Chapter 465: Immortal Merit Ranking

"Cultivate diligently. In three years, with the rich immortal energy within the Langya Dream Realm, it will be enough for you to reach the fifth level of the True Immortal Realm!"

On Great Dream Mountain, the Grand Dream Master said to Li Hao, "By then, your strength will definitely improve again. When the Ancient Immortal Realm trial is over, the royal family will bestow rewards upon you all, including the royal family's arcane texts and the current top ten immortal arts!"

"For the next seven years, I will help you master the top immortal art bestowed by the royal family, striving to bring your mastery to its peak."

The Grand Dream Master gazed intently at Li Hao.

Mastering a supreme immortal art to its peak in just seven years would shock everyone who heard it, but she had this confidence.

If she gave her full assistance to the young man before her, it was not impossible.

Li Hao's eyes flickered. He had heard before that the top ten immortal arts he possessed were already outdated relics from a hundred thousand years ago. Now, they had long been replaced by new immortal arts. Their former glory and traces were silently buried in the river of time.

"Senior, can I leave the Langya Dream Realm?"

Li Hao bowed and asked.

The Grand Dream Master's expectant gaze faltered slightly. "Where do you intend to go?" she asked.

"I'd like to wander around on my own."

Li Hao said, "When I have time, I'll return and discuss matters of painting with Senior, and I hope Senior will generously offer guidance."

The Grand Dream Master was taken aback. Although she also had a fondness for painting, it was because her lifespan was too long, giving her countless years of leisure to cultivate side pursuits.

Moreover, she could use the art of painting to comprehend the fundamental origins of the Nine Orders of Dao, such as space, time, and water. Painting was also part of her cultivation.

But for the young man before her to want to embark on this path prematurely was still somewhat too early.

"Once you achieve a good ranking in the Southern Region Tournament, I will naturally teach you. But before the Southern Region Tournament, you can only focus on sword cultivation."

The Grand Dream Master said softly. In her heart, she had already dismissed the boy's words as merely flattery of her interests. However, she felt no blame or anger, only gently advising him.

Li Hao was speechless. He was still hoping to reach level twelve in painting and advance to the Immortal Lord Realm. By the time the Southern Region Tournament ended, it'd be too late.

But he understood her intentions. Continuing to discuss it now would only be futile.

Moreover, if he could reach level twelve in cooking by cooking ancient demons this time, that would also be an excellent opportunity.

"Junior takes his leave."

Li Hao bowed.

The Grand Dream Master was slightly lost in thought. The young man left extremely decisively, seemingly without any hesitation.

It wasn't until Li Hao was about to leave the Langya Dream Realm that the Grand Dream Master remembered Li Hao's previous words. The young man actually intended to leave this supreme cultivation sanctuary of the Great Dream Nine Abyss!

"Stop."

An ethereal voice descended into Li Hao's mind. It was the Grand Dream Master's voice, now carrying a hint of authority compared to her previous gentleness.

Li Hao paused slightly, turning back to look at the palace, but he didn't see the Grand Dream Master's figure.

"Do you really intend to leave the Langya Dream Realm? Where are you going?"

Li Hao knew that if he said he was going to the border, he might not be able to leave.

"Just wandering around."

He replied in his mind, "Wherever is interesting, that's where I'll go."

Wherever is interesting, that's where I'll go… These simple six words, spoken by someone so young and spirited, made the Grand Dream Master, sitting in the elegant pavilion atop the palace, overlooking the young man through the railing, vaguely see a long-ago friend in him.

That young man who had once shone with radiant brilliance across the True World.

That long-forgotten figure and memory seemed to blur together in her eyes in an instant.

Endless years seemed to overlap at this moment. The echo from time, across a hundred thousand years, reverberated in her ears.

"Brother, where are you going?"

"To crowded places! Wherever there are crowds, that's where I'll go!"

"Why?"

"I want the world to know that the Great Dream Clan can also stand proudly at the summit of a hundred races!"

That voice, full of vigor and arrogance, carried an air of defiance, and he truly did it, standing at the summit of a hundred races, like a deity radiating immense light, shocking all races of the True World.

