Chapter 61: Heaven‑Reaching Register

What kind of place is Quánxìng? Even as the acting sect leader, Gòng Qìng couldn't find a suitable description for a moment, but he was certain this operation would risk his life; yet for a target that interested him, such a small danger meant nothing.

"Alright, let's not talk about that. Thanks to Lǚ Liáng's favor, we've dug up useful information. Though I expect we'll meet Zhāng Chǔlán at the Luótiān Grand Ritual, and when Zhāng Chǔlán takes action, the company will surely follow." Gòng Qìng thought of his goal, a smile rose in his heart, he straightened his expression and looked at the four subordinates under his name in the room.

Indeed! Zhōu Shuò listened to Gòng Qìng's words and felt assured in his heart—the Luótiān Grand Ritual is about to convene, and the acting sect leader appearing now is surely no coincidence; Quánxìng will join the Luótiān Grand Ritual's bustle, and this time I too will have some fun.

"Sect Leader, what do you need us to do?" Lǚ Liáng looked at the silent Zhōu Shuò, as well as Xià Hé and Shěn Chōng, watching Gòng Qìng extend his right hand.

"It's simple: gather our members and meet at Lónghǔ Mountain in Jiāngxī. I've already summoned Yùhuà Dú and Xià Lǎo; you go notify the others, call Dòu Méi and Master Yǒngjué, and also Lǎo Yuàn Tóu. Aside from these folks, handle the rest as you see fit. Our target is the Heaven‑Reaching Register, and…." Gòng Qìng pointed at several names, announcing the operation's goal, his tone paused slightly, then a strange smile appeared on his face as he enunciated each word.

"Cause a great disturbance at Dragon Tiger Mountain!"

"And still say we watch the fun without fearing big trouble!" Lǚ Liáng looked at the weirdly smiling fellow who declared they'd cause a great disturbance at Dragon Tiger Mountain, couldn't help but curl his lips—Dragon Tiger Mountain's Heavenly Master's Abbey, the pinnacle of the circle, and the Luótiān Grand Ritual also hosts many extraordinary gatherings; plus the company, this is no longer mere bustle.

"Sect Leader, are you sure you said the Heaven‑Reaching Register?" Zhōu Shuò felt he'd heard something tremendous; the names Gòng Qìng mentioned are all veteran elders of Quánxìng. As an acting sect leader, though he has two chances to order the whole sect, trying to mobilize Quánxìng's high‑rankers with empty words is a fantasy, yet he mentioned a special thing—the Heaven‑Reaching Register!

"Heh, I forgot to tell you this: the rules of the Luótiān Grand Ritual have temporarily changed. Lǎo Lù of the Ten Elders, dissatisfied with the other Ten Elders' arrangements for the Ritual, has taken out one of the Eight Extraordinary Skills, the Heaven‑Reaching Register, and announced that the winner of this grand competition, if unwilling to inherit the Heavenly Master's position, will pass the Heaven‑Reaching Register to him." Gòng Qìng laughed heartily as he spat out the news.

"The Eight Extraordinary Skills, the Heaven‑Reaching Register, actually in Old Master Lù's hands, and he's even brought it out as a prize for the Luótiān Grand Ritual." Xià Hé's expression shifted slightly.

The Eight Extraordinary Skills, the source of the Jiǎshēn Rebellion, later faded as the Thirty‑Six Thieves died off one after another. Over these years, only rumors have surfaced that a newly joined Ten Elder expert possesses a secret art, and Quánxìng, because it once hunted Zhāng Xīlín, found his remains from clues, never expecting that among the Ten Elders someone still secretly holds a secret art, and even brings it out as the Luótiān Grand Ritual's championship prize.

"I heard the Jiǎshēn Rebellion caused quite a commotion—flawless throughout life, what a flawless life!" Shěn Chōng pushed up his glasses, laughing oddly; Zhōu Shuò glanced at him, somewhat puzzled, but now wasn't the time to ask. He's now curious about the Thirty‑Six Thieves and the Eight Extraordinary Skills.

