For cultivators of Venerable Sword Saint's caliber, increasing their strength was crucial. Even a small improvement gave them a better chance of breaking free from the Lord of the Universe's control, and for cultivators like them, that mattered far more than killing Ling Tian. What was more, mastering Ling Tian's ability to influence and even control the Circulatory Universe would greatly increase Venerable Sword Saint's strength.
Having realized this, Venerable Sword Saint immediately gave up on killing Ling Tian and instead tried to capture him. Once he had Ling Tian in his hands, he could search his soul and obtain the secret art. At the same time, he observed Ling Tian, hoping to learn how he had gained such an ability. If he could master it simply by watching Ling Tian, then there would be no need to capture him after all. Capturing Ling Tian was far more difficult than killing him.
Venerable Sword Saint's countless years of life had clearly not been for nothing. He immediately sensed what power Ling Tian was using to influence and control the Circulatory Universe: Intent Power. He also realized that Ling Tian's Intent Power was far stronger than his own, which was extraordinary in itself.
After all, Venerable Sword Saint had lived far longer than Ling Tian, and he had possessed the Enlightenment Sacred Tree for a long time. He had always considered himself far more adept than Ling Tian at wielding all kinds of energy, yet Ling Tian's Intent Power was even stronger than his. Naturally, this left him astonished.
"But cultivating Intent Power isn't easy. In fact, cultivators can't control the growth of this power at all. How did that kid Ling Tian manage it?" Venerable Sword Saint murmured. Then his tone changed. "Could Ling Tian have had some extraordinary encounter?