Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 248 Ranked First on the Human Ranking, Murong Presents Jade
Martial gardens exist in all nine kingdoms.

Almost all the talented martial artists from various countries have joined the Martial Arts Academy.

Furthermore, since the Martial Garden is a neutral force, the fairness of issuing the Hidden Dragon Ranking can be recognized by all martial artists in the nine kingdoms.

"The Hidden Dragon Ranking is not just an empty title. My Martial Garden will open up its resources to the geniuses on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, especially the top ten geniuses. For each rank they advance, there is a huge difference in the resources they receive."

Zhao Qianqiu looked at Lin Chen. The most important reason she came to Lingxiao Martial Academy was to inform Lin Chen of this news.

From Lin Chen's experiences in Poyang County, Zhao Qianqiu also gained some understanding of Lin Chen. Lin Chen was not the kind of person who cared about empty fame.

If it weren't for the rewards for ranking in the martial arts school's assessment, Lin Chen probably wouldn't have revealed his true strength at all.

This can be seen from the fact that Lin Chen wore a mask when sparring with other martial artists in the martial arts garden; Lin Chen is an extremely pragmatic person.

She could see the vigor of youth in Lin Chen, but she couldn't see the arrogance of youth.

If there were no benefits, given Lin Chen's personality, he probably wouldn't care too much about his ranking on the Hidden Dragon List.

"It's not just my Martial Academy; the Nine Kingdoms also reward the geniuses on the Hidden Dragon Ranking. As for whether it's done privately to their own martial artists or in the same way as the United Martial Academy... that's something for each country to discuss."

Each country has its own agenda, and no one wants to cultivate martial arts geniuses for another country. The United Martial Arts Academy exists because martial arts resources are too scattered, and all nine countries need the martial arts resources of other countries.

Hou Zhantian's eyes gleamed. He understood Zhao Qianqiu's implied meaning and asked in a deep voice, "Elder Zhao, what ranking did Wuyuan ultimately give Lin Chen on the Hidden Dragon List?"

"No. 1 on the Human Ranking!"

Zhao Qianqiu gave his answer without any hesitation.

Even though the rankings haven't been finalized yet, she's certain that Lin Chen will be ranked number one on the list.

Seeing Lin Chen's puzzled expression, Zhao Qianqiu explained, "The Hidden Dragon Ranking is divided into three lists, which only include martial arts geniuses under the age of twenty. However, due to the age difference, it is divided into three lists: Heaven, Earth, and Man."

"Only those under the age of eighteen can be included on the Human Ranking!"

"The Earthly Ranking, below nineteen years old!"

"The Heavenly Ranking, under twenty years old!"

"Those who enter the Human Ranking can challenge the Earth Ranking and the Heaven Ranking, but those who enter the Earth Ranking and the Heaven Ranking cannot challenge the Human Ranking."

Hou Zhantian narrowed his old eyes slightly, and after a long while said, "These rules are fair."

Those who make the list are all geniuses from various countries. A year is enough time for them to improve their skills significantly. Ranking them by age is the fairest approach.

"There are only ten people on the Heaven Ranking, thirty on the Earth Ranking, and sixty on the Human Ranking. If a genius on the Human Ranking is over the age limit, they can only challenge a genius on the Earth Ranking. If they succeed in the challenge, they will take the place of the other person. If they fail in the challenge, they will fall off the list."

……

……

Zhao Qianqiu then went on to explain the rules of the Hidden Dragon Ranking. Lin Chen listened quietly, and had to admit that the Martial Garden had considered everything very thoroughly, taking all sorts of situations into account.

The number of people on the Heaven Ranking is less than that on the Earth Ranking, and the number of people on the Earth Ranking is less than that on the Human Ranking. This way, there won't be a situation where geniuses on the Human Ranking automatically move to the Earth Ranking when they reach a certain age.

The geniuses from the nine countries not only have to compete to get on the list, but once they are on the list, they also have to compete with other geniuses of the same age!
It's cruel!
But in this cruel system, only those who can advance to the next list can be considered true geniuses.

At the same time, Wuyuan also allocated ten slots for the airborne challenge to each country each year, so as not to miss out on some exceptional talents.

Some martial arts prodigies may have average strength at the age of seventeen, but with certain opportunities or other reasons, their strength may suddenly improve by leaps and bounds at the age of eighteen. They can then apply to challenge the last place on the Earth Ranking and directly surpass the Human Ranking. Once the challenge is successful, they will automatically be parachuted into the Earth Ranking.

Wu Yuan has taken all sorts of situations into account.

"Lin Chen, I will stay in Lingxiao City for a few more days. When you have some free time, you can visit the Martial Garden."

Zhao Qianqiu's main purpose in coming to Lingxiao Martial Academy was to meet Lin Chen and, incidentally, inform him about the Hidden Dragon Ranking.

"Very well, this disciple will not keep Elder Zhao waiting."

"Lord Hou, farewell."

"Elder Zhao, please forgive me for not seeing you off."

Zhao Qianqiu left gracefully, and soon only Lin Chen and Hou Zhantian remained in the main hall.

