Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

She knew why her sister Hongji had come to find her.

Hong Ji, who was holding a pastry in her hand, put down the delicate pastry when she saw Ao Hanli approaching and smiled at her, "Hanli, how is it?"

"Fortunately, the rabbit demon boy seems to be still confused. Chu Xunfeng gave him a few pointers, and it seems he wanted Queya to think carefully about how to use this opportunity to secure a future." Ao Hanli had already made up her mind to keep Chu Xunfeng's plan to push Queya into officialdom to herself.

"What's your attitude towards missing teeth?" Hong Ji asked softly.

"His confusion probably stems from not having the right mindset yet, but at least he's not resisting." Ao Hanli recalled Chu Xunfeng's abrupt question to Queya: "Do you hate her?" and Queya's answer...

"The rabbit demon boy is quite responsible. He felt that he did things from his own heart and didn't take his anger out on the evil spirit. I just don't know what Chu Xunfeng is thinking." Although she didn't talk about the specifics, Ao Hanli would definitely bring up the variables surrounding Queya.

After hearing Ao Hanli's pointed words, Hong Ji remained silent for a while. She felt that something must have happened, but Ao Hanli didn't say anything, only specifically mentioning Chu Xunfeng, so she didn't ask any further questions.

"If only Young Master Chu would stay in the demon race." After thinking for a long time, Hong Ji still couldn't figure out the depths of this human youth from her interactions with Chu Xunfeng, and could only sigh.

While marveling at her, Hong Ji couldn't help but take a closer look at the Dragon Girl.

Ao Hanli also noticed Hong Ji's gaze, which was expectant yet tinged with disappointment. This meaningful gaze made Ao Hanli blush suddenly.

There is a play!

Hong Ji's eyes lit up, and the fatigue from a whole day's journey seemed to have faded considerably. She reached out and pulled Ao Hanli to sit down. "Tell me? What do you think about Young Master Chu, Hanli?"

Hong Ji asked very directly; after all, they were family, so there was no need to hide her thoughts.

"Well, he's alright. He's usually quite reserved, but when things get serious, he has a certain composure that's hard to describe, and he's a bit different from most people."

“It’s less about being bland and more about being distant.” Hong Ji nodded, glancing suspiciously at Ao Hanli.

Hong Ji was a little doubtful about the demeanor that Ao Hanli mentioned. Did he really have it?

Hong Ji suddenly recalled the scene in the Heavenly Craft Workshop where Chu Xunfeng had asked about the Bi Fang, and then looked at the Bi Fangs near the iron station...

He certainly possessed magnanimity, but he hid it too well. Chu Xunfeng only asked himself one question and glanced at him a few more times before he saw through the Bifang clan's dissatisfaction with the status quo.

“Alienation…” Ao Hanli nodded thoughtfully. “That is indeed the case.”

"So what do you think?" Hong Ji squeezed Ao Hanli's hand. "Do you want your sister to give you some advice?"

"What idea do you have?" Ao Hanli blinked.

"Find a way to pique Young Master Chu's interest!" Hong Ji stared at Ao Hanli with exasperation. "If he's not interested in anything, how will you ever have a chance to win him over?"

Ao Hanli frowned and pondered for a moment, then looked at Hong Ji with a puzzled expression, "Sister, tell me the truth, is this Mother's will, or yours?"

“We have both.” Hong Ji was even more eager than Ao Hanli. “Young Master Chu is a rare talent. If we can bind him to the demon race, it would be a great thing for us.”

"I'll tell you in secret." Hong Ji pulled Ao Hanli down and whispered in her ear, "The clerk from the Seven Star Tower will be coming here soon."

"Records?!" Ao Hanli's eyes widened as she turned to stare at Hong Ji. "For Chu Xunfeng?"

“Not only that, don’t you know how big the trouble is in our Demon Kingdom?” Hong Ji rolled her eyes. “But the people from the Seven Star Tower also took the initiative to contact Chu Xunfeng, hoping to arrange for them to make contact with him. The gist of it is... to leave his name on the Human Ranking. For this matter, Ao Ning went to find Chu Xunfeng in person.”

"To be listed on the honor roll..." Ao Hanli murmured to herself.

"Seven Star Tower? Ranking of People? What are those?" In the courtyard where Chu Xunfeng lived, the young human looked at Ao Ning by the stone table with a puzzled expression.

