blue, wearing a conical hat, quietly watching her.

The city gate guard glanced a few times, then smiled apologetically—didn’t even ask for the entry fee.

Jiang Ding spoke slowly.

The crowd suddenly converged toward a certain direction.

“...Alright, that’s it.”

Red characters indicated the deaths of the top thirty-six prodigies on the Dragon Phoenix List, specially announced; deaths below that rank had no such special notice.

Jiang Ding and Gong Caiyu queued behind, gradually moving forward; ahead of them was an old man with a short turban pushing a cart full of bright red peaches.

“Are there many places in Yueguo ruled by hereditary nobles like Dongling Prefecture?”

“Are those peaches hiding smuggled goods? Open them up for us to check,” said a soldier coldly.

Someone began complaining, but soon all eyes were drawn to the line of red characters at the front.

“Without ‘Cutting Water Knife’ Yang Ye’s name—how could he not be listed? He defeated a Qi Refining Completion warrior on the arena just a month ago, before everyone’s eyes, while only at Qi Refining Foundation!”

“Your sword technique had three flaws this time: the sixth strike had improper sequence in the lung meridian’s qi flow… the seventh strike…”

These past days had been like this: every day Jiang Ding corrected her sword technique and cultivation errors at fixed times, then vanished—yet whenever she defeated her opponents, he always reappeared.

Prodigies’ lives were colorful, turbulent, filled with romance, even legendary; in a world without newspapers, they naturally became the center of public gossip.

“Record: Lingnan Prefecture, destroyed the Crimson Flame Sect, killed three Qi Refining Completion warriors including the sect master, defeated ‘Clear River Immortal’ Chen Xi in ten strikes.”

Jiang Ding thought to himself.

Both were visiting Chizhong Prefecture for the first time; Gong Caiyu looked left and right, occasionally visiting shops, nearly forgetting her original goal of finding ‘Clear River Immortal’ Chen Xi.

The city gate bustled with merchants, warriors, officials—everything and everyone, a scene of lively activity.

“Has the Clear River Princess advanced further?”

With Jiang Ding’s help, they finally learned she was staying at the Chizhong Imperial Palace and hurried over.

But these examination-appointed officials served one term and left, with no bottom limit—especially in the dynasty’s later years, a single spark could ignite massive unrest. A flash of silver, a fatal wound—the leader collapsed, eyes wide with disbelief.

“How was my sword technique this time?”

Every Dragon Phoenix List warrior was a star, heavily watched by many.

“Young Master!”

“Twelfth: ‘Black Flame Knife’ He Jin, cultivator of the ‘Black Flame Demon Art,’ strange and brutal—contact melts enemy qi and flesh; disciple of a Primordial Warrior, one of the Eight Great Heroes, ‘White Bone Knife Demon.’”

The crowd wasn’t limited to warriors—vendors, laborers, men, women, old and young—all were caught up in the frenzy, like a mob of fans.

“Here.”

Gong Caiyu cheered, skipping over to him, looking expectant for praise.

“What’s Tianshui Tower thinking? We have no one on the list at all in Chizhong Prefecture.”

Gong Caiyu’s round face flushed red, breathing heavily, her qi severely depleted.

Of course, this was also because despite her conical hat and veil, her natural beauty could not be hidden.

“Sir!”

Jiang Ding and Gong Caiyu followed the crowd and soon reached a tall tower, where a massive banner over ten meters high was clearly visible even a hundred meters away.

“Young Master, you pass!”

The other two, seeing this, turned pale and fled without a second thought, no thought of avenging their leader.

“...Appointed officials…”

Tianshui Tower had no Heaven or Earth Lists—only the Dragon Phoenix List, which recorded the top one hundred eight young warriors aged twenty-five and under.

Jiang Ding muttered, asking.

Stepping out of the gate tunnel, Jiang Ding carefully observed the city guards of Chizhou Prefecture.

Gong Caiyu cried out sharply, spotting the Qi Refining Completion bandit chief’s opening as his blade motion grew stale; with lightning speed, she struck—the killing technique of the Seven Mysteries Sword Art: “Mystic Heaven One Sword.”

“The Dragon Phoenix List has a new update!”

Gong Caiyu thought: “Only the Twelve Heavenly Cloud Generals, and a few frontier regions where the founding emperor granted princely titles.”

As they neared the city, the surroundings gradually regained life; refugees vanished entirely, no one left—passersby no longer looked gaunt or starved.

“Very few.”

Clearly, inferior to the county patrol troops of Dongling Prefecture.

The city guard finally smiled, then took a handful of peaches from the old man’s cart—despite his visible distress—and distributed them to his comrades, saying: “I thought so too.”

To defeat three warriors, including a Qi Refining Completion, while only at Qi Refining Foundation—her Dragon Phoenix ranking could not possibly be limited to ninety-eighth.

“The Clear River Princess remains at nineteenth, Qi Refining Completion realm.”

Then it was Jiang Ding’s turn.

!.

“Thrust!”

As the two passed, behind them stood a vegetable-selling peasant woman; the city guard’s smile vanished, returning to his fearsome, brutal demeanor.

“(Deceased.)”

Everyone held their breath and continued reading downward.

“Cause of death: In battle at Dongling Mountain, alongside ‘Chaos Sky Knife’ Zheng Ye, Commander Chen Chen of Zhendong Garrison and his Black Cloud Division—dozens of Qi Refining warriors and over a hundred Qi Refining Completion soldiers—ambushed and killed ‘Dream-Eating Sword Demon’ Jiang Ding; all died.”

The crowd gasped, eyes wide.

(End of Chapter)