And now…

"What counts as interesting?"

She seemed to murmur to herself, asking softly.

And the young man at the edge of the Langya Dream Realm gave her a grin, replying in his heart:

"Crowded places. Wherever there are crowds, that's where it's interesting."

The Grand Dream Master's eyes trembled slightly. Perhaps it was because she hadn't responded for too long, the young man, seeing no further words, turned to leave.

The Grand Dream Master's gaze sharpened instantly. She said softly,

"Wait."

Li Hao paused, turning his head to look at the palace again.

Suddenly, he saw a shooting star-like light flash from the top of the palace dome, then fall towards him, landing in his hand.

It was a fragment of jade, shaped like a fish.

"This is a Chaos Tribulation Dao Fish, born from nine Chaos Tribulations. It has the ability to sense future danger. Keep it on you."

The Grand Dream Master's voice sounded in Li Hao's mind.

Li Hao was stunned. Sense future danger? Did this involve the origin of time?

Even with his current second-level mastery of the origin of time, he wouldn't dare say he could predict danger.

Without a doubt, this was a priceless treasure.

Li Hao quickly said, "Senior is too kind, this is too valuable…"

"Take it!"

"Alright."

Li Hao nodded, quickly and deftly tucking it into his robes.

The Grand Dream Master almost chuckled, rolling her eyes at the young man. Unaware that the number of times she had smiled today exceeded the past thousand years, she said softly,

"Go, I'll wait for your return."

Li Hao nodded, feeling genuinely grateful in his heart. Meeting for the first time, she had gifted him such a valuable treasure, without even asking where he was going, indulging his whims. This indulgence touched him somewhat.

He took his leave of the Langya Dream Realm. Everyone outside had dispersed, even the elders of each sect were gone, obviously knowing that their disciples were staying in the Langya Dream Realm and wouldn't be out for three years.

Li Hao didn't see Old Man Li's figure, guessing he had probably returned to the Sword Abyss.

He thought for a moment, going to bid farewell again would be in vain. So he found an attendant and left a message for them to pass on.

The message informed them that he was going out for a trip and told them not to worry.

Afterward, Li Hao left Great Dream Mountain and also the sect continent of Great Dream Nine Abyss.

He came to the starry sky and skillfully stepped onto a teleportation array.

He didn't directly choose to go to the border but first came to Questioning Heart Floating Pagoda City.

He might be gone for three years. Before heading off, Li Hao came to say goodbye to Old Man Han.

"Go if you want, why bother telling this old cripple?"

Old Man Han, fishing in the cloud sea on the hill outside the Questioning Heart Pagoda, didn't even raise an eyelid when he heard Li Hao's farewell, speaking indifferently.

Li Hao smiled wryly. He was used to the other party's attitude, simply bowing with hands folded and saying, "Then junior will take his leave. When I return, I'll cook you something delicious."

Having said that, he bowed deeply and turned to leave.

"Where to?"

Old Man Han suddenly spoke, stopping Li Hao.

Li Hao was surprised, truthfully replying, "To the border, to kill ancient demons."

"You?"

Old Man Han's gaze shifted from the cloud sea, glancing sideways at Li Hao, then narrowing his eyes. "You became a disciple of the Great Dream Nine Abyss. Are they really willing to let a treasure like you venture into the dangerous border battlefield?"

"How does Senior know I'm a treasure?" Li Hao asked, curious.

Old Man Han snorted coldly, waving his hand impatiently, "Go if you want. Anyway, they don't value you, why should I care? Humph."

Hearing this, and seeing the old man's dismissive wave, Li Hao wasn't angry. Instead, a faint smile played on his lips. He bowed deeply again in farewell.

Swoosh.

Before he could straighten up, he heard a whistling sound. Looking up, he saw a dark object flying over. He quickly caught it with both hands, seeing it was a black iron token, very aged.

"Don't lose it. Remember to return it to me when you come back."

Old Man Han said coldly.

Li Hao only saw the old man's back, unable to see his expression. He smiled slightly, clutching the iron token in his hand, carefully putting it away. "Definitely!"

