The Ultimate Divine Class

"What Grandpa said is nonsense. If we don't wait for the boat, are we supposed to swim there?" The girl with the oval face pouted.

The silver-haired old man remained silent, but a robust young man beside him chuckled and spoke first, "Junior Sister, don't say that. Someone actually did swim there in the past... Not only did he reach Martial Saint Island, but he was also accepted as a disciple by the Penglai Martial Saint, eventually becoming a renowned Grandmaster..."

"Really?"

"Of course, it's true." The young man patted his chest, asserting confidently, "I read this in the notes of our Rock Breaking Sect's past Sect Leaders. Could the words of our ancestral Sect Leaders be false?"

The silver-haired old man nearby snorted coldly. "So, the notes were passed to you, and you spend all your time reading *these* kinds of stories, is that it?"

The robust young man hunched his shoulders and immediately fell silent.

The oval-faced girl's interest, however, was piqued. She couldn't help but press, "Grandpa, is what Senior Brother said true? Was there really such a person?"

The silver-haired old man's expression softened slightly. He nodded, "Indeed, there was. And he was even more legendary than your Senior Brother described... That man, who chose to swim to Martial Saint Island, after receiving the final teachings and legacy of the last Martial Saint, leaped to become the recognized number one in strength within the Ancient Martial Arts World. He is still alive even now, right here in Penglai, revered by the title 'Heaven Lord'..."

Now, it wasn't just the oval-faced girl; the robust young man and several other disciples who had been listening stared wide-eyed, their faces etched with shock and awe.

"Grandpa, if we were to emulate this 'Heaven Lord's' actions now, do you think we could have the same great opportunities he did?" the oval-faced girl suddenly mused aloud.

Hearing this, several Rock Breaking Disciples nearby looked tempted, eager to try.

The silver-haired old man gazed at these imaginative youngsters and shook his head, speechless for a moment. "Do you think crossing hundreds of kilometers of open sea to find Penglai's Martial Saint Island is a simple matter? The Penglai Heaven Lord was already in the Grandmaster Realm when he reached the island; he was one of the top figures of his era. Otherwise, achieving such an incredible feat would have been impossible... If you truly wish to emulate him, I won't stop you. But if you're swallowed by the waves or eaten by fish and shrimp along the way, don't blame your Master for not warning you..."

Hearing this, their restless thoughts immediately settled, and they became subdued.

Just then, the oval-faced girl, who had been gazing out at the sea, suddenly pointed to a five-story white luxury yacht slowly approaching in the distance. "Grandpa, the boat's here!" she exclaimed with delight.

The silver-haired old man merely lifted his eyelids. "So it is."

Hearing this, the spirits of the Rock Breaking Sect disciples soared. They eagerly grabbed their luggage, ready to board. Brimming with excitement, they discussed amongst themselves, "Master really splurged this time! I can't believe he rented such a huge yacht!"

"Well, our Rock Breaking Sect is one of the top martial arts sects in the northern fighting world. We have to make a grand appearance!"

"Master is mighty!"

Cheers of excitement erupted on the dock.

However, when the yacht reached their group, it didn't stop, instead, it WHOOSHED right past them.

The expressions of the Rock Breaking Disciples froze, their movements halting mid-action. They watched as a small, old fishing boat slowly chugged over and docked beside them.

"Let's go." The silver-haired old man, his expression unchanged throughout, picked up his suitcase and said calmly, "This is the boat we rented. A yacht? Are you all dreaming! Hmph..."

Their faces fell instantly. Their joy had been for naught, and they could only follow dejectedly.

***

Aboard the luxury yacht that had just passed, in a room on the third deck, eight figures were besieging one person in the center.

The eight attackers varied: some possessed powerful fists and kicks, others wielded sharp claw techniques, and some moved with elusive grace. Each was a highly skilled master of Ancient Martial Arts, undoubtedly top-tier practitioners. Each one of them was enveloped with Vigor, exuding a powerful aura far beyond ordinary people, their strength formidable.

