171: Chapter 171 The Emperor's Son and the Holy Body

On the arena, the two stood facing each other.

As the night wind blew past, Ye Fan's robes fluttered loudly, and Ji Zi's long hair swayed gently in the breeze.

The area around the arena was already crowded. The Holy Lord of the Ji Family and several Elders stood at the very front. Ji Haoyue stood beside his father, while Ji Ziyue stood beside her brother. Everyone's gaze was tightly locked onto the two figures on the stage.

Ji Zi looked at Ye Fan and remained silent for a moment. Then, he spoke.

"Ye Fan, there is something I must tell you."

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for him to continue.

Ji Zi's voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of everyone present. "Before I came here, those lords helped me strip away my father's Bloodline. Today, I am not some Emperor Blood; I am just an ordinary Cultivator."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field fell into a deathly silence.

Ye Fan's eyes widened slightly, a look of shock appearing on his face.

He looked at Ji Zi, looking at this youth who had proactively abandoned his Emperor Blood, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

Abandoning the Emperor Blood—what did that mean?

It meant he had abandoned his innate talent, abandoned the strongest capital left to him by Emperor Void, and abandoned the shortcut that countless people dreamed of.

After the shock, a look of solemnity surfaced on Ye Fan's face.

He knew all too well what this implied. An Emperor's son who could abandon his Emperor Blood was far more terrifying than one who possessed it.

Because it meant he had enough self-confidence—confidence so great that he didn't need to rely on the legacy left by his father to carve out his own path.

Around the arena, the Disciples of the Ji Family were all dumbfounded upon hearing Ji Zi's words.

"Lord Ji Zi... abandoned the Emperor Blood?"

"How is that possible? That's the Emperor Blood! Something so many people couldn't get even if they begged for it!"

"Why would he give it up? That was left to him by the ancestor!"

Discussions broke out one after another; everyone was so shocked by this news that they were speechless.

The Elders looked at each other, seeing disbelief in one another's eyes.

They had lived for long years and seen countless Prodigies, but they had never seen anyone proactively abandon an Emperor Blood.

Only the Holy Lord of the Ji Family, after a brief moment of shock, showed excitement and exhilaration on his face.

No one knew better than he did what this meant.

Although the Emperor Blood was powerful, it was also a double-edged sword.

Throughout history, aside from Emperor Wushi, no Emperor's son had ever been able to Proving the Dao and become an Emperor by relying on their parents' Bloodline.

That Bloodline was too powerful—so powerful that it became a shackle, a constraint.

It allowed the Emperor's sons to be born at a height unreachable by ordinary people, but it also forced them to live forever in the shadow of their parents, never able to surpass that threshold.

And Ji Zi had proactively severed this shackle.

The Holy Lord of the Ji Family's eyes turned slightly red.

He looked at the youth on the arena, looking at his straight back, and an indescribable pride welled up in his heart. 'Ancestor, do you see this? Your child is even more outstanding than you imagined.'

Standing beside his father, Ji Haoyue was completely stunned after hearing Ji Zi's words.

Abandoning the Emperor Blood?

He looked down at his own hands.

These were the hands of the Divine Body of the Eastern Wasteland, an innate talent and the source of all his pride.

He had known since childhood that he was a Divine Body, the most dazzling Genius of the Ji Family, and the number one of the Eastern Wasteland's younger generation.

He relied too much on this Divine Body—so much that he had forgotten that what was truly powerful was never the Physique, but the person using the Physique.

Ji Haoyue looked up at the back of the youth on the arena, a flash of determination in his eyes.

'If Lord Ji Zi can abandon his Emperor Blood, why can't I let go of my reliance on the Divine Body?'

'From this day forward, I will rely on my own strength to carve out my own path. I will catch up to Ye Fan, and I will catch up to Ji Zi.'

He clenched his fists and made a silent vow in his heart.

Ji Ziyue stood beside her brother, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.

Her gaze fell upon the youth in plain clothes on the arena, and an inexplicable emotion welled up in her heart.

She didn't know what she was anticipating; she just hoped—hoped that Ye Fan would win.

As soon as this thought appeared, she even startled herself. She bit her lower lip and looked away, but soon couldn't help but look back.

On the arena, Ji Zi saw Ye Fan's expression change from shock to solemnity, and a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Well then, I'm coming."

As his voice fell, his figure suddenly vanished from the spot.

Great Void Technique.

This was the supreme secret technique left by Emperor Void. When Cultivated to the limit, one could travel through the Void Realm, coming and going without a trace, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

Although Ji Zi had only just awakened, the Bloodline of Emperor Void flowed within him—no, it *used* to flow within him. His understanding of this secret technique far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Ye Fan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He could no longer sense Ji Zi's aura. It wasn't that it had disappeared, but that he was too fast—so fast that his perception could not capture it.

In the Void Realm, there was only a faint, illusory fluctuation, like a ripple on the surface of water, vanishing in a flash.

"Bang!"

A palm emerged from the Void Realm, aiming straight for the back of Ye Fan's heart.

Ye Fan's reaction was fast to the extreme. Without turning his head, his body instinctively twisted to the side while he threw a punch.

Golden fist radiance tore through the air, colliding with that palm.

Amidst a muffled sound, both of them retreated simultaneously.

Ji Zi's figure emerged several yards away. He looked at his palm, then at Ye Fan, the smile on his lips deepening. "Fast reaction."

Ye Fan didn't speak, he just stared at him intently. He was quickly analyzing in his heart—the Great Void Technique allows one to travel through the Void Realm, coming and going without a trace. If he couldn't crack this secret technique, he wouldn't even be able to touch the opponent.

Ji Zi didn't give him time to think. His figure vanished again.

This time, Ye Fan closed his eyes.

Since his eyes couldn't see, he would use his heart to feel. In the Void Realm, that faint, illusory fluctuation appeared again. Left? No. Right? No. Above!

Ye Fan suddenly looked up and threw a punch toward the Void Realm above his head.

"Bang!"

Another collision. Ji Zi's figure emerged on the other side. This time he didn't vanish immediately, but stood there looking at Ye Fan.

"Not bad. To be able to sense my position, you are the first."

Ye Fan opened his eyes and looked at him. "Every time you traverse the Void Realm, a slight fluctuation is generated at the point of arrival. Although it's very faint, as long as one is focused enough, it can be captured."

Ji Zi nodded. "Indeed. This is the only flaw of the Great Void Technique. My father also said back then that there are no perfect secret techniques in this world, only Cultivators who aren't strong enough."

He paused, a flash of admiration in his eyes. "To be able to discover this point in such a short amount of time is very impressive."

Ye Fan didn't speak, he just clenched his fists.

Ji Zi smiled. "But discovering it doesn't mean you can crack it."

His figure vanished once more.

This time, his speed was even faster, and the frequency of his traversals was even higher.