197: Chapter 197 Introduction

Ye Fan listened, his mind filled with sudden enlightenment.

He closed his eyes, imagining himself running in an endless Void Realm. There was no end ahead, and no path back. He could only move forward, always forward.

He opened his eyes and took a step.

In that instant, his speed reached the absolute limit. His figure left behind a series of afterimages on the Martial Arts Arena, as if countless versions of him were running simultaneously.

The Old Maniac watched this scene, a flicker of gratification flashing in his eyes.

“Not bad. You have already entered the gate of the Walk-Word Secret.”

Ye Fan stopped in his tracks, gasping for air in large gulps.

His physical strength was nearly exhausted, but his eyes were filled with excitement.

The All-Word Secret, the Walk-Word Secret, and the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist—these Secret Techniques and Cultivation Techniques were gradually changing him, making him stronger.

The days passed one by one.

Ye Fan's cultivation never ceased. During the day, he followed the Old Maniac to practice the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist, throwing punch after punch until his fists were bloody and mangled, and his arms lost all sensation.

At night, he would comprehend the All-Word Secret and the Walk-Word Secret on his own, activating them repeatedly until his strength was spent and his consciousness blurred.

Watching his progress, the Old Maniac felt increasingly gratified.

This youth was stronger than he had imagined. Not in terms of cultivation level, but in terms of will. He could endure hardship, persevere, and pick himself up from repeated failures to keep trying.

This kind of Heart-Nature was the key to becoming an Emperor.

Standing at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, the Old Maniac watched Ye Fan's figure throwing punches under the moonlight, a trace of complexity flashing in his eyes.

Six thousand years.

It had been six thousand years since the Tianxuan Holy Land was destroyed. His Senior Brothers, Junior Sisters, teachers, and fellow disciples were all dead. Only he had survived. He had been mad for six thousand years, guarding those ruins for six thousand years, thinking his life would end that way.

Until that person appeared.

That person woke him up, allowing him to recover from his madness. Then, they told him there was a youth who needed his help.

He came.

From the first moment he saw Ye Fan, he knew—this youth was not simple. An Ancient Desolate Saint Body who, at the Peak of the Dragon Transformation Realm, had slain Wang Teng, who was at the eighth stage of the Half-step Great Power realm—this strength, this courage, and this decisiveness reminded him of his younger self.

No, Ye Fan was stronger than he was.

In Ye Fan, he saw hope.

Not his own hope, but the hope of this era. If Ye Fan could become an Emperor, if Ye Fan could reach that step, perhaps... those forbidden zones, those Supremes, and the darkness that had plagued the human world for countless tens of thousands of years could truly be swept away.

The Old Maniac clenched his fists, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.

He would nurture Ye Fan to become an Emperor.

No matter the cost.

“Ye Fan,” he spoke.

Ye Fan stopped punching and turned to look at him.

“Starting tomorrow, your training volume will double.”

Ye Fan was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, Senior.”

The Old Maniac looked at him, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

“Don't call me Senior. Call me Old Maniac.”

Ye Fan also smiled. “Yes, Old Maniac.”

Under the moonlight, the old man and the youth stood on the Martial Arts Arena, smiling at each other.

In the distance, within the Undying Mountain.

Chu Tianjiao sat beneath the ancient tea tree of enlightenment, watching the images in the Water Mirror, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“The Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist... the Old Maniac is even teaching him that.”

Xiao Nannan snuggled beside him, watching the figure throwing punches in the Water Mirror, her eyes full of tenderness.

“Big brother will definitely become very strong.”

Chu Tianjiao nodded. “Mm. He will.”

He paused and continued, “The All-Word Secret, the Walk-Word Secret, the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist... these are all things he obtained in the original work. Now, the Old Maniac has taught them to him ahead of time. His path will be smoother than it was originally.”

Nannan looked at him. “Teacher, why are you helping big brother?”

Chu Tianjiao looked down at her, his eyes full of tenderness.

“Because he is the Reincarnation of my Brother-in-law.”

Nannan's face turned slightly red, and she buried her face in his chest.

“Teacher only knows how to say sweet things...”

Chu Tianjiao laughed and rubbed her head.

“It's not just sweet talk; it's the truth.”

The night wind blew, and the branches and leaves of the ancient tea tree of enlightenment swayed gently, rustling softly.

The human emperor banner showered down golden light rain, appearing exceptionally gentle under the moonlight.

Within the Undying Mountain, all was well.

Meanwhile, on the Ji Family's Martial Arts Arena, Ye Fan was still throwing punches.

One punch, two punches, ten punches, a hundred punches.

Golden fist light flickered under the moonlight, illuminating the entire Martial Arts Arena.

His fists were dripping blood, and his arms were trembling, but his gaze grew brighter and brighter.

Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist—First Style, Human Path.

He was beginning to touch upon the feeling of that 'Dao.'

It wasn't strength, and it wasn't speed, but something more fundamental and pure.

It was the power of 'Human.'

It was his seven emotions and six desires, his joys and sorrows, his birth, aging, illness, and death.

It was the proof that he was alive.

Ye Fan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then, he opened his eyes and threw a punch.

That punch was no longer a golden fist light, but a kind of—light.

A warm and bright light.

Wherever the fist light passed, the Void Realm trembled gently. It wasn't being torn apart, but rather 'awakened.'

The Old Maniac's eyes lit up.

“It's done.”

He spoke softly, his eyes full of gratification.

The First Style of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist, the Human Path.

Ye Fan had learned it.

Ye Fan stood in the center of the arena, the lingering resonance of having just comprehended the First Style of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist still surrounding him. That warm and bright light had dissipated, but the light of excitement still flickered in his eyes.

He could feel that his fist technique had undergone a qualitative change at this moment.

The Heavenly Emperor Fist was a wild path he had groped for in battle; although its power was not bad, it ultimately lacked a Foundation.

But the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist was different—this was a fist technique created by an invincible Saint Body of the Desolate Ancient Era, a Supreme technique tailored specifically for the Ancient Desolate Saint Body.

He had already entered the gate of the First Style, the Human Path.

“Come,” the Old Maniac's voice drifted from the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, “let me see how much you have learned.”

Ye Fan turned around and looked at the white-haired elder standing with his hands behind his back, Battle Intent igniting in his eyes.

Over the past year, he had exchanged blows with the Old Maniac countless times, and every time he had been beaten without any power to fight back. But this time was different—he had learned the Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist, and he had become stronger.

“Senior, please excuse my presumption.”

Ye Fan took a deep breath, the Eight Forbidden fully activated, his combat power reaching the eighth stage of the Half-step Great Power realm. Within his body, his golden blood Qi was like boiling lava, surging and roaring through his Meridians.

He moved.

Activating the Walk-Word Secret to its limit, his speed was so fast the naked eye could not capture it, leaving only a series of afterimages flickering across the Martial Arts Arena.

A punch was thrown!

Six Paths of Reincarnation Fist—Human Path.

Within the golden fist light, one could vaguely see countless blurred images—there was laughter, there were tears, there was anger, and there was fear. That was the power of 'Human,' the seven emotions and six desires, birth, aging, illness, and death, joys and sorrows.

This punch condensed all the comprehension he had gained over the past year.

The Old Maniac stood where he was, motionless.

Just as the fist light was about to touch him, he raised his right hand.

A single finger.

He lightly tapped it out.

“Bang—!”