Chapter 287: The Number One in the Martial Rankings: He Qianian

"The National Martial Rankings, 537th."

Li Rui sat in the cool pavilion of the Assistant Military Commander's residence, listening to the gentle flow of water, gazing at the dark gray cloud bank on the distant horizon, its faint scent of saltpeter detectable even from afar.

"What a grand display."

The Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall is opening.

This is a major event.

Cao Wei went; there was no need for this Assistant Military Commander to go.

Otherwise, outsiders might think the Anning Guard has bowed to the Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall's might.

The Anning Guard's primary duty is to monitor all major martial sects within its jurisdiction; the Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall naturally falls under this.

True, neither Li Rui nor Cao Wei could afford to provoke the Hall's master, known as the White Crane Divine Fist, but if they showed weakness from the start, managing the Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall would become even harder later.

The imperial authority would be lost.

In the end, Li Rui and Cao Wei, as the two main officers, would suffer the consequences.

Cao Wei's visit had been prearranged between the two.

Yang Yong chuckled beside him: "No wonder he's ranked among the martial elites—this man really knows how to make an entrance."

On this opening day, nearly every prominent figure in the city went.

Perhaps only Li Rui remained behind.

The last National Martial Rankings listed 517 names; this time, twenty new names were added, totaling 537.

Interestingly,

the master of the Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall was ranked 517th ten years ago, and now he is ranked 537th.

Hmm.

Both are last place.

Thus, in the martial world, a new nickname arose: "Number One in the Rankings," He Qianian.

Of course, it was only whispered behind his back.

To his face, one still had to respectfully address him as Master He.

Even last in the rankings, he is still a Earth Immortal—let alone in Qinghe, where he ranks among the top two in the entire Yunzhou.

He Qianian's coming to Qinghe elevated the entire region's martial cultivation.

Opening his hall to take disciples would benefit both the court and the martial world of Yunzhou.

Li Rui squinted.

"An Earth Immortal? This display isn't excessive."

Yang Yong wore an expression of idle curiosity: "Young brother, what do you think those immortal figures on the rankings look like? Do they have horns on their heads?"

Li Rui thought of Jiang Lin and firmly dismissed Yang Yong's speculation:

"No."

Yang Yong had only been joking.

Now that he was old, he didn't feel like moving—but back when he was seventeen or eighteen, he would have climbed onto his tiptoes just to catch a glimpse of Master He's grandeur.

Outside the Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall.

The smoke had cleared; the front gate buzzed with voices, bustling and lively.

He Wanchun walked into the hall with his hands behind his back, flanked by two disciples from the Guiyun Sect.

"Congratulations, congratulations."

He bowed to the tall, upright middle-aged man standing at the gate.

"If it isn't Elder He. Long time no see."

Xiao Yu, He Qianian's eldest disciple, laughed heartily in return, then had a younger brother take the gifts from He Wanchun's hands, while pulling him inside the hall.

He Wanchun smiled broadly.

He glanced around the main hall.

It was packed with people—but he saw no sign of the Number One in the Rankings, Master He.

All the hospitality was handled by the disciples.

But then again, it was only natural.

He Qianian was a master fit to lead a sect; everyone in Qinghe, from top to bottom, were mere minnows—whether they met him or not made no difference.

Better to spend that time training.

Etiquette and formality were shields for the weak; the strong had no need for them.

Moreover, as a renowned Grand Master, He Qianian's disciples were all exceptional.

Take the eldest disciple, Xiao Yu—he was a fourth-rank Primordial Qi cultivator.

As they walked, He Wanchun said: "On this visit, I've specially prepared a gift for Brother Xiao."

Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow: "Elder He, you're too kind."

He Wanchun lowered his voice: "Brother Xiao, do you know what business makes the most profit in Qinghe?"

At this,

Xiao Yu's smile turned sly.

So the Guiyun Sect's Elder He wasn't bringing a spirit herb or divine weapon.

He Wanchun answered himself: "It's beast business."

"If Brother Xiao is willing, my Guiyun Sect can partner with your hall in a three-seven profit split."

Xiao Yu's eyes lit up.

Master He Qianian came to Qinghe at the invitation of Marquis Yuan; yet besides him, five other Earth Immortals ranked on the martial list were also planning to establish sects in Yunzhou.

As Marquis Yuan put it, the Yunzhou martial world would be too dull if there were only one Divine Weapon Manor.

He Qianian's arrival lent prestige.

Almost all affairs of the hall were handled by Xiao Yu alone; He Qianian never interfered.

One could say He Qianian had merely accepted Marquis Yuan's invitation to relocate for seclusion—the true master of the hall was, in fact, Xiao Yu.