Yet, despite their combined efforts, all their attacks were completely blocked by the central figure, who radiated an intense, dark-golden light. Not only did they fail to gain any advantage, but they were also faintly suppressed.

"Stumble Stone Palm!"

Among the eight, a portly man, a veritable mountain of flesh over four meters tall, suddenly thrust a palm at the central figure. The terrifying force emanating from his massive, fan-like hand ripped through the air, producing a series of sharp CRACKS like tearing silk. Waves of air blasted outwards—a truly intimidating sight.

The other seven seized this opportunity, their eyes flashing. Almost simultaneously, they unleashed their most powerful techniques. In an instant, eight ferocious attacks converged from all directions, like eight colossal waves crashing down upon the central figure.

BOOM!

The terrifying shockwave that erupted in that instant shattered all the glass windows in the third-deck room. The luxury yacht itself lurched violently, its forward momentum faltering.

However, in the next moment, ripples of dark-golden light emanated from within the room. Then, with another BOOM, all eight figures were sent flying.

The portly man who had led the assault was the first to speak, offering flattering words to the central figure with a wide smile, "Congratulations, Demon Emperor! Your Martial Arts are approaching Great Achievement, and you are but a hair's breadth from the Grandmaster Realm!"

The others started to follow suit, but before they could utter much, they heard the latter's quiet voice.

"All of you, leave. I wish to be alone for a while."

Their voices died abruptly. Replying with an affirmative, they filed out of the room. One of them, a burly man built like a small mountain, silently stood guard at the doorway.

Inside the room, Lu Yuan stood motionless. Around him, mist-like Spiritual Power swirled like milk.

Ever since establishing his position as the 'Demon Emperor' on Dragon Peace Mountain and subduing the other Protector-rank figures of the Evil Martial Association, Lu Yuan had used these eight as sparring partners. After some time, his strength as a Fighter had continued to grow rapidly, and he had even undergone some wondrous transformations.

At this moment, Lu Yuan could feel his Spiritual Power gradually seeping into his body. During this process, his blood surged ceaselessly, his muscles, bones, and skin vibrated constantly, and his internal organs radiated even greater vitality...

Lu Yuan could clearly sense that his physique, strength... all aspects of his attributes were steadily and slowly increasing.

This is the process of transitioning from one state of being to another.

Lu Yuan tried to slowly release his aura. The air around him immediately showed a slight distortion, very similar to the Grandmaster Power Field he had witnessed before, only much weaker.

In a sense, I should already be considered to be entering the Grandmaster Realm... Just that the pace of this entrance is a bit slow.

Lu Yuan pondered. This might be because all my abilities surpass the True Intention limit of an ordinary Martial Artist by several tens of times. Advancing to the Grandmaster Realm through True Intention means merging one's spiritual will with one's physique. For others, whose spirits are weaker and physiques poorer, the fusion is as simple as two drops of water merging. But my spirit is strong, and my physique robust; it's like trying to forcibly meld two hard stones—undoubtedly difficult.

If there's significant external stimulation, this process could accelerate considerably...

This was also why he had eagerly rushed to participate in the Penglai Martial Saint Island's martial arts assembly. Penglai was teeming with Grandmasters, providing the external stimuli he needed. It would also allow him to absorb the essence of various sects' martial arts systems, further refining his Pure Martial system. He had already experienced this benefit while sparring with Xu Weiguo and the eight Protector-rank figures of the Evil Martial Association.

With his current Intelligence of 28 points and near-supernatural comprehension, he could learn an opponent's moves after just a few exchanges, extracting the essence and discarding the dross to integrate into his own Pure Martial system.

His difficulty in advancing to the Grandmaster Realm was also related to this. The techniques he had learned were already diverse, and his foundation was abnormally profound. Even as he attempted to break through, he was constantly enriching and expanding his martial arts system, further thickening his foundation. Consequently, the difficulty of his breakthrough was continuously increasing.

Of course, once he succeeded, the rewards would surely be beyond ordinary imagination. This was what Lu Yuan eagerly anticipated.

