Chapter 106 – Rank
Aside from certain special circumstances, there is only one way for countries below rank 5 to increase in rank. An individual’s rise in cultivation from Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Soul Transformation will raise a country’s rank. If someone in a rank 1 cultivation country reaches the Core Formation stage then that country will automatically be raised to a rank 2 cultivation country.
If they have a Nascent Soul cultivator then the country is raised to a rank 3 cultivation country. Following this, when someone reaches the Spirit Severing stage, the country is raised to a rank 4 cultivation country. With Soul Transformation, a rank 5 cultivation country.
Rising in rank requires a large amount of luck. The higher it goes, the harder it is to raise in rank. Ranks 2 and 3 may take thousands of years. As for ranks 3 to 4 and 5 to 6, tens of thousands of years is not enough at times.
Although the process is difficult, it is the only way. As time goes by, there will be people who are talented enough, lucky enough to have some kind of encounter, or receive help from others. Someone who meets the requirements needed for their country to rise in rank will eventually appear.
These people will without a doubt become the leaders of their cultivation countries.
After a cultivation country reaches rank 4, they have the right to participate in the foreign battleground. However, in terms of power, rank 4 cultivation countries can’t compare with rank 5 cultivation countries at all.
The gap in cultivation level is not something that numbers can make up. For example, the most powerful cultivator of a rank 4 cultivation country is at the late stage of Spirit Severing. If you put them into a rank 5 country, they will instantly be second class and will look like a fragile child before the Soul Transformation experts.
It is not over exaggerating to say that without any special circumstances, a Soul Transformation cultivator can wipe out a rank 4 country. This kind of thing has happened more than once before.
So in reality, the role of the rank 4 cultivation countries in the foreign battleground is really just to fight for the rank 5 cultivation countries that back them up.
The real decisive battles have to be fought by the rank 5 cultivation countries.
Once a cultivation country has reached rank 5, the first big problem they encounter is the lack of resources and materials. A large country must maintain countless cultivators. If they can’t solve this problem, the country will collapse.
Robbing lower rank cultivation countries does not solve the problem of material and resource shortages. The only real solution is to rise to a rank 6 cultivation country.
To rise from rank 5 to rank 6 is not as simple as a single person’s cultivation level increasing. In order to rise up in rank as a high rank country, the only way pertains to the foreign battleground.
The foreign battleground is a place filled with cracks in space. It is an endless battleground filled with rifts in space and void winds that can easily kill a Spirit Severing cultivator.
Once someone is hit by the void wind, if they aren’t at least Soul Transformation cultivators, they will turn to dust.
Aside from the void winds, the most dangerous things are the rifts in space that can randomly appear anywhere. Once caught, not even a Soul Transformation cultivator will have an easy time. Only the experts from rank 6 cultivation countries can move as they wish in the foreign battleground.
Every few hundred years, there is a huge war in the foreign battleground between the rank 4 cultivation countries. This battle is allowed and promoted by the cultivation union.
Anyone who can win 1,000 times in a row will have their cultivation country raised to rank 6 and receive a large amount of resources and cultivation methods. In addition, the winning country can send one person to the cultivation union to learn a special cultivation method. That person’s cultivation level will be brought to a level beyond Soul Transformation. Of course, the most important reward that makes all of the rank 5 cultivation countries crazy is that they will be given their own planet by the cultivation union to use as their new home.
Cultivators care a lot about the spiritual energy of the land and the naturally formed treasures of the land. It can even be said that the basis of cultivation is spiritual energy and materials.
Having your own planet is the symbol of a rank 6 cultivation country, but the cultivation union is very strict about the requirements to become a rank 6 cultivation country. The first step is to win 1000 times in a row in the foreign battleground to acquire their own planet. The second step is that within a given period of time, there must be several rank 1 to 5 cultivation countries on the planet of the rank 6 cultivation country.
The battle at the foreign battleground is the only way for rank a 5 cultivation country to be promoted. This rule applies to almost every single cultivation planet. In general, the rank 6 cultivation country on the planet won’t intervene between the battles of rank 5 cultivation countries, but everything has an exception. If a rank 6 cultivation country keeps the rank 5 cultivation countries down, then there is no way for a second rank 6 cultivation country to appear on the same planet. However, these situations are very rare. Various rank 5 cultivation countries speculate that rising from rank 6 to 7 has to do with how many rank 6 cultivation countries there are on a planet.
The high frequency of battles in the foreign battleground leaves a lot of bodies and materials that need to be cleaned up. The rank 6 cultivation countries have very strict rules when it comes to cleaning up the foreign battleground. Only rank 3 or below cultivation countries can come clean up. Some of the materials there can be considered heavenly treasures to lower rank cultivation countries.
The foreign battleground is split into areas based on the various rank 5 cultivation countries backing up the rank 4 cultivation countries.
Disputes exist everywhere, no matter what rank. In order for Zhao to gain the chance to clean up the foreign battleground, the Jue Ming Valley was created.
Outside of the Jue Ming Valley lies a very large formation. Several thousand years ago, a Spirit Severing cultivator came to lay down this formation under orders. No Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivators are allowed to enter the valley thanks to this formation.
This is why after Teng Huayuan found out that Wang Lin was inside the Jue Ming Valley, he was unable to go inside to kill him.
Jue Ming Valley is not only the location to battle for the right to clean up the foreign battleground, it is also the only entrance to the foreign battleground in Zhao.
Aside from having to be a rank 3 or lower cultivation country, the only other requirement the rank 6 cultivation countries have is that the people entering can’t be higher than the Core Formation stage.
In general, after the eligibility has been determined, the Foundation Establishment cultivators inside the valley are directly sent in and won’t come out for 50 years.
It is precisely because Teng Huayuan knew of this that he killed Wang Lin’s family and used their souls to force Wang Lin to come out.
Otherwise, if he wanted to kill Wang Lin, he would have to wait 50 years.
At the moment, almost the entire Jue Ming Valley knew that there was a demon-like killer whose cultivation level was beyond comprehension running around. Some people speculated that he was already at the Core Formation stage and used some unknown method to enter the valley.
Wang Lin kept walking north through the Jue Ming Valley as his spiritual energy surged through his body. The killing he had done in these past few days not only didn’t lower his urge to kill, but increased his killing intent greatly.
His mind was completely blank. He doesn’t how many people he had killed and he didn’t know that the people who were still alive in the valley would turn pale and shiver whenever they saw him.
A few days later, a deeply confused Wang Lin arrived at the southern edge of the Jue Ming Valley. This place had a very steep cliff. Once he climbed out of there, he would have left the Jue Ming Valley. Of course, under the effect of the sealing formation, anyone who tries to leave will be teleported back the moment they touch the formation.
In these past few days, every time Wang Lin thought of his parents, his heart would ache. It hurt so much that he wanted to rip his chest open. It hurt so much that he would sometimes cough out several mouthfuls of blood.
As time passed, his body became weaker and weaker, but the spiritual energy in his body was getting closer and closer to the Ji Realm.
Standing at the bottom of the cliff, Wang Lin looked at the sky. He suddenly dropped to his knees and kowtowed a few times. Two streams of blood flowed down his cheeks as he thought in his heart, “Mother, father, Tie Zhu is unfilial…”
“Ah…” A sigh echoed in Wang Lin’s mind.
Wang Lin stayed kneeling for a long time before getting up. His eyes were cold as he said, “When did you wake up?”
Situ Nan said, “Five days ago. Wang Lin, I heard Teng Huayuan’s message. That soul flag is a Nascent Soul level flag that can seal souls. As long as the souls are intact, there is a way to revive them.”
Wang Lin pondered for a while then nodded.
“That Teng Huayuan killed your family because he was afraid that you would run off, so he is forcing you to appear. Wang Lin, I don’t have much essence left, only enough for you to teleport three more times. You must use them wisely. I’m going to continue to sleep, but I suggest you go to the foreign battleground. Once there, my recovery will be much faster.” Situ Nan’s voice became softer and softer until it disappeared.
Wang Lin’s head suddenly became clearer than ever before. He frowned and muttered to himself, “Three times…”