Chapter 12: Heavenly Dao Divine Punishment

Inside the Map of Mountains and Rivers.

This was a vast mountainous area filled with jagged rocks and sparse vegetation, making it the perfect place for combat practice.

Lin Xiaoyu moved like lightning, weaving rapidly through the jagged boulders.

Her hands formed a hand seal, instantly condensing a pale gold arrow of spiritual energy that shot through the air toward Chen Ping, who stood nearby with his hands behind his back.

“Master, watch out!”

The arrow flew incredibly fast, arriving in the blink of an eye.

Chen Ping did not even lift an eyelid, merely stepping aside with casual ease.

The arrow grazed the edge of his robe and struck a boulder behind him, blasting a shallow crater into the stone.

“Too slow,” Chen Ping said flatly.

“Your spiritual energy circulation is sluggish, and your hand seal transitions are not smooth enough. Again.”

Lin Xiaoyu gritted her teeth and formed another hand seal.

This time, she did not condense just a single arrow. Instead, she flicked her fingers in rapid succession, instantly firing five golden beams that cut off all of Chen Ping’s escape routes from multiple angles.

Chen Ping finally moved.

With a light tap of his foot, he floated upward like a ghost.

Twisting midair in several unbelievable maneuvers, he slipped right through the gaps between the five arrows.

By the time he touched down, he was already standing right in front of Lin Xiaoyu.

“Too many openings.” Chen Ping tapped her shoulder with a finger.

Lin Xiaoyu felt a gentle yet irresistible force wash over her, sending her flying backward to crash into a pile of rubble over a hundred feet away.

“Cough, cough…” She scrambled up, covered in dust, her small face filled with frustration.

This was already her three hundred and thirty-third attempt today.

Every single attack had been effortlessly deflected by her master.

Every strike she thought was clever was full of openings in his eyes.

“Master… what realm are you actually in?” Lin Xiaoyu could not help but ask.

“Didn’t you say you’re only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining?”

She was currently at the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining, which was theoretically two layers higher than her master.

Yet in actual combat, she could not even last a single exchange against him!

“Am I… too foolish?” Lin Xiaoyu lowered her head, her voice tinged with dejection.

“Too useless…”

Chen Ping walked over to her and reached out to pat her head.

“Do not underestimate yourself,” he said gently.

“What you lack right now is not cultivation, but experience.

I have cultivated for twenty years. Although my realm is not high,

the combat techniques I have seen, learned, and pondered are far more than yours.”

He paused, then added, “Furthermore, the cultivation methods we practice are different.

Although my 《Grand Dao Divine Scripture》 is only at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, the quality of its power is far superior to ordinary spiritual energy, which naturally gives me greater control over combat.”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded, only half-understanding.

She could actually feel that the purple-gold power inside her master was indeed somewhat similar to her own Heavenly Dao spiritual energy, yet it was far deeper and more profound.

“Alright, take a break first.” Chen Ping sat down on a nearby rock.

“Through these three days of training, you have already mastered the basic rhythm and techniques of actual combat. Next…”

He looked at Lin Xiaoyu, a serious look flashing in his eyes.

“I will teach you a true technique of slaughter.”

Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up. “What is it?”

“The Eye of Heavenly Punishment.”

Chen Ping took out the inheritance jade slip from his robes.

The jade slip was completely translucent, with fine golden patterns flowing across its surface, faintly emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

“The Eye of Heavenly Punishment is a Heavenly Dao Divine Ability. As the name suggests, it can channel the power of heavenly punishment to mete out judgment on behalf of heaven,” Chen Ping said slowly.

“This technique is incredibly powerful, but its consumption is also terrifying.

With your current cultivation, using it even once will drain your spiritual energy completely and might even damage your foundation.”

He handed the jade slip to Lin Xiaoyu.

“Therefore, you can only comprehend it for now; you must not actually cast it.

You may only attempt it after you reach Foundation Establishment.”

Lin Xiaoyu received the jade slip with both hands. It felt warm to the touch, as if some ancient and majestic power lay dormant within it.

“Thank you, Master!” she said solemnly.

“Now, comprehend it here within the Map of Mountains and Rivers. If there is anything you do not understand, ask me at any time,” Chen Ping said.

“Remember, the Eye of Heavenly Punishment involves the laws of the Heavenly Dao. You must be extremely careful during your comprehension and not force your understanding.”

“Your disciple understands!”

Lin Xiaoyu sat cross-legged, pressed the jade slip to her forehead, and slowly sent her divine sense inside.

In an instant, she felt as if she were standing in a world of lightning.

