Chapter 73: I Understand Now, Senior...

“Damn! This is freaking awesome!”
Within the illusion, Jiang Lin stared at the sky ablaze with wild, dazzling special effects, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Just moments ago, a long-haired man had sent his fist crashing into a gigantic, fiery apparition, unleashing a wave of scorching heat that radiated outwards like a supercharged energy blast. There was even a delicate-looking woman, slender arms and legs, who punched a dragon square on the head. With a thunderous boom, a mushroom cloud rose into the air—utterly reminiscent of a nuclear explosion.

But as he watched, captivated by the spectacle, Jiang Lin began to think that kneeling here like this didn’t feel right. Who knew how much time had passed outside? What if Chen Mu and Chen Jia arrived and found him kneeling like a fool? Worse yet, what if Chen Jia took advantage of him while he was stuck kneeling—wouldn’t he just lose out completely?

Besides, what bothered Jiang Lin the most was...
His knee was starting to ache...

“Wait... Why the hell am I kneeling on one knee all this time? I’m not proposing, am I?!”

Only now did Jiang Lin realize the importance of this question.

Yeah! Why am I kneeling here...?

When he first entered the illusion, the immense pressure and the mental shock had left him breathless, even on the verge of wetting himself. But as he grew accustomed to the scene—especially once he realized this was an illusion—Jiang Lin found it wasn’t so bad after all.

In his previous life, he’d played VR roller coasters, watched scary ghost ladies crawl out of TVs—now this was just a special effects movie. Nothing could really happen to him here. And even if something did, he had a resurrection token!

Others might fear death.
But I, Jiang Lin!

Come on then! Try and kill me!

At that thought, Jiang Lin instantly felt emboldened, as if he’d had a few drinks or just devoured a meat bun. He felt an unshakable sense of bravado—let the world come at him, kill him ten thousand times if it dared...

And with that boldness, the oppressive feeling vanished.

The only reason he’d kept kneeling was because he’d been so mesmerized by the special effects, as though he’d knelt in awe before a blockbuster. The effects were so realistic—even the sound came at him in full surround.

And so...

He simply forgot to stand up...

The moment Jiang Lin rose to his feet in the illusion, his body in the real world, still on the training ground, stood up as well.

...

“Mother… Xiao Lin, he…”

Watching Jiang Lin stand, Chen Jia’s eyes shone with purest joy.

Chen Mu smiled with satisfaction. “He needed less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick. That’s quite good.”

“Hmph, you think that’s fast? I only needed a quarter of an hour, and when Jia was three, she took less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea!”

Chen Huo, seated in his wheelchair, pursed his lips, but there was a glint of approval in his eyes. After all, how could this brat compare to his own daughter?

Still, if the kid couldn’t pass this test, he could forget about having any designs on his daughter. No—passing this test or not, no one was allowed to have any ideas about Jia! Anyone who dared touch Chen Huo’s precious girl would find their legs broken!

All three of them!

“Don’t mind your father. He’s just saving face. Back in his day, he knelt for two days and nights before getting up,” Chen Mu said with a laugh.

“It’s alright, Mother. Even if Xiao Lin is slower than Father, I don’t mind. Besides, Xiao Lin is amazing—Father was so lame,” Chen Jia chimed in.

“Er…”

Chen Huo clutched his chest, feeling a sharp pang of pain...

...

Back in the illusion, as Jiang Lin stood, the martial ancestors whose fists could shake the heavens seemed to nod at him from above, their eyes filled with appreciation.

Jiang Lin had no idea why they were nodding at him—he’d only stood up, after all. Why did they look so gratified?

As he stretched his body, a spirited young man descended elegantly, his gaze roving approvingly over Jiang Lin, making Jiang Lin’s skin prickle with goosebumps.

“This senior can see me?” Jiang Lin cupped his hands in respect. At that very moment, a massive meteor hurtled toward them, only for the senior to nonchalantly shatter it with a single punch.

The meteor’s shards filled the air with dust, tousling Jiang Lin’s hair.

“I can see you—and yet, I cannot.”

“…”

(Is this guy a Buddhist monk or something? Why does he speak in riddles…)

“What is your name?” The senior didn’t seem to care about Jiang Lin’s confusion and asked with a smile.

“Junior… Jiang Yida, styled Cannon…” Jiang Lin replied quickly. No way was he giving his real name—even if this was the Chen residence and the illusion was safe, you never knew…

“Hahaha, Cannon! That’s a great name! Very imposing!”

“Um… maybe just call me Yida, Senior…”

“Alright, Brother Cannon.”

“…”

The senior patted Jiang Lin’s shoulder. “Cannon, as a successor of the Fist That Shatters Gods—I’ve lost count of the generations now—what insight have you gained from this martial art?”

(Fist That Shatters Gods? Is that what Chen Jia taught me? Never heard of it, but the name is badass…)

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Lin replied, “The Fist That Shatters Gods is profound and domineering. Every punch contains the essence of heaven and earth, challenging the skies, rivaling the gods! It is the ultimate martial art of the world!”

“Haha, you rascal, always spouting such honest nonsense—I like it!”

“…”

Jiang Lin wanted to complain about the senior’s accent but held back. As for his so-called “honest nonsense”…

What a joke—he hadn’t even mastered the first stage of his cultivation. Every time he practiced, it felt like doing morning exercises, not some supreme martial art. Insight? He couldn’t have any if he tried…

Just keep bluffing…

“Come, Brother Cannon, look at that!” The senior slung his arm around Jiang Lin’s shoulders and pointed to the gods in the sky, each radiating divine might.

Their forms towered to the heavens, yet the mortal warriors who fought them only grew more valiant and frenzied with each clash.

“Senior, I see the earth-shaking war between gods and men!” Jiang Lin replied.

The senior nodded and pointed in another direction. “Now tell me, what do you see there?”

Where he pointed, a blood-soaked mortal warrior was violently flung to the ground by the trunk of a divine elephant. The earth shook, and the fighter seemed on the verge of death.

But just as the elephant reared up to stomp him, the warrior laughed at the sky, mustered the last of his strength, and threw a punch, perishing together with the beast.

Jiang Lin was stirred by the scene, his heart burning. “Senior! I see the indomitable spirit of our kind!”

“Excellent.” The senior nodded again.

Jiang Lin’s eyes brightened, his blood surging. “I understand, Senior… You mean that even before the gods, we must face them head-on—battle the heavens themselves!”

“No… you don’t understand…”

“Huh?” Jiang Lin was bewildered. “Then you mean a true warrior must have the will to win, never retreating until the very end! As long as we draw breath, we keep fighting!”

“No… what I mean is…”

The senior patted Jiang Lin’s shoulder, gazing ahead with deep eyes.
“If you ever face opponents on the level of the gods, don’t be a fool and try to take them head-on. If you can run, run. If you can’t, taking one down is breaking even—two, and you’ve scored big…

At the very least...
Die with some style…”

“…”