Chapter 383: Historical Rankings

"Let's see the rankings," the Protector God thought. Immediately, a dense list of a thousand names appeared on the column.

"Slayer?"

The Protector God's gaze swept over the list, quickly finding the name, and his pupils contracted involuntarily.

Ninth: Slayer.

"He just entered the Mind Sea Temple, and his ranking is already ninth," the Protector God said, surprised. "This potential ranking is determined by three factors: age, primordial spirit, and spiritual will. The spiritual will test still takes a long time. He's very young, so his initial ranking could only be this high if he's reached the fifth level of the primordial spirit."

Ancestor Canghai had entered the Mind Sea Temple multiple times throughout history, yet his final potential ranking was only seventeenth. As soon as Meng Chuan entered, his initial ranking reached ninth, pushing Ancestor Canghai down one spot to eighteenth. Even Ancestor Yuanchu's Mind Sea Temple ranking was only ninth, but this time, Meng Chuan pushed him to tenth. Immediately upon entry, his initial ranking pushed two ancestors down by one spot! This primordial spirit talent was truly astounding. Moreover, his ranking was expected to rise further after the spiritual will test concluded.

"A fifth-level primordial spirit at 59 years old—this primordial spirit talent is truly extraordinary. Among the human geniuses I know throughout history, he could rank in the top five," the Protector God mused. "However, in the later stages of the primordial spirit path, 'spiritual will' becomes exceptionally crucial. For a Primordial Spirit Tribulation, each tribulation determines life or death; without strong spiritual will, one cannot possibly pass."

"Now it all depends on his spiritual will. If it reaches the average level of these geniuses, he can break into the top five," the Protector God marveled silently. "It seems the Canghai Sect is about to have a new Protector."

A vast, boundless ocean stretched before him. Meng Chuan steered a small boat, enjoying the sea breeze and sunlight, feeling quite content. As the waves swelled and fell, the small boat moved with them, effortlessly controlled by Meng Chuan.

"Is this supposed to be a test?" Meng Chuan smiled. "It feels more like an enjoyment."

The waves gradually grew larger. Meng Chuan sat in the boat, holding an oar. "In this illusory world, my primordial spirit's consciousness can still influence my surroundings."

"Amidst the waves, going with the flow, or even harnessing the current for one's own use, is the correct path. Brute force resistance would be ineffective." As a Marquis Godfiend, Meng Chuan understood these power manipulation techniques. His consciousness influenced the boat and the surrounding water, allowing the boat to use the waves' power. Although it constantly rose and fell, it seemed to become part of the water itself, moving with effortless ease, perfectly navigating the waves.

"Hmm?" Meng Chuan looked up at the sky. The sky gradually darkened as dark clouds began to gather. A fierce wind arose! The waves became turbulent in response. Meng Chuan grew serious, sitting upright with his oar, using his consciousness to aid the boat while rowing. He possessed immense strength, and with the oar, he could cut through the water, allowing the boat to better utilize the force of the waves.

"Rumble." The dark clouds in the sky roared, the wind howled even more fiercely, and the waves surged, constantly threatening to capsize the small boat. Yet, under Meng Chuan's control, the boat leveraged every force, appearing atop one wave after another.

"Interesting," Meng Chuan thought. He enjoyed this sense of conquest, mastering one colossal wave after another.

"Whoosh!"

From the rolling dark clouds, a sudden downpour erupted, with raindrops the size of beans pelting down. The rain was so heavy that the sky seemed like a gigantic basin spilling water. This deluge naturally struck the small boat, drenching Meng Chuan instantly. He was soaked through, and water rapidly accumulated inside the boat.

"Gale-force winds, towering waves, and now a torrential downpour, and it's getting heavier," Meng Chuan noted. He felt the heavy rain blurring his vision. Although his consciousness could barely prevent the rain from touching his eyes, he possessed no divine powers and couldn't deploy any domain-like abilities. The rain permeated the world, obscuring everything, making it impossible for his naked eyes to see. He could only rely on his 'primordial spirit consciousness' to sense his immediate surroundings, diligently steering the boat and striving to conquer one colossal wave after another, some already over ten zhang high.

The world was enveloped in darkness, but Meng Chuan remained calm. What was this pressure compared to what he had faced? Even before he left the mountain, Meng Chuan's spiritual will was already exceptional. After descending, he had traversed a path of blood and storms, and his convictions, tested repeatedly, had grown even more unyielding.

As the saying goes, 'a hundred refinements make steel.' Spiritual will, too, requires a hundred refinements to become unbreakable. In times of peace, such an environment for 'hundred refinements' is hard to find. This is why it's said that heroes emerge in chaotic times, because chaotic times are truly terrifying; human lives are as cheap as grass.

The war between humans and demons was even more a battle for the survival of the entire race, more brutal than any war in human history. Demon Monarchs massacred tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of people; if Godfiends couldn't hold their ground, entire cities were butchered. The total number of mortal deaths across the world continued to be in the hundreds of millions annually.

It was this kind of war that compelled Meng Chuan, at the age of six, to vow to 'slay demons.' In times of peace, a six-year-old child would typically be playing happily at their parents' knees.

It was this kind of war that led him and Liu Qiyue to support each other, fight side by side on battlefields, risk life and death, slay demons, and commit to sharing a bed in life and a grave in death.

It was this kind of war that sent Meng Chuan's father, mother, wife, son, daughter—everyone—to the battlefield.

It was this kind of war that forged an unyielding conviction, hardened like steel through a hundred refinements—a conviction that had long transcended life and death.

The Protector God had been idle for too long, over five hundred thousand years. Now that a Godfiend had finally entered the Mind Sea Temple, it felt a surge of excitement. It continuously monitored the rankings displayed on the pillar. As the test progressed, the initial ranking would typically improve.

"He's eighth.""Now he's seventh."

The Protector God watched with a mix of surprise and delight. Who were the individuals who had successfully passed through the Mind Sea Temple? During the era when the Cangyuan Sect governed humanity, it was the only sect for the entire human race. In that period, all humans of great achievement had entered the Mind Sea Temple. Even after the split, many talents from the Canghai Sect attempted it. Although the sect had declined, historically, the Canghai Sect and Yuanchu Mountain had contended for many years. Based on historical accomplishments, it could be ranked as the third most significant sect in history.

"Fifth?"

The Protector God looked at the ranking, utterly astonished. "This Slayer has actually made it into the top five. He's at least a Protector of the Canghai Sect."

"His age and primordial spirit are formidable, and his spiritual will must also be quite high," the Protector God mused. "Only then could his overall ranking place him in the top five."

"With no weaknesses, he can go very far on the primordial spirit path. Reaching the seventh level of the primordial spirit is a certainty, and he even has hopes of achieving the eighth level, 'Tribulation Realm,'" the Protector God murmured. "However, whether he can become a Tribulation Realm expert depends on his future experiences."

Throughout human history, the number of Tribulation Realm grand masters was exceedingly small.

As the Protector God pondered, the rankings on the pillar changed once more.

The Protector God swallowed, staring at Meng Chuan's new ranking. "His historical potential ranking in the Mind Sea Temple is third? And he hasn't even come out yet; the test isn't over. Could it possibly go even higher?"