Chapter 461: The Stellar Ascension Rankings
Chapter 461: The Stellar Ascension Rankings
"The Stellar Ascension Rankings?" Ji Xinghuo asked.
"You don't know about the Stellar Ascension Rankings?" Cang Ya's face showed surprise and a hint of confusion. "Hasn't anyone told you about it?"
"No," Ji Xinghuo shook his head. This was the first time he had heard of it. He understood why Cang Ya was so surprised. "I used to be a barbarian, and I rarely had the opportunity to interact with the upper echelons of the Dynasty or access their knowledge. There's a lot I don't know."
"That makes sense." Cang Ya accepted his explanation.
After spending time with Ji Xinghuo, she had almost forgotten that the man before her had been a barbarian not long ago.
"The Stellar Ascension Rankings is a list," Cang Ya continued, as the Ice Soul Dragon continued its flight and search of the sea area. "This list has a history of over a hundred thousand stellar years since its first appearance. It has been passed down from generation to generation and is evaluated by several Star Shepherding Sages. It is published once every season in the Flame Emperor Dragon Capital and then disseminated throughout the Dynasty."
Ji Xinghuo nodded.
The Flame Emperor Dragon Capital was located in the Xuantian Dragon Domain, which was right at the heart of the True Dragon Dynasty. Thus, the Flame Emperor Dragon Capital could be considered the capital of the True Dragon Dynasty.
He guessed, "So, this is a ranking list?"
"Yes and no." Cang Ya smiled. "From the name, you can probably guess that it's about the order of ascension to become a Star Shepherding Sage or a Dragon King. But it's not a strict numerical ranking."
"How so?" Ji Xinghuo was curious.
Cang Ya replied thoughtfully, "Anyone whose name appears on the Stellar Ascension Rankings is considered to have the potential to become a Star Shepherding Sage, but the probability varies."
"It's divided into four tiers based on the probability of ascension."
"I'll introduce them from the lowest tier upwards."
"The last tier is the 'Fourth Sequence,' and I remember there were 8,435 people on this tier last year. Most of them were extraordinary individuals from within the Dynasty, with some from vassal states and extraterrestrial alien races."
"Every individual on the Fourth Sequence is a top powerhouse among the Sixth Stage."
"However, they only have a 1% chance of becoming a Star Shepherding Sage. Whether they ultimately succeed depends on opportunity and luck."
Hearing this, Ji Xinghuo was surprised.
"Only 1%?"
Cang Ya shook her head and sighed. "1% is already very high. Many of the individuals on the Fourth Sequence are actually overestimated. For the vast majority of Sixth Stage extraordinary beings, the probability of becoming a Star Shepherding Sage may not even reach one-thousandth."
Ji Xinghuo thought about it carefully and found it to be true.
Ever since entering the Star Realm, he had realized that humans from Earth actually possessed high talent and potential, surpassing most other races. In the short span of less than two centuries since the opening of the Star Gate, a large number of Celestial Kings had emerged, including some of the very peak powerhouses among the Celestial Kings.
For example, the Sun King.
Any one of the top ten Celestial Kings on the Global Power Rankings would be a formidable Sixth Stage powerhouse in the Star Realm.
However, before his own appearance, there were only three Celestial Kings on Earth who had a chance at becoming Star Shepherding Sages: the Sun King, the Iron and Steel Great Emperor, and the Head of State.
These three Celestial Kings were the strongest, but they only had a chance.
The Head of State claimed that he didn't even have a one-in-ten chance and needed more time to accumulate power. He might have a better chance in the future.
As for the other Celestial Kings on Earth, they didn't even have a 1% probability, and some of them were there just to make up the numbers. They didn't have the qualifications to be on the Stellar Ascension Rankings at all.
For example, the internet celebrity Celestial King, Li Xuan, the "Thousand Illusions Sword Immortal."
There were 8,435 people on the Fourth Sequence, and this included the entire True Dragon Domain and its corresponding 26th Star Domain, spanning the Orion Arm. All of these were the very top powerhouses of the Sixth Stage. There might be a few omissions, but even if everyone was included, the number wouldn't exceed ten thousand.
These nearly ten thousand extraordinary individuals stood out from a population of tens of trillions. The proportion was so low that it defied common imagination.
Cang Ya continued, "The Third Sequence has 717 people, and they have a roughly 10% probability of becoming Star Shepherding Sages."
A one-in-ten probability.
In other words, there were over seven hundred individuals in the entire True Dragon Dynasty and the Orion Arm who possessed talents comparable to the Head of State.
"Those who enter the Third Sequence are considered peerless geniuses anywhere. They rarely go unnoticed."
"They usually make their names known at a very young age, becoming famous throughout the world. Their strength far surpasses those of the same stage, and they quickly reach the peak of the Sixth Stage, shocking their surroundings and gaining influence."
Cang Ya paused.
A hint of pride appeared on her usually calm and serene face. "For example, me."
"So, you're an individual on the Third Sequence. My apologies," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile, playing along.
Cang Ya pursed her red lips, seemingly detecting the teasing in Ji Xinghuo's words. She said somewhat unhappily, "I'm only temporarily in the Third Sequence. Sooner or later, I'll enter the Second Sequence."
"What are the requirements for the Second Sequence?" Ji Xinghuo asked.
"A 99% probability," Cang Ya explained. "As long as nothing unexpected happens, becoming a Star Shepherding Sage is only a matter of time. Those on the Second Sequence can be considered future Star Shepherding Sages or prospective Dragon Kings. That's why the Second Sequence is also called the Dragon Potential Sequence."
Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but be amazed.
Future Star Shepherding Sages, prospective Dragon Kings, Dragon Potential... These terms alone carried a sense of awe-inspiring greatness.
The Cang Beiming they had met earlier was a Dragon Lord whose name was on the Dragon Potential Sequence!
"How many people are on the Dragon Potential Sequence?" Ji Xinghuo asked curiously.
"46."
"There are that many?" Ji Xinghuo was surprised. He had thought there would be at most a dozen, but the actual number was three times his expectation.
"Indeed, it's not a large number."
Cang Ya continued, "Gu Xingli's name is on the Dragon Potential Sequence. He advanced to this sequence three years ago from the third sequence."
"Given Gu Xingli's talent and strength, if nothing unexpected happens, it won't be a problem for him to become a Star Shepherding Sage in the future." Ji Xinghuo nodded, not finding this surprising.
"Gu Xingli's sequence can still be improved." Cang Ya said.
"Oh?"
Cang Ya explained, "Most of the individuals on the Dragon Potential Sequence are Sixth Stage powerhouses, but Gu Xingli is only at the peak of the Fifth Stage. This shows that his innate potential has not been fully realized yet. Once he advances to the Sixth Stage and his strength increases, there's a possibility of a sequence promotion."
"His reputation as the strongest legend of the Bipo Dragon Domain is well-deserved." Cang Ya admired Gu Xingli greatly.
Ji Xinghuo smiled faintly, "He's merely a defeated opponent."
Cang Ya's expression froze.
Although the Stellar Ascension Rankings were not based solely on strength, and a higher ranking did not necessarily indicate greater strength, but rather focused on innate potential, Gu Xingli was a legend, and so was Ji Xinghuo. Yet, Gu Xingli had lost to Ji Xinghuo in direct combat.
This implied that Ji Xinghuo's innate potential was higher than Gu Xingli's, and he at least had the qualifications to be on the Dragon Potential Sequence!
For some reason, Cang Ya suddenly felt a mix of emotions.
She was happy for Ji Xinghuo, but also felt a tinge of inexplicable sadness, fearing that he would leave her far behind.
Concealing her emotions, she nodded and said, "The next time the Stellar Ascension Rankings are updated and released, you should be able to find your name on the Dragon Potential Sequence."
"I appreciate your good words."