Dark clouds rolled across the sky, and purple electric serpents danced wildly.

Thick bolts of lightning crashed down, each strike carrying the power to destroy all creation.

And in the very center of that lightning, a massive golden eye floated!

The eye was cold, majestic, and indifferent, looking like the high-and-mighty Heavenly Dao itself, gazing down upon all living things and judging all of creation.

“The Eye of Heavenly Punishment…” Lin Xiaoyu murmured to herself.

She felt her Heavenly Dao Divine Physique resonate with this eye.

The Heavenly Dao spiritual energy within her body began to circulate on its own, flowing along a mysterious path.

Meanwhile, Chen Ping was also observing her condition.

Activating his Grand Dao Divine Eyes, he could clearly see the wondrous changes occurring inside Lin Xiaoyu.

The pale gold Heavenly Dao spiritual energy was currently circulating along a brand-new, far more complex pathway.

With every cycle, a hint of lightning aura was added.

As expected, it is a perfect fit, Chen Ping thought, nodding to himself.

The Divine Ability of the Eye of Heavenly Punishment was originally tailored specifically for the Heavenly Dao Divine Physique.

Even if others obtained the inheritance, without the power of the Heavenly Dao to support it, they would find it difficult to truly master.

Time trickled by.

The spiritual energy within the Map of Mountains and Rivers was abundant, allowing Lin Xiaoyu to achieve twice the result with half the effort during her comprehension.

Six hours later, she slowly opened her eyes.

Deep within her eyes, a faint flash of golden electricity flickered before quickly fading away.

“Master, I… seem to have gained a basic understanding,” Lin Xiaoyu said, sounding a bit uncertain.

“But it feels like I am still a long way from truly mastering it.”

“Gaining a basic understanding so quickly is already very good,” Chen Ping praised.

“Heavenly Dao Divine Abilities are incredibly profound and cannot be mastered overnight. Just take your time to accumulate understanding in the future.”

“Yes!”

Before her voice could fade, the system notification sounded in Chen Ping’s mind:

【Ding! Disciple Lin Xiaoyu has achieved basic mastery of the Eye of Heavenly Punishment (Entry Level). You have gained a massive amount of insights into the Grand Dao Divine Eyes!】

In an instant, a flood of profound information rushed into Chen Ping’s sea of consciousness.

It was an essential understanding of the Grand Dao Divine Eyes, revealing how to observe the Dao with the eyes, seize souls with a gaze, shatter illusions, and pierce through to the source of all things.

More importantly, these insights clearly revealed a deep connection between the Eye of Heavenly Punishment and the Grand Dao Divine Eyes.

Chen Ping shuddered, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.

As it turned out, the Eye of Heavenly Punishment and the Grand Dao Divine Eyes were originally Grand Dao Divine Abilities that shared the same source but took different paths.

The Eye of Heavenly Punishment focused on offense, executing punishment on behalf of heaven by channeling the power of the Heavenly Dao into thunderous wrath to eradicate all evil.

The Grand Dao Divine Eyes focused on insight, observing all laws by using the power of the Grand Dao to see through illusions and distinguish truth from falsehood.

Though they had different focuses, their core lay in the application of the Dao and the mastery of laws.

Now, through Lin Xiaoyu’s basic comprehension of the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, Chen Ping had unexpectedly gained a massive amount of insights into the Grand Dao Divine Eyes.

So that’s how it is… Chen Ping realized.

It seems Heavenly Dao Divine Punishment and the Grand Dao Divine Eyes are just two branches of the same Grand Dao.

Feeling the newly acquired insights in his mind, he tried to activate the Grand Dao Divine Eyes once more.

This time, the golden halo in his eyes grew more solid, and the world before him became much clearer.

The lines of law that had once been blurry were now far more distinct.

He could even faintly see the subtle ripples in the laws of reality caused by the flow of spiritual energy in the air.

Even more remarkably, his control over his own power had improved.

Previously, when he activated the Grand Dao Divine Eyes, he had always felt a slight resistance, as if he were looking at the world through a thin veil.

Now, that veil had been lifted, leaving everything clear and natural.

How delightful… Chen Ping thought, secretly pleased.

It looks like I won’t even have to cultivate the Grand Dao Divine Eyes myself. As long as Xiaoyu keeps gaining insights into the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, I can just ride her coattails.

This was the true power of the system’s hundred-thousand-fold return!

Every bit of progress his disciple made would be returned to him multiplied a hundred thousand times.

Furthermore, this feedback was not limited to increases in cultivation base and spiritual energy; it also included the elevation of his insights, comprehension, and mastery of Divine Abilities.