Heart Illuminated

With his eyes closed, the entire world was darkness, yet Kamiya Keiyun had not lost his sense of direction.

What he wanted to strengthen was his perception of nitrogen, but what took effect first was Listen to Sound, Perceive Reason.

His staff struck the ground, sending ripples of sound waves outward before they traveled back into Kamiya Keiyun's ears.

His brain swiftly integrated and analyzed the information carried by those sound waves. Then, Kamiya Keiyun felt a dark yet clearly outlined world slowly unfolding within his mind!

Though his eyes remained closed, Kamiya Keiyun felt as if he possessed another pair of eyes. The world was still blurry for now, but that blur was gradually fading!

After nearly two hours, Kamiya Keiyun had already traveled far beyond the town. The hazy sensation became even clearer, and he felt as though the surrounding world had been reflected directly into his heart!

"This definitely isn't something Listen to Sound, Perceive Reason can accomplish. Ears can only catch a rough impression—how could they possibly simulate the entire surrounding environment?" Kamiya Keiyun shook his head. This familiar sensation felt more like his perception was evolving.

He was certain that his senses had not been this strong before. This change had probably begun with the Pure Tranquil White Lotus Sutra.

At some point, Kamiya Keiyun had become able to clearly notice other people's gazes, sense the movement of the air around him, and detect when someone was secretly watching him!

And now, that perception had finally been strengthened even further. Even with his eyes closed, he could sense everything within a three-meter radius!

"Could this be... Spiritual Sense?" Kamiya Keiyun was somewhat uncertain, because this feeling really did resemble Spiritual Sense.

Immortal Cultivators all possessed Spiritual Sense. Most novels never specified when it first appeared, but cultivators in the Qi Refinement stage generally ought to have it. Otherwise, how would they read jade slips or use storage bags?

"So I really developed Spiritual Sense?" Kamiya Keiyun was briefly thrilled, glad that he had decided to leave home.

As expected, reading ten thousand books was no substitute for traveling ten thousand miles. He had made very little progress with Wind God Leg and Listen to Sound, Perceive Reason while staying home for so long, yet less than a morning after setting out, he had created Catching Wind and Shadow, made enormous progress in Listen to Sound, Perceive Reason, and now awakened Spiritual Sense!

His combat power, speed, and perception had all advanced by leaps and bounds!

"With Spiritual Sense, I can use it to track Hatake Sakumo's movements. Maybe I'll be able to react this time! Hmm, once I get back, I can challenge him again!" Kamiya Keiyun clenched his fist. This time, he definitely would not lose so miserably!

His goal was to sense nitrogen; awakening Spiritual Sense had been an unexpected delight. Thus, he continued searching with his Spiritual Sense while keeping his eyes closed.

He just did not understand why sensing soil had come so easily back then. He had barely made an effort, and it had practically succeeded on the first try. Yet now that he was trying to sense nitrogen, several hours had passed without the slightest progress!

"No rush, no rush. Soil and nitrogen are completely different. After all, soil can be seen and touched, while nitrogen is something that can only be seen through an electron microscope. It's normal for this to be difficult!" Kamiya Keiyun calmed himself and continued. Then—hmm?

His ears twitched slightly. Kamiya Keiyun raised his head and heard the sound of hoofbeats in the distance!

"Someone's riding horses, and they're approaching me?" Kamiya Keiyun did not pay it much mind. He was traveling along the main road, so people passing by was perfectly normal.

It was a group of seven riders, all men. They seemed to come from humble backgrounds, and their mouths were full of filthy language.

Kamiya Keiyun also sensed two weaker breaths, as though they belonged to children.

"That woman last night was really something, especially those huge tits—"

"Exactly! You should've let us have some fun too. Why'd you kill her after you were done?"

"I couldn't help it. She woke up halfway through, tried to bite me, so I had to do it."

"Still, we made a pretty good haul from her house. Two kids—this time, we can make a nice profit!"

"Hm?" The more Kamiya Keiyun listened, the more wrong it sounded. What was this conversation supposed to mean?

Murder, rape, child trafficking?

Just as he was about to stop and ask, the riders spoke again.

"Hey, there's a little brat up ahead. He's all alone!"

"Looks like he's blind."

"Doesn't matter whether he's blind or not. That pervert doesn't care anyway."

