“ shì a ， shù dà zhāo fēng ， lín shī dì ， nǐ de gōng láo ， wǒ yǔ shī jiě qīng qīng chǔ chǔ ， nǐ jiù bù yòng zài zhè ér qiān xùn tuī cí le 。” lóng xìng shào nián wēi xiào zhe shuō 。
“是啊，树大招风，林师弟，你的功劳，我与师姐清清楚楚，你就不用在这儿谦逊推辞了。”龙姓少年微笑着说。
"Indeed, a big tree attracts much wind. My junior brother Lin, I and my senior sister are well aware of your contributions to the sect. You don't need to be so modest," said the young man with the surname Long with a smile.
huà shuō dào zhè yī bù ， lín xuān ruò jì xù tuī tuō ， shuō zì jǐ duì zōng mén méi yǒu fēn háo bāng zhù ， nà wèi miǎn yě tài zuò zuò ， sú huà shuō guò yóu bù jí ， yú shì tā hán xiào bù yǔ 。
话说到这一步，林轩若继续推脱，说自己对宗门没有分毫帮助，那未免也太做作，俗话说过犹不及，于是他含笑不语。
At this point, if Lin Xuan continued to refuse, claiming he had done nothing for the sect, it would seem overly pretentious. The saying goes that excess is as bad as deficiency. Thus, he remained silent with a smile.
tīng liǎng rén shuō le piàn kè ， tā tū rán xiǎng qǐ yī shì ：“ duì le ， shī jiě ， nǐ gāng gāng shuō ， běn mén zài nài lóng jiè de zōng mén jiā zú zhōng ， pái míng dì shí èr ， zhè shì shén me ……”
听两人说了片刻，他突然想起一事：“对了，师姐，你刚刚说，本门在鼐龙界的宗门家族中，排名第十二，这是什么……”
After listening to them for a moment, Lin Xuan suddenly remembered something: "Right, senior sister, you just mentioned that our sect ranks twelfth among the clans of the Nael Dragon Realm. What's this about?"
lín xuān tīng zhe ， shì yǒu xiē qí tè ， nài lóng jiè miàn jī guǎng kuò ， zōng mén jiā zú shǔ bù shèng shǔ ， qiáng ruò gèng shì xuán shū ， dàn jū rán hái yǒu pái míng ， zhè bú shì tài lí pǔ 。
林轩听着，是有些奇特，鼐龙界面积广阔，宗门家族数不胜数，强弱更是悬殊，但居然还有排名，这不是太离谱。
Lin Xuan found it somewhat peculiar. The Nael Dragon Realm was vast and had countless sects and clans with varying strengths. Yet there were rankings? This didn't seem too far-fetched.
“ hē hē ， shī dì shuō zhè ge ， cǐ pái míng yóu lái yǐ jiǔ ， ruò zhuī běn sù yuán ， kǒng pà yào kǎo zhèng dào bǎi wàn nián qián ， qǐ chū ， yuán běn shì yī xiē wú suǒ shì shì de xiū xiān zhě ， hú luàn pái zhe wán de ， hòu lái bù zhī wèi hé ， yī xiē dà shì lì ， què zhòng shì qǐ zhè ge pái míng lái le ， měi guò wǔ bǎi nián ， biàn huì pài chū dà liàng de dì zǐ duì běn jiè gè gè zōng mén jiā zú de shí lì ， jìn xíng kǎo zhèng ， suí hòu gěi chū yí gè bǎng dān pái míng ， hòu lái ， gèng yǒu wàn xiǎo xiān gōng zhuān mén fù zé cǐ shì 。”
“呵呵，师弟说这个，此排名由来已久，若追本溯源，恐怕要考证到百万年前，起初，原本是一些无所事事的修仙者，胡乱排着玩的，后来不知为何，一些大势力，却重视起这个排名来了，每过五百年，便会派出大量的弟子对本界各个宗门家族的实力，进行考证，随后给出一个榜单排名，后来，更有万晓仙宫专门负责此事。”
"Haha, junior brother, you're asking about this ranking. It has a long history. If we trace its origins back to the beginning, it might date back a million years or more. Initially, some idle cultivators would randomly rank themselves for fun. Later on, unknown reasons led powerful factions to take this ranking seriously. Every five hundred years, many disciples would be dispatched to assess the strength of each clan in our realm and provide rankings. Eventually, the Immortal Palace of Wan Xiao took over this responsibility."
