1648 The Prospective Rankings

Ming Aolian wasn't the only one who wanted to know more. Lin Mu and the others at the table were the same.

Dugu Shanhe challenged Childe Wildfire, of course. They had a short spar of three moves. Each would take three moves from the other, and if they couldn't take it, they would lose." Lu Xu explained. "They tossed a coin and Dugu Shan won it. But despite that he went first, taking the disadvantage. He withstood all attacks from Childe Wildfire, sustaining a few injuries."

"Isn't that bad? Why would he pick the disadvantage after winning the toss?" Qian Wen couldn't understand.

"Probably to make his victory unquestionable." Lin Mu spoke, guessing the man's reasoning.

"Indeed." Lu Xu nodded his head. "When it was Childe Wildfire's turn to take the attacks, he was knocked out in just a single attack!"

"W-what!?" Ming Dandan was stunned. "How's that possible? Isn't Childe Wildfire at the Fifth Tribulation Stage of the Immortal realm too?" she was doubtful.

"He is indeed. But Dugu Shanhe's skill was too strong… and mysterious. No one understood what he did, but a mere wave of his hand was all that was needed for Childe Wildfire to faint." Lu Xu said with a serious expression.

"Just a wave of his hand? What did he slap him unconscious?" Qian Wen chuckled.

"No… he didn't even touch him." Lu Xu said, much to everyone's surprise.

"What? No contact made?" They were stunned.

"A hypnotic skill?" Lin Mu threw out a guess.

"We don't know. People have been guessing since last week, but no one has been able to figure it out." Lu Xu stated. "But it was enough to get Dugu Shanhe sponsored by the Fourth Minister." He added.

"What? The fourth minister directly sponsored him?!" Qian Wen was astounded. "That man rarely sets any bets like this."

"Indeed. This is also why Dugu Shanhe jumped so quickly and why Childe Wildfire fell to the fourth instead of just the third position." Lu Xu replied.

Lin Mu felt rather intrigued by this all.

'I should definitely get to know the top contestants. Who knows, I might end up fighting them,' Lin Mu thought to himself.

Luo Liqin was staring at the third position with a slightly angry expression in all this. Lin Mu noticed it and asked, "what's up with the third ranker?"

"That's Yao Changying…" Luo Liqin was the one who spoke this time.

His voice held a hint of anger that didn't go unnoticed.

"That bitch." Ming Aolian cursed.

Lin Mu raised his brows at the open aggression. Thankfully, Lu Xu noticed Lin Mu's confusion and decided to explain.

"Yao Changying is the daughter of Princess Meifen… The blood sister of the Holy Topaz Emperor." Lu Xu revealed.

"The Holy Topaz Emperor is her uncle, then?" Lin Mu could somewhat start understanding.

"Indeed." Lu Xu nodded his head.

"Why does have a different surname though?" Lin Mu asked. "Don't most of the women marry into the royal family itself? And it is the men that taken on the surnames of the women they marry?"

"That is true for most of them, but in the case of Princess Meifen it's a bit different." Lu Xu replied. "Princess Meifen married the heir of the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect." He revealed.

Lin Mu tried to recall if he had heard about the Flourishing Flower Sword Sect, but couldn't. 'Since it's a sect, it's certainly not from the Rust Sky world.' He reckoned.

"The Flourishing Flower Sword Sect is one of the top sects of a nearby world, the Zhenzui World. It is also an immortal world, and is ranked just below the Rust Sky world in terms of progress. But the strength of their people is almost comparable to our world. Their sects are quite mysterious too." Lu Xu explained further.

"So since she married outside, she took on her husband's surname." Lin Mu now understood. "But that also means she left the Holy Topaz Dynasty." He added.

"She did indeed. But she still has a lot of privileges in our world and they apply the same to Yao Changying." Lu Xu replied.

Even if Lin Mu heard all this, he couldn't understand the hostility that Luo Liqin and Ming Aolian had shown before.

"Has Yao Changying done something bad?" Lin Mu couldn't help but ask.

"Bad? Bad would be an understatement…" Ming Aolian shook her head.

"Yao Changying had gathered several immortals on an expedition about fifty years ago." Luo Liqin started to speak. "It was an expedition into an inheritance ground located on an abandoned world."

Lin Mu listened carefully, a few thoughts popping up in his mind.

"But the expedition was merely a ruse. Yao Changying knew exactly what was going to happen and she even know what the inheritance ground was. It was a sacrificial temple!" Ming Aolian exclaimed. "She tricked the members of the expedition and got them to die, reaping the final rewards for herself. That is also how she managed to reach the Fifth Tribulation Stage of the Immortal realm so fast. A hundred years ago, she was merely at the second Tribulation Stage of the immortal realm."

Hearing this, Lin Mu pursed his lips. To him, this seemed like a classic method that several cultivators would use. It wasn't unusual for people to back stab each other on such kinds of expeditions.

"There's more to it, isn't it?" Lin Mu asked. "If this was openly known, there would be more opposition."

"Yes… unfortunately Yao Changying claimed it was all an accident. We only know this because out own people went on it too." Lu Liqin replied. "My master."

"One of my senior sisters went on it." Ming Aolian replied.

"I see… so it is personal for you two." Lin Mu spoke.

"Yes… the position she has taken has come at the cost of our loved ones. There is no way we can bear that." Luo Liqin stated with a fire in his eyes.

Having heard all this, Lin Mu took note of them.