[Fists Against the Restricted Zone Retirement Home, Kicks at the Holy Spirit Kindergarten]

"Yezi, he's the real barbarian."

Still reeling from the shock, Ye Fan suddenly heard a familiar whisper by his ear. "Barbarian" had been his nickname back in college.

When Ye Fan turned around, he saw Pang Bo, thick-browed, big-eyed, and powerfully built.

Pang Bo had been Ye Fan's best friend in college. He had been unable to attend the gathering because of personal matters, so his sudden appearance filled Ye Fan with both surprise and joy, along with a trace of suspicion.

"Pang Bo, is that really you?" someone questioned.

"It's me." To prove his identity, Pang Bo tried his utmost to explain, recounting many events from their college days.

Those were matters only their classmates knew about, things outsiders could not possibly know. Gradually, everyone lowered their guard.

"I don't believe it. Pang Bo never came to the gathering."

"I was at the very back of the group. I never saw Pang Bo."

At that moment, someone asked in a trembling voice, "What exactly are you? A person or a ghost?!"

Everyone felt their scalps tingle. They were all elites who had graduated from university, people who would never have believed in ghosts and gods before.

But today, there had been Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin, the Five-Colored Altar, and now someone claiming to cultivate immortality. They could not help but think in the direction of ghosts and monsters.

Outsiders could not know certain secrets, but ghosts might.

Some even made a bold, crazed guess, saying in terror, "Could Pang Bo have died on his way here? Are we seeing Pang Bo's ghost?"

"I believe he is Pang Bo." Ye Fan spoke firmly, then strode over and gave Pang Bo a tight hug. He nodded. "He's warm. He's human, not a ghost."

Everyone breathed a little easier, though some still could not believe it and remained terrified and panicked.

At that moment, a refined young man stepped forward, gave Lin Xian a slight bow, and said solemnly, "I once heard my family elders mention that cultivators exist in this world."

"I just never expected to encounter an immortal trace here. May I ask this immortal's name, and which immortal sect he comes from?"

"Zhou Yi... you?" Someone called out the refined young man's name. Their eyes were full of confusion, as though a corner of the curtain had been lifted to reveal a whole new world.

Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin and a mysterious immortal cultivator were one thing, but why was even one of their classmates extraordinary?

Was this world still the world they knew?!

Ye Fan's pupils constricted as well. Rumors that Zhou Yi's family had deep connections were no secret among their classmates.

During college, Ye Fan had interacted with Zhou Yi quite often, mainly because they shared an interest in seeking immortals and exploring ancient sites.

Zhou Yi had displayed considerable attainments in bronze and ancient inscriptions, and the two had enjoyed their conversations.

Back then, Ye Fan had merely thought Zhou Yi came from a scholarly family with deep foundations. He had never expected Zhou Yi's family to have ties to cultivators.

Lin Xian smiled faintly and admitted frankly, "This poor Daoist is named Lin Xian. By chance, I inherited the legacy of a highly accomplished Mount Longhu Daoist, so I can be considered half a disciple of Tianshi Mansion."

"I have merely glimpsed the gateway of cultivation. I cannot bear the title of immortal."

Zhang Huaiyi, the founder of the Qi-State Origin-Flow among the Eight Extraordinary Skills, had indeed been a direct disciple of Tianshi Mansion on Mount Longhu.

He truly had not lied.

As for what direction everyone's imaginations would take, that was beyond his control. Everything he had said was true, without the slightest falsehood.

Compared with being an extraterrestrial demon or a visitor from another world, the identity of a Mount Longhu Daoist was easier for people to accept and trust.

"Mount Longhu, the Celestial Master Dao."

Zhou Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In his impression, Mount Longhu was one of the few righteous sects that communicated and cooperated with the secular government. It was far more reliable than rogue cultivators.

With that thought, Zhou Yi became even more respectful. Pointing at Pang Bo, he said, "Master Lin, I would like to ask you to discern something."

"Please see whether Pang Bo is human or ghost."

In an instant, the atmosphere inside the Bronze Coffin became solemn and strange. A Mount Longhu Celestial Master catching ghosts sounded far more grounded than interstellar travel, and thus easier to accept.

They had abruptly gone from a sci-fi setting to a suspense channel.

Lin Xian glanced at Pang Bo and said leisurely, "He is a demon..."

"A demon?!"

Everyone was instantly terrified, their hands and feet turning cold as they retreated toward Lin Xian. Several girls went pale and screamed in terror on the spot.

"Demon..." Lin Xian paused, then smiled. "A descendant of a Demon God."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Yi looked at Lin Xian with profound resentment, as though saying, Celestial Master, can't you stop pausing so dramatically when you speak?!

People could be scared to death by other people.

A descendant of a Demon God?

After pondering it for a moment, many people looked at Pang Bo with playful expressions. The atmosphere became strange.

"A descendant of a Demon God?!"

Ye Fan frowned, stepped forward, and cupped his hands in salute. "Master Lin, may I ask what a descendant of a Demon God means?"

Lin Xian did not speak in riddles or beat around the bush. He said directly, "Exactly what you imagine. Xu Xian and the White Lady."

"Pang Bo's ancestor was a peerless Demon God. His ancestor's life imprint remained within his descendants, but as time passed and the bloodline settled, the Demon Race bloodline became recessive while the human bloodline became dominant."

"The White Lady, the grass-mangling hero... a human-demon child." Everyone muttered softly, "So is Pang Bo a human-demon or a demon-human?"

Though they were whispering, the Bronze Coffin was only so large. With more than thirty people murmuring, some words inevitably reached Pang Bo's ears.

"My ancestor was a monster?" Pang Bo's expression shifted between red and green. Clearly, he found it hard to accept, as though he were trapped in a dream.

Anyone would wear that expression if they were told they were not human, but a demon.

Grass-Mangling Hero, Undead Knight, Immortal Master... the human race had its own heroes, and Pang Bo's ancestor was one of them.

Even Ye Fan could not help patting Pang Bo on the shoulder and comforting him. "Pang Bo, even if you are a demon, you have a human heart."

"As the saying goes, though I wear Western clothes, my heart remains Chinese."

Looking at the other classmates avoiding Pang Bo as if he were venomous, Ye Fan said loudly, "We spent four years together in college. If we don't know what kind of person Pang Bo is, who does?"

"Do you really think Pang Bo would hurt you?"

"If he really were a man-eating demon, would we still have had the chance to live until now?"

Without Liu Yunzhi and the others stirring up discord, everyone calmed down and recalled their four years of friendship. Back in college, many of them had spent time alone with Pang Bo, and all had been safe.

"I believe Pang Bo isn't a man-eating monster."

Lin Jia's hair fell to her shoulders, and she was charming and alluring, yet she analyzed the matter calmly now. Smiling faintly, she said, "Pang Bo is forthright and helpful for a demon. He isn't a bad demon."

The scholarly-looking Wang Ziwen also nodded. "I've been alone with Pang Bo several times. He never transformed into a man-eating monster. Even if he is a demon, he is a good one."

Zhang Wenchang agreed. "I also don't think Pang Bo is some evil demon. Other than looking a little stronger, there's nothing unusual about him."

Li Xiaoman said indifferently, "Since you all think he isn't, then he probably isn't."

After only a few words, the atmosphere gradually eased. Everyone's expressions calmed, and Pang Bo could not help complaining, "The few of you played off each other and stripped me of my human status."

"Didn't the Celestial Master say I still have some human blood in me? I'm a demon-human, not a human-demon."

Seeing Pang Bo make fun of himself, many people laughed. Their tension eased, dispelling the cold atmosphere.

Lin Xian seized the chance to speak and settle the matter. "Having Demon God blood is not necessarily a bad thing. Awakening one's ancestral bloodline and inheriting fragments of the Great Dao is equivalent to possessing a special constitution. It offers immense benefits for cultivation."

"Cultivation?"

Apart from the unconscious Liu Yunzhi and the others, everyone else inside the Bronze Coffin brightened and looked over.

Every descendant of Yan and Huang carried a dream of cultivating immortality in their bones. Even living in a great city could not erase that yearning.

Who had not imagined cultivating immortality to seek longevity, roaming freely with burning blood, treading lotus flowers and dragging waves to cleanse one's sword-bones, riding the wind through the void to forge a sacred soul!

Only the foreigner Kade, a Western monk, was completely baffled. He could not understand a thing and wore a confused expression, but he still looked toward Lin Xian with everyone else and listened to him.

Without realizing it, Lin Xian had become the core of the people within the Bronze Coffin.

That was one of his goals.

A great crisis lay ahead. Mars was home to the evil Crocodile Ancestor. If they did not unite, many would die, perhaps even Lin Xian himself.

Cultivation?!

Ye Fan's thoughts ran wild. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon recorded that true people of antiquity grasped heaven and earth, held yin and yang, breathed in essence qi, stood alone while guarding their spirits, their muscles as one. Thus, they could live as long as heaven and earth, with no end to their lifespan. This was the Dao of life.

The Plain Questions repeatedly mentioned that in ancient times, there were people who understood the changes of heaven and earth, refined and nourished their essence qi, and could attain everlasting immortality.

Ye Fan had once been half-believing and half-doubting.

But now, a genuine cultivator stood before him and gave him a definite answer. His heart could not help but brighten, filling him with longing for the future.

Who would not want to become immortal?

Pang Bo's breathing grew heavy, and he could barely restrain his excitement. He asked, "Celestial Master, are you saying I have talent for cultivation?!"

Lin Xian nodded with a smile and answered truthfully, "The cultivation path in this universe places qi and blood above all else. Your bones are extraordinary, you possess Demon God Blood, and your body is robust. You can be considered a seedling of immortality."

The Shrouding the Heavens Universe possessed countless special constitutions. Those with vigorous qi and blood and unusual bloodlines were better suited to cultivation than Mortal Bodies.

The old saying went that Mortal Bodies were the foundation.

But only a Heavenly Emperor was qualified to say that, much like the richest man claiming he had no interest in money.

If low-level cultivators truly believed it, they would simply be deceiving themselves.

In every era, the most outstanding prodigy and strongest living being fought desperately, ultimately proving the Dao through tribulation and forging the sole imperial throne. They would suppress all living beings, stand supreme alone, and permit no second being to prove the Dao.

The Chaotic Body, the number one constitution in the universe, was guaranteed an imperial throne. Even if someone had already become an emperor, the Chaotic Body could still merge with the myriad Daos, allowing two emperors to stand together.

It broke the iron law of one emperor per Lifetime.

That was the terror of constitution. It could not determine one's upper limit, but it could determine one's lower limit.

If Pang Bo could fully awaken the Demon God Blood within him, he would basically be guaranteed to reach the Great Saint Realm of Immortal Six, enough to blind countless Mortal Bodies and King Bodies with envy and stand alongside holy land holy sons.

That was his lower limit. As for his upper limit, naturally, it was hugging Heavenly Emperor Ye's thigh and coasting all the way to becoming Dao Ancestor Pang.

"The cultivation path values qi and blood above all else?!"

Pang Bo murmured, deep in thought, but his gaze turned toward Ye Fan. It was not just him; everyone inside the Bronze Coffin also looked at Ye Fan.

Back in college, Ye Fan and Pang Bo had possessed the strongest bodies and constitutions. Both had been called barbarians.

If Pang Bo had Demon God Blood, then what constitution did Ye Fan possess, considering he was even better than Pang Bo?

Ye Fan's heart stirred. He could not help stepping forward to ask, while everyone retreated and made room for him.

"The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body."

Lin Xian pretended to examine him for quite a while before finally sighing. "I thought Demon God Blood was already invincible beneath heaven, yet I never expected that a Primordial First-Generation Sacred Body truly existed in this world!"

The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, the Primordial First-Generation Sacred Body—everyone stirred restlessly and exchanged looks. The name alone sounded incredibly impressive.

Even Zhou Yi, Lin Jia, and the others revealed strange expressions as they looked at Ye Fan.

The word "sacred" could not be used carelessly. It carried a special meaning.

Throughout all ages, the two most revered words were divine and sacred.

Sacred stood alongside divine. How could a constitution bearing the name sacred be ordinary?

"The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body?"

Ye Fan repeated those words, suppressing the agitation in his heart as he looked over expectantly. "Celestial Master, what is a Sacred Body?"

"The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body is one of the universe's most elite constitutions."

Lin Xian smiled leisurely and teased, "Even without working hard, merely living off its innate gifts and cultivating the bloodline alone, once you reach the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor Realm and the Sacred Body becomes Great Accomplished, you will rival those who take the Alternative Path to Enlightenment."

"Fists against the Restricted Zone Retirement Home, kicks at the Holy Spirit Kindergarten—it isn't just talk. It truly possesses that kind of combat power."

In an instant, Ye Fan became incomparably embarrassed while everyone else struggled desperately not to laugh.

"Retirement home, kindergarten... damn, that really is impressive!"

In the end, Pang Bo could not hold back and burst out laughing. He patted Ye Fan on the shoulder and raised his brows, as if signaling that his brother was not much better off.

Ye Fan's face darkened. The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body sounded absurdly awesome, yet when it came to fighting, it specifically bullied the old, weak, sick, and disabled. It had no martial virtue at all.

"Celestial Master." Pang Bo coughed, suppressing his laughter as he boldly asked, "What prospects does this Desolate Ancient Sacred Body have?"

"Second under heaven." Lin Xian smiled calmly, stating the most terrifying fact in the calmest tone.

Second under heaven?

Second under heaven!

The Bronze Coffin fell deathly silent. After a long while, Zhou Yi cautiously asked, "Celestial Master, does second under heaven mean on Earth, or..."

"It means across the heavens and myriad domains, among billions of stars and rivers." Lin Xian said meaningfully, "To be precise, second in the universe."

"Since Desolate Antiquity, the strongest being of every era has been honored as a Great Emperor."

"A Great Accomplished Saint Physique is the number one person beneath a Great Emperor."

"One person below, billions upon billions above."

As he spoke, Lin Xian suddenly said to the system in his heart, So we didn't end up in the wrong world after all.

The Outcast in the Shrouding the Heavens version is still The Outcast.

System 10086: ???

It seemed... perhaps... possibly... that made a little sense.

Silence, still deathly silence. Even Ye Fan himself was a little dazed. Am I really that awesome? Even I didn't know.

The looks everyone gave Ye Fan were filled with strange emotions.

Heroes shaped the times, and times shaped heroes. As ordinary citizens of Earth, all they had sought was a comfortable life. They had never dreamed of ruling over others.

But the world had changed far too quickly!

It was like an ordinary person suddenly learning that the neighbor who wove mats and sold sandals next door would one day become emperor.