Then, he took his leave and departed.

"Are those fools from Great Dream Nine Abyss only focused on chasing after things of the past…"

Old Man Han narrowed his eyes, gazing at the cloud sea before him. Finally, his furrowed brow eased, a hint of weariness and a sigh in his eyes.

…

After leaving Questioning Heart Floating Pagoda City, Li Hao rode the teleportation array, jumping to another immortal domain.

Having learned about the ancient demons at the border, Li Hao had already prepared a strategy within the Great Dream Nine Abyss, looking through many maps of the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty.

Although these maps weren't accessible to ordinary noble families, Great Dream Nine Abyss was a Heavenly Sect after all, with considerable connections.

With these maps, Li Hao was quite familiar with the route to the border. This time, he was going to the Qing River Border of Yan Chu, located in the west of Yan Chu, which was closest to Great Dream Nine Abyss.

Though called 'closest,' it was still separated by dozens of immortal cities, each city boundless, floating in the void, surrounded by shattered stardust.

Li Hao learned from Old Man Li that Ji Qingxuan and others, including the Ten Thousand Mountains Sword Pavilion and other Heavenly Sects, were all engaged in fierce battles at this Qing River Border.

The Qing River Border stretched for millions of miles, vast and endless.

Legend had it that one of the Nine Immortal Emperors, the Azure Emperor, once practiced his sword here, shattering a mountain range dedicated to ancient immortals. The shattered rocks fell, floating in the void and gathered to form a river, hence named Qing River.

The mountain may be gone, but the river remains.

After teleporting through several immortal cities, when approaching the last immortal city before the Qing River Border, Li Hao was stopped by a guard beside the teleportation array.

"Young man, beyond here is the Fallen City of Qing River!"

The middle-aged guard looked at Li Hao sternly and said, "Wait until you reach the fifth level of the True Immortal Realm before coming again, it won't be too late. Otherwise, once you get there, you'll either have to enlist in the military, or be considered a traitor to all races. There's no turning back, have you considered carefully?"

"Yes."

Li Hao nodded.

He also understood the border rules. This place didn't restrict True Immortals from Yan Chu from coming, after all, the ancient demon calamity had severely depleted the Yan Chu royal family's vitality. Relying solely on the military would be too heavy a burden. Therefore, they didn't stop those chivalrous youths from the common populace who spontaneously came to fight the ancient demons.

However, besides those genuinely here to slay demons, there were also some traitors, taking the opportunity to defect to the ancient demons, or spies arranged by the ancient demons to leak information.

Therefore, once teleporting to the Fallen City of Qing River, the gathering point of the border, one could only enlist in the military. Otherwise, they would be considered traitors and executed!

Seeing Li Hao nod, the middle-aged guard and the other guards looked at him with a hint of solemnity. They could see Li Hao was only at the third level of the True Immortal Realm, yet he was determined to rush to the battlefield. This spirit of chivalry was commendable.

"Take care!"

The middle-aged guard said gravely, then took the spirit stones Li Hao handed over and put them into the teleportation array slot, crushing the spirit stones and activating the teleportation array.

Li Hao was drawn into it. When he opened his eyes again, he heard a deep and resonant horn blast, like the blare of a horn carved from ancient mammoth tusks.

The horn was blasting overhead, deafening and awe-inspiring.

Li Hao looked up and saw a bleak and desolate land before him. Patchy dark clouds hung in the sky. Behind him were imposing and towering ancient ramparts layer upon layer, stained with countless bloodstains.

Besides bloodstains, there seemed to be dried flesh, fur, and other things on the walls, but they were piled up too thickly to be clearly distinguishable.

In the distance, there were throngs of figures marching through the streets, all clad in armor, their demeanor stern and resolute.

Li Hao's expression also became solemn, feeling the aura of death permeating from all directions within the city, as if the place he stood might turn into a fierce battlefield at any moment!

The air was filled with a thick, pungent stench, but Li Hao could tell it wasn't from ancient demons, but of mortals and other races.

