Chapter 108: Potential Dragon Update: Tianjiao Chen Mu!

Huaiyang Prefecture.

On a mountain peak.

Chen Mu faced the mountain wind, gazing toward the direction of Nanyun Prefecture, his heart filled with doubt.

"Has no one spread the word that I killed Fang Yuanfu?"

If the other side chose to conceal it, that would be good news.

After all, no one likes being hunted.

Of course, due caution is still necessary.

For these past three days, Chen Mu had traveled by night and hidden by day, taking only mountain trails and back roads.

He would continue the same way ahead.

Before leaving Hannan Circuit, he would avoid revealing his whereabouts if possible.

As for his destination: Shannan Circuit, Tai'an Prefecture!

This was the place Chen Mu had decided on after consulting Zhao Fuzhou following his acquisition of the Inspector's commission.

According to the Great Zhou imperial court's regional rankings, Tai'an Prefecture was classified as middling-lower.

Nanyun Prefecture was also middling-lower.

However, overall, Tai'an Prefecture had more martial cultivators, and its Innate Realm experts were somewhat stronger.

The main reason for choosing Tai'an Prefecture was that Zhao Fuzhou had acquaintances there, and his junior brother also served in the Town Martial Office, though not as the head.

Having acquaintances to look out for you was always better than stepping into complete unfamiliarity.

Shannan Circuit lay east of Hennan Circuit—just head east!

The Fang family, to which Fang Yuanfu belonged, held strong influence in Hennan Circuit, but outside it, their power faded.

So, keep moving—head east!

……

……

Nanyun Fucheng.

Inner city.

Hero Hall.

Early in the morning, Zheng Laosan shuffled in slowly, entering the first-floor hall, ordered some pastries and tea, then sat down to leisurely enjoy them.

"Oh, Zheng Laosan, you're here early!" came a familiar greeting; a burly man with a full beard walked in from the entrance, strode over to Zheng Laosan, sat down opposite without invitation, and reached out to grab a pastry and shove it into his mouth.

"That's mine."

Zheng Laosan grabbed the entire tray and pulled it close to his chest. "If you want some, order your own."

"You're such a miser."

The big man grumbled, then turned and shouted to the counter, "One plate of beef, one pot of wine!"

"Coming right up~" came the counter's reply. "Right away."

"Wow, Brother Hu, you're feeling generous today!" Zheng Laosan chuckled while eating his pastry. "Beef first thing in the morning?"

"Not bad—I won a round last night," the big man said, lifting his chin.

"Impressive!"

Zheng Laosan gave a thumbs-up, then lowered his voice to ask, "Have you heard? Sun Jindong of the Four Directions Martial Hall is dead, and Fang Yuanfu of the Fang family is dead too. Is this true?"

"No need to doubt—it's true," the bearded man said gravely. "The same person killed them both."

"Whoa~" Zheng Laosan sucked in a sharp breath. "Who's that powerful? Even Fang Yuanfu could be killed? Sure, Fang Yuanfu was injured, but across all of Nanyun Prefecture, only two people could've taken him out."

"Are you referring to the July Altar Master of the Heavenly Alliance and Director Zhao of the Town Martial Office?" asked a young man nearby, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight. "As far as I know, both of them were in the city when Sun Jindong and Fang Yuanfu died."

"Definitely not them," another big man chimed in. "The one who killed Sun Jindong and Fang Yuanfu is said to have a low realm—certainly not even Innate Realm late stage!"

"Incredible! Who is this person?"

"No one knows."

"I want to know too. Sun Jindong doesn't matter much, but Fang Yuanfu was from the Fang family of Hennan. Fang Yuanzuo already died fighting over the Duan Tianhe Sword Scripture—now Fang Yuanfu is dead too. The Fang family will go mad!"

"Heh, reliable info says the Fang family's headquarters has already sent people heading toward Nanyun."

"……"

More people kept joining the discussion; the first-floor hall erupted into a buzz of chatter.

The hottest event in the city these past few days was the deaths of Sun Jindong, Fang Yuanfu, and several other Innate Realm cultivators who had accompanied them—killed outside the city.

Due to Fang Yuanfu's status and realm, Sun Jindong became mere background.

As for the other dead men, no one cared—they weren't even known by name.

……

"Here it comes, here it comes."

Amid the noise, a martial cultivator suddenly stood up, staring toward the third-floor railing.

There, two Hero Hall attendants on the third floor, near the railing, were unrolling a massive red cloth, suspending it midair, then letting it fall down to the first floor.

The others in the discussion immediately dropped their topic.

"Hey, I wonder how many names will make the list this time."

"Someone's bound to be on it! Three months between updates is too long! I say the 'Potential Dragon List' should update monthly!"

"Monthly? That would require enormous manpower!"

"I don't know, but the Heavenly Mechanism Sect is mysterious—they managed to update the 'Potential Dragon List' every three months, so updating monthly shouldn't be a problem."

"Maybe they really could…"

"……"

Amid the lively chatter, a red cloth a full half-zhang wide descended completely from the third floor, its surface inscribed with names, rankings, and battle records.

These names were precisely the one hundred and eight contenders of the潛龍榜, the prodigies of the entire Zhou Empire over the past three months.

"First, second, third… Indeed, the top ten remain unchanged."

"Not just that—only the twentieth changed among the top twenty."

"This time, the rank changes were few, and none of those who rose made a leap across multiple tiers."

"That's obvious—anyone who makes the潛龍榜 is a genius among geniuses. For any of them to rise even one spot is incredibly difficult…"

"Holy mother—!!"

Suddenly, a startled cry drowned out all other chatter, echoing throughout Hero Tower.

"Zhang Lao Liu, what are you screaming about?" a burly man barked at the startled warrior.

"Look… look…"

Standing up, eyes wide, Zhang Lao Liu trembled slightly as he stared at the list, pointing at the red cloth with a shaking finger, "Look at one hundred and seven! Quick, look at one hundred and seven!!"

"One hundred and seven? What's wrong with it?"

"Is there a new name on the list?"

"…."

As the crowd grew puzzled, their gazes shifted to the second-to-last position.

【One Hundred and Seventh: Chen Mu】

【Nickname: None】

【Age: Sixteen】

【Identity: Hall Master of the Great Knife Gang, Nanyun Prefecture, Hengzhou, Hannan Circuit】

【Realm: Second Stage Innate】

【Battle Record: Outside Nanyun Fucheng, slew two Fully Cultivated Fourth Stage Innate, one Fully Cultivated Third Stage Innate, one First Stage Innate, and one Eighth Stage Innate (injured but not yet healed)】

……

"Sixteen years old and already at Second Stage Innate—truly impressive," a warrior remarked after reading the details.

"It's the identity! The identity!"

Zhang Lao Liu cried out excitedly, "Nanyun Prefecture! Chen Mu is from Nanyun Prefecture! And he's a Hall Master of the Great Knife Gang! No one from Nanyun Prefecture has made the潛龍榜 in decades! Today, finally, someone has—this is wonderful!"

"…."

Zhang Lao Liu's voice echoed through the hall; silence fell over every level of Hero Tower.