Lu Ren sat cross-legged on a boulder, staring intently at the palm prints as he studied them. The nine Battle Marks on his body flickered and flowed like breaths.
As he gazed at the prints, they seemed to come alive under his scrutiny. Each indentation resembled a rushing river, and every palm line resembled a strange rune, all converging together.
As Lu Ren studied those runes, many familiar divine patterns surfaced in his mind.
Soon, an elderly figure seemed to appear in his mind. Nine Battle Marks glowed on the figure's body as he practiced a palm technique inside the cave.
With every strike, he relied not on divine power, but on Battle Intent as fuel and will as flame, driving the power of his Battle Body to its limit.
Where his palm winds swept past, marks appeared on the walls—traces left by Battle Intent made tangible.
"So that's how it works...!"
Understanding gradually dawned on Lu Ren.
This was no ordinary palm technique. It tempered one's own Battle Intent into powerful palm force, fighting through battle itself and growing stronger with every clash.
The Royal Battle-Heaven Palm!
Lu Ren's eyes snapped open. Nine Battle Marks emerged across his body, flashing gold as they roamed over his skin.
Each mark seemed to hold Battle Intent capable of destroying heaven and earth.
Lu Ren tried to summon that intent, but immediately felt nine different kinds of Battle Intent erupt and collide inside him.
These were the Battle Intents of the nine cultivators who had borne the marks in life, tempered through countless bloody battles: the sharp resolve to cut down mighty foes, the unyielding spirit to cross the boundary of life and death, and the obsession with reaching the summit of the Great Dao.
Soon, the clashing intents shattered outright.
"No.