Chapter 688: Emperor
"Remember my words: to enter the Heavenly Martial Realm, you must first achieve Unity of Heaven and Man, and your heart must be free of attachments. Cast aside everything, leave no lingering ties. If attachments remain in your heart that you cannot let go, you may forever remain at the peak of the Mysterious Martial Realm, unable to pierce that final membrane and step into the Heavenly Martial Realm."
The Venerable repeated himself, causing the crowd to stiffen with resolve, committing his words to memory. To enter the Heavenly Martial Realm, one must first comprehend heaven and earth, step into the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, and then cast aside all attachments of the heart to break through the Mysterious Martial Realm.
"In martial arts cultivation, diligence is important, talent is important, perseverance and a steadfast heart for the martial path are important, and your martial soul is also extremely important. Your martial soul may very well determine your fate after you step into the Heavenly Martial Realm." The Venerable's words did not cease, his voice still ringing out like a morning drum or an evening bell, striking a chord in the hearts of the crowd.
The martial soul, after the Heavenly Martial Realm, would likely determine their fate.
"For the vast majority of people, the martial soul is innate, a gift from birth that has always followed you. Your martial soul is most compatible with your body, a product of your soul's power. Before stepping into the Heavenly Martial Realm, you comprehend will—the will related to your martial soul is the easiest to comprehend. For example, Duan Wudao's Sealing Will, Imperial Mausoleum's Heavenly Will. After the Heavenly Martial Realm, your realm is higher, and coupled with stepping into the realm of Unity of Heaven and Man, you become more attuned to heaven and earth and nature. In the unseen, you will sense a willpower related to your martial soul, allowing you to touch upon will and step into the domain of will. Most people comprehend the deepest will, all related to their martial soul."
"Therefore, if a Heavenly Martial Realm expert steps into the Heavenly Martial Realm but cannot comprehend willpower, they are a waste of a Heavenly Martial cultivator, no match for others. But a Heavenly Martial cultivator with strong will can kill across levels."
The Venerable spoke slowly. Many people's gazes even fell on Lin Feng. Before entering the Heavenly Martial Realm, he had already stepped into the fifth level of Sword Dao Will, a terrifying talent, fought over by various major powers. Such geniuses were too rare.
"Lin Feng, why don't you let them personally experience what kind of mysterious realm your Sword Dao Will is?" The Venerable, seeing the crowd's gazes, smiled slightly at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng's eyes paused for a moment, then he smiled and returned the gesture: "Alright."
Turning around, Lin Feng looked at an ancient tree in the courtyard. Immediately, a terrifying Sword Dao Will erupted from his body. At that moment, the crowd felt as if tens of thousands of sword qi were rampaging, about to pierce through their bodies.
Accompanied by many faint chi chi sounds, the crowd was horrified to discover that the ancient tree was riddled with holes, all pierced by fine sword qi. Without moving, one could take a life with the power of will. That was the power of will. And now, Lin Feng was still only at the Mysterious Martial Realm. If he stepped into the Heavenly Martial Realm, the power of his will would be even greater.
"Not bad." The Venerable smiled and said, "This is the power of will. I can let you experience a little more, to feel what kind of power Essence is."
"Essence!" The crowd's pupils contracted. They actually had the opportunity to feel Essence. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the old man.
"The Essence I comprehend is the Essence of Wind. Wind has the meaning of unpredictability, elusive, invisible, and intangible. Watch carefully." As his words fell, the old man's seated body seemed to stand up. Another figure of the Venerable seemed to stand up, as if it were an illusory shadow.
Then, a wisp of wind brushed past. In the space, among the crowd, there were shadows of the Venerable everywhere, stopping in front of them, enveloping them all, just like the wind, in an instant, blowing into every corner.
Reaching out, they touched the shadows before them. They were empty, unable to touch anything, as if they were not solid.
But the next moment, another wisp of wind brushed past, and the crowd's bodies trembled violently, because they clearly felt the illusory shadow beside them touch them, for a brief instant.
