The greatest in all history?
The greatest in all history!!!
Ye Qingshi stared at the final assessment on the Rising Dragon Ranking, too stunned to speak.
Suddenly, she recalled what she had said moments ago, teasing Fang Can for daring to dream of making the Heavenly Secret Ranking.
Now, it was as if a legend had become reality. A young man hailed as the greatest in all history had silently yet wildly overturned the lake of her heart.
"This... is you, isn't it?" Ye Qingshi asked.
All sorts of doubts and suspicions rose in her mind. Perhaps the so-called Heavenly Secret Ranking had been forged by Yan Zhi, as an excessively cruel joke at her expense.
But when she looked up, Yan Zhi, who had delivered the rankings, was wearing an expression of utter shock. His skin had even creased with astonishment as he looked at the list.
So the young woman wanted confirmation. She wanted Fang Can to confirm whether the rankings before her were real.
"...No. It's not me." With a snap, Fang Can closed the book and stopped reading.
"You're lying." Ye Qingshi challenged him almost instantly, convinced without reason that Fang Can was lying.
"If you think it's me, then it is." Fang Can rose from his wheelchair and crushed the entire booklet into a tightly compacted ball of paper with a wave of his hand.
He looked up at the sky. Clear, gentle sunlight shone into his eyes, dispersing the irritation in his heart.
With only a moment's turn, he spotted a sturdy man with a small mustache standing behind him.
Sighing inwardly, Fang Can cupped his hands and said, "Master Ye, have you come to stop me?"
Ye Yonglie regarded the young man before him with a complicated look. He had suspected there was something unusual about Fang Can's identity, but he had never imagined the secret he was hiding was so terrifying.
Reaching the first level of the Mysterious Pass and awakening a Heart Manifestation at the same time, all within less than a month of starting martial arts—he truly deserved to be called the greatest in all history.
"I only wanted to ask Young Master Fang to keep guiding us with your Heart Manifestation," Ye Yonglie said with a smile.
"Oh?" Fang Can replied. "You've seen the Heavenly Secret Ranking too, Master Ye. Even so, you're not going to drive me out? Aren't you afraid of provoking the Tiger Fiend Sect?"
"Why would I drive Young Master Fang out?" Ye Yonglie said. "As long as we keep quiet, who besides the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion will know you're here?"
"It's like being blind to what's right under your nose. Everyone will assume an outcast from the Tiger Fiend Sect like Young Master Fang will leave as soon as possible. But if we do the opposite, who would ever find out?"
Fang Can's brow furrowed slightly. He stared at Ye Yonglie and said nothing more.
"Only a few dozen disciples in the Martial Hall heard your name yesterday. As long as we agree among ourselves to keep it secret, Young Master Fang will have nothing to worry about."
As Ye Yonglie spoke, Fang Can's urge to attack faded. He looked at Ye Yonglie and said:
"Is this your decision? You're willing to shelter me even at the risk of your entire hall being wiped out? What do you stand to gain?"
"Because I'm willing to believe Young Master Fang can become the strongest." Ye Yonglie's lips curled into a fierce smile. "I'm prepared to stake the entire martial path I've spent half my life cultivating on you!"
"I'm going to worship Young Master Fang as a god!" Ye Yonglie fixed his eyes on Fang Can and spoke with conviction.
"Worship me as a god?"
Fang Can tilted his head, unable to understand what Ye Yonglie meant. But when he glanced aside, he saw the shocked expressions on Yan Zhi and Ye Qingshi's faces.
"I haven't been practicing martial arts for long. Is there some special meaning to this God-Worshiping?" Fang Can asked.
"Of course. God-Worshiping means honoring someone as a god, becoming their most zealous devotee, offering everything to them, and placing them above all else."
Ye Qingshi explained without being asked, her gaze worried as she looked at her father. She hadn't expected him to be willing to pay such a steep price.
"What's the point of worshiping a god like that?" Fang Can asked, baffled. If Ye Qingshi's explanation was right, the price seemed far too great.
"Of course there's a point. Through devout worship, you can cultivate by relying on your faith in the god. The closer you get to the god, the more divine miracles you witness, and the stronger your faith becomes. The greater the benefit to your cultivation."
"Devotees must worship with all their hearts. A god only has to do one thing: keep winning."
"Creating a god is easy. Destroying one is easy, too."
"Devotees construct a perfect god in their hearts and worship that image. But if the god they serve is defeated and disgraced, their faith can shatter. They might even lose their minds."
Ye Qingshi spoke gravely. She was explaining it to Fang Can, but also warning her father to think twice before going through with this.
After all, no one won forever. Every defeat suffered by a god was a devastating blow to their devotees. When the god's golden likeness crumbled into mere clay, the devotees were bound to meet a terrible end.
What kind of celebrity-fan cultivation method is this? Fang Can thought, then asked, "If a real god can lose, why not build an idol in your heart and believe in a fictional god instead?"
"For instance, Luo Tianyi in the future. There's no way that kind of figure could ever be disgraced, right?" Fang Can mused, letting his imagination run wild.
"Because fictional gods have no miracles. They're rootless, like flowers reflected in water or the moon reflected in a mirror." Ye Yonglie spoke gravely.
"What are miracles? A god walking among mortals is a miracle in itself. False gods might never lose, but they're built on lies. One poke is all it takes to make them collapse."
"Only a real god, one who defeats foes through force again and again and crushes them with the fiercest strength and the most domineering words, can inspire greater faith in their devotees," Ye Yonglie said.
"Got it. Virtual idols won't do, but pop stars can cultivate a public persona." Fang Can understood.
"So... I want to worship Young Master Fang as a god and offer everything I have to you."
Ye Yonglie spoke with earnest sincerity. When he finished, he knelt on the ground and said, "Please, god, grant my wish."
"This..." Fang Can was momentarily at a loss, unsure whether to accept as he watched Master Ye kneel before him.
"Young Master Fang, please grant the hall master's request," Yan Zhi urged from the side. "Any gains or losses will affect only the devotees. A god only has to accept and enjoy their offerings."
"Every renowned expert has a group of fanatical followers around them. From now on, more and more people will want to worship you as a god."
"This..." Fang Can hesitated briefly, then slowly nodded. "All right."
At his words, the furrow in Ye Yonglie's brow eased. With utter reverence, he bowed to Fang Can three times, then raised his head and said, "What divine title shall we greet you by?"
"Then call me... the Heavenly Emperor," Fang Can said, a little sheepishly. He didn't sound entirely convinced himself.
At that, Ye Yonglie respectfully bowed three more times. As he bowed, he silently recited the divine miracles in his heart.
What were miracles? The words written on the Heavenly Secret Ranking were miracles!
Not one of the assessments on the Heavenly Secret Ranking had ever been achieved by anyone before.
Only a god could deserve the title of greatest in all history.
With that thought, a feeling of being moved welled up in Ye Yonglie's heart. Then a calm aura enveloped the hearts of everyone present.
With nothing more than a few light bows, a Heart Manifestation spontaneously arose in Ye Yonglie's sea of consciousness.
Before you continue