As he mused, Lu Yuan casually pulled a thick, old notebook from his pocket. It was the "Evil Emperor's Notebook," passed down through generations of Evil Emperors of the Evil Martial Association, recording their insights and experiences in cultivation. This item had originally been in the hands of Guardian Rou, the portly man. Presumably, after being subdued by Lu Yuan, he had obediently handed it over.

Lu Yuan had already flipped through this "Evil Emperor's Notebook" several times. Most of its contents detailed the techniques used by successive Evil Emperors to wield the Evil God Power they had mastered, along with various killing moves developed based on the characteristics of said Power. Many of the Evil God Power effects were unheard of by Lu Yuan, and the techniques developed by past Evil Emperors were bizarre and wildly imaginative. It had to be said, they were quite enlightening for him.

He even discovered that one Evil Emperor had mastered the Crow God Sect's Crow God Power. A few of the minor unique techniques developed by this Emperor gave Lu Yuan a flash of insight, sparking new ideas for applying Death Qi. However, this particular Evil Emperor had left very little in the notes, likely due to constantly dealing with Death Qi and not believing in the Crow God, leading to an early demise after only a few years.

Beyond this, there were insights on breaking through to the Evil Martial Grandmaster Realm. For an Evil Martialist, the significance of breaking through to the Evil Martial Grandmaster Realm was far greater than for an ordinary Fighter reaching the Grandmaster Realm. Nearly every Evil Martialist who embarked on the Evil Martial path ultimately aimed to merge Pure Martial and Evil Energy, achieving what they considered the Supreme Realm.

But Lu Yuan noted that while many Evil Emperors in history had successfully advanced to the Evil Martial Grandmaster Realm, none had achieved the "ideal effect." They were indeed stronger than average Grandmasters, but when facing a genuine peak Walker, they were still easily outmatched. Even if their mastered evil force reached the Walker Level, and both their Pure Martial and Evil Energy domains reached SS-rank, they still couldn't touch the cusp of SSS-rank.

It feels like the people from the Evil Martial Association took the wrong path... After SS-rank, simply stacking power isn't enough; one must explore spiritual potential. It's like what I learned from Yellow Bear: the standard for an SSS-rank expert is the second-tier Light of Spirit, a level higher than the so-called Grandmaster's Will. So...

Lu Yuan mused, Viewed this way, my idea of using an Evil God projection as my Martial Arts' True Intention might have been a stroke of luck, the actual correct path. Could the Extraordinary Martial Arts I've been trying to create be the true Evil Martial path that countless generations of Evil Martial Association cultivators have painstakingly sought? Am I really the Heaven Destiny Evil Emperor?!

A wave of sudden realization, surprise, and an inexplicable sense of accomplishment welled up from the depths of Lu Yuan's heart.

Even so, until he reached the very end, Lu Yuan wouldn't know if this path was truly viable. He was still feeling his way across the river, taking one step at a time. However, he possessed one advantage no one else could match: he had the Class Panel. If he discovered a dead end, he could stop at any time and choose a different route.

Besides insights into cultivating evil force and Pure Martial, the remaining content in the notebook consisted of various minor secrets of past Evil Emperors. For instance, the stone slate recording the Sky Evil's Feathered Serpent God was mentioned in the notes by the Evil Emperor two generations ago. No wonder it was common knowledge throughout the Evil Martial Association.

There were also some jumbled, distorted texts and symbols. Lu Yuan guessed these were likely the delirious ramblings jotted down by those Evil Emperors who, in the end, couldn't resist the erosion of the Evil God's Will, just before their consciousness descended into chaos.

After all, Evil God Power isn't something ordinary people can perfectly control. Evil Energy is the bait left in the human world by the Ancient Evil God; the more one masters, the deeper the poison. Eventually, one either becomes a devout follower and running dog of the Evil God or... heads towards self-destruction. Of course, with the Class Panel to support him, he was an exception.

With these thoughts, Lu Yuan closed the notebook and took out two Elephant God Walk hearts.