Just as Qi Sibai had said, none of those present had ever heard the name before.
"Wasn't Li Hongling ranked thirteenth?"
The thick-browed young man asked in surprise:
"By the usual rules, if this guy killed Li Hongling and met the requirements for the Canglang Evaluation, he should've directly replaced her at rank thirteen. Why is he at thirty-three instead? That's twenty places lower for no reason."
Qi Sibai explained:
"Don't rush, Brother Yanwei. As for why, just read the evaluation notes."
Each issue of the Canglang Evaluation came with commentary. These notes could be added to or removed depending on updates.
When a new face appeared for the first time, their commentary was always the focus of attention.
After all, the Canglang Evaluation was known for its sharp judgment, almost every line in the commentary could strike to the core of a person's being, even predicting their future trajectory.
From personality to combat ability, it offered deep insight.
And for newcomers, the commentary was often even more detailed.
Take, for example, the recently deceased Li Hongling. She had once been evaluated as "unfit to be a Martial Saint." In hindsight, not only was she unfit, she never even had the chance to try.
As such, while many young cultivators desired to appear on the list, they also feared being exposed.
There were even some who loathed the Canglang Evaluation entirely.
Nevertheless, its influence remained overwhelmingly positive and authoritative within the cultivation world.
Everyone fell silent and turned their attention to Chen Kuang's entry.
Chen Kuang himself hadn't expected that he'd see his own name so soon on the Canglang Evaluation, a list he'd only heard of from Huo Hengxuan.
He wasn't particularly interested in how others viewed him, but the Canglang Evaluation represented the intelligence and perception of those in power.
It reflected how much the world currently knew about him..
That made it worth paying attention to.
The commentary following "Chen Kuang" was a long and detailed entry:
"Originally a mortal court musician in Liang's royal palace, nineteen years old. Burst onto the scene by killing the Three Calamities Sect's young master Wei Su during his escape from the palace. Broke the formation of the Black-Armor Army, then killed Li Hongling, disciple of the Martial Saint. Silent until now, he made a stunning debut."
"Known for killing through music. Suspected to cultivate both Buddhist techniques and Huo Hengxuan's Song of Weed-Cutting. However, his Spiritual Energy output during battle appeared unstable, with his cultivation visibly dropping during combat. Likely boosted by elixirs or secret arts."
"What method exists that allows a mere mortal to stand unharmed before a grandmaster's might? This author has pondered long and hard and cannot conceive of such a thing."
"Therefore, we tentatively classify him as Sea-Cleaving Realm and interpret his earlier reclusive behavior as a deliberate concealment of talent. His placement has been moved twenty positions lower out of fairness. Should future combat records emerge, his rank will be adjusted."
"Note: Shen Xingzhu was inside the palace during the Zhou and Liang war. Chen Kuang broke out without dying, suggesting he did not kill any noncombatants. Admirable."
"Additional Note: The Martial Saint Pavilion has issued a bounty on this individual."
The thick-browed youth clicked his tongue in amazement:
"That's insane. Setting aside the fight between Saints, this guy practically killed his way through the entire palace on his own!"
The host waved his feather fan and shook his head:
"Killing isn't what's impressive. What's impressive is not killing."
He speculated:
"To escape from certain death while sparing the innocent... he must be a disciple of the Buddhist path. With such compassion, he's a true hero."
He continued praising Chen Kuang:
"Just that alone makes him more than worthy to take Li Hongling's former spot at rank thirteen!"
Qi Sibai rolled his eyes:
"The Canglang Evaluation ranks heavenly prodigies, not saints."
"He may look terrifying, but his cultivation is all borrowed. Putting him at thirty-three is already generous."
"I heard that a Three Calamities Sect elder pursued him afterward and found that his actual cultivation is only at the Innate Realm."
"If we were being accurate, he'd be somewhere past the two-hundred mark."
The red-clad woman shot him a sly sideways glance, teasing:
"Sounds like someone's just bitter a newcomer leapfrogged ahead of them."
Qi Sibai: "..."
His own name was precisely at number thirty-four.
Now that Li Hongling was gone, he should've moved up a spot. But Chen Kuang had "cut in line," causing everyone ahead to bump up, except him.
Everyone burst into laughter as they looked at the two names, side by side.
The red-robed woman turned curious:
"Isn't the Song of Weed-Cutting the technique that earned Huo Hengxuan his title of 'Slaughter God'? 'Killing to nourish Killing', how did this guy restrain himself?"
The girl in the yellow dress, Shen Meinan, blinked her clear black-and-white eyes seriously:
"What's so hard about that? If someone has a pure heart and doesn't want to kill, then naturally they won't."
She fidgeted with the bow on her sleeve, muttering under her breath:
"Not like some people... who are all fake."
They continued their discussion with keen interest.
Chen Kuang found it all rather amusing.
He hadn't refrained from killing at all. On the contrary, he had butchered his way through without leaving survivors.
In a battle like that, restraint wasn't an option. Instead, restraint was a weakness.
Yet thanks to Shen Xingzhu choosing not to strike at him, everyone assumed he hadn't killed a single civilian. And just like that, riding her coattails, they slapped a label on him: "Compassionate Buddhist disciple."
Truly... what a windfall.
It was also a testament to how powerful Shen Xingzhu's reputation was.
"She is the honored beacon of the Dao, she would cause even the sun and moon to pale."
That line of praise had made her the emblem of the Mysterious Divine Path Sect, and to all under heaven, she was like the sun and moon, peerless and blameless.
Someone like that could never be in the wrong. Thus, her every action must align with her righteous Dao.
The higher she was exalted, the more Chen Kuang stood to gain.
After all, if she dared not strike him publicly, then his growing fame would only make it harder for her to make a move in the future.
Moral leverage, Chen Kuang knew how to play it well.
"I'd noticed earlier, these people are all very strong. Now it's clear most of them are ranked on the Canglang Evaluation. I've walked right into a den of heavenly prodigies, haven't I?"
"No wonder they're out here on pleasure cruises while others fight tooth and nail in the war. To them, mortal life and death is irrelevant..."
After listening a while longer, Chen Kuang finally approached with his Zither in hand.
"Pardon my intrusion, everyone."
He raised his voice slightly, interrupting their conversation.
The ostentatiously dressed host, Lin Eryou, was the first to greet him warmly and invited him to join them. When he caught sight of the Zither, his eyes lit up with surprise.
"What a coincidence, so you're a Zither player too."
Now that the group knew who Chen Kuang was, their expressions turned slightly odd.
What a strange twist.
Just days ago, Chen Kuang had escaped from the palace, and now they just happened to meet a court musician... on the Eastern Court Lake?
Chen Kuang chuckled lightly:
"There are four famous Zithers in the world. Surely, there's more than one person who can play well."
Lin Eryou was briefly stunned, then laughed:
"Truly, Daoist friend, you're delightful."
Straightening his robes, he bowed slightly and said:
"I am Lin Eryou, disciple of Liberty Mountain."
Liberty Mountain?
Chen Kuang had heard that name once before.
Huo Hengxuan had mentioned it. Shen Xingzhu's famous Canglang Evaluation quote had supposedly been written by one of Liberty Mountain's scholars.
To possess that kind of authority, surely the scholar was a Saint.
So this Lin Eryou... was a Saint's disciple?
Chen Kuang's lips twitched.
It felt like no matter where he went, he was bumping into Saint disciples left and right.
Was this high-fantasy world overpowered or what?
After Lin Eryou's introduction, the rest followed suit.
The thick-browed youth: Zhou Yanwei, a rogue cultivator at Sea-Cleaving Realm, ranked ninety-fifth on the Canglang Evaluation.
Qi Sibai of the Heavenly Observatory Division, ranked thirty-four.
The glamorous red-robed woman: Ming Yan, was surprisingly from the Buddhist sect.
Chen Kuang raised a brow.
Noticing his curiosity, Ming Yan smiled seductively and explained:
"Have you heard of the Glazed Lapis Tantric Sect?"
"Buddhism teaches salvation for all. The teachings branch in two, one is Wugou Pure Land, which regards the Buddha as Buddha. The other is our Glazed Lapis Tantric Sect, which sees all sentient beings as Buddha."
"I cultivate the Dao of Blissful Zen."
Her breath warm and sweet, Ming Yan eyed Chen Kuang's face, even with the blindfold, he was still strikingly handsome, and giggled:
"If you're interested, you're welcome to my quarters for a little... philosophical exchange~"
Chen Kuang remained unmoved, continuing to act as the blind man.
The lively young girl in yellow skipped over, the bells in her twin ponytails jingling.
She waved a hand in front of his blindfold:
"You're really blind? How do you walk around without tripping?"
Chen Kuang stayed silent.
But that familiar feeling only grew stronger. He was certain now, he had seen her somewhere before.
But where?
He trusted his memory. This wasn't something baseless.
"Still, you're really good-looking."
She giggled shyly and said:
"My name's Shen Meinan. You know what's south of my brows?"
She raised her hands and made a scissors gesture at the corners of her eyes.
"It's my eyes, of course!"
She stuck out her tongue in a playful and endearing manner.
And in that instant-
Boom!
Something exploded in Chen Kuang's mind.
Those eyes..
They were identical to Shen Xingzhu's!