Chapter 1016: The Latest "Half-Saint Ranking"
Cai Jin’s heart was filled with panic. If this matter reached the ears of the family head, many people would be in trouble.
The first to suffer would undoubtedly be him.
Chu Siyuan’s face was taut with an aloof, proud expression, showing a look of considerable annoyance. The more he did so, the more nervous Cai Jin became, terrified of offending the Painting Saint Ancestor and inviting unpredictable calamities.
Zhang Ruochen noticed Cai Jin’s face growing increasingly pale and secretly guessed that this man held a high position in the Cai Clan and had likely seen Chu Siyuan before.
Thus, Zhang Ruochen immediately sent a voice transmission to Cai Jin, saying, “The Painting Saint’s visit to the Cai Clan this time is a secret. Everything must be kept low-key. Do not make a fuss, or the consequences will be severe.”
Cai Jin cast a grateful glance at Zhang Ruochen.
A young man who could stay by the Painting Saint Ancestor’s side was undoubtedly an elite of the Painting Sect and not to be underestimated.
Cai Jin cupped his hands toward Zhang Ruochen, then bent over in a humble inviting gesture, saying, “Please, both honored guests, come inside.”
“Hmph!”
Chu Siyuan let out a cold snort, flicked his sleeves, and strode grandly toward the inner mansion of the Cai Clan’s sacred estate.
The surrounding banquet attendees were all dumbfounded, utterly confused.
That old man and young man—they hadn’t been thrown out?
What status did Cai Jin hold? He was the chief steward of a medieval aristocratic clan, able to stand on equal footing with Saint-level beings, yet he had used such a humble posture to welcome them in.
Some thought Cai Jin was using this method to defuse the Cai Clan’s embarrassment, planning to secretly eliminate the old man and young man once they entered the sacred estate.
Others believed the pair’s identity was extraordinary enough to make even Cai Jin bow his head.
Cai Mingliang was utterly baffled, saying, “Chief Steward, how can you let two unknown thieves enter…”
“Slap!”
Cai Jin slapped him across the face, his palm carrying a powerful force that sent Cai Mingliang sprawling to the ground, his head twisted to one side as blood poured from his mouth.
“Chief… Chief Steward… why… why…”
“Drag him away.”
Cai Jin’s eyes held a cold glint as he ordered a golden-armored warrior.
If not for this blind fool, how would he have offended the Painting Saint Ancestor?
Thinking of this, Cai Jin still felt uneasy and immediately returned to the Cai Clan’s sacred estate, chasing after Zhang Ruochen and Chu Siyuan.
At this moment, even Chi Yutang wore a grave expression, sensing that Cai Jin’s attitude was quite intriguing.
Wan Huayu’s posture was extremely captivating, and she smiled, saying, “That old man and young man must have an extraordinary identity.”
Chi Yutang’s face quickly broke into a smile again. “Extraordinary? So what? In front of the royal clan, everyone should learn to bow their heads.”
Chi Yutang boarded the carriage pulled by the Golden-Winged Eagle King and, together with Wan Huayu, drove into the Cai Clan’s sacred estate.
Both Chi Yutang and Wan Huayu held noble statuses, hailing from the Heavenly King’s Mansion, with unmatched talent and appearance, truly the cream of the crop.
Wherever they passed, they naturally drew countless sidelong glances, eliciting many exclamations of admiration.
The Cai Clan’s banquet was set up on the surface of a spiritual lake. As far as the eye could see, mist shrouded the area, with pavilions and towers scattered in an orderly fashion.
Formations were arranged on the water’s surface, allowing cultivators to walk on it without sinking, only causing tiny ripples to spread.
The arrival of Chi Yutang and Wan Huayu stirred up a commotion, and soon a group of equally high-born young talents and proud daughters invited them to a small island in the middle of the lake.
The island, less than a hundred meters long, was the central area of the banquet. Graceful zither music drifted out, and beautiful maids danced gracefully.
Only the most distinguished figures were qualified to set foot on the island.
Zhang Ruochen and Chu Siyuan found a cyan lotus platform on the outskirts of the banquet, stepped inside, and took two seats to rest for a while.
The lotus platform was divided into nine petals, forming nine seats.
The central lotus seed pod served as a round table. Rich spiritual energy seeped out from the pod, and just a single breath made the cultivators present feel their meridians relax.
Cai Jin came behind Chu Siyuan, bowed, and apologized, “Painting Saint Ancestor, please take a seat in the exclusive area for Saint-level figures. The earlier incident was entirely the fault of the Cai Clan’s servants. Please do not take it to heart.”
Chu Siyuan sat in his seat with an air of arrogance, his face cold, completely ignoring Cai Jin.
“I will go report to the Saint Lord immediately.”
Cai Jin knew his own weight. He could still exchange a few words with other Saint-level titans, but in front of the Painting Saint Ancestor, he was far from sufficient.
Only the Saint Lord coming forward would be qualified to speak with the Painting Saint Ancestor.
“Wait.”
Chu Siyuan finally spoke, saying, “Keep my visit to the Cai Clan a secret. Low-key, everything must be low-key.”
Earlier, at the main gate, Chu Siyuan had made a big fool of himself and felt quite embarrassed, so naturally, he didn’t want outsiders to know he was the Painting Sect’s master.
