Chapter 426 - 423: Topping the Celestial Pride List
Chapter 426: Chapter 423: Topping the Celestial Pride List
"What’s the happy occasion?"
Fang Han raised a slight eyebrow and asked in confusion.
’Achieving Mastery in my "Thousand Mile Soul Lock" is indeed a happy occasion, but I doubt this disciple is here to congratulate me on that.’
"Senior Brother Fang, the Celestial Pride List has been updated—you’ve reached the top! You surpassed Yue Lingtian and became number one on the Celestial Pride List!"
The young disciple took a deep breath, pulled a book still smelling faintly of fresh ink from his robes, and offered it with both hands. His voice trembled with excitement.
"The top?"
Fang Han was slightly taken aback. Only then did he remember it was the beginning of the month.
He took the book, opened it, and his gaze fell upon the first page of the Celestial Pride List.
At the very top, in the number one spot, he saw his own name—
"First Place: Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect)."
And Yue Lingtian, who had originally held the top spot, was now ranked second.
’I actually made it to the top...’
Fang Han’s eyes lingered on that line of text for a moment, a flicker of surprise in them.
After killing Yuan Zhan, he knew his ranking on the Celestial Pride List would inevitably rise.
But he hadn’t expected to go straight to the top.
After all, Yue Lingtian had dominated the top of the Celestial Pride List for years. He had broken through to the Third Grade long ago, and his strength was widely acknowledged.
’To think I surpassed him just like that.’
"Senior Brother Fang, you’re number one on the Celestial Pride List now!"
The young disciple’s face was filled with vicarious pride and excitement, his voice laced with sincere admiration.
"In the last hundred years, no one from our Qingxuan Sect has ever reached the top of the Celestial Pride List! You’re the first!"
"It’s just a temporary ranking. No need to get carried away."
Fang Han closed the book, returned it to the disciple, and his expression regained its calm.
Reaching the top of the Celestial Pride List so quickly was indeed somewhat unexpected for him. However, he believed that with his Talent, it was an inevitability—just a matter of time.
"Senior Brother Fang, I won’t disturb your Cultivation any longer."
Seeing Fang Han regain his composure so quickly, the young disciple’s admiration grew even stronger.
’Faced with such an honor, anyone else would be ecstatic, but Senior Brother Fang calmed down so fast.’
’As expected. Someone like Senior Brother Fang deserves to be number one on the Celestial Pride List.’
He bowed respectfully, turned, and walked away quickly, his steps as light as if he were walking on clouds.
Soon, cries of surprise from other disciples could be heard from within the mine. He had obviously shared the news with others.
’Number one on the Celestial Pride List...’
Fang Han’s expression was wistful.
Number one on the Celestial Pride List. The strongest young person under thirty in Qingyang County.
Two years ago, he wouldn’t have even dared to dream of such a title.
Now, it had landed squarely on his shoulders.
’However, my opponents are no longer just the younger generation. I can’t afford to get complacent because of this.’
He turned and headed back to his stone house.
Behind him, the sun was just right, casting a faint, warm golden sheen on the busy figures in the mine.
...
「Qingyang County, Military Garrison.」
In a quiet, secluded courtyard, Yue Lingtian stood before a window with his hands clasped behind his back.
He was dressed in a moon-white robe today, his long hair tied up with a Jade Hairpin. His features were handsome, his bearing serene.
Outside the window, sunlight spilled in, and the flowers and plants in the courtyard swayed gently in the breeze.
The soft sound of footsteps came from behind him.
The young, armored general walked in quickly, holding a thin book in his hands.
"Third Young Master, the new edition of the Celestial Pride List has arrived."
Yue Lingtian turned, took the book, and opened it.
His eyes scanned the list from bottom to top.
Tenth, ninth, eighth...
Suddenly, his gaze paused for a moment.
Fang Han was no longer in the sixth spot.
Fifth, fourth, third, second—
His gaze lingered on the second-place position for a long time.
There, a familiar name was printed:
Yue Lingtian.
That was his name.
Then, he lifted his head and looked at the very top.
"First Place: Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect)."
A brief silence fell over the courtyard.
Yue Lingtian clutched the book, his eyes fixed on that name, unmoving for a long while.
On his handsome face, his expression remained serene, betraying no emotion.
But in the depths of his eyes, a faint, complex emotion flickered.
’The premonition came true!’
Ever since seeing Fang Han ranked sixth last month, he’d had a vague premonition—that in his final month before aging off the list, he might be surpassed by this young man.
Now, that premonition had come true.
"Third Young Master..."
The young general behind him spoke in a low, cautious voice.
Yue Lingtian didn’t turn around. He simply closed the book gently and placed it on the windowsill.
He stood before the window with his hands behind his back, his expression complex, filled with an indescribable wistfulness.
He softly uttered three words, his voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.
"Truly a monster."
For the past few years, that was a term people often used to describe him.
He entered the Celestial Pride List at twenty-one, broke into the top ten at twenty-three, and reached number one at twenty-five, remaining unshakable ever since.
Among the younger generation of Qingyang County, he was the acknowledged monster, the towering peak that countless prodigies looked up to.
But now, that peak had been effortlessly summited by a young man of only twenty.
Number one on the Celestial Pride List, just over two years after Entry Level.
Compared to him, Fang Han was the real monster.
"Third Young Master?"
The general’s voice came again from behind, now laced with a hint of concern.
Yue Lingtian pulled his gaze back and turned around, his handsome face still serene.
"It’s nothing."