“The Seven Star Tower is the largest intelligence organization in the three regions of Kyushu. Its members are a mixed bag, including all sorts of characters. It is deeply rooted in the three regions of Kyushu, and the Human Ranking is naturally their creation.” Ao Ning sipped his wine, his smile gentle. “Those who can be listed on the Human Ranking are naturally famous and powerful figures.”

"Above the Human Ranking, there are also Earth and Heaven?" Chu Xunfeng's thoughts wandered.

“Heaven, Earth, and Man all exist naturally, but the Human Ranking is rather special,” Ao Ning explained with a smile. “The so-called Human Ranking only records the human race.”

"So there's also a Ghost Ranking? A Demon Ranking?"

“No, after that are the Earth and Heaven lists.” Ao Ning’s smile held a hint of teasing. “But the Human list will only be published for humans.”

Chu Xunfeng frowned; he didn't quite understand what this meant.

"Although the cultivation methods of the three races have some similarities, they are also different. The Human Ranking was established to address these differences. The conditions for entering the Human Ranking are set by the Seven Star Tower itself, and outsiders generally do not know them. However, over the years, some people have figured out the patterns and such."

"What is it?" Chu Xunfeng asked curiously.

“After only three years of cultivation, the four realms will naturally come to fruition.” Ao Xiu looked at Chu Xunfeng with a meaningful smile. “The demon race and the ghost race do not have the same talent for cultivation as the human race.”

Therefore, on the Human Ranking, there are only humans.

Chapter 44, Seven Star Tower, Dark Star Pavilion, Ascending to Godhood and Breaking Through Boundaries

Where can I see this list of successful candidates?

“In every capital city of the Nine Provinces, there is a Seven Star Pavilion. People with connections can get a glimpse of the rankings from others, even if they are not qualified to enter the Seven Star Pavilion.” Ao Ning lightly shook his folding fan. Seeing Chu Xunfeng frowning in thought, he took the initiative to ask, “Brother Chu, do you have any concerns?”

"Your Highness seems pleased that I might make the list?" Chu Xunfeng looked at Ao Ning. "Why?"

"The three regions of the Nine Provinces are small in scale, with a very small circle where outstanding individuals only associate with other outstanding individuals. But in terms of sheer size, the masses are countless." Ao Ning said meaningfully, "There are naturally benefits to being listed."

"But people are afraid of becoming famous." Chu Xunfeng did not want to attract too much attention.

“There are naturally quite a few people who share similar thoughts with Brother Chu, so the Seven Star Tower’s report is for this purpose.” Ao Ning gestured to Chu Xunfeng to calm down. “This major event that has occurred in the demon race is mainly for the sake of my Demon Prosperity Kingdom. As for Brother Chu, whether it’s incidental or killing two birds with one stone, in short, the two things have come together.”

"If I don't want to be on the list..."

“Ji Wen will naturally follow Brother Chu’s wishes, so Brother Chu’s name will not appear on the list of people.” Ao Ning smiled. “After all, the Seven Star Tower is an intelligence organization in the open, so it naturally has rules and taboos. However, since it is in the open, Brother Chu should be able to imagine the rules of the Seven Star Tower when dealing with people.”

"Be kind to others?" Chu Xunfeng uttered these four words with a subtle tone, seemingly both teasing and sarcastic.

"Brother Chu is indeed a man who understands things immediately." Ao Ning snapped his folding fan shut and tapped the fan ribs against his palm.

Being kind to others is just a facade. Ao Ning's meaningful smile made Chu Xunfeng realize that it still comes down to fists.

You may be kind to others, but they may not be willing to be kind to you. If such an organization doesn't have a strong fist, it could easily fall if it makes a wrong step. It can survive for hundreds of years by openly conducting intelligence work, so its fist must be exceptionally large.

"Is there an organization like the Seven Star Tower operating in secret?" Chu Xunfeng asked, because Ao Ning had been mentioning a key word in his previous words: "in the open."

"Yes, Brother Chu, do you have any knowledge of celestial phenomena?"

"The Big Dipper? You mean... those three dark stars that are the auxiliary stars of the Big Dipper?" Chu Xunfeng hit the nail on the head, getting to the heart of the matter.

