Chapter 168 - 167: The Eve of the Grand Competition

Chapter 168: Chapter 167: The Eve of the Grand Competition

Standing within the manor, Fang Can raised his right hand, feeling the changes after his body’s complete transformation.

As the sensation settled, it was like fitting the final piece of a puzzle. His perception of every inch of his body had been turned upside down.

With every breath he took, the air seemed to penetrate the deepest recesses of his alveoli. Each exchange of gases injected new vitality into his cells.

His heart, that vital and vulnerable organ, was now exceptionally clear in his perception. Every beat was strong and powerful, pumping blood throughout his body until even his fingertips could feel the pulse.

The realignment of his blood vessels had made his entire circulatory system precise and efficient, flawlessly meeting his body’s demands.

Now, whether he was walking, running, or jumping, his body moved like a finely tuned machine.

What Fang Can was experiencing was a level of physical awareness and control that pushed the very limits of biology.

In this state, he could fight anywhere—on land, in the sky, in the deep sea, in molten lava, even in space. Even in the most desperate situations, he could outlast anyone else.

And through this gradual process of refinement, Fang Can gained a complete understanding of his own body.

’I’ve now reached the limit of the Transcendent Body. My strength, speed, and defense are all at the absolute peak for my size. With the addition of the Yin God Incantation, Xiang Longtao shouldn’t be a match for me unless he breaks through to the Heaven-Ascending Road.’

’From now on, my hypothetical opponents will be the First Turn cultivators who have broken through on the Hidden Dragon Rankings.’

’The competition lasts three days. Even if they break through, their physical stats won’t improve by much. I need to be more careful of their strange legacies and abilities.’

Looking at his own hands, an idea surfaced in his mind: ’What if I use the remaining time to quickly develop a Cultivation Technique to boost my strength?’

As this idea took hold, all sorts of thoughts flooded Fang Can’s mind.

For instance, he could further develop the Heaven-Supporting Skill and try to solve the problem of providing a massive amount of energy in a short time.

With that in mind, Fang Can began to modify and streamline the Cultivation Technique.

Immersed in his cultivation, time flew by. More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

In the final few days, the Imperial Palace sent out an invitation for all Martial Artists preparing for the great competition to enter its walls, where several Fourth Turn experts would be present to ensure their safety.

Inside the training room of Prince Qing’s estate, Old Yang’s mouth twitched as he looked at the young man before him, whose skin was flushed red. "You really are a monster, kid."

"You flatter me, you flatter me," Fang Can said with a grin. "My hard work these past few days wasn’t in vain. It seems I’ve made some progress."

"’Some progress’ is an understatement. This move of yours might be complicated, require time to build up, and be easy to interrupt, but once you pull it off, you can overwhelm most First Turn cultivators in a short burst."

Old Yang sat cross-legged on the floor and sighed with emotion. "It looks like the championship of this great inter-nation competition is yours for the taking. My job as your sparring partner is done."

"Go back and rest well for a day. You’ve been wound so tight. The competition is the day after tomorrow, so get ready."

Fang Can nodded, turned, and walked away. As he moved, a blinding light erupted from his skin, as if hundreds of flashbangs had gone off at once.

A few seconds later, his flushed skin returned to its normal pale complexion, and Fang Can disappeared down a secluded path as if nothing had happened.

Watching his disappearing back, Old Yang sighed softly. "The younger generation is truly formidable."

The following day, the Capital City was more lively than ever, bustling like it was the New Year as countless visitors from every nation packed its streets.

This year’s great inter-nation competition had generated so much buzz it was considered the most exciting one in a century.

On the final day before the competition, Fang Can lay languidly in his courtyard, surrounded by a sprawling expanse of pale, collapsed figures.

After he had returned yesterday, the group of them had clung to him, whining that since the competition would take three days, he should give them their "three-day share" in advance.

Faced with their tearful pleas, Fang Can’s heart softened for a moment. The next thing he knew, thirty hours had passed.

Even though Fang Can had limitless stamina, the whole ordeal left him mentally exhausted.

It was like a Sichuan peppercorn in a juicer—he’d been squeezed completely numb.

He lay there bare-chested in the bedroom, unable to recover for a long time.

When Fang Can finally regained consciousness, it was already the morning of the great inter-nation competition.

He gently stretched his body, and with a wave of his hand, stopped the women from waiting on him. Fang Can threw on some clothes and walked out the door.

He left the residence amidst the prayers of his followers, taking the weapon he had commissioned from the blacksmith. It had been reforged from the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Broadsword and was now named [Xuanhong].

The spear was about 2.5 meters long, its black shaft marked with red patterns. It retained the two abilities of its previous form: Weight and Raging Flames.

Although the great inter-nation competition would restrict the use of legacies, the spear’s inherent toughness was more than enough for Fang Can to wield effectively.

He strode along the street. At this moment, the entire road was empty and exceptionally quiet.

After yesterday’s fervor, the common people had all shut their doors and windows, staying home to watch the great competition.

That’s right. As this was a grand event held once every ten years, the entire capital was to be replicated one-to-one for the competition. This allowed the city’s populace to watch the events on the battlefield via a spiritual connection.

With the competition about to begin, they had already gathered together, ready to watch the live broadcast.

He walked all the way to Xuanwu Gate. The imperial guards at the gate did not stop him, allowing him to enter the palace. Along the way, Fang Can saw many other Martial Artists entering the palace as well.

There was no conversation, just nods of greeting between them. He continued on to the Imperial River Plaza, where a banquet had already been set up for the Martial Artists.

Those who entered the palace this time included not only officials, royalty, and Martial Artists from the Hidden Dragon Rankings, but also representatives from various factions of the martial world who had come to observe.

"So that’s Fang Can?" As he stepped into the Imperial Palace, the major factions all turned their eyes toward him.

Ignoring their stares, Fang Can’s gaze immediately found an ethereal figure standing out from a crowd of colorfully dressed women, and beside her, a young girl sitting obediently.

Without hesitation, Fang Can walked up to the delegation from Jiejian Mountain, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Elder Liu, Elder Jiang."

"Hmph. You reek of perfume," Liu Qingmeng chided bluntly. "Have you spent all your time cultivating that Yin God technique?"

"Of course not," Fang Can said with a smile. "Just wait and see my performance, Elder Liu."

Beside them, Jiang Ning’an wanted to speak, but she remembered her master’s words: a martial practitioner must exercise restraint.

’Besides, all my senior and junior sisters are here. If I speak up, won’t it look like I care too much? I have my pride, you know.’

Thinking this, the young girl forcefully suppressed the urge to speak.

"Elder Jiang, it has been many days. I trust you’ve been well." Fang Can looked at Jiang Ning’an. This was the first time the two of them had met in the Great Derivation.