The cabin gradually quieted as everyone stepped down from the arena. Nantian Yijian's eyes flickered slyly. Mimicking Lu Chen's earlier stance, he looked over the cultivators below and declared, "Resources won't come for free. I have one condition." The cultivators, who had just sat down, immediately raised their heads when they heard Nantian Yijian utter the exact words Lu Chen had already said. "Hm?" Lu Chen glanced at him, curious to hear what condition he had in mind. But the moment he noticed the sly curve on Nantian Yijian's lips, he instantly knew nothing good was about to come out of it. "Go ahead, Brother Nantian. Since you've shown such concern for us, even ten conditions wouldn't be a problem." "That's right, tell us quickly. Whatever it is, we'll accept it." Once again, Sun Xiaohu's knack for playing the perfect foil came into play. His back-and-forth with Nantian Yijian almost reignited the crowd's excitement. "Quiet, quiet!" Nantian Yijian silenced their cheers and then said. "This is your membership fee." Lu Chen covered his face with one hand and chuckled helplessly. He had expected as much. That smirk had never promised anything reliable. Sun Xiaohu played along below the arena. "Membership fee? What's that supposed to mean?" He seemed to be enjoying this game of hyping things up. Seeing someone willingly set him up to show off, Nantian Yijian felt his pride swell. He even started to look at Sun Xiaohu with some fondness. "A membership fee is... well, a membership fee," he said, folding his hands behind his back and facing the crowd. "From today on, all of you are members of the Horse-Hunting Squad... no, wait! That's wrong. You're members of the Horse-Hunting Legion!" "What? Joining the Horse-Hunting Legion?" Sun Xiaohu instantly widened his eyes and shouted in mock shock. "I'm actually joining a gang? Brothers, we have a gang now!" Watching Sun Xiaohu's over-the-top acting, Lu Chen felt two cold beads of sweat drip down his forehead. "His foil skills are top-notch, but why do I have a feeling that all of them are utterly unreliable?" At the round table, Jun Laoye grew restless after watching Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian steal all the attention. "No way! Everyone's showing off! I can't just sit this out!" Following a loud shout, he leaped onto the arena with a chicken leg in hand. He shoved aside Nantian Yijian, raised his roasted chicken leg like a sword, and pointed it toward the roof. "That's right, from today forward, you're all members of the Horse-Hunting Legion!" Gripping his "chicken-sword," he declared, "I am the Legion's leader!" He turned around, waving the drumstick in a circle. "Little Lu is the second, Little Jian is the third, and Wan'er is the fourth leader. All of you are the legion's followers!" Sun Xiaohu jumped in again at the perfect moment, pushing the cabin's atmosphere even higher. "Then doesn't that make us the Legion's founding elders?" "Exactly, you're all elders!" Jun Laoye quickly added. "Come now, join the Horse Hunting-Legion! You are all Hunters!" Sun Xiaohu pressed further, "Second Young Master, what exactly is a Horse Hunter? Tell us, tell us!" "A Horse Hunter is someone who chases down and curses—" Before Jun Laoye could finish, Nantian Yijian put a hand over his mouth. Nantian Yijian hissed, "If you don't know what to say, then say less." At the same time, he reminded Jun Laoye through voice transmission. "Back when we founded the group, it was just to curse the people who bullied me. If you say that out loud, do you think anyone will join?" Jun Laoye wriggled free of Nantian Yijian's hand. He nodded repeatedly. "Ah, right, I forgot. Then what should I say?" "Ahem, leave it to me." Nantian Yijian stepped to the edge of the arena and called down to Sun Xiaohu. "Brother Sun, let me explain what a Horse Hunter really is. A Horse Hunter is someone who, in battle, treats his enemy like a wild, untamed stallion. Our task is to pursue enemies relentlessly, hunt them down, and wear them out until they yield." "Ohh, so that's what it means? What an awe-inspiring name!" Sun Xiaohu sprang to his feet and shouted to the crowd behind him. "Brothers, let's all become Horse Hunters! We'll hunt down those who oppress the common people!" Hearing Nantian Yijian's explanation, Lu Chen couldn't help but burst into laughter. "I never knew he was so good at playing along," Song Ping muttered, glancing at Sun Xiaohu. "But this Horse Hunter thing... Why does it still sound like an insult to me?" The cultivators below erupted with a roar louder than when they were promised resources, clamoring to join. Not wanting to be outdone, Jun Laoye shoved Nantian Yijian aside to stand in the spotlight. Just then, faint yellowish-transparent strands of spiritual light began drifting out from the cultivators' bodies and floating toward Nantian Yijian. He froze, staring at the sudden glow with unease, and instinctively stepped back two paces, until he bumped into Lu Chen. Noticing his change in expression, Lu Chen asked, "Little Jian, what's wrong?" "Can't you see them?" Nantian Yijian turned his head, panic flashing in his eyes. "All those strands of light! They're flying straight at me!" "Strands of light? I don't see anything." Lu Chen glanced around, yet couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. "Maybe you're just seeing things?" Nantian Yijian's voice trembled. "I'm not! They're pale yellow, and they're all pouring into my head!" The noise inside the cabin grew louder, and no one else noticed what was happening to him. "There are more! There are even more of them now!" Nantian Yijian clutched at Lu Chen's sleeve, trembling. "Big Brother, save me!" "I don't see anythi—" "There is something," Wind