The Invincible Path

In the endless darkness, there is no time, no space, only pure oblivion. But in this void that can devour everything, a glimmer of will has never been extinguished.

It is like a piece of stubborn iron that has been forged through countless hammer blows, cold, hard, and with a hint of unruly rebellion.

The body is the boat, the will is the rudder.

When consciousness falls into slumber, this instinctive Martial Dao will takes over everything.

Under Chen Fan's subconscious control, the two streams of ice and fire energy, powerful enough to tear everything apart, were no longer savagely clashing and annihilating each other.

They were forcibly twisted and squeezed by an even more tyrannical force, like a red-hot iron in a blacksmith's hand and quenched ice, and with an almost self-destructive attitude, they began to thoroughly forge and reshape every inch of Chen Fan's meridians and every cell.

Destruction precedes construction.

I don't know how much time passed; it felt like a moment, yet also like ten thousand years.

Chen Fan suddenly opened his eyes.

His consciousness returned like a tide, and he immediately looked down at his own body.

A thin, black scab, mixed with charcoal and ice crystals, covered his entire body.

With a thought, he gently raised his arm, and the scab that symbolized destruction and rebirth cracked and peeled off inch by inch with a crisp snapping sound.

Beneath the scab lay newborn skin, as if sculpted from the finest warm jade, radiant and translucent, even shimmering with a faint, precious glow under the cold lights of the training room.

An unprecedented sense of power filled my entire body.

Chen Fan slowly stood up. The three times gravity field that would have made it impossible for an ordinary person to even crawl was now like a gentle breeze to him, without any resistance whatsoever.

He immediately closed his eyes and focused inward.

The sight inside his body startled even himself slightly.

The meridians are now many times stronger and wider than before!

The originally pure Golden Qi and Blood is now as if it has been infused with a soul, perfectly incorporating billions of deep and cold starlight. It is no longer just simple energy, but like a truly brilliant galaxy flowing within the body!

"Give it a try."

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Chen Fan walked to the testing device in the corner and raised his hand.

He didn't use any martial arts techniques; he simply slowly injected the brand-new, star-studded Golden Qi and Blood into the testing port.

The numbers on the Light Screen began to soar at an unprecedented and frenzied pace!

80...90...100...

The numbers easily broke through the shackles of mortals, and broke through the barrier of 110 calories without any hesitation, even surpassing the 112-calorie target mentioned by Gu Ci!

Finally, under Chen Fan's slightly astonished gaze, the wildly fluctuating numbers suddenly stopped and then froze clearly.

[113.0 cards!]

"There's... an extra card?"

Looking at the number, Chen Fan smiled. It seemed that his breakthrough this time had brought him considerable gains.

He stretched his refreshed body and turned to walk towards the door.

"Squeak!"

The heavy Alloy Gate opened inwards.

Outside the door, Gu Ci stood silently, never leaving from the moment Chen Fan entered.

The moment he saw Chen Fan, he couldn't help but nod slightly.

But that ripple was fleeting, so fast that one might think it was an illusion.

He merely glanced at Chen Fan from head to toe, nodded slightly, and squeezed out two words.

"Good."

This is already an immense compliment.

However, before Chen Fan could respond, Gu Ci abruptly changed the subject, asking, "Do you know what that Training Camp Lei Zhan tried to recruit you into meant?"

Chen Fan thought for a moment, then shook his head frankly.

All he knew was that the resources there were definitely better than those at the school; he knew nothing else.

"Hmph." Gu Ci let out a soft, ambiguous snort. "The paths of Federation Martial Artists diverge completely after graduating from junior high school. Mediocre talents continue to high school, following the established path; while true geniuses enter various Training Camps to receive the most efficient and brutal elite education."

"Lei Zhan's Azure Edge Training Camp is top-notch in Tiannan City, but it's not even second-rate in the entire Federation."

Gu Ci's tone was flat, yet it carried a sense of self-righteous contempt.

In my opinion, that kind of place only turns geniuses into mediocrities.

He looked at Chen Fan, and a hint of heat finally appeared in his lifeless eyes.

So I refused on your behalf.

"My students, Gu Ci, if they're going to get in, they'll get into the best!"

"On the entire Blue Star, there is only one— the Blue Star Training Camp, jointly established by the Federation Military Headquarters, the Government Office, and the Martial Dao General Association!"

Blue Star Training Camp!

These five words seemed to possess some kind of magic, causing Chen Fan's heart to skip a beat.

"Teacher..."

"I've already reserved that spot for you," Gu Ci interrupted him, her voice leaving no room for argument, "But you're not qualified to get in."

He paused, then said, word by word, "As long as you can walk the path once trodden by the former Federation's number one prodigy, the White Emperor, I will personally knock on the door of the Blue Star Training Camp for you!"

White Emperor!

This resounding name, engraved at the very top of the monument of the Federation's Martial Dao history, gave Chen Fan a violent shock!

That was a legend that all Martial Artists looked up to, an invincible myth that suppressed an era!

An indescribable desire and competitive spirit were instantly ignited to their fullest extent.

He raised his head, and his clear eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance, as if two Stars were burning brightly within them.

