"On the vast land of Kyushu, heroes and remarkable figures are countless."

"Take the northern regions of You and Yan Prefectures, lands perpetually subject to harsh cold. Historically, the eighty thousand You-Yan Iron Cavalry of the Northern King, 'Hong Tian,' conquered a large portion of Kyushu. Consider the three thousand li of the Qinling Mountains in the northwestern Yong Prefecture, which gave birth to a figure of unparalleled brilliance, the 'Qinling Heavenly Emperor,' Ying Zheng. In his prime, the Qinling Heavenly Emperor once unleashed a palm strike that severed the flow of the thousand-foot-wide Yan River, a feat recounted by countless descendants. He later became the second great hero and hero of legend in history to unify all of Kyushu, second only to Emperor Yu! And positioned at the very center of Kyushu lies 'Yu Prefecture,' which produced the most astonishing hero since the creation of heaven and earth, Emperor Yu. Emperor Yu, with his five great axes, cleaved mountains, unified the realm, divided it into the Nine Prefectures, established the Nine Tripods, and became the eternal First Emperor, establishing his capital in Yu Prefecture. This Yu Prefecture is the land of kings, where heroes and remarkable figures abound..."

"Yet, over thousands of years, how many heroes have turned to white bones, forgotten even by the descendants of Kyushu centuries later? Our Ancestor Jiang Jun of the Myriad Manifestations Sect sighs deeply whenever he reflects on this. It was from this contemplation that the notion arose to compile the Heaven Ranking and the Earth Ranking for the land of Kyushu. He mobilized the entire strength of the Myriad Manifestations Sect, traveling the world to record the legends of heroes and remarkable figures from every locale. After refinements by subsequent generations of our sect, the Four Rankings of Kyushu—the Heaven Ranking, the Earth Ranking, the Latent Dragon Ranking, and the Fledgling Phoenix Ranking—came to be."

"The Four Rankings of Kyushu are recompiled every half-year! Recording the heroes and remarkable figures from all corners of Kyushu."

"The ambition of our Myriad Manifestations Sect is to ensure that all the great heroes of Kyushu have their names etched upon these Four Rankings. So that even a thousand or ten thousand years hence, the descendants may still know the heroic legends of their ancestors."

Teng Qingshan read this page, and his blood instantly surged with excitement. For many heroes, wealth and status might hold little allure, but to have their names live on through the ages, renowned for a thousand years—that was the ultimate dream.

Teng Qingshan turned to the second page.

"Among the Four Rankings of Kyushu, the Latent Dragon Ranking records the one hundred and eight most outstanding young heroes on the land of Kyushu who are under the age of thirty. The Fledgling Phoenix Ranking, conversely, records the one hundred and eight most outstanding female heroes on the land of Kyushu who are also under the age of thirty."

Teng Qingshan’s eyes lit up upon reading this. When the entire population of Kyushu, men and women alike, yielded only one hundred and eight names each, those chosen must surely be the favored children of Heaven.

"The Heaven Ranking and the Earth Ranking form the core of the Four Rankings. The cultivation realms are primarily divided into Post-Heaven and Innate! An Innate expert is a rarity, perhaps one in tens of millions. Thus, heroes from most regions are still primarily Post-Heaven experts. The Earth Ranking records the seventy-two most formidable peak Post-Heaven experts!"

Teng Qingshan’s eyes brightened, and he mused inwardly: "The Earth Ranking has no age restriction. To rank among the top seventy-two out of billions across all of Kyushu—that represents true strength. Its inherent value far exceeds that of the Latent Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix Rankings. Every single person on the Earth Ranking must be taken seriously."

Teng Qingshan continued reading.

"The Heaven Ranking records thirty-six supreme experts who have reached the Innate realm. Because Innate experts are so scarce, the changes on the Heaven Ranking list are often subtle, perhaps occurring only once every decade or two. In contrast, the competition for the Earth Ranking is the fiercest. There are thousands upon thousands of internal energy experts who have reached peak Post-Heaven, yet only seventy-two can earn a place on the Earth Ranking! Compared to the Earth Ranking from half a year ago, eleven of the original seventy-two names have fallen off the list, replaced by eleven other remarkable heroes."

Teng Qingshan quickly skimmed the preceding descriptions of the Four Rankings. Clearly... The so-called Latent Dragon Ranking and Fledgling Phoenix Ranking recorded the young prodigies, the favored sons and daughters of Heaven. While many valued them highly, the Heaven and Earth Rankings were generally regarded as more significant across the realm. However, since Innate experts were exceedingly rare, the Heaven Ranking remained almost static. Consequently, the Earth Ranking had become the most fiercely contested list. Countless heroes and remarkable figures would risk life and limb just to see their names etched onto the Earth Ranking.

"Some are driven by avarice for gold; others are infatuated with beautiful women. Yet, the vast majority of heroes value 'fame' above all else." Teng Qingshan sighed internally, preparing to turn the page to finally see the names of those seventy-two heroes gracing the Earth Ranking of Kyushu.

"Qingshan." A voice suddenly rang out.

"Hmm? Father!" Teng Qingshan started, awakened from his absorption.

"What are you looking at? So entranced." Teng Yongfan chuckled.

Teng Qinghu, standing nearby, snickered, "Qingshan spent ten taels of silver to buy this book, the Earth Ranking."

"You really spent that much," Teng Yongfan didn't scold Teng Qingshan. "Have you bought everything you needed? Let’s go. We’ll wait for the other clan members in the alley." With that, Teng Yongfan, Teng Qingshan, and Teng Qinghu left the Myriad Manifestations Tower and headed to the alley adjacent to it, where they were meant to meet the rest of their kin. * The alley was noticeably sparser. As the other clan members had not yet arrived, Teng Qingshan leaned against the wall, continuing to read the Earth Ranking.

