Chapter 284: Golden Light Sacred Eyes
In Luo Xinyao's view, throughout the entire Eastern Domain, there were countless geniuses more outstanding than Zhang Ruochen. Among them were even many heirs of sacred clans who sought to visit Senior Sister Luo, yet she rarely showed them any special favor.
How could a mere young martial artist from Demon Ridge, with his insights into martial arts, possibly compare to those distinguished heirs of sacred clans?
Just as Luo Xinyao was about to leave, a creaking sound came from behind her.
Zhang Ruochen walked out from inside and glanced at Luo Xinyao.
Luo Xinyao had been quite dismissive of Zhang Ruochen, but when his gaze fell upon her, an overwhelmingly powerful martial aura radiated from him, surging toward her like a violent storm.
"Boom!"
Luo Xinyao felt as if she had fallen into an ice cavern. Her skin prickled as if pierced by needles, and she stumbled back three steps before the pressure eased slightly.
She had been forced back by just a single look from him.
A look of fear appeared on Luo Xinyao's face. She thought Zhang Ruochen had overheard her earlier words and become angered. Immediately, she bowed to him and said in a trembling voice, "I... I am Senior Sister Luo's... attendant, Luo Xinyao. Greetings, Senior Brother Zhang."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Are you also a student of the Martial Market Academy?"
Luo Xinyao dared not show any disrespect. She shook her head and said, "I am a collateral member of the Luo Clan. The elders of my clan sent me to Demon Ridge to serve my senior sister and cultivate alongside her. Originally, I was just a maid, but my senior sister would not let me address myself as such and treats me like a junior sister."
Seeing the strange expression on Luo Xinyao's face, Zhang Ruochen suddenly realized that he had just broken through a realm and could not yet control the surging power within him, causing his aura to leak out.
Under this powerful aura, Luo Xinyao must have been under considerable pressure.
In truth, Zhang Ruochen had been distracted and had not heard what Luo Xinyao had said earlier.
Zhang Ruochen immediately released his Space Domain, contracting his aura within its range.
Instantly, the pressure on Luo Xinyao vanished. Sweat had soaked most of her clothes, as if she had just been pulled out of water. She let out a long sigh of relief, thinking to herself, It seems Senior Brother Zhang is also broad-minded and did not hold my earlier disrespect against him.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Lead the way."
Under Luo Xinyao's guidance, Zhang Ruochen soon arrived at Luo Shuihan's cultivation residence.
Luo Shuihan's residence was quite spacious, clearly indicating that she enjoyed the treatment of a student on the Earth Ranking.
Within the residence were flying eaves, carved pavilions, rockeries, and waterside pavilions. It included a wide training ground, a beast garden, a separate pavilion, and a medicinal garden planted with various exotic flowers and herbs. The environment was serene, and the spiritual energy was even richer than elsewhere.
Stepping into the residence felt like entering a celestial paradise.
From this, it was clear that Luo Shuihan was a woman who paid great attention to her living environment.
Luo Shuihan sat across from a jade stone table. She glanced at Zhang Ruochen from a distance and said, "Junior Brother, you have something on your mind."
Before Zhang Ruochen could sit down, he was slightly taken aback. He smiled and said, "Senior Sister Luo is indeed sharp-witted. Nothing escapes your notice."
Luo Shuihan gave a faint smile and said, "Given your current level of martial arts cultivation, there should not be many things that can trouble you."
Zhang Ruochen did not wish to reveal his troubles. Instead, he smiled and said, "Senior Sister, it seems you have already seen through my cultivation level?"
Luo Shuihan gently shook her head and said, "I have seen some things, but there is still much I cannot see through. Zhang Ruochen, earlier today at the Earth Ranking Testing Hall, you asked me if I possessed some kind of sacred eye or sacred body. I can tell you now..."
"If it is inconvenient for you, Senior Sister, there is no need to tell me."
Although Zhang Ruochen was curious, he had only asked casually at the time and was not particularly eager to know Luo Shuihan's secret.
A martial artist's secrets are their trump cards.
Luo Shuihan said, "It is not really a secret. Telling you is fine. You should know that as descendants of saints, we all carry a trace of sacred blood within us. If that sacred blood awakens, one can awaken special abilities, or even undergo sacred transformation of the body."
Zhang Ruochen said, "But the probability of sacred blood awakening is extremely low, and the chance of undergoing sacred transformation is even lower. Among a million descendants of saints, there may not be one who possesses a pair of sacred eyes."
"I am that one in a million. I awakened a pair of Golden Light Sacred Eyes," Luo Shuihan said.
As she spoke, golden threads appeared in Luo Shuihan's black pupils, eventually turning them entirely gold, emitting two piercing beams of golden light.
With the activation of her Golden Light Sacred Eyes, Luo Shuihan's aura surged dramatically. Her gaze was like two sharp swords, as if they could see through everything in the world.
Sitting beside her, Zhang Ruochen felt considerable pressure. He quickly mobilized the power of his Space Domain to resist Luo Shuihan's Golden Light Sacred Eyes.
