1 The World Ranking

"I'll teach you how to forge iron."

Shen Gui's voice echoed in the shop.

Zhaoyue had just stepped one leg over the threshold when she heard the sound and froze, blinking twice.

"Young master, you also know how to forge iron?"

"I've learned some basics."

Shen Gui wasn't actually making things up.

Shen Gui was proficient in all kinds of skills.

I did study weapon crafting, but I later found that my interest didn't lie in it, so I didn't delve into it further.

Later, he met Yu Huixuan and was influenced by her, which also helped him improve.

Therefore, the "foundation" that Shen Gui mentioned was defined based on Yu Huixuan's level.

Compared to ordinary swordsmiths, he might not be considered a master craftsman, but he certainly deserves the title of grandmaster.

only...

Make bricks without straw.

Zhaoyue followed and ran into the backyard, digging for a long time, only to find a few pieces of burnt charcoal. Holding those pieces of charcoal, she looked up and asked, "Young master, it seems there's no more iron."

"..."

Shen Gui glanced around the warehouse and finally said, "Go buy it."

When it comes to the largest chamber of commerce in the world, many people will instinctively say "Sihailou".

Rumors circulate that this building is backed by a major power and is also connected to a certain figure from the Mountain and Sea Realm.

Some even say that when Sihailou was established, Yan Zu sat there for a while.

However, since no one had any evidence, it was eventually assumed that Sihailou had made it up.

There is a branch of the Sihailou in Mingyu City.

Shen Gui led Zhao Yue through the city, and they looked at two shops selling iron, but neither caught their eye.

Farm tools don't require very good iron, but as Zhaoyue would say, they're only half-baked to begin with. If the iron isn't good, it would ruin the Yu family's reputation.

The two walked around and looked around, and then came to the street where Sihailou was located.

In the distance, a seven-story pavilion appeared on the street corner.

The eaves are carved with cloud patterns, and lanterns hang on all four sides, shining brightly even in broad daylight.

The area in front of the gate was filled with carriages and horses. Those unloading goods entered through the side gate, while those picking up goods exited through the main gate. There was also a queue that went down the stone steps and stretched almost to the street corner.

The two men kept handing out number plates without stopping.

Some people got impatient and peeked at the weapons shop across the street, but in the end they went back to their ranks.

When it was Shen Gui's turn to enter, the waiter didn't give him much of a look and handed him a number.

"Buy goods on the left, sell goods on the right. Pills are on the second floor, spiritual materials are on the third floor, and distinguished guests who wish to appraise items must go upstairs."

He speaks quickly and clearly.

Shen Gui and Zhao Yue crossed the high threshold and entered the shop.

The lobby of Sihailou is much larger than that of Yujiapu.

Behind each counter stood a beautiful woman, and customers mingled shoulder to shoulder, some of whom were brought by their elders to broaden their horizons, like Zhaoyue.

The guy's mind raced, thinking that if the fish shop were filled to this size, how long would it take to close down?

Shen Gui arrived at the counter.

The clerk behind the counter took the wooden number, began to inquire about the specific purchase details, and quoted prices for various types of iron blocks.

Zhaoyue followed behind, initially calculating whether ten catties of iron was worth one tael of silver, but her attention was quickly drawn to the commotion at the other end of the hall.

There was an entire wall there.

The roof cantilevered to the fifth floor, with tall and wide walls and a black wood base.

Lists hung down from above, taking up most of the wall.

The largest one occupies the center, with the four characters "Wanxiang Tianbang" written in bold, powerful strokes.

There are also lists like "The Rising Star Ranking," "The World's Weapon Ranking," "The Universe Ranking," and "The Light Clouds Obscuring the Moon Ranking"...

Below that are the rankings of all sects, alchemists, and formation masters, densely packed together, with even two wooden ladders provided.

A counter was also set up below the wall.

Next to the "Legend of Fuyao" list, there are shops selling elixirs and sword manuals commonly used by young disciples of various sects.

Below the "Compendium of Weapons of the World" are replicas of weapons.

Next to the "List of Light Clouds Obscuring the Moon" were hanging portraits, perfumes, and clothing.

A large crowd gathered around the list, each person having their own lively discussion.

The loudest noise came from in front of the "Light Clouds Obscuring the Moon" list.

The list not only included names, origins, and nationalities, but also portraits. The artist had clearly received guidance from a master; the eyebrows and eyes would subtly move with the lamplight, making it look from a distance as if a real person were turning their head through a thin mist.

[First place: Fu Xiang, from the Yinling Ghost Clan of Beichezhou.]

[Second place: Xia Chenwei, Yan Kingdom, Dongjin Continent.]

[Third place: Nalan Tu'an, from the Kingdom of Tuosang in the Western Continent.]

The two men were arguing heatedly about who was first and who was second.

