The Famous Weapons Ranking is a ranking of all the renowned weapons under heaven, taking only the top one hundred.
In truth, across the world, the Famous Weapons Ranking has never had a very accurate or universally accepted list. But due to its considerable influence, its existence was unavoidable.
Naturally, the power to decide the ranking lay in the hands of the great powers like Jing, Qin, Chu, and Qi. But within each country, the rankings differed.
The rank of a famous weapon depended not only on the weapon itself, but even more on its wielder. Most of the time, the top experts of the world existed as deterrents; it was rare for them to fight to the death. Even before they truly crossed swords, it was difficult for them themselves to judge who would win.
Every country, when listing its Famous Weapons Ranking, would inevitably favor its own experts—the only difference was in the degree.
For example, in the Qi Kingdom's Famous Weapons Ranking, the number one spot was held by Jiang Mengxiong's Army Destroyer and General Slayer—a pair of knuckle dusters, one named Army Destroyer, the other General Slayer.
Army Destroyer and General Slayer meant the annihilation of armies and the slaying of great generals. It was said that Jiang Mengxiong chose this name to warn himself. It also carried the implication of bringing such calamity upon his enemies.
The Qin Kingdom and the Jing Kingdom were mostly the same. The top spot always belonged to their own country's strongest warrior and their weapon.
The most extreme was the Chu Kingdom's Famous Weapons Ranking. In its top ten, Chu itself occupied nine spots. It was completely devoid of credibility. But it was immensely popular within their own borders.
It was currently widely believed that the ranking compiled by the State of Jing was the most fair and impartial. But even that was not acknowledged by many.
When Lian Que spoke of the Famous Weapons Ranking, he naturally referred only to the Qi Kingdom's version. Within the Qi Kingdom itself, its weapon rankings were still quite reliable.
Everlasting Longing had just been forged, and was indeed of the quality to be called a famous weapon. But one could only say it now had the qualifications to make the list. Whether it could truly make the ranking depended on how its master performed.
For a weapon smith, the highest position their forged weapon could reach was also where their glory lay.
Everlasting Longing was taken by the Lian Clan's patriarch, Lian Zhuping, to the ancestral hall for enshrinement. The Ancestral Worship Grand Ceremony would be held in three days.
Only after completing the wrapping of the hilt, the tying of the tassel, and the fitting of the scabbard at the ceremony would the Lian Clan's creation of this famous weapon be considered truly complete.
During this time, Jiang Wang could only wait at Lian Que's home.
Although neither remembered what had happened in the Tianfu Secret Realm, their personalities clicked, and having forged Everlasting Longing together, they had become true friends.
It was also from Lian Que that Jiang Wang learned why the Lian Clan was making such a grand fuss over Everlasting Longing.
It was because in nearly fifty years, the Lian Clan had not produced a single famous weapon.
Among the five great weapon-smithing holy lands under heaven, the Lian Clan now ranked last. Their position was precarious, on the verge of dropping out of the holy lands entirely.
And the birth of Everlasting Longing had consolidated their standing.
Jiang Wang had originally thought that for such a weapon-smithing holy land, forging a famous weapon should be a matter of course.
But in truth, the birth of a famous weapon required the right timing, the right conditions, and the right people—it was difficult to force.
This time, in forging Everlasting Longing, Lian Que had gone all out to repay his debt, bringing out the most precious materials.
He was one of the only ten elite members of the Lian family of his generation who could control their own fate cards. Years of accumulated wealth were melted into the furnace.
During the forging, they used the ancient furnace that clan members could only use three times in their lifetime. This sword furnace, which had burned through the ages without ever being extinguished, was itself a guarantee of quality.
And throughout the forging process, the spiritual will of both the sword's master and the weapon smith remained unified, infused into the sword.
All of these factors combined had ultimately created Everlasting Longing.
It was almost impossible to replicate.
The Lian Clan had made enormous preparations for this Ancestral Worship Grand Ceremony. People came from all over the Qi Kingdom to attend.
Even Chongxuan Sheng had sent someone with congratulatory gifts, all too eager to get involved.
