Chapter 2

"Finally, we still have to break up!"

Ye Fan gazed out at the stormy sky with hollow eyes, his pitch-black pupils filled with boundless darkness.

He didn’t know how to describe his current feelings.

Actually, he wasn’t particularly sad about the breakup.

During these three years at Nanchen Martial Academy, he and Cao Shanshan had grown further and further apart, and he had anticipated that the day of their breakup would eventually come.

He just didn’t expect it to happen so suddenly.

Ye Fan felt very cold, as if everything was gray.

Even though he knew the outcome would be like this, he had still tried to win everything back by desperately practicing, using illusions to numb himself.

Ye Fan raised his head and looked out the window, his pupils gradually becoming hollow and desolate.

But this was the reality.

He was just a martial artist with no talent.

His bloodline talent was low.

He had none of the nine major talents—martial arts talent, rune talent, beast taming talent, adventure talent, alchemy talent, business talent, weapon forging talent, city lord talent, and sacrificial talent. He had none of these.

The young martial students of his age had already easily completed their basic martial techniques and had begun to practice elementary and intermediate martial techniques and runes.

But he still couldn’t master those few basic martial techniques.

During these three years, he had tried all nine professions, but the harsh reality proved that he had no talent in any of the nine major professions.

He was very unwilling to accept this!

He wanted to reverse this mocking fate through hard work, but it all turned out to be in vain.

Even if he barely squeezed into the top ten Nanchen Martial Academy in Luyang Prefecture, he was still falling further behind the other martial students.

Cao Shanshan’s cruel yet truthful words shattered all his desperate struggles.

Everything was finally over!

The dream and future he had strived for, waking up early and staying up late, practicing day and night, came to an end the day before the Luyang Prefecture Academy Examination.

In the end, he would still be eliminated in the Prefecture Academy Examination, falling back into the mundane world, becoming one of the countless ordinary people.

Ye Fan smiled bitterly.

In the remaining half of his life, he would find a job in Luyang City, marry a wife, have a few children, and slowly grow old, living a mediocre life. This was his fate.

He was unwilling, but what could he do?

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep up with Cao Shanshan’s growth, only holding her back, and ultimately being despised and betrayed.

Ye Fan closed his eyes in pain, shutting out all external senses.

The thunder outside the classroom and the buzzing noise of the martial students inside were no longer audible.

His consciousness drifted aimlessly in the boundless darkness of his mind, not wanting to wake up.

"Crack—!"

Suddenly, Ye Fan’s chaotic consciousness space began to twist violently.

A terrifying force tore a narrow crack in his consciousness space, and from this point, ripples spread out.

Ye Fan’s expression was shocked, feeling as if his mind and soul were about to be torn apart by this terrifying force.

He opened his eyes wide and stared at the crack that had torn open.

A massive book, towering like a mountain, forced its way into the narrow crack, pushing it open.

Everything happened in an instant, and the crack behind it quickly closed.

"What is this?"

Ye Fan’s pupils contracted sharply, startled.

He looked up at the ancient book that had suddenly squeezed into his consciousness, towering like a mountain.

The cover of the ancient book was made of a very special material, pale gray, like rock murals, turtle shells, and animal bones, mysterious and ancient, full of historical beauty.

The cover was adorned with burning divine flames and thick ice, multicolored and mottled.

It appeared abruptly, standing firm in Ye Fan’s boundless consciousness, steady as a mountain, as if nothing in the world could dim its light!

Just one glance, and Ye Fan was deeply attracted to this ancient book.

Even if his eyes were dull, there was no doubt that this was an unimaginable divine book.

But this wasn’t what shocked Ye Fan.

What shocked him was that it had clearly been subjected to an extremely fierce attack.

On its dusty and ancient cover, a burning divine flame was trying to consume countless pages, but the material of the divine book was extraordinary, burning very slowly.

At one corner, a large block of ice, emitting endless cold, was trying to eternally freeze the divine book.

A dark blue, highly toxic substance, glowing with a strange and evil blue light, had carved a deep groove on the pages.

A large amount of intangible dark river water was eroding, trying to dissolve the divine book in the dark water.

The blade of time, invincible and intangible, was slowly corroding the divine book, making it increasingly decayed.

