"Hmm? Who's there?" Nantian Yijian stopped and scanned his surroundings but found no one nearby. He said nervously, "Hiding in the shadows is one thing, but if you've got the courage, co out and face ."
"I share a fate much like yours. You may call the old blind man... or simply grandpa, if you prefer."
A beam of yellow light descended from the sky and shot straight into Nantian Yijian's mind.
"But now is not the ti for us to et in person. I've left a mark within your body. Through it, you'll be able to reach ."
"Old... no, Grandpa, are you also a cultivator of Wish Power?" Feeling the strange mark lodged within him, Nantian Yijian pressed his brow and whispered, "Can you teach how to cultivate it? And... when will we et?"
"Both yes and no. When the ti cos, our paths will cross naturally." Blindman Lu chuckled in response to the boy’s eagerness. "I'll teach you the thod to cultivate Wish Power. Until then, if you have any questions, you may reach through the mark."
"Really? Anything?"
Seeing the clever gleam in Nantian Yijian's eyes, Blindman Lu laughed even louder. "Heh... Of course. But first, you must promise one thing. You must never reveal anything about us to another soul. If you do, the mark will erase all your mories and destroy every shred of your Wish Power."
"The mark will destroy my Wish Power? No, no, I don't want that!" Nantian Yijian flailed his hands anxiously. "I haven't even gotten a treasure yet, and already I'm putting myself in danger? That's not how I, Nantian Yijian, do things."
"Hahaha... You're so much like my younger self. Better to die than be cheated," Blindman Lu's laughter bood. "It's been so long since I t soone I felt such kinship with. Since that's the case, if you agree to my condition, I'll grant you a treasure."
"You'll give a treasure?" Nantian Yijian's eyes blazed with excitent. He imdiately shouted into the mark, "Alright, alright! I agree! I'll agree right now. You should've said you were giving a treasure earlier!"
"Grandpa, will cultivating Wish Power help change my talent? I still want to beco the King of Ten Thousand Arts."
"Naturally. But not yet," Blindman Lu's voice resonated inside Nantian Yijian's mind. "The next ti we et, your talent will be completely transford. Becoming the King of Ten Thousand Arts will be nothing more than a trifle.
"But for now, your most important task is to support the other cultivators... and deal with that other boy."
"Understood." Nantian Yijian nodded solemnly toward the mark. "Then what about my treasure? You said you'd give one. When will I get it?"
"Heh... Still worried I'll go back on my word?" Blindman Lu released a strand of spirit qi and tapped Nantian Yijian's head with it. "Your treasure is already with you, in the sword guqin you carry. But you won't be able to wield it just yet. Once you reach the Qi Condensation Realm, you'll see it naturally."
"In my sword guqin? That sounds like an empty promise." Nantian Yijian eyed the Thirty-Six Cosmic Sword Guqin and muttered, "Heh... Old man, are you trying to trick ? Fine, I'll wait and see what you left behind. But if it's not good, then all our promises don't count."
He then gathered himself, lifted the massive sword once more, and sensed the will of the cultivators below.
As his thoughts stirred, the giant sword in his hands blazed with yellow light. A towering pillar of light erupted from him, piercing straight into the heavens.
Blindman Lu activated his Divine Eye and touched the pillar of Wish Power. "Heh... This boy truly has a gift for Wish Power. With just a single thought, he's already linked himself to the heaven and earth of this world."
The vast pillar soared into the sky, splitting into countless thin beams that bound Nantian Yijian to the cultivators below.
"I feel sothing in my body... my strength has increased, and even my lifespan seems partially restored."
The cultivator with only a year of life left opened his eyes in astonishnt. "This power... it also gives a strange feeling, as if I'm connected to that boy. The stronger my faith in him, the more strength I gain in return."
"I feel it too, though not as strongly as you... Could it really depend on the depth of one's conviction?"
One by one, the cultivators opened their eyes, shared the changes they felt, then closed them again, sending even stronger conviction toward Nantian Yijian.
The pillar of Wish Power grew brighter, almost taking on solid form. All the light from the cultivators surged upward, streaming into Nantian Yijian.
