Joining the Heavenly Pride Rankings

Shen Yunfei's eyes were filled with longing as he gazed at the Heavenly Pride Ranking, which piqued Chen Chang'an's curiosity.

"You don’t actually want to get on that Heavenly Pride Ranking, do you?" Chen Chang'an asked in disbelief.

"Of course! That’s exactly why I’m here—to compete for a spot on the ranking."

"Even though my current strength is still lacking, just making it to the bottom of the list would be enough for me," Shen Yunfei replied with a smile.

"Don’t joke around. How old are you? Still competing for the Heavenly Pride Ranking?"

Since it was called the Heavenly Pride Ranking, it was naturally meant for the geniuses among the younger generation. When Chen Chang'an first met Shen Yunfei back in the Tai Xuan Realm, the man was already far from young.

Adding it all up, he must be at least twenty thousand years old by now. Twenty thousand years old and still trying for the Heavenly Pride Ranking?

"Brother Chen, you’re missing the bigger picture here."

"The Heavenly Pride Ranking in the Xuan Tian Domain is just one of its branch rankings, not the main one."

"And in the Ancient Immortal Domain, anyone under thirty thousand years old is still considered part of the younger generation."

"I’m only in my twenties—still young!"

Under thirty thousand years old counts as the younger generation?

Holy shit…

As expected of the Ancient Immortal Domain—their way of calculating age is on a whole different level.

In the Tai Xuan Realm, someone thirty thousand years old would be considered an ancestor among ancestors, but here, they’re just part of the younger crowd.

"Hey!"

"That means you’ve got a shot too, big brother!" Da Huang chimed in excitedly.

Back in the Tai Xuan Realm, when the Earth Ranking was unveiled, Da Huang had always regretted not knowing just how strong Chen Chang'an’s combat prowess truly was.

If Chen Chang'an had been able to compete for a spot on the rankings, the results would have been astounding.

Unfortunately, Chen Chang'an didn’t meet the requirements for the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings. But now, with the Heavenly Pride Ranking, he actually had a chance.

The only question was whether there was a testing monument for combat prowess here.

Then again… the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings were created by the Zhou Family, and the testing monument likely originated from the Ancient Immortal Domain as well.

The more Da Huang thought about it, the more excited he became, itching to drag Chen Chang'an off to test his strength right away.

"By the way, Brother Chen, you should meet the age requirement too, right?"

"With your monstrous talent, you might actually make it onto the Heavenly Pride Ranking."

"How about we go together?" Shen Yunfei asked with a grin.

The Heavenly Pride Ranking?

Chen Chang'an pondered for a moment before asking, "First, tell me more about this Heavenly Pride Ranking. What’s the deal with it?"

"Did the Ancient Immortal Domain create this ranking just so people could show off?"

In Chen Chang'an’s eyes, the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings at least offered rewards. But what benefits did the Heavenly Pride Ranking provide?

Was it just about boosting one’s reputation, letting everyone know how strong you were? Was it purely for bragging rights?

Shen Yunfei could tell that Chen Chang'an didn’t seem very interested in the Heavenly Pride Ranking—if anything, he probably found it pointless.

"Brother Chen, if that’s what you think, you’re completely mistaken."

"Sure, making it onto the Heavenly Pride Ranking gives you bragging rights."

"And it satisfies a lot of people’s vanity. But none of that is the real point."

"Heavenly Pride represents talent and potential."

"Let’s just take the Xuan Tian Domain’s Heavenly Pride Ranking as an example."

"Even though the Xuan Tian Domain is far larger than the Tai Xuan Realm, the Heavenly Pride Ranking only has fifty spots."

"Anyone who makes it onto the ranking is considered an elite in the Xuan Tian Domain—a prime target for recruitment. Do you understand what resource allocation means?"

"Countless people will invest in you, all for one reason: when a Heavenly Pride soars to greatness, even the smallest return will far exceed what they put in now."

"But in the early stages of a Heavenly Pride’s growth, these resources are absolutely crucial. They give them the chance to compete for higher spots on the ranking—maybe even the main Heavenly Pride Ranking."

"So, the Heavenly Pride Ranking isn’t just for showing off. There are real benefits to be gained," Shen Yunfei explained with a smile.

After hearing this, Chen Chang'an chuckled and teased, "Then it shouldn’t be called the Heavenly Pride Ranking—it should be called the Investment Ranking."

"The Ancient Immortal Domain created this list just so people could invest in these geniuses, huh?"

His words left Shen Yunfei both amused and exasperated, but the blunt truth was undeniable—that was essentially the case.

"The Ancient Immortal Domain is vast, with countless cultivators. The Heavenly Pride Ranking might help some unknown geniuses without backing get noticed."

"But most of the people on the ranking come from powerful backgrounds with plenty of resources. Would others still be willing to invest in them?" Chen Chang'an asked.

This was far from a peaceful world. It was entirely possible that someone on the Heavenly Pride Ranking belonged to a rival faction.

Making it onto the ranking didn’t just bring benefits—it also came with danger. You could become a target for your enemies, facing assassination attempts again and again.

"Risks and opportunities go hand in hand."

"As long as it’s not a blood feud, people will still be willing to form connections if there’s value in it."

"After all, there are no permanent enemies—only permanent interests."

"When interests are at stake, many are willing to set aside grudges."

"Besides, the Heavenly Pride Ranking has fifty spots. The major factions will fight tooth and nail to befriend the top twenty, but what about the rest?"

"There are still plenty of people willing to invest in them—people like me, who have no backing."

"If I can make it onto the Heavenly Pride Ranking, even if it’s just the fiftieth spot, within ten days, someone will seek me out to offer resources."

"Even if my future potential is limited, I’d still reach heights they could never attain. They might even recruit me into their faction. Once I grow stronger, I’d become a valuable asset. Why wouldn’t they take that chance?"

Chen Chang'an nodded in agreement. The Heavenly Pride Ranking did seem like a solid opportunity.

Back then, Mu Yunyao had left Chen Chang'an with many treasures, but most of them were Immortal Spirit Stones. There were some cultivation aids, but not enough.

Right now, what Chen Chang'an lacked the most was cultivation resources—his breakthroughs required an absurd amount of consumption.

A single top-grade Immortal Spirit Vein wasn’t even enough for him to advance a full major realm. The expenditure was truly staggering.

"Is the Heavenly Pride Ranking updated and open for challenges at any time?"

"What are the requirements to get on it?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"Exactly. The Heavenly Pride Ranking is updated constantly, and you can challenge for a spot anytime."

"However, I’m not entirely clear on the specifics. We’d need to go to the Heavenly Pride City."

"Once we’re there, we should get all the answers," Shen Yunfei said.

The Heavenly Pride City wasn’t unique to the Xuan Tian Domain. Every region had one, dedicated to evaluating the Heavenly Prides within its territory.

"But I’ve heard that getting onto the Heavenly Pride Ranking isn’t easy."

"Rumor has it that even the fiftieth spot requires at least Golden Immortal Realm cultivation."

"As for the top ten… they’re probably even more terrifying!"