If it could be kept secret, it should be kept as secret as possible.
Cai Jin cast a pleading look at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand and said, “Chief Steward, you may withdraw for now. The Painting Saint’s visit to the Cai Clan this time is solely to observe the young talents of Saintming City, with no other intentions.”
“If you leak his whereabouts, those Confucian students will surely swarm in, going against the Painting Saint’s original intent.”
Cai Jin cupped his hands toward Zhang Ruochen and then tactfully withdrew.
“Let’s sit here.”
Just then, a fat man in a bright red robe and an old Daoist with an immortal-like bearing also sat down on the lotus platform where Zhang Ruochen and Chu Siyuan were.
“I am Xue Sanyi of the Xu Holy Clan.”
The fat man named Xue Sanyi wore a smile as he introduced himself.
However, when he looked up and saw Zhang Ruochen and Chu Siyuan sitting opposite him, his expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Xue Sanyi’s smile instantly froze, and he immediately stood up, preparing to leave.
Earlier, outside the main gate, Xue Sanyi had naturally seen Zhang Ruochen and Chu Siyuan offend Chi Yutang of the Lingxiao Heavenly King’s Mansion.
Chi Yutang was notoriously domineering in Saintming City, definitely one to hold a grudge. Offending him would surely bring no good outcome.
Thus, in Xue Sanyi’s view, Zhang Ruochen and Chu Siyuan were two jinxes, best avoided at all costs.
The old Daoist grabbed Xue Sanyi’s robe and pulled him back, saying, “Where are you going? All the other seats are full, with no empty spots.”
Xue Sanyi scanned the lake surface and indeed saw no other empty seats. A feeling of despair welled up inside him as he sat back down.
Looking at the two jinxes across from him, Xue Sanyi could only sigh repeatedly.
As for the seemingly ethereal old Daoist, he had already started eating and drinking wildly, completely disregarding his image. His table manners were truly unsightly.
“Definitely an old swindler here for a free meal.”
Sitting with two jinxes and an old swindler, Xue Sanyi kept sighing, looking as mournful as if at a funeral, on the verge of tears.
Not long after, another group of young cultivators came over and sat down in this lotus platform.
They seemed to be familiar with Xue Sanyi, chatting cheerfully, and finally, Xue Sanyi’s mood improved a bit.
“Do you know that Shengshu Cainü has compiled the latest edition of the ‘Half-Saint Ranking’?” A young scholar in Confucian robes, holding a folding fan, said mysteriously.
This scholar was no ordinary person; his spiritual power had reached the forty-fifth level, making him a Spiritual Power Half-Saint.
“Zhao Heng, your Tianxuan Academy is indeed well-informed. You must have gotten the latest ‘Half-Saint Ranking’ right away, right?”
“Cainü and Senior Uncle Mu of Tianxuan Academy are fellow disciples. With that connection, how hard could it be for me to learn the contents of the ‘Half-Saint Ranking’?”
Xue Sanyi’s eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, “How many humans made the list?”
The scholar smiled, tapping the table with his folding fan, making a slapping sound, and said, “This time, with the emergence of the Nine Realm Sons, humanity’s advantage has greatly increased, occupying a total of thirty-two spots. The wild beasts in the desolate secret realms and the waters overseas occupy fifty-eight spots. The indigenous beings of various ruins realms occupy twelve spots.”
Zhang Ruochen sat to the side, quietly listening, quite focused on the “Half-Saint Ranking.”
Every name on the “Half-Saint Ranking” was a figure of unparalleled talent, considered the strongest below the Saint realm. Some could even defeat Saints.
As of now, Zhang Ruochen was still far from them, and they were the targets he was striving to catch up to.
“Even though Chi Yao has cultivated the Nine Realm Sons, the humans of the Kunlun Realm only occupy thirty-two spots, less than a third. It’s truly not optimistic,” Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly.
The proportions of the “Half-Saint Ranking” could also reflect the distribution of Saint-level beings across the entire Kunlun Realm.
The significance of Shengshu Cainü compiling the “Half-Saint Ranking” should lie here.
Fortunately, the various beast clans were severely divided, constantly fighting among themselves, with their power quite scattered. If they could form a whole and establish a nation, humanity would surely not be their match.
Of course, humanity was already quite powerful. Just one race occupying thirty-two spots was impressive. For other beast clans, having one creature make the “Half-Saint Ranking” per clan was already good.
Xue Sanyi asked, “Who is the strongest human below the Saint realm? Is it still Kong Hongbi?”
Another person beside him said, “It must be Kong Hongbi, no doubt. In recent years, Kong Hongbi’s strength has improved again, becoming more and more unfathomable.”
“Even if the Nine Realm Sons are strong, they’ve just stepped into the Ninth-Level Half-Saint realm. Compared to Kong Hongbi, there’s still a big gap.”
The scholar shook his head with a smile, saying, “You’re all wrong this time. Kong Hongbi’s ranking on the latest ‘Half-Saint Ranking’ has dropped to thirty-fourth.”
The cultivators present were all shocked, unable to believe it.
“That’s too much of a drop! From seventh to thirty-fourth… this… how is this possible?”
Xue Sanyi was very anxious and asked again, “Among humanity’s elites, who has the highest ranking on the ‘Half-Saint Ranking’? Who is the number one under the Saint realm?”