"Even without the Heaven‑Reaching Register, I'm afraid Old Yuàn Tóu won't be able to sit still." Lǚ Liáng's face darkened as he added, "The Heaven‑Reaching Register—this thing can indeed stir the sect's high‑rankers into action."

"By the way, the Luótiān Grand Ritual's rules have temporarily changed—will the competition rules change as well?" Zhōu Shuò looked at Lǚ Liáng's grim expression, then turned to Gòng Qìng, noticing this acting sect leader is interesting; the extraordinary world says big or small, but in the internet age information is highly developed, yet this acting sect leader's intel grasp is even faster than the net.

"What, you want to join the competition?" Xià Hé glanced sideways, pondering the meaning in his words.

"Go ahead and try! Anyway, you're a newcomer; this grand competition's entry requirements have also been temporarily changed—all extraordinary people under thirty can try to vie for the Heavenly Master's successor position; inheriting the Heavenly Master truly isn't much, but the Heaven‑Reaching Register is indeed a good thing." Gòng Qìng looked at Zhōu Shuò with surprise, his tone carrying encouragement.

"Too bad I've already announced my identity to the outside world." Zhōu Shuò looked at the encouraging acting sect leader, couldn't help but twitch his mouth; frankly he really had this idea, but thinking it over it's unrealistic, because he's already announced his joining of Quánxìng everywhere.

Besides announcing his identity, Zhōu Shuò still lacks sufficient background to join the Luótiān Grand Ritual; exposing himself before those extraordinary bigwigs isn't pleasant, especially since he still has a gang of neurotic teammates—if he truly won the match, letting those guys grow jealous would drag him down worse, and Quánxìng's people are capable of such things.

Aside from not being able to join the competition, Zhōu Shuò also has a premonition that Zhāng Chǔlán will possess the Heavenly Master's lineage Golden Light Spell and Thunder Technique; his grandfather Zhāng Xīlín must be related to the Heavenly Master's Abbey, and though this Luótiān Grand Ritual is held grandly, the outcome may already be decided from the start; no matter how hard he tries, he'll likely be tripped up in the match.

"That's truly a pity." Gòng Qìng saw Zhōu Shuò had already announced the news, felt a bit disappointed; he truly looked forward to Zhōu Shuò winning the secret manual and seeing the Ten Elders' expressions when they learn he's a Quánxìng member, but Zhōu Shuò no longer qualifies for the competition, so he can only let it go.

"Don't worry, even without Brother Zhōu, we still have Hú Jié." Lǚ Liáng looked at Zhōu Shuò unmoved by the encouragement, feeling a slight disappointment deep down, for he harbored expectations similar to Gòng Qìng's, yet without Zhōu Shuò they've already selected a person.

"……" Zhōu Shuò heard Hú Jié's name, couldn't help but glance askance at Xià Hé; while Gòng Qìng and Lǚ Liáng talked, they also kept some things hidden from him, because Hú Jié had long been chosen, the Dragon Tiger Mountain operation is absolutely not as simple as it seems on the surface—causing a great disturbance at Dragon Tiger Mountain, plotting to seize the Heaven‑Reaching Register, even the faint mention of Féng Bǎobǎo—these are merely the surface.

"By the way, Sect Leader, I still want to ask you something—out of personal interest, could you tell me what relation Zhāng Chǔlán has with the Heavenly Master's Abbey?" Zhōu Shuò decided to skip the Hú Jié question; this matter isn't suitable to ask now.

"Oh, that! Zhāng Chǔlán's grandfather Zhāng Xīlín, his birth name should be Zhāng Huáiyì, is the current Heavenly Master's martial uncle; he left the Heavenly Master's Abbey early, so Zhāng Chǔlán knows the Golden Light Spell and Thunder Technique." Gòng Qìng spoke openly.

