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Chapter 336: 335: Number One on the Human Ranking!
Chapter 336: 335: Number One on the Human Ranking!
Chapter 336: 335: Number One on the Human Ranking!
With the emergence of prodigies from various families, the whole platform was crowded with numerous peak powerhouses and those ranked lower on the Human Ranking, but they all became mere embellishments.
It wasn’t that there were no fights among them. Rather, the focus of the crowd was drawn towards the battles between the prodigies.
However, the platform was too large, attracting an enormous crowd, so, there weren’t many who could watch a battle with their own eyes.
Most people had to resort to newspapers from Tianji Pavilion and acquire information from the real-time updates on them to learn about the battles.
Tianji Pavilion marked the combat power of each competitor every time, so others could understand the situation more directly.
The rest of the details were directly written in words like this punch, that kick… Although it seemed very boring, it was extremely exciting for everyone else and they found it intriguing to read.
Du Gang’s side was relaxed, not because no one sought to challenge him.
Contrarily, after that battle, his name was on fire, and many people wanted to challenge him to gain fame.
Unfortunately, he now had company. Every time someone stood in front of Du Gang, Jiang Tianxin would consciously jump up and say, “Defeat me first, then challenge the master!” As a result, Du Gang didn’t experience a single battle in three days and he was more than happy to enjoy his peace.
He spent all day on the terrace that Jiang Tianxin had arranged, sipping tea and watching others fight—very content.
However, over these three days, there was an addition to his company—Zhang Xinyi.
Before the competition, she didn’t show up due to the rules. But after Du Gang won the martial arts competition, she was considered his future wife and didn’t hide anymore. That day, she followed Du Gang, claiming that she wanted to broaden her horizons.
“Sun Wukong is so strong. He has reached the top of the Human Ranking!”
Zhang Xinyi exclaimed, “I just don’t know if he can hold on to it!”
Hearing this, Du Gang thought of something, turned his head towards Jiang Tianxin and asked, “What is the rank of the guy from the Ying family now?”
Jiang Tianxin said without a sidelong glance, “Report to the Master, Ying Feiyu is currently ranked 11th…”
Seeing that Du Gang had no other orders, he added, “Given my understanding of him and the strength he has shown during these days, ranking eleven is pretty much his position!”
Du Gang nodded and asked, “How about his battle record?”
“Ying Feiyu has fought 11 battles, with 9 wins and 2 losses!”
He asked again, “What about Sun Wukong?”
“Sun Wukong has had 22 fights, all victories!”
Since ranking first required more fights.
Du Gang nodded, “So it seems that Sun Wukong is likely to take first place?!”
Jiang Tianxin shook his head, “Uncertain. Among those from the other continents, there are also experts!”
“As far as I know, the top youth of the Western Desert is a member of the Buddhist family named Jin Chanzi. He’s very powerful. Some say he’s a reincarnation of Buddha…”
Fearing that Du Gang might not understand, Jiang Tianxin explained, “Buddha is a term used by the Buddhist sect, equivalent to Supreme on our side!”
“Moreover, not all top powerhouses have acted yet – some don’t show any movements, apparently waiting for something!”
“In addition to that, the most famous individuals from the other territories haven’t acted!”
“Like the Jiuli Prince from Central State. It is said he is almost as powerful as a juvenile god emperor… Their term in Central State is also equivalent to Supreme!”
“The strongest young generation in the Northern Plains is Yan Chixia, a swordsman from the Thousand-Ren Sword Sect. He is very powerful and has been hailed as the top sword fairy of this era…”
Over the past few days, Jiang Tianxin has done an excellent job in gathering information. The content he provided was generally the information Du Gang wanted to know.
“What about Eastern Ridge?”
Seeing Jiang Tianxin stop speaking, Du Gang curiously asked.
Jiang Tianxin laughed, “Eastern Ridge is the source land of the Taoist sects. Among the four great Taoist gates, for some reason, only one came. Their strongest member, Xiao Yaozi, has already lost to Sun Wukong!”
