Chapter 159 - 158: Entering Fangcun Mountain

Chapter 159: Chapter 158: Entering Fangcun Mountain

After leaving Prince Qing’s manor, Fang Can returned straight to his own residence without stopping.

Seated cross-legged in his courtyard, he silently cultivated, feeling his body inch closer and closer to perfection.

With his physical body at the Profound Gate Tenth Layer, Fang Can could sense that he could advance no further.

Every atom and cell in his body had reached the theoretical peak for a Transcendent Body.

Unless he reached the Heaven-Ascending Road, these microscopic aspects of his being could not improve by even a single step.

What he was doing now was refining his organs, maximizing the potential hidden within every last piece of his flesh and blood.

Houses built from the same materials can withstand different levels of disaster depending on their internal structure.

Beside him, Ye Qingshi sat with her cheeks puffed out, clearly in a terrible mood.

She had already been unhappy since yesterday because Fang Can wanted to cultivate that wretched incantation, and now the Ascension Rankings had to pull this stunt.

Ye Qingshi, who had never in her life imagined she would make the rankings, wasn’t happy at all. The words written about her were just too nasty.

’What was that nonsense about "A golden fish, once a mere pond-dweller, ascends to heaven and becomes a phoenix"?!’

Ye Qingshi was self-aware, of course. She knew that the main reason she’d improved so quickly was that... ecstatic cultivation method of theirs.

’But wasn’t reaching the Profound Gate Third Layer also due to her own great perseverance in diligently (not!) draining Fang Can dry every single day?’

’And just because it’s the truth doesn’t mean you can just say it! How could the Celestial Secret Tower be so malicious, so utterly classless!’

The thought of becoming famous across the lands in such a manner made Ye Qingshi’s skin crawl.

She wished she could just fast-forward a hundred years, spend all that time vigorously "cultivating" with Fang Can, become a peerless master, and then march right up to the Celestial Secret Tower to demand justice.

While patiently fending off Fang Can’s barely concealed desire to "overthrow his superior," Ye Qingshi, who had just finished breakfast with him, began counting on her fingers how long it would be until the next day.

’The four hours of ’morning practice’ each day felt far too short,’ she thought. ’And after me, there are a hundred others waiting for Fang Can to ’feed.’ Damn it, a whole day isn’t even enough for him to get through them all once!’

And just as Ye Qingshi was lost in her wild thoughts, Fang Can felt a spark of spiritual light ignite within his soul.

He stopped his cultivation. With a mere thought, he felt a brilliant light envelop his being.

Then, a great hand seemed to scoop up his spirit. When his senses returned, he found the world before him had changed completely.

When he came to, Fang Can found himself in a space composed of shimmering mist.

The space was about the size of a soccer field, and as far as the eye could see, it was packed tight with 1,000 people, himself included.

Of course, what concerned Fang Can the most was his own body. It was now slightly transparent, lacking any physical sensation of flesh and blood.

’So this is the Spirit Platform Fangcun Mountain,’ Fang Can realized almost instantly where he was.

After all, he had come to the capital for the express purpose of participating in the Tournament of Nations, so of course he had researched it.

The so-called Fangcun Mountain was a Fifth-Turn Sacrificial Artifact from the Brahma Sound Temple of the Western Buddhist Nation, literally forged from an entire mountain peak.

Its purpose was to connect the minds of all living beings, creating a space that served as an unobstructed channel for communication.

Now, guided by the Celestial Secret Tower’s tracking, the Brahma Sound Temple could remotely lock onto the top one thousand Martial Artists on the Hidden Dragon List from every nation, connecting the barriers around their hearts to enable long-distance communication.

According to rumors in the martial world, Fangcun Mountain’s original purpose was to foster mutual understanding, allowing people to truly comprehend the thoughts in each other’s hearts.

But soon after forging it, the abbot at the time sighed and said:

"The prejudice between people is a great mountain. Once all barriers are removed, in a world of absolute sincerity, the discriminating nature of sentient beings will only create even greater conflict."

Thus, a strange, colossal tower was quickly erected upon Fangcun Mountain: the Tower of Babel, a Fourth-Turn Sacrificial Artifact created from a Fourth-Turn eminent monk.

This tower was used to suppress Fangcun Mountain’s power, limiting its function to a level where one could communicate, but not easily understand others.

Clearly, this space was the work of Fangcun Mountain, and the thousand people before him were the spiritual essences of the Martial Artists on the Hidden Dragon List.

With just a single glance, Fang Can spotted many familiar faces.

As everyone observed their surroundings, a magnificent, vast Buddhist voice filled with boundless compassion resounded in their minds.

"Greetings, Benefactors. The Hidden Dragon List has been published, and you are all the Martial Artists who have been ranked."

"At this same time one month from now, Fangcun Mountain will open again. At that time, you need only answer the call within your hearts to enter Fangcun Mountain in your physical bodies and participate in the Tournament of Nations."

"The competition will last for three days and will be a free-for-all battle. The initial terrain will be a composite map of all the national capitals, and the citizens of each respective capital may lend their aid."

"Furthermore, once the great tournament begins, no abilities exceeding the power of the Transcendent Body Realm may be brought in."

"Even if a Benefactor possesses a Fourth-Turn Sacrificial Artifact, it will be rendered a mundane item upon entering Fangcun Mountain. However, if you break through to the First Turn while inside Fangcun Mountain, you will then be able to use its corresponding power."

"You need not worry about injury. Should you perish in battle, your physical body will instantly be restored in the real world. There is no risk of true death."

"Upon the competition’s conclusion, the top ten victors will receive a blessing from the incarnation of the Light of the Mind."

...

The vast, magnificent Buddhist voice echoed tirelessly throughout the space, ensuring everyone had a fresh understanding of the competition’s rules.

In short, it was a three-day, countdown-style battle royale, set on a composite map of the various national capitals.

The map would also continuously shrink until only the final victor remained, at which point the competition would end.

After describing the rules, the Buddhist voice slowly said, "Benefactors, the rules have been explained. If you wish to exit this realm, you need only silently think the word ’Leave’."

"Those of you who remain may stay for the time it takes one incense stick to burn. At that point, Fangcun Mountain will close completely until it reopens in one month."

With that, the voice vanished. Immediately, dozens of figures disappeared from the space.

Fang Can was about to leave as well when a great shout boomed from the distance, "Where is Fang Can? Do you dare show yourself?"

’Hm?’ Puzzled, Fang Can looked toward the source of the voice.

There stood a giant of a man, easily two and a half meters tall. He had a boyish face atop a body of massive, bulging muscles, making him stand out like a crane among chickens in the crowd of spirits.

’This guy must be that Prince from Great Chu,’ Fang Can thought to himself, eyeing the man’s immense build.

As Xiang Longtao roared, the acquaintances in the crowd all turned to look at Fang Can, allowing Xiang Longtao to lock onto his position.

Shoving everyone aside, the massive man planted himself directly in front of Fang Can, his eyes sizing him up.

"So, you’re Fang Can," he said, looking him up and down. "A fine cultivation cauldron indeed. An excellent female, yes."

’What the hell is this guy talking about?’ Fang Can frowned. ’Surely people can still tell whether I’m a man or a woman, right?’