With the barrier of the Space Domain, Zhang Ruochen remained very calm. He said, "If Senior Sister Luo were to use the power of her Golden Light Sacred Eyes, your ranking on the Earth Ranking would likely advance significantly."
Luo Shuihan dispersed the power of her Golden Light Sacred Eyes and said modestly, "Even if I used my Golden Light Sacred Eyes, I might not be your match. Zhang Ruochen, do you know why I invited you here today?"
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head and said, "I do not."
Luo Shuihan said, "The Golden Light Sacred Eyes are powerful, but compared to the Golden Light Sacred Body, they fall far short. If I could cultivate the Golden Light Sacred Body, I could go further on the path of martial arts."
Her gaze was very clear, and Zhang Ruochen could only see her longing for the martial path, with no other distractions.
The Golden Light Sacred Eyes referred to the sacred transformation of a pair of eyes, granting the user eyes like those of a saint.
The Golden Light Sacred Body referred to the sacred transformation of the entire body, making the flesh perfect and transcendent, ascending to sainthood.
The former only had a pair of sacred eyes; the latter had the entire body entering sainthood. The difference between the two was as vast as that between a tile and a palace.
Since ancient times, many martial artists who awakened sacred bodies had reached the level of Seven Absolute Geniuses, becoming invincible among their peers.
It could be said that a martial artist with a sacred body, if they did not die young, would surely cultivate to sainthood.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Can I help you cultivate the Golden Light Sacred Body?"
"I am only speculating and am not certain," Luo Shuihan said.
Luo Shuihan gently rolled up her sleeve and took out a Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram. With a flick of her finger, the diagram flew out and hovered in the void three meters above the ground.
It was the authentic Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram left by Luo Xu.
"Do you remember? I once told you that our ancestor left a martial art in the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram, but no one in the Luo Clan has ever comprehended it."
"According to the ancestor, when he was young, it was by chance that he comprehended that martial art, which allowed him to later cultivate to sainthood."
"However, even when he reached the Half-Saint realm, he could not transcribe that martial art. So, when he condensed the Sacred Intent Diagram, he left that martial art within it."
Luo Shuihan continued, "Back then, when the ancestor learned that I possessed the Golden Light Sacred Eyes, he gave me this Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram. He said that if I could comprehend that martial art, I might be able to cultivate the Golden Light Sacred Body."
"I see," Zhang Ruochen said.
"But what can I do to help?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Luo Shuihan said, "That time when we entered the scroll world of the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram, you told me that you saw a figure practicing fist techniques on the water's surface. I suspect that what you saw was the martial art left by the ancestor."
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "I did see a shadow at the time, but it was only for an instant, and then it disappeared. Perhaps I was seeing things."
Luo Shuihan stood up and walked to the spot beneath the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram. She said, "I am not holding out much hope, but as long as there is a glimmer of a chance, I must seize it. Isn't that right?"
Zhang Ruochen looked at Luo Shuihan, who stood beneath the Sacred Intent Diagram like a beautiful fairy, and his restless, anxious emotions gradually calmed down.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Alright! I will enter the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram again and do my utmost to comprehend the martial art left by Senior Luo Xu. I hope it can help you, Senior Sister."
Luo Shuihan turned her head and smiled radiantly.
That smile was like a spring breeze brushing his face. Zhang Ruochen felt an unprecedented tranquility, as if he had arrived in a paradise beyond the world, where he could forget all the troubles of past and present lives. Unaffected by any distractions, he could focus solely on cultivating martial arts.
The reason Zhang Ruochen decided to help Luo Shuihan was also to use this opportunity to resolve his inner demon.
Chi Yao was his inner demon.
"Let us go! We will enter the scroll world together!"
Luo Shuihan slowly closed her eyes and released her spiritual power. Her spiritual power condensed into a speck of light and flew into the Half-Saint Sacred Intent Diagram.
Zhang Ruochen also closed his eyes and began to enter a meditative state.
"Whoosh!"
Moments later, the two arrived once again in the scroll world. Beneath their feet were streams, small rivers, large rivers, and mighty waterways. The sound of flowing water was clear in their ears, sometimes gentle and calm, sometimes turbulent and surging.
Each stream represented a spiritual will of Luo Xu. Only by overcoming that spiritual will could one continue forward.
They walked side by side on the water's surface, heading toward the sea.
Zhang Ruochen's spiritual power was stronger than Luo Shuihan's, so he naturally went farther, directly reaching the surface of a broad river, almost at the edge of the sea.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the water. He did not deliberately cultivate his spiritual power but instead focused on comprehending that elusive martial art.
Yet, the more he tried to grasp it, the more he could not find any trace of it.
A whole day passed, and Zhang Ruochen made no progress.
The two withdrew from the scroll world. Luo Shuihan glanced at Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen gently shook his head and said, "Perhaps I really did see things last time."
Luo Shuihan said, "Junior Brother, do not take it to heart. It would be good to comprehend that martial art, but if you cannot, do not force it, lest it give rise to an inner demon."
Zhang Ruochen said, "You are right. The more you care, the easier it is to nurture an inner demon. But I still want to try again. Give me seven more days. If I truly cannot comprehend that martial art, I will give up then."
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