Host, Host, are you all right?!
Oh no, don't die on me!
What Ling Tianwei considered "enlightenment" had, in the system's eyes, already become an immersion in Corrupting Grudge Qi. His Spiritual Platform had been tainted, and the next possible outcome was the shattering of his Divine Soul.
Seeing this, the system hesitated before making a decision. Because of its two previous hosts, it did not have much energy left. At most, it could help Ling Tianwei condense a Heavenly Spirit Root.
If it used that energy, it would probably have to slumber for a very long time.
Yet faced with Ling Tianwei's near-death state, the system still decided to use it.
At the same time, it scanned Ling Tianwei several times.
The moment it scanned him, the system froze, staring blankly at Ling Tianwei's condition.
What the hell? This was Dao Intent.
How had he done it?
That was right. At this moment, Ling Tianwei had not only failed to completely dissolve within the Corrupting Grudge Qi.
As the Corrupting Grudge Qi tortured him, coupled with Ling Tianwei's "enlightenment," he had truly managed to comprehend something.
At this moment, he was comprehending Dao Intent according to the methods for comprehending Dao Intent within the Five Intentions Condensing Heaven Art.
Very soon, a certain intent rose from his body: dense Grudge Intent, mingled with the thoughts of death from the hundred thousand resentful souls.
As the two combined, Ling Tianwei's entire body gained an air of Death Intent, along with Grudge Intent.
That was right. Under this unprovoked torment, Ling Tianwei had absorbed and comprehended two kinds of Dao Intent from those sensations.
"Grudge. Death."
As for why he had formed these two strange Dao Intents, Ling Tianwei himself had not expected it to be these two.
But on reflection, it was only natural. After all, this "enlightenment" of his had come from sensing the concentrated resentment and Death Qi between heaven and earth.
Perhaps it was because the consciousness of Sentient Beings in this age was too despairing and sorrowful.
Ling Tianwei had experienced it all firsthand. Even if he was thick-skinned, he had personally felt it and understood that sensation.
The despair of dying, mournful resentment, bitter anguish...
Accompanied by those sensations, Ling Tianwei sat in silent meditation.
Death Dao Intent and Grudge Dao Intent—two Dao Intents Ling Tianwei had comprehended through countless experiences and sensations—continually emerged.
What was death? Extinction, the end of life, the laws of the world, the intent of all things in the world reaching their end.
Under the gathering of a hundred thousand resentments, Ling Tianwei had also glimpsed the meaning of death.
Endless reincarnation sank into death, the intent of all things ending, the moment of all destruction.
Along with such imaginings, Ling Tianwei had already comprehended a faint trace of Dao Intent.
He could feel his spiritual energy becoming tinged with a thin layer of Death Intent—desolate, withered, decayed...
If he unleashed it, it could sever and affect another's vitality.
It had to be said that after such a transformation, spells condensed from Death Intent possessed immense power. At the very least, once one was tainted by it, it would be difficult to shake off.
Then came grudge—the other layer of Dao Intent Ling Tianwei had comprehended. Unlike Death Intent, Grudge Dao Intent did not come from the laws of heaven and earth.
Grudge came from human emotions, born from human feelings and sentiments. It belonged to the myriad flavors of life.
Grudge Dao Intent could shake others' thoughts and emotions. The power of extreme grudge could pollute everything, altering and affecting people's emotions.
Though these two Dao Intents had formed, Ling Tianwei knew he had merely touched the tip of the iceberg. To fully wield the supreme power of Dao Intent, he still needed to raise his strength and deepen his comprehension further.
"It's done."
Ling Tianwei let out a long breath. The various Corrupting Grudge Qi that had originally surrounded him seemed to sense something terrifying and began to scatter.
At the same time, Ling Tianwei opened his eyes. Within them seemed to dwell an air of withering decay, as though they had endured countless vicissitudes.
That sensation quickly faded, while a layer of decline began to linger around Ling Tianwei.
At this moment, the Corrupting Grudge Qi could no longer affect Ling Tianwei in the slightest. He could even draw it in and absorb it.
And this was the true power of Dao Intent. Any substance or thought that existed in the world was bound to possess the traces of the laws governing its existence.
To comprehend Dao Intent was to control those laws and their traces.
Now that Ling Tianwei had comprehended this level, he could already grasp a faint trace of those laws and rules.
However, Ling Tianwei still needed a deeper understanding of Death Intent and Grudge Intent before he could unleash greater power. But the most basic properties of this Corrupting Grudge Qi truly had little effect on him now.
When the Book Spirit saw Ling Tianwei open his eyes, with Death Intent radiating from his body and dense Resentment Force making him resemble an evil ghost crawling out of hell—
"It's over, he's become an Evil Demon!"
Seeing this scene, the Book Spirit snapped its pages shut and cried out.
Having just comprehended Dao Intent, Ling Tianwei had not expected to hear the Book Spirit shouting the moment he opened his eyes. He frowned slightly.
"Shut up. I comprehended Death Dao Intent. You dare call me an Evil Demon? You really have eyes but fail to see Mount Tai."
