Chapter Thirty-Five: The Top Ten (Part One)

Every so often, one or two carrion crows flew across the sky, cawing with maddening irritation. Tens of thousands still stood watching from all around, making for a truly spectacular sight—an apt illustration of the old saying that there are always more spectators than participants.

After tussling with Fan Strawbag for a while, Chen Hongxu decided it would be unwise to keep making too much of a spectacle. That instinctive sword strike upon awakening had already exceeded his expectations. The weapon spirit within him had completely discharged all the sword energy it had accumulated during his battle with Su Ning. For the moment, this was the worst possible outcome; after all, keeping that energy would at least have given him a means of killing his enemies.

Staring at Fan Strawbag, who was destined to shine brilliantly upon the Aptitude Stairway, Chen Hongxu gave a carefree smile and beckoned to him.

Fan Strawbag assumed Chen Hongxu still wanted to clamp him by the neck and smack his head repeatedly. With a bitter expression, he nevertheless did not refuse. Hunched over, he walked to Chen Hongxu’s side like a meek little wife awaiting punishment.

Chen Hongxu found the sight both amusing and exasperating. Bending slightly at the waist, he leaned closer and said in a low voice, “How about a race? Let’s see who can reach the top first.”

Seeing that he was not about to be abused, Fan Strawbag grinned foolishly and picked his nose. “I’m not that stupid. I know my own limits. Competing with you would be like an ant trying to shake a great tree, wouldn’t it?”

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m afraid I can’t take first place on this stairway. You know there’s something strange about my body. If I came first, I’d attract far too much attention. But since I’m giving up what should be mine, I can’t very well let someone else benefit from it. So you’d better give it everything you’ve got and charge ahead. If you don’t take first place, you’ll suffer a huge loss.” Chen Hongxu narrowed his eyes and spoke mysteriously.

Fan Strawbag lowered his head and pretended to count on his fingers. Feeling that Chen Hongxu’s words made perfect sense, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. “That does sound reasonable. Shall we go, Brother Chen?”

“Let’s go!”

The two walked side by side. One meter before the Aptitude Stairway, they raised their hands and slapped them together. Then, without another moment’s delay, they began climbing.

From beginning to end, neither of them spared even a glance at the raised stone monument. They did not care in the slightest who came first. With Big Brother here, who would dare call himself number one?

Though the two men looked entirely different, the domineering presence they radiated was astonishingly alike.

Chen Hongxu had deceived Fan Strawbag after all. He had not merely given up on first place—he had no interest in climbing the stairway whatsoever. He stopped at the very first step, then created one grand phenomenon after another, filling the air with thunderous commotion. At last, with blood staining the corners of his mouth, he was sent flying backward. From beginning to end, the entire performance took three minutes.

The surrounding spectators were dumbfounded. This fellow was probably the most spectacular showman in history, yet he had achieved the worst result. Apart from being chosen by a sect, a person like him had only one other option: being assigned to some remote town to participate in wars against other regions. Otherwise, he could sell himself to one of the great clans that had taken root here.

The Five Swords gazed meaningfully at Chen Hongxu as he bent over and coughed blood, their brows drawing together even more deeply. Lady Kuang wore a similarly uncertain and suspicious expression. As for everyone else, most were laughing and cursing him. In their eyes, this man had probably obtained some heavenly treasure capable of preserving his youthful appearance. He might already be seventy or eighty years old, his vital blood exhausted and his potential completely spent.

Chen Hongxu lowered his head, the corners of his mouth curving faintly upward. He knew that one or two people would surely harbor doubts, but it hardly mattered. When concealing something, fooling the majority was enough. He had no intention of staying here for long, so there was no need for him to feel burdened.

Fan Strawbag, who had climbed alongside him, was far more astonishing than a mere word like “brilliant” could describe. He had not boasted at all; if anything, he had been rather modest. With a single stride, he crossed ten steps.

Fan Strawbag advanced at a frantic pace, covering a fifth of the stairway in just one hour. It seemed that the demonic obstacles everyone else faced had no effect on him whatsoever. Because he had begun climbing so late, and because clouds and mist now enveloped the Aptitude Stairway, the spectators had seen nothing beyond his initial burst forward and had no idea how much strength he had continued to exert afterward.

Another ten days passed.

By then, the number of spectators had reached the millions. Under normal circumstances, this was when most of the newcomers climbing the stairway would emerge. Heads were packed together so densely that, viewed from above, the ground seemed to be covered by a layer of hair.

The subjects of discussion were still the ten names carved into the raised stone monument, along with Chen Hongxu, who had disgraced himself yet now stood with his hands behind his back, shamelessly putting on the airs of a lofty master.

