Suddenly, within the city, a voice boomed, “Jiang Qingyang! Where are you going?”

Before Jiang Wang could ponder how he had been so readily recognized, another voice shouted, “Your name is on the Sea Frontier List! This month’s Vice List, first in Sea Merit!”

Jiang Wang, still airborne, followed the sound with his gaze. He saw a crowd gathered before a posted scroll. With his keen sight, he discerned the scroll’s nature – a sub-scroll of the Sea Frontier List.

However, this sub-scroll was unlike any Jiang Wang had encountered before. It didn’t display the conquest data of individual cultivators but rather presented true list rankings. This was the Sea Merit List.

The list itself was simple and striking, featuring two primary rankings: the Main List and the Vice List. These corresponded to the God Arrival and Outer Tower combat levels, respectively. Presumably, true cultivators at the True Person realm and beyond were not subjects of public ranking, while those below Outer Tower held little significance for such lists within the Mirage Realm.

The God Arrival realm itself was already considered the pinnacle of cultivation by most; after all, those who truly transcended the limits of their lifespan and cultivated without regression were indeed “like Gods Arriving.”

The two lists were displayed in separate columns, the Main List on the left and the Vice List on the right. While the God Arrival powerhouses on the Main List undoubtedly garnered immense prestige, the Vice List saw the fiercest competition. After all, Outer Tower level cultivators formed the backbone of Mirage Realm conquests. Every foray into the wilderness for hunting and slaying involved cultivators of this level, whereas God Arrival powerhouses typically only appeared in large-scale Mirage Realm wars.

And in April of the Dao Calendar year three thousand nine hundred and nineteen, the top position on the Sea Merit List Vice List was prominently occupied by Jiang Wang’s name!

What an immense honor! The entire East Domain held countless cultivators engaged in the Mirage Realm conquest. The human cultivators of the East Domain and the sea race warriors of the Vast Sea clashed year after year on the Mirage Realm battlefield, a conflict of intense danger and ferocity. To stand out from such a multitude was truly to be called an elite of humanity!

To be precise, Jiang Wang’s name had ascended onto the “Sea Merit List” recorded by the powerful artifact known as the “Sea Frontier List.” The people of Tianfu City were evidently not entirely familiar with the Sea Frontier List, which is why the earlier voice had declared that Jiang Wang’s name was on the Sea Frontier List itself.

Jiang Wang was well aware that his name might not remain in the top position by the end of the month, as it was only April 15th, with half the month still remaining. However, gazing upon the Sea Merit List at this moment, a natural sense of pride surged within him. This was glory he had earned, sword stroke by sword stroke, with his very life!

There, the two characters “Jiang Wang” shone with sharp brilliance, leaping atop the surging sea, seated high as the Vice List’s first. Below his name, in smaller characters, his identity was recorded: Male, Qingyang Town, Great Qi; Fourth-rank Blue Card Captor. Following his identity was his battle record: Beheaded one hundred and four Commander-level sea race. At the very end, opposite the name “Jiang Wang,” and flowing like the sea tide, was the Sea Merit points: eleven thousand three hundred!

The list included a note detailing the rules for calculating Sea Merit. Killing one Soldier-level sea race earned one Sea Merit point. Beheading one War General-level sea race earned ten points. Commander-level sea race were worth one hundred points. Beheading one Duke-level sea race yielded ten thousand points.

The increase in Sea Merit from Commander-level to Duke-level was a leap, a disparity in points that, of course, could not fully reflect the difficulty gap. After all, while Jiang Wang had accumulated eleven thousand three hundred Sea Merit points, he was absolutely incapable of killing a single Duke-level sea race.

Specifically for Commander-level sea race, beheading an initial stage Commander-level sea race awarded one hundred points. A middle stage Commander-level sea race was worth two hundred points. A high stage Commander-level sea race brought in five hundred points. And a peak stage Commander-level sea race earned a thousand points.

Both the Main List and the Vice List of the Sea Merit List only recorded the top ten individuals. The Main List, of course, went without saying, but on the Vice List, the person in second place below Jiang Wang already possessed six thousand three hundred Sea Merit points. If they maintained their current pace, they would definitely surpass Jiang Wang by the end of the month. But for now, Jiang Wang held a lead of nearly half, far ahead!

With the entire East Domain as a backdrop, it was no exaggeration to say the Mirage Realm held hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Finding cultivators stronger than Jiang Wang was not difficult. Without being forced by the pressure of seeking danger within a limited timeframe, Jiang Wang wouldn’t have risked his life to achieve his current battle record. Conversely, achieving a better battle record even if one wasn’t stronger than Jiang Wang also required the “cooperation” of the sea race.

