Martial Arts Pavilion.
When Lin Xiao pushed open the massive door crafted from millennium-old agarwood, its ancient aura enveloping him, all the noise and splendor of the outside world seemed to be shut away behind him.
Beyond the door was not a hall or tower as he had imagined, but an endless, profound starry sky.
Countless brilliant spheres of light floated quietly through that dark expanse like stars suspended in the cosmos. They varied in size and radiance. Some blazed like scorching suns, exuding an unrivaled domineering aura; some were cold and clear as the bright moon, revealing sharp Sword Intent; others were heavy as the earth, filled with an indestructible will to protect.
Every "star" was a Martial Dao Imprint.
Every imprint represented the spiritual mark left behind by a peerless senior powerhouse in Cloud Creek Academy's history, at the most glorious moment of their life, when their comprehension of Martial Dao had been at its deepest.
This was Cloud Creek Academy's true foundation.
Lin Xiao stood at the entrance and drew a deep breath. An indescribable Dao Charm permeated the air. Simply standing within it made his mind clearer than ever before, while the countless mixed fragments of Martial Skill knowledge in his head began sorting and categorizing themselves.
He knew that this was an unprecedented, heaven-sent opportunity for him.
He did not rush to touch those imprints with the brightest light and strongest auras. He knew that the greatest taboo on the path of Martial Dao was aiming too high. What suited him was what suited him best.
He closed his eyes, emptied his mind, and slowly released his powerful spiritual force—having undergone several transformations, it far surpassed that of cultivators at the same level. Like an invisible net, it cautiously spread through the starry sky.
His spiritual force first touched an imprint closest to him, one that radiated crimson light.
Boom!
A violent, domineering Spear Intent, as though it would burn the eight wildernesses to ash, instantly charged into his sea of consciousness!
A scene appeared in his mind: a burly war general wielding a flaming spear, charging freely through an army of thousands. With one thrust, heaven and earth collapsed and all things turned to ash. It was a Path of the Overlord that charged ever forward, preferring jade to shatter rather than tile to remain whole!
"What terrifying Spear Intent..."
Lin Xiao's mind shook violently, and he hurriedly withdrew his spiritual force. He could feel the limitless Martial Dao power contained within that imprint, but it did not align with his true heart. He was not an overlord. He was more like a hunter lurking in the shadows.
He continued exploring.
Soon, another imprint caught his attention. It emitted azure light and moved with the nimbleness of the wind.
He sent his spiritual force into it.
Whoosh!
This time, he felt extreme speed and extreme sharpness!
In the scene, a swordsman in white danced alone beneath the moon. His sword was so fast that it left no shadow, so graceful that it left no trace. One strike, and fallen leaves fell soundlessly; one strike, and men died without form. It was the Path of the Assassin, pursuing ultimate speed and technique.
"Too ethereal. It doesn't suit me."
Lin Xiao shook his head again. His fighting style emphasized a single fatal blow, the perfect union of strength and timing, rather than simply pursuing speed.
Next, he came into contact with dozens more imprints. There was the Shield Dao, heavy as mountains; the strange and unpredictable Poison Dao; the open and upright Fist Dao... Every imprint opened the door to a new world for him, deepening his understanding of Martial Dao.
Yet he still had not found the Dao that could resonate with his soul.
What was his Dao?
Lin Xiao stopped exploring and fell into thought.
He recalled everything he had experienced since crossing over: the life-and-death brink in Qingyang City, the blood-soaked battles in the wilderness; the clever retreat from vicious bandits at Black Wind Pass, and snatching prey from a tiger's jaws in the Myriad Beast Mountain Range...
He had not come this far through invincible strength, nor through peerless talent. He had relied on the system's precise analysis, the courage to place himself in death before seeking life, the perseverance to never give up, and the wisdom to seek that sliver of survival amid desperate circumstances!
His Dao was endurance, concealment, finding flaws within adversity and creating possibility from impossibility! It was defeating the strong with weakness, advancing against the current!
Having understood this, Lin Xiao's eyes instantly became incomparably clear.
He no longer paid attention to those imprints blazing with boundless light. Instead, he sent his spiritual force into the deepest reaches of this starry sky, searching for the "stars" forgotten in the corners, dim and even utterly unremarkable.
At last, in a remote corner, he found it.
It was a gray sphere of light no larger than a fist, faintly glowing as though it might go out at any moment.
It possessed no powerful aura, no astonishing phenomenon. It simply floated there quietly, like an abandoned stubborn stone.
Yet within that weak light, Lin Xiao sensed an aura that shared the same origin as his soul.
It was a kind of... unyieldingness!
It was an unyielding will that, even if trampled into the dust, would still let out a silent roar toward the heavens!
Without the slightest hesitation, he poured all of his spiritual force into that gray imprint!
Buzz—
His mind instantly went blank.
It was as though he had crossed the boundaries of time and space, arriving in an ancient era and possessing the body of an equally ordinary youth.
He saw that youth's entire life.
His talent was mediocre, his origins humble, and he had endured countless cold stares and acts of bullying. He had no fortuitous encounters, no divine techniques—only the most basic body-tempering cultivation method. Yet he had never given up.
While others enjoyed resources, he sweated like rain in the gravity chamber, challenging his limits; while others sparred in Martial Skills, he fought demonic beasts upon the Life and Death Stage, tempering himself; while others mocked him for indulging in wishful thinking, he silently turned every injury and humiliation into the force that drove him forward.
His entire life had been a battle.
He battled enemies stronger than himself, battled an unfair fate, and battled his own mediocre talent!
He had lost countless times. His arms and legs had been broken, his dignity crushed beneath others' feet, and he had even lingered on the brink of death several times.
Yet he had never fallen for good!
Every time he fell, he rose again in an even stronger form! He could always find his enemy's smallest flaw, always launch the deadliest counterattack at the most impossible moment!
In the end, during a great battle that would decide his sect's fate, he faced the final BOSS—whose realm far surpassed his own—with a body gravely wounded and near death, at the very moment when everyone had fallen into despair.
The scene froze at the instant he burned every last shred of his life force and thrust out that ordinary yet brilliant final sword!
That sword had no name.
Yet it contained an unyielding will, a belief in striking upward against the odds, and the resolve to seek life through death!
[System Notification: An unknown True Meaning of Martial Dao has been detected. Soul compatibility with host: 100%! Beginning analysis...] [System Notification: Analysis complete! Congratulations, host, for comprehending 'Unbending True Meaning' (Initial Glimpse)!] [True Meaning Effect: When the host is in adversity (health below 30% or facing an enemy of a higher realm), all attributes increase by 10%, and insight into enemy weaknesses increases by 50%! The firmer the will, the stronger the effect!]
Boom!
When Lin Xiao regained consciousness, he was still standing within that starry sky.
But his entire aura had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
His realm had not improved in the slightest. Yet his eyes had become as deep and dangerous as an abyss. If he had once been a sharp blade hidden within its sheath, then now, he was the blade itself!
That gray imprint had already transformed into specks of light and merged into his sea of consciousness.
He bowed deeply toward the empty void.
He did not know that senior's name, but he had inherited that senior's Dao.
When Lin Xiao pushed open the doors of the Martial Arts Pavilion and stepped back into the sunlight, Shi Lei and Su Yue, who had been waiting outside, both froze.
They felt that the Lin Xiao before them seemed somewhat different from before he entered.
They could not say exactly what was different. Yet that feeling still caused an inexplicable chill in both their hearts.
"Lin Xiao... are you all right? You stayed in there for an entire day!" Su Yue asked worriedly.
Lin Xiao looked at his companions, and a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"I'm fine."
"I merely... found my own path."
His voice was calm, yet filled with strength.
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