Chapter 456: The True and False Yang Zun: Strength and Trials, a Brief Interruption in Team Formation

“Alright, go practice now!”

Xia Hong waved his hand to dismiss Su Xinger, then looked down at the Celestial Ranking scroll in his hand and shook his head slightly.

Since arriving at Changqing Valley from the Bone-Eroding Path last August, he had been in Cai Qiu for over a year—four months in Qinghuacheng, a month’s journey along the way, and another four months in Linchu County Seat; his understanding of Cai Qiu and the entire Four Fanzhen was no longer shallow.

The number of Xianyang-level cultivators in Cai Qiu, conservatively estimated, exceeded one hundred; considering he had yet to visit Cai Qiu’s core town, a more daring guess might double that number, but it would still not exceed three hundred.

Thus, altogether, the Four Fanzhen could not possibly have more than a few hundred Xianyang-level cultivators.

Based on Xia Hong’s firsthand observations, Cai Qiu’s population was certainly over twenty million; even if the total population of the Four Fanzhen hadn’t reached one hundred million, it was close.

With over a hundred million people and fewer than a thousand Xianyang-level cultivators, such an astonishing ratio naturally ensured that Xianyang-level cultivators held a top-tier status in the Four Fanzhen—even if not as supreme as in the Nine Towns, they were still among the elite.

Among such a group, selecting the top one hundred and ranking them by strength—only the official Four Fanzhen authorities had both the authority and capability to do so.

His own listing on the ranking was undeniable proof of this.

Looking at his brief entry on the ranking page, Xia Hong shook his head.

Many had witnessed his battle with Cai Yunzhou, but in Qinghuacheng at the time, only Cai Yunzhou himself could tell he had won; thus, without doubt, his placement on the Celestial Ranking came from Cai Yunzhou leaking the news.

As Su Xinger said, his listing had instantly turned him into a major celebrity in Mo’ao River, and the name Hong Yu was surely known throughout the Four Fanzhen.

Xia Hong was never one to seek the spotlight, and his purpose in coming to Mo’ao River’s territory was far from pure—but now the deed was done, blaming Cai Yunzhou was useless.

He first shook his head, then turned the pages with curiosity.

Since this ranking was officially compiled, it must hold some reference value—just how strong were the top Xianyang-level cultivators in the Four Fanzhen?

Xia Hong wasted no time and started from the first page:

【Celestial Ranking No.1: Tianjue Demon Blade Li Dingyang, Cangyang County, Weibo, fifth-generation scion of the Fangbo lineage, Xianyang Peak cultivation, Cai Qiu Year 289, age 58; on the northern shores of Hanbo Lake in Weibo, he slew the Water-elemental Beast Emperor Bi Mo Jiao with his blade, a single battle that made him legendary, universally recognized as the strongest under the Jieshen level in the Four Fanzhen.】

Slaying a Beast Emperor one level higher than his own cultivation?

“This Li Dingyang is that insane?”

Xia Hong, upon finishing the first page, immediately lost his composure, his face filled with shock.

He too could fight across cultivation levels.

But he crossed minor levels, and only against humans.

Human cultivation levels correspond to cold beast ranks, and the general rule in the Bingyuan is that, at equal levels, cold beasts overwhelmingly overpower humans.

For example: low-level cold beasts crush Mulu-level; mid-level crush Juodi-level; high-level crush Yuhan-level; Beast Kings crush Xianyang-level.

Humans first broke this rule at the Yuhan level, enhancing their strength through Battle Body aptitude to close the gap with high-level cold beasts; if their Battle Body aptitude was poor, they could use pills.

Then, at the Xianyang level, the rule reverted to normal.

So far, the weakest Beast King-level cold beast Xia Hong had faced had at least 9 Jun strength; based on his own breakthrough experience, if he had broken through with only normal Iron Bone, his final strength would have been only 3 Jun—yet even he was like this, let alone others.

When estimating cultivation strength, Xia Hong never used himself as a benchmark—his case was too unique to find a second example.

Even with his exceptional talent, upon breaking into Xianyang, his strength was only 10 Jun, barely matching the weakest Beast King-level; and so far, he had never encountered anyone more talented than himself.

So, just as at the Yuhan level, ordinary people breaking into Xianyang would be crushed by Beast King-level cold beasts; to narrow the gap, they had to rely on pills to further enhance their cultivation.

Following this logic, Beast Emperor strength must also crush ordinary Jieshen-level cultivators.

