As an ordinary Earthling who had read hundreds, even thousands, of Xuanhuan web novels, Li Hai had always felt that while his strength wasn't weak, it shouldn't reach the high-tier combat power level of the Great Jing Dynasty, let alone the very top.
Because Xuanhuan novels always describe it this way: there's always someone stronger, and when you defeat a junior, an elder will come; defeat the elder, and an even older one will appear. This continues endlessly, and the path of leveling up is infinite.
But now, Li Hai finally understood...
It turns out this world is fundamentally a massive amateur show; there aren't that many professional players.
To put it in layman's terms, the actual number of true experts within the Great Jing Dynasty's borders was not as exaggerated as Li Hai had imagined.
And naturally, the number of super-experts born from this limited pool of experts was even rarer.
Especially in this land of Yu Continent, where people cultivate ordinary Martial Arts techniques and are not skilled in the so-called immortal cultivation for longevity.
Therefore, even if a Void-Reality Grandmaster's combat power was high enough to dominate in Earth society, their lifespan, under normal circumstances, could not exceed two hundred years.
As soon as their lifespan ends, no matter how invincible that Grandmaster was, they would still die, their Dao extinguished, and their soul return to the Yellow Springs.
So, the number of experts on the Yu Continent is always limited. One generation is born, and when their time comes, they gradually die off. The next generation is born, and when their time comes, they also gradually die off, replaced by a new batch. It's a constant cycle of 'I sing my part, then you take the stage.'
There's no such absurd situation where you can find a bunch of thousand-year-old monsters or ten-thousand-year-old devils in any random mountain hollow.
Oh, that statement might not be entirely correct.
Because according to Gong Shuo Hong and others, there seems to be another Realm above Void-Reality Grandmaster.
Those in that Realm might have a longer lifespan, but they weren't clear on exactly how much longer, and many books had little record of it.
Regarding the scarcity of experts and even greater scarcity of super-experts, if this was the case for the Great Jing Dynasty, then it was even more pronounced in the Dragon Mountain region where Li Hai currently was.
Because, according to these few people, the Dragon Mountain area is a place where Qi is turbid and spiritual energy is mediocre.
Unless one's natural talent is high enough and their mental fortitude strong enough, it is incredibly difficult for Martial Artists in this region to Breakthrough the limits of a Mortal and reach the Steel Grade.
This is simply because the gap between these two Realms is too vast. So vast that within the Great Jing Dynasty, if someone could advance to the Steel Grade before the age of thirty, they would be regarded as the hope of their organization and the future of their School.
As for situations like Li Hai's, who broke through to the Thousand Army Grade at just eighteen years old, they had only seen a few scattered records in historical texts and couldn't even guarantee their authenticity.
"So, Brother Li, you will definitely become a major figure in Great Jing in the future!"
Zeng Ying meticulously scrutinized Li Hai, his arms crossed and head held high as he sighed, "Ah, an eighteen-year-old Thousand Army Grade Martial Artist... it's still hard to believe."
Gong Shuo Hong, who was beside him, couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction: "But that's the truth. It's useless even if you don't believe it. The gap between people is just that wide."
"To be honest."
Not far away, Pi Shangzhi, leaning against the tent with his long halberd, said gloomily, "If Brother Li's aura wasn't genuinely youthful and tender, completely devoid of any decline, I'd even suspect he was the Reincarnation of some old monster."
"That's an exaggeration."
Sitting to the side, Quan Xiangxun, who was round-headed and pot-bellied like a Maitreya Buddha, chuckled, "You might as well say Brother Li started cultivating in his mother's womb."
"Hahahaha~"
As soon as he finished speaking, a laugh came from outside the tent, "Xiangxun, you're wrong there. Even if an ordinary person returned to their mother's womb three, five, six, or seven times, they wouldn't be able to achieve Brother Li's cultivation at eighteen."
"That voice sounds like..."
"It's Commander Gai's voice!"
"Commander Gai is here!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present except Li Hai was startled, then they all turned their heads to look.
Then they saw the tent flap not far away being pulled open by a thick hand, and immediately after, a burly man, whose stature was no less than Li Hai's, walked out. Behind him, several Steel Grade Martial Artists followed.
As this man, whose aura was as majestic as a towering mountain, entered the tent, his piercing gaze fixed on Li Hai, and then he strode towards him.
As he walked, he laughed heartily: "Qi like a grand canopy, will like a divine presence! There's no mistake, Brother Li isn't a Thousand Army Grade Martial Artist at all, but a... genuine Void-Reality Grandmaster!"
Boom!
This sentence seemed to drop a ten-thousand-pound bomb into the hearts of Gong Shuo Hong and the others, instantly blowing them off their feet and throwing their thoughts into chaos.
An eighteen-year-old Void-Reality Grandmaster?!
What a joke!
This wasn't even recorded in historical texts!
Because no one would even dare to make it up; they'd be called a fool.
But now they were already stunned into fools, their minds barely able to function.
"Commander Gai, you... you didn't say it wrong, did you?"
Zeng Ying stammered, "You just said... said little Brother Li... is already a Grandmaster?"
Though he said this, he had already believed what Commander Gai said, because for many years, Commander Gai had always been an extremely steady person, always sticking to his word and never spouting nonsense.
It was just that this news was too shocking for Zeng Ying to believe.
"This, this..." Pi Shangzhi muttered, his eyes unfocused, "An eighteen-year-old Void-Reality Grandmaster..."
He turned to look at the bewildered Quan Xiangxun beside him and asked blankly, "Old Quan, you've read a lot of history books. Tell me, has there ever been an eighteen-year-old Grandmaster in history?"
"There has never been one in all of history."
Quan Xiangxun said, wide-eyed and bewildered, "Not even the founding ancestor of our Great Jing... not even the first Black Celestial of Da Xuan (Great Xuan)... none of them reached the Grandmaster Realm at just eighteen years old."
"Brother Li..."
Gong Shuo Hong, who was closest to Li Hai, turned her head blankly and looked at him in disbelief, saying, "You... you weren't Thousand Army Grade after all, but a Void-Reality Grandmaster? You... why didn't you say anything?"
"Big Sister Gong, you never asked me."
Li Hai smiled and said, "Besides, I didn't think it was a big deal, not that important, so I didn't think of mentioning it."
"Hoo~"
Gong Shuo Hong let out a long sigh, and her gaze towards Li Hai instantly changed from admiration and respect to almost worship.
She exclaimed, "Brother Li, I originally thought you were a Genius who would be recorded in history, but I never expected... you are a Genius who has surpassed history. This is truly... too incredible."
In fact, not only were Gong Shuo Hong and the others shocked to the point of losing control, but the several Steel Grade Martial Artists brought by Gai Fu were also profoundly astonished and full of exclamations.
They all craned their necks and widened their eyes to look at Li Hai, wanting to get a good look at how extraordinary the demeanor and presence of this eighteen-year-old Grandmaster truly were.