“As for the Xuan Yuan Ranking, its origins are even more significant. It’s similar to our Cang Yuan Kingdom’s potential ranking, but it spans the Feng Wu Prefecture, where our Chi Ri Domain is located, and even the Eastern Yuan Continent, which contains Feng Wu Prefecture. Within the Eastern Yuan Continent, there are over a hundred prefectures, each divided into domains of various sizes. The Xuan Yuan Ranking is a list of young prodigy martial artists under twenty-four years old, covering an entire prefecture. In the Eastern Yuan Continent, each prefecture has its own separate Xuan Yuan Ranking. For example, ours in Feng Wu Prefecture is the Feng Wu Xuan Yuan Ranking.
But the number of martial artists in Feng Wu Prefecture is immense, beyond measure. The younger generation alone numbers at least millions, even tens of millions. Yet the Xuan Yuan Ranking only lists a hundred names. So every three years, there’s a ranking competition to determine the standings. Not everyone can participate in this competition. First, each domain must hold a quota-grabbing contest. Only after securing a quota can one qualify to compete. That’s the real reason behind the grand competition among the eight major forces in our Chi Ri Domain—it’s also called the quota-grabbing contest. However, this still isn’t initiated by the major forces within Chi Ri Domain. It’s mandated by the hegemonic powers in Feng Wu Domain, the core of Feng Wu Prefecture. We subordinate domains have no choice but to comply.”
Liu Qianyu finished speaking in one breath and let out a long sigh.
Lin Xuan listened, nodded slightly, and began to understand. He hadn’t expected such a grand event to exist across the entire Eastern Yuan Continent. Yet, he felt even more delighted. Through this Xuan Yuan Ranking competition, he might come into contact with the most顶尖 geniuses of the entire Feng Wu Prefecture. He could conveniently replicate their abilities and boost his own potential and talent. Moreover, if he performed well in the ranking competition and secured a spot on the Xuan Yuan Ranking, he could reap unimaginably massive energy points. It would almost be like leaping to the heavens in one step—soaring to the top of Feng Wu Prefecture in terms of talent and potential. He might even ride this momentum out of Feng Wu Prefecture and into the entire Eastern Yuan Continent. Such a golden opportunity was not to be missed.
Lin Xuan’s expression turned resolute as he silently made up his mind. It seemed that over the next ten days, he needed to significantly boost his strength. In the quota-grabbing contest ten days later, he would secure a spot. Then, he would leave Chi Ri Domain for the broader world outside, rapidly improving himself to handle this Xuan Yuan Ranking competition that spanned the entire Feng Wu Prefecture.
“Also, those who make it onto the Xuan Yuan Ranking are called prodigies. In our entire Chi Ri Domain, over the past few decades, only one person has achieved this: the number one genius of Chi Ri Domain, the head of the Four Young Masters, and the true disciple senior brother of Yang Yuan Sect, Zhang Yuchen. Even though he’s only ranked ninety-fifth, that’s still among the top hundred of all young martial artists in Feng Wu Prefecture—an incredible feat.”
After a moment, Liu Qianyu continued, his voice filled with deep envy and admiration. Then, he turned to Lin Xuan, his expression excited, and said, “Senior Brother Lin Xuan, with your talent, you’re not far behind Zhang Yuchen. You might even make it onto the Xuan Yuan Ranking. Our Flowing Cloud Sect has never produced a prodigy. If you can achieve this, our generation will have honored our ancestors and brought glory to the sect!”
The other true disciples around, upon hearing this, were also thrilled and looked at Lin Xuan with great excitement, nodding repeatedly. Although the Xuan Yuan Ranking competition was held every three years, in the previous few rounds, the Flowing Cloud Sect hadn’t even secured a single participation quota, let alone a spot on the ranking. In the entire Flowing Cloud Sect, and even the Cang Yuan Kingdom, no one had achieved this in hundreds of years. But now, Lin Xuan had burst onto the scene, sweeping through the younger generation of Cang Yuan Kingdom with his extraordinary talent. He had already joined the ranks of the top geniuses in Chi Ri Domain, worthy of being called a Young Master-level talent, and perhaps even surpassing that. Securing a quota was no longer an issue. He might even make it onto the Xuan Yuan Ranking, spreading his name across Feng Wu Prefecture. The Flowing Cloud Sect could thereby elevate its status and thrive. As true disciples of the sect, they felt honored to be part of this. Naturally, they were overjoyed and inspired.
“We’ll see. I’ll do my best,” Lin Xuan replied calmly with a nod, not giving a definite answer. He still didn’t know how strong Zhang Yuchen was, having never met him, so he couldn’t make a comparison. Still, he wasn’t worried. With his current talent and potential, he had already surpassed the level of Chi Ri Domain. Securing a quota and even making it onto the Xuan Yuan Ranking were well within his grasp. However, the Xuan Yuan Ranking involved all young martial artists across Feng Wu Prefecture. Just getting on it wouldn’t be enough to harvest sufficient energy points. He needed to push as far forward as possible. The higher the rank, the greater the impact, and the more energy points he would gain. Ideally, he’d aim for the top spot. But that seemed somewhat unrealistic. After all, this was a showdown among all the young martial artists of Feng Wu Prefecture, with too many geniuses, prodigies, and monsters. Even though he was confident that, over time, his potential and talent would match anyone’s, he had only been training for a short while and lacked support from a major power. He hadn’t truly matured yet. Compared to those top-tier prodigies, at least for now, there was still a significant gap in strength. So Lin Xuan’s provisional goal was the top ten. If that didn’t work, he’d settle for the top twenty. That would yield the greatest benefits. Of course, these goals remained buried in his heart, not yet spoken aloud. Because the only prodigy in Chi Ri Domain, Zhang Yuchen, was ranked only ninety-fifth, near the bottom. If Lin Xuan said he wanted to break into the top ten, he’d surely be mocked and deemed insane. The gap between the top ten and the bottom was like heaven and earth. Someone who hadn’t even secured a quota claiming they could enter the top ten? People would laugh themselves to death. So, despite his confidence, he kept it to himself, letting results speak best.
Later, on the way back to the Flowing Cloud Sect, Lin Xuan asked Liu Qianyu more about the Xuan Yuan Ranking. Although Liu Qianyu had participated in the quota-grabbing contest before, he hadn’t secured a spot due to his limited strength. Still, he had accompanied the sect’s higher-ups to observe a Xuan Yuan Ranking competition once, so he had some understanding of it. Having witnessed Lin Xuan’s terrifying talent and knowing he would surely secure a quota—and likely make it onto the Xuan Yuan Ranking as a prodigy—Liu Qianyu held nothing back, sharing everything he knew with Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan nodded slightly, listening quietly, gaining a deeper understanding of the Xuan Yuan Ranking.
Before they knew it, they soon arrived outside the Flowing Cloud Sect’s grounds. At that moment, a dense crowd was gathered outside the sect.