[A convergence of a hundred martial lineages, where inner and outer worlds meet. From marquis to king, one must strive ever forward.]

[Highly Auspicious Lot: Guard the pass from start to finish, ascend from marquis to king. Gain entry into the Changkong Armory, expand your Cyan Thunder, and obtain a Tier Six opportunity. Auspicious.]

[Neutral Lot: Give up guarding the pass midway, for your strength is insufficient. Obtain a Tier Four opportunity. There is no immediate danger, but future troubles are sown, leading to karmic entanglements. Neutral.]

[Inauspicious Lot: The defense of the pass crumbles on contact; your reputation is undeserved. A pack of wolves lies in wait, and hidden dangers abound. Ominous.]

At this moment, the manifestation of the fortune lot was complete.

Fang Yang’s eyes were slightly closed, a sharp light flickering within them.

’A convergence of a hundred martial lineages, where inner and outer worlds meet... This must be referring to this custom, where that group of people returning from the Daoist Mansion of Eternal Life will also participate.’

’From marquis to king, one must strive ever forward... I suppose this means I must resolutely continue on my current path. No more need to hide my strength and bide my time.’

And the specific details about guarding the pass also indirectly confirmed this point.

The better he guarded the pass, the better the reward he would receive.

If he really guarded it from the very beginning to the very end, not letting anyone cross his thirty-sixth pass, then he could become the First Martial King.

By doing so, he could enter the Changkong Armory and, with the help of the Cyan Thunder Rune Seed, obtain a Tier Six opportunity in one leap!

’A Tier Six opportunity?!’

THUMP THUMP...

Fang Yang’s heart pounded, his blood quickening.

The importance of a Tier Six opportunity was self-evident.

Whether it was the heart of the Black Moon Water Kun or the Autumn Wind Cicada Treasure Robe, both had brought him immense changes, almost completely transforming him.

And now that there was a chance to smoothly obtain a Tier Six opportunity, he had to go all out for it.

Besides, he had already planned on becoming a First Martial King, the likes of whom only appears once in a millennium.

Now, the results of the fortune lot only strengthened his motivation.

He let out a soft breath and looked back to give Sen Hui a smile.

Immediately, the Token in his hand transformed into a ball of pure white light, enveloping him.

A light breeze blew past, and his figure vanished on the spot.

After he left, Sen Cangba, Qing Xixi, Yu Yihao, Zhang Tiansheng, and the others all activated their Tokens as if by unspoken agreement.

They followed after Fang Yang, teleporting away to guard the various passes along the long road of Tier Three.

...

With a flash of white light, Fang Yang felt dizzy and disoriented, his vision swimming as if the world had turned upside down.

When he came to his senses, he found himself in a small town.

The streets and alleys were narrow and crisscrossing.

The thoroughfares were actually a series of bridges, and below them, small boats drifted in a body of water.

Unfortunately, he was the only person there.

PATTER PATTER PATTER...

From the sky, large raindrops began to fall, pattering densely on the gardens, on the black-canopied boats, and on the bluestone steps of the bridges.

They even struck the thunderous shield of light around Fang Yang’s body with a pitter-patter.

Dark clouds gathered, and his entire field of vision was obscured by a thick, heavy curtain of rain.

The scene couldn’t help but remind Fang Yang of a canal town from the southern regions.

Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky.

The rain fell harder and harder.

But this was no longer a rain of water, but a rain of lightning!

Each raindrop was formed from compressed lightning, containing a wild and destructive power.

"What a strange place. But now, the Cyan Thunder Rune Seed can finally be put to use."

A thought struck Fang Yang, and he took out the Cyan Thunder Rune Seed.

With the power of the Cyan Thunder Rune Seed, his vision changed once again.

Then, he discovered that within the thunderstorm above, there were Thunder Beasts!

These Thunder Beasts were shaped like small white calves, purple carp, or blue sparrows...

What was even more peculiar was that some of the Thunder Beasts actually had a Crystal Core on their bodies.

These Thunder Beasts with Crystal Cores were all a level stronger than the others, like the difference between an ordinary Cultivator and a prodigious one.

’Wait, Crystal Cores?!’

