Chapter 1178: The Peerless Path

In the vast and spiritually rich Little Chen Heaven, as three months passed, the energy whirlwinds scattered across the land all dissipated, and after finishing their cultivation, students gradually began to exit this space and return to the academy.

But not everyone had left.

Ning Meng, Wu Changkong, Yin Yue Zhiyu, Li Hongyou, and many other top students of the Celestial Star Academy chose to remain. First, because the heaven and earth energy in this Little Chen Heaven was abundant, making it a good place for cultivation, and second, because they wanted to wait for the results of the final two cultivators.

Of course, the more important reason was wanting to see the result of Jiang Jiang Qinge's cultivation.

Because by now, anyone could tell that Jiang Jiang Qinge was brewing the ambition to forge a "Ten-Pillar Golden Platform"—the most dazzling achievement since ancient times.

Because that was the necessary path leading to a legendary road.

And at the end of that legendary road was the "Peerless Marquis"!

Although the title was still called Marquis, the Peerless Path had already departed from the normal ranking system, because it was said that the most top-tier Peerless Marquis had a domineering and unparalleled evaluation that won the reverence and worship of countless Marquis-level experts.

That evaluation was...

"Beneath the Heavenly Kings, I am invincible; above the Heavenly Kings, I do not fear."

That's right, the Peerless Marquis was no longer a Marquis, but a legendary realm that surpassed ordinary King-level.

In the river of years, every prideful genius who could obtain such an honor and achievement was without exception a figure who dominated an era.

Of course, the Peerless Marquis was so extraordinary, but to walk this legendary path, the harshness was enough to make countless proud geniuses feel despair.

Because to become a true Peerless Marquis, one first needed to forge at least seven perfect "Ten-Pillar Golden Platforms," and this alone blocked more than ninety percent of top geniuses.

After all, even someone as strong as Ning Meng, who possessed a Mid-Ninth-Grade Light-Chasing Beast Aspect, ultimately failed to succeed, only forging a "Nine-Pillar Golden Platform." From this, one could see how difficult the "Ten-Pillar Golden Platform" was.

What's more, one "Ten-Pillar Golden Platform" was only the beginning. Only when seven "Ten-Pillar Golden Platforms" were forged could a true transformation occur. Additionally, at the moment of transformation, one also needed to cultivate a "Peerless Art" as the catalyst.

Only then could one be called a true "Peerless Marquis"!

Every one of these difficulties was enough to make many geniuses feel fear, and to complete them all, what astonishing talent, fortune, and perseverance would be required?

Therefore, every strong expert who achieved the Peerless honor was a pearl of their era, a dazzling light no weaker than a Heavenly King.

This was also why these Celestial Star Academy prodigies would rather wait tediously for some time, all wanting to witness whether Jiang Jiang Qinge could succeed in forging her first "Ten-Pillar Golden Platform," laying the first step on the legendary path toward "Peerless."

On a mountaintop, many students craned their necks in anticipation.

Gurgle gurgle.

Ning Meng squatted on a rock, hugging a bamboo-tube-like cup, biting a straw, drinking happily, her pair of dark eyes blinking as she stared at the enormous energy whirlwind in the distance.

"Little E is really amazing. If she succeeds in forging a 'Ten-Pillar Golden Platform,' that means she's stepped onto the Peerless Path, and this can be enough to be inscribed on the Holy Light Ancient Academy's holy stele," Ning Meng said with a grin.

Yin Yue Zhiyu beside her had an unpleasant expression. She glared at Ning Meng and said, "It's all because you're useless. Even with a Mid-Ninth-Grade Affinity Rank, you couldn't forge a 'Ten-Pillar Golden Platform,' and now this achievement is going to be taken by Jiang Jiang Qinge."

Ning Meng said indifferently, "Can't be helped, my 'Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure' was a bit lacking. But I'll work harder in the future. After all, this is only the first Marquis Platform."

"And look, I've also gained a lot."

She extended her slender fingers, and emerald-green phase power flowed out, falling onto the ground before her. Immediately, a section of green bamboo drilled out of the earth, standing straight and tall.

That green bamboo was quite peculiar, with fine scales growing on it, and its bamboo leaves stretched out, sharp as blades.

"This is the Pseudo-Ninth-Grade Sword-Scale Bamboo Aspect, hehe. My 'Light-Chasing Beast Aspect' really likes it," Ning Meng said proudly with a smile.

"Your second aspect is only Pseudo-Ninth-Grade, and you still have the nerve to be proud," Yin Yue Zhiyu curled her lip and mocked.

That's right, Ning Meng's breakthrough to the Marquis Realm this time opened up a second aspect, and this aspect was the Sword-Scale Bamboo Aspect with a Pseudo-Ninth-Grade rank. In terms of attribute origin, this counted as a type of Wood Aspect.

And perhaps it was precisely because this second aspect's rank was slightly lower that it affected Ning Meng's failure to forge a "Ten-Pillar Golden Platform."

"Pseudo-Ninth-Grade isn't bad either. With some time spent nurturing it later, it can also evolve to Lower-Ninth-Grade," Ning Meng thought quite openly, and added, "Besides, isn't that Wu Changkong even more miserable? His breakthrough this time actually only gave birth to an Upper-Eighth-Grade Wind Aspect. So pitiful."

Yin Yue Zhiyu's eye twitched. When you talk like that, could you consider the feelings of that sorrowful person involved?

Her gaze swept to the side, and she saw Wu Changkong with a dark face, showing no joy at all from breaking through to the Marquis Realm. Yin Yue Zhiyu knew the reason—it was because this guy felt his second aspect's rank was slightly too low.

But this was unavoidable. The birth of a second aspect, although influenced somewhat by previously existing affinities, still couldn't be fully controlled.