Dragon cut in, interrupting Lu Chen. He pulled out the bit of lightning he had collected earlier, fused it with spirit qi, and smeared it over Lu Chen's eyes. In that instant, Lu Chen's vision sharpened, giving him uncanny clarity of his surroundings. The glowing strands of spiritual light suddenly became visible all around him. Tiny particles drifted through the air, weaving into strands of multicolored light. At first glance they seemed orderly, yet beneath the surface lurked a subtle chaos. Lu Chen reached out and lightly touched one of the glowing strands. "These are..." The spirit qi within his body immediately stirred in response. "These should be the elements of heaven and earth," Wind Dragon replied. A faint gray-white glow flickered across his eyes. "Each strand, formed from countless particles, represents a specific elemental spirit qi." Lu Chen circulated the Grand Heavenly Spirit-Gathering Mantra, drawing the spirit qi into his body. "How incredible... they can be absorbed directly. This way, you can instantly recognize and take in the elements you need, without wasting time refining things inside the body." "I had only heard Lord Green Emperor mention it before." Wind Dragon's curiosity piqued. He brushed a hand across the glowing strands. "To truly see these particles with my own eyes... It's marvelous." Lu Chen pointed toward the dense glow gathering around Nantian Yijian. "Wind Dragon, what about those pale yellow strands of light? There seem to be several times more of those compared to the others." Wind Dragon studied the pale yellow strands and explained, "Those faint golden lights should be the Wish Power." Lu Chen frowned. "Wish Power? Again? What exactly does that mean? I've never heard of such a power. Is it the same as spirit qi cultivation?" "No. Wish Power is an entirely different cultivation system, unique to certain ancient races." He continued, "Records from ancient ruins tell us that when those ancient clans vanished during the great wars, Wish Power disappeared with them." As he spoke, Wind Dragon gently guided the flow of Wish Power toward Nantian Yijian's forehead. At the same time, Lu Chen tried to calm the man down, helping him to relax as much as possible. Nantian Yijian gradually calmed. Wind Dragon formed a Spirit Gathering Formation on Nantian Yijian's forehead, and the streams of Wish Power began to flow into him in an orderly rhythm. Taking advantage of the moment, Wind Dragon recalled what he had seen in the ancient records, narrating the origins of Wish Power to Lu Chen. "In the primeval era, many races thrived. Some clans had a chieftain with their people beneath him. These clans cultivated Wish Power, a forbidden force. Each race harbored a powerful collective desire, and each chieftain represented the collective will to reach that goal. Using secret techniques, the chieftains condensed those desires within their bodies. "Once one was successful, that chieftain became a bridge, connecting heaven, earth, and his people, binding them through the power of faith. This bond allowed power to circulate freely among all three, strengthening not only the chieftain but also the clansmen. So long as the bond endured, the power could grow without limit. A few clans wielding that power could rival the entire remaining cultivation world. Over time, this force came to be known as Wish Power, feared as one of the greatest taboos of the ancient era." Wind Dragon gestured toward the cultivators below the platform, whose faint golden glow was beginning to emerge. "Wish Power is unlike the five-elemental spirit qi. It does not arise from heaven and earth; it flows from the faith people place in their leader. "It's a source of tremendous power, but it comes with grave risks. If the people's faith falters, the chieftain's strength will wane, and the entire clan could collapse. As the ancient clans disappeared, so too did the knowledge of Wish Power. "Normally, Wish Power is passed down secretly through generations within these clans. Its creation is stable and carefully preserved." Wind Dragon glanced at Nantian Yijian. "This is the first time I've seen someone like him, who forcibly gained Wish Power through his own strength... I've already informed my true body about this. Once the five beast chieftains finish discussing the matter, I'll let you know." Latest content published on novel[f]ire.net Meanwhile, Nantian Yijian's absorption of Wish Power stabilized. The golden light flowing into him was now balanced by the streams flowing out. Pale yellow radiance streamed from his body back into heaven and earth, reaching the cultivators below, a clear sign that the bridge had formed. Lu Chen looked up at the neatly arranged strands of light. "Then... how does one cultivate Wish Power? Since Little Jian has already obtained it, I'd like him to try." Wind Dragon shook his head. "I don't know. All methods of cultivating and wielding Wish Power are taboo, closely guarded by the clans. Only the chieftain who attains it ever learns how to use it." Lu Chen glanced at Nantian Yijian, who sat with his eyes closed, quietly absorbing the Wish Power, utterly unaware of what was happening. He sighed softly. "Then if Little Jian gained it on his own... does that mean he can't cultivate it at all?" Wind Dragon looked toward the crowd below. "His Wish Power comes from these cultivators. Perhaps the common wish they all share is to seek the Heavenly Dao, and to change their fates." "To seek the Heavenly Dao, to change fate..." Lu Chen murmured, sighing again. "Such vague and elusive things... I suppose we can only take it step by step." With that, he condensed Wind Dragon's words into a brief transmission and whispered them directly into Nantian Yijian's mind.