Chapter 129: The Disparity of the Heaven-Ascending Road

Inside Jinluan Hall, the entire court of civil and military officials was in a solemn discussion about the current imperial selection.

Since they couldn't reach a direct conclusion, their only option was to choose one of the candidates.

Although the idea of ministers and princes choosing an emperor was preposterous, the current situation left no other choice.

Just as they were arguing amongst themselves, the minister in the corner holding a water mirror suddenly spoke up. "It seems there's a problem where the princess is."

"Is someone really trying to assassinate royalty? Who would be so bold?" a military official asked, his brow furrowed.

"Not quite. They just got caught in the crossfire. The one in real trouble is that Fang Can."

Fang Can! It was Fang Can again?

The officials were stunned. They had lost count of how many times they had heard his name today.

As this was said, they glanced over at Wan Yuxuan, assuming his grandson was pulling some stunt again.

The minister was momentarily at a loss for how to explain. He enlarged the image in the water mirror and said, "See for yourselves."

The next moment, upon seeing the middle-aged figure in the water mirror, all the officials present raised their eyebrows in unison. "Where did this rogue First Turn come from?"

Most of the ministers qualified to stand in Jinluan Hall were at the First Turn level or higher, so they naturally possessed ample experience in the Martial Dao.

They sensed something was wrong the moment they saw Wang Peng's overwhelmingly obvious presence.

"For his Inheritance to be this conspicuous, it must be for the sake of some terrifying ability."

"It's also possible this conspicuous presence *is* his Inheritance."

"What kind of moron would get an Inheritance that just broadcasts their presence? What's the use of that?"

...

As the officials discussed, the minister who had been watching all along shared his observations. His deductions were largely the same as Wan Guixuan's.

"What use is such an unorthodox ability to the Martial Dao? Even with it, you're just bottom-of-the-barrel among First Turns."

An official couldn't help but sneer.

An ability like that has too low a margin for error. Any First Turn who sees it would immediately know something is wrong. Its wielder can only live in the shadows like a coward.

And upon seeing the brief exchange between Wang Peng and Fang Can, the officials shook their heads in disapproval.

'Truly an unorthodox path. Utterly unrefined.'

'But this Fang Can is in for it now.' A few officials shook their heads privately.

Having come up as Martial Artists themselves, they knew full well the immense gap between the First Turn and the Ninth Layer. Any First Turn could effortlessly kill a Ninth Layer practitioner.

So, should they save him?

What a stupid question. Of course they had to!

The officials didn't even hesitate. This was a golden opportunity to make Jiejian Mountain owe them a favor.

If they just stood by and watched Fang Can get killed, once the news got out, they could expect the Sect Leader of Jiejian Mountain to come trampling all over the throne.

As for *how* to save him? And *when*? That was another matter entirely.

They had to let Fang Can face a true life-or-death crisis, let him take the full brunt of the damage, and only save him when he was a single step from death. That would maximize the gratitude they received.

Several officials with suitable Inheritances were already secretly channeling their power, preparing to intervene.

Wang Peng himself probably had no idea. After a lifetime of avoiding the Heaven-Ascending Road, he had just run into a hundred or so of its practitioners at once, and they were all secretly preparing to use their techniques on him.

Wang Peng: 'What the actual fuck? Did I break some heavenly law?'

Back on the plains, dust and sand billowed in the distance. Seething with rage, Wang Peng waved the smoke aside and strode out from the crater he'd made in the earth.

As his killing intent erupted, all the other Martial Artists felt a crushing pressure well up from within, and their minds plunged into terror.

But the moment he revealed his hostile intent, all the mental imprints on the entire procession were broken. All his previous deception vanished completely.

'Holy shit!' Fang Can shook his head. 'Some distant cousin. I almost fell for the guy's trick.'

'Heaven-Ascending Road, is it? Too scared to face me head-on, so you resort to dirty tricks. And what kind of twisted Inheritance is this?'

Fang Can's expression grew serious. This was the first time he had ever faced an opponent on the level of the Heaven-Ascending Road.

It reminded him of something Liu Qingmeng had once told him.

...

"Xiaofang, you're still young. When you eventually reach the Heaven-Ascending Road, you must be sure to create a good Inheritance for yourself."

「More than ten days ago, in a villa in the modern world.」

Liu Qingmeng, who had shrunk down to the form of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, spoke without a shred of her usual elegance.

Fang Can asked, "So what exactly is the Heaven-Ascending Road? How big is the gap between it and the Ninth Layer?"

"Don't tell me you're thinking of challenging a First Turn already? Dream on." Liu Qingmeng laughed, reaching out her flawless, jade-like right arm to vigorously ruffle Fang Can's hair.

Fang Can instinctively tried to lean back, but Liu Qingmeng put a hand on her hip and chided him playfully.

"Do you want to know about the First Turn or not? Just let me ruffle it. Your hair feels nice."

"I'll just ask Elder Jiang. She'll tell me," Fang Can said flatly.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you," Liu Qingmeng said, reluctantly pulling her hand back.

"After entering the First Turn, besides awakening an Inheritance, your body also undergoes the Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment, completely transcending the limits of a Martial Artist."

"Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment?"

"That's right. Over the next hundred days, a First Turn expert's body undergoes a monstrous development. Their physical strength will increase by at least tenfold."

...

Back on the plains, the ground beneath Wang Peng's feet instantly shattered.

Exerting hundreds of tons of force, Wang Peng's body instantly broke the sound barrier. His right hand shot into Fang Can's field of vision like a cannonball.

'So fast!' In that same instant, Fang Can's pupils shrank. He instinctively tilted his head just enough to narrowly evade the lightning-fast thrust.

But that was only the beginning. The secondary shockwave from Wang Peng's arm was just now hitting him.

Though the arm only grazed his skin, a massive impact like a missile strike was transmitted through Fang Can's body.

As if he'd been hit head-on by a train, Fang Can was sent flying backward, carving a trench more than ten meters long in the ground with a deafening ROAR.

And it wasn't just Fang Can.

The shockwave radiated outward, forming a five-meter-wide crater centered on Wang Peng and blasting away all the surrounding Martial Artists and sedan chairs.

Wang Peng's expression was grim. Fang Can's full-power punch had landed on his face, and it still throbbed with a dull ache.

At this moment, he cast aside all other thoughts.

His pride as a Martial Artist had taken over. His only desire was to annihilate the man who had managed to slightly injure him.

He turned his head. With his astonishing hearing, he could pick out Fang Can's heartbeat.

"To think you could dodge my punch. It seems the reputation of number one on the Soaring Dragon Rankings is well-deserved."

Wang Peng's face twisted into a savage grin as he turned back.

At that moment, veins began to bulge all over his body. He had clearly activated a power-boosting Cultivation Technique, something akin to the Evil Tiger Devouring Body.

"Let's see how you block my next punch—with twice the power!"

"The more brilliant the genius, the more satisfying it is to slaughter them."

"Before you die, I'll let you witness the difference between a Transcendent Body and the Heaven-Ascending Road."