Chapter 265:
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Great Yan Palace.
Emperor Yonghe once again visited the Qianyuan Palace where Yan Shenji lived.
As usual, Yan Shenji practiced the Long Life Fist in the small garden in front of the palace, his movements were smooth and fluid, repeating in a continuous cycle.
Unlike other court nobles’ exercise routines, this old man’s fist technique was not restricted to set movements, it had a mysterious rhythm that was pleasing to the eye after watching for a while.
This time, Emperor Yonghe asked his personal guard Chu Xing to bring the latest Martial Arts Ranking List from the Tide Listening Building, both to fulfill a previous promise and to make sure that the old ancestor Yan Shenji wouldn’t run away from the palace someday.
"The top of the Power List is all half-demons? Can these half-demons really make it onto our human martial artist’s ranking?" Yan Shenji shook his head silently in disapproval while punching.
"What is the Tide Listening Building up to? This so-called Power List is not as good as the previous Hero List," he thought to himself.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yonghe muttered to himself:
"If we exclude all the half-demons, then the first on the Power List would be Wu Jingang from the Wuji Association, followed by Qiao Shuanggui from the Qiao family.""Wait…if we consider pure-blooded families, then Qiao Shuanggui of the Qiao family could be ranked second in the Strength and Skill List? He might also be a centenarian of the Qiao family…"
Could it be a centenarian of the Qiao family, proficient in Long Life Fist, and ranked second in both Strength and Skill Lists?
This made Yan Shenji next to him raise an eyebrow, silently remembering the name Qiao Shuanggui in his heart.
He was originally curious about the Qiao family members and wanted to see their rankings. Unexpectedly, a Qiao family member could rank second in both Strength and Skill Lists, obviously surprising him.
"Perhaps, this person’s mastery of Long Life Fist is not low. Although it cannot compare to mine, it allows him to break through the superb rank. It seems to be similar to the River Sun Qiao family master who entered the palace a hundred years ago."
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"Using Martial Arts to Defeat Immortals…hmm, that title is quite grand. Indeed, he is one of the top talents of this era."
Yan Shenji casually flipped through the Tide Listening Building Martial Arts Ranking List in his hand, a look of reminiscence in his eyes.
Those listed in the Martial Arts Ranking List are the top figures in the martial arts world today, the outstanding talents of Jiu Province. This also brought back memories of Yan Shenji’s youth.
"Back in the day, I also ranked third in the Tide Listening Building Strength List, and my name was on the Hero List as well…"
Yan Shenji talked about his past when he was young.
When young, Yan Shenji left the palace, hoping to make a name for himself in the world like the first emperor. So he traveled under a fake name, keeping his royal identity a secret.
Unfortunately, he was betrayed by the powerful Sky Fire Sect, fell off a cliff, and was gravely injured.
Following a classic storyline, Yan Shenji consumed rare treasures under the cliff, discovered his Medicine Spirit Body, and returned years later to defeat the entire Sky Fire Sect. From then on, he became famous in the world under the name of Yan Shenji.
Emperor Yonghe had grown tired of such typical plots long ago, finding them less interesting than the stories told by the Tide Listening Building storytellers.
However, in the presence of this ancestor, he listened attentively.
"Back then, the Strength List was just secondary, the Hero List was what people paid attention to," Yan Shenji reminisced.
"Two hundred years ago, the top ten on the Tide Listening Building’s Hero List were not all superb rank."
"During that era, martial artists who could surpass their ranks were few and far between."
The 9 ranks of martial artists were a set system created by the Great Yan’s founding emperor.
The martial artists in the world were divided into different levels based on their martial skills, and corresponding officials were appointed to reward them with money, status, and honor for serving the country.
"Two hundred years ago, there were fewer than five superb ranking martial artists…" Emperor Yonghe pondered.
"Forty years ago, the final issue of the Hero List had ten superb ranking martial artists? The number of superb martial artists seems to be increasing," he mused.
"What’s so strange about that?" Yan Shenji casually remarked.
"The martial arts world has always been evolving. If people nowadays are not as good as those in the past, and the number of superb martial artists is fewer than before, why bother fighting against inhuman forces? It’s better to surrender early," he suggested.
"Two hundred years ago, there were fewer than five superb ranking martial artists, and forty years ago, the number should be 12," Yan Shenji recalled.
Although he rarely left the palace, he was still quite familiar with the heroes throughout the ages.
"The top ten of the Hero List, plus a Martial Saint, and Li Changge, who died in the desert but was said to have breakthrough before his death," he added.
"Even if breaking through the superb rank, one could still be worn down by the large army of Taoist soldiers from the Great Dao Sect cultivators," Yan Shenji felt a sense of regret.
"Forty years ago, Earth Sword Immortal was the most powerful martial artist in the world, unmatched by anyone," Yan Shenji remarked.
"His skills were exceptional but not perfect. His energy and internal strength were not deeply accumulated, highlighting his strengths and weaknesses equally."
"I once saw him before he reached his peak, thinking he could only achieve a decent rank. Now I realize I underestimated him."
"Forty years ago, the top three martial artists were Earth Sword Immortal, Spear Saint, and Eight-armed Heavenly Dragon, all extraordinary individuals."
Emperor Yonghe smiled and said:
"Even the Eight-armed Heavenly Dragon was just a defeated opponent under the ancestor’s command. If the ancestor had not valued his talent, he would have died long ago."
The Eight-armed Heavenly Dragon was ranked third at that time, excelling in agility.
In his prime, the proud and arrogant Eight-armed Heavenly Dragon once sneaked into the imperial palace at night, effortlessly navigating through ten thousand Imperial Guards.
Then he almost got killed by Yan Shenji on the spot.
"If I were young, the intruder who spied on the palace would surely have no place to bury, but I am old after all, so I spared his life," Yan Shenji said.
"However, talent is talent, but the Eight-armed Heavenly Dragon didn’t live long either, and eventually died at the hands of the Martial Saint."
Martial Saint… Emperor Yonghe muttered this name, frowning.
"Ancestor, if what you said is true, two hundred years ago there were less than five superb ranks, forty years ago there were over ten superb ranks, and the number of superb ranks has been slowly increasing… So in Martial Saint’s generation, after he created the so-called new way, wouldn’t the number of superb martial artists be more than in previous generations?" Emperor Yonghe said.
"So what if there are more? Having many is only natural," Yan Shenji said casually.
"The younger generation surpasses the older generation, which is the way it should be," Yan Shenji continued.
Seeing Emperor Yonghe looking worried, the elder of the royal family just smiled and shook his head.
"Emperor, your perspective is too narrow."
Yan Shenji calmly threw punches, speaking with great power:
"In this world, every piece of land belongs to the king, every border belongs to his subjects. As the emperor, all the heroes in the realm are at your disposal. The stronger the martial arts world, the stronger Great Yan. A strong citizenry means a strong nation. Isn’t it achievable?"
Emperor Yonghe listened quietly, unable to speak, but after a long silence, he sighed deeply in his heart.
This royal ancestor was the grandson of the first emperor of Great Yan. He lived during the prosperous early days of the Great Yan Imperial Court and had a remarkable spirit.
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