So regarding the breakthrough results of these two, Yin Yue Zhiyu could only evaluate it this way: Ning Meng took a small cut, Wu Changkong took a big slash.

Of course, this was only relative to the two's previous affinity ranks. After all, regardless, both of their breakthroughs to the Marquis Realm this time meant their strength had gained a tremendous leap.

While they were talking, on a mountaintop not far away, there were also two figures standing.

Both were women. One of them wore a deep blue jade armor and golden boots—she was precisely the Vice-Principal Lan Lan Lingzi of the Tianyuan Ancient Academy.

The other was a young woman with a head of white long hair, holding a jade sugarcane in her hand, constantly putting it in her mouth to chew.

She was the Third Principal of the Holy Light Ancient Academy who had taken Jiang Jiang Qinge as her personal disciple—her name was Zhen Mingyu.

This Vice-Principal Zhen Mingyu was originally stationed at the Holy Light Ancient Academy, but she received word that her precious student was about to break through to the Marquis Realm, so she quickly put aside the academy's internal affairs and came to Little Chen Heaven to observe.

At this moment, Zhen Mingyu was clearly very excited, her young face flushed red. Her gaze gazed intently at Jiang Jiang Qinge within the enormous whirlwind, and even the jade sugarcane she loved in her hand seemed to have lost much of its flavor.

"Lan Lan Lingzi, did you see? This is my precious student. How about it? If she succeeds in forging a 'Ten-Pillar Golden Platform' this time, it will cause a sensation in the academy alliance. When the time comes, I will definitely get her a 'Mirror Sky Scholar' quota," Zhen Mingyu said proudly.

Lan Lan Lingzi glanced at her and said, "Your luck is indeed not bad, to have picked up such a precious student. But after her breakthrough this time, she may not necessarily return to the Holy Light Ancient Academy with you."

Lan Lan Lingzi's lips curved into a smile as she said, "Her fiancé has already come looking for her, so why would they separate? I see these two little ones are deeply attached, so Jiang Jiang Qinge will most likely return to the Dragon Fang Vein with Li Luo."

Zhen Mingyu was stunned and said angrily, "How is that possible!"

"Could it be that you still want to forcibly separate the loving couple? And according to the academy's rules, any student who breaks through to the Marquis Realm will automatically be considered graduated and free to come and go as they please," Lan Lan Lingzi said with a smile.

Zhen Mingyu gritted her teeth, and the jade sugarcane in her hand was crushed to pieces by her. Her eyes were filled with grief, as if the great cabbage she had poured her heart into had been inexplicably rooted up by a pig.

But what Lan Lan Lingzi said also made sense. Once Jiang Jiang Qinge broke through to the Marquis Realm, she would no longer be bound by the academy. As long as she was willing, she could completely follow Li Luo.

Zhen Mingyu did have other means to obstruct, but that would undoubtedly be bullying people. Moreover, Li Luo was a direct descendant of the Li Li Tianwang lineage, not someone without backing. If things were taken too far, the elders behind him would step in, and a good thing would turn into a bad one.

Zhen Mingyu was not that foolish, so after her face changed for a while, she immediately became dejected.

"Qingge's breakthrough to the Marquis Realm this time was still a bit rushed. I haven't even prepared a top-grade 'Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure' for her yet. If she fails to reach Ten Pillars because of this, that would truly be a pity." However, even though Jiang Jiang Qinge would leave, Zhen Mingyu obviously still hoped she could successfully forge a "Ten-Pillar Golden Platform," so at this moment she once again restrained her frustration and began worrying for Jiang Jiang Qinge.

"I observe her energy rising steadily, and there's a faint release of intense treasure light. That fluctuation doesn't seem like an ordinary Foundation Establishment Spiritual Treasure," Lan Lan Lingzi comforted, then smiled and said, "Perhaps her fiancé has prepared it for her. After all, Li Luo is, at any rate, a direct descendant of a Heavenly King-level power."

"Then at least he has some sense," Zhen Mingyu curled her lip.

After the two finished talking, they continued to wait. In the blink of an eye, several more days passed.

Until one day, the people waiting here finally felt violently that within the enormous energy whirlwind where Jiang Jiang Qinge was, an extremely intense fluctuation suddenly emerged.

In the heavens and earth, rumbling sounds rang out continuously, and even clouds gathered at the horizon.

Countless streams of energy sprayed out from the vortex, as if forming a skyful of golden lotuses, dazzling to the extreme.

Every gaze watched this heavenly phenomenon with awe-struck admiration.

Then they turned toward the center of the vortex, and saw a slender figure seated quietly in meditation, with endless radiance blooming within its body, illuminating everything within ten thousand li in brilliant splendor.

Within that radiance, a colossal object slowly rose.

It was a towering Marquis Platform!

A tremendous might swept out from that dazzling Marquis Platform, the pressure even more formidable than when Ning Meng and Wu Changkong had broken through earlier.

But no one cared about that. Their eyes were fixed unwaveringly on the top of the Marquis Platform; even though the radiance stung their eyes red, they still refused to blink even once.

Far away on a mountain peak, the two vice-deans Lan Lan Lingzi and Zhen Mingyu, relying on their own King-level strength, could see that radiant Marquis Platform with perfect clarity.

They saw ten ancient golden pillars standing quietly upon the majestic Marquis Platform, like the pillars supporting the heavens themselves.

Gazing at those ten golden pillars, even the two King-level experts gently exhaled, exchanged a glance, and saw in each other's eyes a note of heartfelt admiration.

Ten-Pillar Golden Platform.

The Path of the Unrivalled.

After many years, the birth of a Ten-Pillar Golden Platform has been witnessed once more — but whether Jiang Jiang Qinge can walk this incomparably arduous Path of the Unrivalled all the way to its perfect end remains to be seen.