He felt the imnse force pour into him. So it's true... giving back to others actually brings back even greater strength. But... what exactly did that gramps leave ?
He returned another portion of power, but his own reservoir of Wish Power refused to grow any further, as though he had reached the very limit of what his body could bear. Have I reached my limit? Then it's ti to clear the path for Little Jun.
Nantian Yijian swept his gaze across the battlefield. Lightning spheres gathered into clusters around him. With a single stride forward, he planted himself firmly before Jun Laoye and roared, "If the road ahead seems hopeless, then let clear it for you!"
Jun Laoye froze, staring at him in disbelief. The crushing pressure radiating from Nantian Yijian left him stunned. "Little Jian..."
He had never imagined Nantian Yijian's resolve could be so fierce—so unshakable that it could allow him to overco any obstacle, so steadfast that it could forge him into a formidable cultivator.
Standing firm before Jun Laoye, Nantian Yijian gripped the massive sword with both hands and raised it overhead. "No need to say more, Little Jun. Watch carefully. This is the power of the heart! The power of conviction!"
He thrust the blade toward the heavens and roared, "NANTIAN YIJIAN!!!"
The furious cry echoed through the valley, reaching the ears of every onlooker.
The sword's yellow glow deepened until it blazed with radiant gold. Cultivators who once doubted him felt their hearts stir at the sight of the shining blade and the sound of his wrathful cry.
Nantian Yijian swung the sword. The golden arc, infused with his unwavering belief and the faith of every cultivator below, cleaved across the battlefield. "I am Nantian Yijian! I will change the innate talent of all commoners!"
The colossal crescent tore through the sky, shattering every lightning sphere in its path.
"An attack nearly at the level of the Core Breakthrough Realm..." Hua Xin's voice trembled with awe. "Wish Power... to think it could raise the strike of a re Qi Regulation Realm cultivator to sothing approaching the Core Breakthrough Realm."
"It's not that Wish Power is too strong," muttered Daoist Du, studying the arc. "It's that cultivators today are far weaker. Since the Abyssal Demonic Spirits invaded, the spirit qi of this continent has fallen to unprecedented lows. Compared to past generations, our cultivation is nothing."
Daoist Hong Yun sighed as he watched the golden arc. "If the spirit qi doesn't recover, then perhaps Wish Power will beco the strongest path of cultivation for now."
"Unfortunately, the thod to cultivate it has long been lost. Even if this boy wields it, his cultivation may stagnate for life." Daoist Du shook his head. "Wish Power and spirit qi are opposites. One seeks personal strength, while the other seeks collective faith."
"Alas..." Heaven Venerable Ban Yao gently stroked the tiger-wolf hybrid at her side. "In the end, spirit qi cultivation is still superior. Once the golden age returns, spirit qi will be restored as well. It's a pity for this youth... he truly shows promise."
With that, the venerables turned away, resuming their formation to block the advancing black mist.
Bathed in golden light, Nantian Yijian felt power unlike anything he had ever known. The addictive surge only deepened his conviction that changing innate talent was the right path.
Could this be the treasure he ntioned? It's extraordinary... At last, I have the strength to protect others.
He swung the sword again, cleaving through the scattered lightning spheres with ease.
But every sphere shattered triggered the giant's passive ability, leading to even more lightning spheres. The storm thickened, yet Nantian Yijian did not flinch. Instead, exhilaration welled in his chest.
Even when a lightning sphere struck him directly, the injuries would vanish in the blink of an eye, imdiately healed by Wish Power.
So this power can even heal ? Then the treasure that mysterious gramps spoke of is no ordinary artifact. Every lightning sphere I block consus so Wish Power, but against the amount I now possess, it's insignificant.
He laughed, brushing his unhard skin, and stood firm against the storm. "Co then! Let's see how far Wish Power can take !"
"Little Jian... why must you insist on this?" Jun Laoye lay on the ground, awestruck, watching him endure. "You're only at the Qi Regulation Realm. Your innate talent is so low... You shouldn't be the one standing before !"
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