Du Gang nodded, “So, are the other three regions still waiting for the right opportunity?”
“Pretty much, they also sent some not weak individuals to challenge Sun Wukong, continuously probing his strength…”
At this time, Broken Sword walked over and whispered a few words in Jiang Tianxin’s ear.
After nodding, Jiang Tianxin turned to Du Gang, “We just received news that Yan Chixia from the Northern Plains has initiated a challenge to Sun Wukong!”
“Let’s go, let’s go take a look!”
Du Gang was interested, quickly stood up, and led the way out of the courtyard.
By the time he arrived at the site where the battle was about to take place, the place was already packed with people.
However, everyone in the crowd recognized him and Jiang Tianxin, and after seeing them coming over, they consciously made way.
When Du Gang got to the center, he found that the experts from the other four regions had also arrived here. It was apparent that they too wanted to see who was stronger between Yan Chixia and Sun Wukong.
What’s interesting was that those from Eastern Ridge stood in the east, those from Western Desert in the west, and those from Northern Plains in the north. Only those from Central State stood together with the hosts from the Southern Wilderness.
Moreover, without any need for explanation from his subordinates, Du Gang was able to spot the strongest individual from each of these three regions.
Xiao Yaozi, who looked extremely free and easy with a paper fan in his hand, appeared indifferent to his previous loss.
Jin Chanzi also stood out. Bald and emitting a vague golden glow from his entire body, it was as if he was enveloped in a shimmering halo, resembling a Buddha.
As for the prince from Central State, Du Gang doesn’t know his real name, but he knew the prince is titled Tian Huangzi by Jiuli. He is considered one of the top three fighters of his generation in Central State.
This Tian Huangzi, though a guest, showed no restraint, sitting on a considerable dragon throne and topped with a golden orbs, as if he was presiding over a court session if not for the fact that everyone was standing on the same ground.
Seemingly sensing Du Gang’s gaze, Tian Huangzi turned his head and glanced at Du Gang, nodding slightly in greeting.
Seeing this, Du Gang responded with a slight smile as a gesture of courtesy.
On the stage, Sun Wukong’s figure was similar to Sun Wufan whom Du Gang had met before, hairy hands, feet, and face. It was as if he was an evolving creature.
However, this time, he was wearing armor and looked dignified and extraordinary.
After a brief glance at Sun Wukong, Du Gang turned his gaze to Yan Chixia.
The Yan Chixia in front of him didn’t match the image he had seen on Earth.
Dressed in white, Yan Chixia had a sword box strapped to his back. Straight and slender, he was nothing like the big bearded man Du Gang remembered. Instead, he resembled a young man with a fresh face, looking quite handsome.
Yan Chixia was challenging Sun Wukong…
Du Gang could not help but feel a sense of déjà vu from a giant melee. Even though they looked somewhat different, their names were taking him out of the moment.
“I have seen you fight, honestly, your combat power is higher than mine, I probably can’t beat you…” Yan Chixia said earnestly.
“But, we’ll only know who’s the winner after the fight. So, this time, I will go all out, and I hope you…”
Sun Wukong’s temperament was not as Du Gang had imagined, he was very calm, and even a bit cold. He nodded slightly and took the golden cudgel from behind, pointing it at the ground.
Seeing that Sun Wukong was ready, Yan Chixia didn’t hesitate. He immediately made a sword gesture and muttered an incantation.
The next second, his sword box on his back opened on its own as if each sword had its life, swirling around him in the wind.
“Go!”
Yan Chixia didn’t hesitate, after nine flying swords sprung out, she directly chose to attack.
“Hehe!”
Sun Wukong gave a hehe laughter, casually stabbing the golden cudgel in his hand, thrusting it into the ground with a “bang!” Suddenly, he transformed into a golden light, morphing into a flying sword, and starting to play with Yan Chixia’s nine flying swords.
