73: Willpower growth and a pure heart

Reaching 600 meters in front of the willpower stone pillar—although this has not yet reached the level of Divine Soul transformation—the willpower demonstrated is already extremely terrifying.

In the outside world, even an ordinary Third-Rank Martial Artist probably wouldn't possess this level of willpower.

Within Tianshan Pavilion, this level is usually only achieved by a Genius who has been in Tianshan Pavilion for at least two years.

The Geniuses of Tianshan Pavilion are inherently gifted, and their willpower far exceeds that of ordinary people even when they are young.

After entering Tianshan Pavilion, with the Cultivation provided by the pavilion and the tempering of the willpower stone pillar, their willpower strength advances by leaps and bounds.

Thus, it takes them two years to enter the 600-meter range of the willpower stone pillar.

But now Lin Yi can achieve this feat immediately upon entering Tianshan Pavilion. After receiving Cultivation, wouldn't it be possible for him to rush into the 200-meter range of the willpower stone pillar by the time he leaves?

That level of willpower strength would not be much different from my own, after decades of Cultivation!

"Terrifying! Truly terrifying! This young fellow Lin Yi is really something!"

Looking at Lin Yi on the Ice Snow Square, Wang Yu exclaimed:

"I originally thought his Physical Body Cultivation Aptitude and Comprehension Ability were already Heaven-Defying—reaching Limit Breaking and Fifth Rank Early Stage at fifteen. With that Talent, achieving First Rank would not be difficult."

"And now he surprisingly possesses another Heaven-Defying Will Talent. With the three combined, this young fellow truly possesses Innate Aptitude!"

"Once he finishes challenging this willpower stone pillar, I estimate even the Vice Pavilion Master will probably be alarmed!"

Tianshan Pavilion is the most important place for Heavenly Mountain Sect to Cultivate Geniuses. It has three Pavilion Masters in total: one main and two Vice Pavilion Masters.

Even the Vice Pavilion Masters are Innate level existences above the First Rank.

As for the Pavilion Master, they are powerhouses among the Innate, and their status in the entire Heavenly Mountain Sect is high enough to rank among the top few.

Therefore, these Pavilion Masters are usually extremely aloof and don't manage many affairs, only occasionally coming to Tianshan Pavilion to give the Disciples rewarding lectures on the Martial Dao.

If Lin Yi can alarm a Vice Pavilion Master this time, it shows just how terrifying his Talent is.

Wang Yu was deeply shocked.

On the square, as time passed, Lin Yi continued to advance step by step toward the closer regions of the willpower stone pillar.

640 meters!

630 meters!

620 meters!

... "Giggle, giggle!"

On the square, Lin Yi's teeth were chattering and his entire body was shaking.

Layers of illusions formed before his eyes—sometimes vengeful spirits demanding his life, sometimes mountains of blades and seas of fire, and sometimes even throwing him into a pot of boiling oil.

Every layer of these illusions was incredibly real, and each one seemed intent on directly shattering his will, causing his Physical Body unbearable pain.

However, supported by the "Will Growth" Talent, Lin Yi was like a resilient tumbler—knocked down time after time, yet rising again and slowly moving forward like a snail.

610 meters!

605 meters!

602 meters!

601 meters!

Finally... 600 meters!

"Boom!"

When Lin Yi stepped into the 600-meter range, a wave of willpower impact, countless times stronger than before, instantly surged violently through his mind.

At this moment, Lin Yi felt as if he was about to faint.

The 600-meter mark in front of the willpower stone pillar was the area truly approaching Lin Yi's limit.

After all, although his Talent was outstanding, and he had lived two lives, giving him a powerful Divine Soul and strong will, the time he had possessed "Will Growth" was simply too short—only a little over a month.

To be able to walk into the 600-meter range of the willpower stone pillar in just over a month was already quite remarkable.

"Sleep, child! Sleep! Once you fall asleep, everything will be over!"

On the square, just as Lin Yi was gritting his teeth in resistance, whispers like those of the gentlest mother, mixed with the low murmurs of a deep abyss demon, suddenly sounded in his ear.

