Chapter 115.1: Divine Strength Rankings Renewed! (I)

In the days that followed, Lu Changsheng’s routine became almost mechanical.

Every morning, he would play his role as the Nine-Patient Master Healer, treating the sick and saving lives. In the afternoon, with his Wind-Sense Intent, he would track down and exterminate northern barbarians in the Divine Strength Realm.

Each day, he’d earn several hundred minor merits. After a little more than twenty days, his total had already climbed into the thousands.

At first, no one paid him any mind. However, Lu Changsheng started returning with the heads of Divine Strength martial artists, which finally attracted the attention of everyone.

Outside the Martial Pavilion, people watched as Dao Shi’er walked in again with his trophies. Discussions immediately erupted.

“Look, Dao Shi’er is back with another haul. He dealt with four Divine Strength martial artists this time.”

“I don’t understand. Is he really so lucky that he runs into northern barbarians every day?”

“Luck isn’t the main point. The frightening part is that he kills them every time.”

“If he kills three Divine Strength martial artists a day, that is ninety a month, and over a thousand a year. There are only a few thousand barbarian experts here to begin with. If he keeps this up, he will wipe them out in a few years.”

“Heh. If the northern tribes sent their full force here, there’d be far more than that. Still, they must be getting nervous, as Dao Shi’er has been killing them like this.”

“I heard he has already become the target of several northern barbarians experts, but none of them have managed to find him so far.”

Dao Shi’er was only ranked eighty-first on the Divine Strength Rankings. He hadn’t done anything spectacular. He had neither killed the top-ranked experts nor destroyed entire armies; he had not stirred any shocking controversy, yet more and more people were talking about him.

His consistency was the reason why his name had spread. Every single afternoon, without fail, he would enter the Northern Region Battlefield and return after killing several Divine Strength martial artists. To those unfamiliar with the battlefield, they’d think that such experts were nothing more than weeds to him.

At first, the claim that he could kill more than a thousand Divine Strength Realm martial artists in a year sounded like a joke. At this rate, however, no one would be laughing for long.

Inside the Martial Pavilion, Lu Changsheng dropped the heads of the northern barbarians on the counter.

The Martial Pavilion martial artist glanced at the row of heads. “Four Divine Strength Realm martial artists. That’s six hundred minor merits in total.”

“Brother Dao,” he added in a low voice. “You should be more careful lately. Many barbarian squads are searching for you. You are already one of their top bounty targets.”

Lu Changsheng blinked. “They’ve put a bounty on me? I’m one of their top targets?”

He was genuinely confused. All he did was visit the Northern Region Battlefield each day and kill a few Divine Strength martial artists, but they issued a bounty on his head just for that?

He thought he had been extremely low-profile. Since he comprehended Wind Sense Intent, he had been deliberately avoiding anyone popular on the Divine Strength Rankings and chose unknown opponents instead. For some reason, the northern tribes still locked onto him.

The martial artist revealed a helpless smile. “Brother Dao, in just one month, you killed ninety Divine Strength martial artists of the northern tribes. They deserve to lose the war if they still haven’t noticed you at this point.”

Lu Changsheng nodded and changed the subject. “How many minor merits do I have now?”

Earlier, he had spent one thousand minor merits to obtain the Aether Wood, which allowed him to cultivate the Celestial Treasure-Refinement Secret Technique to the seventh and last layer of Perfection.

After that, he only exchanged for a few third and fourth-tier martial techniques, saving the remaining merits.

“You have nine thousand five hundred minor merits. Adding today’s six hundred brings the total to ten thousand one hundred.”

Lu Changsheng’s eyes brightened. “I already have over ten thousand merits?”

Ten thousand minor merits could be converted into one major merit. A single major merit could then be exchanged for resources reserved for Divine Strength martial artists, such as pills that could raise strength by a hundred cauldrons.

“Exchange for a Hundred Cauldrons Grand Pill,” Lu Changsheng said.

The martial artist nodded. “Understood. A Hundred Cauldrons Grand Pill coming up.”

Soon, Lu Changsheng received the pill from the Martial Pavilion.

The Hundred Cauldrons Grand Pill was similar to the Divine Strength Grand Pill. Both could increase a martial artist’s strength by a hundred cauldrons. However, Divine Strength martial artists could not take the same pill repeatedly.

Such pills were not easy to obtain. Each one costs at least ten thousand minor merits or one major merit. For most martial artists, that was an enormous sum. Many would spend months on the Northern Region Battlefield to accumulate only about a thousand minor merits.

Even powerful martial artists needed luck. The northern barbarians wouldn’t appear on command. Most roamed the battlefield for more than half a month without encountering a single one.

Taking everything into account, Dao Shi’er’s accumulation of over ten thousand minor merits placed him first among Divine Strength martial artists. Of course, only the Martial Pavilion knew the real numbers, and they would never release such information.

I’ll go back and take this Hundred Cauldrons Grand Pill to strengthen my body before anything else. Lu Changsheng turned around to leave.

“Oh right, Brother Dao,” the Martial Pavilion martial artist said, stopping Lu Changsheng in his tracks. “Tomorrow marks one month since the Divine Strength Rankings became public. The rankings are renewed every month. I wonder what rank you’ll obtain this month.”

Even the Martial Pavilion martial artist was curious about Dao Shi’er’s rank.

“My ranking?” Lu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. “I know my limits. Probably still somewhere in the eighties.”

After leaving the Martial Pavilion, Lu Changsheng gave little thought to the Divine Strength Rankings. He had never displayed any astonishing techniques, nor had he challenged anyone listed on the rankings.

Under such circumstances, how high could his rank possibly be?

He returned to his small courtyard and took out the Hundred Cauldrons Grand Pill. He had spent a long time on the Northern Region Battlefield, but his strength had barely improved. At his level, natural growth was minimal.

Only pills or rare treasures, such as the Hundred Cauldrons Grand Pill, could bring a true leap in power.

Lu Changsheng swallowed the pill in one gulp. His blood qi immediately surged, and his physique strengthened at a visible pace.

The next day quickly arrived, but Lu Chansheng was so engrossed in strengthening his physique that he forgot the fact that the Divine Strength Rankings would be renewed today.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep