David Sullivan laughed even harder: "You're worried on her behalf? Worried about what?"

"For example, things like rankings. I heard she was fifth before, right? Now she's second, and the original second has been pushed to third. Wouldn't that make them unhappy? Wouldn't they cause her trouble? And Master Bennett being challenged by someone of a lower rank, and this being publicly announced for the whole world to see—surely that's much more serious than just losing face? I'm afraid this is a fight to the death."

David Sullivan finally burst out laughing: "You're just a low-level bandit who's barely started learning the Blood Fiend Technique, and you're worried about a woman who can beat your sect leader? Is it because she's pretty?"

Charles Carter kept a straight face: "She saved my life. Without her help, I'd already be dead at Zhao Cuo."

Actually... Emily Foster chasing William Bennett for a thousand miles—could it also be related to Charles Carter? Maybe she thinks Charles Carter died at the Luo Manor because of her, or maybe she already knows the killer is Charles Carter and has come to confront him? Charles Carter wasn't that narcissistic, so he didn't dare be sure.

David Sullivan thought of this possibility too, and stopped teasing him, lazily saying, "Your worries are reasonable... So, do you know why a perfectly good ranking is called the 'Chaos List'? This thing is a source of disaster in itself—so many conflicts start because of it."

Charles Carter's heart stirred, and he turned to look at him: "So the so-called 'Book of Chaos'..."

David Sullivan nodded: "This thing is divided into the Heaven, Earth, and Human lists, plus the Hidden Dragon list. All together, that's the Book of Chaos."

Charles Carter: "..."

No wonder when he said he hadn't seen it before, David Sullivan looked at him like he was an alien.

This kind of server-wide announcement—how could anyone in this world not have seen it? Although the Heaven, Earth, and Human lists are a bit rustic...

He coughed twice to cover up, and said, "So this is the Book of Chaos. If you'd said that earlier, I would've known. I grew up in the mountains and never heard the nicknames you all use."

David Sullivan accepted this explanation; that's what he thought anyway. So he didn't dwell on it, and chuckled: "Since you've seen it, isn't that a miracle? If there are gods in this world, what else is there to question?"

Charles Carter fell silent.

Modern people are well-informed and wouldn't think like the natives. In his eyes, this might not be a god at all—like he thought earlier, maybe it's a game world, that's one possibility. But there are plenty of other possibilities.

Even if there really is a higher-dimensional being controlling all this, that thing might not necessarily be called a god.

Charles Carter pictured the calm face of the blind woman, feeling a bit gloomy inside. If she's really that powerful, how will he ever get back...

David Sullivan asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"

"Oh." Charles Carter snapped out of it and casually made up an excuse: "I was just thinking, Emily Foster is only at the eighth level of Xuan Guan, but she beat someone at the ninth. You all didn't seem surprised. Is challenging someone above your level that common to you?"

David Sullivan snorted: "Cultivation levels just mean more power, quicker reflexes, sharper senses. Sure, it gives you an advantage in a fight, but it doesn't guarantee victory. Otherwise, why would people bother to train in swordsmanship and combat skills, to hone their real fighting ability? Look at Ethan Sullivan, supposedly third level of Xuan Guan, and he still died at your hands. Now that's what I call challenging above your level."

"He wasn't invulnerable. What's so strange about being killed by a sneak attack? By the way, can I not get on the list because I'm too low-level?"

"The Book of Chaos doesn't care about your level, it cares about your record. No matter your cultivation, if you have an impressive record, you might be listed—especially on the Hidden Dragon list, which values potential. But what you did doesn't really count as a fight, so the Book of Chaos won't acknowledge it. If you'd actually killed Ethan Sullivan in a real battle, you might really have made the list..."

"I see..." Charles Carter stroked his chin. "So if I throw lime in someone's face during a fight and kill them, does that count?"

"As long as it's during a fight, any method counts as combat experience and battle wisdom. If you can defeat the strong with the weak, that's your skill. The heroes of the martial world might call that underhanded, but the Book of Chaos recognizes it... As the saying goes, 'Heaven's way is constant, not for Yao does it endure, not for Jie does it perish.'"

Charles Carter: "?"

"What? What's with that look?"

"How do you all know about Yao and Jie?"

"...What do you mean 'you all'? If a guy from the mountains like you has heard of them, why can't I?"

"No, it's just... never mind." What a weird world. He wondered if there were any history books in the bandit camp—he should find one and take a look sometime.

David Sullivan said, "So, from the way you talk, are you interested in getting on the list?"

Charles Carter had no desire to compete for rankings; he was just trying to understand the world. But since David Sullivan asked, he could only play along: "Who doesn't want to be famous? It's a great way to show off..."

David Sullivan grinned and patted him on the shoulder: "Top ten on the Heaven list, thirty-six on the Earth list, seventy-two on the Human list, and no limit for Hidden Dragons under twenty-five. Work hard, brother Charles Carter, who only started practicing at nineteen."

Charles Carter glanced at him sideways, then suddenly smiled: "You're smiling more and more these days. Is this the real you?"

David Sullivan instantly put on a straight face and stomped off to his room to sleep, huffing.

Chapter 9: Blade Technique

The next morning, Charles Carter looked speechlessly at the cornbread brought by the servant, and complained with deep resentment: "Is this breakfast? It's not even as good as what you get at a roadside inn."