Chapter 131: The Clear Wind Lineage

Upon hearing this, Chongwen pondered for a moment before answering.

"I failed at the one hundredth step relying solely on my physical strength."

"However, it seems that my disciple has found some kind of trick that allows him to undergo the cleansing marrow and meridian trial without affecting his speed."

"So at this moment, I can't say for sure; if his trick is effective, he might just make it past the one hundredth step."

It was clear that Lu An's method of climbing the mountain was different from Chongwen's.

Otherwise, with Lu An's physical strength, he wouldn't be able to move so quickly.

The Qi Emperor nodded, approving his thoughts.

"Then let's see how far your disciple can go."

On Lu An's side, he had reached the ninety-ninth level in one breath.

Before him stood the one hundredth step, but he stopped.

The pressure at every hundred steps would double, and he didn't dare to let his guard down, so he could only approach it carefully.

After resting for a moment to recover his strength, he finally moved toward the one hundredth step.

As soon as his front leg stepped in, an immense pressure crashed down, almost crushing his entire leg.

He quickly circulated his extreme true intent to stabilize his stance.

"It seems that this one hundredth step really isn't so easy to ascend, but if you want to stop me, you're still a bit lacking!"

With a loud shout, he summoned all his extreme true intent and forcefully stepped onto the one hundredth step.

"Boom!"

A loud sound echoed, as the overwhelming pressure pressed down on him like a small mountain, forcing him to the ground.

He struggled a couple of times but couldn't get up, shaking his head in frustration.

"It seems that my extreme true intent is still not enough."

Calming his emotions, he was about to circulate the Carefree Extreme Intent Technique when suddenly, a beam of light shot down from the sky, enveloping him.

His internal energy surged rapidly, and in an instant, he reached the peak of the initial foundation establishment stage.

"Cultivation reinforcement!"

Even for someone as composed as Lu An, joy was hard to conceal at this moment.

His dantian and meridians were far broader than those of his peers, allowing his true energy to be extraordinarily rich and giving him an advantage in combat.

However, this also meant that such a vast dantian and meridians made it more difficult for him to break through his cultivation.

Earlier, he had continuously used pills, talismans, and Qi-gathering formations to aid his cultivation, yet he had never managed to push his cultivation to the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage. Now, having climbed to the one-hundredth step, the cultivation reinforcement propelled him directly to this level, so it was no wonder he was so pleased.

It seemed that if he could climb to the two-hundredth step, the reinforcement might enable him to break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. At that point, with his strength, he would not even fear those in the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Thinking of this, Lu An's gaze became resolute. He was determined to climb as high as possible on this mountain; such an opportunity to rapidly improve his cultivation could not be missed. When he returned to Guyang County, he would also have greater power to protect himself.

However, recalling his current predicament, he couldn't help but chuckle.

The increase in cultivation did nothing to mitigate the pressure on the steps. He was still lying flat on the ground, unable to move an inch. Without further delay, Lu An immediately began circulating the Carefree Extreme Intent Technique, enhancing the extreme true intent within his body.

The audience's reaction was naturally divided into two groups. A small portion saw him get pressed to the ground as soon as he stepped onto the one-hundredth step and laughed mockingly. But most did not continue to ridicule him. Lu An's performance earlier had been extremely strange, especially his later speed, which was something no ordinary person could achieve. Now that his speed had stalled again upon reaching the one-hundredth step, who knew if he would again start ascending as if walking on flat ground?

The Qi Emperor's eyes flashed when he saw Lu An successfully reach the one-hundredth step, and he appeared quite pleased.

"Not bad. This junior of yours has already surpassed your achievements back in the day."

Chongwen was also in a great mood, shaking his whisk and smiling.

"Xiao Wu's judgment isn't bad; it seems our lineage has successors."

Upon hearing this, the Qi Emperor's expression faltered slightly as he said, "I hope he has inherited your talents but hasn't picked up the bad habits of your Clear Wind lineage."

Speaking of the lineage of the National Master, since the time of his master, the Clear Wind Hermit, it was notorious for being unreasonable. Though named 'Clear Wind,' it did not signify upright conduct, but rather a wind of plunder. As the top cultivator of Great Qi at the time, the Clear Wind Hermit did all sorts of things—extortion, bribery, and causing trouble—no less proficiently than his cultivation, much to the chagrin of the Great Qi royal family.

There was even a saying among the people: "When the Clear Wind blows, nothing soft remains," referring to the Clear Wind Hermit. Protective of his own, he infamously shielded his disciples even when they caused great trouble, like when they destroyed the Great Qi's national treasure, the Five-Color Disk. His punishment for his disciple was minimal—merely bedridden for a few weeks. In the end, the hermit even kept the Five-Color Disk for himself, never returning it to the royal family, leaving them exasperated.

Though the Clear Wind Hermit had long since passed away, his two disciples had inherited his "fine traditions" thoroughly. Since Chongwen became the National Master, he had restrained himself considerably.

But back in the day, the Talisman Sage Yue Wu, now known as the Old Beggar, nearly instigated a civil war between the Great Qi royal family and the leading sect of Great Qi, the Tianshui Sect. After failing to pursue the Path of Extremes, Yue Wu's body suffered severe imbalance. Hearing that the Tianshui Sect possessed a "Nine-Turn Soul Lock Chain" that could bind a Nascent Soul and prevent his injuries from worsening, he set his sights on it. He sought the treasure with his senior brother, and when refused, the two even fought over it.

Two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators battled one mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and three early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators from the Tianshui Sect—a battle on the scale of sect warfare. The conflict was only resolved when the Qi Emperor intervened and secured the Nine-Turn Soul Lock Chain for Yue Wu. Yue Wu used the chain to bind his Nascent Soul and save his life, but his cultivation continued to decline, and he eventually disappeared, becoming the Old Beggar he was today. The Tianshui Sect, under pressure, handed over their sect treasure but became hostile to the Qi royal family, severing all ties.

This knack for causing trouble was truly a legacy from the Clear Wind Hermit.

Hearing the Qi Emperor's comment, the National Master awkwardly chuckled, deflecting the conversation.

"The first place on the Green Mountain List is held by a Zhao Kingdom cultivator. What does Your Majesty think of him?"

The Qi Emperor, seeing the topic change, didn't expose it but instead pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

"I cannot see through him."

He wasn't referring to cultivation but identity. This person was representing Zhao Kingdom but was not a member of the Zhao royal family, and there were no major families in Zhao with the surname Wu.

He seemed like an ordinary rogue cultivator, but anyone with keen eyes could see that this possibility was very low. Chongwen, feeling somewhat worried, spoke up:

"In recent days, I have scoured ancient records passed down about the great war with the Demon Race. I found some clues."

The Qi Emperor raised an eyebrow, showing a look of interest.

"Oh? Go on."

Chongwen's expression turned serious, and he spoke in a cold tone:

"One of the three major races of the Demon Race back then was called the Black Fiend Demon Clan, known for attacking enemies with fiendish energy."

"Their clan's surname was Wu!"