This border city had defended against demons for countless ages and buried countless lives here.

"The ancient demons are invading again!"

"It's the signal for the Peacock Army! Seems like this attack is considerable!"

"We should also prepare ourselves, ready to go into battle at any moment, even if just to scavenge scraps!"

In the streets and plazas ahead, besides those figures who answered the horn call and soared off, more people remained on the ground, gazing upwards and chattering amongst themselves.

Li Hao's eyes gleamed slightly. Demons invading as soon as he arrived?

Clearly, this wasn't a coincidence. Perhaps demon attacks were frequent here year-round.

Li Hao also knew that within the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, the military ranked legions into five tiers. Among them, the most elite imperial army was the Chu Imperial Army, named after the founding ancestor, commanded by the Grand Marshal of the Nation. Even princes trembled with fear when they saw the Chu Imperial Army, because the soldiers of the Chu Imperial Army were exempt from punishment for slaying members of the royal family!

Of course, this exemption didn't mean they could act arbitrarily. After slaying a royal family member, they needed to report to their superiors. Only if the Grand Marshal of the Nation agreed it was justified would it be considered no crime.

This showed just how high the Grand Marshal of the Nation's position was, how unbelievably powerful.

Besides the top-ranked Chu Imperial Army, in descending order were the Dragon War Army, Peacock Army, Tiger-Lion Army, and the Sky Wolf Army, scattered throughout the immortal cities of Yan Chu.

The Chu Royal Command Token that Shangguan Hong gave Li Hao could mobilize the Tiger-Lion Army.

And the Tiger-Lion Army was considered an elite imperial army of Yan Chu, with generals who were all at least at the fifth level of the Immortal Lord Realm.

The Peacock Army was even more powerful, a hundred-man unit could slay Immortal Lords, and a ten thousand-man formation could stand against a perfected Immortal Lord!

As for the Dragon War Army, it could overawe Heavenly Sects and make even Immortal Kings bow their heads.

The highest-ranked Chu Imperial Army was unrivaled. Within the Yan Chu Immortal Dynasty, they were practically unfettered, with no one daring to challenge their might!

Li Hao obviously didn't plan to use the Chu Royal Command Token. He only wanted to quietly get some demon flesh to eat.

Just then, suddenly a blinding light shone over.

Li Hao looked up, also hearing exclamations from ahead.

In the sky above, an immense banner phantom spanning immeasurable distances, unfurled like a scroll. The first three characters that caught the eye were:

Immortal Merit Ranking!

Immediately after, in one part of it, a seam of light seemed to burst open, radiating dazzling light.

When the light faded slightly, they could clearly see what was emitting the city-wide radiance: a name!

"Ji Qingxuan!"

"Who is this?"

"My heavens, he actually broke into the Immortal Merit Ranking!"

"That's someone who will be ennobled as a marquis or duke! Top one hundred of the Immortal Merit Ranking, legends are made! Those who break into the top one hundred are all granted vast fiefdoms and noble titles!"

In the plaza, countless people exclaimed in awe and astonishment, whispering muted cries.

Li Hao was also taken aback when he saw the name. Was it Senior Brother?

At this point, he could also clearly see that this immense Immortal Merit Ranking, spanning the heavens, only had a mere hundred names!

But these hundred names were like a hundred towering peaks, the characters extremely large, containing the essence of Dao, visible throughout the city.

Currently, Ji Qingxuan's name was ranked ninety-ninth, having just broken into the Immortal Merit Ranking!

But even so, it had already astonished countless people in the city.

"The top hundred of the Immortal Merit Ranking rarely changes in a decade. Anyone who breaks in will be granted high rank and noble titles. Who exactly is this Ji Qingxuan?"

"I heard he's a disciple of some Heavenly Sect."

Ji Qingxuan was the topic of discussion everywhere in the plaza.

As Li Hao listened to their chatter, learning about the situation here, suddenly a voice called out from behind him:

"Hey, you newcomers, come over here."

Li Hao turned back and saw a soldier clad in black armor, wielding a spear, standing in the crowd, beckoning to everyone.

