Chapter 37: The Top Ten (Part Two)

Chen Hongxu’s intentions were far less complex than the Five Swords imagined. Beyond the vague, irresistible call he felt while on the steps that compelled him to enter this world, it was the later sights of the shattered Glazed World and the myriad images forcibly thrust into his mind that solidified his resolve. He wanted to take a look, to see if the "old folks" from those memories of yesteryear were still safe and sound.

The Five Swords and Lady Kuang were filled with a tumult of emotions. The aptitude of this current batch of newcomers was simply beyond reproach. Each of the top ten, provided they did not lose their way during the struggle for supremacy in the Nine Provinces, had the potential to become a King-level powerhouse; a few might even dare to vie for the Emperor-level.

Thinking of "Pack-Rat" Fan, who had yet to break into the top ten, Chen Hongxu felt a flicker of irritation. There was no telling if that fellow had gotten distracted on the road again—heaven forbid he had fallen asleep. If he could catch him now, he would surely give him a sound thrashing.

Pack-Rat Fan opened his eyes hazily and sneezed. He rubbed the tip of his nose, muttered a few words, and scrambled to his feet to continue his climb. This time, his pace was much faster, as if he sensed Chen Hongxu’s temper from afar.

"Look, Pack-Rat Fan just overtook Kong Sheng and Di Sanqiang! He’s in ninth place now." Someone shouted, and the crowd of onlookers, their excitement reignited, began to buzz with chatter.

Seeing many casting sympathetic glances his way, Di Sanqiang gave a simple, honest laugh. He cupped his fists toward the crowd and said, "Eleventh place is still better than I expected. Pure luck, just pure luck."

Kong Sheng’s face was grim. He seethed internally; he and Di Sanqiang were ranked similarly, but he couldn't bring himself to be so shameless as to claim tenth place when his rival had already accepted eleventh. He couldn't swallow his pride, so he was forced to grit his teeth and bear it in silence.

One had to understand that while tenth and eleventh were only separated by a single rank, the significance was worlds apart. Rumor had it that those in the top ten would receive a bounty of rewards from their chosen sects, whereas those in eleventh place would enjoy no such fortune. However, it was useless to dwell on such things now; whether one was tenth or eleventh was entirely at the discretion of the sects.

The crowd stared at the stone monument, watching the name "Pack-Rat Fan" and waiting in anticipation for him to surpass the names ahead of him once more.

Just as the crowd grew anxious, the very person they were watching, Pack-Rat Fan, stood motionless, staring at the woman walking slowly toward him with a complex expression.

"Why? Do you not recognize me?" Xue Xi smiled, her manner gentle and graceful.

"I recognize you," Pack-Rat Fan’s voice was hoarse. "But this is not a place you should be."

"I wanted to see the world you and Chen Hongxu inhabit. You don't think I'm a fake, do you?" Xue Xi laughed, stepped forward, and playfully tugged at his ear before patting his head—a gesture uncannily like one Chen Hongxu would make.

Pack-Rat Fan endured it with a bitter smile before suddenly collapsing to the ground. His heart had been wavering, causing his body to tremble, but he had been suppressing his own functions for fear of shattering this beautiful, illusory vision, leading to a loss of balance.

"Fool, you are more interesting than Chen Hongxu." Xue Xi brushed aside the long hair falling over her forehead, her expression full of charm. "How about you take me away? Let’s elope."

A flash of bewilderment appeared in Pack-Rat Fan’s eyes, followed immediately by a surge of golden light. He shook his head and looked at Xue Xi. "Even if you were real, I wouldn't do it. Besides, you are a fake. A demon of the mind, a true demon; I fear I shall never be able to escape this in this lifetime."

Xue Xi turned her head away, refusing to meet the golden light in his eyes. She snorted, "You actually care more about Chen Hongxu, don't you? Let me ask you a cliché question: if Chen Hongxu and I both fell into the water and you could only save one, and the other was certain to die, who would you choose to save?"

A glint of resolve emerged in Pack-Rat Fan’s eyes. He stood up slowly, his eyes seemingly churning with two balls of flame. The golden light shot from his gaze caused Xue Xi’s form to begin dissolving; the "Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze" possessed unexpected power when leveled against an illusion.

Looking tenderly at the fading Xue Xi, Pack-Rat Fan spoke softly yet with absolute certainty: "I would save Chen Hongxu."