He pressed on almost impatiently, "Teacher, what exactly was the path that White Emperor once walked?"

Seeing the undisguised excitement in the students' eyes, a slight smile appeared on Gu Ci's otherwise expressionless face.

Instead of answering directly, he countered with, "The path of the White Emperor? Boy, before you know, I'll ask you one last time: are you truly ready?"

His voice became more solemn than ever before.

"Because once you find out, there's no going back."

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Fan's youthful face remained unwavering. He met Gu Ci's deep, unfathomable gaze and spoke each word with unwavering resolve.

"Teacher, I want to become stronger."

"At all costs."

"Good!"

A startling light suddenly burst forth in Gu Ci's eyes; the long-suppressed madness and admiration could no longer be concealed.

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a solemnity and magic akin to telling a myth.

"The path that White Emperor is taking is the most domineering and unreasonable one since the birth of Ancient Martial Arts."

"Invincible Path!"

"The so-called Invincible Path has only one core principle," Gu Ci, holding up one finger. "Starting from your current Quasi-Martial Artist Realm, within each major realm, you must sweep across the world, defeating all the Prodigies who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you, and achieve true invincibility!"

"Every exhilarating victory, every experience of crushing your generation's geniuses, will transform into fighting spirit and conviction, forging an Invincible Dao Heart within you."

"This Dao Heart will become your most powerful weapon, helping you crush all cultivation bottlenecks and ignore any barriers of cultivation techniques. What ordinary geniuses need years to break through may just be a thin veil for you."

Chen Fan's breath hitched slightly when he heard this.

However, Gu Ci's tone suddenly changed, and his voice instantly became icy and chilling.

"However, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Whatever this path gives you, it will take away even more from you."

Its flaws are equally fatal.

"On this path, you cannot fail! Not even once!"

Gu Ci stared intently at Chen Fan, each word piercing like an ice pick into his very bones, "If you ever experience a true defeat, if you are honestly and fairly defeated by someone of your generation, even if it's just a narrow loss by half a move, your Invincible Dao Heart will shatter on the spot!"

"Once your Dao Heart shatters, your Martial Dao will collapses. From that moment on, your cultivation will stagnate forever, and you will never make any progress in your life!"

To help Chen Fan understand the horror more directly, Gu Ci simply brought up his past experiences.

"In the year 374 of the Federation Calendar, there was a genius of my time, whose talent even surpassed mine. He walked this Invincible Path, advancing triumphantly and unstoppably. At the young age of thirty, he had already reached the peak of the Grandmaster realm and was hailed as the most promising peerless prodigy who had the best chance of reaching the Martial God Realm before the age of fifty."

"However, in his final battle to break through to the Martial God Realm, he was defeated, by only half a move."

Overnight, his Dao Heart shattered, and the once spirited and peerless Prodigies was transformed into a white-haired, vacant-eyed cripple. In the end, filled with endless regret and resentment, he died silently in a nursing home in a small city, completely forgotten by the times.

A deathly silence fell over the meditation room.

This real and cruel example, like an invisible mountain, is enough to crush any ambitious genius.

Victory grants you heavenly favor; defeat condemns you to utter ruin.

After recounting all this, Gu Ci's gaze, sharp as a hawk's, was fixed on Chen Fan's face, trying to find even the slightest fear, hesitation, or retreat in that youthful face.

However, he was disappointed.

Or rather, he saw something far more insane than he had imagined.

After listening, Chen Fan showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, his clear eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, sparkling with an almost mischievous excitement, as if he had found a new toy.

He even unconsciously stuck out his tongue and licked his slightly dry lips, his bright eyes full of curiosity.

"Teacher, the risk is so high, what about the reward?"

"What will be the ultimate reward for traversing this path? It can't just be that you cultivate faster, can it?"

"..."

Seeing Chen Fan's appearance, Gu Ci was stunned.

He had considered all possible reactions Chen Fan might have, but he never expected it to be like this.

This kid... didn't take the risks that could drive even the Prodigies to despair seriously at all. What he cared about was whether the reward was exciting enough!

Madman!

A born madman!

The next second, Gu Ci could no longer suppress it, and a deep, unrestrained laugh escaped his throat. The laugh went from suppressed to unrestrained, filled with the appreciation and satisfaction of a madman finding his kind.

"Award?"

He slowly suppressed his smile, looked at Chen Fan with an incredibly deep gaze, as if he were about to personally hand over a secret that could overturn the entire Federation's understanding to him.

"Once you've traversed this path, you'll find that the so-called bottlenecks in your cultivation level will cease to exist for you."

"And the end of this road..."

Gu Ci took a deep breath and spoke the secret of the Invincible Path in an incredibly clear voice.

"Its ultimate goal is the supreme throne of the sole Martial God."

"But to sit in that position, you must personally defeat the person currently sitting on the throne at the end of the Martial Dao..."

"White Emperor!"

Boom!!

It was like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploding in Chen Fan's mind!

Defeat... the White Emperor?

That invincible myth, engraved at the very top of the Federation's Martial Dao history monument, that suppressed an entire era?

That legend that all Martial Artists can only look up to, whose silhouette they can never even touch?