Chapter 1414: Entering the Saintly Forest Ranking
"Shut up! Brother Xiang is someone capable of killing Great Saints! What strength do you have? How can you be Brother Xiang's match? Stand back!" said Huang Gaojin.
The three Saints looked indignant, but they did not dare to disobey the second prince and could only do as told.
Xiang Shaoyun's mouth curved into a smile as he said, "Second prince, since they wish to teach me a lesson, give them a chance. Otherwise, they will constantly think that I'm someone they can bully easily."
"There is no need to keep talking about them, Brother Xiang. Let me show you the Saintly Forest Ranking," said Huang Gaojin, cleverly switching the topic.
Xiang Shaoyun did not push on either. He did not want to make an enemy out of the second prince. This person intended to befriend him, and it was up to him whether he wanted to accept this olive branch. Nevertheless, he did not hope to create unnecessary enemies. Otherwise, his trip to the Righteous Buddhist Sect would become even harder.
He wasn't so confident that he believed himself to be unrivaled. The Saintly Forest Ranking was located at the very depths of the Saintly Forest Courtyard. The ranking was located within a bamboo forest. With the gently swaying bamboo, the leaves swirling about in the wind, and the sunlight shining through the leaves, the place gave off a serene and comforting sensation.
The aura of Saints was branded upon the bamboo forest. Only those who had passed the bamboo forest could reach the Saintly Forest Stele, and only those who managed to leave their names on the stele could be ranked on the ranking.
The Saintly Forest Ranking would only preserve the brand of Saints below 200 years old. The moment one surpassed the age limit, one's name would be removed. It was no easy job to become a Saint before 200 years old. However, every generation, numerous new heroes would emerge throughout the dominion, accumulating to a large number of young Saints.
Only 1,000 names would be preserved on the Saintly Forest Ranking. In other words, the 1,000 Saints could be considered kings among Saints, individuals with strength far surpassing their peers.
On the stele was a certain miraculous power capable of evaluating not only one's strength but also one's potential. For example, a first-stage Saint capable of matching a third-stage Saint would be ranked far higher than the third-stage Saint. In other words, the ranking attached greater importance to one's talent. The higher one was ranked, the more terrifying one's potential would be.
Most young Saints would only attempt to challenge this ranking after reaching 100 years old. Some would even wait until they were nearly 200 years old. Only then would they have the confidence to enter the ranking. As Xiang Shaoyun wasn't even 50, the second prince had suggested that he only challenge the ranking in the future to have a better chance of entering the ranking.
"There hasn't been any new name on the ranking for about 1,000 years. Back then, the last person to leave his name on the ranking was my imperial uncle. Since then, numerous Saints have tried and failed to leave their names on the ranking. It is truly unfortunate," said Huang Gaojin with a sigh.
"Is the test really so difficult?" asked Xiang Shaoyun with astonishment.
"Of course. Half of those capable of leaving their names on the ranking are kings among Saints. The other half were already near the God Realm. These are the supreme experts of humanity," said Huang Gaojin with a look of yearning.
"Is the second prince not intending to give the test a try?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.
"Haha. Of course I will. But like I said, it's better to wait until I accumulate more strength to have a better chance at leaving a name on the ranking," said Huang Gaojin with a chortle.
"I see," said Xiang Shaoyun. He then walked toward the bamboo forest.
"Brother Xiang is indeed a stubborn one," said Huang Gaojin with a sigh.
"I thought the second prince said that I was strong enough to kill Great Saints? It's not like I will lose anything challenging the ranking," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"But each person will only have a single attempt at the challenge. You won't be given a second chance after failing," said Huang Gaojin.
"That doesn't matter. It's not like I'll stay here forever," said Xiang Shaoyun as he continued forward.
Abruptly, a Saint Realm aura appeared and pressed down upon him. This pressure was stronger than what a regular first-stage Saint could emit, reaching the strength of a peak second-stage Saint.
Xiang Shaoyun showed no fear and continued his advance. After 10 steps, another aura pressed down upon him. This time, the aura was comparable with what a third-stage Saint could emit. Xiang Shaoyun remained fearless. His physical body alone was strong enough to resist such pressure. He didn't even need to make use of his devil pearl.
Let me see if this person is really worthy of being known as a king among Saints, thought Huang Gaojin.
He had heard of Xiang Shaoyun's deeds and was extremely curious about Xiang Shaoyun. After all, a famous reputation would not come out of nowhere. Xiang Shaoyun would definitely not disappoint him. That was why he wanted to recruit Xiang Shaoyun.
When Xiang Shaoyun stepped deep into the bamboo forest, the bamboo trees suddenly started swaying madly, as though a powerful expert was attacking. The numerous bamboo trees started lashing out at a speed that no ordinary person could defend against. Even a third-stage Saint would be badly injured facing these bamboo trees. Due to the sheer number of bamboo trees, even dodging wasn't an option.
With his gift of instincts activated, Xiang Shaoyun saw through all the incoming attacks. He turned into a series of afterimages before vanishing into thin air, completely avoiding all the bamboo trees. When he reappeared, he was even deeper inside the bamboo tree.
"What kind of speed is this?" The second prince and the three Saints were all astonished. None of them could see how Xiang Shaoyun had moved. Evidently, his speed had surpassed even the wildest of their imaginations.
When it seemed like Xiang Shaoyun was about to pass through the bamboo forest, a boundless force descended from all directions. At the same time, countless bamboo trees whipped at him from all around him with an even stronger strength, causing even space to collapse. This was an attack with the might of a fifth-stage Saint—it was also the final test before one could reach the stele.
For many Saints, this was as far as they could go. This part of the test was also the reason why the second prince warned Xiang Shaoyun to only take the test in the future. This was merely a checkpoint for one to approach the stele, yet this attack was already so powerful. One could only imagine how hard it was to leave one's name on the stele.
Facing the powerful pressure and attacks, Xiang Shaoyun calmly roared, "Scram!"
With his roar, his devilish energy erupted and transformed into a storm that crushed the incoming pressure and bamboo trees, allowing him to easily step forward.