Yet this Li Dingyang hadn’t even reached Jieshen-level.

He was merely at Xianyang Peak!

It was like him, at Yuhan Peak, slaying a Beast King-level cold beast—utterly impossible.

Xia Hong’s pupils were filled with dread; he continued reading Li Dingyang’s profile and found no other descriptions of his strength, so he steadied his breath and kept flipping.

【Celestial Ranking No.2: River Shuo Sword God Li Wují, Heshuo County, Weibo, fourth-generation scion of the Fangbo lineage, Li Dingyang’s uncle, Xianyang Peak cultivation, Cai Qiu Year 287, age 68; near Qinghuacheng in Baishui County, Cai Qiu, he was hunted by three Wood-elemental Beast Emperor-level Snow Luan and barely escaped alive.】

Another who had fought a Beast Emperor—and in Snow Luan Mountain!

When Xia Hong was in Qinghuacheng, he had just visited Snow Luan Mountain; the Five-Color Demon Sound Qin in Su Xinger’s possession was obtained by him in the White Phoenix Forest beneath Snow Luan Mountain.

Fought off three Beast Emperor-level Snow Luan and escaped alive—Li Wují’s record was clearly less impressive than Li Dingyang’s, but Xia Hong had personally hunted high-level Snow Luan; he knew well that their greatest strength was speed.

High-level Snow Luan’s speed could match ordinary Xianyang-level cultivators; Beast King-level was even faster; and above them, Beast Emperor-level Snow Luan…

Fought off three Beast Emperor-level Snow Luan, masters of speed, and escaped alive!

Recalling eight months ago, standing atop the Ice Sword Tree in White Phoenix Forest, feeling those piercing gazes from the mountain peak, Xia Hong no longer found Li Wují’s record unimpressive—he felt its value might even surpass Li Dingyang’s.

Yet still no specific description of Li Wují’s strength; Xia Hong frowned and continued patiently flipping.

【Celestial Ranking No.3: Tianqing Divine Sword Li Baobao, Qingmu County, Weibo, fifth-generation scion of the Fangbo lineage, known with Li Dingyang as Weibo’s Twin Prodigies, Xianyang Peak cultivation, Cai Qiu Year 291, age 39; defeated Fu Qianming at Hecang Town Seat, at which time Fu Qianming was a First-Transformation Jieshen cultivator with strength of approximately 105 Jun.】

Finally…

First-Transformation Jieshen, 105 Jun strength!

Finally, a Jieshen-level reference point; Xia Hong’s eyes flickered with excitement; after reading the full entry for the third-ranked, he couldn’t help but show astonishment:

“He’s only 45 this year, Xianyang Peak cultivation—Li Baobao’s talent rivals mine and Xuanling’s. The Fanzhen truly harbor dragons and tigers!”

“But this Weibo…”

Xia Hong’s eyes glinted with intrigue; after a moment of thought, he quickly flipped further, finishing the top twenty in short order.

“The top three are all from Weibo; they hold thirteen of the top twenty. Weibo’s overall strength is unclear, but in terms of top-tier prodigies—both quality and quantity—they lead the other three Fanzhen by a landslide. Is it true that hardship breeds strength?”

Xia Hong’s final remark was not without reason.

In the past five days, while poring over texts in the library, he had come across a book titled “A Century of the Four Fanzhen,” which recorded major events in the Mo’ao River’s Four Fanzhen over the past century.

The most striking to him were two Catastrophe-level Strange Invasions: the Zhen Shan Yan over eighty years ago, and the Beekeeper thirty years ago; the former caused half of Hecang Fanzhen’s territory to fall, killing over seven million; the latter killed no fewer than five million in Weibo Fanzhen, both leaving the two Fanzhen severely weakened, rumored to have never fully recovered.

Comparing the two, Hecang seemed worse—but not really. Weibo, bordering the Mo’ao River’s largest water system, the White Tiger River, had suffered continuous natural disasters over the past century—floods, plagues, cold waves, beast surges—almost every three to five years. Calling it disaster-prone was no exaggeration.

“Such an environment produces even more top-tier prodigies. Disaster forges resilience in a people—our ancestors were right.”

Xia Hong shook his head slightly, then looked down at the Celestial Ranking scroll in his hand, his eyes revealing a glimmer of understanding.

“The most useful reference among the top twenty is probably No.18, Wan Qinghe of Hecang Fanzhen, Xianyang Peak, last known combat two years ago with strength of 51 Jun.”