lín xuān dà gǎn yà rán ， zhè wàn xiǎo xiān gōng ， tā tīng shuō guò ， yǔ zhēn jí mén yī yàng ， nǎi shì nài lóng jiè yǒu shù de dà shì lì zhī yī ， yì bān de xiū xiān zhě ， zhǐ néng gāo shān yǎng zhǐ ， tīng shuō gāi pài shōu tú ， yán kē yǐ jí ， fēi shèng líng gēn huò zhě shì tè shū tǐ zhì de hǎo miáo zi ， xiū xiǎng jìn rù gāi pài ， chéng wéi qí dì zǐ 。
林轩大感讶然，这万晓仙宫，他听说过，与真极门一样，乃是鼐龙界有数的大势力之一，一般的修仙者，只能高山仰止，听说该派收徒，严苛以极，非圣灵根或者是特殊体质的好苗子，休想进入该派，成为其弟子。
Lin Xuan was quite surprised. He had heard of the Immortal Palace of Wan Xiao; it was one of the major powers in the Nael Dragon Realm alongside the True Apex Sect. Ordinary cultivators could only look up to them. It was said that their recruitment process was extremely strict, and only those with exceptional spiritual roots or special physiologies were considered.
ráo shì rú cǐ ， gāi pài yī jiù shì xīng shèng yǐ jí ， nǎi shì gēn běn bù néng zhāo rě de dà shì lì ， méi xiǎng dào hái yǒu yǎ xìng ， zhì zuò zhè zhǒng bǎng dān ， bù guò yǐ wàn xiǎo xiān gōng de wēi míng fā bù chū lái ， qí kě xìn dù ， hái shì xiāng dāng de lìng rén xìn fú 。
饶是如此，该派依旧是兴盛以极，乃是根本不能招惹的大势力，没想到还有雅兴，制作这种榜单，不过以万晓仙宫的威名发布出来，其可信度，还是相当的令人信服。
Despite this, the sect remained thriving and formidable enough not to be provoked. He never expected such a refined interest in creating these rankings. However, given the reputation of the Immortal Palace of Wan Xiao, its credibility was quite convincing.
běn mén pái míng dì shí èr le ？
本门排名第十二了？
Our sect ranks twelfth?
tīng zhe bù dī bù guò lín xuān jì rán shì dì yī cì tīng shuō ， hái yǒu zhè ge pái míng ， duì yú gè dà mén pài de míng cì ， zì rán shì fēn háo yìn xiàng yě wú ， yú shì wèn le yī jù ：“ nà yǐ qián ， pái míng rú hé ？”
听着不低不过林轩既然是第一次听说，还有这个排名，对于各大门派的名次，自然是分毫印象也无，于是问了一句：“那以前，排名如何？”
It wasn't too low, but as it was his first time hearing about this ranking, he had no prior impressions of the various sects' standings. Thus, he asked: "What were the rankings before?"
“ yǐ qián ？”
“以前？”
"Before?"
lóng xìng shào nián yǔ yín tóng shào nǚ duì shì yī yǎn liǎn shàng jiē shǎn guò gān gà zhī sè ， dàn qián zhě hái shì lǎo shí de kāi kǒu le ：“ shī dì shì wèn de duō jiǔ yǐ qián ， bǎng dān měi wǔ bǎi nián yī biàn ， ruò shì zài nǐ jiā rù běn mén zhī qián de huà ， shì pái míng …… liǎng bǎi duō ， yīng gāi shì méi cuò ， bù guò jù tǐ duō shǎo wèi wǒ yǐ jīng jì bù qīng chǔ 。”
龙姓少年与银瞳少女对视一眼脸上皆闪过尴尬之色，但前者还是老实的开口了：“师弟是问的多久以前，榜单每五百年一变，若是在你加入本门之前的话，是排名……两百多，应该是没错，不过具体多少位我已经记不清楚。”
The young man with the surname Long and the silver-eyed maiden exchanged glances, both showing signs of embarrassment. However, the former spoke up honestly: "Junior brother, you're asking about how long ago. The rankings change every five hundred years. If it was before you joined our sect, we were ranked... over two hundred. That's probably correct, but I can't remember exactly."
