Chapter 196: Gold, Silver, and Bronze Leaderboards

Chapter 196: Gold, Silver, and Bronze Leaderboards

Qi Xuansu was stunned by this answer at first. But on second thought, it made sense. Although he was also a member of the Qingping Society, he did not know what the society's purpose was. Secret societies such as the Ziguang Society, the Lingshan Witch Cult, and the Cult of Fates had very clear motives. They existed to serve the Ancient Immortals by gathering believers, harvesting incense power, making blood sacrifices, fighting against the Daoist Order, and so on.

However, the Qingping Society was very different from other secret societies. Its purpose could not be just to collect Xuan Jades, right? However, the Qingping Society was secretly training its members and influencing the public. It seemed like they had some kind of agenda. Perhaps they were secretly planning something big.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Why did the Qingping Society release these rankings?”

Eighth Tianyang replied, “The Daoist Order might not be threatened by the Qingping Society. After all, many of the leaders of the Qingping Society are inextricably linked to the Daoist Order. But to ordinary people, the Qingping Society is a behemoth. I’m guessing that they want to disrupt the balance in society by pitting people against each other with such rankings.”

Unsure what the Qingping Society’s purpose was, Qi Xuansu chuckled. “Well, that’s presumptuous. As if people will take it seriously!”

“Who knows? Some people don’t care about money, beauty, or food. All they care about is fame. Some may fight others just to get a place on this leaderboard. After all, with fame comes fortune.” Eighth Tianyang reminded.

Qi Xuansu also knew that fame and fortune were often tied together. Otherwise, people would not be competing for power and wealth. He pressed on. “So, what about these three leaderboards?”

Eighth Tianyang explained, “The Wuyou Leaderboard does not involve Immortals, only Pseudo-Immortals. But they didn’t include anyone from the Daoist Order, the Buddhist Sect, the Confucian School, or the Imperial Court. Those not in the Central Plains are also excluded from this list, like the Western Continent’s Holy Court, the Golden Horde, and so on.”

Qi Xuansu scoffed. “Well, they’ve excluded more than 50% of their competition.”

Sui Fan waved his hand. “More like 60%.”

Eighth Tianyang laughed and continued, “Yeah, it’s about there. Now, there are 10 Pseudo-Immortals on the Wuyou Leaderboard. The founder of the Heavenly Court is ranked first, and the current leader of the Heavenly Court is ranked tenth.”

Qi Xuansu said, “Interesting. But this leaderboard is still far inferior to the Venerable Xuan Board. It sounds like it’s equivalent to the Elite Xuan Board. What about the Taiping Leaderboard?”

Eighth Tianyang explained, “Pseudo-Immortals are the best among Heavenly Beings. The Taiping Board is mainly for the rest of the Heavenly Beings, excluding the Pseudo-Immortals. There are a total of 99 people on this list.”

Eighth Tianyang added, “The Qingping Society is aware of the disparities. The only reason they excluded those from the Three Religions and the Imperial Court is that they can’t afford to offend the big shots on the Wuyou and Taiping Leaderboards, who are Heavenly Beings. The Ruyi Leaderboard includes those from the Three Religions and the Imperial Court because they don’t care about offending Xiantian Beings.”

Sui Fan nodded. “That’s true. There are only a few talents at the Yuxu stage who are on the Ruyi Leaderboard. Among these people, I remember someone named Qi Xuansu, a Daoist disciple under 30 years old, who is ranked 352nd on the Ruyi Leaderboard. Although he’s near the bottom of the list, it’s quite eye-catching because he’s only in the Yuxu stage. So he must be outstanding.”

Qi Xuansu was stunned for a moment. He had a strange look on his face.

“Brother Wei, you were from the Daoist Order. Do you know this person?” Sui Fan asked.

Qi Xuansu shook his head. “I haven’t heard of him. But I heard that Tiangang Hall has recently established a new division. Perhaps this guy is a newcomer who recently transferred to the Jade Capital.”

Eighth Tianyang did not ask any other questions. He said, “Speaking of the new Yaoguang Division, the Deputy Hall Master is truly admirable. Apparently, the Heavenly Preceptor and the Earthly Preceptor specially established the Yaoguang Division to train this young Deputy Hall Master. What an honor and a rare opportunity! This Deputy Hall Master, Zhang Yuelu, is also on the Ruyi Leaderboard.”

Qi Xuansu smiled and said, “Zhang Yuelu? I’ve heard of her. She’s a prodigy who has made great contributions to the Daoist Order by solving the major Jiangnan case. She’s been promoted for her exceptional talents and even bestowed a semi-immortal object. Where does she rank on the Ruyi Leaderboard?”

Eighth Tianyang held out five fingers. “Fifth. This is very impressive. Maybe in a few years, she’ll make it to the Taiping Leaderboard.”

Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh in his heart. Even in the under-thirty age group, there were still more than 300 people between him and Zhang Yuelu. If older Guizhen-stage practitioners were included, there would probably be thousands of people between them. However, Qi Xuansu was also surprised by Zhang Yuelu’s rank.

Zhang Yuelu was such a genius. If she was not ranked first on the Ruyi Leaderboard, who were the other four people before her? He guessed that they were probably the other Banished Immortals from the Daoist Order.

He also wondered what Zhang Yuelu would think of this leaderboard. She would probably laugh it off and not be bothered by it.

People in the Daoist Order only cared about the Nine-Rank System, while Jianghu people cared about these reputations. After all, being a third-rank Youyi Daoist master was far more impressive than being first on this unregulated leaderboard.

Qi Xuansu asked, “Where can I see the full list of names on these leaderboards?”

Eighth Tianyang answered, “The Qingping Society posted the list in various cities and towns. They even hired storytellers to spread the word. You should be able to see it once we get to Xiping Prefecture.”