"May I ask, what exactly are the Thirty‑Six Thieves and the Eight Extraordinary Skills? I'm very curious now." Zhōu Shuò's eyes lifted slightly; Zhāng Xīlín's identity isn't surprising to him, but knowing the current Heavenly Master's martial uncle, who left the Heavenly Master's Abbey early, this old story everyone knows, yet he still grasps the latest movements of the Luótiān Grand Ritual—this acting sect leader truly understands the Heavenly Master's Abbey beyond ordinary!

"Heh, you asked the right person. Nowadays, few in the jianghu know these old tales; the older generation refuses to speak, and I'm only able to gather information because I'm greatly curious about the Jiǎshēn Rebellion." Gòng Qìng saw Zhōu Shuò's inquiry, his expression slightly self‑satisfied, then he boastfully recited thirty‑six names and gave a detailed account.

"These thirty‑six people, though called thieves by outsiders, are in fact a generation of outstanding talents; among them are our Quánxìng's predecessors, like our former sect leader Wú Gēnshēng—heard this oath‑brotherhood was started by him; besides him, there's Elder Gǔ Jītíng, Elder Gāo Gèn, and also members from the Heavenly Master's Abbey, the Upper Purity School, the Wudang School, etc., like Zhāng Huáiyì, Zhōu Shèng, Zhèng Zībù, etc.; furthermore there are various jianghu schools, for example Liángshān Dàjué Fēng Tiānyǎng, Sānchǐ Xiǎobān Shū Mǎběn, etc…………"

Speaking of the Thirty‑Six Thieves, Gòng Qìng spoke fluently, not hiding his admiration, even declaring that if possible he'd definitely join that year's sworn brotherhood, even if it meant family ruin and death, and now the event he's launched—aside from wanting to cause a great disturbance at Dragon Tiger Mountain to show those so‑called orthodox paths a lesson, also aims to clarify what happened back then.

Back then, because they coveted the Eight Extraordinary Skills, the Thirty‑Six Thieves were hunted to a miserable extent; saying their families were destroyed and they perished is no exaggeration; even the survivor to the end, Zhāng Huáiyì, spent most of his life under pursuit, and Zhāng Chǔlán hiding his identity in the ordinary world, not daring to enter the extraordinary world, likely also meant to avoid the hunt.

"Sect Leader, you've finished talking about the Thirty‑Six Thieves—what about the Eight Extraordinary Skills?" Zhōu Shuò listened to Gòng Qìng's admiring boast, felt a toothache, speaking sincerely, those thirty‑six really are bold and lofty, a generation of heroes, but if he encountered such a thing he'd definitely stay as far away as possible, never dragging himself into it—life only comes once.

"Um, about those Eight Extraordinary Skills… I'm not really fit to say them; truly few know this stuff—back then Sect Leader Wú Gēnshēng nearly got besieged by many fellow disciples over it, even our sect's high‑rankers participated in hunting Zhāng Huáiyì!" Gòng Qìng heard Zhōu Shuò ask about the Eight Extraordinary Skills, his face flushed slightly, both because he knows little about the Eight Extraordinary Skills and because Quánxìng back then also coveted them, even nearly besieging the then‑sect leader Wú Gēnshēng, treating him as a traitor.

"Well, the Eight Extraordinary Skills that have surfaced so far are three: besides Qi Body Source Flow and the Heaven‑Reaching Register, the newly joined Ten Elder Fēng Zhèngháo, it's said he masters a secret art called Spirit Captor and General Dispatcher, claimed to bind any spirit; he's surnamed Fēng, Spirit Captor and General Dispatcher focuses on spirits, likely a descendant of Liángshān Dàjué Fēng Tiānyǎng." After a brief flush, Gòng Qìng again revealed another secret art to Zhōu Shuò.

"Qi Body Source Flow, Heaven‑Reaching Register, Spirit Captor and General Dispatcher……" Zhōu Shuò chewed on the three secret arts he now knows, his heart full of contemplation—this world is interesting, even more interesting than imagined.