"But who would have left a trace of Sword Intent on my forehead? And why was it such a perfect match for me?"
Wang Hao pondered the matter for a long time but still couldn't make sense of it. He wasn't the sort to get caught up in a dead end, though, so he decided to stop thinking about it. Besides, with this trace of Sword Intent, he could awaken his True Spirit Power.
Although the Nine Li Tribe generally did not cultivate the five powers other than Bloodline Power, they weren't entirely ignorant of them. Wang Hao happened to know a way to awaken True Spirit Power.
A powerful cultivator who had developed True Spirit Power could use it to permeate another person, stimulating that person's True Spirit and awakening it.
It was a shortcut, because the characteristics of the True Spirit Power awakened this way would be influenced by the powerful cultivator. For example, if that cultivator's True Spirit Power was Sword Intent, the other person's True Spirit Power would also be forcibly transformed into Sword Intent.
And with any power, stronger was not necessarily better. The better suited it was to its user, the easier it was to cultivate and the greater its potential.
So few people generally used this shortcut. After all, no one wanted to ruin their future.
But there were exceptions to everything. If a powerful cultivator's True Spirit Power was an excellent match for an unawakened person, and could even become fully integrated with them, then there would be no drawback to speak of.
The Sword Intent in the sword mark between Wang Hao's brows happened to be an excellent match for him, and even gave him a strangely familiar feeling.
"Looks like even heaven wants me to learn the sword!"
After confirming that the Sword Intent in the mark between his brows really did suit him, Wang Hao smiled proudly. He had always been keenly interested in swords as weapons and had even once fantasized about roaming the world with a sword in hand.
Now that he could become a swordsman, he was beside himself with joy.
"But I can't just integrate this Sword Intent into myself directly. It would be better to use it as a template for meditation.
"Xiao Mengmeng, watch for the right moment and activate the Dao Comprehension Function to help me. Maximize its effect so I can try to awaken my True Spirit Power tonight and condense Sword Intent of my own."
After calming down, Wang Hao called out to Xiao Mengmeng in the system space. Then he closed his eyes and used the simplest meditation method, one that was as common as dirt in the Nine Li Tribe, to gradually gather his awareness between his brows. He focused all his attention on sensing the Sword Intent in the mark there.
There were two ways to use another person's True Spirit Power to awaken one's own. The first was to have the other person initiate the awakening.
This was done by integrating their True Spirit Power into the unawakened person's True Spirit, using it to replace and overwrite that person's True Spirit Power, thereby achieving awakening.
The second was to have the other person temporarily seal a trace of True Spirit Power inside the unawakened person, allowing them to sense and visualize it on their own and thereby awaken True Spirit Power that belonged to them.
This carried far, far fewer hidden dangers than the first method. On top of that, the Sword Intent was unexpectedly well suited to him, directly eliminating the last trace of hidden danger.
Wang Hao had first been brought back through time and space from the future to the Primordial Main World by the system, and had then traveled from the Primordial Main World to the Smiling Proud Wanderer World. After two journeys through time and space, his True Spirit had been tempered by the passages.
In terms of True Spirit strength alone, even a Mortal Realm Third Layer expert who specialized in cultivating True Spirit Power might not be his match. He was already on the verge of awakening.
Now, stimulated by the Sword Intent between his brows and aided by Xiao Mengmeng activating the Dao Comprehension Function at the right moment to enhance his comprehension, he soon awakened his True Spirit Power and condensed it into a wisp of Sword Intent.
Although this wisp of Sword Intent was so tiny and weak that even Wang Hao himself had almost failed to sense it, it truly belonged to him alone and possessed limitless potential for development.
But before Wang Hao could take his next step, the Sword Intent in the mark between his brows suddenly seemed to be stirred. It broke apart into the purest, most fundamental True Spirit Power and merged with his wisp of Sword Intent, rapidly strengthening it.
Before long, Wang Hao's wisp of Sword Intent had been nurtured and strengthened to a certain point, and even showed faint signs of condensing into a sword silhouette.
Most importantly, as the Sword Intent from between his brows merged with his own, it gave Wang Hao the feeling of water and milk blending together, as though it had been his power all along, without the slightest flaw.
"Xiao Mengmeng, how many Fortune Points did I use? Check my Sword Intent too and see if there are any hidden dangers!"
Faced with this, Wang Hao was not happy. Instead, his expression grew somewhat grim.
He didn't want to ruin his future over this. If he couldn't condense perfect Sword Intent that suited him completely, he would rather shatter and destroy it, then condense it anew.
In any case, now that he had done it once, condensing it again would go much more smoothly.
Even without the stimulation of the Sword Intent in the sword mark, which would make it considerably harder, it would only be a matter of time.
"Uncle, activating the Dao Comprehension Function this time used a total of thirty Fortune Points. And you don't need to worry. There aren't any hidden dangers at all in this fusion."
Xiao Mengmeng hesitated before replying, but her tone was quite certain. Clearly, she knew something.
"Is there some secret here that you can't tell me?"
Wang Hao naturally heard that the little loli was hiding something and couldn't help asking out of curiosity.
He didn't doubt Xiao Mengmeng's words. After all, they now shared both glory and ruin, and she would never harm him.
Since she said there were no hidden dangers in the fusion, then there absolutely weren't any.
He was merely curious about what the little girl knew and where the Sword Intent in the mark between his brows had come from.
"I have a guess. Although I'm not entirely certain yet, I can be sure that the Sword Intent can merge perfectly with yours, Uncle. But I can't tell you about what's behind it for now. When the time comes, you'll understand."
Xiao Mengmeng still didn't reveal the secret, but she put Wang Hao's mind at ease, assuring him again that there would be absolutely no hidden dangers in the fusion.
"Keeping me in suspense, are you?"
Wang Hao muttered, but didn't press her further.
Since the little girl didn't want to talk, he wouldn't force her. In any case, she had said he would find out later, so it didn't matter whether he learned it sooner or later.
Putting the matter aside for the moment, Wang Hao eagerly pulled up his status panel and, sure enough, found some differences.
Host: Wang Hao Cultivation: Mortal Realm First Layer Spirit: Mortal Realm First Layer (90/100) Soul: unawakened Corporeal soul: unawakened Divine spirit: unawakened Qi: unawakened Essence: Mortal Realm First Layer (1/100) Fortune Points: 70
First, his Fortune Points had dropped from one hundred to seventy. When he awakened his True Spirit Power earlier, Xiao Mengmeng had activated the Dao Comprehension Function for thirty seconds at the critical moment, helping him swiftly clear the most difficult hurdle.
Aside from that, his True Spirit attribute had changed from unawakened to Mortal Realm First Layer, with its progress at 90/100. He was only ten points away from advancing to the Mortal Realm Second Layer.
In fact, if the Nine Revolutions of Samsara Technique hadn't increased his potential tenfold, he would already have advanced to the Mortal Realm Second Layer.
The wisp of Sword Intent he had awakened on his own amounted to one point of progress at most. The reason it had shot up to ninety all at once was probably that it had absorbed the Sword Intent in the mark between his brows.
His True Spirit Sword Intent reaching ninety points was indeed extraordinary. Wang Hao felt that his mind was much clearer, and both his thinking and reaction speeds had improved tremendously.
To measure the improvement, Wang Hao picked two five-digit numbers at random and multiplied them. Before, he would have needed a calculator or scratch paper to work it out, but now he arrived at the answer using mental arithmetic alone. He was extremely fast, too, taking only three seconds in all.
That was an improvement of far more than tenfold!
And that was just one of its effects. True Spirit Sword Intent had many other marvelous uses, which he could gradually explore in the future.
"Is it dawn already?"
Glancing at the morning light shining through the eastern window, Wang Hao only then realized that his earlier meditation and sensing had taken an entire night.
Although he had spent the whole night meditating and cultivating, he didn't feel the slightest bit tired. In fact, awakening his True Spirit Power and condensing it into Sword Intent had left him full of vigor.
This was another basic ability of True Spirit Sword Intent. Cultivators who cultivated True Spirit Power generally did not suffer mental fatigue, and even if they grew somewhat tired, a short rest was enough to restore them.
They could even use meditation in place of sleep, and its effects were many times better.
"Knock, knock!"
"Young Master Wang, are you awake?"
There was a sudden knock at the door, followed by a familiar voice from outside. It was the girl called A Lan from last night.
"I'm awake. Come in!"
Stepping out of the bathtub, Wang Hao casually pulled down something like a bath towel hanging nearby and wrapped it around his lower body to keep himself from being exposed.
A Lan pushed open the door and walked in. When she saw Wang Hao wearing nothing but a bath towel, with most of his body exposed, she froze for a moment. Then a blush appeared on her pretty face.
Wang Hao's build was simply too imposing and too attractive.
"Young Master Wang, I had someone make these clothes for you overnight. Please try them on and see if they fit."
A Lan forced herself to remain calm and waved a hand. The little maid following her presented the clothes she held to Wang Hao. She was the same little maid who had brought him back yesterday.
"Many thanks!"
Wang Hao reached out and took the clothes from the little maid. Then he seemed to think of something and asked, "How much did Leader Zhao leave for my meals before he left last night?"
There was no helping it. He was truly in rather urgent need of money, so he could only set his sights on the meal money Leader Zhao had left.
"Before Master Zhao left, he settled last night's bill and left one tael of silver for your meals today, Young Master Wang."
Although A Lan hadn't expected Wang Hao to ask about that, she told him anyway. Her expression, however, was somewhat odd.
She still clearly remembered how much it had pained Master Zhao to pay the bill last night, and how he had muttered under his breath that he would never treat that big idiot to another meal.
Clearly, the ten tables of food and wine eaten last night had cost Master Zhao quite a lot. It was the first time she had ever seen him in such a sorry state!
"Only one tael of silver? Isn't that too stingy?"
Wang Hao was displeased. He had thought Leader Zhao would leave eight or ten taels, but who would have thought he had left only one?
Even if it was used solely for meals, it wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between his teeth!
The expressions of A Lan and the little maid in the room both turned very odd, and they couldn't help rolling their eyes.
With an appetite like yours, anyone who treated you to a meal would be in agony over the cost. Master Zhao was already being very generous by leaving another tael of silver for your meals. What right do you have to complain?
"Hand it over!"
Wang Hao held his palm out in front of A Lan, making a gesture of asking for it.
"What would you like me to hand over, Young Master?"
A Lan stared in astonishment at the palm-leaf-fan-sized hand held out in front of her, unable to understand what he meant.