Heroine, don't turn back, I'm just a farmer.

Ming Suxue was puzzled. Over the years, she had stolen from the scripture pavilions of many sects, but she had never heard of the Demonic Sect having such a method.

The Qingluo Manor was very large, almost empty. He wondered who was behind Madam Xue. The thousands of acres of mountains, rivers, and forests could be described as a city within a city. This gave him a new understanding of the so-called powerful clans. The only drawback was that the environment was too desolate.

In the past few days, the most intense emotional fluctuations this Lady Xue experienced were only a slight blush on her face; at other times, she remained as still as an ice sculpture.

Lu Guo wanted to read books, mostly classics, histories, philosophical works, and collections of literature. He even considered writing a book like "Jin Xi Mei" or "The Successful Scholar" to entertain himself and bring a small cultural shock to the world.

Of course, being in the martial arts world isn't without entertainment, but it's just that the entertainment is too monotonous.

"Think this through before you explain it to me in detail. Take a look at this first."

After saying that, Ming Suxue handed the scroll in her hand to Lu Guo.

"What is this?"

"The Martial Arts Ranking".

"..."

Lu Guo remained silent for a moment, feeling that this was truly a classic.

Lists have existed since ancient times, from the top three scholars in the imperial examination system to various rankings in the martial arts world. In every industry, there is competition, and with competition comes profit, and with profit comes ranking.

However, what people in the martial arts world look at is not the imperial examination list, but a list specifically for their ranking in the martial arts world, namely the three major lists of Heaven, Earth and Man.

Those listed on the Heavenly Ranking are all above the Upper Three Realms, just a few steps away from breaking through the void, and their rankings are almost indistinguishable.

The Earth Ranking lists the top experts with names and titles in the nine ranks above the middle three realms, below the upper three realms. Those who can enter the Earth Ranking are at least at the Spirit Fusion Realm.

The Ranking of Men is a list for young people under the age of thirty-five, and it is a list that many young martial artists want to be on. Entering the Ranking of Men means that you have achieved something and can be considered a top expert in the world.

The Heavenly Ranking includes no more than thirty-six people; the Earthly Ranking includes a total of one hundred and eight people; and the Human Ranking lists three hundred and sixty people.

The Heavenly Ranking is changed every ten years; the Earthly Ranking is changed every year; and the Human Ranking is changed every month.

The three lists of Heaven, Earth, and Man are currently the most credible lists in the martial arts world. Their rankings are based on battle achievements and cultivation levels, arranged in order of high and low rankings, and include information on a large number of masters in the martial arts world.

Such a massive amount of intelligence gathering is beyond the reach of any martial arts organization, because it is impossible to cover the entire martial arts world. Therefore, it was not created by an individual or a certain organization, but rather a list compiled by the Dasheng Royal Family and the Confucian school, which has always been neutral and possesses a strong sense of righteousness in the martial arts world.

In the game, it's not called the Confucian School; more accurately, it should be called the Great Hidden Pavilion.

The Confucian Four Realms, known as the "Sight and Hearing of Heaven and Earth," are characterized by their righteous spirit, under which nothing is beyond investigation and exploration. They also emphasize persuading people with reason, thus holding a special position in the martial arts world and possessing great persuasive power.

However, Lu Guo found the list both classic and troublesome.

Making it onto the list brings fame, but also significantly increases the risk factor.

Once someone makes the list, a lot of information about them will be recorded in detail. After all, those who make the list have already revealed their strength, and once that information is leaked, their innate advantage will vanish.

Therefore, this list actually weakens those who are on it, as too many people want to kill or defeat those on the list to prove themselves and become famous overnight.

Even though everyone knows this principle, it still can't suppress the competitive spirit of people in the martial arts world. Everyone knows the consequences, but everyone wants to be on the list because for martial artists, it means "standing out from the crowd," it means resources, and it means upward social mobility.

This is the root cause of the chaos in the martial arts world.

It's very simple, but extremely effective. It not only weakens the power of the martial arts world but also strengthens the central authority of the imperial court, killing two birds with one stone. However, once the imperial court is unable to suppress the world, the martial arts world will turn into a pot of porridge, and if it cannot be suppressed, it will boil over.

He glanced silently at the list of people, and the first thing he saw was himself.

251st on the list:

Name: Unknown.

Nickname: The Amazing Guest.

Identity: Wandering knight, unaffiliated with any sect or faction, identity unknown.

Cultivation level: Spirit Fusion Realm or above (in actual combat, he can kill Spirit Fusion Realm cultivators of higher levels, and is suspected to have already reached the threshold of the Transformation Realm).

Martial Arts: Primarily trained in the Northern Blade Sect's "Five Styles of Thunderclap"—fierce and domineering, exquisite and unpredictable, skilled in using the Iron Spine Blade, and also learned some mysterious and strange techniques.

Evaluation: The Five Styles Thunderclap sword technique is as swift as thunder and lightning. Before the blade arrives, the thunderous sound precedes it, often striking fear into the hearts of opponents. The "Surprising Guest" is mysterious in origin and appears unexpectedly in the martial world, like the Shocking Gate Escape Technique, and is suspected to be a successor of the Heavenly Blade.

This introduction is very simple, yet it reveals crucial information.

