Two Paths
Editor: Atlas Studios
Since ancient times, Earth Star has had a clear categorization of the nine grades of martial arts.
Specifically…
Ninth-grade, Superior; sixth-grade, Tyrant; third-grade, King.
Among them, "Superior" referred to one's status being higher than others after becoming a martial artist.
"Tyrant" referred to a martial artist possessing true energy after advancing to the sixth-grade. As such, the martial artist becomes even stronger and can rule over an area, becoming a local tyrant.
Finally, "King". At the very beginning, it was a noble title bestowed by the ancient dynasties' royal families to martial artists who advanced to the third-grade as a reward.
Of course, this title was an honorary one. There was no real power or fief associated with it.
In reality, the only use was to appeasement.
Martial artists who advanced to the third-grade were also well aware of this. Most of them were too lazy to bother with it and basically ignored it.