Chapter 46: The Legacy of Heartforce

"How is this possible?" Qian Xingzi stood in shock on his own Star Island, looking up at the high sky. The Star Island at the highest sixth level had actually fallen?

"No."

"How could this happen?"

"How could Beta Leo have been defeated?"

"Beiming defeating Beta Leo—this is a joke."

The other defeated prodigies, whether cultivators, Eternal Clan, or special lifeforms, were all deeply shocked. They all knew Beta Leo's strength well, so they absolutely refused to believe that Beta Leo could lose!

…

The World-level cultivators on hundreds of thousands of Star Islands all witnessed the scene of the Star Island at the supreme sixth level falling, and they were all shaken and sighed.

…

On one of the two Star Islands still floating on the fifth level, Ji Ning sat in the courtyard, muttering to himself: "Deliberately conceding? Does he think I'm happy to win like this? He didn't even show his true body." At this moment, Ji Ning felt no joy in victory at all, because he knew the other party had done it on purpose.

"But still… I didn't expect to receive the Heartforce Legacy before leaving." Ji Ning was quite pleasantly surprised to obtain this legacy. He flipped his hand, and a white feather appeared.

The white feather was incomparably beautiful.

This single feather was composed of three thousand six hundred threads. Ji Ning sensed it slightly and discovered the legacy contained within.

"I didn't intend to get it, but learning it isn't bad either." After Ji Ning made an oath according to his perception, a vast amount of complex information surged into his memory. Whether it was the Water Dao, the Lightning Dao, or Heartforce, although Ji Ning had some talent in these areas, he didn't plan to spend too much effort on them.

With limited energy, Ji Ning's Sword Dao was far, far ahead of other aspects, so he naturally focused on the Sword Dao.

As for other aspects, he could take his time to study them when he had free time in the future, or when his Sword Dao had completely stagnated. For example, 'Wanshen Daojun' only began to ponder the 'Sword Dao' and other Daos when he was on the verge of merging with the Dao, because his perspective on the 'Dao' had changed, making cultivation faster.

For instance, if Ji Ning were to become a Daojun on the verge of merging with the Dao in the future, and then comprehend the Water Dao, he might reach the Realm of Life and Death in that Dao in just one day, and then improve quickly. Spending some time, it wouldn't be impossible to reach the 'verge of merging with the Dao.' Of course, if one had low talent, it would naturally be slower. Wanshen Daojun spent a long time just to raise his Sword Dao to the Realm of Life and Death, and by his own evaluation, he was simply 'unversed in the Sword Dao.'

"If I spend ten or a hundred times the time and effort now, I might only bring my Water Dao and Lightning Dao up to par with my Sword Dao. And my strength wouldn't even increase significantly. In that same time, my Sword Dao would have already improved by who knows how much." Ji Ning understood this well.

…

After a long time, the information from the Heartforce Legacy was fully recorded. As expected of the number one among the ninety-nine legacies of Star Island, the amount of information was enormous.

"So this is Heartforce cultivation." Ji Ning was stunned.

Now he finally understood.

Heartforce is divided into six levels. The first five levels are roughly similar to Hou Yi's classification.

The first level, 'Initiation,' is very difficult. Without initiation, there is no hope at all.

The second level, 'Ice Heart.'

The third level, 'Dominance.'

The fourth level, 'Mortal World.' Ji Ning had reached this level during the war of the territories. By the end of the Three Realms Cataclysm, although the cataclysm had a great impact on him and he saw many mighty beings of the Three Realms die, Ji Ning only touched the threshold of the fifth level. He still had obsessions in his heart that affected him and had not truly let go.

The fifth level, 'Return to Truth.' This is considered a very high state of heartforce among cultivators. To achieve such a state of mind is extremely difficult. Strength and state of mind are not closely related. Although many cultivators with great power have undergone many trials and have decent states of mind, for example, the special lifeform 'Water Walker' was born at the World level, and his state of mind doesn't even count as Initiation.

The sixth level, 'World.' This is the highest level of Heartforce!

"After Heartforce returns to truth, one sees through all things. Heartforce transforms, and all thoughts converge in the sea of consciousness, allowing one to open up a Heart World." Ji Ning murmured to himself, understanding.

Before the sixth level, the use of Heartforce is very rudimentary. So-called 'Heartforce cultivators' among Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals in the endless territories, like Old Man Source, are not Heartforce cultivators in the strict sense. They only know some Heartforce secret arts. That's why many Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals in each territory claim to be 'Heartforce cultivators.'