Ming Suxue sat upright and began to brew tea, her movements elegant and dignified. "Now that you've entered the Human Ranking, the entire martial arts world within the Great Sheng realm will know."

"Reputation outweighing ability is a burden." Lu Guo understood this in his heart. "I will improve my strength as soon as possible, Aunt Liu. Actually, I don't care about this so-called ranking, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"Since someone has put up a list, and I was on it as soon as I appeared, the list changes every month. I've only been at the manor for three days, and it's not time for the monthly list to be changed yet. There must be something wrong with this. We need to be careful whether someone is plotting something."

As Lu Guo spoke, he slowly unrolled the other roll as well.

He stared at the colorful illustrations above and paused.

"What is this?"

Ming Suxue looked at him expressionlessly: "The Rouge Ranking."

Compared to the Heaven, Earth, and Man Rankings, which are places where people fight for fame in the martial arts world, the Rouge Ranking is a truly enjoyable list.

Since it's about beauties of the martial arts world, it naturally includes beauties from various sects and with different identities.

"True masters don't care about the rankings. If they try to compete for a higher position, it only proves that their mental cultivation is not up to par." Lu Guo said, slowly opening the Rouge Ranking. "Fame and fortune are like beautiful women, just temporary additions. True masters have already found their own path and would never compete for a higher or lower position, fighting to the death. Just like this beauty, its essence lies in the bone, not the skin."

Ming Suxue looked at him, but still didn't say anything.

"These beauties, some are renowned for their talent, some are peerless in their beauty, but their fame isn't for others. Just because it rains today doesn't mean it will rain tomorrow, or that they'll never go out again because of the rain." Lu Guo shook his head: "It's foolish to go to great lengths to compete for a place on a list. It only disturbs one's peace of mind and leads to misjudging one's path."

If you hadn't opened this list of beauties, I might have believed it.

Ming Suxue remained silent, simply watching Lu Guo open the Rouge List.

Lu Guo remained calm. "Why isn't Aunt Liu's name on this? It's truly disappointing."

Ming Suxue was undoubtedly a beauty, but her name was not on the Rouge Ranking. As for the others, he did discover something interesting: his Flower Queen Adventure had been updated.

【Rouge Debt, Romantic Calamity】

Legend has it that the thirty-six beauties on the Rouge List are not merely decorative objects to be judged. Behind each woman on the list lies a hidden story—whether it be a deep-seated blood feud, a sect's secrets, or a royal conspiracy. Their willingness to appear in public and be judged is not out of greed for fame, but because they each have their own agenda.

Some wanted to use the Rouge Ranking to get close to their enemies, some wanted to use their fame to cover their identities, and some were simply undercover agents for some powerful faction.

【If you are interested, young master, you might as well come and see the real Rouge.】

[Target: Li Jiuluan; ranked third on the Rouge Ranking, using the alias "Lü Luan," infiltrating the Lü family, the prime minister of Xiapi.]

She was a spy planted by the Southern Tang in the martial arts world. For three years, she infiltrated the Great Sheng Dynasty in search of the Xuanpin Pearl, but she gradually grew weary of this double life. Now that the Xuanpin Pearl has reappeared, she has fallen in love with someone she shouldn't—a traitorous general wanted by the Southern Tang. Yet, she is forced to obey orders to capture him. She needs someone to help her make a choice—loyalty to the imperial command, or loyalty to her heart.

Help Li Jiuluan choose between "arrest" and "release," and bear the consequences. If you choose to release them, you must assist them in escaping Southern Tang territory while evading the Southern Tang cavalry; if you choose to arrest them, you must personally kill the traitorous general and calm Li Jiuluan down.

[Reward: Li Jiuluan's token; Achievement Points +200; Southern Tang Iron Cavalry Captain status, able to command one battalion of troops.]

"Um?"

This extraordinary encounter has given me both people and goods, and I'll have to go in return.

This woman, Li Jiuluan, who used the alias Lü, was actually a princess of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Logically speaking, a princess of a country would not do anything like being a spy, but she was a disciple of the Hengxingdao sect. The Hengxingdao sect emphasizes being unrestrained and doing whatever one pleases. All its disciples enter the martial world as commoners and then cultivate the way of worldly fortune.

As for her character design, if we remove the name Li, keep the character Luan, and refer to her by the surname Lü, then her prototype is Lü Zhi.

It was after this incident that she obtained sixty years of internal energy from the Mysterious Pearl, killed the traitor, broke through her cultivation level, returned to the Southern Tang Dynasty, and ascended the throne as Empress.

Although the Southern Tang was eventually destroyed by Zhao Yuqian during his southern campaign, it was due to the vast disparity between the two states, and Zhao Yuqian's personal skills and abilities were still outstanding.

Of course, that's secondary.

What's important is the internal strength accumulated over those 60 years, and that battalion of Southern Tang cavalry.

The battalion has a strength of about 500 men. This Southern Tang Iron Cavalry is called Black Cloud Capital. The members are all heavily armored swordsmen wearing black armor. They come from the Iron Flag Sect and their strength is generally above the Body Tempering Realm. If used well, they will be a great help. Of course, more importantly, they can unlock an identity.

Moreover, with these 60 years of experience, his safety will be greatly enhanced.

I have to go.

I'm destined to become a master of brothels.