The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart.
In a world of martial arts, filled with betrayal and bloodshed, such a beautiful thing seemed impossible.
Yet when Jin first arrived in this world, he had already seen it.
Present in every living being, every stone, every star, and every fleeting thought, it was qi.
Origin energy. Primordial chaos. The spark that ignites life.
All were simply different faces of qi.
Some ancient scriptures say that the Mother Goddess, Nüwa, created humanity from yellow clay...
...then breathed life into her creations.
Thus, every human was born with innate qi. Even those born with shattered meridians or broken dantians could still sense the qi around them.
It was an inborn part of being "alive".
But Jin's connection had been severed.
Even with the pills, though he could see qi, he could never truly feel it.
But now...
That had changed.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Just as Cao Lin's qi-imbued fist landed-
Jin had already retreated several steps.
Though breathing heavily, he was on cloud nine.
The feeling of growing stronger in real time was intoxicating!
The qi surrounding him stirred in response to his new energy, becoming denser with every passing second.
The quest function had finally given him the perfect loophole around his curse.
Jin clenched his fists.
'This doesn't feel like qi. Even though I'm able to manipulate qi with it... it feels more personal.'
The System answered his question.
[Yes, Master. This is different. It's called Intent-something martial artists normally acquire only after reaching a high level of mastery in their cultivation.]
[There are many forms of Intent. Sword Intent, Spear Intent, Fist Intent, and countless others.]
[Most martial artists simply walk the path their predecessors have already paved. True geniuses, however, comprehend multiple Intents before combining them into their own unique Martial Intent.]
[Most fail at that stage. Throughout history, only a handful have succeeded. Furthermore, creating one's own Martial Intent is normally possible only at a very high realm of cultivation.]
Shuye interrupted in an excited whisper from inside his robes.
"It basically means you've obtained the purest form of an already existing Intent. Since you don't have to worry about combining them later, you can accumulate as many Intents as you want before forging one of the strongest Martial Intents."
The System displayed a shocked emoji on its panel, as if someone had stolen its last piece of cake.
Jin clenched his fists tighter.
The filth clinging to his body ignited and burned away, revealing his noble appearance once more.
Everyone froze.
To the pirates, it was as if an insect they could crush beneath their feet had suddenly transformed into a warrior.
To Dawei and the others, it was even more unbelievable. Just moments ago, they had been thinking of a way to save Jin and escape this place.
While every pirate's gaze remained fixed on Jin, Dawei and the others had quietly covered An Guoli, who had somehow freed his hands, as he wrote their coordinates onto a burning talisman.
But now...
It looked like Jin might save all of them.
"Jin! Over here!" Dawei shouted, pointing toward the stone pillar to which they were all chained.
Cao Lin finally snapped out of his daze.
He rushed forward, drew his sword, and swung with all his strength. He didn't know what had happened to Jin, but he knew one thing:
Whatever it was, it couldn't be allowed to continue.
Jin sensed the incoming strike and coated both arms in Intent.
BAAAM!
A full-powered blow from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Jin coughed up blood.
His bones held, but the overwhelming force drove itself into the earth, splitting the ground beneath him into a fissure stretching nearly ten meters.
'Put all System Points into Strength!'
Cao Lin raised his sword for another strike.
This time...
Jin was ready.
With the System guiding every movement, he reacted just in time.
The blade skimmed past him by a hair's breadth.
Jin twisted his waist and drove every ounce of strength into Cao Lin's exposed flank.
BOOM!
Cao Lin's body bent unnaturally before he was hurled backward, crashing straight into the stone pillar.
As soon as the pillar shattered, all hell broke loose.
With the crew finally freed, the battlefield erupted into chaos.
But before either side could move-
A terrifying pressure descended.
A flash of light streaked across the camp.
The noble who had sold them out exploded into a spray of blood before anyone could react.
A Golden Core cultivator!
He was the only Golden Core cultivator aboard the ship. He had been poisoned by the very man he trusted most, yet the moment he was freed, he struck without the slightest hesitation.
BOOM!! CLANG!! KRAANG!! AAHH!! RUMBLE!!
The battlefield erupted and countless warriors roared and screamed amidst the chaos.
Jin couldn't help feeling a sense of déjà vu.
'Why do I always end up in the middle of a battlefield?!'
But he quickly pushed the thought aside. He ran to the broken pillar and picked up a sword.
His gaze followed the young lady of the Peng Clan as she was dragged deeper into the forest.
'Not yet.'
His first priority was defeating Cao Lin. At the very least, he wanted to complete the B-rank objective and secure the special reward.
"AAAAHH!!"
Cao Lin burst out of the rubble, looking thoroughly disheveled. Clutching his bleeding side, he glared at Jin with bloodshot eyes.
"I'LL CUT YOU DOWN!"
Jin smirked.
"Weren't you going to let me soar?"
CLANG! CLANG!
The two clashed at close quarters, their swords colliding again and again.
Cao Lin naturally held the advantage.
He was two whole realms above Jin.
Stronger.
Faster.
More experienced.
Yet no matter what he tried...
He couldn't land a single clean hit.
Jin had poured every System Point into Strength and was barely keeping up.
Without the System predicting every attack, he would've died long ago.
Even when Jin managed to strike back, his blade barely scratched Cao Lin's body. A Foundation Establishment cultivator's physique wasn't something to scoff at.
The battle settled into a deadlock.
Cao Lin, however, was elated.
He could already feel Jin slowing down. A Body Tempering brat who had been beaten to a pulp earlier lasting this long against him was absurd.
But everyone had their limits.
"Just give up already, brat. Don't worry, I'll make it quick."
He slashed down, hoping to shake Jin's resolve.
Instead of meeting cold steel, his blade sank into something soft.
His eyes widened.
'Clothes?!'
The sword slid off to the side.
Realizing his mistake, Cao Lin immediately tried to retreat.
Too late.
Jin had been waiting for that opening.
A single upward slash flashed through the air.
SHING!
The blade carved its way from Cao Lin's chin to his eye.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!"
[Swordsmanship (Novice - Lvl 8) → (Initiate - Lvl 1)]
[Sword Intent (1%)]
Clutching his mangled face, Cao Lin staggered back and stared at Jin's sword in horror.
A white aura shimmered along its edge.
So sharp that even after the strike, tiny cuts continued to bloom across his wound.
There was no mistaking it.
Sword Intent!
The difference between an ordinary sword strike and one infused with Intent was like the difference between a dull blade and a razor.
No comparison!
But what shocked Cao Lin the most was that even touching Intent normally required one to be at least in the Golden Core Realm.
Yet here he was watching a Body Tempering bastard use it.
Cao Lin quickly got up, gripping his sword with his other hand, about to make a run for it. But Jin had no intention of letting him escape.
"NO WAIT! I APO-"
Activating Silken Tide Steps, Jin closed the distance in an instant. His sword flashed once. Sword Intent sliced clean through Cao Lin's neck.
Before the rest of his plea could leave his lips, his head was already airborne.
The cut was so clean that consciousness lingered for a fleeting moment.
Splash!
His severed head landed inside a bucket.
His final realization...
He had died in the same filth he'd thrown at someone else.