“This speed, it’s terrifying!”
The spectators below gasped in amazement.
Sun Wukong’s speed was remarkably swift, almost on par with the moving speed of the flying swords.
What was even more shocking was that his golden cudgel remained staked into the ground, and he moved as such.
“Is he mocking his opponent?”
Some people can hardly believe the situation.
“No!”
Someone who had fought Sun Wukong before shook their head, “He’s not playing with the opponent, it is simply just in his nature…”
Monkeys love to play. Though the Fighting Saint Clan has a famous name, they evolved from monkeys, and still have a playful nature.
Yan Chixia kept controlling her swords, but unfortunately, no matter how she manipulated or blocked her flying swords, she couldn’t strike the opponent.
“All Swords Returning to Master!”
With her roar, the nine scattered swords combined into one, transforming into a giant sword.
What made people gasp in horror was that this huge sword, obviously much larger than the previous nine, seemed to move even faster, precariously on the verge of hitting the opponent.
“Come!”
Sun Wukong, currently in mid-air, uttered in low voice and reached out. The golden cudgel staked into the ground immediately flew up, arrived in his hand instantly.
“Strike!”
The moment he got the golden cudgel, Sun Wukong shouted again, and then slammed it towards the giant sword.
“Boom!”
The cudgel and the sword, seemed to be stuck in some sort of standoff, each maintaining a certain balance.
At this moment, Sun Wukong holding the golden cudgel, gave a hehe laugh, leaned forward, and kicked out.
“Bang!”
The previously evenly matched giant sword was suddenly kicked away.
Holy shit!
Witnessing this, Yan Chixia nearly popped her eyes out.
But at this point, Sun Wukong appeared to have had enough fun, turned a somersault in mid-air, and instantly arrived next to Yan Chixia with cudgel in hand.
“Boom!”
After a loud noise, Yan Chixia found herself off the platform. Just now, her flying swords weren’t by her side, so in the hastily-sketched attempt to fight off the blows with her hands, she not only got her arm waste, but was also knocked out of the ring.
“Tap tap tap!”
It was not until she had taken three steps back that her figure finally stabilized.
“Sun Wukong is indeed worthy of his reputation. I admit defeat!”
Though Yan Chixia’s hand was drenched in blood, she still maintained her grace. She merely gave a bow and only then began tending to her injuries on the side.
“Who’s next?!”
Standing on the ring, Sun Wukong shouted, his gaze roving back and forth.
He glanced at Du Gang, then at the heavenly prince, and then at Jin Chanzi.
Clearly, he also had some intelligence. In his view, the remaining worthy opponents were these three.
The heavenly prince grinned and said, “Sun brother has just finished a fight and we shouldn’t take advantage. Why don’t we do it this way: I will fight with this Du brother. Once our match is over, you can fight against Jin Chanzi.”
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong did not stubbornly want to fight but chuckled and said, “Whatever, if you want to fight first, go ahead!”
After saying this, he hopped off the ring in high spirits.
Watching his antics, Du Gang was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head.
He had thought that the Sun family had produced a mature and steady character but now he realised he had overthought. This Sun Wukong was just pretending to be aloof!
Seeing this, the heavenly prince leapt onto the ring and looked towards Du Gang with a posture of waiting for him.
“Lord, allow me to fight on your behalf!”
Jiang Tianxin stood up quickly, eager to fight for Du Gang.
Seeing this, Du Gang quickly stopped him and laughingly said, “Brother Jiang, the heavenly prince has specifically challenged me. If I avoid this, wouldn’t it make me look dishonourable?”
Upon hearing his words, the surrounding anomalies were left speechless. When we challenged you earlier, why did you keep silent and let Jiang Tianxin fight?!
After Du Gang finished speaking, he leapt onto the ring.
Both of them did not show any advanced movement techniques. They appeared ordinary. It was unknown whether they genuinely could not or were intentionally concealing.
