The Jade Sand Skiff and the Prodigy Ranking

Chi Qiu followed Su Hanxing out of the small thatched hut. Outside, a vast expanse of white snow greeted them, and the bright environment made her squint uncomfortably. With a flick of Su Hanxing’s hand, a black treasure ship, over ten zhang long and three zhang wide, materialized on a nearby clearing.

“This treasure ship is called the Jade Sand Skiff,” Su Hanxing announced, approaching the vessel. “I imagine you’re quite familiar with it.”

He then invited Chi Qiu to board.

Chi Qiu naturally recognized the treasure ship. Its speed was extraordinary, and in their previous encounters, Su Hanxing had always relied on it to escape. However, having only ever glimpsed it from afar, this was Chi Qiu’s first time actually stepping aboard.

As Chi Qiu boarded, she immediately felt the wind still and the snow cease, replaced by a welcoming warmth. She glanced around, observing the heavy snow held at bay by an invisible barrier, unable to touch the ship’s hull. The ship’s prow, however, gleamed with a black, razor-sharp edge, a sight that sent a chill down one’s spine.

Once Su Hanxing was aboard, he swept his hand, causing long reclining couches, tables, and chairs to appear on the deck. A tea table, laden with various spirit fruits and precious brews, materialized directly before Chi Qiu. Without ceremony, Chi Qiu found a soft couch, sat down, and began to eat an unknown red spirit fruit from the table.

“My Jade Sand Skiff is incredibly fast, but its consumption of spirit stones is equally terrifying,” Su Hanxing explained. Noticing that Chi Qiu had claimed the softest couch, he settled onto a nearby wooden chair. “However, this treasure ship is inscribed with a spirit-gathering formation, so if there’s no urgency, it can sustain a slow flight like this.”

“With such speed, it’s only natural that it would consume more spirit stones,” Chi Qiu remarked.

Seated on the couch, Chi Qiu tapped the ship’s floor, feeling the spirit-gathering formation slowly draw in the world’s spiritual energy. She then turned to watch the treasure ship gracefully lift off the ground, a look of undisguised envy in her eyes. As a rogue cultivator who had always traveled far and wide in search of opportunities, she naturally yearned for such a mode of transport to spare her the hardships of travel, especially one that also possessed life-saving escape capabilities.

“At this speed, we’ll reach the Daqi National Treasury, where we’ll claim our rewards, in about half an hour,” Su Hanxing said. He raised his wine cup, took a sip, and seeing Chi Qiu still munching on the red spirit fruit, poured a cup for her as well.

“Speaking of which, Daqi established a Daqi Prodigy Ranking this time,” Chi Qiu said, swallowing the spirit fruit in her mouth. She suddenly remembered Su Hanxing’s earlier mention of the ranking and posed a question. “Where do you and I rank on that list?”

“I have a copy of the Daqi Prodigy Ranking here,” Su Hanxing said, producing a golden scroll from seemingly nowhere. He handed it to Chi Qiu.

Chi Qiu reached out, casually wiping her hands on her greatcloak several times. She then took the scroll and unrolled it. The very first name that met her eyes was a familiar one.

First Place: Su Hanxing of the Tianyan Sect.

Chi Qiu turned to look at Su Hanxing, who, with a slight arch of his brow, revealed a somewhat smug, toothy grin. “After our martial arts competition three days ago, I won two more consecutive matches and claimed the championship,” Su Hanxing declared. “Naturally, first place belongs to me.”

Chi Qiu merely raised an eyebrow, offering no comment. She unrolled the scroll further, continuing to read.

Second Place: Tan Xiao of the Gate of Wonders.

Third Place: Kong Hua of Spirit Mountain.

…

Seventh Place: Chi Qiu.

Her own name, lacking any sect affiliation, stood out somewhat conspicuously on the list. After finding her ranking, Chi Qiu didn’t stop but continued to read through the entire scroll. She realized, however, that she recognized almost none of the other names listed. Returning the scroll to Su Hanxing, she asked, “How many of these cultivators do you know?”

