Chapter 31: Opening the Heavenly Eye, Manifesting Divine Sense

Blood flew, and around Ji Ning, water and fire lotuses still bloomed. Ji Ning himself continued to fight desperately.

"I must obtain one of the top three divine abilities." Ji Ning remembered what the spirit of the grotto had said earlier—that he could barely obtain the third divine ability by challenging the Divine Ability Hall. Even the formidable Yellow-Haired Bear could only make a vague prediction, not daring to assert with certainty that Ji Ning would definitely get the third divine ability.

This meant that even if he gave his all, it was uncertain whether he could obtain the third divine ability. In that case, Ji Ning naturally had to fight!

"Kill."

In Ji Ning's mind, he clearly remembered the shrewd patriarch Ji Jiuhuo, Granny Ying who had threatened him with suicide, the loyal old servant A Xing who followed Granny Ying, the spirited Ji Liuzhen, and of course his father Ji Yichuan, who appeared as cold as an iceberg but was actually deeply emotional, as well as Uncle Bai, who had cared for him since childhood...

"I want you to live!"

"Father, Uncle Bai, Patriarch—all of you must survive." Ji Ning looked at the endless stream of warriors charging at him, and in his heart there was only one word—kill!

Kill!

Kill all obstacles!

What I must protect, what I cherish—no one can take it away!

...

The nine flying swords controlled by his divine sense swirled around Ji Ning, desperately defending him. These nine swords did their utmost to assist him, but the surging warriors around him roared and charged at him one after another. Ji Ning's resistance grew weaker, yet his eyes became even more frenzied and determined.

He understood what he sought.

He understood his heart.

"Boom!"

A thunderous roar within his soul, like the primordial sound of Pangu splitting heaven and earth. Ji Ning's divine sense, which had been controlling the nine flying swords, now clearly reflected every single warrior around him—even their skin, flesh, and hair were all vividly visible. The nearby dark stone tablet and the vast array of weapons laid out on the large table were all within its scope.

It was as if...

Ji Ning had gained an extra eye, one that clearly saw everything around him in the finest detail!

"Divine sense!" Ji Ning instantly understood.

His soul had undergone a transformation, reaching a new level.

Zifu Disciples generally could multitask.

Most Wanxiang Adepts could manifest divine sense and control objects.

Only Yuan Shen Taoists could open the Heavenly Eye and manifest divine sense. Wherever divine sense extended, every detail was as clear as if seen with one's own eyes.

Progress in the soul is extremely difficult, yet on the path of immortality, the soul is of utmost importance. Only when the soul is strong enough can it control the increasingly powerful and surging elemental energy. If a mortal possessed the elemental energy of an immortal, there would be only one outcome—they would be unable to control it, causing the energy to run rampant and shatter their bones to death.

To advance the soul, one relies on visualization techniques, enlightenment of the Dao, strengthening the body to nourish the soul, and tempering the will.

Tempering the will... also known as tempering the Dao-heart!

Ji Ning had reached the 'divine sense' level at the age of eleven. In the five years since, his progress in enlightenment of the Dao had been astonishing, even reaching the 'Realm of the Dao.' This had greatly benefited his soul.

Moreover, he had just reached the 'Drip Blood Rebirth' level in divine body cultivation, which further nourished his soul.

And over these five years, his daily visualization of the "Nuwa Painting" had led to rapid progress every day.

And today...

Ji Ning had first fought the great battle at Oxhorn Mountain, witnessed his clansmen's determination to fight to the death, been forced to flee alone, and now was undergoing the trial of the Divine Ability Hall to obtain one of the top three divine abilities. Everything he had experienced today was a tempering and test of his will. In desperate circumstances, his will had become even more steadfast.

His Dao-heart had also become purer, more resolute, and more perfect.

The Dao-heart and will, in relation to the soul, are like military discipline to an army. The same group of soldiers, if strictly disciplined, will have much higher combat effectiveness. If discipline is lax, they will perform far worse.

The same applies to the Dao-heart and will.

With the same soul... when the will is firm, a cultivator can unleash great strength. Even if the elemental energy is too abundant, a firm will can forcibly mobilize it. But when the will is weak, even if the elemental energy within the body is abundant, it cannot be mobilized, and even simple charm or illusion techniques can kill them.

Thus, for cultivators, tempering the Dao-heart is extremely important. The more perfect and pure the Dao-heart, the further one can go on the path of immortality.

"Five years of enlightenment of the Dao."

"Five years of visualization."

"The advancement in divine body cultivation."

"All this laid a solid foundation for me. Today, tempering the Dao-heart allowed me to make a breakthrough, opening the Heavenly Eye and manifesting divine sense." A vertical eye suddenly appeared on Ji Ning's forehead. This vertical eye was a passage to the 'soul' in his sea of consciousness, as if his soul were looking out through it.

Wherever the Heavenly Eye looked, Ji Ning could see at a glance that those warriors were formed from condensed streams of qi.

"Close." The vertical eye on Ji Ning's forehead then closed.

Once the Heavenly Eye opened, even demons and specters employing profound transformation techniques could be easily seen through. Divine sense could cover an extremely vast area, allowing clear investigation. Even in illusionary formations or maze formations, divine sense could probe thoroughly, making it impossible to deceive Ji Ning.

Ordinary formations, especially those of an illusionary nature...

were of little use against cultivators with divine sense. Of course, there were powerful formations that could obscure divine sense, but most Wanxiang Adepts did not possess such formations.

...

"Whoosh!"

