Chương 125: Deity in the Martial World (Part 1)

Looking back on his life, born into a grand era, he had seen far too many dazzling figures. In the torrent of that age, beneath the brilliance of the great era, Su Chen had left behind very little ink on the pages of history. This era was destined to belong to one person alone. Su Chen glanced at his current Reverse Fate Points: forty thousand from this life, plus the five thousand from before—a total of forty-five thousand. Less than ten thousand years remained until Fang Bubai's ascension.

Trying to achieve the Dao in that span was no different from a fool's dream. [Talent: 0 (+)] [Comprehension: 0 (+)] [Family Background: 0 (+)] [Dao Heart: 1000] Talent: +10000 Comprehension: +10000 Family Background: +10000 Fifteen thousand Reverse Fate Points remained. Su Chen chose to save them. He wanted to see what would happen once any single attribute reached ten thousand points. He opened the Reverse Fate Scripture and initiated the next life....

"Martial Spirit: Flame Bird""Rating: B-grade""..." Su Chen opened his eyes in bewilderment.

"Where… is this?" Towering buildings rose around him. A dense crowd of people stood on a vast sports field. At the center of the field stood a high platform. On it was a man in military uniform, and beside him a youth of only seventeen or eighteen, flames wreathing his body while a flame bird totem hovered behind him. Su Chen looked down and realized he too wore a blue-and-white uniform. For a moment, he felt dazed. Memories of this life flooded his mind. In this life, his name was Jiang Chen.

The world he inhabited was called the Spirit Hub Domain—more precisely, a planet within it named Hailan Star. Originally, this place had no cultivation system at all. Then one day, a substance called Origin Energy appeared, causing mutations in certain people. They awakened their Martial Spirits, granting humanity the chance to grow stronger. This continued for a hundred years until, in one region of Hailan Star, space suddenly collapsed. Countless monsters poured out.

More and more rifts appeared, unleashing creatures impervious to blades, fire, and water. Humanity survived by obtaining cultivation methods from an ancient ruin, hunting the monsters to grow stronger, and gradually stabilizing their position. By now, the human cultivation system had matured. Martial Spirits were classified into five grades: S, A, B, C, D, E. Higher grades meant easier cultivation. The strongest human alive was an eighth-tier powerhouse capable of tearing space apart with ease.

"Isn't that just the Nirvana realm?" Su Chen mused. The grading here seemed not so different from the Heavenly Profound system. What truly drew his attention, however, was his identity in this life. He came from a military family of loyal martyrs. Every ancestor had died on battlefields against alien races. His grandfather and grandmother perished in the Heavenly Rift. His father served as the supreme commander of one of the Heavenly Rifts and had not been seen since Su Chen's birth.

His mother, once a leading expert in a research institute, had been assassinated by alien beings and passed away shortly after giving birth to him. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. A family of martyrs, every generation sacrificing for humanity. Beyond that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Except… where had his ten thousand points in Family Background gone? Su Chen took a deep breath.

"Next—Jiang Chen!" As the military officer on the platform called his name, Su Chen set aside his wandering thoughts for the moment.

"You're Commander Jiang's son?" The officer's stern face softened into a smile when he saw Su Chen.

"This is the testing crystal. It will awaken your talent." He led Su Chen to the crystal and watched with anticipation. The entire Jiang family were geniuses. Commander Jiang himself was one of only thirteen S-grade Martial Spirit holders in Longxia. As the commander's only child, his talent could hardly be poor… especially now, when Heavenly Rifts were appearing more frequently, and Longxia's experts were stretched too thin. Su Chen placed his palm over the crystal as instructed.

The moment his hand touched it, he felt something stirring inside his body. Without changing expression, he quietly withdrew his palm.

"Martial Spirit: Human Race""Rating: C-grade" Behind Su Chen appeared the phantom of a man standing with eyes tightly shut. The officer's face fell with visible disappointment. In this world, a Human Race Martial Spirit signified almost no potential. Humans lacked the innate might of other races, the ability to command natural phenomena. There was simply no future in it. Su Chen stepped down from the platform.

"Hahahaha, so this is our great genius Jiang? Awakened a pathetic Human Race Martial Spirit with a mere C-grade rating?" Su Chen turned his head. The speaker was a tall, cross-eyed young man who wasted no time launching into merciless mockery. Su Chen didn't bother searching his memories for the other's identity. In a single explosive step, he closed the distance—too fast for the youth to react—and drove a fist straight into his face. Teeth scattered across the ground like broken porcelain.

"Jiang Chen… you actually dared to hit me?! I'm an A-grade Martial Spirit—Blazing Bear! I'm a genius! How dare you hit me?!" The youth clutched his ruined mouth, mumbling in disbelief through blood and shattered teeth.

"Remember this: you too are human. What right does a human have to look down on a Human Race Martial Spirit?" Su Chen leaned down, towering over him with cold contempt. In the Heavenly Profound Domain, humanity stood supreme. Several consecutive Great Emperors had been human, their might oppressing the cosmos. For ages the myriad races had bowed before mankind. Since when had humans groveled before other species? The youth realized his mistake too late. He scrambled to backtrack.

"Jiang Chen, you're slandering me! I never looked down on humans! I only said Human Race Martial Spirits are inferior to those of other races!" Inwardly, he cursed Su Chen for his viciousness. If he publicly admitted to discriminating against humans—especially after being forced to acknowledge it—he would be branded a traitor in the next breath. Su Chen waved a hand dismissively.

"One month from now, I will prove to everyone that a Human Race Martial Spirit is no worse than any other." One month later, the major martial academies would begin recruiting students. Ignoring the stares of the crowd, he turned and left without another word.

"Delusional! A C-grade Martial Spirit still dreaming of entering a martial academy!" The youth glared at Su Chen's departing back, eyes filled with venom. He wanted to watch this once-admired genius fall into the mud. By then, Su Chen had already returned to the Jiang residence. He summoned the old steward at once.

"Bring me a Martial Spirit crystal."

"Young Master… Martial Spirit crystals are vital strategic resources. They cannot be used lightly…" The old steward gave a helpless, bitter smile. Su Chen's brow furrowed.

"Are you telling me that the Jiang family—generations of loyal martyrs who gave their lives for the nation—doesn't even have the right to requisition a single Martial Spirit crystal?" The steward's heart jolted. Su Chen spoke calmly.

"Some things my ancestors refused to take. I will take them." The old steward looked at Su Chen and felt his pulse quicken. He hurried off to make the arrangements without another word. Alone in his room, Su Chen let out a soft sigh. The Jiang family ancestors had fought and died for their country, yet they took nothing in return. He—the only son of the supreme commander—lived in a residence with nothing but one old steward. Not even a single hair's worth of wealth remained. Was this really reasonable?