Su Hanxing took the scroll, a hint of confusion in his expression as to why Chi Qiu would ask such a question. Nevertheless, he replied, “About seventy to eighty percent, I’d say. Some of those lower-ranked names don’t really ring a bell.”

Chi Qiu nodded, then asked again, “My cultivation is completely lost now. What if someone wants to take my place on the ranking?”

Su Hanxing’s movement to put away the scroll paused slightly. He spoke with a touch of awkwardness, “This martial arts competition was quite successful, so the Imperial Family has decided to rename it the ‘Path-Seeking Assembly.’ It will be held every five years, and the conditions for participation will be relaxed, meaning more people should join. The rankings will be updated then.”

Chi Qiu understood. Such competitions were naturally beneficial for her. Her immediate priority was to quickly restore her cultivation and solidify her ranking at the next Path-Seeking Assembly.

“This body of yours is still young, and its cultivation talent is surely not lacking,” Su Hanxing commented, changing the subject as if he’d divined Chi Qiu’s thoughts. “Combined with your previous cultivation experience, your recovery will definitely be twice as fast.”

“Oh? It seems you know a great deal about this body,” Chi Qiu said, her spirits instantly lifting upon hearing Su Hanxing’s words. Her eyes widened as she pressed Su Hanxing for more information.

“I found this body and that coffin in the ruins of an ancient dynasty,” Su Hanxing began, recounting the tale. “This body belonged to the daughter of a minor kingdom’s monarch tens of thousands of years ago. She suffered some unknown attack, her soul completely annihilated, yet her physical body remained perfectly intact. Her monarch had crafted this coffin to preserve the body, hoping one day to revive it, but he never succeeded, even as his kingdom fell. Eventually, I deduced its location and retrieved it from the ruins. The parents of this body were both powerful cultivators, so their child’s talent would naturally be extraordinary.”

Su Hanxing continued, “This coffin is also exceptionally rare; after tens of thousands of years, the body still possessed vitality, which is why it could accommodate your soul.”

Chi Qiu nodded gently at this revelation, then asked, “That Soul Transference Art of yours, the one that knocks a person’s soul out of their body — why don’t I ever see you use it on others?”

As she spoke, a hint of annoyance crept into Chi Qiu’s voice. In their previous encounters, even when defeated, Su Hanxing had never employed this technique. Furthermore, throughout the entire martial arts competition, Su Hanxing had only used it once, and that was against her.

“Hahahaha!” Su Hanxing burst into laughter upon seeing Chi Qiu’s indignation. “I learned this Soul Transference Art several years ago. At the time, I thought this method of knocking a soul out of a body was incredibly potent and domineering, and it took me quite a bit of effort to master.”

“Only after I learned it did I realize the conditions for its use were too stringent: not only must the opponent be at least one major cultivation realm below me, but it also requires close-quarters deployment to be effective. Think about it, if an opponent is a major realm below me, why would I even need such a method to defeat them?”

“So, after mastering it, I never used it again, and gradually, I forgot about it. It wasn’t until last month, when I saw you break into the top 128 of the martial arts competition, that I realized a battle between us was inevitable in the future. After much contemplation, I finally recalled this technique.”

Su Hanxing, wary that his words might provoke Chi Qiu, quickly offered a defense. “Don’t blame me for being merciless. I repeatedly urged you to concede on the arena stage, and only used this method when you pushed me into a desperate situation.”

“A loss is a loss, and this wasn’t some underhanded trick. I won’t hold it against you,” Chi Qiu declared, though her words belied her inner thoughts. In her heart, she secretly vowed that once her cultivation was restored, she would certainly exact her revenge for this setback.

“Excellent! Brother Chi Qiu truly possesses a magnanimous spirit,” Su Hanxing praised, visibly relaxing upon seeing Chi Qiu’s stable emotions. “No wonder you, a rogue cultivator, could secure a spot in the top eight of the rankings.”