Fang Yang’s body tensed, and a look of joy filled his eyes. "This isn’t a Crystal Core, it’s Thunder Marrow!"

At that moment, he recalled something he had read in the Sen family’s Scripture Pavilion.

The Sword Dao has Sword Grass; the Thunder Dao has Thunder Marrow.

Thunder Marrow, a natural convergence of the forces of heaven and earth, implicitly contains the Mystical Skills of the Thunder Dao.

And the higher the tier of the Thunder Marrow, the more likely it is to contain the Mystical Skills of the Thunder Dao.

Refining it helps Thunder Dao Cultivators comprehend the Mystical Skills of thunder.

The Thunder Marrow carried by the Thunder Beasts in this storm was capped at the Tier Three level, but there were so many of them!

"Incredible treasures, just incredible."

Fang Yang laughed heartily as his Thunderfire Wings unfurled, and he shot into the sky.

He really hadn’t expected that becoming a Marquis of Shiwu would come with such hidden benefits.

...

At Broken Cloud Cliff, a lively crowd bustled to and fro.

As the examiners arrived at the passes they were to guard, Cultivators began to set out on the long road to participate in the Hundred Lineages Martial Gathering.

Under these circumstances, Sen Feng’s long-dormant gambling den opened for business once again.

"A gambling den? I wouldn’t be caught dead there!"

"You might not be going, but who do you think among the five Marquises of Shiwu—Ji Juyun, Fang Yang, and the others—has a chance to become the First Martial King?"

"Become the First Martial King? Difficult, difficult, difficult."

"That’s right. Heroes in this world are as numerous as fish in the sea—you can’t count them, you can’t kill them all. Just becoming a Marquis of Shiwu is already an incredible feat. The First Martial King? One hasn’t appeared in a thousand years!"

"Heh, I think there’s one person who has a small chance."

"Who?"

"Fang Yang..."

Discussions broke out among the crowd.

There’s no clear best in scholarship, but in martial arts, there’s no accepting second place.

After round after round of debate, many eventually came to the conclusion that if even Fang Yang couldn’t become the First Martial King, then it was even more impossible for Ji Juyun and the other three.

But even so, no one dared to bet too heavily on Fang Yang becoming the First Martial King. Instead, they bet on how many days he could last.

"Xiaohui, let’s go."

Sen Wei appeared, taking Sen Hui’s delicate hand.

But Sen Hui’s expression was a little gloomy.

Sen Wei’s gaze swept over her, and she immediately understood that Sen Hui was worried about Fang Yang, worried that he would be defeated.

Sen Wei said, "Fang Yang is exceptionally strong. If neither my brother nor I participate, the only one who could defeat him would be Father, and that’s impossible."

Hearing this, Sen Hui thought for a moment and her face immediately lit up with a smile.

She realized she had indeed been letting her concern cloud her judgment.

Sen Hui said, "Okay, Sister, let’s go. I still haven’t paid New Year’s respects to the clan elders like Flower, Bird, Fish, and Insect."

Sen Wei smiled helplessly. "Oh, so you do remember you have to pay respects to the elders? They’ve been home all day. Did you happen to pass by their homes without stopping in to visit?"

At that, Sen Hui immediately recalled her actions from earlier in the day.

She looked down, but couldn’t see her toes as she’d hoped.

「Meanwhile.」

Among the disciples of the Su family.

Su Xi waved goodbye to her brother, Su Dao, and the others, then headed straight for the long road of Tier Three.

She was tall and slender, dressed in a Frost White Daoist robe. She carried a three-foot Copper Coin Sword, with the Demon-Suppressing Nine Prison Pagoda hanging at her waist. Her spirit was so vibrant and her presence so transcendent that anyone who saw her would praise her as the Qingya Fairy.

She was also somewhat aware of the public’s opinion.

’Fang Yang, in any other year, you would indeed have an excellent chance of becoming the First Martial King.’

’But this time, I’m sorry, you’ve run into me!’

Su Xi’s eyes sparkled, and a faint smile graced her fair, pretty face.

’There’s always someone better out there.’

’After experiencing life-and-death battles against the demons of the Red Flame Demon Country, I’m confident that my combat skills are far superior to Fang Yang’s.’

’Techniques are meant for killing!’