Chapter 6: The Path He Chose
The journey back down the mountain felt very different from the climb.
Lin Yuan's body was still exhausted, his clothes torn in several places, and faint traces of blood had dried along his sleeve. Yet his steps were steadier now, more grounded. The fear that had followed him earlier was gone, replaced by something quieter… something heavier.
Clarity.
He had crossed a line.
Not just by defeating the beast, but by making a decision that most people would never dare to make.
The Boundless path.
Even now, as he walked, his mind was unconsciously replaying the fight—every movement, every mistake, every moment where he could have done better. It wasn't intentional. It simply… happened.
"…So this is the effect of that talent," he thought.
Boundless Comprehension.
It wasn't just about understanding techniques. It was deeper than that. It allowed him to see patterns, to break things apart, and more importantly—to rebuild them.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Good."
Because he was going to need it.
---
By the time he returned to the martial family, the sun had already begun to set. The courtyard was quieter now, most disciples either resting or finishing their daily training. A few people glanced at him as he entered—some with indifference, others with mild surprise.
After all, he had gone up the mountain in a half-dead state.
And came back alive.
That alone was unexpected.
But Lin Yuan didn't stop.
He walked straight through the courtyard, ignoring the looks, heading toward a place that the original owner of this body had rarely dared to approach.
The library.
---
It was an old building, its wooden structure worn by time but still standing with a quiet dignity. Compared to the rest of the declining family, this place felt… different. More stable. More rooted.
Knowledge, unlike power, didn't fade so easily.
Lin Yuan stepped inside.
The air smelled faintly of dust and paper. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched before him, filled with manuals, records, and fragmented techniques collected over generations.
To others, this might have been an unremarkable place.
To him—
It was a treasure.
---
He didn't hesitate.
Pulling a random manual from the shelf, he opened it and began to read.
At first, it was slow.
The unfamiliar terminology, the structure of the techniques—it all required focus. But within minutes, something changed.
His mind… accelerated.
What once felt complicated began to unravel itself. The logic behind each movement, the purpose of each energy circulation—it all became clearer, as if someone had quietly explained it to him.
Then, without realizing it—
He picked up another manual.
And another.
And another.
---
Time lost its meaning.
Day turned into night.
Night turned into day.
Lin Yuan didn't leave.
He barely even moved.
Surrounded by scattered books, he absorbed everything.
Fist techniques.
Movement arts.
Breathing methods.
Even incomplete or flawed manuals that others had long abandoned.
Nothing escaped him.
---
At some point during the second day, something unusual began to happen.
The techniques he had read… started to overlap.
Not physically, but within his mind.
He could see their similarities. Their flaws. Their limitations.
More importantly—
He could see how they could be improved.
"…This one wastes energy here."
"This one is too rigid."
"This one… relies too much on external qi."
His thoughts flowed continuously, faster and faster.
Then—
He remembered something.
The Basic Body Tempering Art.
The foundation the system had given him.
Simple.
Stable.
But incomplete.
---
Lin Yuan slowly closed the book in his hands.
Then, for the first time in two days—
He stopped reading.
He sat there in silence, his eyes half-closed, his breathing steady.
Inside his mind—
Everything he had learned began to move.
Like countless fragments being pulled together.
Broken.
Rearranged.
Rebuilt.
---
"This… is wrong," he murmured softly.
Not the techniques.
The path itself.
---
The Heavenly Martial Dao relied on absorbing energy from the world. It borrowed strength, refined it, and used it.
It was efficient.
Powerful.
But dependent.
---
The Boundless path…
Was the opposite.
It didn't borrow.
It created.
---
Lin Yuan's breathing deepened.
His body instinctively began circulating energy—not from the outside, but from within.
Slow.
Difficult.
But real.
---
"If I combine them…" he whispered.
His fingers tightened slightly.
"…no."
He shook his head.
"Not combine."
Refine.
Rebuild.
Transcend.
---
And so—
He began.
---
Hours passed.
Then another day.
By the third day, Lin Yuan had completely lost awareness of his surroundings.
He wasn't reading anymore.
He was creating.
---
The techniques he had memorized were no longer separate.
They had become… raw material.
The Basic Body Tempering Art served as the core.
Everything else—
Was reshaped around it.
---
A new circulation method.
A new breathing rhythm.
A new foundation.
---
When Lin Yuan finally opened his eyes—
Something had changed.
Not dramatically.
Not visibly.
But fundamentally.
---
He slowly stood up.
His movements were calm, controlled.
Effortless.
---
"…So this is it."
He raised his hand slightly, feeling the faint energy within his body.
It wasn't like before.
It didn't feel borrowed.
It felt…
His.
---
"Boundless Martial Foundation," he said quietly.
---
For the first time—
He had truly stepped onto his own path.
---
Three days.
That was how long he had spent inside the library.
Three days without rest.
Three days without interruption.
Three days that changed everything.
---
As Lin Yuan stepped out of the library, the sunlight felt almost unfamiliar.
The world seemed the same.
But he wasn't.
---
Voices reached his ears from the courtyard.
"…the Imperial Army has arrived."
"…recruitment starts today."
"…those who pass will be taken directly to the capital."
---
Lin Yuan paused.
Imperial Army.
The words stirred something in his memory.
---
A powerful organization.
Feared.
Respected.
And most importantly—
They cultivated a unique technique.
Infinite Battle Law.
---
A martial art that grew stronger through combat.
That broke limits through battle.
That forged a body capable of enduring and recovering beyond normal limits.
---
Lin Yuan's eyes darkened slightly.
"…Interesting."
---
The Boundless path he had just created—
Was still incomplete.
It needed more.
More pressure.
More variation.
More… conflict.
---
The Infinite Battle Law…
Could provide that.
---
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like the next step just came to me."
---
Without hesitation, Lin Yuan turned toward the gathering crowd.
His steps were calm.
Steady.
But this time—
There was something different in his presence.
---
Not strength.
Not yet.
---
But direction.
---
"I'll join the Imperial Army," he thought.
"Not for them…"
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"…but for what they have."
---
And with that—
Lin Yuan stepped forward.
Toward a new battlefield.
Toward stronger enemies.
Toward a path that would only grow harder from here.
---
But he didn't slow down.
---
Because this time—
He wasn't following a path.
---
He was creating one.