Upon seeing this Sea Merit List, Jiang Wang was certain – the displacement within the Mirage Realm had thoroughly stabilized, and all channels for communication were now open. The Sea Frontier List was originally only widespread within the Mirage Realm itself, not garnering much attention in the near-sea archipelago and even less so within the Qi border. Yet, with the push and assistance of those with intentions, the Sea Merit List, as soon as it was established, was already posted in Tianfu City within the Qi border! One could only imagine its spread throughout the near-sea archipelago.

Perhaps this was one of the methods employed by the Town Sea Alliance to respond to the evolution of the sea race. Utilizing honor and rewards to attract more East Domain cultivators to participate in the Mirage Realm war was also a way to alleviate the pressure of war. At the same time… the Town Sea Alliance could also leverage this to expand its influence throughout the East Domain.

This matter had undoubtedly been promoted beforehand; the rankings and rules of the Sea Merit List must have been discussed. However, when Jiang Wang first emerged from the Mirage Realm, he hadn’t seen this list. This indicated that within the two days since his arrival in Tianfu City, the Sea Merit List had already been fully promoted and spread throughout the near seas! Relying on extraordinary power, the speed at which certain matters can be promoted and certain messages transmitted is truly astonishing. The fact that the Sea Merit List could spread so quickly and widely, posted in Tianfu City for public discussion within a mere two days, fully demonstrated how much value the Town Sea Alliance placed on this matter. This was necessarily an important link in their plan against the sea race.

The spread of the Sea Merit List, first and foremost, meant that the existence of the sea race was being publicly revealed to the entire East Domain. How to then respond to the sea race’s leap would undoubtedly require more support from the human race.

Returning to the current situation in Tianfu City, the City Lord’s personal welcome into the city the previous day had already sparked countless people’s curiosity. Now, with the Sea Merit List opening its ranks this morning and his name singularly occupying the top position on the Vice List, it had caused a sensation.

Regarding the posting of the Sea Merit List, the Town Sea Alliance’s targeted actions against the sea race, and how the Qi country would respond to the Town Sea Alliance’s expanding influence without affecting the overall situation at the sea frontier… Jiang Wang was reluctant to overanalyze the thoughts of those great figures. With differing perspectives, it was difficult to grasp the full truth. A child’s guesses about adult ideas were always inevitably somewhat naive and laughable.

However, the influence this matter would have on himself and how it would affect his subsequent decisions… he couldn’t help but consider.

Especially… a list of honor like the Sea Merit List, declared to the human race, the timing of its appearance, and which names were able to appear on it, all held extremely deep considerations.

Jiang Wang’s achievements in beheading the sea race within the Mirage Realm were undeniably real. However, his journey to the Mirage Realm was for the purpose of expiating his sins. So-called “expiation” naturally involved offsetting sin with merit. Should his “merit” still be calculated?

The Sea Frontier List was jointly controlled by the three families: Fishing Sea Tower, Decision Island, and Yang Valley. What kind of contention lay behind this Sea Merit List? What did having his name on the list signify? Given the difficulty of information exchange between the Mirage Realm and the present world, the journey to the Mirage Realm was originally not easily publicized. Now, with the sudden fame gained from the Sea Merit List, how could this be utilized?

In front of the Sea Merit List, someone loudly declared, “The near-sea archipelago being divided into several counties and merged into ours, isn’t that good? Look at the list these sea people made, a Qi person is first! What’s the point of struggling!”

“What sea people, ah? Our Decision Island is within the Town Sea Alliance, okay?”

“Tch! The wind and waves on the sea are big and dangerous, I might not even be willing to go, let alone that there’s a sea race! We’ll just close our doors and live our lives, let them live or perish on their own.”

“Short-sighted! There are resources overseas; if you don’t want them, many people do!”

With many people and many mouths, the topic grew increasingly chaotic.

Another voice added, “The first on the Vice List all came out of our Tianfu City’s Tianfu Secret Realm! Who still dares say that the Tianfu Secret Realm isn’t good enough?”

The very first voice, noticing Jiang Wang had not yet flown far, called out in pursuit, “Jiang Qingyang, are you going to sea again? What for this time?” The people of Tianfu City felt a strong sense of honor, treating Jiang Wang as one of their own, showing great concern. Of course, from the perspective of the entire Qi country, they weren’t wrong.

If Jiang Wang’s previous fame, which came after defeating Wang Yiwu and made him relatively well-known in the Qi country, was one thing, then with the appearance of the Sea Merit List, wherever this list spread, everyone would surely know Jiang Qingyang!

Facing the enthusiasm of the Tianfu City people, Jiang Wang simply replied, “To do what I should do!”

He crushed the Azure Cloud mark with a step, and in an instant, he was far away, already treading the void.