lóng xìng shào nián shuō dào zhè lǐ liǎn shàng yī hóng yǐ xiū xiān zhě guò mù bù wàng de shén tōng ， yòu shì zhè me zhòng yào de bǎng dān tā qǐ huì jì bù qīng chǔ zhǐ bù guò shì bù hǎo yì sī shuō ， nà yī cì pái míng ， yīng gāi shì liǎng bǎi jiǔ shí bā wèi de ， zhǐ chà liǎng míng ， jiù diào dào sān bǎi kāi wài de ， dāng chū zì jǐ yǔ shī jiě hái bù jué dé ， yún yǐn zōng zài tā men liǎng rén de shǒu lǐ ， suī rán méi yǒu fā yáng guāng dà ， dàn yě méi yǒu pò luò ， zhè me duō nián pái míng yě jiù zài sān bǎi wèi zuǒ yòu shàng xià qǐ fú 。
龙姓少年说到这里脸上一红以修仙者过目不忘的神通，又是这么重要的榜单他岂会记不清楚只不过是不好意思说，那一次排名，应该是两百九十八位的，只差两名，就掉到三百开外的，当初自己与师姐还不觉得，云隐宗在他们两人的手里，虽然没有发扬光大，但也没有破落，这么多年排名也就在三百位左右上下起伏。
The young man with the surname Long blushed. As a cultivator who never forgot what they saw, and given such an important ranking list, he couldn't possibly forget. He just didn't want to say it. The last ranking was 298th—just two spots away from dropping into the three hundreds. Back then, under their guidance, Yun Yin Sect hadn’t declined but also hadn't flourished much; its rank had fluctuated around the three hundred mark for many years.
kě lín shī dì yī lái ， bù dé le ， zì cóng tā jìn jiē fēn shén qī ， miè shā tiān jué lǎo guài ， shōu fú sān dà zōng mén cóng cǐ běn mén zài bǎng dān shàng cuān shēng de sù dù ， jiǎn zhí jiù yǔ shī zhǎn le shùn xī wàn lǐ de fǎ shù chà bu duō 。
可林师弟一来，不得了，自从他进阶分神期，灭杀天绝老怪，收服三大宗门从此本门在榜单上蹿升的速度，简直就与施展了瞬息万里的法术差不多。
But with Lin Xuan's arrival, it changed dramatically. Since he ascended to the Spirit Separation Stage and killed the Elder Tiantie, subduing three major sects, our sect’s ranking on the list skyrocketed as if a teleportation spell had been cast.
yóu liǎng bǎi jiǔ shí bā ， zhí jiē fēi shēng dào dì shí èr ， liǎng rén zuò wéi tóng mén ， zì rán shì yǔ yǒu róng yān ， kě nà shì zài wài rén miàn qián ， cǐ kè tīng lín xuān wèn qǐ ， què bèi gǎn hàn yán 。
由两百九十八，直接飞升到第十二，两人作为同门，自然是与有荣焉，可那是在外人面前，此刻听林轩问起，却倍感汗颜。
From 298th, it soared all the way to twelfth place. As fellow disciples, they were naturally proud of this, but now hearing Lin Xuan ask about it made them feel ashamed.
lín shī dì yī jiā rù ， bǎng dān shēng jí dé rú cǐ lí pǔ 。
林师弟一加入，榜单升级得如此离谱。
Lin Xuan's joining caused such a drastic change in the rankings.
liǎng xiāng bǐ jiào ， zì jǐ yǔ shī jiě ， shì bú shì xiǎn de tè bié méi yòng ， tè bié wú néng a ！
两相比较，自己与师姐，是不是显得特别没用，特别无能啊！
Compared to their current standing, how useless and incapable did they seem?
tóng shì fēn shén qī xiū xiān zhě ， chā jù ， zěn me jiù zhè me dà ne ？
同是分神期修仙者，差距，怎么就这么大呢？
Why was there such a significant difference between them as Spirit Separation Stage cultivators?
dāng rán ， tā zhè bú shì jí dù 。
当然，他这不是嫉妒。
Of course, he wasn't envious. Lin Xuan had done great things for both of them, and his strength benefited Yun Yin Sect immensely. They were happy about it.
