Just as the All-Rounder Grandmaster was preparing to demonstrate his most formidable skills, a woman’s voice suddenly rang out from the distance.
“Master!”
With the sound, a graceful figure descended from the sky and landed in front of Jiang Yuan. She was none other than Shen Hanbing.
“Isn’t that the Ice and Fire Sorceress?”
“You mean the Ice and Fire Sorceress who entered the Earth Ranking just half a year ago, challenged and defeated the All-Rounder Grandmaster, and rose to the fourteenth position on the Earth Ranking?”
“That’s her!”
Everyone recognized Shen Hanbing at a glance and began whispering to each other. The All-Rounder Grandmaster, who had been left aside was visibly unhappy. Shen Hanbing’s appearance had stolen his limelight.
“Disciple, why are you here?” Jiang Yuan ignored the All-Rounder Grandmaster and asked Shen Hanbing.
Shen Hanbing nodded and said, “I’m sorry, Master. I had a small delay on the way due to some issues. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.”
“It’s fine, I have plenty of time,” Jiang Yuan replied nonchalantly. He could wait for a moment or even millions of years.
Shen Hanbing glanced at the All-Rounder Grandmaster and then back at Jiang Yuan, “Master, what’s going on with you?”
“It’s nothing, let’s go,” Jiang Yuan said and turned to leave. Shen Hanbing followed him silently.
As for the onlookers, they were petrified, questioning their own ears. They clearly heard Shen Hanbing call Jiang Yuan her master.
Who was Shen Hanbing?
She was known as the most talented person in Zhongzhou, an Earth Rank expert on par with the All-Rounder Grandmaster. Her ranking in the Earth Ranking was even higher than the All-Rounder Grandmaster’s, and her potential far exceeded his.
In the near future, she would likely become the top-ranked Earth Rank and possibly even enter the Heaven Ranking, a ranking for martial artists beyond the Earth Rank.
The potential of this extraordinary figure exceeded that of the All-Rounder Grandmaster so the fact that she addressed an unknown man as her master was almost unbelievable.
“Wait, what… What did you call that young man?” The All-Rounder Grandmaster immediately stopped Shen Hanbing.
Shen Hanbing turned to look at the All-Rounder Grandmaster, furrowing her brow with displeasure. “He is my master, please show some respect.”
“Your… your master?” The All-Rounder Grandmaster was completely stunned, his face filled with astonishment as he looked at Jiang Yuan.
He could hardly believe that this seemingly ordinary man was actually Shen Hanbing’s master.
Shen Hanbing was incredibly proud, known as the most talented individual in Zhongzhou, the only dual-element martial artist in Zhongzhou, only martial artist who practiced both magic and martial arts, and a young person who had entered the Earth Ranking. All these factors gave her the right to be arrogant and look down on other Earth Rank members.
To become her master would mean that he had to be a figure in the Heaven Ranking at the very least.
The Heaven Ranking, a list of martial artists who surpassed the Earth Ranking, was an organization of powerful martial artists.
Unlike the Earth and People Rankings, the Heaven Ranking was a nationwide ranking rather than a regional one.
There were only fifteen powerful martial artists in the entire country who made it to the Heaven Ranking.
Each one of them held a great reputation, known throughout the nation.
However, the man before them, who seemed entirely unknown, was undoubtedly not one of those fifteen Heaven Ranking martial artists.
So, who exactly was he?
At this point, the All-Rounder Grandmaster was drenched in cold sweat.
Apart from those fifteen Heaven Ranking figures and other prominent individuals, who in the entire nation could possess such abilities to accept Shen Hanbing as their disciple?
It was evident that there was no one else. Those who could take her as a disciple must be hidden masters or elders from extraordinary sects.
Considering Jiang Yuan’s performance during the recent fight, the All-Rounder Grandmaster was quite sure of his own speculation.
“Young man, I was too impulsive just now. If I have offended you in any way, I hope you can forgive me,” the All-Rounder Grandmaster didn’t hesitate and immediately offered an apology with clasped hands.
Thinking about his behavior earlier, he felt a sense of dread and shame. Shen Hanbing had surpassed him in power, and he had tried to make her master to worship him as his disciple.
This is like lifting a stone to drop it on your own foot!
“What did you do to my master earlier?” Shen Hanbing glared at the All-Rounder Grandmaster, her eyes flashing with a cold light.
“It was a misunderstanding,” the All-Rounder Grandmaster quickly waved his hand, his attitude completely different from before.
“It’s fine, he was just playing with me,” Jiang Yuan said nonchalantly.
“That’s right, just playing,” the All-Rounder Grandmaster nodded in agreement, although he couldn’t help but feel a mix of laughter and tears.
While not his most potent move, his attack that he made was still a full-force strike. Yet, to the man in front of him, it was just child’s play.
Upon hearing Jiang Yuan’s words, Shen Hanbing let go of the matter and gave the All-Rounder Grandmaster one last glare before following Jiang Yuan as they left.
Only after Jiang Yuan and Shen Hanbing had moved further away did the All-Rounder Grandmaster heave a sigh of relief.
*
Half an incense stick’s time later.
Guided by Shen Hanbing, Jiang Yuan arrived at Juling Mountain, where the branch of the Martial Arts Union was located.
At the entrance of Juling Mountain, there stood a massive stone stele inscribed with the four characters “Martial Arts Union.”
After passing through the gate of Juling Mountain, a long stone staircase led to the top.
Climbing the staircase for about a hundred meters, they reached a circular square.
At this moment, the square was crowded with people, a veritable sea of individuals.
Jiang Yuan took a brief look and estimated that there were at least several hundred people on the square. Most of them were adults, and there were even some men in their thirties or forties.
These individuals were clearly here to participate in the assessment for a spot on the Earth Ranking.
As per Shen Hanbing’s explanation, the rankings in the Martial Arts Union, be it Heaven Ranking, Earth Ranking, or Earthly Ranking had fixed numbers.
The Heaven Ranking had a fixed number of fifteen martial artists nationwide.
The Earth Ranking had a fixed number of fifteen martial artists per province, making a total of one hundred twenty in the entire country.
The Earthly Ranking had one thousand martial artists per province, amounting to eight thousand in the whole nation.
The Southern Xia Kingdom had a population of one hundred million, with an average of twelve million in each province.
Among this twelve million, there were at least over ten thousand individuals capable of reaching the Earthly Realm through martial cultivation.
However, out of this group of over ten thousand Earthly Realm martial artists, only one thousand could make it onto the Earthly Ranking.
With over ten thousand people competing for one thousand spots, the success rate was merely one in ten, highlighting the intense competition in the rankings.
