In the old earthen house, Lin Ming sat cross-legged on the straw mat, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing slow and steady. Although the spiritual energy in the air was thin, his body absorbed it little by little, drawing it into his constantly operating dantian.
With every breath, he clearly felt his muscles gradually tightening, his blood surging, and a faint cracking sound coming from his bones, as if undergoing a process of blood and marrow exchange. Streams of airflow, like warm mercury, smoothly flowed through his meridians—unobstructed and untroubled—as if they had been cleansed long ago.
He opened his eyes; a flash of purple lightning briefly flickered in his pupils before vanishing.
"This thing… it's really powerful."
Jade was still floating in the air, cross-legged like a descending spirit, and nodded lightly upon hearing his murmur.
"You have officially activated the First Layer of the Dragon-Fairy Lineage Ancient Scripture."
Lin Ming tilted his head slightly:
"What exactly is this Cultivation Technique? I just finished cultivating and my dantian is open, and it even helped me awaken my Destiny Attribute. Is there any technique in the world that is this overbearing?"
Jade replied:
"The Dragon-Fairy Lineage Ancient Scripture is divided into nine layers. Each layer has different effects. You have only opened the first layer, which can open the dantian, preliminarily clear the spiritual meridians, and activate your Destiny Attribute earlier than normal cultivators."
"What about the other layers?" He scratched his head, narrowing his eyes with curiosity. "Does Layer Two let me grow extra limbs? Or perhaps carry thunder and lightning into battle?"
Jade shook her head, her eyes unchanged:
"You are not yet qualified to know. Each layer has its own activation conditions. When you are strong enough, the next layer will open automatically. If you rashly force it, you will not only fail but also suffer a backlash, leading to Qi Deviation (tẩu hỏa nhập ma)."
"That's harsh," he chuckled. "At least tell me if Layer Nine can cleave the sky and split mountains?"
"No."
"Still no? Fine, not cleaving the sky, just crushing a mountain, even a small one."
"No."
Lin Ming rubbed his chin, mumbling:
"Hmph, truly an Ancient Scripture; even the name is ancient, and the way it hides its goods is ancient too…"
Jade appeared unaffected by his teasing. She continued in a calm tone:
"The Dragon-Fairy Lineage Ancient Scripture is a Forbidden Grade Cultivation Technique; it does not belong to the common cultivation system of the Cultivation Star Planet. It not only aids in cultivating spiritual power but also automatically adjusts the physique, enhances adaptability to spiritual energy, and optimizes the absorption of the Destiny Element."
Hearing this, Lin Ming's gaze became slightly serious:
"Speaking of the Destiny Attribute, I feel like there's… thunder and lightning inside my body?"
"It is the Lightning Attribute," Jade nodded. "One of the strongest and most volatile elements."
She raised her hand, and a Five Elements diagram appeared, rotating through: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, followed by Wind, Lightning, Ice, Light, Darkness, and so forth.
"Every cultivator possesses a Destiny Attribute, which is intrinsically linked to their soul and physique from birth. However, usually, one must reach the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment before they can use a test to uncover their elemental affinity. You, conversely, awakened immediately upon opening the first layer of the technique."
Lin Ming stroked his nose and smiled:
"So I got lucky?"
"Whether it is luck or not depends on the future," Jade stated seriously. "On the Cultivation Star Planet, a person can cultivate a maximum of two attributes. Exceeding this limit will cause the body to fail, leading to self-detonation and death."
Lin Ming frowned:
"So what if I obtain another type?"
"If you cultivate common techniques, you will certainly die. However, cultivators of the Dragon-Fairy Lineage Ancient Scripture are an exception. Possessing a special bloodline means you can be considered…" Jade emphasized each word: "...unrestricted in the number of attributes."
He was stunned for a moment:
"That's excellent. Maybe later I'll use the whole set: thunder, cyclones, ice, light, and even darkness. The 'Five Elements Grand Chaos Battle' combo."
Jade ignored his joke and slowly continued:
"But you must remember clearly: this cultivation technique consumes an enormous amount of resources when breaking through realms. Far more than an ordinary person. Every step forward requires medicinal ingredients, spiritual energy, pills… two or three times more than others."
Lin Ming jumped up and slapped his thigh:
"I knew it! There's no such thing as a free lunch!"
"Therefore," Jade said, "when you want to break through later, merely sitting in meditation and breathing in Qi will not be enough. You must fight for it, you must seize resources to survive."
Lin Ming clicked his tongue:
"Alright, duly noted. 'No pills, meditation is pointless; no resources, cultivation is exhausting.' Write that down in red ink."
Jade looked at him for a moment, then nodded slightly:
"This attitude is good. Now, you should receive the System Dharma Treasure, the Nine-Fold Bright Eye."
Lin Ming looked up at her:
"Accept it? Of course, I'll accept it. What if it turns out to be a pair of spectacles that can see through the enemy's clothes?"