Ling Tianwei naturally knew the state of Death Intent and Grudge Intent. Even so, he gave the Book Spirit a fierce scolding.
After being berated, the Book Spirit finally dared to peek out slightly.
It discovered that Ling Tianwei's face bore a trace of anger. He did not look like someone affected by Corrupting Grudge Qi at all; he was still as arrogant and self-important as ever.
Instead, the Corrupting Grudge Qi around them seemed to have sensed something and had already vanished completely.
"Death Intent and Grudge Intent?"
The Book Spirit asked in disbelief.
"Of course."
Ling Tianwei did not waste words. He directly unleashed the Death Intent and Grudge Intent he had comprehended all at once.
An aura of all things ending, paired with the power of extreme grudge, caused even the air to wither. Some objects within the cave abode were tinged by those two Dao Intents and began to decay and crumble into destruction.
Seeing this scene, the Book Spirit was utterly dumbfounded.
It sensed it in disbelief. As an immortal art created by the Heavenly Origin Immortal Venerable, and one that condensed heaven through Dao Intent, no one understood Dao Intent better than the Book Spirit.
At this moment, the Book Spirit was incomparably certain that what was surging from Ling Tianwei's body was Dao Intent.
Although these two Dao Intents were somewhat weak, that was only because Ling Tianwei's comprehension was not deep enough. Death and grudge were rather strange intents, but they were genuine Dao Intents!
A single Dao Intent could greatly enhance a cultivator's spellcasting, yet Ling Tianwei had merely closed his eyes and then opened them again, already having comprehended Dao Intent.
"That's impossible."
Even now, the Book Spirit did not dare believe it.
"Nothing is impossible. I have a Heavenly Spirit Root and peerless comprehension. Comprehending Dao Intent is as easy as turning my hand over."
Ling Tianwei had also come to understand just how blind the Book Spirit was.
After interacting with Ling Tianwei, the Book Spirit had also learned what sort of person he was: a fellow utterly lacking in self-awareness.
Yet he had completed Foundation Establishment in a Hundred Days with a Pseudo-Spirit Root, and had even comprehended Dao Intent.
"Is this still a Pseudo-Spirit Root? Could there be something wrong with me?"
The Book Spirit desperately wanted to know the reason. Unable to figure it out, it could only blame itself.
Meanwhile, the system within Ling Tianwei's mind watched his latest performance and had already gone numb. It turned to look at the Book Spirit, seeing it shocked by Ling Tianwei's circumstances to the point of doubting itself.
The system only wanted to say: I understand how you feel.
This was only the beginning.
The system could not help recalling Ling Tianwei's previous reckless method of cultivation. At that time, he had not possessed the Sacrificial Dao Undying Body, yet he had somehow stumbled into comprehending it.
Now he had even used this opportunity to comprehend Dao Intent. It made the system seem somewhat too useless, yet this host happened to be exceptionally reckless.
The system thought so honestly.
"Now that Dao Intent has formed, the Three Thousand Condensing Heaven Intent can be considered beginner-level."
"The final step is to merge it into my spiritual power. Only then can cultivation become faster."
Ling Tianwei could not be bothered with what the Book Spirit was thinking. Now that his Dao Intent had formed, he still had to continue cultivating.
The Three Thousand Condensing Heaven Intent was a cultivation art, an immortal art for cultivation, much like internal energy techniques in martial arts.
What he lacked now were spells and methods. Having strength but no techniques or moves—wouldn't that make him useless?
Thus, Ling Tianwei took out the Compendium of Spell Arts from the storage ring Bai Muxu had given him.
It had to be said that geniuses truly received different treatment, completely unlike what was written in novels.
In novels, those protagonists clearly possessed exceptional talent and ability, yet if they wanted powerful spells and Divine Abilities, they still had to complete missions for contribution points, then exchange them for those spells and Divine Abilities to comprehend on their own.
But reality? Those holy lands and sects would never waste the time of genius disciples by making them earn contribution points.
They directly gave them cultivation methods and Divine Abilities, along with ample resources. How much they could comprehend was up to them.
The rest was left to the disciples' comprehension, talent, and aptitude.
Of course, this only applied to disciples of exceptional talent and intelligence. The others were little more than consumable materials.
The so-called contribution points were merely a way to establish rules and give them a sliver of possibility to earn things themselves. In enormous sects and holy lands, the resources of elders and genius disciples came from these consumable materials.
None of that concerned Ling Tianwei. What he needed to do now was cultivate, then ascend and become immortal, achieving eternal life.
Opening the Compendium of Spell Arts, he found it similar to the Five Intentions Condensing Heaven Art. Though it was a single book, the cultivation methods and spells within were as numerous as mountains piled upon mountains.
Ling Tianwei knew he could not practice them all. He had to choose what suited him.
According to Bai Muxu, he would eventually have to create his own spells and Divine Abilities. Those would be the truly unrestricted methods.
The contents of this Compendium of Spell Arts could at most serve as references.