Ji Xinghuo asked, "Aside from you and Gu Xingli, are there any other exceptional individuals I know who are on the Stellar Ascension Rankings?"
Cang Ya recalled and listed them one by one.
Tai Coban was also on the Dragon Potential Sequence, and three other young rising stars of the Tai Coban family—Tai Coban Zhenhe, Tai Coban Xu, and Tai Coban Huixue—were in the third sequence. There was a possibility that Tai Coban Zhenhe's sequence would rise in the future.
According to the comparison, aside from himself, only the Sun King from Earth could be ranked in the Dragon Potential Sequence.
"You only mentioned up to the second sequence." Ji Xinghuo reminded her.
"Above that is the first sequence." Cang Ya seemed to lose interest in the topic, "This tier is also called the Infinite Sequence."
"What does that mean?"
"For the individuals in the Infinite Sequence, becoming a Star Shepherding Sage is not difficult, and it's not even considered a bottleneck. They have a 100% probability, and their future potential is limitless." Cang Ya sighed, "Their true goal is to become Infinite Domain Lords."
Infinite Domain Lords!
Ji Xinghuo's heart skipped a beat as he thought of these unreachable, immensely powerful beings.
The five Dragon Emperors of the True Dragon Dynasty were all Infinite Domain Lords.
But it wasn't limited to just the Dragon Emperors.
It was said that within the True Dragon Dynasty, there were several Eighth Stage beings, also known as Infinite Domain Lords, each of them peerless powerhouses standing at the pinnacle of the domain.
As for the capabilities and strength of Infinite Domain Lords, one could only speculate.
"There are four names on the Infinite Sequence." Cang Ya said, "These four individuals are currently only Sixth Stage, but since they became famous, they have been undefeated in the same stage. Their names shake the Dynasty, and even Dragon Kings and Star Shepherding Sages have to treat them with respect."
Seeing that Cang Ya didn't want to elaborate further, Ji Xinghuo didn't inquire about the specifics of these four individuals.
He could understand her feelings.
For every genius, the most difficult thing to accept was knowing that there existed someone even more talented, someone so far ahead that they couldn't even dream of catching up.
After they returned from the Sea Abyss, he would ask someone about the Stellar Ascension Rankings and find out more.
As the two spoke, they continued their search across another area of the sea.
However, they found nothing.
In the following days, Ji Xinghuo constantly scanned the surroundings with his electromagnetic sensing ability, not stopping for a single second, covering millions of square kilometers. Aside from a small number of fish and other Dragon Lords, they didn't discover any traces of the Cloudsea Dragon.
Neither of them lost heart, understanding that this was just the beginning, and even if someone else found the Cloudsea Dragon first, it would be difficult to tame it.
On the vast sea, the Ice Soul Dragon flapped its wings in flight.
Ji Xinghuo's eyes were focused, his electromagnetic sensing ability sweeping the area again and again. Cang Ya, on the other hand, had her eyes half-closed as she linked her soul with her Ice Dragon, sensing the movements in the surrounding sea through the changes in water flow. This water sense was not very clear, but it covered a larger area.
Suddenly, Cang Ya opened her eyes.
"Over there!"
Ji Xinghuo turned his head simultaneously, sensing the direction Cang Ya was indicating. Beyond the radius of his electromagnetic sensing ability, there were faint fluctuations in the distance.
The Ice Soul Dragon accelerated in that direction.
Soon, they entered the range of Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic sensing ability, and he could even see with his naked eyes that ahead, over a hundred kilometers away, a fierce battle was taking place on the sea. Several dragons churned up towering waves, their dragon roars shaking the heavens.
As they drew closer, Ji Xinghuo recognized one of the combatants—it was Cang Beiming, whom they had met before.
However, at this moment, Cang Beiming was being besieged.
Outside the battle area, which spanned over ten kilometers, several other Dragon Lords were watching eagerly, and more people were rushing to this area of the sea.
(End of Chapter)
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