The power of the nine flying swords controlled by divine sense suddenly surged dramatically.

Nine streaks of sword light howled past, and rows of warriors were directly cut in two. Heads flew, bodies broke apart, and all turned into mist.

"Kill, kill, kill." Ji Ning showed a joyful expression.

"All come here."

Ji Ning looked at the long table in the distance, on which lay a large number of weapons. One after another, flying swords rose into the air, densely packed, nearly a hundred of them. Each transformed into flowing sword light, sweeping across and killing in swaths. Waves of warriors fell, turning into mist and dissipating.

Nearly a hundred flying swords turned into nearly a hundred streaks of light, dancing around Ji Ning.

Ji Ning himself stood there without needing to act.

"My divine sense is too strong." Ji Ning was completely overjoyed.

His divine sense had undergone a qualitative transformation. The area it covered was as clear as if seen by the eyes. Its ability to control objects had also skyrocketed. Previously, his divine sense, when controlling flying swords, only possessed the power of a Zifu early-stage divine demon. But now, after the transformation, his divine sense possessed roughly the power of a Zifu perfect-stage divine demon!

The power of his divine sense was even greater than the current power of his divine body!

With such immense power, and aided by the Rainwater Sword Domain, he didn't even need to use his ultimate technique, 'Threads of Rain Form a Line.' Simple sword techniques were enough to sweep away rows of enemies. Moreover, controlling flying swords with divine sense required no consideration of defense, making the sword techniques even more fierce and aggressive, thus increasing their power.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Wave after wave of warriors fell. Under the sweep of nearly a hundred flying swords, the warriors died too quickly.

"My divine sense is far stronger than my close combat abilities." Ji Ning thought to himself. His progress in the soul far exceeded both his divine body cultivation and qi cultivation. His soul had already reached the level of 'opening the Heavenly Eye and manifesting divine sense,' which was typically achieved only by Yuan Shen Taoists.

Each flying sword was more powerful than Ji Ning's original body.

Nearly a hundred flying swords were like nearly a hundred enhanced versions of Ji Ning sweeping through the battlefield. Wave after wave of warriors fell. They died quickly, but they also condensed quickly.

New waves of warriors were constantly being generated.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Nearly a hundred streaks of sword light, like flood dragons, howled and shuttled back and forth. Although the warriors grew stronger—from being killed in rows to five or six at a time, then to two or three, and finally to each sword barely killing one—the efficiency remained high due to the nearly a hundred swords attacking together.

"Whoosh."

Ji Ning looked around. All was silent, with only the nearly a hundred flying swords hovering in midair.

"All gone?" Ji Ning was startled.

"Empty?" Ji Ning looked around. Only the dark stone tablet and the large array of weapons on the table remained, silently telling Ji Ning that all the warriors had been killed by him.

Whoosh.

A figure appeared beside him—the Yellow-Haired Bear. The Yellow-Haired Bear looked at Ji Ning with a complex and strange expression.

"Are you a reincarnated celestial immortal?" the Yellow-Haired Bear muttered, "Or a reincarnated ancient divine demon?"

Ji Ning's hearing was exceptionally sharp, so he naturally heard the Yellow-Haired Bear's muttering. Reincarnated celestial immortal? Reincarnated ancient divine demon? Others might not know, but Ji Ning was very clear about his past life.

"Relying on enlightenment of the Dao, tempering the Dao-heart, and divine body cultivation to push the soul to the 'divine sense' level is almost impossible," the Yellow-Haired Bear said, looking at Ji Ning. "Those cultivators first become Yuan Shen Taoists. The soul gestates and grows within the Yuan Shen, and only then do they open the Heavenly Eye and manifest divine sense."

"First become a Yuan Shen Taoist, then have divine sense. That's almost always the case!"

"Wanxiang Adepts with divine sense are one in ten thousand," the Yellow-Haired Bear shook his head. "Those who possess divine sense before becoming Yuan Shen Taoists are usually reincarnations of immortals or other great beings, or those with great opportunities. Could you be a reincarnated immortal? But if you were, your sect elders should have come to guide you long ago. Or perhaps, before entering the water mansion, you had other great opportunities?"

Ji Ning just blinked and said nothing.

Great opportunities?

Does meeting Lord Cui in the underworld and being granted the visualization technique "Nuwa Painting" count? Or being reincarnated without drinking Meng Po's soup and cultivating the "Nuwa Painting" from infancy count?

"Senior, which divine ability can I obtain?" Ji Ning quickly asked.

"You've killed all the warriors, so naturally the first divine ability," the Yellow-Haired Bear blinked. "Come with me."

He grabbed Ji Ning.

Whoosh!

The surrounding gray space began to tremble and even twist. Ji Ning felt a strange sensation—sometimes it felt very long, sometimes very short.

"How much time has passed?" Ji Ning felt a bit anxious.

He feared that too much time had passed and something might have happened at Oxhorn Mountain.

"Don't worry, don't be concerned that receiving the divine ability will take too long," the Yellow-Haired Bear said. "The inheritance left by the master is about to manifest, and the surrounding space-time is beginning to isolate. Once it's completely isolated, relative to the outside world, time here will almost be frozen. Even if a hundred years pass here, outside it would be but a single breath."

Ji Ning was secretly shocked but soon calmed down. Back in the underworld, the time flow around the Bridge of Helplessness was vastly different from other places.

Clearly, there were great beings in the Three Realms who could alter the flow of time.

"I wonder what divine ability technique the first master of the water mansion left behind," Ji Ning thought to himself.

...