Once on the ring, the two did not rush to take action but started to chat like old friends who haven’t met for years.
“Heavenly prince, I have not been to Central State. I heard that you were bestowed the title of ‘heaven’ by Jiuli. I wonder, with your strength, what can you rank in Jiuli?”
Heavenly Prince smiled faintly and said, “Although I am known as ‘heaven’, I am not the strongest prince. Jiuli started with the annihilation of heaven, so ‘heaven’ often does not represent the strongest…”
“The reason I was granted the title ‘heaven’ is because they saw me as a whetstone for my princes to practice!”
“What?!”
All the people below gasped in surprise.
In the past, they all thought that the Heavenly Prince was the strongest in Central State. Who would have thought that he’s not the strongest.
You must know, this Heavenly Prince currently holds the second position in the Human Ranking.
The reason he is not first is because he has not yet fought with Sun Wukong. It is still unknown who is stronger between the two.
“Just like me, serving as a sharpening stones, there is another earth prince. His strength is similar to mine and we two, even if we join hands, are not the opponents of our prince!”
Du Gang’s eyebrows furrowed and he asked with a serious tone, “May I know who your prince is?!”
The corners of Heavenly Prince’s mouth turned up slightly, “My prince’s name is Nine Prince!”
Nine, seems ordinary, but in fact, nine is the utmost, nine is supreme.
But the Jiuli dynasty, not considering heaven and earth, but respected the character ‘nine’, was quite interesting.
Nine Prince!
Everyone present memorized this seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary name.
Du Gang nodded, “Well then, let’s get started!”
“Wait a moment!”
The Imperial Son waved his hand, smiling. “Direct violence could be too much of a hassle, Brother Du. How about you and I decide the victory directly based on the amount of combat power?”
Ha! Ha!
Du Gang chuckled speechlessly. It was somewhat amusing that someone wanted to compete against him in his area of expertise.
“In that case, as you wish!”
Very soon, under the watchful eyes of thousands, Du Gang and the Imperial Son, each standing on one side of the arena, began to gather their strength.
“Boom!”
The Imperial Son did not hesitate and directly made a seven-fold explosiveness.
“Five hundred and forty thousand combat power!!”
All were stunned, staring in awe at the Imperial Son.
“Is this the highest we’ve seen so far?!”
“No, Sun Wukong is higher than this…”
Someone ranked around tenth rank spoke. “I’ve battled against Sun Wukong. His combat power is around eight times.”
“Eight times?!”
The Imperial Son laughed, and his aura expanded once again.
“Boom!”
“Five hundred and seventy-six thousand combat power!!!”
At this moment, let alone others, even Sun Wukong and Yan Chixia, who had just left the arena, looked grave.
“How about that?!”
At the corners of the Imperial Son’s mouth was a smile, with an assured look of his victory.
He had heard reports about Du Gang’s power, which was roughly between six and seven times.
Moreover, even if it was eight times, he was not afraid. At the same tier, he’s invincible!
Hearing this, Du Gang nodded, “Impressive, eight times the power. You’re the one I’ve seen who has multiplied it the most!”
Having said that, he no longer downplayed his abilities, and his aura surged.
“Boom!”
Around him, a whirlwind of energy appeared.
“Five hundred and eighty-one thousand combat power!”
Someone shouted, “Five thousand more combat power than the Imperial Son!”
This guy…
The Imperial Son’s face changed abruptly, and it was not due to Du Gang’s five hundred and eighty thousand combat power.
But rather, it was because when Du Gang began to exude his power, he discreetly felt a force of destruction!
It was a force that he couldn’t resist, even at his best!
Still wants to fight?!
He sighed, shook his head, retracted his aura, put on a smile, and said, “Brother Du’s combat power is higher than mine. I won’t fight then. Let’s say Brother Du wins!”
He was indeed clever. Deciding the victory based on combat power saved him from losing face.