The man in brown pointed at the portrait of Fu Xiang: "The Ghost Clan can even change bones, so what's a face? The skin you see might have been borrowed from someone else."

Another retorted, "The 'Light Clouds Obscuring the Moon' ranking is compiled by several experts at the Breaking Cloud Realm. Are you suggesting that these experts have less discerning eyes than you? Even if Miss Fu Xiang is just borrowing someone else's image, she's still prettier than Xia Chenwei!"

The two argued louder and louder over this topic.

The waiter from Sihailou Restaurant not only didn't try to dissuade them, but waited until the two were catching their breath before interjecting, "If you two want to go back and take a closer look, the Moon Shadow paintings of Miss Fuxiang and Fairy Xia are both 10% off today. The paintings are painted with shadow sand, so you can see them at night."

The two turned their heads simultaneously: "How much silver?"

The waiter smiled and led the person to the counter next to him.

The argument continued, but the deal was done first.

Zhaoyue stood still and carefully looked through the portraits of the top three.

It first leaned closer to examine the eyebrows and eyes, then stepped back to examine the body, and finally shook its head: "That's all there is to it."

Someone nearby overheard this and laughed: "You call this 'just so-so'? Have you ever seen anything better?"

"Yes, I've seen them," Zhaoyue answered earnestly. "A few years ago, I met a frog with round eyes and long legs; it was much more well-proportioned than them."

The man's mouth remained open for a long time.

Zhaoyue had already left with her claws on her back.

It was much quieter in front of the "Qiankun List".

This list includes all the countries in the world.

Each country name is followed by a brief note about its territory, sect, and the powerful figure who guards the country.

Yan Kingdom still ranks first in Dongjin Continent, but when placed on the overall world ranking, it only ranks fourth, with a line of red characters below it that are very eye-catching.

[No mountains or seas suppress the nation's destiny.]

The number of people here is no less than that at the top of the list of those who are ranked above ...

An elderly man nearby was asking who compiled the list.

The Sihailou waiter answered skillfully: "The headquarters of each continent collect battle reports, sect documents, and publicly available battle records. Only those that can be found are listed. Those who haven't made a move for many years and whose true appearance has been seen by no one will naturally be ranked lower."

Immediately, some people around started making a fuss, demanding that Sihai Tower remove one of its elders who had been in seclusion for thirty years.

The man just laughed and said he didn't have that ability.

The "All Things Heavenly Ranking" has the most people in the bottom section, but only fifty are listed on the main list.

Only the realm and the most recent public appearance are written after the name. The top ten nameplates are edged with black and gold cloud patterns. The top few are too high off the ground. If you look up at the moon for too long, the back of your head will feel a little sore.

It goes from the first to the thirtieth.

I read from the thirtieth to the last.

The young master's name is not mentioned.

Zhaoyue frowned and muttered under her breath, "What kind of ranking is this? It's not authoritative at all."

As soon as it finished speaking, it caught a glimpse of the "Compendium of All Weapons" next to it and immediately changed its mind.

"He also has some discernment."

Images are depicted in the second through sixth sections of the artifact catalog.

There are pestles, halberds, swords, and strange weapons whose shapes are not discernible. Each of them is inscribed with the date of casting, its previous owners, and its battle achievements, with the words packed tightly together.

The first one is the only one that is empty.

There is no illustration, no provenance, and not even a record of who cast it.

At the very top of the entire blacklist were only three pale, ancient characters.

[Eternal Flow]

There were quite a few people standing around those three words, arguing about what kind of weapon it was.

"The character '流' (liú) represents the flow of water, and the character '刀' (dāo) moves like a river, so it must be a knife."

"Nonsense. The weapon ranking list has the most sword users. The only weapon that can surpass those legendary divine weapons below is the sword."

"You've seen it before?"

"Have you seen it?"

As they talked, their voices grew louder.

Zhaoyue squeezed into the middle, looked up, and shouted, "It's a sword!"

The man who had spoken of the knife looked down at it: "How did you know?"

"I just know."

"It's not even written in the weapon manual, how would a little demon like you know?"

Zhao Yue puffed out her chest, organizing her thoughts on how to depict the Eternal Flow without revealing the Yu family murals. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of the young master putting away the inspection form and walking towards the door.

"Hey, young master, wait for me!"

It stopped arguing and squeezed out between the man's legs.

The man wanted to ask more questions, but Zhaoyue had already disappeared.

Outside Sihai Tower, the sunlight on the street was somewhat dazzling.

Zhao Yue caught up, first glancing at the receipt in Shen Gui's hand, then at the seven-story pavilion behind him.

"Young master, I've been looking at the list in that building for a long time."

"Did you notice anything?"

"Your name isn't on the Myriad Manifestations Ranking. If you wanted to be on it, where would you rank?"