Hou Zhantian looked at Lin Chen: "You don't need to think too much about the Yan Dynasty. Right now, the most urgent thing is to get to the Nine Revolutions True Grade. The Martial Garden's issuance of the Hidden Dragon Ranking is actually a good thing for you."

"You don't need to think too much about things. All you need to do is cultivate diligently. The appearance of the Hidden Dragon Ranking is an opportunity for you."

"The disciple understands."

Lin Chen nodded. The Yan Dynasty was indeed too far removed from him; he hadn't even entered the ranks yet.

As for why the Hidden Dragon Ranking was good for him, Lin Chen knew perfectly well that he needed some resources to reach the ninth level of cultivation, which might not be available in Daliang. The original plan of the Dean was to borrow resources from the United Martial Academy later.

Now, with the addition of the Hidden Dragon List, I have another channel to acquire resources.

"Go."

Hou Zhantian finished his conversation with Lin Chen. He also needed to process the news Zhao Qianqiu had brought him, as the martial academy's training methods for its disciples might need to be changed.

……

After leaving the main hall, Lin Chen returned to his own villa.

He had barely returned when Meng Xing and the others arrived at his place.

"Senior Brother Lin, good news!"

Meng Xing was visibly excited, as were the other junior brothers.

"What good news?"

"The Martial Arts Academy has released the Hidden Dragon List, which includes martial arts geniuses from nine countries. Senior Brother Lin is ranked first on the list."

Yu Fei spoke first, but Lin Chen's expression didn't change much; he already knew the answer from Zhao Qianqiu.

"Senior Brother Lin, aren't you surprised?"

Seeing Lin Chen's calm expression, Yu Fei and the others were very curious. They were all excited for their senior brother Lin when they heard the news.

"How many martial artists from our Great Liang are on the list of heroes?"

Upon hearing Lin Chen's question, the smiles on everyone's faces vanished, and Meng Xing said in a deep voice, "Six people on the Human Ranking, three on the Earth Ranking, and one on the Heaven Ranking."

"Senior Brother Lin, we understand."

Yu Fei looked at Lin Chen and said seriously, "We will work even harder to cultivate and strive to be on the list."

Lin Chen: ...

He genuinely just wanted to know how many geniuses from Daliang were on the list; he meant nothing else. As for not being excited, it was simply because he already knew.

Looking at Yu Fei's serious expression, and then at his fellow disciples Meng Xing and the others, he saw that they were also serious.

Forget it, let’s just misunderstand.

"I share this sentiment with all my fellow disciples!"

At this moment, Meng Xing and the others had only one thought in their minds: this was Senior Brother Lin, who never considered personal glory.

"Tell me which of my fellow disciples from Daliang made it onto the Human Ranking."

"Senior Brother Lin, besides you ranking first on the Human Ranking, Senior Brother Meng is also on the Human Ranking, ranking fifteenth. In addition, Senior Brother Xiao and Senior Brother Fang from Canglan Martial Academy are also on the list..."

Of the six people on the Daliang Ranking, three were from Canglan Martial Academy.

Lin Chen could imagine Dean Hua's face beaming with joy; this was the best admissions brochure ever.

The Canglan Martial Academy will have no shortage of talented disciples in the next graduating class. As for the other two, they are Kong Qing from the Qingyun Martial Academy and Zhang Ming from the Kyoto Martial Academy.

As for the Earth Ranking, although three martial artists from the Great Liang Dynasty made it onto the list, only one of them came from the Qingyun Martial Academy; the other two were not disciples of the academy.

"Senior Brother Lin, with your strength, you could even be ranked on the Earth Ranking."

Meng Xing spoke up, saying that Senior Brother Lin was currently ranked first on the Human Ranking, but that was only because of his age. The Martial Academy had ranked him first on the Human Ranking. In terms of strength, Senior Brother Lin definitely had the ability to fight against those on the Earth Ranking.

"The top fifteen on the Earth Ranking have all entered the Rank, but the bottom fifteen have not."

Lin Chen smiled and shook his head: "Don't underestimate anyone on the list. The ranking given by the Martial Arts Academy has its reasons."

Meng Xing pursed his lips. He admired Senior Brother Lin, but he didn't agree with these words. The ranking of others in the martial arts academy might be fair, but the ranking of Senior Brother Lin was definitely not the fairest.

Two months ago, Senior Brother Lin's strength was only at the level of cultivating two internal organs, but now it is comparable to the entry-level. His strength has suddenly increased, which is probably something that the martial arts school did not expect, which is why they put Senior Brother Lin at the top of the rankings first.

After chatting with Meng Xing and the others for a quarter of an hour, they also left. The appearance of the Hidden Dragon Ranking was incredibly inspiring for teenagers of their age, who had no idea that the Yan Dynasty existed behind it.

After seeing Meng Xing and the others off, Lin Chen sat in the courtyard pondering the information Elder Zhao had revealed earlier that day, but soon there was a knock on the door.

Boom boom boom!
"Please come in!"

Murong Yan appeared at the doorway, still dressed as a man.