"Yes." Ao Ning nodded. The more they talked, the more curious he became about Chu Xunfeng. Talent, something innate, could be altered by a ninth-grade pill. While Chu Xunfeng's strength had changed dramatically along the way, there were still patterns to be found. Such prodigies weren't uncommon in the world, but this one seemed to lack understanding of the cultivation world, yet possessed an extraordinary memory and vast knowledge in many areas…

All these factors combined led Ao Ning to sigh, "The Supreme Sword Sect is truly blind to talent."

"The Seven Star Tower was formerly known as the Star-Picking Tower. The former master of the Star-Picking Tower plotted a huge scheme, quietly laying out a vast net. It seemed that everything was about to succeed, but at the last moment, a situation arose within the Star-Picking Tower where people were divided. The Star-Picking Tower's conspiracy was exposed, and in the end, the Star-Picking Tower became the Seven Star Tower and Dark Star Pavilion we know today." Ao Ning's tone was flat and straightforward, and the information he revealed was ambiguous, causing Chu Xunfeng to frown slightly.

"Plotting? Plotting what?" Chu Xunfeng asked, half curious and half puzzled.

"Ascend to godhood, break through boundaries."

Ascending to godhood and breaking through boundaries...

Chu Xunfeng remained silent for a long time. He had only heard of the words "ascending to godhood" recently. The previous White Tiger God was besieged by human experts in this world for the same reason, which ultimately led to the current White Tiger God forming a blood feud with the human race.

As for breaking boundaries...

Chu Xunfeng knew perfectly well that he himself came from another world, so he naturally knew that there were other worlds beyond the Nine Types and Three Lands, and this was not just empty talk.

But...why?

He had heard of the ascension to godhood twice so far, and both attempts ended in failure and death. It was not because of the ascensionists' strength or talent... but because they were forcibly destroyed by external forces.

Why?

"What's outside?" Chu Xunfeng seemed to have thought of something crucial, and he squinted at Ao Ning.

“I don’t know, but I asked my mother.” Ao Ning looked meaningfully at the human youth who had quickly grasped the key point in his thoughts. “And my mother told me that if I could break through the Death Realm, I would naturally know.”

"Knowing too much before this is pointless; it's better to focus on cultivation."

"I see... I see." Chu Xunfeng nodded. He knew that asking Ao Ning wouldn't yield any results, but he had other ways to get the answer.

“I’ve talked too much about other things today.” Ao Ning stood up. “Brother Chu, please get some rest. As for the matter of the Seven Star Tower Chronicles, you don’t need to think too much about it. The Ranking of People is just the Ranking of People. Whether you make it or not, there are advantages and disadvantages. Just follow your heart.”

"As for the rabbit demon family, I will discuss it with my second brother when he returns. At that time, my second brother and I will ask Brother Chu to pay us a visit." Ao Ning cupped his hands in greeting to Chu Xunfeng.

Chu Xunfeng also got up to see him off. After Ao Ning left, Chu Xunfeng returned to the stone table and sat down, his gaze seemingly gradually becoming vacant.

He was looking at the light screen that the system had opened.

System, ascension to godhood, can it really break through boundaries?

Ascending to godhood can indeed break through boundaries, but that only applies to the three regions of the Nine Provinces.

The three regions of Kyushu are probably not the whole picture of this world.

[Yes and no. 】

What do you mean?

Beyond the three regions of Kyushu, all other lands are perilous.

So, it is and it isn't, isn't it?

Chu Xunfeng tapped his fingers rhythmically on the stone table as he pondered. Logically, he should be standing on a planet, but the map of the Nine Provinces and Three Regions was definitely not the entirety of this planet—it was too small. If everything outside the Nine Provinces and Three Regions was a desolate wasteland…

How did the Jedi system come about?

When a Saint-level expert falls, a forbidden zone is formed.

Chu Xunfeng's raised finger froze in mid-air. He stared at the text on the system screen and remained silent for a long time.

Jedi don't form naturally?

No, the essence of the forbidden zone is formed by the disorder of rules. Those who are not at the Saint Realm will face a nine-out-of-ten chance of death if they enter the forbidden zone. Touching the Three Profound Realms will result in immediate death. Those at the Life and Death Realm can find a glimmer of hope, but only those at the Saint Realm can move freely within the forbidden zone.

Chu Xunfeng remained silent for a long time before finally asking a crucial question—a question about himself.