But Heartforce cultivators at the World level are very rare, because people like Old Man Source simply cannot reach the World level through Heartforce alone.

When Heartforce reaches the sixth level,

all Heartforce converges in the sea of consciousness. When Heartforce is strong enough, it interferes with reality, forming a 'point' where the virtual and real intersect. A grain of sand contains a world; this point contains a world within.

"Qi Refining cultivators cultivate Dharmic power, and the Dao Tree within their bodies grows continuously."

"Divine Demon cultivators cultivate divine power, and their divine bodies become stronger and stronger."

"Heartforce cultivators cultivate a world. They need to build a Heart World. The more complete the mysteries of the Dao in the Heart World, the more real and powerful the Heart World becomes."

Ji Ning murmured softly, 'What a unique heartforce cultivator.'

A completely different path of cultivation.

Heartforce cultivators do not need to comprehend profound Daos; they need only slowly build their 'Heartworld,' making it more and more like a real world, stable enough to continuously expand... Even a Heartworld can be vaster than a territory, even vaster than ten or a hundred territories.

The more vast the Heartworld, the stronger the heartforce cultivator!

Because the power of this 'Heartworld' is entirely controlled by the heartforce cultivator. If the Heartworld is as vast as a territory, a mere world projection would crush even Ji Ning, let alone a Daoist at the edge of merging with the Dao—they would be ground to dust.

'When BetaLeo fought me earlier, grasslands and mountains suddenly formed around us. I thought it was an illusion.'

'So it was a Heartworld projection.'

Ji Ning understood.

A Heartworld projection is like the power of an entire world pressing down! Even Ji Ning felt constrained; a World-level cultivator at perfection would likely be crushed to death! Ji Ning could only block it with the 'Primordial Water-Fire Gourd.'

...

The difference was too great.

The Divine Demon path and the Qi Refining path both pursue increasingly profound Daos.

The Heartforce path, however, pursues 'a Heartworld that is more stable, and only by being stable can it become more vast.' Some overly extreme, highly aggressive Daos are actually unsuitable for expanding and building a world! A world requires more stable Daos.

'Reality and illusion.'

'The ultimate pursuit of heartforce is for the Heartworld to become a true world.'

'Illusion becomes reality.'

'Reality becomes illusion.'

'On that day... a heartforce cultivator, with a single thought, could create ten or a hundred Eternal Divine Weapons within his Heartworld, and these Eternal Divine Weapons would all be real and usable. With a single thought, he could create powerful pills, puppets...' Ji Ning shuddered at the thought.

But this was recorded in the inheritance as the ultimate pursuit; there was no record of anyone actually reaching that realm.

...

'I haven't even reached the fifth level of heartforce yet.' Ji Ning shook his head and put away the white feather. Only by reaching the sixth level of heartforce could one have one's own 'Heartworld,' and then, under the guidance of this inheritance, quickly create a stable and expanding Heartworld.

'No wonder heartforce cultivators are so rare.'

'How difficult it is to reach the sixth level of heartforce?' Ji Ning shook his head. Even Houyi had probably not reached the sixth level of heartforce. As far as Ji Ning knew, only BetaLeo had reached the sixth level.

...

A day later.

Ji Ning challenged Qianxingzi.

'Here.' Ji Ning handed the white feather to Qianxingzi. 'BetaLeo asked me to give this to you.'

'I guessed it, guessed he deliberately conceded.' Qianxingzi looked at Ji Ning. 'By the way, what weapon did he use?'

'A hammer.' Ji Ning said.

'So he was forced to use a hammer? By the way, did you see his true form?' Qianxingzi was very curious. Although he had a good relationship with BetaLeo, he had never been able to make BetaLeo reveal his true form.

'No.' Ji Ning shook his head. 'I've passed on the inheritance to you, and my business is done. Qianxingzi, if you need anything in the future, you can come to the Sword Palace to find me.'

'You're leaving? So soon?' Qianxingzi was very surprised.

'Yes.' Ji Ning nodded.

'Alright, I'm leaving too. You go to the Sword Palace; I'll go to the Blade Palace of the Twelve Palaces.' Qianxingzi said. 'Let's see who becomes a Lifelong Daoist first.'

'Fine, let's see who's faster.'

After bidding farewell to Qianxingzi, Ji Ning crushed the communication talisman left by a Daoist from the Sword Palace. Over the years, only Daoists from the Thunder Palace and Sword Palace among the Twelve Palaces had visited him.

...

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