I Have A Qi Fortune Altar-Chapter 228 - 214 The New Rankings of the Hidden Dragon

Chapter 228: Chapter 214: The New Rankings of the Hidden Dragon, Upper Three Realms, Lower Three Realms!_2

Chapter 228 -214: The New Rankings of the Hidden Dragon, Upper Three Realms, Lower Three Realms!_2

Yet within these Six Realms, there is a division between the Lower Three Realms and the Upper Three Realms.

The Lower Three Realms refer to Martial Arts Foundation Establishment, Qi Absorption Gang Condensation, and True Yuan Reach Profound; although one can possess some strength in these realms, the gap between them and the Upper Three Realms is enormous.

As for the Upper Three Realms, Tao Qingyuan only mentioned ‘Heavenly Core Condensing’ and then said no more, not wanting Chen Yuan to aim too high and become discouraged by the vast gap.

Chen Yuan did not speak much, only carefully savoring the four words ‘Heavenly Core Condensing’ in his heart. Previously, he only knew of the Core Realm, but now he understood the full name of the realm.

Based on his past experiences, he tentatively concluded that the most important aspect of this realm should be the ‘Condensing’ part.

Just like how in Martial Arts Foundation Establishment, ‘Foundation Establishment’ is crucial, and in Qi Absorption Gang Condensation, ‘Gang Condensation’ is essential…

The Martial Emperor had not only organized the Six Great Realms but also emphasized the most important aspect of cultivation in the names of the realms themselves.

After the meal, Chen Yuan took his leave, and Tao Qingyuan did not try to keep him, as all that needed to be said and pointed out had been covered.

Chen Yuan did not immediately return to his residence but turned and made his way to the Heavenly Patrol Bureau’s office, where records of various anomalous cases were kept, to peruse information on the sacrificial rites and the Yunjiang Dragon God.

While such matters typically did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, they could intervene whenever a case involved a death, and so naturally, records were kept on various topics.

After poring over the documents for about a quarter of an hour, Chen Yuan slowly set down the scroll in his hand, having gained some understanding of the so-called Yunjiang Dragon God, a custom handed down from ancient times.

They held sacrifices to the Water God in hopes of ascending to heaven.

According to the records, before the former Chu Dynasty, the sacrifices exclusively used boys and girls, with a large number of living people either thrown into the mountains to be devoured by wild beasts or into the water to be eaten by monsters that roamed the rivers, or even by fish.

This custom lasted for thousands of years, and although the specifics were unclear in the records, since the Grand Ancestor of Chu swept through the competition, he decreed the abolishment of human sacrifices,

replacing them with livestock.

However, this did not entirely put an end to the practice. To this day, many places still use living people for sacrifices; although the Great Jin Dynasty has strict orders against it, enforcement is often lax.

And according to the records, in five days, it would be the most important sacrifice of the year, with ceremonies starting in various locations throughout Nanling Prefecture.

Especially in recent years, with Qingzhou suffering from unending drought, sacrifices have become a frequent occurrence.

The Government usually turns a blind eye, and perhaps some officials also wish for the drought to end soon…

“Five days…”

Chen Yuan muttered to himself, not because he found the timing too urgent, but rather too slow; he was somewhat impatient but had no choice but to wait.

After leaving the Heavenly Patrol Bureau, Chen Yuan changed into casual attire and made some alterations to his appearance, making it difficult for those who were not familiar with him to recognize him.

After several major events in Nanling Prefecture, Chen Yuan’s image had long been circulated throughout the Prefecture City; not everyone would recognize him, but many would find him familiar,

and to avoid unnecessary trouble, Chen Yuan had to resort to this.

Thus, roughly three days passed, and it was now the seventh year of the Jingtai era in the Great Jin Dynasty, on the ninth day of the twelfth month, which was the day the new Hidden Dragon List rankings were updated.

Chen Yuan was ranked seventy-sixth, and the name ‘Demon Blade’ began to spread from Qingzhou to neighboring states.

Most martial artists ranked beyond one hundred on the Hidden Dragon List were famous within one prefecture, at most stretching to an entire province, but once you are in the top hundred, you enter into the nation’s purview.

The higher the rank, the greater the attention received.

And Chen Yuan received no small amount of attention. There was no other reason than the fact that his rise to fame was simply too fast, and his ranking on the Hidden Dragon List seemed heaven-sent,

quickly ascending in short intervals, with many still suspecting that he was holding back his true strength.

Truly worthy of the name Demon Blade!