Jade closed her eyes without comment and gently waved her hand.
The space before him slightly rippled.
The space before Lin Ming subtly undulated as if touched by a finger.
From the void, an object slowly appeared. It was neither a weapon nor a traditional Dharma Artifact, but a pair of floating, disembodied pupils, the size of an adult's palm, glowing with a mystical crimson-blue light.
They rotated slowly in the air. The center was a dark red circle, surrounded by three layers of dark black rims stacked upon one another, interspersed with ancient runic inscriptions. On the central circle, a curved stroke, like a crescent moon, was clearly visible, rotating rhythmically.
Its appearance was both sinister and majestic, resembling a divine eye supervising the heavens and the ten directions, yet also like a Forbidden Artifact sealed since ancient times.
Jade spoke, her voice no longer gentle but mixed with a hint of solemnity:
"This is the System Dharma Treasure: The Nine-Fold Bright Eye."
"Eye-type Dharma Treasure?" Lin Ming asked, surprised. "How do I wear it? Shove it into my eye sockets?"
"No. This Dharma Treasure merges with your Divine Soul, integrating with your Eye Root. From now on, when you channel spiritual power, you will be able to activate its abilities."
With that, Jade waved her hand. The pair of eyes instantly transformed into two streams of red-blue light, shooting straight towards Lin Ming.
In that instant, Lin Ming felt an extremely cold and pure energy rush into the center of his glabella and spread to his eyeballs. The sensation was like needle pricks, like an electric shock, stinging every nerve, but he gritted his teeth and endured without a sound.
Within his consciousness, a fragment of the void opened up.
In that place, the ancient eyes slowly revolved, as if dissolving his soul, carving themselves deeper and deeper into his spiritual core.
After a while, the System's voice echoed:
"Nine-Fold Bright Eye Dharma Treasure successfully integrated." "First Layer Activated – Clairvoyance."
Simultaneously, a stream of information flowed into his mind like a spring:
First Layer: Clairvoyance
Can clearly perceive all of an opponent's movements, regardless of their movement technique or concealment spell, provided their realm does not exceed yours by more than one major realm.
When facing an opponent one major realm higher, such as Middle Stage Foundation Establishment, the user can still grasp the trajectory of their actions and react in the nick of time.
Against Late Stage Foundation Establishment, though unable to fully keep up, the user can sense an impending attack and adjust their response accordingly.
This ability does not increase physical speed, but rather accelerates the visual sensory processing time, making all movements appear slower to the user than they are in reality.
Lin Ming was momentarily stunned. He lowered his head, looked at his hands, then turned to look at a piece of wood in the corner of the room. With a slight adjustment of his gaze, the trajectory of dust particles and the vibration of the wind all appeared in his mind as if slowed down, every tiny movement exposed.
"This thing… is truly overbearing."
He looked up at Jade, raising an eyebrow:
"What about the other eight layers? Are you going to… withhold them from me again?"
Jade calmly shook her head:
"Not yet qualified."
"Every time I ask something, that's the answer. Don't you think you're being very irresponsible in your instructional duties?"
"Forbidden Grade Dharma Treasures have their own rules. Only when your capability meets the requirements will the subsequent layers reveal themselves. Forcing an answer is futile."
Lin Ming scratched his head and sighed:
"Alright, alright, I won't ask anymore. It seems I often get rejected with those kinds of questions anyway."
A moment later, he felt a lightness around his eyes.
He took a deep breath. His spiritual power subtly circulated, and his eyes instantly sharpened. His pupils shifted into a dark red spiral pattern, with the central focus showing a rotating stroke, exactly like the ancient runic inscription during the fusion.
The First Layer, Clairvoyance, was activated.
He quietly whispered a command, and the eye pattern immediately vanished, his pupils returning to normal.
"You can turn it on and off at will, but," Jade spoke up, "each activation consumes spiritual power. The longer you maintain it, the greater the toll. If you don't control it well and run out of spiritual power mid-battle, you will bear the consequences yourself."
"Understood. Just using my eyes, yet it drains spiritual power like pouring water. This truly is resource-intensive."
Jade nodded:
"Therefore, you should now learn how to channel the Lightning Attribute within your body. Your Destiny Spiritual Energy is not just for show but for enhancing combat ability."
"What can I do? Thunder, electric shocks?"
"Don't let your imagination run wild. For now, you only need to guide the lightning force into your limbs to enhance reaction speed, strength, agility, and defense."
"Like… using electricity to reinforce my arms and legs?"
"That is one way to understand it."
"So I'm becoming a person who… is half-shocked, half-fighting?"
"Think of it however you like, as long as you know how to control it properly and don't paralyze yourself."
Lin Ming curled his lip, sat back cross-legged, and began to test the faint lightning energy hidden in his dantian, carefully guiding it out toward his arm…