Xue Xi’s dissolving phantom laughed loudly, pointing at him. "You have lost. You have betrayed your true heart."

Yet, until she vanished completely, no light appeared on Pack-Rat Fan to teleport him out of the Aptitude Ladder.

Standing where Xue Xi had disappeared, Pack-Rat Fan gave the empty air a hug and murmured, "Fool, I was being sincere. I would save Chen Hongxu, and then I would die alongside you, so you would not be lonely on the road to the underworld."

Pack-Rat Fan turned, glanced up at the summit that was still out of sight, tapped his staff against the floor, and charged upward, stepping onto the final stair.

"BOOM!" The ranking monument erupted with a blinding yellow glow. Pack-Rat Fan’s name shot upward, tying with the first-ranked Bing Long.

"How is that possible?"

The surrounding crowd gasped. Everyone knew that the Aptitude Ladder became harder the higher one climbed, yet this fellow named Pack-Rat Fan had surpassed seven people at once, covering more than a hundred steps in a single stride.

"Could it be that two people will reach the summit this time?" The crowd was ecstatic. After all, such peerless geniuses appearing in Martial Emperor City concerned them all; as long as such talent matured, they could surely protect the region.

The crowd chatted fervently, with some even bringing out wine to celebrate with those around them.

Lady Kuang looked at the monument and then at the dazed Five Swords. "What are you thinking about?"

The Five Swords snapped out of his trance, shook his head, and laughed at himself. "Just some matters concerning the legends."

Lady Kuang narrowed her eyes, thoughtful. "I was just thinking of some legends myself, though they differ slightly."

The Five Swords nodded and muttered to himself, "That year, the Military Saint and a group climbed the Aptitude Ladder. The Military Saint crushed the other nine, reaching the summit alone. The other nine stopped at the final stair; none dared to stand beside her to behold the view from the peak."

Lady Kuang’s expression was inscrutable. She continued, "Within two hundred years, the Military Saint ascended to the Emperor-level. Of the other nine, one died in battle, and the remaining eight achieved the ranks of the current Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns, each occupying a city. And after the Military Saint vanished along with the World City, the various provinces descended into war, leading to the current state of affairs?"

The Five Swords nodded. He had never believed in these common legends, yet in that moment, he felt a strange similarity. Though the number of people and the individuals involved were different.

...

Bing Long had stood on the final stair for a long time. He closed his eyes, hesitant. The appearance of this person had long been within his expectations, but how was he to choose?

Zhang Shufang did not urge him. She stood beside him gently, her eyes smiling. She had already given Bing Long the power of choice: "Kill her, or take her with you."

"I will take you with me!" Bing Long seemed to have made his decision. He stepped forward to embrace Zhang Shufang, his words tender, though a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes.

He knew everything was fake; this illusion was merely a test presented by the Aptitude Ladder. Choose correctly, and you ascend; choose wrongly, and you descend.

He had been hesitating over the meaning of this final layer, but reflecting on the heartlessness of the Great Dao, he hardened his heart and struck the back of the happy-looking Zhang Shufang’s head with all his might.

With a sigh, Zhang Shufang slowly closed her eyes and whispered, "The Heavenly Dao is heartless, yet it has heart; it always leaves a glimmer of survival for all living beings. I truly wished to fulfill you with my life, but you chose wrongly this time."

Bing Long’s body shuddered. Before he could react, a flash of light enveloped him, and he was returned to the base of the Aptitude Ladder.

He could not have known that when that peerless figure stood with her back to a group of equally gifted individuals on this final step years ago, she had left behind words like a decree from heaven, causing those geniuses to prostrate themselves: "The heavens seem heartless, yet they have heart; they always leave a path for all living beings."

Upon his return, the first thing Bing Long did was look at the monument. Discovering a name tied with his own, his expression turned terrifyingly grim. Two first-place spots were never as dazzling as one.

Just then, the monument rose sharply, its golden light so blinding it could not be stared at directly. Chen Hongxu slowly raised his head, gazed at the sky, and murmured, "Reach the summit."

Several powerful observers squinted through the discomfort. They saw that on the very top of the monument, the name "Pack-Rat Fan" had suddenly enlarged, as if about to squeeze all the other names off the stone entirely.