Not Strong Enough? Then Break Through!

Passing the final trial of the Human Race allows one to inscribe their name on the Crystal Tablet, a place where many peerless powerhouses have left their mark.

Amitabha Great Emperor, Ruthless Great Emperor, Hengyu Great Emperor, and others—names that shine through the ages are carved onto the Crystal Tablet.

An ancient mirror, a figure—that was Ji Xukong's mark, representing the pinnacle of the Emperor's Road in this era.

On this day, Yang Qing also inscribed his name on the Crystal Tablet, a long sword traversing the sky, positioned next to Ji Xukong's.

After inscribing their names on the Crystal Tablet, the competition on the Emperor's Road truly begins, leaping onto the Heavenly Road to conquer the nine Emperor Passes.

"It is said that the secrets to becoming an Emperor are hidden beyond the nine Emperor Passes. Do you know why?" Ji Xukong asked.

The competition on the Emperor's Road in this era had already begun, with many powerhouses having already charged onto the Heavenly Road to conquer the nine Emperor Passes.

The strongest of the younger generation in this era are all within the nine Emperor Passes, where the true competition on the Emperor's Road will unfold.

"Why bother with the secrets of becoming an Emperor? As long as I can cut through the nine Emperor Passes and suppress all heroes, becoming an Emperor will be inevitable!" Yang Qing declared.

He was not interested in the so-called secrets of becoming an Emperor. In his opinion, the tempering gained from conquering the nine Emperor Passes was far more important.

If he could cut through the nine Emperor Passes and become invincible among the younger generation of this era, who could contend with him for the chance to become an Emperor in this lifetime?

Great Emperors do not lose. At least, that was the case before the appearance of the Ancient Chaotic Great Emperor. Sweeping through the current era, becoming an Emperor was an inevitable outcome.

It was like a "gu" breeding contest, where the prodigies of this era fought each other, ultimately producing an invincible powerhouse to become the pinnacle of an era.

"Well said! If you can kill your way to being unrivaled in the world, then you naturally won't need any secrets to becoming an Emperor!" Ji Xukong said with full approval.

Yang Qing had entered the nine Emperor Passes rather late. A Great Sage was not considered a top-tier expert within the nine Emperor Passes.

But he had personally witnessed Yang Qing forging his own path, and he had a great chance of achieving the Great Accomplishment Saint Body in the future.

However, that would likely be after the Emperor's Road competition of this era concluded, as he was close to taking that step himself.

It was precisely for this reason that he had left the nine Emperor Passes; they held no further meaning for him.

But Yang Qing was different. Tempering himself within the nine Emperor Passes would allow Yang Qing to grow quickly, and he would be Yang Qing's Dao Protector.

Just like in the past, when the Great Accomplishment Saint Body had protected him!

"Give me some time, and I will cut through the nine Emperor Passes!" Yang Qing said with full confidence.

In this era, apart from Ji Xukong, everyone else was merely a commoner!

If he couldn't cut through the nine Emperor Passes and suppress all the prodigies of this era, he wouldn't even have the qualification to fight Ji Xukong.

"Then you need to cultivate faster. Your current strength is not enough!" Ji Xukong said with a smile.

He did not doubt Yang Qing's talent. Being able to forge his own path was something few among the prodigies of this era could do.

But as he said, Yang Qing had started too late, falling too far behind others.

Within the nine Emperor Passes, a Great Sage was naturally not considered weak, but the truly top-tier powerhouses had all already reached the Quasi-Emperor realm.

For Yang Qing to want to cut through the nine Emperor Passes in a short period was essentially impossible.

"My cultivation is a bit low, so I'll just break through!" Yang Qing said.

If he were a Quasi-Emperor, facing an Ultimate Emperor Weapon would not be so difficult.

He had forged his own path and nurtured an invincible Dao. His personal tempering could come to an end.

For the next period, he would focus entirely on cultivating and improving his cultivation.

Ji Xukong smiled wryly. Breaking through from Great Sage to Quasi-Emperor was not an easy matter.

