Sui Dynasty, Song Family Mountain City.
"Oh my gosh, big sister is actually ranked tenth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking!"
Song Yuzhi's face was filled with disbelief.
"Late Great Grandmaster... I truly underestimated our niece," Song Zhi said with a sigh of admiration.
At the very least, he knew he wasn't a match for Song Yuhua.
"In the entire Song family, probably only Father can defeat Big Sister now," Song Shidao also looked up to his older sister with deep reverence.
In the Whetstone Hall, when Song Que saw his daughter's name appear on the ranking, his heart couldn't help but tremble.
He had tested Yuhua briefly before, and from that he could tell her true strength was no less than his own.
If it came down to a real life-or-death battle, he wasn't confident he could survive.
Yet now, Song Yuhua was only tenth on the list.
That meant the nine ranked above her could also defeat him.
At least the top three could probably defeat or even instantly kill him.
It was only now that Song Que truly felt how terrifying the Nine Provinces had become.
The Heavenly Blade Song Que, who once believed no one in the world could rival him, now realized he wasn't nearly as strong as he had thought.
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Tang Dynasty Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.
"Master Yuan, do you think our Tang Dynasty has a chance of recruiting this Song Yuhua?"
Emperor Li Shimin asked.
"Your Majesty, if we want to recruit Song Yuhua, the key lies with Song Que. As long as Song Que submits to our Tang Dynasty, Song Yuhua will surely follow."
"Song Que… that's going to be difficult. He places great value on bloodlines. Our Li family has long been regarded by him as having Hu ancestry. Unless he faces a life-or-death crisis, he won't acknowledge us."
"Not necessarily. If Your Majesty can destroy the Sui Dynasty, then even if Song Que is unwilling, he would still submit completely."
"I will destroy the Sui Dynasty sooner or later."
The Tang Dynasty under Li Shimin and the Sui Dynasty under Yang Guang were natural enemies, fated to be in a struggle to the death.
In the end, only one could survive.
"In that case, let's temporarily set Song Yuhua aside. But among the remaining nine, we must recruit at least a few."
"I have already begun making arrangements in secret."
"Very well. I await your good news, Master Yuan."
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Ming Dynasty Imperial Palace.
"Yuhua, huh? Late Great Grandmaster... she hasn't let down my Ethereal Sword Art."
"As long as she keeps cultivating, even the Land Immortal realm won't be beyond her reach."
Looking at the familiar name on the ranking, Zhu Houzhao smiled faintly.
The seed he had planted all those years ago had finally sprouted and borne fruit.
The result was very satisfying.
Given enough time, it might even bring an even greater surprise.
Now, he was curious to see how many of the people he had secretly cultivated would make the list.
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The Empress's Palace.
The Empress looked at the ranking in the sky and furrowed her brow slightly.
"Qing'er, send someone immediately to investigate this Song Yuhua thoroughly, especially the origins of her Ethereal Sword Art. I want to know where it came from."
That uncomfortable feeling had returned.
"Tenth place is already at Late Great Grandmaster. Doesn't that mean my own ranking might not be as high as I hoped?"
"Sigh... if His Majesty finds out about my identity, I wonder what he'll think?"
"Will he still treat me the same as before?"
"Will there be distance between us as husband and wife?"
A trace of bitterness appeared on the Empress's face.
With her current strength, making the Hidden Dragon Ranking was a certainty.
But that meant her entire identity would be exposed.
Such a revelation would undoubtedly cause a shock across the entire land.
After all, she was the Empress of the Ming Dynasty. Countless eyes were already on her.
She didn't care what others thought.
What mattered to her was how His Majesty would see her.
Would he come to despise her?
Or would he still love and respect her as before?
The closer it came to the critical moment, the more anxious the Empress felt.
In fact, she had started visiting His Majesty less and less in recent days.
To others, making the Hidden Dragon Ranking was a great honor.
But in the Empress's eyes, it felt like a punishment.
"Everything now is in the hands of fate."
"I just hope the love between me and His Majesty can overcome everything, and not be swayed by power or interests."
==========
Ming Dynasty, Jiangnan Region.
Yuelai Tavern.
Ximen Chuixue, Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou, and Chu Liuxiang gathered once more to discuss recent events shaking the martial world.
Especially the reopening of the Golden Ranking.
All of them were excited beyond words.
"Ximen, you've reached Early Great Grandmaster realm. With your strength, making the Hidden Dragon Ranking should be easy. Congratulations!"
"From now on, your name, Sword God Ximen Chuixue, will be known throughout the Nine Provinces."
"Well said! If you can't even make the list, I doubt anyone else could."
Ximen Chuixue and the others were full of confidence.
But in the next moment...
When the actual rankings appeared high in the sky, they were all utterly stunned.
Even Ximen Chuixue, whose expression was always cold and indifferent, could no longer stay composed.
He suddenly stood up, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Late Great Grandmaster!
The tenth place was already the Late Great Grandmaster!
Then what did his mere Early Great Grandmaster count for?
He clearly didn't qualify for the list at all!
"Could the Hidden Dragon Ranking be mistaken?"
"Yeah, Late Great Grandmaster at number ten? I can't even see number one yet. Are the rankings reversed?"
"Enough, sit down, everyone. Looks like we've all been thinking too simply."
"Yes, this world is far more terrifying than we imagined. We were too ignorant."
"Ximen, it looks like your path of the sword still has a long way to go!"
"The opponents ahead are much more terrifying than we thought."
Though they still smiled on the surface, none of them could remain calm inside.
Especially Lu Xiaofeng, who had already been shocked once back in the capital.
Now, he was shaken again.
Terrifying!
This world was just too terrifying!
If not for the Golden Ranking appearing, he would have continued living in his own little world.
He would never have seen the truth of the world.
At that moment, not far from the tavern, the conversation between two stunningly beautiful women at a nearby table caught his attention.
"Hehe, looks like your strength and ranking have shocked everyone!"
"You Ruo, I can't compare to you. At the Great Perfection Great Grandmaster, you'll probably rank in the top five, right?"
"Who knows! Oh right, what was the effect after you took the Heavenly Dao reward pill?"
"My constitution transformed into an innate spiritual body. My cultivation speed is now nearly three times faster than before. As expected of a Heavenly Dao reward. It will probably save me several years on my path to becoming a Land Immortal!"
"Are we still going to keep searching for him?"
"Let's take a break for a few days and wait until the ranking is fully revealed."
"Alright, I'll follow your lead."