“In a single punch, he shattered the stone monument, picked four stone beads in a second, and cleared the tower in fifty seconds. From any perspective, this achievement is more than enough to enter the Earth Ranking!”
In the meeting hall of the Martial Arts Alliance, the proctor held Jiang Yuan’s score sheet and excitedly said to Ye Xingchen.
Ye Xingchen took the score sheet and frowned, expressing his doubts, “How could a stone monument that can withstand a force of a hundred thousand catties be shattered with a single tap? It’s clear that the quality is the issue!”
The proctor was about to say something but was interrupted by Ye Xingchen, “You don’t need to explain to me. I was also present at the time and saw him shatter the stone monument. I can assure you it’s a quality issue.”
“Handle it as I said, invalidate his results in the first stage of the assessment!”
After a brief pause, Ye Xingchen continued, “Furthermore, there were issues with the third stage of the assessment as well. Invalidate his results in the third stage as well!”
“As for the results of the second stage of the assessment, it requires further investigation. For now, let’s consider him as passing.”
Upon hearing Ye Xingchen’s words, the proctor hesitate asking, “So how should we rank him?”
Ye Xingchen smirked, “For now, place him at the bottom of the Earth Ranking, and we’ll adjust it later based on his performance. Also, don’t publicize this matter, and don’t report it to my father. Just do as I said.”
“Understood,” the proctor reluctantly agreed.
A few minutes later, in the waiting hall.
“Congratulations, you are now a member of the Earth Ranking,” the proctor handed Jiang Yuan the Earth Ranking badge.
Jiang Yuan accepted the badge indifferently, not paying much attention to his ranking. He joined the Martial Arts Alliance for the purpose of obtaining information, not for the sake of status and honor. As long as he could get valuable information, his ranking didn’t matter.
The proctor expressed some guilt, “Although your ranking is temporarily set as the last in the Earth Ranking due to some special reasons, don’t be disheartened.”
“The Martial Arts Alliance’s Task Distribution Hall provides tasks to Earth Ranking warriors every day. You can earn contribution points and improve your ranking by completing those tasks.”
The proctor pointed in a direction and said, “The Task Distribution Hall is that building over there.”
“Thank you,” Jiang Yuan nodded in thanks and then headed towards the building.
It was an octagonal building with three floors, giving off a grand and imposing vibe. The building was filled with Earth Ranking members who were closely examining the task information posted on a bulletin board.
“There are minor demons in Widow Village, not yet constituting a disaster level. Task reward: 60 Alliance contribution points.”
“Desert Town is under attack by a mid-level demon, classified as a ‘Yellow-Level Disaster’ this time. Task reward: 400 Alliance contribution points.”
“Zhongnan County is under attack by a high-level mid-demon, classified as a ‘Yellow-Level Disaster’ this time. Task reward: 700 Alliance contribution points.”
Looking at the task information, many Earth Ranking warriors were eager to try their luck. Those with lower cultivation levels chose tasks that didn’t constitute a disaster level, while the more powerful ones went for tasks classified as “Yellow-Level Disasters.”
Now in the crowd, Jiang Yuan looked puzzled and asked, “What does disaster level mean?”
A burly man with a scruffy beard sneered at Jiang Yuan, “Are you a newcomer? You don’t even know what disaster levels are?”
Jiang Yuan nodded and replied, “I just joined the Martial Arts Alliance today.”
The burly man scoffed and didn’t bother with Jiang Yuan.
The person responsible for task distribution was an elderly man with a kind face. He saw that Jiang Yuan was unfamiliar with the rules and explained, “The disaster level is the Martial Arts Alliance’s way of assessing the severity of human attacks by demons.”
“In the Martial Arts Alliance’s disaster rating system, events where demons attack humans are categorized into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.”
“The definition of a Yellow-Level Disaster is the appearance of a mid-level demon capable of threatening one or more small towns.”
“The definition of Mysterious/Profound-Level Disaster is the appearance of a Great Demon-level demon capable of threatening one or more cities.”
“The definition of Earth-Level Disaster is the appearance of a Demon King-level demon capable of threatening an entire province.”
“The definition of Heaven-Level Disaster is the appearance of a Demon Emperor-level demon capable of threatening an entire kingdom.”
After listening to the old man’s explanation, Jiang Yuan had a general understanding of the disaster levels.
He thought for a moment and asked, “So, are there disasters above Heaven level?”
The old man shook his head and said, “There is no need to define disasters above Heaven level. That level of disaster has already escalated to a point where it threatens regions beyond what the Southern Xia Kingdom’s Martial Arts Alliance can handle.”
“Moreover, the purpose of demon attacks on humans is to compete for territorial resources. The richer the resources in an area, the higher the likelihood of top-level disasters occurring.”
“Southern Xia Kingdom belongs to a region with scarce resources, and the probability of Heaven-level or higher disasters is almost zero, so this is not something we need to be concerned about.”
“If by some chance, a Heaven-level or higher disaster were to occur, we wouldn’t need to resist it at all, as any resistance would be futile.”
“So, does this mean that Heaven-level or higher disasters are virtually non-existent?” Jiang Yuan felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing this.
Just a moment ago, he had a glimmer of hope and wanted to see if so-called Heaven-level or higher disasters could pose any threat to him. However, after hearing the old man’s description, he felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.
“I suggest your first task should preferably not constitute a disaster level to ensure there are no unexpected incidents,” the old man kindly advised.
Without a second thought, Jiang Yuan decisively shook his head and refused, “No need. Since there are no tasks above Heaven-level disasters, then give me a Heaven-level disaster task.”
The entire scene suddenly fell silent.
Everyone’s movements froze in an instant, and they all stared at Jiang Yuan with wide-eyed amazement, thinking they must have misheard.
