I Can Strengthen Everything

"Bai Xiaosheng... he’s really throwing him into the fire," Hong Miaojin sighed.

"But, for him, I suppose it’s a trial. It’s just that this guy probably won’t have a moment of peace from now on."

Hong Miaojin murmured to herself, her gaze fixed on the Jianghu Daily in her hands.

...

「Great Jing, Supreme Profound Upper Sect.」

Beside a mountain lake, a youth in white robes was cultivating.

Afterimages overlapped as the air crackled, vibrating with a powerful might.

"Ice Sealing Force!"

A cold light suddenly burst forth, seemingly tearing the very air apart. A terrifying cold qi swept out, and in an instant, the shimmering lake was frozen solid, shrouded in a lingering chill.

’Heh, my Cold Qi Ice Heart Technique has finally reached Perfection. With this, my ranking should go up...’

The white-robed youth smiled as he looked at the frozen lake.

"Senior Brother Chen!"

Just then, a figure hurried over from a distance. A young woman, panting for breath, arrived before him.

"Junior Sister, cultivation requires a steady mind. With a disposition like yours, how can you ever hope to achieve anything?" the white-robed youth said with a frown.

The young woman caught her breath and looked at him. "Senior Brother, the Hidden Dragon List has been updated. It’s... it’s not good news."

Hearing this, the white-robed youth simply smiled. "So it’s updated. It’s not like it hasn’t changed before. My rank should have gone up, right? What is it now?"

The young woman looked at him, then at the Jianghu Daily in her hand, and passed it to him.

The white-robed youth took the Jianghu Daily and began to read it with a nonchalant expression.

The young woman said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, you’ve been removed from the list."

"Hm?"

The white-robed youth’s brow furrowed as he scanned the paper.

But after a single glance, an overwhelming cold qi erupted from him in the next instant.

A frigid power swept out, instantly seeming to freeze the very air in a wide radius around him.

The young woman’s face turned pale.

"S-Senior Brother, I checked the rankings several times. This time... your name isn’t there. You’ve been pushed off the list."

BOOM!!!

The moment she finished speaking, the frozen lake exploded, sending waves of frigid power sweeping in all directions.

The white-robed youth’s face was livid, the Jianghu Daily in his hand completely frozen solid.

"Fang Xing!"

"A mere True Qi Sixth Layer cultivator... what right does he have to be on the list?!"

"Tell me, what right does he have to take my spot?" The white-robed youth turned to the young woman, his eyes flashing crimson as an intense chill washed over her.

The young woman shivered and took a step back. "S-Senior Brother, I... I don’t know. This is the new ranking from the Jianghu Daily."

SHATTER!!!

The words had barely left her mouth when the frozen Jianghu Daily in his hand exploded, scattering into a storm of ice shards.

"A bunch of blind fools! What right does a True Qi Sixth Layer cultivator have to be on the list!"

The white-robed youth’s face was grim, his eyes crimson, as a majestic power erupted from within him.

His grim face suddenly contorted.

"PUH...!"

Suddenly, he violently spat out a mouthful of blood. The chilling aura around him vanished, and he collapsed to the ground with a THUD.

"Senior Brother!"

The young woman paled in alarm and rushed forward to help him up.

The white-robed youth opened his eyes, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The young woman anxiously wiped the blood from his mouth. "Senior Brother, you... don’t scare me."

"*Cough, cough...*" The white-robed youth coughed, shook his head lightly, and slowly got to his feet. He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up at the sky.

"Junior Sister, tell Master I’m going on a trip." As soon as the words left his lips, his figure vanished.

"Senior Brother!"

The young woman stared blankly at the spot where he had disappeared, standing all alone by the lake.

...

"Fang Xing, number one hundred on the Hidden Dragon List. Huh? True Qi Sixth Layer?"

"Did Bai Xiaosheng make a mistake?"

"Can a True Qi Sixth Layer cultivator even make it onto the list?"

"Is the Hidden Dragon List rigged?"

"Could this be a mistake?"

"Probably not. The Hidden Dragon List is extremely credible. This person must have something extraordinary about him."

"Someone from the Observatory. The person in first place is from the Observatory too. Tsk tsk, that’s really impressive. Could it be another Hong Miaojin has appeared?"

The update to the Jianghu Daily swept through the major powers like a hurricane.

And the update to the Hidden Dragon List rankings was the very center of attention.

The name at the one-hundredth spot was something that the vast majority of powers paid extremely close attention to.

The Hidden Dragon List was a list of those with the potential to become a Martial Dao Saint.

While not everyone on the Hidden Dragon List was guaranteed to become a Celestial Martial Saint, at least a third of them would eventually reach the Celestial Martial Saint Realm.

The major powers had immense faith in the Hidden Dragon List.

Without exception, those on the list were the elite of the elite, the most brilliant of geniuses.

But this time, the update to the Hidden Dragon List defied everyone’s expectations.

A True Qi Sixth Layer Martial Artist had ascended to the Hidden Dragon List.

It was something that hadn’t happened in a hundred years, yet this time, it did.

If they weren’t certain that Bai Xiaosheng was behind the Jianghu Daily, they would have suspected they were reading a fake report.

...

’The Hidden Dragon List... has this kid already grown so much?!’

In the main hall of the Marshal’s Mansion at the Jiang Province Observatory, Nangong Qing stared at the Jianghu Daily in his hands, hardly able to believe his eyes.

He even wondered if it was just someone with the same name.

But after carefully checking the Cultivation level and location, Nangong Qing was absolutely certain that the Fang Xing on the Hidden Dragon List was the very same one he had his eye on.

There was absolutely no mistake about it.

True Qi Sixth Layer...

’When he was assigned here, hadn’t he just broken through to the True Qi Fifth Layer?’

How long had it been, and he already had a True Qi Sixth Layer Cultivation.

Looking at the Jianghu Daily, Nangong Qing’s mind was reeling.

Meanwhile, Shen Ye was also looking at a copy of the Jianghu Daily, rendered completely speechless.

Though he found it hard to believe, he was certain that this Fang Xing was *the* Fang Xing.

Having the same name was possible, but having such a similar Cultivation level as well? That was absolutely impossible.

’He’s really about to transform into a dragon and ascend to the heavens...’

Shen Ye lamented inwardly.

What did it mean to be on the Hidden Dragon List at such a young age, and as the only one in the True Qi Realm?

Everyone probably understood the immense significance of this achievement.

The former Constable from Qingshan County had now, it seemed, reached a height where Shen Ye could only look up in awe.