The Earth Ranking described the seventy-two heroes and also recounted some of their famous deeds.

"As long as one can cultivate an internal energy technique, with decades of effort, one can almost certainly reach peak Post-Heaven. But internal energy levels vary widely, leading to vastly different levels of strength." Reading this book, Teng Qingshan sighed repeatedly. According to the Earth Ranking's descriptions, the number of people reaching peak Post-Heaven was enormous.

But due to differences in cultivation manuals or individual comprehension, their strengths varied dramatically. Take Teng Qingshan himself, for example. The same Teng Qingshan who cultivated the Horizon Wanderer technique and one who hadn't would be on entirely different tiers of power. At this juncture, internal energy manuals played a crucial role.

And then there was individual comprehension. Teng Qingshan had comprehended the 'Shadow-Following' and 'Primal Unity' spear techniques. Even with just a thousand jin of strength, wielding a spear, he could easily slay a hundred wild wolves. Yet, Teng Qinghu, possessing the same thousand jin of strength, needed Teng Yonglei and Teng Qingshan to help him when facing a wolf pack attack.

The sheer amount of internal energy was merely a foundation. The method of application and individual comprehension were equally vital. This was precisely why various secret manuals sparked so many deadly conflicts.

"Eh?" Teng Qingshan’s eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at the deeds associated with the fifty-eighth ranking on the Earth Ranking.

"When Yang Fan was forty-eight, he pursued the notoriously fierce Hong Family Four Brothers for three days and three nights, chasing them over a thousand li. Three of the Hong brothers died; only 'Hong Four' survived. This Hong Four fled back to his hometown of Yi City and established the White Horse Gang. However, for twenty years, Hong Four never dared seek revenge against Yang Fan. When Yang Fan reached fifty-two years of age..."

This passage detailed Yang Fan's story, only briefly mentioning the figure of 'Hong Four.' But Teng Qingshan was astonished.

"Master Hong Four of the White Horse Gang actually has this history." Teng Qingshan was surprised. The White Horse Gang was practically the local sovereign of Yi City, and its leader, 'Master Hong Four,' was an absolute authority figure there. Who would have thought that this great man had such a humiliating past.

"Father, look." Teng Qingshan smiled and handed the book to his father. "Read this section."

Teng Yongfan took it with a puzzled expression. After reading a snippet, he exclaimed, "Master Hong Four actually had three older brothers. No wonder he’s called Hong Four! But who is this Yang Fan that he is so formidable?" Saying this, Teng Yongfan began flipping through the book from the beginning.

Teng Qingshan offered a wry smile. He hadn't expected his father to become engrossed as well, though he himself had already read more than half the book.

"Master Hong Four’s strength must be quite formidable," Teng Qingshan deduced from that incident. "Anyone who makes the Earth Ranking can be considered among the top figures at peak Post-Heaven across all of Kyushu. Yang Fan chased the Hong Four Brothers for three days and nights, and still, Hong Four managed to escape. Hong Four’s strength should not be underestimated. Furthermore... for the Hong Four Brothers to be described as 'notoriously fierce,' they must have possessed some considerable skills to earn such a reputation."

Just a few brief mentions in the Earth Ranking signified extraordinary prowess. After all, if the Hong Family Four Brothers were not formidable, their deeds would not have been recorded. ... While Teng Qingshan and the two others waited for their clan members, on the main street, several dozen zhang away from them.

"Did you see them? Over there, those three hunters," a man dressed in black pointed towards Teng Qingshan’s group and said in a low voice.

"I see them. Brother Lang, you said they possess ten thousand silver notes?" a thin man with sharp, triangular eyes asked, surprised.

The man in black sneered, "Would I lie to you about that? If it weren't for the fact that you're from my old village, my fellow townsman, I wouldn't share this news with you! Our master ordered weapons from them and just gave them a down payment of ten thousand silver notes."

"Ten thousand taels..." The triangular-eyed man’s eyes gleamed, and then he chuckled, "Brother Lang, rest assured. Once our men deal with them and seize the silver notes, you will definitely get your due share of the benefits. But I still don't understand: if your master placed an order and paid them, why did you leak the information to us so we could rob them?"

The man in black scoffed, "You wouldn't understand that. Our master is someone who holds the smallest grudge and never lets an insult pass! Initially, he hadn't planned to give these mountain folk any money at all. Who knew those villagers caused such a stir that even the Great Master had to step in? Our master was cornered, so he paid them. But given our master's temperament, how could he swallow such an insult? He dares not anger the Great Master, nor his Senior Apprentice-Brother, so he turns his frustration onto these villagers."

The triangular-eyed man also laughed obsequiously, "Your master is indeed ruthless and malicious, but we like that, haha."

"Hmph. With a master like that, we underlings can still gain considerable benefits. If the Great Master hadn't intervened, I would have at least received a hundred taels from that ten thousand silver notes," the man in black remarked.

"Don't worry, Brother Lang. If we truly manage to get the ten thousand taels, your brother here will certainly offer you more than just a hundred taels," the triangular-eyed man assured him.

The man in black smiled.

"Oh, look, the other hunters have arrived. It seems they are about to leave. You hurry up and make your preparations," the man in black urged.

"Relax. We know this area of Yi City like the back of our hands; they won't escape," the triangular-eyed man bowed slightly. "Brother Lang, I must get going first. I'll see you tonight."

"Go on then," the man in black replied. ... At that moment, the entire group from the Teng Family Village had gathered together.

"Everyone is here. Let's head back," Teng Yongfan said, smiling as he handed the book back to Teng Qingshan. "This book is quite good; I must have a thorough read when we get home." With that, the group of hunters from the Teng Family Village, exchanging jokes among themselves, cheerfully set off on their journey home.