After passing the final trial of the human race, one could inscribe one's name upon the crystal stele. It was a place where many Peerless Experts had left their marks.
Amitabha Great Emperor, Ruthless Great Emperor, Great Emperor Hengyu, and others—names that had shone through the ages were engraved upon the crystal stele.
An Ancient Mirror, a figure—this was the mark left by Ji Xukong, representing the pinnacle of this era's Emperor's Road.
On this day, Yang Qing likewise engraved his name upon the crystal stele. A longsword stretched across the sky beside Ji Xukong's mark.
Only after inscribing one's name upon the crystal stele did the struggle for the Emperor's Road truly begin. One had to step onto the Heavenly Road and battle through the nine Emperor Passes.
"It is said that the secret of becoming an emperor lies beyond the nine Emperor Passes. Do you know why?" Ji Xukong asked.
The struggle for this era's Emperor's Road had begun long ago. Many powerful cultivators had already charged onto the Heavenly Road to battle through the nine Emperor Passes.
The strongest young generation of the present age were all within the nine Emperor Passes. The true struggle for the Emperor's Road would unfold there.
"Why would we need the secret of becoming an emperor? As long as I fight through the nine Emperor Passes and suppress all heroes, becoming an emperor will be inevitable!" Yang Qing said.
He had no interest in the so-called secret of becoming an emperor. In his view, the tempering gained from battling through the nine Emperor Passes was more important.
If he could fight through the nine Emperor Passes and become invincible among the young generation of this era, who could compete with him for this era's chance to become emperor?
Great Emperors knew no defeat—at least, that had been the case before the Chaotic Ancient Great Emperor appeared. Sweeping through their era all the way, becoming emperor had been inevitable.
It was like raising venomous insects. The geniuses of the era fought one another in pairs until one invincible expert emerged and became the pinnacle of an age.
"Well said! Once you fight your way to invincibility beneath the heavens, there is naturally no need for any secret of becoming emperor!" Ji Xukong said approvingly.
Yang Qing had actually entered the nine Emperor Passes rather late. Great Saints were not considered top-tier experts within the nine Emperor Passes.
But Ji Xukong had seen with his own eyes that Yang Qing had already walked his own path. There was great hope that his Saint Body would reach Great Accomplishment in the future.
However, that would likely come after the struggle for this era's Emperor's Road had ended, because Ji Xukong was about to take that step.
That was precisely why he had left the nine Emperor Passes. They no longer held any meaning for him.
But Yang Qing was different. Tempering himself within the nine Emperor Passes would allow him to grow quickly, and Ji Xukong was Yang Qing's Dao Protector.
Just as the Great Accomplishment Saint Body had protected his Dao back then!
"Give me some time, and I will fight through the nine Emperor Passes!" Yang Qing declared confidently.
In this era, aside from Ji Xukong, everyone else was beneath his notice!
If he could not fight through the nine Emperor Passes and suppress all the geniuses of the present age, he would not even be qualified to fight Ji Xukong.
"Then you need to cultivate faster. Your strength is still not enough!" Ji Xukong said with a smile.
He did not doubt Yang Qing's talent. Among the geniuses of this era, only a handful could walk their own path.
But the same problem remained: Yang Qing had started too late and lagged far behind the others.
Within the nine Emperor Passes, Great Saints were naturally not weak, but all the truly top-tier experts had already entered the Quasi-Emperor realm.
For Yang Qing to fight through the nine Emperor Passes in a short time was basically impossible.
"My cultivation is a little low, so I'll just break through!" Yang Qing said.
If he had been a Quasi-Emperor, he would not have struggled so much when facing an Extreme Dao Imperial Weapon.
He had already walked his own path and nurtured an invincible Dao. His personal tempering could come to a temporary end.
For the next period of time, he would cultivate with all his strength and raise his cultivation.
Ji Xukong smiled faintly. Breaking through from Great Saint to Quasi-Emperor was not so easy.
Even back then, he had spent nearly a hundred years tempering himself before finally taking that crucial step.