"Real?" The crowd's eyes trembled as they looked at each other. They all saw the shock in each other's eyes. How could this be? Was that shadow illusory or real?
When they thought it was real, they couldn't touch it. When they thought it was illusory, it was so real.
"Essence, this is Essence!" The crowd's hearts stirred with no small amount of turmoil. This was just the tip of the iceberg of Essence, yet it made them feel incredible. The Venerable's divine abilities were still beyond their reach.
Before, they always thought they were powerful, but now, they realized that the broader their exposure, the more they understood how ignorant and incompetent they were. In front of true experts, they were like seekers who had just glimpsed the martial path, as if they knew nothing. And the old man before them was opening another world of martial arts for them.
"Stepping into the Heavenly Martial Realm, you will also gain an important ability: your soul power becomes stronger. You begin to touch and use your soul. Your martial soul can be fully condensed and exert greater power." Every word from the old man made the crowd's hearts pound. The Heavenly Martial Realm was indeed not something the Mysterious Martial Realm could compare to. It was an elevation of the Mysterious Martial Realm, rising to another height.
"I've heard that in powerful forces, the martial path has shortcuts. So, besides relying on diligence, talent, and willpower, are there other ways to improve one's cultivation realm in the Heavenly Martial Realm?"
Someone asked, and many pricked up their ears, listening intently. They naturally understood the meaning of this question. To put it simply, this person was asking: if I join the Divine Palace, will I have powerful cultivation resources that allow me to improve my cultivation realm faster than others?
The Venerable naturally understood the meaning of the question. He glanced at the person with a smile and replied, "Of course. No matter what realm you step into, you can always find powerful cultivation resources that match your cultivation realm. Heavenly Martial Realm experts can use Will Crystals to cultivate. Will Crystals themselves contain the power of will, allowing people to comprehend and improve their will. Of course, you need to obtain Will Crystals that match the will you comprehend. For example, if you comprehend Sword Dao Will, obtaining a Sword Dao Will Crystal can help you comprehend Sword Dao Will faster. If you obtain other Will Crystals, they will help you comprehend other aspects, but not as strongly."
"These Will Crystals must be very precious," someone said.
"Of course. Even in a force like the Divine Palace, Will Crystals are not abundant and are only given to the most trusted people. Of course, in that Emperor's palace world, there will certainly be many Will Crystals, and even Essence Crystals." The Venerable smiled at the crowd, making their hearts tremble.
The Emperor's palace world. The Emperor the Venerable spoke of was undoubtedly the peerless expert mentioned by the Northern Nether Palace Master.
Emperor. So above the Venerable was the Emperor, the Martial Emperor, the Martial Emperor!
In the Emperor's palace world, besides Will Crystals, there were also Essence Crystals.
"I'm sure Northern Nether has also told you that when you enter the Emperor's world, there is one item you must hand over. Everything else you can keep for yourselves. That one item is the Essence Crystal." The Venerable said with a smile. What the major powers truly needed were Essence Crystals. With Essence Crystals, they could enhance the strength of their top experts, and the sect's power would naturally become stronger.
As for other treasures, they didn't take them because they needed to give the entrants an incentive. Otherwise, who would be willing to take the risk and enter?
"Senior, I have another question. How are Will Crystals formed?" At this moment, Lin Feng also spoke up.
"Will Crystals can be innate Will Crystals, which are the most precious. There are also Will Crystals that are formed later. For example, a sharp sword with willpower, if placed in one place for a long time, may give birth to Sword Dao Will Crystals. Another example: a powerful martial artist, when they go into seclusion in one place to comprehend will, may also give birth to Will Crystals. The same goes for Essence Crystals."
"I understand." Lin Feng nodded.
The crowd's eyes flickered as they digested this knowledge.
"Does anyone else have any questions to ask?" The old man's gaze swept over the crowd. Everyone was silent, unable to think of anything to ask for the moment.
"Since there are none, we'll stop here for today. Everyone, go." The Venerable spoke lightly, but with a natural authority. Everyone stood up, bowed to the Venerable, and then left.