Chi Qiu offered no further comments. Instead, she asked several more questions about sects, which Su Hanxing answered one by one.

In this relaxed atmosphere of questions and answers, half an hour swiftly passed. In the distance, amidst the heavy snow, a colossal dark tower stood sentinel. The tower, nine stories high and a thousand zhang tall, was forged of iron, its formidable structure resembling an insurmountable chasm.

“The Daqi National Treasury is so conspicuous; it’s truly puzzling,” Chi Qiu mused, gazing at the dark, towering structure that pierced the clouds.

“This is merely the overt national treasury, a prop used by Daqi to display its power,” Su Hanxing explained, simultaneously slowing the treasure ship. “Even I cannot deduce the location of the true national treasury. However, this one still holds countless treasures, and we will choose our rewards from within.”

Only then did Chi Qiu grasp the full meaning.

The treasure ship slowly descended, coming to a halt about a li in front of the black colossal tower. Su Hanxing put away the Jade Sand Skiff, then turned to Chi Qiu behind him. “The area within one li of this Qi Profound Tower is enveloped by a restriction,” he explained. “No cultivators or magic treasures can fly here. We’ll wait, and someone will come to guide us.”

Chi Qiu complied, waiting patiently.

Before long, several figures clad in green armor approached from the distance. They stopped before Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing, and after a brief verification, the leader removed his helmet. Beneath it was a resolute face, radiating an intimidating authority without needing to express anger.

“My name is Lian Yuan,” the leader stated. “I will be guiding you two to claim your rewards.”

Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu dared not say much. They simply clasped their fists in a respectful salute and followed behind Lian Yuan.

“This Qi Profound Tower usually serves as one of the residences for our Daqi army,” Lian Yuan informed them. “However, our Daqi National Treasury is not inside the tower, but beneath it.”

A green light flared around Lian Yuan, enveloping all three of them, and in an instant, they found themselves beside the Qi Profound Tower.

Chi Qiu’s pupils contracted slightly. This ‘Shrinking the Ground into an Inch’ technique was likely beyond even Su Hanxing’s capabilities. She glanced up at Su Hanxing beside her, only to find him still smiling as usual, completely unperturbed.

Lian Yuan paid no mind to Chi Qiu’s astonishment. He produced a black token and pressed it against the tower gate, which stood dozens of zhang tall. A sizzling, dissolving sound followed, and a large, circular hole, tall enough for two people, appeared in the black tower gate. After retrieving his token, Lian Yuan gestured for the two to follow him into the towering structure.

“Opening this tower gate is quite difficult,” Lian Yuan explained to them. “The main entrance is only opened when important figures come to visit.”

The three entered the first floor of the Qi Profound Tower. The interior was vast but sparsely furnished; Chi Qiu and Su Hanxing saw nothing of note as they walked. After traveling for about a li, Lian Yuan led them into a massive spirit formation. He once again produced the black token and pressed it onto a formation flag. A shimmering white light enveloped the three, and when the radiance dissipated, they had vanished.

“This is our Daqi National Treasury,” Lian Yuan announced. “You two may only view the catalog here. Once you’ve made your selections, a dedicated attendant will deliver your chosen items.”

Chi Qiu and the others appeared in a colossal space. In the distance, a giant mountain stood, with faint figures moving about on it. Lian Yuan pointed to a high platform not far away and addressed the two. “This scroll contains thirty-six thousand divine abilities and cultivation methods, and an unknown number of high-grade magic treasures. You two may write down your requirements, and the spirit of the magic treasure within the scroll will make your selections.”

The two looked in the direction Lian Yuan pointed. On the high platform lay a massive ancient book, a full zhang square. This must have been the catalog Lian Yuan mentioned.