lín xuān duì liǎng rén ， dōu yǒu mò dà ēn dé ， tā de qiáng dà ， duì yún yǐn zōng yě zhǐ yǒu hǎo chù ， liǎng rén shì lè jiàn qí chéng de 。
林轩对两人，都有莫大恩德，他的强大，对云隐宗也只有好处，两人是乐见其成的。
But while they were happy, could they really be so unbothered by the situation?
kě xīn rán shì yī huí shì ， néng bù néng sǎ tuō yòu shì lìng wài yī huí shì 。
可欣然是一回事，能不能洒脱又是另外一回事。
So, the young man with the surname Long hedged his answer, saying that the ranking was over two hundred but couldn't remember exactly.
liǎng rén yòu zěn me kě néng yì diǎn dōu bú yào miàn zi 。
两人又怎么可能一点都不要面子。
Lin Xuan was surprised. How could he forget?
suǒ yǐ ， lóng xìng shào nián cái hán hú qí cí ， shuō pái míng liǎng bǎi duō ， jù tǐ ， què jì bù qīng chǔ 。
所以，龙姓少年才含糊其辞，说排名两百多，具体，却记不清楚。
However, as a cultivator who had lived for thousands of years and was well-versed in worldly matters, he understood their expressions all too well.
lín xuān yī è ， zěn me huì jì bù qīng le ？
林轩一愕，怎么会记不清了？
Thus, he didn’t say anything more.
bù guò tā yě shì huó le shù qiān nián de xiū xiān zhě ， lǎo yú shì gù ， jiàn le duì fāng de biǎo qíng ， nǎ lǐ huì bù qīng chǔ 。
不过他也是活了数千年的修仙者，老于世故，见了对方的表情，哪里会不清楚。
While it was true that the ranking was over two hundred, it was quite far down.
yú shì zì rán yě bù zài kāi kǒu le 。
于是自然也不再开口了。
In fact, this wasn't surprising. Back then, before his arrival, Yun Yin Sect had been one of the five major sects in Tian Shuang Prefecture.
xiāng bǐ pái míng liǎng bǎi duō shì méi cuò ， dàn què shì hěn kào hòu miàn de 。
相比排名两百多是没错，但却是很靠后面的。
But even so, its strength wasn't prominent among them. The Nael Dragon Realm had ninety-nine prefectures, and all the clans combined made a ranking system. A rank of two hundred plus for Yun Yin Sect was not unusual.
qí shí xiǎng xiǎng yě bù qí guài ， bié kàn xī rì ， zì jǐ jiā rù zhī qián ， yún yǐn zōng jiù shì tiān shuāng jùn wǔ dà zōng mén zhī yī 。
其实想想也不奇怪，别看昔日，自己加入之前，云隐宗就是天霜郡五大宗门之一。
Still, even with his addition, it took over three thousand years to rise so quickly. Lin Xuan found this somewhat strange. While several millennia seemed like an instant in their eyes, it wasn't that long either.
dàn yě jǐn jǐn shì zhī yī ér yǐ ， zài wǔ dà zōng mén zhōng ， shí lì bìng bù xiǎn hè ， ér nài lóng jiè de jùn fǔ ， zú zú yǒu jiǔ jiǔ bā shí yí gè zhī duō ， suǒ yǒu zōng mén jiā zú jiā zài yì qǐ ， zhì gè bǎng dān ， yún yǐn zōng pái míng liǎng bǎi duō ， yě jiù bù xī qí le 。
但也仅仅是之一而已，在五大宗门中，实力并不显赫，而鼐龙界的郡府，足足有九九八十一个之多，所有宗门家族加在一起，制个榜单，云隐宗排名两百多，也就不稀奇了。
Despite the rapid development of our sect, compared to those super-sects, its foundation was still vastly lacking.
zhǐ shì jiù suàn tiān jiā yí gè zì jǐ ， zài fā zhǎn liǎng sān qiān nián ， jiù néng shàng shēng dé zhè me kuài ， lín xuān yǒu xiē xī qí ， bì jìng jǐ qiān nián duì yú tā men zhè zhǒng děng jiē de xiū xiān zhě ， shuō dàn zhǐ yī huī jiān yǒu xiē tài guò ， dàn shí zài yě suàn bù liǎo duō zhǎng de 。
只是就算添加一个自己，再发展两三千年，就能上升得这么快，林轩有些稀奇，毕竟几千年对于他们这种等阶的修仙者，说弹指一挥间有些太过，但实在也算不了多长的。
Lin Xuan's thoughts raced as another question surfaced: "Right, what about the True Apex Sect? Where does it rank?"
