Chapter 29: A Renowned Name on the Beauty Ranking

"Heavenly Sword!"

"What an imposing name!"

Inside the private room on the top floor, although everyone had anticipated it, they could not help but cast their eyes toward Zhou Zhiruo and the blade strapped to her back.

"Sixth place on the Weapon Rankings: the Heavenly Sword!"

This news spread across the Great Zhou Empire in an instant. With a divine weapon revealed, one could only imagine how many outlaws and heroes were already beginning to scheme.

"Who possesses the Heavenly Sword? Is it a man or a woman? What is their cultivation level? Does anyone know where this person is currently?"

"Hey, my friend, the way you’re asking that, you sound like you’re up to no good!"

"Ahem, really? Is it that obvious?"

On the stage, Mr. Zhang sipped his tea, struck his gavel, and continued, "With the weapon rankings concluded, it is time to speak of the Beauty Rankings!"

"It’s just the same old names on the Beauty Rankings, isn't it? What else is there to say?"

"Get lost! If you don't want to listen, we certainly do!"

The crowd below was abuzz, their excitement stirred by the mere mention of the Beauty Rankings.

"The number one beauty of the Great Zhou, Hua Ruxue. Though only twenty years of age, she is honored as the Empress Dowager. Her status is so exalted that other women can only gaze upon her from afar."

Deep within the Great Zhou imperial palace, Hua Ruxue, draped in white robes, swayed back and forth on a swing, her dainty, elegant feet dancing in the air.

"Hmph, what use is being the number one beauty? If the Emperor won't let me leave the palace, am I to rot away inside these walls?"

"Empress Dowager, please, keep your voice down. If Her Majesty the Empress hears you, you’ll be punished again!"

"Hmph, do you think I’m afraid of her?" The Empress Dowager spoke boldly, but as her bottom began to ache from sitting on the swing, her tone shifted. "Never mind, never mind! Pretend I said nothing!"

In a private room at the Hero Tower, Zhang Zifan sighed with longing, "If I could catch a glimpse of the world's greatest beauty, I would die without regrets!"

"Brother Zhang, you want to see that woman? Is she truly more beautiful than us sisters?"

"Uh..."

Li Xingyun and Gao Wu exchanged smiles. Zhang Zifan really was loose-lipped; couldn't he have just kept that thought to himself?

"The second beauty is none other than Mu Nanzhi!"

"The third is a newcomer to the scene, known as Little Dragon Maiden. She is from our very own Bian Prefecture!"

"Little Dragon Maiden? Who is she? Which household is she from?"

"She’s from our Bian Prefecture! Finally, someone from Bian has made it onto the Beauty Rankings!"

"Bian Prefecture is truly a place of many happenings!"

The chatter of the crowd was incessant. Liu Yifei remained as cold and indifferent as ever, as if the person who had made the rankings were not her at all.

"To be acquainted with Lady Dragon is truly a great fortune for us. Come, let us drink to this!"

In the private room, Li Xingyun raised his cup, gesturing to the others.

"Brother Gao, you are truly blessed to have two beauties by your side!" Zhang Zifan downed his wine, his face full of envy.

"Is the Hundred-Know Tower truly so miraculous? It feels as if they are everywhere!"

Gao Wu, however, was becoming increasingly curious about this mysterious organization.

"That is only natural. The Hundred-Know Tower claims to know all and see all. Any question you have, as long as you can find them, you will surely receive an answer."

"And how does one find the Hundred-Know Tower?"

Zhang Zifan shook his head and glanced at Li Xingyun, who was busy offering toasts to everyone. "I suspect he might have a way!"

Meanwhile, at the Chongyang Palace on Mount Zhongnan, Yin Zhiping slowly sheathed his sword. Listening to the latest news brought back by his junior brother, he muttered to himself, "Little Dragon Maiden? What a lovely name!"

"And what of that Yang Guo?"