It felt as if, should he give up, he could ascend from Hell to Heaven.

At the same time, and more fatally, an endless sense of exhaustion and weariness suddenly surged up from the depths of his mind.

"That's right! Sleep! As long as you sleep, everything will be easy! All the pain will disappear."

A voice sounded from the deepest part of Lin Yi's heart.

At this moment, Lin Yi's body couldn't help but sway precariously, seeming as if he would collapse completely in the next second.

But, right at this moment—

"Buzz!"

Lin Yi's Soul seemed to tremble, and immediately afterward, an incomparably cool energy suddenly surged from the depths of his Soul, centered on his Soul, washing over his head, his mind, and his entire body.

The next moment, Lin Yi felt the fatigue in his heart instantly vanish, leaving only a sensation of coolness and calm.

"This is... Heart Like Pure Ice?"

"My Talent can actually be used here?"

Feeling this development, Lin Yi himself was somewhat stunned.

Now, under the blessing of "Heart Like Pure Ice," Lin Yi felt as if his "Will Growth" had been given a super massive buff.

Its effect was far more than simply 1+1=2.

This was transformation, a complete transformation!

Although the degree of transformation was far less immense than the last time when his father met with misfortune.

But with these two Azure-level Talents stacked, Lin Yi estimated that even if the effect wasn't as good as a Profound Violet Level Talent, it could definitely be called "half-step mystic purple rank."

"Continue forward!"

With this thought, Lin Yi felt excited, and his previously hunched body straightened up.

Although the pressure was still immense, it was much better than before.

"What is going on?"

Seeing this scene, not only Wang Yu, but also the other teachers and Disciples who had stopped challenging the willpower stone pillar were shocked:

"This young fellow is a new face, I've never seen him before. He must be a newly admitted member of Tianshan Pavilion, right?"

"Entering Tianshan Pavilion newly and then challenging the willpower stone pillar all the way to 600 meters is one thing."

"But he clearly reached his limit just now, so why did he suddenly stand up again? What happened?"

"I don't know! Could it be another Martial Dao Enlightenment, Awakening a powerful Will Talent?"

"Impossible! How rare is Will Talent? It is already the rarest of all Talents!"

"And this young fellow could walk to the 600-meter mark of the willpower stone pillar immediately upon entering the pavilion, showing that he already possessed extremely powerful Will Talent."

"If he Awakens again now, how high would his willpower be? Is he going to surpass Jiang Hanhan?"

"Impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"How high is Jiang Hanhan's Will Talent? It is rarely seen even in our Heavenly Mountain Sect, perhaps once every hundred or even several hundred years. How could any random Genius surpass him? Do you think peerless Geniuses grow on trees?"

"Teacher Wang Yu, you brought this young fellow here, right? What exactly is going on with him?"

"This, I don't know either!"

Hearing the questions from the teachers and Disciples, Wang Yu was also dumbfounded—even more so than the others!

Because he had watched Lin Yi challenge the willpower stone pillar from start to finish. Based on the willpower Lin Yi initially displayed, it would have been remarkable for him to reach the 650-meter mark this time.

Later, after challenging for a while, Lin Yi's willpower seemed to inexplicably strengthen in one surge, but at most, he should only have been able to enter the 600-meter range.

Yet, after entering the 600-meter range, he was originally on the verge of fainting, having truly reached his limit.

But after only one or two breaths, not only did he not faint, but he actually seemed more relaxed than before.

Is this kid perhaps playing a trick on me, his teacher?

Wang Yu was utterly confused.

On the huge Ice Snow Square, with the double Talent boost from "Heart Like Pure Ice" and "Will Growth," Lin Yi continued to advance forward steadily yet slowly!

However, this time he was slower than before, intending to fully utilize the time to slowly temper his will before continuing the challenge.

Thus, under the gaze of dozens of teachers and Disciples on the Ice Snow Square, Lin Yi slowly advanced, taking almost the time for one incense stick to burn for a single step.