zhè me duǎn de shí jiān ， běn mén jiù suàn huò dé le jí kuài de fā zhǎn ， dàn bǐ zhī nà xiē chāo jí zōng mén ， dǐ yùn xiǎng bì hái shì chà zhī shèn yuǎn 。
这么短的时间，本门就算获得了极快的发展，但比之那些超级宗门，底蕴想必还是差之甚远。
"True Apex Sect?"
lín xuān nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn guò ， yí gè wèn tí yòu fú xiàn yú nǎo hǎi le ：“ duì le ， zhēn jí mén zài bǎng dān zhōng pái míng duō shǎo ne ？”
林轩脑海中念头转过，一个问题又浮现于脑海了：“对了，真极门在榜单中排名多少呢？”
The young man with the surname Long was surprised. He knew this famous major sect well enough, but Lin Xuan hadn't interacted with them directly. The sect seemed to be asking about their own standing.
“ zhēn jí mén ？”
“真极门？”
"The True Apex Sect ranks fifth."
lóng xìng shào nián yī è ， zhè shēng míng xiǎn hè de dà zōng mén tā zì rán xiǎo de ， zhǐ shì lín shī dì yòu bù céng jiē chù ， zōng mén xiǎng zhe wèn qǐ zhēn jí mén de shì qíng lái le 。” zhēn jí mén pái míng dì wǔ 。”
龙姓少年一愕，这声名显赫的大宗门他自然晓得，只是林师弟又不曾接触，宗门想着问起真极门的事情来了。”真极门排名第五。”
Though puzzled, he still answered truthfully.
suī rán yí huò ， dàn tā hái shì lǎo lǎo shí shí de huí dá lín xuān de wèn tí le 。
虽然疑惑，但他还是老老实实的回答林轩的问题了。
"What? Only fifth?"
“ shén me ， cái pái dì wǔ ？”
“什么，才排第五？”
Lin Xuan was greatly surprised. He had never directly engaged with the True Apex Sect, but back when Elder Tianyuan pursued him, he had benefited from its reputation and met its newly promoted Supreme Elder, Xuan Shu. He admired their strength immensely. With Xuan Shu at that level, it was easy to imagine what the true patriarch of the sect, the Celestial Apex Immortal, must be like.
lín xuān dà gǎn cuò è ， zhēn jí mén tā shì méi yǒu zhí jiē dǎ guò jiāo dào ， rán ér dāng chū bèi tiān yuán shàng rén zhuī suǒ ， tā yě céng jī yuán qiǎo hé ， yī tuō guò gāi pài wēi míng de bì hù ， hái jiàn guò gāi pài xīn jìn jí de tài shàng zhǎng lǎo ， xuán shū shàng rén de 。
林轩大感错愕，真极门他是没有直接打过交道，然而当初被天元上人追索，他也曾机缘巧合，依托过该派威名的庇护，还见过该派新晋级的太上长老，璇书上人的。
They said that the Celestial Apex Immortal had advanced through the Tribulation stage and was just one step away from achieving true immortality.
duì qí shí lì ， yě shí fēn pèi fú ， xuán shū shàng rú cǐ ， gāi pài dà zhǎng lǎo ， zhēn zhèng ràng gāi pài shēng míng yuǎn bō de tiān jí zhēn rén jiù kě xiǎng ér zhī le 。
对其实力，也十分佩服，璇书尚如此，该派大长老，真正让该派声名远播的天极真人就可想而知了。
With such an existence, how could a sect with such ancient heritage rank only fifth?
tīng shuō ， nà wèi kě shì dù jié zhōng qī de xiū xiān zhě ， chà yī bù jiù néng zhēn zhèng shí xiàn cháng shēng bù lǎo de mèng xiǎng le 。
听说，那位可是渡劫中期的修仙者，差一步就能真正实现长生不老的梦想了。
Lin Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.
yǒu zhè yàng de cún zài ， zhēn jí mén yòu shì chuán chéng zì shàng gǔ ， jū rán cái pái míng dì wǔ 。
有这样的存在，真极门又是传承自上古，居然才排名第五。
"Who are the top four then?"
lín xuān yǒu xiē dǎn hán le 。
林轩有些胆寒了。
"The first place goes to the Sword Lake Palace."
