Blood City

Song Shige took it and opened it. As he immersed himself in it, the magnificent Martial Dao phenomenon reappeared, and his unique "charm" also emerged, even more clearly than before.

Su Luo's Divine Power Spread out without reservation, like an invisible net, precisely sensing and controlling all the energy flows around her.

He carefully observed, calculated, and compared, and a key discovery gradually became clear: during this long process, Song Shige's absorption and consumption of Mana in the surrounding environment did not show any abnormal increase.

This means that the energy promoting the growth and strengthening of his [Martial Will] does not originate from externally absorbed Mana, but may be some kind of... power that Su Luo has not yet observed.

A dozen minutes later, Song Shige slowly put down the scroll. The instant his mind left the scroll, Su Luo precisely detected a familiar yet long-lost energy fluctuation—

It's Vital Energy!

Su Luo still has some left in her System Space.

"The first time I tried holding this scroll, I successfully awakened [Martial Will]," Song Shige said, while simultaneously bringing up the System Panel and sending a screenshot to Su Luo. "Look, a new entry has appeared on the System Panel, right below the Mana bar."

Su Luo's gaze swept over the screenshot:

[Martial Will:?]

"Question mark?" He frowned slightly, finishing the remaining tea in his cup in one gulp. "Is it that the system can't recognize this ability? Or is it that the systems of the two Survival Worlds are incompatible?"

I'm more inclined to believe it's incompatible.

Song Shige shook his head, sat down, and gently placed the "Vast Sea Scroll" on the table. "This display appeared the first time I used it. As my Martial Will has grown stronger, it hasn't changed. And for those of you who haven't bound the scroll, this section won't even appear on your panel."

"In my view, the appearance of this [Martial Will:?] is Essence a symbol bound to the 'Vast Sea Scroll.' The fundamental reason why you cannot utilize it lies in this."

"One reason might be the lack of Vital Energy, after all, their Martial Dao system is based on this..." Su Luo shared her observations.

"I see. No wonder my comprehension was so slow when relying on my own memories, but I progressed so quickly using the scrolls." Song Shige suddenly realized.

"Please explain the specific effects of [Martial Will] in detail?"

Su Luo showed great interest in this. The power of other worlds was worth studying in depth, especially since the Caoyuanshi had subtly mentioned its importance.

The entry requirements are quite high; only Survivors with a foundation in Martial Dao —in the Land of Darkness, this would be equivalent to professionals—are qualified to possess [Martial Will].

"The effects are numerous, bringing several significant benefits right after the awakening." Song Shige was clearly prepared, as he pulled out a stack of papers filled with test records.

"First, there's mental resistance, greatly enhancing resistance to mental attacks, Illusion Arts, fear effects, and will- Corrosion abilities; second, there's willpower enhancement, imbuing one's energy attacks with unique willpower characteristics, making them more penetrating and destructive; and third, there's skill bonuses, significantly increasing the effectiveness, range, and power of skills that align with one's willpower characteristics..."

He paused, then continued, "These are things that are easier to perceive directly. I've also discovered... that Martial Will will subtly tempers the soul and body. I speculate that if the strength of Martial Will is high enough, it might, in turn, drive the improvement of basic Attributes. Of course, I'm far from reaching that level yet."

"In addition, there are some deeper applications, but I have only recently awakened, and my willpower is not strong enough to use them freely for the time being."

Song Shige's tone carried a hint of longing. "For example, I can now launch a special kind of will attack. Opponents without Martial Will or with a will strength lower than mine will be naturally weakened when facing me. If this ability is further developed, it should be able to form a unique 'domain'. Going further up, perhaps there are even more mysterious methods such as 'will manifestation'."

"How did you know?" Su Luo, who had been staring blankly at the image for a long time, was now genuinely surprised.

"Um... I can't quite put my finger on it, it's more like... a feeling? A kind of unseen guidance, as if this is how the path of Martial Dao should be."

Su Luo Song Shige a deep look.

"Perhaps placing you in the Mana system is a waste of your talents; you should be particularly suited to Martial Dao."

After speaking, he looked down at the stack of papers that Song Shige had pushed towards him. The following were clearly listed on them:

All Attributes are enhanced by 10%.

The body's internal energy and even Mana are more active, providing additional penetration against armor/defense skills.

Resistance to Mental Corrosion effects is greatly increased.

...]

"This is?"

"Just tested it, this is the bonus my [Martial Will] currently provides under normal conditions." Song Shige shrugged.

"Therefore, the Martial Will is indeed a very powerful system of power; I even suspect it possesses some idealistic characteristics."

Su Luo nodded slowly, her mind racing. "I speculate that in the Survival World of the Martial Dao system, one of the core components of a 'Xiantian' powerhouse is this [Martial Will]. It is very likely on par with what we call 'characteristic' qualifications in our world."

Equivalent to "characteristics", its importance is easy to understand.

Currently, it seems that the "Special Attribute" qualification is related to the right to use Purple Skills and the breakthrough of the 20-point Attribute limit.

So, does the "Xiantian" aspect of the Martial Dao system refer to reaching a certain stage in one's [Martial Will] and achieving a breakthrough to its extreme value?

"Highly likely," Song Shige agreed. "Caoyuanshi also mentioned to me that Xiantian experts can 'change the world with a single thought,' and this 'thought' most likely refers to some level of [Martial Will]."

"I need to take it back and study it carefully. Quick, show me the Purple Skill."

Song Shige gripped his Zhanmadao tightly. "It's fine, but this place isn't suitable. We need to find a sufficiently open space."

Su Luo immediately realized. "A ranged area-of-effect skill?"

"Not quite, but the scope of the impact is indeed quite large," Song Shige confirmed.

The two immediately set off. After consulting the map, they concluded that it would be difficult to find a completely undisturbed testing location within the area, which would affect the Sanctuary of other Survivors. Ultimately, they decided to head outside the area.

A Meteorite wreathed in Black Flames fell from the sky, precisely striking a level 6 Boss Monster at the edge of the area and embedding it into the ground, rendering it immobile.

Su Luo and Song Shige left Zone 76 without any hindrance, while the Observer lay there Jingjing like an incompetent husband.

"My Purple Skill is called [Blood City]. But rather than calling it a skill, I feel it's more like a special ability that can be upgraded."