Various terrifying divine powers, numbering in the dozens, were attacking this mysterious ancient book, trying to destroy it.

This ancient book, covered in wounds, seemed to have come from a desolate ancient wilderness, traversed through long ages, crossed the river of fate, witnessed countless rises and falls, and endured countless calamities, finally escaping here with its last bit of strength.

The cover of the book was very old and worn, with four huge oracle bone characters written on it.

Three of the oracle bone characters, burned by divine flames and eroded by ice, were no longer recognizable, only the last character “Shang” was still clearly visible.

This “Shang” character was as deep as the vast starry sky, filled with endless sorrow, making one feel a deep sadness, containing all the difficulties and sorrows of the world.

Ye Fan was stunned, his mind shaken by the appearance of this divine book, at a loss.

"Hello! I’m borrowing this place to hide for a moment. I’m very sorry for the disturbance!"

A very weak and tired but unremarkable voice emerged.

"Who? Who is speaking?"

Ye Fan was startled awake, looking around, frightened. This was his own consciousness, how could there be another unfamiliar voice?

"I? My name is ‘Shang’!"

The voice hesitated for a moment and said.

Ye Fan heard clearly this time, realizing it was coming from the ancient book.

"You’re the book? And you can speak human language!"

Ye Fan was clearly stunned for a moment.

But he quickly regained his composure. If this mysterious ancient book could force its way into his consciousness, it wasn’t surprising that it could speak. He asked, "Then, how did you get into my mind?"

It thought for a moment and slowly said, "How did I get in? It’s a long story. To put it simply, I am the first book of the Divine Martial World, born in the era of ancient deities, a book of knowledge inheritance. I have witnessed the birth and destruction of countless ancient deities and the rise of the four major races.

Later, I traveled through the Divine Martial Continent, entering countless dangerous places, experiencing countless adventures and calamities, accumulating vast knowledge and secrets."

"You actually have such an incredible experience!"

Ye Fan was amazed and envious upon hearing its background.

What Shang described was a grand and unimaginable world to Ye Fan, a small martial artist from Luyang Prefecture.

In his entire life, he had never even left the hundred-mile radius of Luyang Prefecture.

"Shang, you’ve even seen ancient deities, you must be very powerful. But, you’re still being burned? Is that not a problem? Is someone chasing you?"

Ye Fan was still puzzled and pointed at the various terrifying injuries on its body, asking nervously.

Shang explained, "I have traveled through many dangerous places in the Divine Martial World, experiencing numerous disasters, leaving many scars on my body. However, these are not fatal.

The most dangerous part is that I was accidentally discovered by some holy deities of the four races. I am just an ancient book of knowledge created by deities, not a holy deity myself, lacking the strength and means to fight against them.

These holy deities are chasing me, trying to seize this knowledge inheritance. The divine flames and divine ice on my body, along with many other injuries, were left by them.

I cannot extinguish these divine flames and divine ice on my own. I need your help to recover.

Fortunately, I have countless pages, and even if they erode me, they cannot destroy me in a short time. Even if they burn for a thousand years, they can only consume a small part of my pages.

I exhausted my strength, tearing open a space, and escaped here. Now, I am too weak to escape, so I need to hide in your memory and consciousness to recover my strength."

"Why did you choose to enter my consciousness?"

Ye Fan asked curiously.

Shang did not hide anything and said frankly, "I was being chased by many holy deities and exhausted my strength. In a panic, I used my last bit of strength to tear open a space and ended up in your consciousness. It might have been random.

Once I recover my strength, I will leave and not burden you. I estimate it will take a few hundred or a thousand years to stay in your consciousness, drawing some strength from your body.

Of course, during this time, I will pay you as compensation for the accommodation and the strength I draw!"

After entering Ye Fan’s consciousness, it discovered that the person in front of him was just a weak mortal martial artist.

Such a small martial artist posed no threat to its safety.

Even if it told Ye Fan that it was a book of knowledge inheritance, Ye Fan had no power to consume it. Unlike those holy deities who could plunder this book of knowledge inheritance without restraint.

Ye Fan provided it with a temporary residence.