Du Gang chuckled and didn’t expose him. He nodded his head and left the arena.
He did it on purpose.
Just like in the previous battle against Jiang Tianxin, he subtly showed his opponent his ten-fold combat power.
Although it was only for an instant and only the opposition could see it, it was enough to intimidate them.
After all, the use of his Jie-Character Secret had a time limit. If he used it all up too soon, and if a real fight occurred later, it would not be good!
After the two left the stage, Sun Wukong and Jin Chanzi also immediately climbed onto the arena.
“Amitabha. I, the poor monk, am not skilled in fighting. The only thing I can present is the Golden Bell Shield. If Master Sun can break my Golden Bell Shield, then you win!”
“Really?!”
Sun Wukong was overjoyed. Someone was standing still, allowing him to hit. Wasn’t that tantamount to gifting him the victory?
Jin Chanzi had a smile on his face. “Indeed!”
With that, he sat down on the floor with his legs crossed.
“Omm!”
As he softly recited the sutras, a layer of golden coating slowly appeared around his body, completely engulfing him.
“HaHa, in that case, I won’t be polite!”
Sun Wukong, without any hesitation, lifted his gold-banded cudgel and slammed it down!
“Clang!”
Unexpectedly, he failed to break the Golden Bell Shield!
“Hmm?”
Surprised, he only paused for a moment without giving up. The gold-banded cudgel in his hand swung again, pounding fiercely on the Golden Bell Shield.
“Dang, Dang, Dang!!!”
“Thud, Thud, Thud!!!”
No matter how much force Sun Wukong exerted, it was all fully absorbed by the shield, without a trace of damage.
“How is this possible? It’s so hard?!”
It wasn’t just Sun Wukong; the spectators were equally astonished.
They knew well that Sun Wukong’s combat power was eight times, and if he failed to break it, could Jin Chanzi’s Golden Bell Shield be comparable to nine times?!
It was clear that no one could see Jin Chanzi’s true strength. They wouldn’t believe that he could only defend and not attack, as he claimed.
So, everyone thought Jin Chanzi might be the strongest this time!
In the crowd, there was one face showing a different expression.
It was Du Gang who had come from Earth and seen many intriguing things. Witnessing this situation, a hypothesis formed in his mind.
What if this shield had the ability to absorb attacks, progressively amplifying in response?
Perhaps the shield, which originally could be broken by a powerhouse deploying eight times their combat power in full stride, would keep absorbing the force of the attacks if it wasn’t defeated on the first attempt, eventually making it extraordinarily challenging to break.
Following successive failures, Sun Wukong grew increasingly aggressive.
In the end, he manifested his true form, transforming into a gigantic ape measuring ten meters in height. Beating his chest and wielding a huge golden staff, he thrashed down fiercely.
“Clang!!!”
This time, the enormous impact resulted in a temporary hearing loss for everyone. A low rumbling sound echoed afterward.
Everyone realized that the Golden Bell Shield remained intact, showing no signs of damage despite being attacked by Sun Wukong.
“Tough!”
The transformed ape, upon seeing his attack ineffective, promptly reverted to his humanoid form regaining his sensibility. He praised, then jumped off the ring.
“You are exceptionally resilient, even more so than me. This round goes to you!”
“Thank you!”
Jin Chanzi, still under the shield, turned to look at Du Gang and, laughing, said: “Lord Du, would you like to give it a try?”
After beating Sun Wukong, Jin Chanzi was temporarily ranked first, while Du Gang after winning against the Heavenly Prince, also held a temporary second rank.
Only the final showdown between these two would determine who held the top rank on the Human Ranking.
Gazing at the Golden Bell Shield, which had grown exceptionally robust after multiple power accumulations, Du Gang broke into a broad grin.
“Well, since you’ve invited me, I might as well give it a try!”
With a single stride, he positioned himself outside the Golden Bell Shield.
“Boom!”
At this moment, he fully unleashed his power without holding back, unlocking ten times his combat ability instantly.
“Combat power of 727,200, how is that even possible?!”
All the people present, be it commoners, the Heavenly Prince, or even Sun Wukong, were taken aback.
They incredulously stared at Du Gang.
Ten times combat power, how could that be?!
This was a full two times more than their eight-fold power!
What a terrifying force!
“Thump!!!”
Du Gang lifted his leg and kicked right at it.
“Thud!”
The Golden Bell Shield trembled violently, seemingly on the verge of cracking.
Jin Chanzi, who was stuck inside, was soaked in sweat, continuously reciting incantations to steady the Golden Bell Shield.
Luckily, Du Gang did not press his attack and waited for three seconds. He watched as Jin Chanzi fully stabilized the Golden Bell Shield, then broke into a smile: “Jin Chanzi, would you like to make a bet with me?”
“The loser becomes the follower of the winner. What do you say?!”
He used the same conditions Jiang Tianxin had proposed to him at the beginning.
‘Another follower wager, so explosive!’
Du Gang spoke light-heartedly, but the crowd beneath the stage was immensely stirred.
At first, Jin Chanzi was excited. Winning over a person with ten-fold combat power to follow Buddhism was a great merit for him.
But soon after, he calmed down. The opponent, who had already displayed ten-fold combat power, proposed this wager. Did this mean that Du Gang was sure of winning?!
Was this truthful, or was he being set up?!
After pondering for a moment, Jin Chanzi finally shook his head and declined: “So sorry, Lord Du, but I, a humble monk, have long devoted my life to Buddha…”
Du Gang shook his head regretfully and sighed: “If that’s the case, I’ll have to bid you farewell. Allow me to send you off!”
Having said this, his eyebrows raised, and a killing intent surged from within.
The next second, a majestic and lethal long spear appeared in his hand out of nowhere.
“Sky-breaking kill!”
Wielding the spear, Du Gang launched an attack.
“Boom!”
This time, the Golden Bell Shield didn’t put up any resistance and instantly shattered.
“Pop!”
Jin Chanzi, who was originally in a meditative posture, was swept away by the strike and fell off the ring.
“Many thanks!”
Du Gang, standing in the ring, made a fist salute and chuckled: “This time, I’m the top. Is there anyone else who wants to challenge me?!”
His eyes gleaming like a torch, took a sweeping glance at everyone below the stage, especially at those formidable individuals, one by one.
Without exception, everyone whose gaze met his ended up faltering and diverting their eyes, not daring to hold his gaze.
Even the Heavenly Prince and Sun Wukong chose to stay clear of him for the time being.
After waiting for ten seconds and receiving no acceptance of his challenge, Du Gang burst into loud laughter. He turned towards a Tianji Pavilion master standing like a sentinel and, grinning, said: “You witnessed all, right? Time to change the ranking board. I am first this time!”
As his statement ended, a great power from Tianji Pavilion emerged, declaring the conclusion of the fights and announced the updated ranking list.
Without a doubt, Du Gang was ranked first.
Jin Chanzi, second; Sun Wukong, third; Heavenly Prince, fourth; Yan Chixia, fifth.
The reason for placing the Heavenly Prince fourth was because he had not fought against Sun Wukong. Based on their ranks in the previous round with one being second and the other being first, this ordering seemed fitting.
Along with the top ten rankings, the great power also announced the ranks of other competitors in the Human Ranking.
Jiang Tianxin’s ranking didn’t change much; he was ranked 25th on the Human Ranking.
As for Ying Feiyu, who didn’t battle against him earlier, his rank was set at 11th place.
Silently, the great powerhouse of Tianji Pavilion declared all rankings and announced: “The grand event ends here. Every battle detail will be documented and detailed on a separate page by the Tianji Pavilion…”
It was easy to imagine, once this documentation gets out, Du Gang’s fame will rise exponentially throughout the world!!