Chapter 154 - 153: Each Family’s Inheritance

Chapter 154: Chapter 153: Each Family’s Inheritance

Upon entering Prince Qing’s manor and arriving at the reception hall, Fang Can sat at his seat without a word. He was completely still and composed, utterly unmoved by his surroundings.

He wouldn’t have wanted to come to this banquet at all if not for the family connection between Prince Qing and Jiang Ning’an.

Seeing this gathering of nobodies, he felt even less inclined to bother with them.

Though he remained quiet, everyone around him was secretly sizing him up.

’So that’s Fang Can? He seems completely unremarkable,’ one Martial Artist said to his friend via sound transmission.

’I know, right? He doesn’t look nearly as arrogant as the legends claim. He almost seems a little shy.’

’If you don’t believe it, why don’t you go test him out, Brother Ye?’ some of the nearby Martial Artists, who had previously been defeated by Fang Can, goaded via sound transmission.

But at this suggestion, the previously dismissive Martial Artist awkwardly demurred, ’Never mind, never mind. We’re in Prince Qing’s domain; it’s best not to stir up trouble.’

After that telepathic exchange, the Martial Artists seemed to ignore Fang Can, and the atmosphere grew lively once more.

The topic of their conversation shifted mostly to hushed discussions about the Martial Dao. They shared various anecdotes they knew, and gradually, the discussion turned to their host for the day.

"I heard Prince Qing is a Third Turn expert. Does anyone know what kind of legacy he has? Is it a replication of the Great Derivation Divine Monarch’s? Or did he forgo a legacy to strengthen his own Martial Dao?" a Martial Artist asked curiously.

Most legacies obtained by Martial Artists on the Heaven-Ascending Road are chosen based on their master’s teachings.

Simply put, if you don’t possess Extraordinary talent, you follow the established template of your master.

Otherwise, you end up like Wang Peng, with a bizarre, mismatched legacy. He was practically the weakest First Turn Martial Artist, and Fang Can killed him despite being at a lower realm.

Furthermore, even with the same legacy traits, the resulting quality varies depending on one’s innate talent.

For instance, a legacy like [Power Boost], which enhances strength, can have one-fold, three-fold, five-fold, or even ten-fold multipliers. Those with poor talent might only acquire a common, white-grade trait.

"I heard Prince Qing’s First Turn legacy is called [Flash Step]. It’s a supreme evasion-type legacy."

A Martial Artist with inside knowledge explained, "As long as you dodge within the gap of an opponent’s attack, you can completely nullify their attack for that turn."

"Against a typical strike from a Third Turn Martial Artist, the window for this dodge is about one-hundredth of a breath. This means that as long as you seize that hundredth-of-a-breath opening, you can evade most attacks."

"By the way, Brother Li, when you ascend to the Heaven-Ascending Road, what kind of First Turn legacy will you choose?"

Having finished discussing Prince Qing’s legacy, one of the youths turned to another young man with a stern expression.

Even here in Prince Qing’s manor, this young man was dressed in a full suit of armor. His posture and movements, whether walking or sitting, had a distinct military discipline to them. He was clearly from a family of generals.

Hearing their question, the young man didn’t hide anything and answered calmly:

"According to Old General Yang, the Imperial Guard is currently at full strength, so there’s no need for a new legacy to fill a slot. He told me to delay my breakthrough to the Heaven-Ascending Road Realm and wait until a position becomes available before I advance."

"Doesn’t that put you at a huge disadvantage for the Grand Tournament?"

"I have no choice. Obeying orders is my duty."

"Don’t be discouraged, Brother Li. You’re only delaying your entry to the Heaven-Ascending Road," said a young man with a white wooden whip, his face a mask of misery. "It’s not like my situation. Even after I reach the Heaven-Ascending Road, I won’t even have a legacy."

"Wait, Brother Jiang, don’t tell me your family’s old master is still making you use *that*..." The surrounding youths looked shocked, clearly aware of his family’s background.

"That’s right. The old master says our ancestral craft cannot be abandoned," the youth with the whip said, pulling a steel lump from his robes with a miserable look on his face.

Their conversation piqued Fang Can’s interest. He glanced over and was momentarily stunned.

In the whip-wielding youth’s hand, the iron lump was a fusion of a cylinder and a cone, with a perfectly round bead embedded at its tip. Wasn’t that a spinning top?

"Ever since I could remember, in addition to practicing martial arts, the old master made me whip this iron top. He told me to feel its inner pulse and achieve a state of ’Oneness with the Top.’ If I don’t whip the top, the old master whips *me* like one."

"I’ve been practicing for over a decade. I haven’t felt any ’pulse,’ but my top-whipping technique has become quite profound. I can even whip it hard enough to create a Tornado."

The youth with the whip gave a bitter smile. "Pity me, Jiang Kuangduo! A man of my exceptional talent, forced to use his own legacy to upgrade a spinning top into a Sacrificial Artifact. Using a top to fight enemies... I’ll be a complete laughingstock."

"Stop complaining. My family’s specialty is the diabolo, and you don’t hear me saying anything," a nearby Martial Artist said, patting Jiang Kuangduo’s shoulder in bitter consolation.

"Hah. Spinning tops, diabolos... Has my family, which has passed down the art of Cuju through a single heir for ten generations, spoken up yet?" another Martial Artist holding a Cuju ball sneered. ’As if their problems compare to mine.’

Unlike the flesh-and-blood clashes of the Mortal Shell Realm, where everyone fought using base stats and technical skill, reaching the Heaven-Ascending Road was like choosing a specialization; all kinds of cultivation systems could be formed.

After all, every cultivation system was a reflection of the mind. There was nothing one couldn’t imagine, only things one couldn’t achieve.

As long as your ’Light of the Mind’ was powerful enough, you could even create a cultivation system where you grew stronger by eating shit.

So, compared to the Martial Artists who wielded swords and sabers, those with more... abstract systems found them rather embarrassing. It was only normal for them to feel frustrated.

Their ancestors had ascended via these very skills, and their unwavering obsession with their own paths meant they naturally demanded their descendants carry on the craft.

Fang Can, who had initially found the gathering tedious, now watched their conversation with growing interest. He felt the trip hadn’t been a waste after all; it was proving to be a real eye-opener.

After all, gaining such a comprehensive understanding of these people’s Heaven-Ascending Road systems would be helpful for his own path.

He still hadn’t decided on the future direction for his own ’Light of the Mind,’ having only a vague idea so far.

From what Fang Can could gather, the paths these Martial Artists discussed for after the Heaven-Ascending Road were incredibly diverse, covering everything from painting, reciting poetry, and playing chess to Cuju, diabolos, sword dancing, and wielding clubs.

One reason they were so forthcoming about these things was the *kotodama* effect of their legacies.

Simply put, the more an opponent knew about your legacy, the greater the power you could unleash. Consequently, most Martial Artists weren’t too concerned about revealing information about their legacies.

Besides, everyone here was young and hot-blooded, with little inclination to keep secrets.

As the conversation heated up, a Martial Artist suddenly turned to Fang Can and asked:

"Brother Fang, what kind of legacy are you planning to choose for the grand tournament?"

"Me?" Fang Can paused. Just as he was about to speak, a herald’s voice boomed from the distance, "His Highness, Prince Qing, has arrived!"

At these words, all eyes turned to the doorway. A man with an imposing air, clad in magnificent python-embroidered robes and appearing to be in the prime of his life, slowly entered from the steps outside.