Given Yang Qing's current situation, remaining in the Great Saint realm for several centuries would be perfectly normal.
Yet seven days later, as he watched Yang Qing undergo tribulation within a boundless sea of lightning, he could not help falling into deep thought.
Fast! This was far too fast!
Just seven days ago, he had been certain that Yang Qing could not become a Quasi-Emperor in such a short time. He had not expected reality to slap him in the face so quickly.
"Could it be that he had already tempered himself to the limit and only lacked that final kick?"
Breaking through was not strange. What was strange was that Yang Qing had broken through so quickly!
It was as though Yang Qing had already stood at the absolute peak of the Great Saint realm, and a chance spark of insight had directly allowed him to break through.
That was the most reasonable explanation, yet Ji Xukong still felt that it was not the case. There seemed to be some secret he did not know.
Within the boundless sea of lightning, Yang Qing fought terrifying beings formed from lightning, enduring the trial of heaven and earth.
The same was true of his Sky-Supporting Sword. Tempered within the lightning sea, it was transforming from a Great Saint weapon into a Quasi-Emperor weapon.
Yang Qing's cultivation speed was too fast. It seemed that even heaven could not bear to watch, so it had sent down a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation.
The terrifying beings formed from lightning were merely appetizers. Young Ancient Great Emperors were the standard fare.
Yet this was precisely what Yang Qing needed. He advanced rapidly through fierce combat, making his Dao and techniques ever more complete.
Seven days later, the boundless sea of lightning slowly dispersed. Yang Qing, still wanting more, successfully passed the Heavenly Tribulation.
If possible, he had actually wanted the Heavenly Tribulation to last a little longer.
Battling young Ancient Great Emperors had pushed his Combat Talent to its limit. His rate of improvement had become unimaginably fast.
If it were anyone else, after creating their own Invincible Method, they would need to spend a long time refining it before it could be perfected.
Great Emperors were even more so. Every forbidden chapter of an imperial scripture had been tempered countless times, and every one represented invincibility.
But within the Heavenly Tribulation, with young Ancient Great Emperors serving as sparring partners, he could perfect himself through battle. It would be hard for his progress not to be fast.
"Now that I am a Quasi-Emperor, it is time to fight the geniuses of this era!" Yang Qing said.
Great Saints and Quasi-Emperors appeared to differ by only one realm, but the gap between them was as vast as heaven and earth.
A Quasi-Emperor already bore the word "Emperor." It was the final realm before Great Emperor, so it was naturally extraordinary.
Without exaggeration, after becoming a Quasi-Emperor, he already stood at the pinnacle of the universe and had become one of the few strongest experts.
"Just how many years have you cultivated?"
Ji Xukong looked at Yang Qing. After pondering for a long while, he finally voiced the question in his heart.
He could sense that Yang Qing should be very young—so young that it was almost excessive!
When it came to cultivation speed, Ji Xukong possessed absolute confidence. Throughout all of history, few could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
After all, he had promised the Great Accomplishment Saint Body senior that he would Prove Dao and Become Emperor at the age of five hundred and one.
Over the years, he had cultivated diligently. Finally, in his four hundreds, he had come only one step away from Proving Dao and Becoming Emperor.
Yang Qing was not only a Saint Body, but also the disciple of the Great Accomplishment Saint Body senior. He absolutely had a place among the geniuses of this era.
"Me? I actually haven't cultivated for that long. Altogether, it has only been four years. I'm only twenty-two this year!" Yang Qing answered truthfully.
Thinking about it, he was already twenty-two this year. A twenty-two-year-old Quasi-Emperor was barely acceptable.
In truth, if he had focused solely on secluded cultivation, he could certainly have broken through to become a Quasi-Emperor even faster.
But if he merely raised his cultivation, how could he have walked his own path and nurtured an invincible Dao and method?
However, Yang Qing had no idea just how great an impact those words had on Ji Xukong.
A twenty-two-year-old Quasi-Emperor—what the hell was that?
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