Chapter 169 - 168: Telepathy

Chapter 169: Chapter 168: Telepathy

In the Great Derivation Imperial Palace, Jiang Ning’an sat beside Liu Qingmeng like an attendant.

Watching Fang Can approach, she suppressed the urge to speak, finally getting her wish when he took the initiative and asked.

In response to his question, a smile subconsciously bloomed on her face, but she slowly reined it in.

’Master told me to be restrained, but since Fang Can asked first, it’s only natural that I answer him.’

With this in mind, the young woman said politely, "Thank you for your concern, Junior Brother Fang. I’ve made some progress in my Martial Dao these past few days."

’Huh?’ Fang Can gave her a confused look. This answer didn’t seem to match her usual style at all.

Just as he was about to press further, Liu Qingmeng, who was beside them, interrupted, "That’s enough. You can catch up later. How are your preparations for the tournament?"

"In the bag," Fang Can said with a confident smile. "Elder Liu, just watch my performance later. But surely there are other rewards for the champion, right?"

"This spear of yours?" As Jiang Ning’an shot him a resentful glare, Liu Qingmeng noticed the long spear on Fang Can’s back. "Why the switch to a weapon this time?"

"I’m a genius, you know. Always fighting with my bare body, all bloody and messy, is so crude. I can dabble with any weapon, but the long spear just feels more natural in my hands."

Fang Can’s smiling reply reminded the people around them of the comments about his mastery of various weapons during the previous Rising Dragon Rankings.

’And... he’s so relaxed.’ Watching Fang Can act so casually and freely in front of a Fourth Turn expert, the people present didn’t know what to think.

Even the people from Jiejian Mountain nearby had complicated expressions, feeling that their own Sect Leader was being far too accommodating.

Without any hesitation, Fang Can saw an empty seat next to Liu Qingmeng and asked directly, "Elder, is this seat taken?"

"It was, originally. But they said a disciple shouldn’t overstep her bounds, so they all chose to stand. Sit if you want."

"Then it would be rude to refuse." Fang Can smiled, walked right over, and sat down obediently next to Liu Qingmeng, finally getting a chance to observe the environment.

It was only then that he could truly take in his surroundings. As his gaze swept across the area, he was surprised to see quite a few familiar faces.

The entire venue was divided into two semicircular areas. The imperial family and officials sat in one, while the major sects and schools were grouped in the other.

Within the sect area, four groups were most noteworthy: the Inversion Sect, Jiejian Mountain, the Supreme Profound Sect, and the Heavenly Fiend Soul Sect. All four were top-tier sects, each with a Fourth Turn expert presiding over them.

The Inversion Sect focused on cultivating flesh and blood, generating energy by visualizing the friction of microscopic particles within their bodies. Every one of them was a mountain of muscle.

Jiejian Mountain was composed mostly of female swordswomen who, after walking the Heaven-Ascending Road, entrusted the light of their spirit to the treasured swords in their hands.

The Supreme Profound Sect was filled with Daoists who didn’t cultivate legacies but focused on cultivating their own life and essence. After the First Turn, they could draw talismans and perform rituals to slay ghosts and exterminate demons.

As for the last one, the Heavenly Fiend Soul Sect, they were all basically ghosts. During the Transcendent Body stage, they tempered their flesh and blood, only to pass away upon reaching the First Turn, allowing their souls to devour their own bodies. In battle, they fought like lingering, vengeful spirits.

Aside from these four great sects, basically every contactable Martial Artist in the entire Great Derivation who had walked the Heaven-Ascending Road had been invited.

Among these sects, Fang Can even spotted Yang Duan, the Sect Leader of the Tiger Slaughter Sect. However, the man was currently putting on an air of utter detachment, pretending not to know Fang Can at all.

Sect Leader Yang had been the one to give him his first round of "angel investment." Since the other party clearly didn’t want to acknowledge him, Fang Can felt it wasn’t his place to go over and strike up a conversation.

And in the area for the imperial family and officials, besides Prince Qing and that one princess, Fang Can also saw an old acquaintance: Old Yang.

However, the man was currently clad in gleaming golden armor, sitting cross-legged and upright in an area close to the center.

Seeming to notice Fang Can’s gaze, Liu Qingmeng said, "What is it? Do you know old General Yang?"

"Old... General Yang? Elder Liu, you know him?" Fang Can looked back, confused. ’It’s one thing for a Fourth Turn expert to know a First Turn, but for him to be addressed so respectfully?’

"Of course. General Yang Qifeng is at the peak of the Third Turn. He commands the hundred-thousand-strong Imperial Guard. When his army charges in formation, even I would have to temporarily avoid a direct confrontation," Liu Qingmeng stated calmly.

"Third Turn... Peak?" Fang Can stared blankly back at the old general.

That explained it. The old geezer looked like he was on death’s door, but his fists were terrifyingly heavy. Turns out he’d been fighting a boss way out of his league.

The two of them hadn’t been hiding their conversation, so Old Yang knew his cover was blown. He gave Fang Can a simple, honest smile, but it just made Fang Can’s fists clench.

"You know him?" Liu Qingmeng asked.

"Know him? I know him all too well. I thought he was a First Turn and got beaten up by him for more than half a month straight," Fang Can said, exasperated. The content of his words made those nearby turn to look.

"I knew it. I’ve fought First Turns before, none of them were that ridiculous," Fang Can muttered to himself.

Just then, a herald outside the banquet hall announced, "Announcing the arrival of Master Luo Yanmo, Elder of the Brahma Sound Temple from the Western Buddhist Kingdom..."

Following the announcement, everyone turned toward the entrance. There, on the sunlit stone steps, a high-ranking monk in pure white robes slowly walked in.

The monk had a serene face and half-closed eyes, his expression radiating a profound compassion. He held a string of simple, ancient Buddhist Beads in his left hand. Although a monk, he had shoulder-length black hair, giving him an otherworldly air.

His steps were light and unhurried, his robes unstained by dust and as white as the first snow of winter. The moment everyone saw him, they felt the clamor in their hearts being purified.

The high-ranking monk brought one hand up in a salute and said in a calm voice, "Amitabha. This humble monk, Luo Yanmo, greets all you benefactors."

’Something’s not right. Something’s really not right with this monk,’ Fang Can thought, his brow furrowing as he sat in his seat.

Upon seeing this foreign monk, Fang Can’s heart filled with peace. He felt that the man before him had incredibly innocent eyes and subconsciously believed him to be a good person who would absolutely never harm him.

But his rational mind immediately rejected this subconscious feeling. Fang Can instinctively felt he had been put under an Illusion Technique. After the incident with Wang Peng, he had become sensitive to such things.

"Elder Liu, have I been affected by an Illusion Technique?" Fang Can asked instinctively. "Why do I have this subconscious feeling that this guy is a good person?"

He wasn’t the only one; many of the Martial Artists present noticed this same strange feeling in their hearts.

"This is the Divine Power of the Brahma Sound Temple, [Telepathy]," Liu Qingmeng said lightly, answering the question for everyone present.

"Buddhists say that a monk does not tell lies. So how do they prove this? Naturally, by revealing their own disposition to all living beings."

"In Zen meditation, there are three stages: seeing the mountain as a mountain, seeing the mountain as not a mountain, and seeing the mountain as a mountain once more."

"And this master has cultivated the Buddhist Zen art of Telepathy to Third-Layer Perfection, which showcases his superb mental and spiritual cultivation."

"The first layer of the so-called [Telepathy] is to perceive the hearts of others."

"It allows one to feel the emotions others have toward them, to understand their thoughts, and to achieve a state of mind free from worldly attachments."