Chapter Twenty-One: The Times Have Not Abandoned You

Click!
A crisp sound echoed unexpectedly.
In the instant when Lin Fan’s seemingly effortless forefinger touched the tabletop, the solid, polished surface of the rosewood table—fully five centimeters thick—suddenly groaned as if straining under an immense burden. It was as though it had been struck by a hammer weighing several tons; at the very moment his finger landed, the table split open!
Cracks radiated like a spiderweb.
The next moment, under the stunned gaze of all present—
Crash!
Boom!
The massive rosewood desk, which had stood firm just a moment before, collapsed with a thunderous crash, reduced to a heap of shattered wood.
A hush fell over the room.
Everyone stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the pile of splinters and at the young man who stood calmly amidst the debris.
The girl in black, Xing Ye, who had been yawning and listless before, suddenly straightened her back, her eyes filled with shock.
The compassionate master, who had been fingering his prayer beads with an air of detachment, abruptly opened his eyes, his hand pausing mid-chant.
Everyone present was versed in martial arts.
They all knew just how sturdy that rosewood table was.
This was no flimsy prop, no thin board that shatters at a touch for the sake of a performance. This was a table made of solid rosewood—heavy, hard, with a density that was almost frightening. The conference table alone weighed at least a ton! The tabletop itself was five centimeters thick. It had been finely crafted; if you threw it in water, it wouldn’t float—it would sink instantly.
The unique toughness of the wood meant that even if the compassionate master struck it with all his might using his iron demon-slaying staff, perhaps he could dent it severely, but never smash it to pieces.
Yet the young man before them—
He had not appeared to exert any force at all. Just a gentle tap of his finger.
And that was enough to reduce the massive, solid table to fragments in an instant!
This was even more shocking than simply piercing the tabletop.
It defied imagination—what kind of strength must have been contained in that finger to obliterate the entire table?
Until now, their understanding of Lin Fan was that he was merely a handsome high school student.
Even if he claimed to have returned from the future, that he would one day become the Guardian Deity of Grand Xia, for now—even the gods had yet to descend—he should still be just an ordinary youth!
Yet here he was.
With a single finger, he shattered the table!
“This…” Wang Hu stared at Lin Fan in disbelief. “Impossible! You—you must have sawed it in advance… Yes, it’s just like those props on TV!”
No one could blame Wang Hu for doubting.
The scene was too astonishing—it could only be explained away as a stage trick!
Lin Fan only smiled at Wang Hu, offering no rebuttal.
“Enough, Wang Hu.” The elderly Master Dao Wanchan slowly stood up, his gaze complex as he swept his eyes over the wreckage. “Those breaks were not made by a saw.”

“But by sheer force!”
At these words, Wang Hu stood stunned.
“Young man,” Master Dao Wanchan’s gaze grew more complicated, a glimmer of anticipation flickering in his eyes. “Was that martial arts just now? May I ask how many years you have trained to reach such a level?”
For a moment, everyone in the room turned to Lin Fan.
They all wanted to know the answer.
Had they not witnessed it themselves, it would be hard to believe that such a feat could be accomplished by human strength alone!
Could martial arts truly reach such heights?
But—
“I haven’t trained for long,” Lin Fan replied with a smile. “About… two days and two nights?”
“What?!”
“Two days and two nights?”
“How is that possible?”
“I’ve trained in Xingyi for thirty years, mastered all twelve forms, but even with my best tiger-crane combination, I could never do that! And you say two days and two nights?”
“Impossible, impossible… You must have been secretly training for much longer…”
Everyone’s faces were filled with disbelief.
Lin Fan’s claim was simply too incredible.
Even Master Dao Wanchan, with his deep cultivation of internal energy, could only shake his head slightly. “Impossible.”
To shatter a rosewood table with a single finger—
Even if it could be done by human means, it would surely take years of training.
But—
“My friends,” Lin Fan smiled, “I truly have only trained for two days and two nights.”
He was not lying.
Even if he had begun practicing the Godslayer Demonbane Technique quietly upon his return from the future, it had only been two days and two nights at most.
At that moment, as Dao Wanchan looked into Lin Fan’s clear, sincere eyes, his heart sank.
This young man—he truly did not seem to be lying!
A wave of shock swept through everyone present.
Had he really trained for only two days?
Yet—
Beyond their astonishment, a spark of hope flickered in everyone’s eyes.
In this modern age of advanced technology, martial arts had fallen into decline.
They possessed great skills, but as Dao Wanchan had said, could their strength withstand a bulldozer?
No matter how learned, could they out-argue the internet?
No matter how skilled in assassination, could they compete with a sniper rifle?
Though they seldom spoke of it, everyone knew in their hearts that human strength had its limits, and martial arts had lost the luster it once held in ancient times.
And yet, witnessing Lin Fan shatter the table with a single finger—
A glimmer of expectation and hope rose in all their hearts. Could this be the true limit of human potential?

Martial arts—could it really reach such a height?
But just then, Lin Fan suddenly said, “However.”
“What I practice is not martial arts.”
“It is a path toward becoming a demigod.”
At those words, everyone was momentarily stunned.
“The path of the demigod?” Dao Wanchan echoed, a bit puzzled. “You mean…”
“The road to becoming a demigod,” Lin Fan said calmly. “This is a technique developed in the future by Mr. Chen Yan for Grand Xia, specifically to combat the gods.”
“It is not martial arts.”
“But it can draw the divine power scattered in the air into oneself, harness it, and unlock the potential of the human body…even surpass its limits.”
“In the end, one can attain the level of a demigod!”
“True, without a divine spark, you cannot become a true god. But as a demigod, you can stand against the gods, and even inflict wounds upon them.”
At this, the light faded from everyone’s eyes.
It seemed, after all, that this had little to do with martial arts.
But—
Lin Fan continued, suddenly smiling. “I can teach you all this technique. You may begin training at once.”
“Of course, the first time you practice, you won’t progress as quickly as I did.”
“It will take about a week for you to gain basic control of divine power.”
“To truly reach the strength of a demigod… Even though your meridians are already open, absorbing divine power from the air and learning to wield it will still take time—about two months.”
“Trust me, in the days to come, you will unleash the full might of martial arts. This era has not abandoned you—it needs you to save it!”
“Martial arts shall shine even brighter in your hands. Those gods who fear neither bullet nor cannon will fall to the martial arts of the East! They will fall to the martial spirit of humanity!”
At these words, everyone was left speechless.
To learn the Godslayer Demonbane Technique?
To master the use of divine power?
To challenge the gods themselves with the art of the human body?
It was beyond belief!
Yet this was Lin Fan’s true purpose, long prepared.
He wanted these people to willingly learn the Godslayer Demonbane Technique, to become the first generation of godslayers! In the coming invasion of the Ocean God, they would demonstrate the power of martial arts.
This time—
Let the gods witness the martial prowess of humankind.
Let them see the power that this humble species possesses!