Su Hanxing was no longer as composed as before; a storm of emotions raged within his heart. Even a mere catalog in this national treasury had given birth to a treasure spirit. Such a feat was truly astonishing. Chi Qiu, however, didn’t realize what a treasure spirit was. Having cultivated for many years without ever possessing a true magic treasure, she naturally didn’t understand its profound significance.

Chi Qiu quickly ascended the platform, grabbed a brush from the side, and eager began to write on the ancient book. ‘I require a cultivation method suitable for a female cultivator, preferably with an accompanying offensive technique, and the higher the grade, the better. For a magic treasure, I desire an offensive one that complements the cultivation method.’

There were distinctions between men and women, and cultivators were no exception. Slight differences in the meridian structures meant some cultivation methods were unsuitable for men, while others were unsuitable for women. As Chi Qiu was previously male, she had naturally only kept cultivation methods suitable for men. Any methods suitable for women had long since been sold or exchanged for other cultivation resources by her. Now, having been forced into a female body, she had no suitable cultivation methods at hand and thus had to select one here. However, coming from the National Treasury, she believed it wouldn’t disappoint her.

The ink seeped into the ancient book, then quickly vanished. Not long after, the ink reappeared, forming several crooked characters: ‘Moon Gaze Treasure Canon, Azure Frost Sword.’

Chi Qiu noted down the names, descended the platform, and informed Lian Yuan, who nodded in agreement. Then, Su Hanxing also ascended the platform, diligently writing. His speed was considerably slower than Chi Qiu’s, prompting Chi Qiu to secretly ponder that it must be because Su Hanxing, as the champion, was eligible for more rewards.

Not long after, Su Hanxing descended the platform and whispered his requirements to Lian Yuan. Lian Yuan nodded once more, then closed his eyes. Subsequently, two golden streaks of light flashed from the giant mountain in the distance, flying into their hands in an instant. As the golden light dispersed, Chi Qiu raised her hand to see an ancient, simple green ring.

“This is a storage treasure,” Lian Yuan explained, simultaneously channeling true qi. “Your respective rewards are within it; a simple probe with your true qi will reveal them.” Light patterns began to emerge on the ground, and a moment later, a white flash enveloped the three, transporting them directly back outside the Qi Profound Tower.

“The cultivation methods and secret manuals within the rings are all printed copies,” Lian Yuan solemnly instructed. “They will automatically dissipate after being read and are strictly forbidden from being passed on to outsiders. Do you both understand?”

Chi Qiu nodded.

“You are the future of our Daqi. Do not let temporary glory blind your eyes. While it is difficult to ascend the rankings, it is even harder to maintain your position. You must continue to strive. Now, let’s go,” Lian Yuan said, putting on his helmet and lowering his faceplate, his voice becoming somewhat muffled.

“We shall heed Senior’s teachings,” Su Hanxing said, bowing with clasped fists. Seeing Su Hanxing bow, Chi Qiu hastily followed suit.

Lian Yuan said nothing further, turning and re-entering the tower.

“Let’s go. I’ll take you back. Are you still planning to stay in that small thatched hut?” Su Hanxing asked, summoning the Jade Sand Skiff and inviting Chi Qiu aboard.

“That place is remote yet still within the imperial city, making it suitable for concealing my whereabouts,” Chi Qiu explained as she boarded the ship. “Aside from the disciples of your Tianyan Sect, others would have to expend considerable effort to find it. I’ll reside there for a while.”

“That’s true,” Su Hanxing chuckled softly, activating the Jade Sand Skiff. “Next, I must return to my sect to prepare for entering the imperial secret realm. We shall meet again if fate allows.”

“It’s better if we don’t meet again. I don’t want to see you,” Chi Qiu replied, leaning back on the couch. As a mortal, she now felt a touch of weariness.

“How heartless! I still owe you a treasure, after all, since I took your divine ability, ‘Intertwined Gold’,” Su Hanxing said, feigning sadness.

“We can talk about it after you emerge from the secret realm,” Chi Qiu said, turning her head to gaze at the passing scenery.