In return, it would give Ye Fan some benefits—this was necessary because it needed Ye Fan’s help to regain enough strength. Otherwise, it could not recover on its own.

"Oh, I see!"

Ye Fan nodded, gradually understanding.

This ancient book just wanted to stay in his consciousness for a while and draw a little strength from his body to replenish its divine power.

This deal was clearly very advantageous.

It was a divine book, and even a small benefit from it would be significant.

He was just a first-level martial artist, a miserable little person, and had nothing to bargain with.

"What compensation can you give me?"

Ye Fan asked curiously.

Shang said calmly, "As a book of knowledge inheritance, I have two parts. The first is ‘Divine Martial Techniques,’ which records all the techniques I have seen. The second is ‘Vast Ages,’ which records all the knowledge and experiences I have accumulated over the long years.

Once ‘Divine Martial Techniques’ is activated, it can reenact all the divine techniques I have recorded on your body, provided your body can withstand this level of reenactment.

Once ‘Vast Ages’ is opened, you can read all the knowledge and experiences I have accumulated over the long years.

These are the benefits I can offer you.

I must warn you, whether you activate ‘Techniques’ or open ‘Ages,’ it will instantly consume a large amount of your physical and mental strength. Be careful not to overuse it, and don’t try to use high-level reenactments."

"This—this is so powerful!"

Ye Fan was deeply shocked.

One function, Divine Martial Techniques!

He could reenact all the techniques recorded by ‘Shang’ over the ages, not just martial arts, but also beast taming, adventure, weapon forging, alchemy, and the nine major techniques.

The second function, Vast Ages!

He could read all the knowledge and experiences recorded by ‘Shang’ over the long years. This was vast and unimaginable, like the stars.

Ye Fan suddenly felt like crying and laughing at the same time.

Just when his dreams were shattered, and he thought he had no hope of advancing to a higher level of martial arts, this mysterious book of knowledge inheritance suddenly forced its way into his consciousness.

The peak of holy deities, an incomparably supreme existence, seemed not as distant as he imagined, existing within his consciousness.

As long as he opened the divine book, an unimaginable world would open up to him.

...

Midday in summer.

A large cloud suddenly swept in, bringing a heavy downpour, and then quickly dispersed.

The sky was once again bright and sunny, the air humid and stifling. Even the cicadas on the treetops were suffocated, chirping desperately.

"Ye Fan—! In the last class, what are you daydreaming about!"

Ye Fan was immersed in his consciousness, vaguely hearing someone calling him loudly.

He came to his senses and saw a plump and graceful female instructor, Wang Mei, on the podium, her face flushed with anger, shouting at him.

At some point, the classroom had become silent, and all the young martial students were sitting upright, their expressions solemn as the class began.

"Ye Fan must have been hit hard by Cao Shanshan’s breakup!"

"Daydreaming in Instructor Wang’s class, she’s known for being sharp-tongued and harsh. He’s in trouble!"

"This is like a leaky roof meeting a downpour, misfortunes never come singly!"

Almost all the martial students in the class were looking at Ye Fan with mocking and gloating eyes.

Ye Fan slowly remembered that today was his last day at Nanchen Martial Academy before graduation, and Instructor Wang Mei would give them their last class.

Cao Shanshan saw Ye Fan’s dazed expression, feeling a mix of emotions.

She was worried that Ye Fan would stubbornly cling to her, ruining her relationship with Zhao Feiyang.

But to her surprise, after learning the truth, Ye Fan was shocked but remained silent, not clinging or even trying to win her back.

Everything ended more cleanly than she expected.

Seeing Ye Fan’s wooden expression, she felt a twinge of pain, sighing inwardly, "We are destined for different fates! I am a proud phoenix soaring to the heavens. He is a worm sinking into the depths. After our brief intersection, we will inevitably part ways and drift further apart!"

The plump and graceful female instructor, Wang Mei, seeing Ye Fan’s dazed and foolish look, couldn’t help but get angry, spitting out, "Tomorrow, the top ten primary martial academies in Luyang Prefecture will hold a joint examination to decide whether you can advance to the higher Luyang Prefecture Academy! This is my last class for you, and you’re still daydreaming! Ye Fan, stand up and answer my question!"

