174: Chapter 174 Battle of the Heavenly Road

“Five years ago, I was attempting to break through to the Peak Huajin Stage, so I didn't participate in the Tianmen selection.”

“But after I came out of seclusion, I heard that Xiao Yuan of the Tianhai City Xiao Family had actually entered Tianmen and become an outer disciple.”

“I came here today to ask Brother Xiao Yuan: with my current strength at the Peak Huajin Stage, if I had competed in the heavenly road back then, would I have been able to enter the high-level section and become a core disciple?”

Qi Wanjian was self-righteous and calm.

He waited quietly for Xiao Yuan's answer.

But what no one expected was...

Xiao Yuan stepped forward, gave a contemptuous smile, then shook his head and said in front of everyone,

“No!”

“What?”

Qi Wanjian sat up abruptly.

“You're saying that with my strength at the Peak Huajin Stage, I couldn't enter the high-level section?”

“That's right!”

Xiao Yuan's gaze gradually deepened, and a look of fear appeared in his eyes.

“If you had participated in the high-level selection for the heavenly road back then, the grass on your grave would probably be three feet high by now!”

“What did you say?”

Qi Wanjian's gaze was like a sword, and his sharp internal energy bore down on Xiao Yuan.

“You're saying I would have died if I had participated in the high-level selection?”

“That's right!” Xiao Yuan said proudly.

Seeing that Xiao Yuan didn't seem to be joking,

Qi Wanjian asked suspiciously, “Then what about the middle-level section?”

“Certain death!” Xiao Yuan said indifferently.

“Bullshit!”

Qi Wanjian instantly flew into a rage.

“Do you think just because I didn't participate in the Battle of the Heavenly Road, I don't know anything? Based on the results of past Battles of the heavenly road, with my Peak Huajin Stage, I would definitely have been able to enter the high-level section and become a core disciple!”

“Heh!”

Xiao Yuan suddenly laughed, a very strange laugh.

Then he suddenly looked up at Qi Wanjian.

“You should be glad you didn't participate in the Battle of the Heavenly Road back then.”

“The heavenly road opens every twenty years, with thousands of participants, and 60% of people are eliminated just from climbing the heavenly ladder.”

“In the Battle of the Heavenly Road twenty-five years ago, there were thirteen thousand participants. The heavenly ladder eliminated eight thousand six hundred, the preliminary section eliminated three thousand two hundred, leaving only twenty-eight people to pass the preliminary assessment and enter the outer sect. The middle-level section eliminated eight hundred, with fifteen entering the inner sect, and the high-level section eliminated three hundred and fifty, with only seven becoming core disciples.”

“In the vast Great Xia Dragon Country, there are countless Ancient Martial Arts Families, yet only fifty people were selected to enter.”

“And that was twenty-five years ago.”

“Do you know how many people were selected for Tianmen five years ago?”

Facing Xiao Yuan's questioning, Qi Wanjian fell silent.

Only top-tier Ancient Martial Arts Families would know this number.

Qi Wanjian was only able to know this information by relying on the Fuding Chamber of Commerce and paying ten billion in annual tribute to Tianmen.

Five years ago, the heavenly road opened.

There were actually fewer than ten people selected.

And there were as many as fifteen thousand participants.

What exactly happened on the heavenly road?

No one knew.

Only those top-tier Ancient Martial Arts Families could know.

But it was rumored that almost all the genius Ancient Martial Artists who participated in the middle and high-level selections died inside.

What really happened back then?

For the Ancient Martial Arts World, it was a huge mystery.

And even though ten people succeeded in the selection, most of them were outer disciples.

Because those who died that time were all middle and high-level candidates.

Eight of the ten were outer disciples, one was a middle-level candidate who entered the inner sect, and one was a high-level candidate who became a core disciple.

And Xiao Yuan was one of those eight.

“Do you know how many people participated in the high-level selection? Over five hundred people, but only one succeeded. And the others? They all died; they died on the heavenly road.”

Xiao Yuan's face was somewhat distorted, and his voice trembled.

“In that battle, the heavenly road was littered with corpses, and blood even flowed from the mountaintop down to the Kunlun heavenly ladder!”

“Do you think you could have succeeded?”

Xiao Yuan looked down at him, presenting the scenes from five years ago in his mind to Qi Wanjian through his words.

“Xiao Yuan!”

Old Master Xiao shouted sternly, immediately pulling Xiao Yuan back from his memories.

Because Old Master Xiao also knew.

Because Xiao Yuan seemed to have been greatly affected emotionally when he participated in the Battle of the Heavenly Road.

Although he entered Tianmen and his cultivation had advanced rapidly over these five years, reaching the late stage of the Huajin Stage,

his foundation was unstable, and it seemed he had developed a heart demon.

This shout also woke Qi Wanjian up.

Realizing his loss of composure, Qi Wanjian laughed arrogantly, “Just kidding, do you take me for a fool? If a mere beginner at the Huajin Stage like you could survive the heavenly road, why couldn't I, with my Peak Huajin Stage?”

“Yes! You couldn't!”

Xiao Yuan said with extreme certainty, “Because in that battle, that person didn't even bother to attack us preliminary candidates, so everyone who chose the preliminary section and became an outer disciple was lucky enough to survive.”

“Pfft! Who knows if you're lying!”

Qi Wanjian said disdainfully.

“Regardless, I came here today to ask for a spar and see the strength of a Tianmen Disciple!”

As he spoke, Qi Wanjian drew the sword from his waist and pointed it directly at Xiao Yuan.

“Qi Wanjian, you've gone too far!”

Xiao Yuan was instantly enraged, pointing at the ancestral hall, “Drawing a weapon in my Xiao Family ancestral hall is nothing short of a provocation against my Xiao Family!”

As he spoke, Xiao Yuan waved his hand and shouted, “Bring me my staff!”

“Seventh brother, catch!”

In the distance, Xiao Zhan held up a bronze staff and threw it over.

Xiao Yuan leaped up and caught it steadily.

Then, using the momentum in mid-air, he smashed it down fiercely toward Qi Wanjian.

This staff strike had the power to split stones and break monuments.

Boom!

Qi Wanjian's gaze was serious; not daring to take it head-on, he dodged it.

The staff smashed fiercely onto the bluestone floor in the center of the ancestral hall.

The floor tiles instantly shattered and flew in all directions, scaring the guests into retreating repeatedly.

While fighting, Xiao Yuan forced Qi Wanjian out of the ancestral hall.

On the open lawn outside, the two exchanged blows, and surprisingly, they were evenly matched for a time.

Qi Wanjian became more and more alarmed as they fought.

He knew exactly what Xiao Yuan's strength was.

Five years ago, he could have defeated him in three rounds.

Five years later, after returning from Tianmen, he was actually able to fight him to a draw.

This qualitative leap made Qi Wanjian regret even more that he hadn't participated in the heavenly road selection back then.

If not for that, he would probably have already reached Baodan Strength.

And become a prodigy of Great Xia.

“Enough!”

Just then, Old Master Xiao was pushed out, and one shout stopped the battle between the two.

“Qi Wanjian, you came here this time just to prove your strength and see the foundation of Tianmen. Now, you should have seen it, right!”

The two slowly retreated, and Qi Wanjian held his sword and bowed, “Old Master Xiao has sharp eyes; I have offended you today!”

“However!”

Qi Wanjian changed the subject and looked at Feng Feng.

“Today, Feng Feng, the young master of the Fengs Group of my Fuding Chamber of Commerce, was insulted in your Xiao Family and beaten until his face was disfigured. I came here today to seek justice for him!”

As soon as these words were spoken,

Feng Feng, who was not far away, immediately jumped out.

“Young Master Qi, the Xiao Family is shielding that bumpkin. I was beaten at their doorstep, and they didn't say a word, even saying they wanted to come to my house and argue with my father. Tell me, is there any such thing in this world?”

After finishing, Feng Feng looked around at all the guests.

Seeing that Zhao Feiyu and the others were not among them, he immediately rushed into the ancestral hall, pointed at Zhao Feiyu, who was still sitting in his original seat, and shouted,

“It's this kid! This bumpkin is right here!”