“ nà pái míng qián sì de yòu shì hé fāng shén shèng ne ？”
“那排名前四的又是何方神圣呢？”
"Sword Lake Palace?"
“ pái míng dì yī de shì jiàn hú gōng 。”
“排名第一的是剑湖宫。”
A spark of interest flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. The name sounded familiar; it was the same as one of the clans on Seven Star Island, Cloud Sea.
“ jiàn hú gōng ？”
“剑湖宫？”
Of course, they were just namesakes—the former being a minor sect in the mortal realm and the latter a superpower in the Spirit Realm. They couldn't be compared at all.
lín xuān yǎn zhōng yì cǎi yī shǎn ， zhè míng zì yǒu xiē ěr shú ， duì le ， yǔ shù qiān nián ， qī xīng dǎo yún hǎi de yí gè zōng mén xiāng tóng 。
林轩眼中异彩一闪，这名字有些耳熟，对了，与数千年，七星岛云海的一个宗门相同。
But that Sword Lake Palace ranked first, yet Lin Xuan had never heard of it—was he too narrow-minded?
dāng rán ， yě jǐn jǐn shì míng zì xiāng tóng ， yí gè shì rén jiè de xiǎo zōng mén ， yí gè shì líng jiè de chāo jí shì lì ， liǎng zhě gēn běn jiù bù kě tóng rì ér yǔ 。
当然，也仅仅是名字相同，一个是人界的小宗门，一个是灵界的超级势力，两者根本就不可同日而语。
Lin Xuan thought to himself with self-deprecating humor.
bù guò zhè jiàn hú gōng pái míng dì yī ， zì jǐ jū rán bù céng tīng guò ， shì bú shì yǒu diǎn gū lòu guǎ wén le 。
不过这剑湖宫排名第一，自己居然不曾听过，是不是有点孤陋寡闻了。
"Who are the second through fourth places?" Lin Xuan asked curiously. At this moment, his curiosity was quite strong. It wasn't surprising that Lin Xuan hadn’t heard of the Sword Lake Palace; one, they had no connection, and two, the Nael Dragon Realm was vast. Even though the Sword Lake Palace was well-known, its distance prevented it from reaching these remote areas.
"Indeed, a big tree attracts much wind. My junior brother Lin, I and my senior sister are well aware of your contributions to the sect. You don't need to be so modest," said the young man with the surname Long with a smile.
At this point, if Lin Xuan continued to refuse, claiming he had done nothing for the sect, it would seem overly pretentious. The saying goes that excess is as bad as deficiency. Thus, he remained silent with a smile.
After listening to them for a moment, Lin Xuan suddenly remembered something: "Right, senior sister, you just mentioned that our sect ranks twelfth among the clans of the Nael Dragon Realm. What's this about?"
Lin Xuan found it somewhat peculiar. The Nael Dragon Realm was vast and had countless sects and clans with varying strengths. Yet there were rankings? This didn't seem too far-fetched.
"Haha, junior brother, you're asking about this ranking. It has a long history. If we trace its origins back to the beginning, it might date back a million years or more. Initially, some idle cultivators would randomly rank themselves for fun. Later on, unknown reasons led powerful factions to take this ranking seriously. Every five hundred years, many disciples would be dispatched to assess the strength of each clan in our realm and provide rankings. Eventually, the Immortal Palace of Wan Xiao took over this responsibility."
"Oh?"
Lin Xuan was quite surprised. He had heard of the Immortal Palace of Wan Xiao; it was one of the major powers in the Nael Dragon Realm alongside the True Apex Sect. Ordinary cultivators could only look up to them. It was said that their recruitment process was extremely strict, and only those with exceptional spiritual roots or special physiologies were considered.
Despite this, the sect remained thriving and formidable enough not to be provoked. He never expected such a refined interest in creating these rankings. However, given the reputation of the Immortal Palace of Wan Xiao, its credibility was quite convincing.
Our sect ranks twelfth?
It wasn't too low, but as it was his first time hearing about this ranking, he had no prior impressions of the various sects' standings. Thus, he asked: "What were the rankings before?"
"Before?"