Upon seeing Murong Yan, Lin Chen felt a hint of embarrassment. He hadn't had time to talk to Murong Yan because of the challenge from the three Yu brothers on the three islands of Nansha.

Now that I have some free time

Although there was no actual physical contact, he still felt somewhat awkward facing Murong Yan, thinking about the images in his mind.

"Brother Lin, I've come to say goodbye."

Murong Yan was no different from before. When she addressed him as "Brother Lin," Lin Chen understood that Murong Yan did not want to bring up the previous matter.

This surprised Lin Chen somewhat.

Since their time at Canglan Martial Academy, Murong Yan had been intentionally getting close to him. His intuition told him that Murong Yan had designs on him, and that she was willing to come to his door now to confront him.

"What, do you think I'll cling to you because of this?"

Seeing the surprise in Lin Chen's eyes, Murong Yan couldn't help but think the worst of him.

Although she had the idea of ​​finding a husband, she wouldn't just do it with just anyone.

Murong Yan also had her own pride.

"Uh……"

Lin Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you for saving me, Junior Sister Murong."

Now that Murong Yan had laid her cards on the table, Lin Chen could no longer pretend and continued, "I owe Junior Sister Murong a favor."

"Don't worry, I won't use this to blackmail you. I'm just here to say goodbye and tell you something else."

Murong Yan's expression was calm: "I don't know what happened to you, but your soul must have been injured today. If this continues, I'm afraid it will damage the foundation of your soul and cut off your path to martial arts."

Before Lin Chen could answer, Murong Yan continued, "You don't need to tell me any secrets you have. I'm here to give you something."

Murong Yan had conducted a thorough investigation into Lin Chen. It was impossible for Lin Chen, who had risen from the son of a fisherman to this position, to have no secrets.

However, many martial artists have their own secrets, especially genius martial artists, and no one will bother to find out the truth.

Prying into other people's secrets is a major taboo in the martial arts community.

Murong Yan took out a jade pendant: "If you encounter this situation again, you can stick the jade pendant to your chest. Since you have already condensed your martial will, you must have opened your spiritual platform. You can use your spiritual platform to look at the jade pendant."

"Many...thank you very much."

Lin Chen accepted the jade pendant handed to him by Murong Yan. If this jade pendant could alleviate his pain, it would be priceless to him.

He is only at the fifth level now, and there are still four more levels to go. Although he is in such pain this time because he went from the second level to the fifth level in one go, the dean also said that after the fifth level, the pain brought by each level is several times that of the previous level.

I fear that my sixth reincarnation will be no less painful than this one.

Seeing Lin Chen take the jade pendant and subconsciously rub it, Murong Yan blushed and said, "Don't play with it unless you have to."

"Why..."

Lin Chen asked instinctively, unsure what to say to Murong Yan. He tried to distract himself by playing with the jade pendant, but when he looked up and saw Murong Yan's blushing face, he instantly understood.

Thinking back to how Murong Yan helped him alleviate his pain, this jade pendant…

"There is a wisp of my soul inside this jade pendant. In short, keep it safe."

Murong Yan left after saying this, not daring to look Lin Chen in the eye. She turned and left quickly.

Watching Murong Yan disappear as if fleeing, Lin Chen's expression was somewhat complicated. After a long while, he sighed softly and put the jade pendant into his pocket.

……

……

"Princess!"

In the courtyard where Murong Yan lived, Su Qin's expression was complicated when she saw her princess return.

She knew what the princess was going there for.

She watched as the princess stored her soul into the jade pendant using a royal secret technique. If Lin Chen harbored any ill intentions, the princess herself would also be affected.

"Qin Gu, don't forget what you promised me."

Murong Yan looked at Su Qin, who nodded: "I will not record this matter."

"Thank you, Aunt Qin."

"Princess, is it worth it?"

If Lin Chen's potential is something her princess should value, she now acknowledges it.

Most importantly, Lin Chen still has Jiang Qing in his heart, so he's not worth the princess's sacrifice.

"Qin Gu, you don't understand."

Murong Yan shook her head. Of course she knew that Lin Chen had feelings for Jiang Qing, and she also knew that she had no advantage over Senior Sister Jiang.

But it is precisely because we lack advantages that we need to be more proactive.

Jiang Qing and Lin Chen were childhood sweethearts, so she had to find another way.

First, make Lin Chen feel guilty towards her, since she doesn't ask for anything in return, only giving silently...

She refused to believe that Lin Chen was heartless. Even if he was, she would melt his heart.

There is ample time!

"Pack your things, Qin Gu, we're going back to Yan tomorrow."

"Return to China?"

Su Qin looked surprised. She had thought the princess was going back to Canglan Martial Academy, but she didn't expect her to go straight back to the country.

"I want to find out from my father what exactly happened in the snowy region."

Murong Yan's beautiful eyes shone brightly. The Martial Garden launched the Hidden Dragon Ranking, and the fact that the Great Liang did not send its strongest genius to fight against the three brothers of Bei Chen this time all indicated that something big had happened in the Snow Region.

(End of this chapter)