"I am the strongest in Great Xia!"
That declaration was no boast, but a fact universally acknowledged throughout Great Xia.
Even Jiang Li, who had once questioned it and believed he would one day topple the Martial Emperor Hall, now acknowledged that fact.
Back in Kyoto, Jiang Li returned to his hotel for a brief rest.
He did not seek out his father, his sister, or Xuanpin. Instead, he pondered his own path as a Second Grade Great Martial Venerable.
He was indeed at the Second Grade now, but he possessed only its power, not its path.
Though he had the strength to rival—and even overwhelm and kill—ordinary Second Grade Great Martial Venerables, that strength had come from the Yellow Book consuming lifespan to cultivate.
Yet the martial path demanded more than power alone. Every step was another mountain, every realm another heaven.
But what should Jiang Li's Second Grade martial path be? To stand above all other paths?
Every Great Martial Venerable cultivated their own martial path to its utmost. Indeed, every Great Martial Venerable's path was unique.
Just like every martial artist in the world, however similar they might be, even if they shared the same inheritance, the Great Martial Venerables they ultimately became would never be exactly alike.
There were similar flowers and similar fruits in the world, but none were perfectly identical. The martial path was no different.
With the Human Emperor Banner, Jiang Li could obtain the souls and memories of those he killed, and even experience their entire lives. But to stand above every martial path, he would need to obtain the true essence of them all.
Jiang Li showed mutant beasts and demonic beasts no mercy, but killing other Great Martial Venerables for the sake of his own martial path?
Jiang Li rolled