Abundant Martial Arts Virtue
Chapter 376 - 333: Human Emperor’s Secret Realm!

Chapter 376: Chapter 333: Human Emperor’s Secret Realm!

"Hello, I’m Wu Xiaode, but you can also call me Little Wu."

Wu Xiaode greeted the man who was bound by countless chains in midair.

The man responded:

"Hello, hello, I owe a favor to the Eye Demon Clan, so I can indeed offer you some guidance, but only once."

"Alright, please offer me your guidance," Wu Xiaode said.

With the intervention of the Eye Demon Clan, Bone Dog’s strength had made great progress, something Wu Xiaode had already noticed.

But he didn’t know that this time, having earned a reward from the Eye Demon Spirit, what kind of improvement it would bring.

He was truly looking forward to it.

"Alright, Little Wu, let’s start with a simple choice," the man continued.

"You can choose one from three options, and I will provide guidance based on your selection."

"One, enhance a single martial arts technique to become a Divine Skill;"

"Two, use the formidable power of the soul to break all Enslavement Skills, even capable of breaking free from the Eye Demons’ enslavement;"

"Three, directly provide a Divine Artifact, tell you how to use it, offer a few skills specific to the artifact, to greatly boost your combat prowess."

"Take note, there is a special condition I must explain:"

"—If you think there is a redundant option among these three, then I can replace it with another."

After hearing this, Wu Xiaode couldn’t help but glance at the other party.

The other party’s head was completely covered by a huge rectangular black metal block.

The black metal block was covered with dense runes, evidently possessing enigmatic power.

The black metal block itself seemed to have been directly cast onto the man’s head, making his appearance completely invisible.

—Strangely, he was still able to speak.

Such a "prisoner" had given him three options.

Which one should he choose?

He didn’t need to break Enslavement Skills.

Nor did he need the Divine Artifact.

So it had to be the first option, to have him improve his techniques.

Wu Xiaode spoke up, "Your Excellency, I have made up my mind."

"Go ahead," the man said.

"I choose—"

Just as Wu Xiaode was about to state his choice, a flash of spirit light suddenly crossed his mind.

Wait a second.

That man had just said something.

"—If you think there is a redundant option among these three, then I can replace it with another."

A redundant option.

What did that mean?

If he chose the first option, his combat techniques would surely benefit from the man’s guidance.

Choosing the third one, to get a Divine Artifact, was also a tangible gain.

Was the issue with the second option?

"—Using the powerful might of soul-based power to undo all Enslavement Skills, even capable of breaking free from the Eye Demons’ enslavement."

Redundant...

Had he seen through it?

Realized that Wu was not enslaved by the Eye Demons at all?

Interesting.

Wu Xiaode smiled.

Since he had already hinted at it, might as well come clean.

What would his reaction be if Wu told the truth?

Wu Xiaode spoke with a smile: "I wish to remove the second option; it is redundant. Please offer me a new one."

The man said, "The second option is redundant? Prove it."

"That’s easy," Wu Xiaode said, taking out the Eye Demon Battle Armor.

"I see... So you mean you tricked the Eye Demons and even took from them an opportunity to improve yourself?" the man asked.

"Indeed, if you think I shouldn’t have done so, then I’ll just leave," Wu Xiaode said with a shrug.

The man suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha, at long last, a free human has come! It’s so rare!"

"—The Eye Demons spend their lifetimes being sneaky trying to enslave others, and to think they’ve been outwitted by our Human Race this time, it’s exhilarating!"

After he laughed for a while, he asked again:

"Little Wu, right? When you walked in, I noticed the myriad of forces within you, truly disparate. Now I’ll give you a piece of advice."

"I’m all ears," Wu Xiaode said.

"What you’ve learned is too mixed, you have a bit of everything but master none. You need to find a battle style you’re willing to use for life, enhance it first, and make it your strongest skill," the man said earnestly.

"Should I abandon the other fighting styles?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"No need for that, but you must find your true preferred style of fight. It’s related to your future path," the man said.

Wu Xiaode fell into contemplation.

The man didn’t wait for him to think it through, continuing on his own:

"Back then I was too complacent, thinking I could withstand the destruction of an entire Epoch, which is why I ended up trapped in this Doomsday Prison."

"For many Epochs, there has been no hope."

"But today, a free human soul like you has come before me."

"So be it!"

The man’s body shook as he threw off all the chains binding him.

Taking advantage of the moment—

He pulled a card from his chest and flung it towards Wu Xiaode.

The moment the card was released, all the chains quickly closed back in, re-binding the man midair.

He let out a long breath, his body slumped, seeming to have expended a great deal of energy and unable to muster any more spirit.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from outside the sealed door.

"There was a particularly powerful Epoch that, at the moment of its destruction, created a brand new manifestation. I failed to collect it, and it became my prison, trapping me here," the man quickly continued.

"Take the card and go. It will surely give you real help," he continued as the sound faded.

He kicked suddenly, launching Wu Xiaode out.

In the next instant.

The whole world turned into blurred lines, rushing past Wu Xiaode’s field of vision.

Wu Xiaode backflipped several steps, landing on solid ground.

All around, lines upon lines raced towards him, sketching out parallel worlds.

He found himself still standing inside his family’s house.