Besides Li Hao, over ten others had been teleported from other immortal cities near the border. Hearing this, they all walked towards the soldier.

"Those with letters of command, show your letters of command. Those who have volunteered to enlist, step aside first."

The soldier said to Li Hao and the others.

Li Hao had sneaked over without getting any special tokens from his sect, so he silently stepped aside.

Five figures, three men and two women, stepped out from the crowd, each declaring their origins and proof.

Some were from noble families, sent here to train and slay demons.

Two were disciples of a Tier-Two Heavenly Sect, who, having just passed the desolate wastelands trial in the Ancient Immortal Realm with Li Hao, had no hope of ranking within the top thousand. Returning to their sect wouldn't bring much rewards, so they came here for live combat training.

The soldier called someone over and led these people away, taking them elsewhere. Then he turned to Li Hao and the rest.

"You are volunteers here to enlist? Given that demon spies have previously leaked crucial Imperial Dynasty secrets, you can only prove your innocence by killing enemies, slaying demons!"

The soldier scanned Li Hao and the others, his expression icy.

The remaining people, including Li Hao, felt a bit resentful at this treatment.

"We came here to slay demons, and you're suspecting us of being spies?"

"There are even people who defect to demons? Have they lost their minds? If the dynasty falls, do they think the demons will spare them?"

"Who knows what spies are thinking? If you can understand them, wouldn't you be a spy yourself?"

"...That's true."

"Then how many demons do we need to kill to prove ourselves?"

"We came here to kill demons anyway, so it doesn't matter."

Everyone spoke up.

The soldier said, "Accumulate enough merit here, or haul back three demon heads, only then can you get an ID token to join the Sky Wolf Army!"

"If you want further advancement, you'll need to pass further assessments. Before that, you can only join the Wildfire Army. There, you can't learn immortal military formations to prevent leaks. But they also have demon-slaying battle arrays, just as potent. And the requirements are simpler. If the frontline is breached, you'll be responsible for intercepting any stragglers!"

Hearing his words, the ten-odd people exchanged glances, feeling the tight security here.

"Why is it called the Wildfire Army?"

A young man standing next to Li Hao couldn't help but ask, curious.

The soldier glanced at him, seeing the young man meet his gaze without fear. He didn't get angry, only saying,

"Because you are chivalrous souls, unburnt wild grass, ever-rekindling wildfire!"

The young man blinked slightly, muttering, "Such a crude explanation."

"If anyone has objections, you can still withdraw now."

The soldier looked at everyone.

The ten-odd people looked at each other, no one saying they wanted to withdraw.

The soldier nodded, saying, "Very good. If anyone had nodded to withdraw, congratulations, you'd already be a corpse!"

Everyone was stunned, looking at him in shock.

"This is the border region, the battlefield! It's not a place you can come and go freely?!"

The soldier barked suddenly.

Everyone's expressions changed slightly, immediately feeling the authority here. Their frivolity and casualness also subtly diminished somewhat.

"Now, register over here."

The soldier snorted and said.

The crowd politely filed up to follow.

"Young friend, you're only at the third level of the True Immortal Realm and you came to slay demons? Isn't your eagerness a bit much?"

The young man who had asked the question walked beside Li Hao, suddenly leaning closer and whispering.

Li Hao was surprised. After hearing Yun Wu Mian's words, he had concealed his Myriad Manifestation attribute, revealing his true cultivation.

"Fighting demons is everyone's responsibility." Li Hao thought for a moment, then said seriously.

The young man seemed to believe him, giving him a surprised look, then casting a sound barrier and whispering in his ear:

"To be honest, I actually have letters of command. I'm a disciple of a Tier-One Heavenly Sect. I came here to accumulate merit points for my sect. Stick close to me later, and I can look out for you if there's danger."

Li Hao was surprised, asking, "The five Tier-One Heavenly Sects, which one are you from?"

"That's confidential."

The young man shook his head, then suddenly smiled mysteriously and said, "But in ten years, when I make a name for myself in the Southern Region Tournament, you'll know!"

(End of Chapter)