I Inherited 5,000 Years of Family Property-Chapter 1664 - 1668: You Said It Yourself

The first stage barely took any time at all; Zhang Menglong spent just a few minutes to bribe all the princes, who naturally let him pass.

The grand procession crossed the first palace wall, but ordinary people could not continue further inside. Yet, the crowd showed no sign of thinning; on the contrary, more people gathered at the entrance wanting to see if this wasteful young master of the Gu Family could take the Princess away, aided by his mysterious friend.

"I think there might be a twist in this tale. Those things we saw earlier were most likely from his friend. His friend surely has sky-high means, might really help him marry the Princess."

"I don't think so," someone immediately disagreed, "No matter how much material wealth he possesses, it's external; the Princess might not regard him differently because of it. Even if Gu Xiao is wealthy beyond compare, he's essentially a talentless waste in cultivation; in this world, such people have no value."

"Yes, the first stage was merely a test of financial might, but I heard the next is personally guarded by the Fifth Prince."

"The Fifth Prince? Isn't he the most talented of his generation in the Royal Family? I heard he's recently advanced to Fourth Grade in Divine Breath, nearly peak power for young talents of this era."

"Not just him, there's also the Seventh Prince and the Fourteenth Prince. They are cultivation enthusiasts, though not as strong as the Fifth Prince; among their peers in the Capital City, it's hard to find anyone capable of defeating them."

"We shall see, won't miss the results today."

...

The second palace wall is also the inner courtyard of the palace, home to important members of the Royal Family, guarded far more strictly than other areas.

Currently, several princes stood aligned atop the wall, exuding powerful auras.

Each of them stood with hands behind their waists, head held high, stark contrast to those at the first wall.

"Really a bunch swayed by money," the Fifth Prince had already heard the first stage was breached and estimated Gu Xiao's procession would appear before them in ten minutes.

"Fifth brother, it's said he used Ninth Grade Weapons and elixirs to make them open the gate; honestly, even I'm a bit tempted."

"Should we open the gates too? Third sister would surely understand us."

"Nonsense!" the Fifth Prince rebuked, "Have you no backbone? Are these few items all it takes? No matter what, we mustn't let them pass easily today."

"But fifth brother, do you have those items?" another prince asked.

The Fifth Prince's face showed a flash of turmoil, as his weapon and the Ninth Grade Weapon differed by more than a bit; they were equipped with only Sixth Grade Weapons at best, and there were indeed limited craftsmen in the Yanlan Empire capable of forging Ninth Grade Weapons.

"If you want those items, we don't necessarily have to be traitors," the Fifth Prince suddenly had an idea," He wants to pass, then let's give him a chance. If he defeats us, he may go through; if he loses, he must leave behind one treasure, and it must be him personally in action!"

"Hahaha, as expected of a royal brother, brilliant tactics. Not only fulfilling third sister's task, but we can also profit greatly. I don't believe Gu Xiao will retreat so easily."

"Right, as long as we control it well, everyone might get something!"

"Here they come!"

Just as they devised their strategy, the grand procession appeared far off.

"Handsome gentlemen up ahead, can you open the gate?" Zhang Menglong shouted from afar at the wall, "If you graciously open the gate, Gu Xiao will reward you handsomely."

"Young Master Gu Xiao, this stage cannot be passed so easily," the Fifth Prince stated as a representative, "We acknowledge the items offered by Young Master Gu Xiao are truly tempting, but we promised third sister not to let you pass." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"However, if you can defeat any of us, we shall recognize your qualification to wed third sister and allow passage. If you lose, leave another treasure, how's that?"

"Shameless!" some beast tamers in the marriage procession began to whisper.

These princes are all peerless prodigies, extremely devoted to cultivation; scarcely any in the Imperial City can match them. Defeating them is hardly easy.

If Gu Xiao falls for it, he wouldn't even see Third Princess yet be extorted.

"Of course, we know Young Master Gu Xiao has unique circumstances; we won't bully you," the Fifth Prince continued, "As long as you use your own strength, you may employ any weapon or external aid, while we won't use weapons to spar, how about that?"

"Damn! Hypocrites!"

"Exactly, Gu Xiao doesn't have a trace of Divine Breath; with or without a weapon, there's no way he can win."

"Alright!" Nobody expected Gu Xiao to agree so readily.

"Alright," the Fifth Prince replied, "You can start choosing who to compete against; just win against any of us, we'll let you pass, fail once, leave another treasure, and continue with a second try."

"Fifth Prince, you said I could use any weapon, correct?" Zhang Menglong confirmed again.

"Correct," the Fifth Prince replied earnestly.

Despite holding a divine weapon, it depends on one's realm; for someone like Gu Xiao, a First-grade weapon is no different from a Ninth Grade or even Saint Grade weapon. No matter how great the weapon, it requires matched prowess to wield. Isn't that true?

"That's what you said." Gu Xiao's expression suddenly changed, "In that case, I request the Fifth Prince to kindly teach me."

"You're choosing me?" All the princes showed astonished expressions.

Of all, the Fifth Prince was strongest; Gu Xiao could've picked an easier opponent but chose the toughest.

"All the same," Gu Xiao smiled.

"Good then, I shall see Young Master Gu Xiao's skill; bring out your weapon! No matter how many."

"Alright!"

Zhang Menglong swiftly drew out a bizarrely shaped shield, and another item appeared somewhat resembling... well, a gun!

"What is this?" the Fifth Prince eyed the gun. As cultivation thrived, firearms in the continent had become forgotten tech.

At this moment, Zhang Menglong also produced a Divine Breath Crystal, assisting martial artists in the Divine Breath realm with cultivation; infused with substantial energy, regarded a luxury not all martial artists qualify to use.

But Gu Xiao embedded the crystal into his peculiar weapon.

As the weapon emitted a ray of light, the Fifth Prince for the first time felt something called fear.