"How marvelous... to encounter such an existence..."

Wu Xiaode muttered, looking at the card in his hand.

It depicted an old man in tattered robes.

If one looked closely, they would see that his clothing was pieced together from fabrics of various colors and textures, each scrap a different material, size, and color.

Words of ice crystal had already appeared on the Book of the Dead:

"You have obtained the unique card:"

"The Unspeakable Martial Arts Scripture (provisional name)."

"—This card is sentient and can communicate normally."

The old man pictured on the card had now turned his head, looking towards Wu Xiaode.

"So many years have passed, who would have thought I’d see the light of day again!"

He sighed heavily, seeming very emotional.

Wu Xiaode noticed his withered face and skeletal frame and couldn’t help feeling compassion.

"Do you—need a new set of clothes?"

He asked.

The old man suddenly sprang up, puffing his chest out and said:

"Clothes? Boy, you got that wrong."

"How so?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"These different colored patches on my body are from the clothes of the strong fighters I defeated. I tore their clothes to shreds, snatched them, and made this hundred-battles robe!"

A grand and mighty aura emanated from the old man.

Wu Xiaode looked up to him with respect and bowed, "Then, how many female fighters have you defeated?"

The old man’s momentum faltered, and with eyes as dead as a fish, he said:

"I don’t fight women—rascal boy, make your choice quickly for your primary fighting style—what is the battle mode deep within your heart that you truly trust? You must make a choice now."

Wu Xiaode massaged his aching head and sighed:

"This is so hard; I’ve always been mixing it up on the streets."

"What? You’re a gangster?"

"We all call ourselves aficionados of street fighting arts."

"Still a gangster—tell me, don’t you have a school or a master?"

"A school...I don’t have one," Wu Xiaode shook his head and said.

The old man’s expression became complicated.

"It’s unexpected that one can reach this level just by cobbling together various skills... But if you want to move upward, you must find the fighting style that you truly acknowledge from the depths of your heart—even if it is just deciding on a weapon. This is the foundation for becoming stronger," he said seriously.

Wu Xiaode silently nodded.

This was indeed a problem; in many fights, he only used techniques imparted to him by spirits.

—He practiced swordsmanship, wielded knives, used magic, boxing, pets.

This isn’t to say it isn’t possible.

But there must be a primary focus.

So, what is his main fighting style?

He fell into confusion.

Recalling all the powers he had received, he then returned to contemplating the fighting style he truly acknowledged the most.

Actually, it wasn’t that difficult.

"I’ve encountered many powerful beings and have traveled through numerous worlds. Speaking for myself, what I trust the most should be this."

He raised his hand and clenched it into a fist.

As if responding to his determination at that moment, the Void suddenly filled with countless bronze hands, all clenching into fists together.

The old man looked and laughed, "Good, very decisive. Now, wait—"

As his voice faded.

A line of ice crystal characters silently emerged:

"Card has met the activation conditions."

"After you determine your primary fighting style, the card will transform into the second card of the Martial Arts Scripture."

"—To be selected by the current card spirit."

Wu Xiaode looked towards the card.

The old man fished out a stack of cards from his pocket, picking and choosing, finally drawing one.

"I sense two boxing styles on you."

"One is too powerful for you to inherit now, but you have already obtained the secret passcode of that boxing style."

"To preserve our race among the Ten Thousand Clans, the Human Race has built some deeply hidden secret realms of inheritance."

"They are exclusive to our race, no other race can open them."

"Utter the passcode, and I’ll send you to test your mettle."

Wu Xiaode froze.

Passcode?

When had he acquired a passcode?

"So you mean to say, as long as you have the passcode, you can enter the secret realm?" he asked.

"Of course not, you also need the recognition of that spirit—recognition plus the passcode, guided by a spirit like myself, then you can enter!" the old man said.

Wait—

Suddenly, Wu Xiaode recalled something.

That thing had always puzzled him.

But at that moment, his heart lighted up with epiphany, and he understood the deep intentions of the heroic spirits of the past.

A profound gratitude arose in his heart.

He had never been taught by anyone.

But.

But the heroic spirits had already silently done so much for him!

"I want to ask, why does our Human Race have to be so secretive? Is it so difficult to survive among the Ten Thousand Clans?" Wu Xiaode spoke up and asked.

The old man huffed, stating seriously: "It is very difficult for the Human Race to live with dignity; we are the weakest from birth among the Ten Thousand Clans. It’s hard for us to become strong—"

"History is filled with the tragedies of the Human Race, making our history as dark as the long night."

"Each Human Race’s strong fighter, at the brink of death, cannot help but transform into a Heroic Spirit, using the power of the Heroic Spirit to build such a sanctuary, to light a torch for those who follow, illuminating the darkness."

He suddenly roared out:

"Come on, child, take your first step!"

Wu Xiaode fell into silence.

So before him, there had been so many people who, even at their dying breath, would rather turn into Heroic Spirits.

Just to leave behind a torch to light the darkness for those to come.

He closed his eyes and then reopened them, speaking softly:

"Xianyang Road where the fading orchids send off guests, if Heaven had feelings, Heaven too would age."

The old man’s eyes widened, he made a strange pose on the card, and shouted:

"Human Emperor’s Secret Realm, open!"