Everlasting Longing was Jiang Wang's paired weapon.
Jiang Wang was now one of his people.
The greater the fanfare over Everlasting Longing, the greater Jiang Wang's fame—and the more prestigious Chongxuan Sheng himself became.
Often, fame and profit were bound together.
In his destined, difficult competition with Chongxuan Zun, perhaps some who had been leaning toward Chongxuan Zun would now sway toward Chongxuan Sheng because of this prestige.
When two great trees competed for survival space, people often couldn't see the tangled roots underground. They could only see the luxuriant branches above.
Jiang Wang tried to understand these things. Tempering the heart in the mortal world—this too was a form of cultivation.
...
Fengxian County lay in the northwest of the Qi Kingdom.
Zhang Family Town was a small town within Fengxian County.
In the town, there was a household surnamed Zhang. Their days were decent enough, but only decent by this small town's standards.
If one looked back several hundred years, the Zhang family was naturally a great and prestigious clan.
Forget about the tiny Zhang Family Town—even Fengxian County had been under Zhang family control. They had even held significant influence throughout the entire Qi Kingdom.
But times changed. The later generations of the Zhang family saw their talented members dwindle, and the clan slowly declined.
Their properties were scattered again and again, their power carved away piece by piece. In the end, they could only return to their ancestral lands, back to this small town where the Zhang family had lived for generations.
The once-great Zhang clan of Fengxian, the Qi Kingdom's prestigious family, now had only this thin line of direct descendants left.
As for the neighbors and townsfolk, their blood ties had long since been diluted beyond recognition after countless generations—they were practically strangers.
In this generation of the Fengxian Zhang clan, there was a Zhang Yong.
The boy was the only child of three generations. Although the family's fortunes had declined, they spoiled him utterly—afraid he'd melt if held in the mouth, afraid he'd break if held in the hand.
But the boy was not spoiled rotten. Instead, he was compassionate and grateful. It was just that his elders had protected him too much, leaving him introverted and shy.
The Zhang family had one slot for the Tianfu Secret Realm, passed down from their ancestors. By now, it was nearly worthless.
For such a precious slot, it wasn't that no one in the Zhang family dared to try. But over several consecutive generations, the most talented young members who went to the Tianfu Secret Realm never returned alive.
This was one of the reasons the Zhang family had declined to this extent.
The Tianfu Secret Realm was so dangerous, and the Zhang family now had several generations of only children. Naturally, they didn't dare risk it lightly.
What no one expected was that Zhang Yong, normally introverted and shy, actually had a mind of his own.
He left a letter and secretly ran off to Tianfu City on his own!
The old matriarch of the Zhang family cried her eyes nearly blind.
Zhang's father sighed all day long, and Zhang's mother washed her face with tears. But none of it could change the fact that their only seedling had gone off to risk his life, and the Zhang family bloodline might end right there.
But what surprised everyone even more was that Zhang Yong, against all odds, had miraculously become a victor of the Tianfu Secret Realm! He had successfully secured a spot in the Inner Sanctum of Divine Abilities!
When news of the Tianfu Secret Realm reached them, it arrived here.
Not only did the town officials come to offer congratulations—even the city lord sent gifts, and the county government issued an official commendation!
The Zhang family's doorstep was suddenly crowded with visitors. The Zhang family wept with joy.
Zhang's father even proposed an ambitious plan to restore the family's former glory.
The entire Zhang Family Town—and the whole city—waited for Zhang Yong to return.
They waited for him to come home in glory, returning to his hometown with honor.
But just two days before Zhang Yong's return...
A horrifying event occurred.
The entire Zhang family was slaughtered in a single night.
The whole family, old and young, including the servants—twenty-three people in total—none survived.
Not even a single chicken or a dog was left alive.
A special investigation team from the city came to look into it, but found no results.
No one knew the motive, the process, or the perpetrator.
The only thing people knew was this:
The Zhang clan of Fengxian, with its history spanning several hundred years, now had only Zhang Yong left.
That young man who had made a stunning comeback and was returning in glory—while still on the road, he no longer had a home to return to.