“ Kong Sheng and Di Sanqiang probably have no strength left. They should be coming out within the next few days. Still, being able to rank among the top ten out of the hundreds or thousands of newcomers is already quite impressive.”

“The remaining seven are much harder to distinguish. Judging from how the rankings on the monument keep changing, there’s bound to be a fierce struggle.”

“That woman called Su Daji is rather interesting. The name carved on the monument is actually Su Daji and Ma Ji. I imagine Ma Ji is a puppet under her control, with his consciousness completely erased. We’ll have to be extra careful if we encounter that woman in the future.”

“Are you all so certain that Bing Long will definitely come first? That young man surnamed Fan who charged up later seems to have tremendous potential.”

The crowd burst out laughing, sneering with disdain. “He’s only trying to make a spectacle of himself. Look at Bing Long—he has already covered two-thirds of the distance, while that young man surnamed Fan hasn’t even entered the top ten. Besides, birds of a feather flock together. Just look at Chen Hongxu, who came out so early, and you’ll have a rough idea what sort of person that Fan Strawbag is. If you were a peerless genius, would you willingly let a useless fool blast your head with a sword and then bow and scrape before him? The favored sons of heaven are all incredibly proud.”

“That makes sense!”

Everyone nodded in agreement, largely because Chen Hongxu had smeared Fan Strawbag’s reputation.

Before long, dazzling light erupted at the foot of the Aptitude Stairway. One newcomer after another was transported out after completing the assessment. Some were excited, others dejected, but all of them consciously walked behind the Five Swords and the others, lining up according to their temporary rankings. None behaved as conspicuously as Chen Hongxu.

In truth, although the aptitude assessed by the Aptitude Stairway was generally accurate, there had been examples of people with extraordinary perseverance who, through painstaking cultivation and life-or-death battles later on, had surged ahead and left behind those of their generation who had dazzled on the stairway. Such people, however, were exceedingly rare.

Those with great perseverance were as common as carp crossing a river, but those blessed with tremendous luck were few indeed. A fight to the death was precisely that—a battle of life and death. Not fearing death did not mean one would not die. When one’s aptitude was inferior to another’s, most still perished. Even among those fortunate enough to survive, the majority merely clung to life. People who grew stronger with every battle were rarer still.

Another three days passed. A month had now elapsed since everyone began climbing the stairway. The number of spectators remained somewhere around a million, and judging from the trend, it would only continue to increase. After all, the raised stone monument now displayed the conspicuous number eleven. In other words, aside from Fan Strawbag, who had charged up later, the other ten were all potential experts ranked among the top ten.

Witnessing a moment that had drawn the attention of countless people was always thrilling. And being able to observe future powerhouses from such close range without spending a single coin or exerting the slightest effort—why would anyone pass up such an opportunity?

That afternoon, a flash of light appeared as another person was transported out. The names of Kong Sheng and Di Sanqiang on the stone monument immediately dimmed. At the final moment, the two had actually tied for ninth place. Their results were still fairly respectable, and the surrounding spectators responded with enthusiastic applause and cheers now that the top ten had begun to take shape.

Kong Sheng was dressed like a scholar, his chin raised arrogantly. It was impossible to tell which minor world he had come from. Chen Hongxu, however, had a poor impression of the refined-looking man. His eyes were too narrow and elongated, giving him a gloomy air. Even the fat man beside him, who kept turning his head to look at the stone monument, seemed more likable.

The Five Swords and Lady Kuang nodded to the two men. Kong Sheng immediately abandoned his arrogance and lowered his head humbly. Yet the furtive glances he cast at Lady Kuang’s calves contained an unsettling lecherous glint. Whether she was aware of it or not, Lady Kuang merely burst into inexplicably charming laughter.

Di Sanqiang, on the other hand, was exactly as he appeared. He kept grinning foolishly, and it was obvious that he was somewhat awkward and nervous. The hand with which he had been clutching his trouser leg was probably drenched in sweat.

The two men came to stand behind the Five Swords and Lady Kuang. Kong Sheng lowered his head, his face dark and gloomy. When he caught sight of Di Sanqiang, who had rushed ahead and planted himself behind Lady Kuang, he ground his teeth in fury.

He and Di Sanqiang were equally renowned, so naturally he refused to stand behind Di Sanqiang. As a result, he could only take his place behind the Five Swords.

Setting aside their individual performances, merely standing side by side before the countless newcomers made the two men the center of attention. They were surpassed only slightly by Chen Hongxu, who stood before the stairway with his hands behind his back, pretending to be an expert.

The difference was that one had earned praise, while the other had earned ridicule.

Hidden Saint 35: Hidden Saint, Chapter Thirty-Five—The Top Ten, Part One, complete.