Combining this with the green-robed elder he’d seen in the library, Xia Hong could deduce: the weakest Jieshen-level cultivators had at least 100 Jun strength; Xianyang Peak strength varied widely, the weakest unknown, but the stronger ones exceeded 50 Jun.

“Keep reading to the end—the data should become more accurate…”

Xia Hong paused, then continued flipping—only to freeze instantly.

【Celestial Ranking No.21: Southern Wasteland Spear Demon Yang Zun, Yanling County, Cang County, Assistant Military Advisor to the County Governor, Xianyang Peak cultivation, born in the Southern Wasteland with astonishing talent, spear aptitude once praised by the Cang County Fangbo himself; Cai Qiu Year 295, alone with his spear, fought six Beast Kings in the Blood Miasma Plain, slew four, strength 41 Jun.】

Southern Wasteland Spear Demon, Yang Zun, Xianyang Peak, 41 Jun strength…

Did I read that right?

Xia Hong checked the name again, then stared at the phrase “born in the Southern Wasteland with astonishing talent,” and frowned deeply.

“Southern Wasteland is the Four Fanzhen’s term for the southern slopes of Mo’ao—so this Yang Zun is almost certainly the one from Beishuo, 41 Jun strength, fought six Beast Kings alone—when did he gain this power?”

Impossible!

If Yang Zun had this strength, winning the Hongmen Battle two years ago wouldn’t have been so easy for me.

“No, no—Cai Qiu Year 295 was exactly the year of the Hongmen Battle. Impossible. So there are two Yang Zuns…”

Xia Hong froze, suddenly recalling a piece of intelligence Lu Yang had brought back years ago when he infiltrated Beishuo: the Yang family originally began with three brothers—eldest Yang Zun, second Yang Fa, third Yang Jian. But in recent years, the third brother Yang Jian had rarely appeared in the Nine Towns; rumors said he was nearly a hundred and still hadn’t broken into Xianyang, likely dead.

“No—most likely, the one in Beishuo is Yang Jian, and the one in Cang is the real Yang Zun. This is interesting!”

After piecing it together, Xia Hong’s expression turned peculiar, and his wariness toward Beishuo deepened further.

Yang Zun had remained in the Four Fanzhen and become Assistant Military Advisor in Yanling County’s governor’s office—this meant Beishuo and Cang had deep ties.

“An Assistant Military Advisor in the governor’s office can command troops—must be watched closely!”

Who would have thought reading the Celestial Ranking could yield such a revelation?

Xia Hong shook his head, stopped overthinking, and finished reading the entire list.

The entire Celestial Ranking had one hundred names; beyond rank thirty, all were Xianyang Late-stage cultivators.

“Cai Yunzhou’s maximum burst was 24 Jun, yet he’s still Late-stage—this proves Xianyang-level strength gains are far harder than I thought. That means the fake Yang Zun in the Nine Towns, who could burst 20 Jun at Mid-stage, also had astonishing talent—likely comparable to this Cang Yang Zun.”

Xia Hong’s mind stirred slightly as he carefully compared the list again.

This time, he found a new insight.

No.30, Chen Cang’s Chu Renfeng, Xianyang Peak, 40 Jun strength; then No.31, Hecang’s Ning Yuqiu, though Xianyang Late-stage, had only 29 Jun strength.

Meaning: Xianyang Late-stage strength rarely exceeded 30 Jun; once reaching Peak, strength jumped to 40 Jun or higher.

So for most, 30 Jun at Late-stage was a threshold!

“So the answer is clear: those on this list are the most talented Xianyang cultivators in the Four Fanzhen; most broke through with Golden Bone aptitude, starting at 5 Jun upon breakthrough; minor gains from other methods are negligible; Mid-stage exceeds 10 Jun, Late-stage exceeds 20 Jun, and upon reaching Peak, strength surges past 40 Jun—hence this ranking structure!”

Case solved!

Xia Hong, after figuring it out, felt a wave of relief.

Simply put—he still held a landslide advantage over these people.

“In the four months at the governor’s office, I only left seven times, all to accompany the eldest prince, Cai Yunlan, on hunts; the rest of the time I trained with the Lotus Platform, but my progress has slowed—I’m now at 47 Jun.”

In Qinghuacheng, after first using the Blood Cleansing Pill with the Twelve Blood Meridian Art, he gained 4 Jun in four months—from 41 to 45 Jun; but in Linchu County over these four months, he only gained 2 Jun.