Unlike He Qianian's indifference,

Xiao Yu genuinely wanted to expand the Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall, even elevate it into a full sect, and with his master's presence, establish himself as a founding Grand Master.

But to expand a martial hall,

teaching well wasn't enough—the key was money.

In Qinghe, the most profitable path to wealth was beast business.

"So, Elder He, do you have connections?"

He Wanchun smiled mysteriously:

"I don't—but someone else does."

Deep into the night, the moon hung over the eastern branch.

Inside the Assistant Military Commander's residence.

Li Rui sat cross-legged on a mat, circulating his qi, when suddenly a frantic knock came at the door.

He opened his eyes, opened the door, and saw Shi Zhou, Zhou Ting, and Bai Jing standing outside, anxious.

"Young Shi, what's wrong?"

Shi Zhou's face was grim. He cursed: "That damn He Wanchun!"

Li Rui frowned slightly.

If he remembered correctly, the chief elder of the Guiyun Sect in Qinghe was indeed named He Wanchun.

"What happened?"

As he spoke, he led Shi Zhou and the other two inside and sat down.

Once seated, Shi Zhou downed a cup of tea in one gulp before speaking:

"Five days ago, He Wanchun and Xiao Yu from the Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall came to me, asking to join forces in beast business. I refused, as you, Brother Li, had instructed me."

"But damn it, today I heard that my Divine Weapon Manor's trade caravan in Wu Country was ambushed."

"It's definitely the Guiyun Sect and the Thousand Crane Martial Art Hall!"

"He Wanchun is clearly trying to force us to hand over our trade routes so he can insert himself into the beast business."

Thinking of it, Shi Zhou gritted his teeth.

Zhou Ting and Bai Jing both looked grave.

Though this hadn't happened to them yet, they knew it was only a matter of time.

Li Rui fell silent.

Combined with He Wanchun's earlier persistent attempts to meet, the truth was obvious.

The Guiyun Sect also wanted a share of the beast business—and Elder He had brought the Thousand Crane Manor into it.

"I understand."

Li Rui nodded.

He had anticipated this.

The beast business was growing larger, more powerful cultivators were arriving in Qinghe—it was inevitable others would covet it. Though he had no intention of monopolizing the trade, he couldn't stop others from blaming him for it.

They sought to carve out a share of the profits.

After all, if the Wu Country beast trade routes were so easy to open, the Heaven and Earth Alliance wouldn't still be the largest player.

The Wu Country situation has always been chaotic.

To do this business, money isn't enough—you must have connections. Either someone from the Wu Kingdom's imperial court, or someone from the bandit faction.

The Wu Kingdom has been a feudal state for a thousand years; how could these major sects possibly know high-ranking Wu Kingdom officials? Even if they wanted to make contact, the officials would avoid them at all costs.

Who isn't afraid of being accused of treason?

Even within the Wu Kingdom, the beast trade isn't something anyone can touch.

Dao Mo dared to open a path for Li Rui because Xia Xiaotang's master is a Great Witch.

That's all there is to it.

Otherwise, you'd need at least a third-rank Wu Kingdom official to vouch for you before the beast traders would dare do business with Yu Kingdom.

Seeing Li Rui stay silent, Shi Zhou couldn't help but grow anxious:

"Brother Li, you've got to help your younger brother out."

The gap between major sects is enormous.

Divine Weapon Manor is a major sect in Yunzhou; it once produced a Earth Immortal, but after the previous Sect Master died suddenly, the sect lost its Earth Immortal anchor.

For a major sect, this is nearly fatal.

!. Read

Divine Weapon Manor has held on only because of its ties with General Xue.

With General Xue's protection, it has managed to maintain the dignity of a major sect in Yunzhou.

When something major happens, General Xue will naturally intervene—but if the matter hasn't reached the point of drawing his attention, it becomes extremely difficult to resolve.

He Wanchun first targeted Divine Weapon Manor.

He was just thinking: pick the softest fruit first.

Otherwise, why not go after Bai Zhan Gate or Daoxuan Sect?

Bai Zhan Gate and Daoxuan Sect both have Earth Immortals stationed within them, their strength overwhelming—no one dares to provoke them. As for Li Rui, he's under the protection of Marquis Yuan—who dares to touch him? He's clearly the easiest target.

If Divine Weapon Manor yields and tells him who their contact in the Wu Kingdom is,

He Wanchun can then find someone to establish the connection.

Li Rui smiled at Shi Zhou, Zhou Ting, and Bai Jing:

"Three younger brothers, you're being foolish. Affairs of the martial world are settled by martial means—how could our three sects lose to two?"

The three assumed Li Rui had some clever plan.

But when they heard his words,

they exchanged glances.

