With all matters properly arranged, Yu Yuanchen no longer intervened in the specific details. He knew well that his strengths lay in martial cultivation and grand strategic planning; he was not specialized in tedious administrative affairs or academy management, and forced interference would only lead to chaos.
He handed the execution of promoting the Basic Blood Essence Tempering Method and the construction of the academy entirely to his grandfather Yu Boxuan, his father Yu Mingfeng, and the Ye Family head Ye Kuan. He retreated behind the scenes to grasp the overall direction, only listening to periodic reports to ensure everything remained on its established track.
Of course, he did not completely wash his hands of the matter. Occasionally, he would restrain his aura and change his appearance, appearing quietly on the streets of Dragon City like an ordinary traveling Soul Master, or heading near the construction site of the "Tianxing Martial Arts Academy," which was currently in full swing, to observe in secret.
He saw the light of hope flickering in the eyes of civilian Soul Masters who stood in long lines before the various branches of the Martial Soul Hall to receive the booklet for the Basic Blood Essence Tempering Method;
He heard the heartfelt praise for his "universal benefit" initiative and the infinite longing for the future of the martial way in taverns and teahouses;
He also saw the scene at the academy construction site, where clan disciples and recruited craftsmen worked until they were drenched in sweat, yet remained full of energy.
Fortunately, given his current prestige in the Douluo Continent—the epic victory in the counterattack against the Demon Plane, his invincible record of slaying the four Great Demon Kings, his status as a grandmaster who pioneered a new martial system, and the strict orders of his sect—everything was currently in good order. There were no signs of people feigning compliance while acting otherwise, seizing opportunities to amass wealth, or bullying civilians.
The executors from the Yu and Ye families also deeply understood that this concerned the long-term reputation and destiny of the sect, so they acted with caution and fairness above all else. This made Yu Yuanchen feel quite comforted.
Time flew by, and several months passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, while Yu Yuanchen was meditating in the forbidden area of the back mountain of Dragon City, his heart and mind stirred slightly. He attempted to use the prototype of his self-condensed "Spirit Core" as a guide, urging his godhood to elevate his consciousness infinitely, "looking" toward the Douluo Continent from a perspective that transcended the mundane.
Although he had not yet become a god, his soul power had undergone a qualitative change, its quality not inferior to divine power. Coupled with his status as the pioneer of the martial way, which was closely linked to the destiny of the martial way, he could already vaguely sense some changes in the unseen.
He closed his eyes and focused, his consciousness seemingly transcending his physical body, overlooking the entire Douluo Continent in a state similar to a "spiritual journey."
In an instant, he "saw" countless pale golden light spots, as fine as fireflies yet continuous and unending, gathering toward the direction of Dragon City where he was located, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea! These light spots contained gratitude, reverence, hope, and a firm belief in "power" and "self-improvement"!
"This is... the Power of Faith? No, more accurately, it is the destiny formed by the convergence of the 'Power of Gratitude' and 'Path Recognition'!" Yu Yuanchen realized in his heart.
This power was vast and pure. Although each individual light spot was extremely faint, their number was more than hundreds of millions. They originated from those civilian Soul Masters whose physiques had strengthened after practicing the basic tempering method and who had seen hope; they originated from those families full of anticipation for the "Tianxing Martial Arts Academy"; and they originated from all the ordinary people who had gained confidence in the future because of the emergence of the martial way! This power was not blind worship, but recognition and following based on the "martial way" path he had pioneered!
In the center of this vast destiny, a vague title was faintly condensed—Martial Ancestor!
"Martial Ancestor..." Ripples stirred in Yu Yuanchen's heart. This title meant that the martial system he had pioneered had truly been recognized by a large number of living beings on this plane and had begun to gather its own "Orthodox Lineage" destiny!
This destiny was endless; as more people practiced the martial way and the philosophy of the martial way spread more widely, it would grow even stronger. This would have immeasurable benefits for his future condensation of a godhood and even his footing in the God Realm!
This proved that the basic martial way he promoted had truly benefited thousands of living beings and had received widespread recognition and sincere support! His name as "Martial Ancestor" had already spread to every corner of the continent along with that thin booklet, deeply rooted in people's hearts.
This was not just reputation, but real, tangible destiny reinforcement and accumulation of faith, which had immeasurable benefits for his future condensation of a godhood and even higher levels of cultivation.
"The vitality of the martial way is far stronger than expected." A smile appeared at the corner of Yu Yuanchen's mouth. The will of the people is the trend of the times; this is the Heavenly Dao.
"It seems my path was the right one." He seemed to see a seed named "martial way" that had taken deep root in this continent, absorbing the wisdom and aspirations of all living beings, growing sturdily.
While filled with joy, Yu Yuanchen's thoughts drifted to a deeper level. He recalled a peculiar phenomenon in the Douluo Continent: the awakening of a Soul Master, and whether one possessed innate soul power and its strength, almost determined the upper limit of a person's future achievements.
It seemed extremely unfair, but careful observation revealed that those who possessed outstanding talent in cultivation, wisdom, or skills almost always possessed innate soul power.
