Newcomers

Even Cao Ya could not help opening his eyes.

Li Changsheng remained utterly unashamed. More than ten years ago, the Heavenly Gate City Lord had gravely injured his mental power in a battle, leaving him with no hope of ever reaching the seventh rank.

That time, Lü Fengrou and Wu Kuishan's daughter, along with several others... had all died.

Li Changsheng had been nurturing his sword so he could muster the last of his strength and slaughter a great enemy of the Catacombs!

Once he unleashed that sword strike, he would die as well.

He wanted to nurture it to absolute perfection before striking, to achieve the greatest possible power.

But that was because he had no hope of advancing in the Blood-and-Qi System. Now, Cao Ya had created a new cultivation system.

The moment he learned of it, he had gathered photocopies of every cultivation manual. In the past few days, he had read the "Golden Bell Shield" manual in Fang Ping's hands no fewer than ten times!

Li Changsheng discovered that Cao Ya's system was entirely different from the Blood-and-Qi System.

The damage to his mental power did not seem to affect his cultivation.

Others might still have plenty of reservations.

After all, even its creator, Cao Ya, was only in the eighth-rank realm, with combat strength that merely reached the ninth-rank realm.

Who knew what problems might lie further down the road?

But... was that a problem for Li Changsheng?

It was no problem at all!

In the Blood-and-Qi System, the sixth rank was his ceiling. If he changed paths, he still had hope of reaching the ninth rank.

How could Li Changsheng possibly not be wild with joy?

Forget taking Cao Ya as his master-Li Changsheng would even call him Dad.

"There's no need to take me as your master," Cao Ya said calmly. "Since I've brought these cultivation methods out, they're for all of humanity. You want to learn them? Then just go ahead and learn."

"Badass! Now that's generosity!" Li Changsheng found all sorts of ways to sing his praises.

But none of it went against his conscience.

Everything Cao Ya had done truly filled Li Changsheng with admiration.

He could never have created a cultivation system like this himself.

In truth, Cao Ya was not its creator, merely the deliveryman.

But Li Changsheng did not know that!

No one in the [Global Martial Arts] world had ever seen cultivation methods like these. Some bore a passing resemblance, but closer examination revealed principles as far apart as heaven and earth.

Fang Ping said admiringly, "Teacher Cao, you'll be the Dao Ancestor in the future."

The title "Dao Ancestor" had already begun appearing online.

Fang Ping did not intend to change paths and cultivate the system Teacher Cao had created.

But even if he did not make it his main practice, he could use it as a supplementary one!

The name "Golden Bell Shield" might be a little tacky, but its effects were excellent.

Fang Ping coveted the blade- and spear-proof defense that came with minor mastery of the "Golden Bell Shield."

"Cultivate diligently. If you can achieve minor mastery of the 'Golden Bell Shield'..."

Cao Ya paused briefly. Sure enough, he saw Fang Ping's and Li Changsheng's eyes light up. He smiled and said:

"There are even better things waiting."

Fang Ping's and Li Changsheng's breathing quickened, their eyes burning with eagerness.

What martial artist did not want the power of the ninth-rank realm?

Star-Suppressing City.

The Heaven-Suppressing King received the photocopies of the "Golden Bell Shield" and the other cultivation manuals that Zhang Tao had personally delivered. After studying them carefully for a long while, he drew in a sharp breath:

"The other methods are one thing, but this 'Golden Bell Shield' clearly has more to it... Cao Ya definitely has higher-level methods in his hands!"

Zhang Tao nodded and said, "They belong to Cao Ya. We can't force him."

The Heaven-Suppressing King glanced at Zhang Tao and said irritably, "Am I the sort of man who seizes things by force?"

Zhang Tao looked sheepish. He had merely wanted to offer a precautionary warning. Honestly, what Cao Ya had accomplished was far beyond anything he had expected.

Who could have imagined that Cao Ya would produce a cultivation system utterly different from the Blood-and-Qi System?

Zhang Tao had a feeling that this new system would be one of the keys to breaking humanity's deadlock.

"'Dao Ancestor' Cao Ya... heh, that's hardly an exaggeration," the Heaven-Suppressing King said with a sigh.