So simple, so crude, so direct.

Shi Zhou's face twisted with bitterness: "Brother Li, the master of Thousand Crane Martial Hall is He Qianian—a Earth Immortal. Even if we set aside He Qianian, He Wanchun still has Xiao Yu, a fourth-rank Primordial expert. We can't afford to provoke them."

Not just him—Bai Jing and Zhou Ting, whose sects were even stronger, thought the same.

If it were this simple, they would've acted long ago.

In the end,

we're just a branch of a sect, while Thousand Crane Martial Hall has its master living right in Qinghe County.

Remote help won't solve immediate problems.

If a real conflict breaks out, we'll be the ones who suffer.

Li Rui waved his hand with a smile:

"No need to worry, younger brothers. He Qianian is formidable, but don't forget—we're in Yunzhou, and Marquis Yuan is still here."

Hearing the name "Marquis Yuan,"

all three brightened: "What do you mean, Brother Li?"

"Fight however you like—just don't kill anyone."

Outside Thousand Crane Martial Hall,

a few disciples gathered in groups, chatting idly.

At that moment,

several armed, burly men approached. Seeing unfamiliar faces, the Thousand Crane disciples hurried forward to block them: "Who are you?"

The scar-faced leader smirked slightly: "Is this Thousand Crane Martial Hall?"

"Yes."

The disciple nodded, even more confused.

What did that mean?

The scar-faced man's smile widened, his scar wriggling like a fat worm:

"Boys, we've arrived."

Seeing their strange behavior, the Thousand Crane disciples grew alert and shouted sharply: "Who are you? What do you want?"

The scar-faced man's smile had turned into unrestrained laughter.

He pointed to the men behind him.

"Let me introduce you."

"This is Wang Pu from Bai Zhan Gate—nicknamed the Wild Lion."

"This is Cheng Fei from Daoxuan Sect—nicknamed the Clear Wind Daoist."

"As for me, just a minor figure from Divine Weapon Manor."

The Thousand Crane disciples were now utterly bewildered—they were too low-ranking to know the feud between their hall and Divine Weapon Manor.

"What exactly do you want?"

The scar-faced man grinned:

"Simple. Martial world rules—we've come to seek instruction in martial arts."

Seek instruction?

The three Thousand Crane disciples instantly paled.

A better word would be: challenge the hall!

The scar-faced man kicked out, straight at the nearest disciple's chest.

Thud!

The Thousand Crane disciple flew backward like a sack of sand.

"Help! They're challenging the hall!"

The same scene unfolded at Guiyun Manor.

The three sects acted with restraint—never entering the gates, striking and fleeing immediately. They beat every disciple and apprentice found outside, leaving them all with bruised faces and swollen noses.

They did this for three straight days.

And they openly announced their names—extremely brazen.

For Guiyun Manor and Thousand Crane Martial Hall, it wasn't fatal—but it was deeply humiliating.

In the martial world, reputation matters.

Face is everything.

"Senior brother, these three sects are pushing too far—they don't even respect our master!"

He Qianian's third disciple growled.

These past days,

more and more Thousand Crane disciples had been beaten, leaving him utterly humiliated.

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes.

He understood perfectly why the three sects were doing this.

He just hadn't expected them to be so reckless—to openly challenge the hall in broad daylight.

As he pondered,

He Wanchun arrived at Thousand Crane Martial Hall, his expression grim—he hadn't anticipated Divine Weapon Manor's retaliation would be so direct.

He had approached Thousand Crane Martial Hall and agreed to take only thirty percent because he valued its strength.

But he hadn't expected Divine Weapon Manor to pull such a crude move.

It caught them off guard and stripped them of their dignity.

"Brother Xiao, what do you think?"

He hadn't come here helpless—he was merely showing Thousand Crane Martial Hall due respect.

Xiao Yu smiled faintly: "Minor skirmishes. Not worth worrying about."

"If they want to fight, let them fight."

Could Thousand Crane Martial Hall possibly fear three branches of Divine Weapon Manor?

They're not even the main sect.

Just three branches—none even have a fourth-rank Primordial expert. What's there to fear?

Seeing Xiao Yu's stance, He Wanchun finally smiled: "With your word, Brother Xiao, I'm at ease."

Xiao Yu nodded with a faint smile.

These past days, he had carefully studied the beast trade—and the more he learned, the more stunned he became.

Even he was tempted. This business must be done.

As the two reached an agreement,

footsteps sounded outside the door.

He turned his head.

There he saw Wei Chong, the second disciple of He Qiannian, entering the room.

He looked at the people in the room, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly:

"Master says it's time to stop. The martial arts school should do only what a martial arts school should do."

(End of chapter)