Chapter 126.2: Number Two in the Divine Strength Rankings (II)

The next day, the Martial Pavilion was packed shoulder to shoulder. It was the monthly update of the Divine Strength Rankings, and many had arrived early to see the new list the moment it appeared.

They had all come for the same reason—to witness Dao Shi'er's rise to second place on the Divine Strength Rankings with their own eyes.

For more than a year, the northern barbarians had held the advantage and suppressed the martial artists of the Da Yu Dynasty. The rankings made it even clearer, as nearly seventy percent of the list was occupied by northern barbarians.

The Da Yu Dynasty martial artists had been losing hope for quite a while now. Even Song Wuqing, once entrusted with great expectations, was defeated by Sheng Yuanyi more than once, leaving many people feeling deeply disappointed.

When Dao Shi'er appeared, everything changed. After a year away, he returned to the Northern Region Battlefield and completely dominated it. No one could oppose him, not even Sheng Yuanyi.

With such strength, many hoped that Dao Shi'er could battle Tian Xin, another northern barbarian, and contend for the first position. If he ended up emerging victorious, all Da Yu Dynasty martial artists would also feel victorious.

Not long later, the rankings were finally being updated. A man from the Martial Pavilion pulled away the cloth covering the Divine Strength Rankings. Everyone's gaze instantly fell upon the top three names.

Tian Xin remained in first place, and Song Wuqing was still third. However, in second place, the name Sheng Yuanyi was replaced by Dao Shi'er.

Cheers erupted among the crowd.

"

Hahaha!

As expected, Dao Shi'er is now in second place! He truly deserves it!"

"That's real recognition. No one can take his place now!"

"It's unfortunate Tian Xin is still first. But with Dao Shi'er's current strength, he can try to challenge Tian Xin."

"I'm sure he will. But Tian Xin hasn't entered the Northern Region Battlefield for a year, so we might never get to see them fight."

"I think a battle between them is inevitable. Have you forgotten the Barbarian Slaying Squad? I'm sure Dao Shi'er hasn't."

"Right. There's still a blood debt between Dao Shi'er and Tian Xin."

The crowd discussed which of the two was stronger, but deep down, no one felt certain. Tian Xin had been holding the top position for too long, and his prestige still weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Song Wuqing walked to the foot of the Divine Strength Rankings and looked up at the list. His own name still stood in third place, but above it was Dao Shi'er instead of Sheng Yuanyi.

For a moment, Song Wuqing fell into a daze. No one spoke of Sheng Yuanyi anymore. In less than a month, or perhaps even in a few days, people would forget him entirely.

Song Wuqing thought back to his battles with Sheng Yuanyi, but he was not mourning Sheng Yuanyi. He was thinking of himself. One day, he, too, could die on the Northern Region Battlefield and be forgotten just as quickly.

When that day came, his name would disappear from the Divine Strength Rankings as well. As unfortunate as that sounded, that was simply the way of the jianghu. The victor would be honored, and the fallen would be forgotten.

After a brief moment of reflection, Song Wuqing turned around. He had not forgotten why he came here. He had promised Dao Shi'er that he would deliver a message, and he intended to keep his word.

"Everyone!" he said, raising his voice. "I need your attention for a moment!"

Countless gazes turned toward him. Even if his prestige was no longer what it once was, no one dared underestimate him. He was still one of the top three Divine Strength martial artists.

"Dao Shi'er has asked me to pass a message to Tian Xin. In three days, he will challenge Tian Xin at the place where Tian Xin hunted down the Barbarian Slaying Squad a year ago. Spread the news! Let the northern barbarians hear it. Let Tian Xin hear it."

After speaking, Song Wuqing left at once. His task was only to relay the message, and it was done. His words, however, set the crowd abuzz.

"What? Dao Shi'er is challenging Tian Xin?"

"Is this real?"

"Song Wuqing has delivered the message himself, so it must be true."

"It has only been three days. I thought Dao Shi'er would consolidate his strength first before making a move against Tian Xin."

"This must be the first time Tian Xin has ever been challenged. Even Song Wuqing and Sheng Yuanyi had never dared to do so. They simply accepted his position at number one."

"The Barbarian Slaying Squad... So Dao Shi'er really hasn't forgotten them. You Shifei, Yang Zhen, Tong Xuan, and Tie Yuan. They were all experts at the Thousand Cauldrons Stage once ranked within the top fifty, and they were killed by Tian Xin."

The news caused a huge uproar. No one had expected Dao Shi'er to challenge Tian Xin so soon after killing Sheng Yuanyi. His momentum was at its peak, but whether he truly possessed the strength to face Tian Xin remained uncertain.

***

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The news quickly spread to the northern barbarians. Beiling City was filled with their spies, just as the Northern Barbarian Kingdom held many spies from the Da Yu Dynasty.

News like Dao Shi'er challenging Tian Xin could never remain a secret.

In the Northern Barbarian Kingdom, a black-robed martial artist shattered a table with his palm.

Crack!

"Sheng Yuanyi, you useless trash! The so-called heir of the Heart Sword Sect, yet you are cut down by Dao Shi'er with a single strike? And now Dao Shi'er has stepped over your corpse to rise to second place on the Divine Strength Rankings. Trash! You absolute trash!"

The black-robed martial artist had personally sought out Sheng Yuanyi to kill Dao Shi'er. Instead, Sheng Yuanyi was killed. He found this hard to accept.

Sheng Yuanyi's strength had advanced greatly, and he had even severely injured Song Wuqing, yet he still died at Dao Shi'er's hands. This alone showed Dao Shi'er was even more troublesome than Song Wuqing. Now, with Sheng Yuanyi gone, Dao Shi'er could almost move freely across the Northern Region Battlefield.

"There's still a chance since Dao Shi'er has challenged Tian Xin. That arrogant Tian Xin always says that he has no worthy opponent. Now that one has appeared, he has no excuse to avoid the fight."

A sharp light flashed in the black-robed martial artist's eyes. He disliked Tian Xin's aloof attitude, but he was confident in Tian Xin's strength. As long as Tian Xin made a move, the matter would be settled.

With that thought in mind, he rose at once and headed for Tian Xin's residence.