Even for him in the past, it had taken nearly a century of tempering before he finally took that crucial step.

Given Yang Qing's current situation, it would be quite normal for him to remain in the Great Sage realm for several hundred years.

But just seven days later, watching Yang Qing undergoing his tribulation in a boundless sea of lightning, Ji Xukong fell into deep thought.

So fast! This was too fast!

Just seven days ago, he had predicted that Yang Qing could not become a Quasi-Emperor in a short period. He hadn't expected to be proven wrong so quickly.

"Could it be that he has already tempered himself to the limit, just needing that final push?"

The breakthrough itself wasn't surprising; what was surprising was how quickly Yang Qing had broken through!

It was as if Yang Qing had already stood at the peak of the Great Sage realm, and a chance encounter had directly caused him to break through.

This was the most logical explanation, yet he felt it wasn't the whole story. There seemed to be some hidden secret he was unaware of.

In the boundless sea of lightning, Yang Qing battled terrifying beings formed from lightning, enduring the trials of heaven and earth.

His Sky-Supporting Sword was also being tempered in the lightning sea, transforming from a Great Sage weapon into a Quasi-Emperor weapon.

Yang Qing's cultivation speed was too fast, as if even the heavens couldn't stand it, thus descending a terrifying Heavenly Tribulation.

The terrifying beings formed from lightning were merely an appetizer; young Ancient Great Emperors were the standard.

But this was precisely what Yang Qing needed. He was progressing rapidly through intense combat, making his Dao and techniques more perfect.

Seven days later, the boundless sea of lightning slowly dissipated. Yang Qing, with a look of profound contemplation, had successfully passed the Heavenly Tribulation.

If he could have, he actually wished the Heavenly Tribulation could have lasted a little longer.

Battling young Ancient Great Emperors had pushed his Combat Talent to its limit, and his progress speed was unimaginably fast.

If it were anyone else, after creating their own invincible technique, they would always spend a long time refining it until it was perfect.

This was even more true for Great Emperors; the forbidden chapters of Emperor Scriptures were all forged through countless trials, each representing invincibility.

But during the Heavenly Tribulation, there were young Ancient Great Emperors to spar with, allowing them to perfect themselves in battle, making it difficult not to speed up.

"Now that I'm a Quasi-Emperor, it's time to fight the current generation's prodigies!" Yang Qing said.

Although a Great Sage and a Quasi-Emperor seem to be separated by only one realm, the difference is like heaven and earth.

Quasi-Emperor already carries the word "Emperor," being the final realm before Great Emperor, and is naturally extraordinary.

It's no exaggeration to say that after becoming a Quasi-Emperor, he has already stood at the pinnacle of the universe, becoming one of the few powerful figures.

"How many years have you actually been cultivating?"

Ji Xukong looked at Yang Qing, pondered for a moment, and finally voiced the question in his heart.

He could feel that Yang Qing should be very young, perhaps even excessively young!

When it came to cultivation speed, he had absolute confidence, with few in history who could compare to him.

After all, he had promised the Great Accomplishment Saint Body predecessor that he would Prove Dao and Become Emperor at the age of five hundred and one.

He had been diligently cultivating all these years, and finally, in his early four hundred years, he was only one step away from Proving Dao and Becoming Emperor.

Yang Qing was not only a Saint Body but also a disciple of the Great Accomplishment Saint Body predecessor, undoubtedly holding a significant place among the current generation's prodigies.

"Me! I haven't actually cultivated for that long, about four years in total. I'm only twenty-two this year!" Yang Qing answered truthfully.

Calculating the time, he was already twenty-two this year. A twenty-two-year-old Quasi-Emperor was, at best, acceptable.

In reality, if he had focused solely on secluded cultivation, he would have definitely broken through to become a Quasi-Emperor faster.

But just improving his cultivation, how could he forge his own path and nurture an invincible Dao and technique?

However, Yang Qing didn't realize the impact his words had on Ji Xukong at all.

A twenty-two-year-old Quasi-Emperor, what kind of nonsense is this?