Pill effects diminish, and meridian potential decreases as it’s expended—slowing progress is natural.

It will only get slower from here.

Xia Hong quietly summoned the Lotus Platform, sat cross-legged upon it, and took two pills from his sleeve: Blood Cleansing Pill and Bone Shedding Pill.

He had deliberately kept these two on him, intending to bring them back to Great Xia for Cheng Feng and the alchemists to analyze.

“Breaking into Late-stage won’t come quickly—I must rely on pills. Top-grade Bone Shedding Pills and Blood Cleansing Pills have fixed quotas; buying more through normal channels is impossible.”

To get more pills, only two options remain: hope for the Yangyang Market invitation, or go to Cang.”

Neither option seemed reliable.

“Getting pills and investigating the Blood Miasma Plain—these are now the two most important tasks. If possible, witnessing Jieshen-level and Five-Yao Beast Emperor-level cold beast strength would be ideal!”

After a moment of thought, Xia Hong sighed softly; as dusk fell outside, he stopped pondering, swallowed a Bone Consolidation Pill, and closed his eyes, sinking into cultivation.

He had no top-grade Bone Shedding Pills, but Bone Consolidation Pills were plentiful—he could not stop training, or breaking into Xianyang Late-stage would remain forever out of reach.

………

Xia Hong’s cultivation session lasted only twenty days.

The first day of the eleventh month, year 297 of Cai Qiu.

Before dawn, Su Xing’er and her three brothers, already dressed, eagerly waited outside Xia Hong’s sealed chamber.

“Xing’er, how much Zong power do you have now?”

The youngest brother, Su Zhi, arrived last and immediately asked about his younger brother’s strength; upon hearing this, Su Jing and Su Xu turned to look, their faces filled with curiosity.

13 Zong, 12 Zong, 12 Zong…

Su Xing’er saw her three brothers’ strengths and beamed with joy; when asked about her own, she couldn’t help but smile with pride: “I’ve reached 17 Zong.”

17 Zong!

Upon hearing this, Su Jing and the others were stunned; though delighted for their sister, they exchanged glances and saw faint resignation in each other’s eyes.

Since departing from Qinghuacheng on the twentieth of April, whether on the journey to Linchu County or during the nearly five months living in the county seat, they had never slackened for a moment, cultivating ceaselessly.

Their frenzied dedication stemmed from two reasons: first, not wanting to disappoint their master Hong Yu; second, knowing their talent paled beside Su Xing’er’s—any lapse would let their sister pull far ahead.

After all, they were older brothers; they didn’t wish for some future day to rely on their sister Su Xing’er for protection.

Yet despite such effort, the gap only widened further.

When they left Qinghuacheng, their gap with Su Xing’er had been just over two Zong; now, it had doubled.

"Brothers, don't rush—Shiqin told me the Blood Miasma Plain trial lasts two months. In past years, many who completed the trial saw their Battle Body talent improve to some degree. You all have top-grade Battle Bodies; perhaps after this trial, you'll ascend to SSS-tier Battle Body talent!"

Hearing their sister’s words, Su Jing and the others stiffened, their pupils igniting with fierce determination.

Su Zhi, energized, said: “I asked the servants recently—they told me the cold beasts of the Blood Miasma Plain differ from others; their flesh and bones are poisonous and unusable, but the Blood Jade Pearls growing in their foreheads are different—they can enhance cultivation, and their cold-resistance properties can be used to reshape the skin membrane, further boosting Battle Body talent!”

“I’ve inquired too. That’s why the trial slots are extremely rare—formerly, there were at most two hundred. But since last year, things changed: it’s said Cai Qiu dispatched a large army two years ago to clear a vast safe zone. Last year, slots rose to five hundred; this year, even more—exactly one thousand. All four county seats and their five major cities have sent their youths.”

Clearly, Su Zhi wasn’t the only one who’d taken the trouble to inquire—Su Xu had too.

Su Xu’s mention of the safe zone left even Su Xing’er confused; she quickly asked: “Second brother, what’s a safe zone?”

Su Xu’s expression turned grave as he prepared to answer—when the main chamber door quietly opened.

“When I emerged from the Bone-Eroding Path, didn’t you all hear me interrogate those soldiers? Have you already forgotten what the Blood Miasma Plain is?”

“We bow to our master!”

Su Jing and his three siblings hurriedly bowed to Xia Hong; after a moment’s thought, they recalled the soldiers’ words from Changqing Valley.