Of course, Chen Yuan’s rapid rise also attracted the attention of many who wondered what kind of secrets he held that allowed him to progress so swiftly?

He surely couldn’t be dining on Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects, could he?

People speculated endlessly, some believing that Chen Yuan must have caught the eye of some powerful person in the court, or that he might even be the hidden son of such a figure,

all for the sake of rapid renown.

As for this, Chen Yuan never came forward to clarify. Let them speculate, he thought. While he disliked the private son speculation, instilling fear in those who coveted him was not a bad strategy.

After all, he truly had no background and had come this far solely through his own efforts!

The greater the fame, the greater the danger. Among the genius loose practitioners listed in the top hundred of the Hidden Dragon List, there are less than ten, and most of them are ranked towards the end.

Those who have managed to position themselves at the forefront of the Hidden Dragon List are none other than the disciples of the top sects in the world.

They possess extraordinary talents and spiritual bodies, each receiving full cultivation support from their respective top sects, having access to resources far beyond any loose practitioner could imagine. If it hadn’t been for his age being over twenty years at the time of his transmigration, Chen Yuan would have also liked to join a top sect for cultivation.

Then perhaps, he would have had senior sisters or beautiful mentors among other possibilities…

Located to the south, Qingzhou naturally remains warmer. With Chen Yuan’s cultivation having made progress, even wearing just a thin coat in December was not chilly but rather comfortably mild.

Places like Liangyou and other northern provinces would be decidedly different by now, likely gripped by harsh cold winters.

Chen Residence.

After a session of cultivation, Chen Yuan sat on his self-made recliner with his eyes closed for rest. The chair swung slightly under the influence of his True Qi, a pot of piping hot tea still steaming on the side.

If only he had two maidens to massage and knead him…

Li Dongshan pondered for a moment in the back courtyard before he leisurely walked over and called out to Chen Yuan:

“My lord.”

“Hmm…”

With his eyes still closed, Chen Yuan responded.

Li Dongshan: “Lord Yue has arrived.”

Yue Shan hadn’t become a Heavenly Patrol Envoy yet, but Chen Yuan had already inquired about it from Tao Qingyuan a couple of days ago. It was expected to happen within these few days, especially since he had completed several missions recently.

Together with the merit he had accumulated before, his becoming a Heavenly Patrol Envoy was practically a certainty.

“Let him come in.”

Chen Yuan opened his eyes, a flash of sharp light passing through them. He had sent Yue Shan to investigate the situation with the Dragon God of Yunjiang in the North City, which had been quiet for several days. Now, at last, there was news!

“Yes.”

Li Dongshan nodded, turned around, and left. After a short while, he returned with Yue Shan. Having poured him a cup of tea and with perfect timing, he retreated from the courtyard.

As Chen Yuan’s strength continued to grow, Li Dongshan, Zhao Beishan, and the others became even more respectful towards him. Although Chen Yuan had never explicitly instructed them, they were smart enough to gauge their behavior and maintain the appropriate decorum without needing his guidance.

He was quite satisfied with Li Dongshan and the others.

“How did the investigation go?”

Chen Yuan sat up, fiddled with a mechanism on the recliner for a bit, and with a ‘clack’, the recliner transformed.

Yue Shan: “The Dragon God sacrifice in Yunjiang, which is to take place two days from now, is led by a mysterious shaman. She has been conducting the rituals in Nanling Prefecture for over twenty years and her support comes from…”

Through his narration, Chen Yuan learned of the situation. Indeed, some officials from the Government were acting as their protectors, collecting offerings in silver from the people and pocketing the money while standing upright!

The wealthy households and commoners who were giving the money, on the contrary, were kneeling to offer it. And their protectors were several seventh-grade officials from the Government, even connected to the constables of the Government office,

who had almost never investigated these rituals over the years.

This time, the sacrificial offerings had been successfully investigated as well. They were three pairs of boys and girls, who were to be presented to the Dragon God of Yunjiang for consumption during the ritual two days later.

Some commoners were unwilling to send their children to death, and were beaten to severe injuries for it. Even when going to the officials, it was to no avail; the Government office didn’t care at all…

As for what the so-called Dragon God of Yunjiang really was, Yue Shan was still unable to find out.

But according to the information he obtained at great cost, the shaman mysteriously told those around her that due to the drought in Qingzhou, she had entreated the Dragon God for many days,

and the god would appear at the time of the ritual two days later to help the ignorant people overcome the disaster.

She would also bestow ‘Spirit Water’ upon some, which could prevent all diseases, leading many people to rush to offer silver just to receive the Dragon God’s grace at that time.

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