Taibai Golden Pupils

"Divine Abilities are methods unique to Golden Core cultivators. Compared to Law Techniques, their power is unquestionably far greater."

"The legendary Law Techniques everyone knows, like Heaven and Earth Manifestation, Earth-Traversing Golden Light, and Overturning Rivers and Seas, are actually all Divine Abilities..."

As Yang Haoyu explained at length, Yang Tianyou's understanding of Divine Abilities gradually deepened.

To put it plainly, Divine Abilities were the evolved form of Law Techniques after the Golden Core stage. What distinguished them from Law Techniques was the Divine Sense that only Golden Core cultivators could cultivate.

Divine Sense was unlike the Spiritual Awareness of Foundation Establishment cultivators. The latter was merely an outward projection of mental strength, while the former was a wondrous ability derived from the growth of a person's soul. Both its power and profundity far surpassed Spiritual Awareness.

The formation and activation of Divine Abilities required this power. Without it, they could only be considered ordinary Law Techniques, not Divine Abilities.

The power formed when Yang Tianyou's Golden Eyes underwent Bloodline Metamorphosis the previous night was the embryonic form of a Divine Ability.

Although it was still far from a complete Divine Ability, it was like a seed: the foundation was already there, and all that remained was to water and nurture it step by step. Once he broke through to the Golden Core stage, the Divine Ability would naturally take shape when the time was ripe.

Moreover, as the Divine Ability Prototype, Yang Tianyou's eyes were naturally immensely powerful. Once he broke through to Foundation Establishment and formed his Spiritual Awareness, he could rely on this Divine Ability Prototype alone to contend with someone at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, and even defeat them in battle.

Such was the power of a Divine Ability. Even its embryonic form possessed strength beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

"So I need to break through to Foundation Establishment before I can use this Divine Ability Prototype?"

Yang Tianyou's mouth twitched slightly, leaving him somewhat helpless. He had thought he was about to soar into the heavens, only for his cultivation to stand in the way.

Sure enough, no matter how powerful a method was, it took an equally powerful person to use it. A child swinging a sledgehammer would not only fail to increase his fighting strength, but would even hold him back.

"Hehe, don't be disappointed. Although you can't use this Divine Ability Prototype, you can still use some of your Golden Eyes' original abilities. And from what I've observed, tempering them with the Power of the Stars has improved those abilities considerably."

Seeing the helpless look on the youth's face, Yang Haoyu explained with a smile.

Hearing the Old Ancestor's words, Yang Tianyou immediately circulated the spiritual power in his body and activated his Golden Eyes.

Perhaps they could no longer be called golden pupils. As Yang Tianyou activated them, their brilliant gold gradually took on a halo of starlight. The silver-white of the stars blended with the golden hue, and a pair of brand-new platinum eyes slowly opened.

Yang Tianyou looked up. The table and walls before him were stripped away one by one, becoming indistinct and ethereal as though something had erased them. At last, they turned transparent and could no longer obstruct his sight.

"This is... X-ray vision?"

His heart stirred, and Yang Tianyou was delighted. This ability could be of great use in searching for treasures.

Moreover, after Yang Tianyou continued experimenting, he found that his new Spirit Eye had more than just this one ability.

Besides X-ray vision, the Spirit Eye also possessed a microscopic ability.

This so-called microscopic ability was actually a magnification of his field of vision. His Golden Eyes had possessed it before, and it was of great use in making talismans.

Besides these two auxiliary abilities, the Spirit Eye had also developed an offensive method through Bloodline Metamorphosis.

Outside the bamboo house, Yang Tianyou activated his Spirit Eye, sending two beams of chilling golden light shooting out. They pierced unstoppably through a large bluestone ahead and continued through it, leaving two pitch-black holes in the ground.

Such destructive power was already comparable to a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator using a Law Technique at the Great Achievement level. It could definitely become another of Yang Tianyou's major trump cards.

Rubbing his sore eyes, Yang Tianyou pondered for a moment, then murmured to himself, "These spiritual pupils have undergone Bloodline Metamorphosis, so their old name no longer suits them. From now on, I'll call you the Great White Gold Eyes!"

"Great White Gold Eyes, a fine name. Great White belongs to Geng Metal and corresponds to a star in the heavens. It fits your Golden Eyes perfectly. A fine name!"

Behind him, Yang Haoyu gave a soft laugh and praised the name.

"All right, I've told you everything I needed to. The magic duel is in one month. You'll represent the Yang Household's Middle Qi Refinement cultivators. Remember, don't tarnish the Yang Household's illustrious name!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, Yang Haoyu strolled into the bamboo house, and the door gently closed behind him.

Yang Tianyou bowed and said respectfully, "Your grandson will surely defeat the Liu and Zhuang families' disciples and spread the fame of the Yang Household!"

With that, he took out the Twin Blades and flew away through the air.

When word spread that they would be dueling the Qi Refining cultivators of the Liu and Zhuang families, the Yang Household's disciples erupted in an uproar. They soon began preparing in earnest, especially the family members at the Early Qi Refining and late stages of Qi Refining.

Yang Tianyou had already claimed the Middle Qi Refinement spot. The Old Ancestor had personally decided it, so naturally they could do nothing about it. That left only two spots for them to compete over.

These two spots concerned not only reputation, but also tangible benefits.

After all, the family had made it clear that if they won, that ten-percent share of the mine would go directly to the family disciples who fought.

That was the enormous sum of five thousand Spirit Stones. Even divided equally among three people, each would receive around seventeen hundred Spirit Stones. If nothing else, that was definitely enough to cultivate to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refinement.

Profit stirred people's hearts. Once the announcement was made, many family disciples training away from home could no longer sit still and hurried back to the family.

Naturally, Yang Tianyou received his share of challenges as well.

Although the Old Ancestor had personally appointed him, meaning no one could hope to take his spot, there were surely plenty who remained unconvinced.

For that reason, over twenty days, Yang Tianyou fought seven or eight matches with family members who came to spar. He won every one of them, thoroughly establishing his position among the Yang Household's Middle Qi Refinement disciples.

From then on, Yang Tianyou was also counted among the family's geniuses, and his fame soared.

Another eight days passed. In the spirit medicine garden, beside a rice field, Yang Tianyou was practicing a Law Technique.

Golden light flashed in every direction, and sharp Blade Qi clung closely around a three-foot-long, hiltless flying blade. As the blade danced up and down, its piercing whistles through the air rang out without pause.

Swish!

The blade's light flashed, and the refined iron pillar standing a hundred feet before him snapped in two.

The smooth cut was like a polished mirror, showing just how sharp the flying blade was.

Yang Tianyou reached out with his right hand and retrieved his newly acquired First-Tier Superior-Grade Law Artifact, the Sky-Piercing Blade.

"The Blade-Controlling Technique has finally reached Great Achievement. Now I'm no longer lacking a means of attacking at range."

Reaching Great Achievement in the Law Technique made Yang Tianyou extremely happy. After all, under normal circumstances, it was a method only Late Qi Refinement cultivators could master. He had already brought a Law Technique to Great Achievement at the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer; word of it would earn him a flood of praise.

Of course, with his reserved and composed nature, he would not go around publicizing it himself.

Whoosh!

Spiritual light flashed as a Communication Talisman flew over. Yang Tianyou reached out and caught it, then pressed it to the center of his brow.

A moment later, a glint flickered in his eyes. "Is it finally about to begin?"