The young man with the surname Long and the silver-eyed maiden exchanged glances, both showing signs of embarrassment. However, the former spoke up honestly: "Junior brother, you're asking about how long ago. The rankings change every five hundred years. If it was before you joined our sect, we were ranked... over two hundred. That's probably correct, but I can't remember exactly."
The young man with the surname Long blushed. As a cultivator who never forgot what they saw, and given such an important ranking list, he couldn't possibly forget. He just didn't want to say it. The last ranking was 298th—just two spots away from dropping into the three hundreds. Back then, under their guidance, Yun Yin Sect hadn’t declined but also hadn't flourished much; its rank had fluctuated around the three hundred mark for many years.
But with Lin Xuan's arrival, it changed dramatically. Since he ascended to the Spirit Separation Stage and killed the Elder Tiantie, subduing three major sects, our sect’s ranking on the list skyrocketed as if a teleportation spell had been cast.
From 298th, it soared all the way to twelfth place. As fellow disciples, they were naturally proud of this, but now hearing Lin Xuan ask about it made them feel ashamed.
Lin Xuan's joining caused such a drastic change in the rankings.
Compared to their current standing, how useless and incapable did they seem?
Why was there such a significant difference between them as Spirit Separation Stage cultivators?
Of course, he wasn't envious. Lin Xuan had done great things for both of them, and his strength benefited Yun Yin Sect immensely. They were happy about it.
But while they were happy, could they really be so unbothered by the situation?
So, the young man with the surname Long hedged his answer, saying that the ranking was over two hundred but couldn't remember exactly.
Lin Xuan was surprised. How could he forget?
However, as a cultivator who had lived for thousands of years and was well-versed in worldly matters, he understood their expressions all too well.
Thus, he didn’t say anything more.
While it was true that the ranking was over two hundred, it was quite far down.
In fact, this wasn't surprising. Back then, before his arrival, Yun Yin Sect had been one of the five major sects in Tian Shuang Prefecture.
But even so, its strength wasn't prominent among them. The Nael Dragon Realm had ninety-nine prefectures, and all the clans combined made a ranking system. A rank of two hundred plus for Yun Yin Sect was not unusual.
Still, even with his addition, it took over three thousand years to rise so quickly. Lin Xuan found this somewhat strange. While several millennia seemed like an instant in their eyes, it wasn't that long either.
Despite the rapid development of our sect, compared to those super-sects, its foundation was still vastly lacking.
Lin Xuan's thoughts raced as another question surfaced: "Right, what about the True Apex Sect? Where does it rank?"
"True Apex Sect?"
The young man with the surname Long was surprised. He knew this famous major sect well enough, but Lin Xuan hadn't interacted with them directly. The sect seemed to be asking about their own standing.
"The True Apex Sect ranks fifth."
Though puzzled, he still answered truthfully.
"What? Only fifth?"
Lin Xuan was greatly surprised. He had never directly engaged with the True Apex Sect, but back when Elder Tianyuan pursued him, he had benefited from its reputation and met its newly promoted Supreme Elder, Xuan Shu. He admired their strength immensely. With Xuan Shu at that level, it was easy to imagine what the true patriarch of the sect, the Celestial Apex Immortal, must be like.
They said that the Celestial Apex Immortal had advanced through the Tribulation stage and was just one step away from achieving true immortality.
With such an existence, how could a sect with such ancient heritage rank only fifth?
Lin Xuan felt a chill run down his spine.
"Who are the top four then?"
"The first place goes to the Sword Lake Palace."
"Sword Lake Palace?"
A spark of interest flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes. The name sounded familiar; it was the same as one of the clans on Seven Star Island, Cloud Sea.
Of course, they were just namesakes—the former being a minor sect in the mortal realm and the latter a superpower in the Spirit Realm. They couldn't be compared at all.
But that Sword Lake Palace ranked first, yet Lin Xuan had never heard of it—was he too narrow-minded?
Lin Xuan thought to himself with self-deprecating humor.
"Who are the second through fourth places?" Lin Xuan asked curiously. At this moment, his curiosity was quite strong. It wasn't surprising that Lin Xuan hadn’t heard of the Sword Lake Palace; one, they had no connection, and two, the Nael Dragon Realm was vast. Even though the Sword Lake Palace was well-known, its distance prevented it from reaching these remote areas.