At that very moment, a mysterious aura surrounded his body. From head to toe, passing through his hands. Everything was covered and almost healed immediately.
"W-what?" He looked at himself in shock.
His hand, previously shattered, had grown flesh, and the layers of skin were in place; it looked as if nothing had happened.
The torn tissues on his body were repaired in an instant, and his broken ribs and bones healed in a matter of seconds, which he could categorize as a miracle from heaven.
Even though there were Ruin Hunters on Earth capable of using healing abilities and a wide variety of healing potions, none had such an absurd ability as this.
Healing all such serious wounds in just an instant was a trap that he surely would not always enjoy.
In fact, it was a one-time event.
At that very moment, a large amount of information about the system was provided to him in his mind.
What was this swordsman system? What was its function, and what could he do with it?
All the questions that might have arisen were answered before he could even ask them.
At the same time this was happening, different messages popped up in the system.
[All your injuries have been recovered, including your Life Root, which had previously been destroyed.]
[The Rank 1 Life Root has been replaced by the Rank 1 Life Root, Root of the Evolving Swordsman.]
[The Grade F Specialization, previously destroyed along with the Life Root, has been repaired.]
[The Grade F Specialization "Wind Swordsman" has been replaced by the Grade Unknown Specialization "Divine Swordsman."]
He nodded. That information had crossed his mind before, although it was still surprising.
He didn't feel any particular change in his body. His Life Root remained the same, generating exactly the same amount of spirituality as always.
The only change he felt was not exactly in his body, but in the sword in front of him. It felt as if it were a part of him.
There was an explanation for this.
The system he had obtained, unlike the one on Earth, which was one for all hunters, was focused on one thing here: making him a powerful swordsman.
And the reason he felt such a connection to that sword was simple and obvious.
[Swordsman Connection: Sword in Hand.]
| It is a highest-level blood connection you have with your sword.
.
Although it remained exactly the same as before in design, he saw it as the greatest treasure he could have.
Next to that system window, there were others.
[Swordsman Level 1.]
[Sword as a Tool: 0/30 Spiritual Essence Points.]
[Every time you kill something or someone with spirituality, you can absorb it and convert it into Spiritual Essence Points, depending on the strength of the victim.]
'I have no memory of this, not even the memories inherited from little Xiaotian say anything. Is this a different way of becoming stronger than the one they use in this world?' he wondered.
The reason for his question was simple. Here, strength comes from cultivating the spiritual energy that resides in your Life Root. He is not supposed to kill in order to become strong...
[It is, Host.] The system's response was immediate, surprising Xiaotian, who had not expected it to answer his questions.
[The Strongest Cultivation Swordsmanship System is a different system. It was born to help its chosen one become the "Just One", the most extraordinary being in sword handling.]
[It manages its own way of evolving as a swordsman.]
Xiaotian nodded, but he had another question.
"Will earning Spiritual Essence Points increase my cultivation?" he asked.
[No. Spiritual Essence Points will only help you increase your Swordsman Level, which is your sword handling and understanding of swords.]
"Oh." He nodded, feeling a little discouraged.
It seemed that he would have to rely on himself and his limited talent to cultivate.
At least his life root seemed better now... although he didn't understand how, as the system hadn't sent him any information about this.
As he thought about it, the system seemed to read his deepest thoughts.
[The Root of Life granted by the system is the main one in the system. Therefore, although the system will not intervene in your cultivation, it will be able to evolve it.]
[From time to time, whenever you find something special or reach a historic milestone, the System will issue special missions, the rewards for which will be the evolution of the Root of Life.]
'Convenient...' Xiaotian was stunned.
It is well known that in this world, the root of life cannot change. Once you receive a Rank 1, you will remain in that rank until you die. And this rank determines the amount of spiritual energy your body creates and absorbs during a given period.
For example: A Rank 1 Root of Life can create 1 kilogram of spirituality per day. It seems incredible, but the reality is that it is too low. That's barely 2 spiritual crystals per day. And it can only absorb 3 kilograms per day from external sources, or the equivalent of 6 crystals.
This is not enough for strengthening, considering that the body itself expends 1 spiritual crystal per day just to live. Furthermore, spiritual energy is used to strengthen the body, train and practice spirituality, and strengthen cultivation.
There are too many things that require that precious energy. Two crystals are not enough at all. Such a person would only be a failure in cultivation.
Those who awaken to Rank 2 are a little more privileged, as they can create about 5 kilograms per day and absorb, on average, about 15-20 kilograms.
For Rank 3 and above, there are only wonderful days and cultivation that is too pleasant. Rank 3 can already generate up to 20 kilograms per day and absorb more than 120 crystals per day.
But he is being presented with a Root of Life capable of evolving. Although he is currently Rank 1, he will soon reach Rank 3... or even higher ranks.
His questions were over at this point, and his mind returned to focus on what mattered.
Now that he had a power capable of helping him overcome his enemies, it was time to rise up.
He remembered his family, the Zhangs. His cousins, uncles, and grandfather... to tell the truth, he only felt hatred toward them.
Because he knows the reasons why they are doing this: they want to steal his father's inheritance. They hate him because he is the only one who can take away something as precious as a Legacy Technique.
'I won't let them.' He swore to himself and to little Xiaotian, who had to die with thousands of regrets because of them.
He stood up, grabbed his sword, and walked to the edge of the cave, intending to look over the other side to see if he could climb up or if it would be better to go down and find another way.
BAM!
His head snapped back just as he was about to look over the edge when it collided with something. He frowned and looked up.
Had he bumped into a rock? How embarrassing...
But strangely, there was nothing there. Not a rock, not a dry stick, nothing.
There was just the same cave opening he had entered.
This made him frown, and he thought about going back, believing it had been an illusion created by his exhausted brain.
[Mystic Ruin has been discovered! An emergency mission has been issued.]
The sudden message from the system covered his entire vision, as his head was knocked back again by the blow. This time, he understood he was colliding with an invisible wall, but that wasn't what shocked him.
Rather, it was what the system said.
"A Ruin?!" he shouted in shock, his body trembling slightly.
Were there ruins in this world, too?!