It was as if the rules of this world had some kind of inherent "matching" mechanism that was difficult for ordinary people to understand when distributing "talent" and "soul power aptitude."
"Heaven ultimately left a glimmer of life, or rather... a unique screening mechanism?" Yu Yuanchen thought thoughtfully. "Those rare few who possess certain talents but lack innate soul power may not be abandoned, but rather their talents are simply not compatible with the mainstream path of a 'Soul Master'?"
He thought of the Way of Beast Taming that Ye Zhilan was researching, the forging techniques that Tang Chen was obsessed with, and the various crafts of the world... These fields did not necessarily require powerful soul power as support, yet they could still shine and even reach very high realms. And the martial way he pioneered relied less on soul power in the early stages, focusing more on blood essence, willpower, and control over the body...
"Perhaps the martial way I promote has just opened another window for those who possess other talents but are not compatible with the Soul Master system?" Yu Yuanchen's heart suddenly cleared. The threshold for the first three ranks of the martial way was extremely low; as long as one had perseverance and determination, even an ordinary person without any soul power could theoretically practice it to strengthen their body and prolong their life.
Although limited by the rules of the world and the shackles of the physical body, ordinary people would likely be unable to break through the third-rank bottleneck in their entire lives and could not possess extraordinary combat power, but at least it gave them a chance to change themselves and transcend the ordinary!
And for those who had soul power but poor talent, the martial way was an excellent way to make up for their shortcomings. Yu Yuanchen even deduced that if someone could use great perseverance and wisdom to cultivate the martial way to the Seventh Rank Peak, triggering the power of heaven and earth to baptize their body and complete the leap in the level of life, then the aptitude of their soul and body would be essentially improved! By then, their talent in soul power cultivation would likely be no less than the so-called "Innate Full Soul Power"!
"This is the true 'education for all,' laying the foundation for eternal peace for all living beings!" Heroic spirit surged in Yu Yuanchen's chest. He felt more and more that his decision to promote the martial way was of far-reaching significance.
With nothing to do, Yu Yuanchen's mind turned to the "Tianxing Martial Arts Academy" under construction. The main building of the academy was nearing completion, and the enrollment assessment was also being prepared in full swing. In order to add some "opportunities" and fun for future students, and to secretly observe who had more comprehension and destiny, Yu Yuanchen decided to secretly set up some "prizes."
He quietly came to the mountain range behind the academy, which had been designated as a future trial ground for students. Here, the mountains were undulating, the forests were lush, the streams were murmuring, and many low-level soul beasts with relatively gentle temperaments captured from the Savage Beast Hills were released, with the highest being only a thousand years of cultivation, which was just right for low-level students to train.
Yu Yuanchen used his methods to either carve a few simple stone inscriptions containing the artistic conception of thunder and the secrets of blood essence circulation in hidden places on the cliffs, faking them as "relics of predecessors' enlightenment" from a long time ago;
Or he left a scroll in the depths of a deep cave, recorded on special animal skin, appearing to be an ancient "Nameless Cultivation Technique," which was actually a technique for using blood essence that focused on explosive power that he had simplified and improved;
Or he hid a jade slip in a water curtain cave behind a waterfall, recording how to more efficiently temper the five internal organs and six entrails...
These "relics," "secret techniques," and "cultivation techniques" were nothing more than casual games for him now, and the martial insights they contained were not particularly profound. But for future students who were at most at the Soul Elder or Soul Ancestor realm, any one of them could be called a significant opportunity. If they could discover and comprehend them, it would be enough to improve their actual combat ability or cultivation efficiency by a notch.
"Whether they can obtain them, and whether they can comprehend them after obtaining them, all depends on personal fate and comprehension." After doing all this, Yu Yuanchen's figure quietly disappeared into the mountains and forests, leaving no trace. He was very curious about which lucky ones would discover these "seeds of the path" he had sown casually, and what kind of brilliant paths they would walk as a result? Perhaps, it might really create one or two "geniuses" favored by destiny.
After doing this, Yu Yuanchen no longer paid much attention and returned to his daily cultivation and the peaceful life of acting as a guardian for Ye Zhilan. He was like a patient gardener who had sown the seeds and applied the fertilizer; now, he just had to wait for the flowers to bloom, occasionally weeding and watering. Excessive interference would be counterproductive.
On the continent, the craze for the basic martial way was in full swing, and the construction of the "Tianxing Martial Arts Academy" was even more heart-stirring. A new, vigorous, and self-improving atmosphere was quietly forming. And Yu Yuanchen, the "Martial Ancestor" behind the scenes, stood at the peak of Dragon City, consolidating his own cultivation while overlooking the tide of the era that had risen because of him, his heart filled with the tranquility and satisfaction of creating history and leading the trend.
He knew that the golden age of the martial way had just begun. And everything he had done was nothing more than lighting the initial spark. The future prairie fire would eventually be written together by countless successors who upheld the belief of "self-improvement."
The mountain wind blew, bringing the noise from the construction site in the distance and the shouts of cultivation in the city. Yu Yuanchen stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering, his gaze deep, as if he had already seen the prosperous scene where the martial way flourished and everyone was like a dragon.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan