Qin Feng's voice echoed faintly as his affirmation hung in the still air.
"Yes. More than anything."
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then, the voice came again, deeper now, resonating as though it spoke not only to Qin Feng's ears, but to his very soul.
"You are the first to set foot in this place in over six hundred years.…Then I shall grant you the chance."
Qin Feng swallowed. "Who are you?"
The air stirred. The faint scent of incense deepened, and the ground beneath him seemed to hum with life.
"I am but a shadow… a remnant of one who once walked the heavens. My body has long since turned to ash, but a fragment of my will remains, bound to this shrine until fate delivers the worthy."
"The… heavens?" Qin Feng asked slowly.
"The realm far above this Mortal Heaven," the voice replied, "a place only those who have transcended the limits of the flesh can reach. But that is not your concern. Not yet."
The silence that followed seemed to press inward, like the world itself was waiting.
"…I'm blind," Qin Feng finally whispered.
"Indeed," the voice replied, solemn now. "That is your greatest limitation and your greatest potential."
Qin Feng blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"In this world, cultivation begins with sensing essence. The body must perceive the essence through breath, through skin, through spirit, but above all, through balance. The eyes play a vital role. Sight gives clarity, and clarity invites connection. Without it, your perception is incomplete. Your senses are imbalanced. You stumble in darkness, even in the presence of light."
Qin Feng's chest tightened. "Then… I can't cultivate?"
"There are ways," the voice answered. "Rare… costly… but not impossible."
The presence drew closer — a ripple in the very air.
"You possess will. Hunger. Pain. These are the signs of one who refuses to remain chained."
Qin Feng clenched his fists. "Tell me what to do."
"There is an auxiliary technique," the spirit said, its voice now barely a whisper. "Long forgotten. Created by one who walked your same path. A technique that allows the user to perceive the world not through the eyes… but through the soul. It sharpens the remaining senses. It converts ambient essence into echoes rhythm, heat, pressure, turning the world into shapes you can feel, not see."
A pause.
"But know this the path it opens is not easy. It will tax your mind, your spirit, your very foundation. And once begun, it cannot be undone."
Qin Feng didn't hesitate. "I don't care. I want it. I need it."
The shrine seemed to breathe around him.
"Then receive it. The technique's name is…"
The voice boomed with clarity.
"Soul Echo Sutra."