All these years, several eras gone by-why did I never think to create a new system?

Of course,

He understood that he was feeling a little envious and jealous. As the ancestor of a cultivation path, Cao Ya's true name would be celebrated for countless millennia to come.

He seemed to return to that distant ancient age, when the Initial Martial Dao and the Origin Dao-the blood-and-qi and mental power system-had vied for supremacy, and extraordinary figures had risen everywhere, creating all manner of cultivation methods. It had been a glorious era!

The Heavenly Court had ruled the Three Realms!

"Cao Ya's cultivation methods... are very mature. There aren't any flaws. Just how does that brain of his work?" The Heaven-Suppressing King leafed through the "Golden Bell Shield" again, filled with curiosity.

"Would a genius under my command be an ordinary man?" Zhang Tao asked with mild surprise, as though the Heaven-Suppressing King's question were the strangest thing of all.

The Heaven-Suppressing King glanced at Zhang Tao, who was snickering.

"Get lost!"

It was not just Earth's humans-ordinary people, martial artists, Grandmasters, Great Grandmasters, and Apex experts-who were hotly discussing Cao Ya's opening of a new path and creation of new methods.

The various factions in the Catacombs were discussing it as well.

They had obtained photocopies of the cultivation manuals passed along by cultists.

However, when they saw that Cao Ya's new path only reached the ninth rank, they immediately became somewhat dismissive.

"Heh, only the ninth rank. I thought he'd created a method that went beyond True King," some True Kings said scornfully.

They were True Kings. However strong someone at the ninth rank might be, they were still an ant.

Other True Kings, however, took it seriously.

It reached the ninth-rank realm now, but what about a few years from now? Might it reach True King?

No one could be certain.

Regardless, Cao Ya's talent had earned the recognition of the various powers in both worlds.

Nor did they have much objection to the title "Dao Ancestor."

The Catacombs' True Kings had originally wanted to assassinate Cao Ya, but he possessed ninth-rank combat strength. Unless a True King acted, who could kill him?

And which True King would dare go to Earth?

With the Heaven-Suppressing King stationed there, wouldn't that be courting death?!

The Source Land.

The Nine Emperors-the Divine Emperor, Eastern Emperor, Western Emperor, Southern Emperor, Northern Emperor, Beast Emperor, Earth Emperor, Human Emperor, and Spirit Emperor-and the Two Heavenly Emperors-the Heavenly Emperor and Battle Heavenly Emperor-noticed the activity on Earth. After all, it had caused quite a stir.

They also discovered those cultivation methods.

"The ninth-rank realm? Hmm, no, more than that. They can reach True God at the very least. As for what comes after..."

They shook their heads and paid them no further attention.

In their eyes, a True God could be destroyed with a flick of a finger.

True God level, emperor level, saint level, Sixth-Breakthrough Heavenly King, Seventh-Breakthrough Heavenly King, Eighth-Breakthrough Heavenly King, Ninth-Breakthrough Quasi-Emperor-only then did one reach their realm.

And that was merely the realm of the weaker members of the Nine Emperors and Two Heavenly Emperors.

The Beast Emperor felt insulted.

Indeed, the cultivation methods Cao Ya had brought out at this point were utterly beneath these emperors' notice.

Cao Ya studied the cultivation system of the [Global Martial Arts] world: blood and qi, mental power, and the Origin Dao.

He knew there were major problems with it.

Its basic theories, however, posed no obstacle.

The Origin Dao was of little use. It would not work in another world; after all, it was not based on comprehending laws or rules.

Blood and qi, and mental power, however, were things shared across many worlds.

Night fell.

Cao Ya entered the system space.

"Huh?"

The moment he entered, he let out a surprised exclamation.

More than eight figures had appeared.

There were two additional figures.

Newcomers had arrived!

All eight Cao Yas perked up at once.

"I hope it's a version of me from one of those super-sized worlds." The [Detective Conan] Cao Ya chuckled.

The two newcomer Cao Yas received the information sent by the system space and quickly understood the situation.

Hearing the [Detective Conan] Cao Ya's words, one of the newcomers, who looked like a student, replied in a light, cheerful tone:

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not from a super multiverse."

"I'm from the [Dragon Raja] world."