He picked up the book from the windowsill, flipped through it casually, and set it down again.
"I’m aging off the list next month anyway. What does it matter to me who’s number one?"
He paused, then smiled with a hint of nonchalance, but the smile at the corners of his mouth was clearly forced.
Was he really that detached?
Not likely!
"However..."
he muttered to himself, his voice so quiet only he could hear.
"Liu Bai, Mad Saber, Wu Xiang, and Xu Qing are probably in for a headache."
The fight for number one on the Celestial Pride List seemed to be over before it had even begun.
He shook his head and turned to walk out of the room.
His moon-white robe fluttered gently in the afternoon wind. His figure was still upright, but it now carried a hint of weightiness.
Behind him, the Celestial Pride List book lay silently on the windowsill, the two words "Fang Han" on its cover gleaming in the sunlight.
...
「Lingyun Sword Sect.」
In a pavilion perched on a cliff’s edge, Liu Bai stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in a silver-white sword robe.
The mountain breeze swept by, making his sleeves flutter. The longsword at his waist, inlaid with seven Gemstones, shimmered with a brilliant light in the sun.
His features were handsome, his aura ethereal and otherworldly. Standing there, he looked like a figure from an ink wash painting.
A young disciple walked quickly into the pavilion, holding a thin book, and bowed.
"Senior Brother Liu, the new edition of the Celestial Pride List has arrived."
Liu Bai turned, took the book, and opened it.
His eyes scanned from bottom to top, quickly stopping at the very peak.
First Place: Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect).
Second Place: Yue Lingtian.
Third Place: Liu Bai (Lingyun Sword Sect).
His gaze lingered for a long time on the two words "First Place."
On his ethereal face, his expression remained serene, betraying no emotion.
But a faint, complex emotion flickered in the depths of his eyes.
He closed the book and stood in the pavilion with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant, rolling mountains.
"Yue Lingtian was actually pushed down..."
he muttered to himself, his voice scattering gently in the mountain wind.
Yue Lingtian was aging off the list next month; this was his final month.
He had originally thought that after Yue Lingtian’s departure, the top spot on the Celestial Pride List would be contended between himself, Mad Saber, Wu Xiang, and Xu Qing.
But unexpectedly, a twenty-year-old had appeared out of nowhere and directly summited that peak.
The number one spot seemed to have been decided before he even had a chance to fight for it.
"I can’t just let you sit comfortably at the top..."
he said in a low voice before turning and walking out of the pavilion.
As a Martial Artist who cultivated Swordsmanship, if he lost his sharp, enterprising spirit, his life would likely be over.
So, even knowing he might not win, he had to compete, even if it meant getting battered and bruised.
His silver-white sword robe whipped in the mountain wind. His figure was still ethereal and otherworldly, but his steps were a fraction slower than usual.
...
「Overlord Blade Sect.」
On the Martial Arts Arena, Mad Saber was bare-chested, revealing bronzed, powerful muscles as he swung his saber at a massive piece of Spirit Iron.
The huge, broad-bladed saber, as wide as a door panel, seemed weightless in his hands. With every slash, another deep gash appeared on the Spirit Iron.
Iron shards flew, and dust filled the air.
"Senior Brother Mad Saber!"
A young disciple ran over, holding a thin book.
"The new edition of the Celestial Pride List is here!"
Mad Saber sheathed his saber, turned, snatched the book, and flipped to the Celestial Pride List page.
A single glance was all it took for his eyes to land on the very top.
First Place: Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect).
Second Place: Yue Lingtian.
Third Place: Liu Bai (Lingyun Sword Sect)
Fourth Place: Mad Saber (Overlord Blade Sect).
His gaze paused on "First Place," and a muscle on his rugged face twitched slightly.
"Fang Han hit the top, and I got pushed to fourth?"
he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.
’Fang Han was sixth last month, and this month he went straight to the top?’
He knew Fang Han’s strength was increasing rapidly, his rank climbing almost every month.
But he never expected Fang Han to leapfrog Yue Lingtian and claim the number one spot.
"Good."
He grinned, a smile filled with fighting spirit and anticipation.
"Now this is interesting."
He turned and continued walking forward, his voice echoing across the Martial Arts Arena.
"Yue Lingtian is about to age off the list. I thought the competition for the Celestial Pride List would get a lot less interesting. But now, with a prodigy even more monstrous than Yue Lingtian, it’s actually gotten more fun."
...
「Vajra Temple.」
In a quiet meditation room, Wu Xiang sat cross-legged on a cattail hassock, his hands pressed together, his eyes slightly closed.
He was slender with delicate features, dressed in a grey monk’s robe, looking utterly unremarkable.
But a closer look would reveal that the aura around him was as still as water, with a faint golden light contained within.
A soft knock came from the door.
"Senior Brother Wu Xiang, the new edition of the Celestial Pride List has arrived."
Wu Xiang slowly opened his eyes. A peaceful light flashed in their clear depths.
He took the book that was slipped under the door, opened it, and his gaze fell upon the Celestial Pride List page.
First Place: Fang Han (Qingxuan Sect).
Second Place: Yue Lingtian.
...
Fifth Place: Wu Xiang.
His gaze paused on "First Place."
On his delicate face, his expression remained peaceful, betraying no emotion.
He closed the book, placed it beside him, pressed his hands together, and softly chanted a Buddhist mantra.
"Amitabha Buddha."
The sound was very soft, slowly dissipating in the silent meditation room.
He closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.
The golden light around him receded, and his aura became as peaceful as a still well.