"That's true. But it's my turn this time, right?"

"Go on, go on. We won't fight you for him!"

As the group broke into laughter, Kamiya Keiyun heard a sharp whistling sound.

"A whip? No, it's a lasso!" Kamiya Keiyun sidestepped, extending and then pulling his staff. The man on the other end of the rope was an adult, but merely an ordinary person. How could he withstand a ninja's strength? Caught off guard, he was yanked straight off his horse!

"Ow!" He let out a miserable cry, while the other six hurriedly reined in their horses and exclaimed, "What the hell?"

The sight was simply too bizarre. A child less than a meter tall had actually pulled a grown man off a horse?

Kamiya Keiyun did not hesitate. Scum like this deserved death at the hands of anyone!

"Catching Wind and Shadow!" In two steps, Kamiya Keiyun reached the fallen rider. He raised his staff and thrust it straight into the man's open mouth!

Among all martial arts, speed alone was invincible!

He was imitating Hatake Sakumo. Back then, Hatake Sakumo had burst forth with extreme speed and sliced at his throat with a blade. Now, Kamiya Keiyun could likewise burst into motion and drive his staff straight through someone's throat!

As for whether a staff had enough killing power?

A wooden staff infused with Chakra was no less hard than ordinary steel.

Who said you needed a spearhead to stab someone to death?

"Cough!" Kamiya Keiyun was immensely strong. The man's neck was pierced through at once. Before he could even struggle, Kamiya Keiyun had already withdrawn his staff.

Thud.

The corpse hit the ground.

"Uh..." The remaining six were dumbfounded. What was going on?

They had merely been passing by, had merely spotted a child, and had merely thrown out a lasso to capture him. How had they already lost a man?

"No, no, something's wrong with this kid. He has Chakra—he's a ninja!" one of them shouted.

"So what if he's a ninja? We have ninjas backing us too. Besides, he's just a kid, and a blind one at that. We still have a chance! Keep your distance. Don't get close!" Another voice sounded older, probably the leader of the group.

In just a few words, the group's morale stabilized. The six horses circled Kamiya Keiyun from afar.

Kamiya Keiyun stood silently where he was, imagining the scene around him. He felt a little like the protagonist of a Wuxia film—especially with his blindness, the staff in hand, and a vicious-looking villain lying beside him.

It had a strong Hong Kong movie flavor!

Oh, these were six Yakuza. Then perhaps Zatoichi was a more fitting comparison.

Right, couldn't I modify this staff? Make it look like a staff, but actually conceal a sword that could be drawn from within?

Though he was facing a serious life-or-death fight, Kamiya Keiyun truly felt no pressure. He even had the leisure to let his mind wander.

"Boss, how do we fight him?" someone shouted.

The pressure on their side was immense. He might only be a child, but he was still a ninja!

A ninja's threat had nothing to do with age. Even an ordinary Genin with no talent, who knew only the Three Body Technique, the Shuriken techniques taught at the academy, and kunai fighting, could use Chakra to enhance his body and slaughter his way from one end of a village to the other, easily wiping out an entire mountain stronghold!

If not for the fact that he appeared blind, these six men would have fled immediately.

"Use bows! Shoot him from far away!" the boss shouted. He reached for a bow from his horse, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at Kamiya Keiyun.

"Hm? They even have bows?" Kamiya Keiyun grew even more excited. He had been wondering how to test Listen to Sound, Perceive Reason in actual combat.

As for losing control of the situation?

Of course, that was possible. It could not be ruled out that one or even several of the six were ninjas. But so what? Life always required facing difficulties. It was impossible to keep every future possibility in one's hands.

All Kamiya Keiyun could do was increase the Trump Cards in his own hand as much as possible, so he would have more methods available when facing the unknown.

And this was the perfect chance to train himself. After all, if he did not become proficient against ordinary people, when would he? When facing a Jonin?

Whoosh!

As an arrow shot forth, Kamiya Keiyun's mind jolted awake in an instant!

He heard it!

For a moment, time itself seemed to freeze. He could sense an arrow like a swimming fish, constantly pushing aside the air around it as it surged forward!

And that swimming fish's target was him!

A sudden realization dawned on Kamiya Keiyun. This was... air?

Then came his second thought: I can dodge it!

Listening to locate, Listen to Sound, Perceive Reason—he had succeeded!