Ye Fan obediently stood up, feeling a bit ashamed, and said in a low voice, "What did Instructor ask? I wasn’t paying attention." He usually listened carefully, but he had been distracted and hadn’t heard anything.

"Sure enough, the bottom of the class! You don’t even know what Instructor asked!"

The classroom erupted in laughter.

"Ye Fan, if I were you, I would have dropped out long ago, gone home to raise children and grow sweet potatoes! You’re a waste, a first-level martial artist who only knows a few basic techniques. What are you still doing at Nanchen Martial Academy?

If you take the joint examination, you’ll just embarrass us! Someone like you should be expelled to avoid dragging the academy down!"

Zhao Xing, sitting in the front row, glared at Ye Fan with a cold and proud look, openly humiliating him.

"Zhao Xing has been secretly in love with Cao Shanshan, but Cao Shanshan has never given him a second glance!"

"Zhao Xing is also from the Zhao family, but he’s a distant branch, far less influential than his cousin Zhao Feiyang. He can’t match his cousin in any way, so he has no chance with Cao Shanshan."

"He’s always looked down on Ye Fan but resented that Cao Shanshan was Ye Fan’s girlfriend. This resentment will definitely be taken out on Ye Fan."

The young martial students in the classroom were excited, looking at the two, waiting for a good show.

In the past, Ye Fan would have tried to avoid conflict with Zhao Xing, a member of a powerful family, to avoid trouble and affect his studies at Nanchen Martial Academy.

But now, Ye Fan just glanced coldly at Zhao Xing, looking at him as if he were a barking dog, not bothering to respond.

After experiencing such a dramatic rise and fall, his mindset had changed, and he no longer cared so much about others’ attitudes.

"Damn, what attitude is this, you waste? Looking for a beating, are you!"

Zhao Xing was instantly furious, his eyes flashing with malice, ready to stand up and beat Ye Fan.

He was the strongest in the class.

Ye Fan, a first-level martial artist, dared to openly look down on him with such disdain. Was this a rebellion?

"Zhao Xing, you’re a second-level martial artist, bullying a first-level martial artist. Is that showing your strength?"

Cao Shanshan suddenly spoke softly, her beautiful almond eyes glaring at Zhao Xing.

She then looked at Ye Fan with a hint of apology, as if she was sorry to bring him such trouble. If it weren’t for her, Zhao Xing wouldn’t have any interest in bothering with someone like Ye Fan.

Zhao Xing’s face changed, glaring at Ye Fan, "Hmph! Lucky you, waste. If it weren’t for Shanshan always protecting you, I would have crippled you years ago."

He sat down reluctantly, not wanting to be seen as a brute who only bullies the weak in the eyes of his goddess, Cao Shanshan.

"Weakling?!"

Ye Fan’s body trembled slightly, a cold smile on his lips. So, in Cao Shanshan’s eyes, he was always just a pitiful worm.

He had naively thought he had some standing and affection in her eyes. It seems it was all one-sided.

"Are you done causing trouble!"

Wang Mei slapped the desk, silencing the young martial students. Her sharp eyes swept over them, and she said, "Ye Fan, answer my question.

I will choose a public record of a neighboring kingdom’s martial king and have you recite it! This is a very simple adventure series exam, testing your breadth of knowledge. The more detailed your answer, the better."

In the Divine Martial Continent, the human race is divided into nine major professions: martial arts, runes, beast taming, business, sacrificial, alchemy, weapon forging, adventure, and city lord.

Among them, the adventure series focuses on broad knowledge and experiences, not combat.

An important aspect of the adventure series exam is the mastery of vast knowledge about the world, such as biographies, history, and geography. These are the basics of the adventure series.

If an adventurer doesn’t understand the world, how can they go on adventures?

Ye Fan took a deep breath, calm and composed, and said slowly:

"Our Canglan Kingdom currently has thirteen living martial kings. The eight hundred vassal states have a total of 13,273 living martial kings, and the Divine Martial Continent’s Zixuan Dynasty has 41,302 living martial kings.

Which martial king’s biography is Instructor interested in?

Or, would you like to hear about a martial king who has passed away in the last thousand years? Of course, you can also choose a beast king from the Beast Race, a ghost king from the Ghost Race, or