madnovel Chapter 80 The Two Ranking Lists of the Prefecture and the Martial Arts Realm
Chapter 80 The Two Ranking Lists of the Prefecture and the Martial Arts Realm
"We've arrived at Ishikawa Castle!"
Upon hearing this loud shout, Lin Qing jumped off the carriage. His gaze swept across the scene and he saw a magnificent city built of gray-white stone, resembling a giant beast lying prostrate on the earth.
On the official road leading to the city gate, caravans came and went, all of them merchants traveling from the prefectural city to various county towns.
"I've long heard that Ishikawa Prefecture is extremely prosperous, and today I'm finally able to witness it for myself," Lin Qing said softly.
"I've heard that Ishikawa Prefecture is famous for its stone carvings. There are many stonemason families that have passed down their skills from generation to generation, and there are also many stone carvings that have been passed down for hundreds of years. I really want to see what they look like," Li Ping said from the side.
"Hurry up, hurry up! I can't wait to eat all the delicious food in the streets and alleys of the city!" Ma Ziye took the lead and ran towards the city at top speed.
"Miss Ma, please don't be in a hurry, please come into the city with me!" Commander Zhou, who was in charge of leading the fifty soldiers, said loudly.
"I know, I know, this heroine knows what she's doing." Ma Ziye said this, but she still unconsciously slowed down her pace.
In a short while, under Commander Zhou's leadership, the group successfully entered the city.
Walking down the street, Lin Qing truly felt the prosperity of the prefectural city.
In Jiangyin County, only in the bustling inner city can you see tall pavilions with more than five stories, but here, even in the quiet outer city, magnificent pavilions can be seen everywhere.
The streets were bustling with activity, lined with shops on both sides, and numerous small vendors constantly hawking their wares.
"Roasted chestnuts, fifteen coins a pound!"
"These flaky pastries are crispy and delicious—don't miss them!"
"Young master, would you like your fortune told? I see your left eye is bruised and your right cheek is swollen; you are sure to face some bloodshed soon!"
"Our family's secret martial art, Divine Wind Palm, originally priced at one hundred taels of silver, now only one tael!"
...
Lin Qing and his two companions followed Commander Zhou through the streets, with soldiers clearing the way and the crowd dispersing to both sides.
Ma Ziye was the most excited. Whenever they came across a local delicacy, she would stop and buy one for each person.
Commander Zhou was also very understanding. He didn't get annoyed when Ma Ziye walked and stopped, and just strolled slowly down the street.
"Commander Zhou, thank you for your help along the way," Lin Qing said softly.
"It's alright, it's my duty," Commander Zhou said slowly. He glanced around and pointed to a building at the corner of the street ahead. "Lord Lin, that's the Golden Phoenix Pavilion. It's owned by the Jin family and is known as the Treasure Pavilion. They sell everything there—rare treasures, martial arts information. As long as you're willing to pay, you can buy anything. Since you're new to the city, you know nothing. I suggest you buy some information about the Golden Phoenix Pavilion. It will help you avoid a lot of trouble."
"Thank you for your guidance, Commander Zhou." Lin Qing glanced in the direction Commander Zhou was pointing and saw a tall building, the tallest on the street, with nine stories. It was also the most ornately decorated, with strings of golden bells hanging outside. They glittered in the sunlight and jingled melodiously in the wind.
"I'll go."
Just as Lin Qing was about to set off, Li Ping rushed ahead.
A moment later, Li Ping returned, clutching a book in his hand, and complained with a pained expression, "This information is too expensive! Just this most basic version of the Prefectural City Gazetteer cost me ten taels of silver. What's the difference between this and robbery?"
"Prices in the prefectural city are indeed very high, of course. The main reason is that the information from Jin Feng Lou is very accurate, so it's normal for prices to be a bit higher," Commander Zhou said in a deep voice.
Li Ping stopped complaining, but still had a look of being tricked on his face.
The group walked and stopped frequently, and soon arrived at a nearby inn with three floors, named Tongfu Inn.
"This is an inn run by the Town Soul Division of the prefecture. I have brought you all here, and my mission is complete. What happens after that is up to someone else," Commander Zhou said loudly.
"Thank you, Commander Zhou!" Lin Qing and the other two said, bowing with their hands clasped.
"Goodbye!"
Commander Zhou and his soldiers quickly left. The three entered the inn, and after showing their gold and silver tokens, the innkeeper immediately arranged a private room for each of them.
Before leaving, the innkeeper instructed, "You can stay here without worry during this time. There will be no charge. Once the talents from the 128 counties have been gathered, the Soul Suppression Division will send someone to take you out of the city to participate in the assessment."
"Shopkeeper, why do we have to go out of the city to take the exam?" Ma Ziye asked curiously.
"Since the town's Soul Division is located outside the city, don't ask any more questions. You'll find out when the time comes." The shopkeeper was very busy and didn't have the patience to chat with everyone. He left after saying this.
into the night.
Lin Qing took a hot shower, ate more than a dozen pastries, and then sat in a chair by the window, looking through the intelligence he had bought in Liping that day.
This intelligence report was more comprehensive and detailed than the one given by Master Ma. What interested Lin Qing the most were the two lists: a black list and a red list.
The Blacklist is a list of heroes; it doesn't consider age, only strength.
The Crimson List is a list of prodigies, and only those under the age of thirty can be included.
Each list contains 200 people, but this information only shows the bottom 30 people on both lists. To see more, you have to pay extra to buy it.
Lin Qing glanced at the bottom thirty of the Prodigy Ranking. The last one was named Fang Ziyi, the legitimate daughter of a second-rate family in the prefecture city. She was twenty-eight years old and at the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm.
Seeing this, Lin Qing understood. At his age, nineteen years old and at the peak of the Transformation Realm, he was bound to be on the Prodigy Ranking, and might even be ranked quite high.
"Although the city is a gathering place for heroes, I have the help of the Record of Rebirth, so there is no need to underestimate myself," Lin Qing thought to himself.
He glanced at the list of heroes again, and the last one was named Wei Xiong, who was in the mid-stage of True Qi.
"As expected, the city is full of powerful figures; the list of heroes is filled with True Qi experts," Lin Qing thought to himself.
In the past six months, through consulting with Ran Hongxia, he has gained a general understanding of the subsequent realms of martial arts.
After the initial stage of "Transforming Strength" comes the stage of "Embracing the Elixir," where all strengths are combined into a single elixir, resulting in a dramatic increase in power.
After "Bao Dan" comes "Zhen Gang," which means that the strength transforms into Gang Jin, which can be released outside the body and can also be attached to the hands, feet, and weapons, making the weapons sharper and the fists and feet more lethal.
After True Qi, it is called True Yuan. Qi can be transformed into True Yuan power, which is further enhanced in strength and can be released outwards, covering a certain area around the body.
The four realms of Transformation, Embracing the Core, True Qi, and True Essence are each a major hurdle, extremely difficult to overcome, but each breakthrough brings a tremendous boost to combat power.
"In Jiangyin County, the Transformation Realm is already the most advanced level, capable of dominating the area."
"But in the prefectural city, a martial artist at the Transformation Realm is nothing special; we need to keep a low profile," Lin Qing thought to himself.
For the next few days, Lin Qing and the others stayed in the inn and did not go out.
Through the window, Lin Qing could see new people arriving every day.
On the morning of the seventh day, Lin Qing was reading in his room when a loud, booming shout suddenly came from outside.
"I am Qiu Changming, one of the eight deacons of the Soul Suppression Division. All those holding gold and silver tokens, assemble immediately in the courtyard!"
Splash!
Everyone in the inn was alerted. Accompanied by a flurry of hurried and chaotic footsteps, hundreds of people quickly assembled in the courtyard next to the inn.