The chapter begins with Mong Tian's voice echoing through the ancient history of the mortal world.
"Five thousand years ago, mortals were nothing more than insects in the eyes of the world.
No matter where they went, they were looked down upon. Anyone with even the slightest power could bully them, and no one would stand up to protect them.
Even the kings who ruled over mortal kingdoms cared only about themselves. Whether their citizens lived or died made no difference to them.
Mortals had no power.
They had no authority.
And most importantly… they had no one to rely on."
Mong Tian paused.
"Then, something mysterious happened.
No one knows where that person came from. No one knows how he first learned martial arts.
Some ancient records even claim that he was the first person in history to create martial arts itself.
His name was lost to time.
But that man eventually accepted seven disciples."
Those seven disciples were personally trained by their master.
Day after day.
Night after night.
Under his guidance, their strength continued to rise.
It was said that this mysterious master would eventually become the First Human Emperor.
His seven disciples would later establish the seven greatest mortal powers of the era.
But before that happened, the master created an official ranking system for mortal martial artists.
The rankings were:
Normal Human
Human Warrior
Human General
Human Master
Human Grandmaster
Human King
Human Emperor
Human Saint
Human Great Emperor
The tenth realm was considered the absolute pinnacle of the mortal martial world.
Yet the master himself had already reached the Human Emperor Realm.
Even after reaching such a terrifying height, he forcefully created two more realms beyond it.
However, as his age increased, his body could no longer withstand the immense power required to advance further.
His body had reached its limit.
But his hope had never disappeared.
That hope was his seven disciples.
Therefore, the master began training them even more intensely.
He wanted to see whether one day his disciples could surpass the Human Great Emperor Realm and reach a realm that had never been reached by mortals before.
Then, one day, disaster struck.
One of the master's female disciples was targeted by the son of a Holy Lord from a powerful sect.
The young master of that sect secretly kidnapped her and brought her back to his sect.
When the master learned what had happened…
He became furious.
He went alone toward the sect.
But before he could enter, one of his seven disciples stepped forward.
"Master, I will accompany you."
Another disciple followed.
Then another.
Soon, all seven stood behind their master.
The master looked at them.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he smiled.
"Very well."
He had originally intended to fight the sect alone.
But now, he wanted to see something else.
He wanted to see how his disciples would react when they experienced a true life-and-death battle.
Thus, the master and his seven disciples entered the sect together.
The battle that followed shook the entire mortal world.
The sect was forced to summon reinforcements.
One sect after another arrived.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Even the surrounding great sects were dragged into the conflict.
But the seven disciples were far stronger than anyone had expected.
And above them stood their master.
At that time, the master's cultivation had already reached the Human Grandmaster level, yet his control over martial power was terrifying.
He raised his fist.
The surrounding air began to tremble.
"Heaven-Shattering Fist."
Boom!
The moment the fist descended, the pressure alone destroyed the entire area around the sect.
The cultivators watching from afar were stunned.
"This… is that really a mortal martial technique?"
Before anyone could recover, the master raised his hand again.
"Moon-Sunder Chop."
His hand transformed into a blade.
He swung it toward the sect.
Slash!
The terrifying blade force struck the sect's protective barrier.
Crack!
A huge crack spread across the barrier.
The expressions of the cultivators changed instantly.
A mortal had actually damaged their defensive formation with nothing but physical martial power.
Then came the third technique.
"Dragon-Severing Palm."
The air itself exploded.
The sect's defenses were shattered under the overwhelming pressure.
The cultivators could no longer remain calm.
"How is this possible?"
"He doesn't possess spiritual energy!"
"He is only a mortal!"
"How can a mortal possess such terrifying power?"
The master looked at them calmly.
"This is not Qi."
He slowly clenched his fist.
"This is Heartforce Energy."
"The power comes from my heart."
"It is the strength of the human will."
The battle continued for three days and three nights.
In the end, the sect was destroyed.
But it did not end there.
The master discovered that the sect was secretly supported by an Emperor Clan.
So he went directly to the Emperor Clan.
He raised his hand.
"Moon-Sunder Chop."
One strike.
The entire imperial palace was sliced apart.
The Emperor Clan collapsed.
Chaos spread throughout the dynasty.
Seeing the dynasty without a ruler, the seven disciples asked their master to become emperor himself.
The master could have given the throne to any of his disciples.
But all seven refused.
They believed their master possessed both overwhelming strength and knowledge far beyond theirs.
Therefore, they unanimously requested that he become the emperor.
And so…
The First Human Emperor was born.
His original name was Ryuzen Kage.
After ascending to the throne, he renamed his dynasty the Divine Martial Court.
Ten years later, his seven disciples established their own great powers:
Heavenly Fist Sect
Azure Sword Pavilion
Iron Mountain Sect
Blood Shadow Hall
Golden Spear Clan
Black Tortoise Sect
Thunder God Palace
The seven disciples eventually became the seven greatest powerhouses of the mortal world.
Sixty years later, all seven broke through into the Human Emperor Realm.
After that, they united the entire continent.
Even the ancient immortal sects were forced to bow before them.
From that day onward, the continent was given a new name—
Great Perfection Land.
The First Human Emperor ruled the Divine Martial Court for exactly 250 years.
Then…
He disappeared.
Shen Luo asked,
"Where did the First Human Emperor go?"
Mong Tian remained silent for a moment.
"After ruling for 250 years, he mysteriously vanished."
"History says that the Heavens may have interfered."
"During his reign, the First Human Emperor repeatedly challenged the laws of Heaven."
"The Heavens believed that mortals possessed an absolute limit."
"But Ryuzen Kage refused to accept that law."
"He broke the shackles placed upon mortals."
"Some ancient records even claim…"
"He fought the Heavens themselves."
Shen Luo's expression changed.
"He actually fought the Heavens?"
Mong Tian nodded.
"According to ancient history, only two people have ever accomplished such a feat."
"The first…"
"The Demon King Valtherion."
"And the second…"
"Our First Human Emperor."
Shen Luo immediately asked,
"Then what was the First Human Emperor's true martial realm?"
Mong Tian frowned slightly.
"Hmm… according to the oldest records, he should have reached at least the Human Saint Realm."
"As for his true peak…"
"No one knows."
"The ancient records only state that he stood at the boundary of the Human Saint Realm and had already touched a realm beyond ordinary understanding."
Shen Luo was silent for a moment before asking another question.
"Then what happened after the First Human Emperor disappeared?"
"Who became the next Human Emperor?"
Mong Tian answered,
"The second Human Emperor was Kaizen Veyr."
"He was the First Human Emperor's first disciple."
"After his master disappeared, Kaizen Veyr inherited the throne."
"Among the seven disciples, he was recognized as the second strongest."
Shen Luo nodded.
"Then who is the current Human Emperor?"
Mong Tian replied,
"Sixteen generations of Human Emperors have passed since the First Human Emperor."
"And the current ruler is…"
"Xuan Tian."
"He is the strongest Human Emperor recorded in history."
"And recently…"
"He has stepped into the Human Saint Realm."
Shen Luo's eyes narrowed.
"The strongest emperor in history…"
Mong Tian looked toward the distant sky.
"Yes."
"After five thousand years…"
"The mortal world has finally produced another existence capable of standing at the boundary between humanity…"
"…and the Heavens."