"Returning to Senior Brother, he also ran down the mountain to listen to the rankings. He should still be hiding in the Hero Tower."

"Hmph, not focusing on his cultivation—he will never achieve anything great!"

In Kaifeng, at the Hero Tower.

"The fourth beauty is Pei Nanwei of Northern Liang..."

"...The ninth is Ren Yingying of the Sun Moon Holy Cult in the Ming Empire..."

"And the tenth, the final one, is Huang Rong of Peach Blossom Island!"

"Rumor has it that this Huang Rong has, yet again, snuck off the island, leaving Master Huang scrambling everywhere in a frantic search for her!"

When mentioning Huang Rong, even Mr. Zhang could not help but make a few jokes, and the crowd below burst into good-natured laughter.

Ever since she first appeared, this young lady had hovered on the Beauty Rankings, but the crowd was far more interested in her history of running away from home and the subsequent stories of the Master of Peach Blossom Island searching for her everywhere.

In a refined room on the second floor of the Hero Tower, Manager Tong gently blew on her fragrant tea and sighed, "It is good to have a fine pedigree. Your father truly dotes on you."

Across from her sat a young girl in yellow, barely twenty years old, holding a drumstick in one hand, her mouth glistening with grease, a flask of wine in the other.

After taking a sip of wine and swallowing the meat, she finally cleared her throat and replied, "Sister Tong, why don't we switch places? Let's see if you could survive living on that island for ten or eight years!"

Her voice was gentle, elegant, and incredibly pleasant to the ear.

Manager Tong rolled her eyes charmingly. "You, you don't know how lucky you are!"

"Pfft!" The girl in yellow went back to her drumstick, muttering between bites, "Sister Tong, don't you dare tell my father I'm in Kaifeng! I haven't had enough fun yet!"

In the private room upstairs, Gao Wu and his two companions exchanged looks. With Huang Rong appearing, could there also be a Little Dragon Maiden and a Zhou Zhiruo in this world?

The same question crossed all three of their minds, but before they could dwell on it, Zhang Zifan remarked, "A few days ago, Master Huang suddenly arrived in Kaifeng as a judge. It must have been to find his daughter. It seems Huang Rong is indeed in Kaifeng recently!"

"Talents are emerging in abundance; Bian Prefecture shows signs of great prosperity!" Li Xingyun looked quite excited.

Following the Beauty Rankings, naturally, came the Talents Rankings. Bian Prefecture had only one person on the list, and it was none other than the heir to the Duke of Tang, Li Xingyun!

"Congratulations! Young Master, you are the one who must anchor the talent of Bian Prefecture!"

The top-floor room erupted into a new round of excitement, with everyone clinking cups with Li Xingyun.

The Talents Rankings were for those who possessed immense literary grace, striking good looks, or—ideally—both. A prestigious family background was also a key factor for making the list, which was why it was often jokingly called the "Young Masters' Ranking."

Gao Wu had never expected to make such a list, and he figured he had no chance of doing so anyway.

Next came the most important of all: the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal Rankings!

The Heaven Ranking of ten, the ten greatest experts of the Great Zhou Empire!

The Earth Ranking of one hundred, the top hundred experts beneath the Innate Realm!

The Mortal Ranking of one hundred, the top hundred experts under the age of thirty!

These three rankings were what martial artists valued most and fought tooth and nail to climb.

In the Great Zhou, one did not practice martial arts for self-cultivation, but to vie with the world for the essence of the Heavenly Dao, ultimately to become a Martial God!

"Speak of heroes, discuss heroes, and judge heroes within the Hero Tower!"

"Today, right here in the Hero Tower, let us speak of the heroes of the world!"

"The Mortal Ranking changes the most with every update, and this time is no exception. The top spot has shifted, a truly stunning feat. Listen closely as I begin from the very bottom of the list!"

"One hundredth place on the Mortal Ranking!"

"Gao Wu!"