The world is far more complex than what ordinary eyes can perceive. What common folk see is nothing like what a martial artist with opened eyes beholds—it's a completely different world!
The stone statues in the village may look ordinary, but to a martial artist with opened eyes, gods can be seen within them. Relics left behind by gods and demons are everywhere; those with opened eyes can witness terrifying divine and demonic beings. Even in the temple, where commoners see only a Buddha statue, the opened-eyed warrior sees a peerless Great Buddha that crushes the soul!
If a martial artist lacks a strong heart, sooner or later they'll be frightened to death by the things they see.
That's why Grandpa Blind teaches Quinn Shepherd to train his eyes by first training his heart. Only by breaking the god in one's heart will he not be overwhelmed by fear—and only then can he achieve greatness.
The Buddhists say, 'If your heart clings to Buddha, you cannot become a Buddha.' The Imperial Preceptor of Everpeace said, 'It is easy to change the god in a broken temple, but hard to break the god in one's heart.' These sayings, and Grandpa Blind's act of urinating on the stone statue, all share the same principle.
The first two methods require slow tempering of the heart, breaking the inner god or Buddha step by step. Grandpa Blind’s approach is simple, brutal, even a bit extreme and mad—but it works.
The first time the Village Chief met Grandpa Blind, the aura he brought was overwhelming—like a furious dragon sweeping the land. Yet at that time, Grandpa Blind’s eyes had been gouged out, and he was broken.
But now, the Spear God has returned.
This is thanks to Quinn Shepherd. Ever since this whole-limbed boy arrived in the village, the villagers’ resentment has gradually dissipated. To teach Quinn the Ninefold Heaven Eye Art, Grandpa Blind first had to awaken his own ‘god eye’—but since his divine eyes had been gouged out, only his heart’s eye remained.
While Grandpa Blind was transmitting his art to Quinn, the Village Chief sensed the awakening of Grandpa Blind’s 'god eye'—the eye of heart and spirit!
He had lost his eyes, and now saw with his heart instead.
The Village Chief slowly closed his eyes, basking in the sun with quiet contentment. In his heart, he murmured, "The Heart-Sight will surpass the god eyes. The Spear God will surpass even the Spear God of old. Blind Grandpa, when you leave the Great Ruins, your enemies will tremble..."
After Quinn finished urinating, he shivered, a wave of comfort flooding his body and soul.
The stone statue could no longer suppress his spirit. Looking at it again, Quinn saw countless things he'd never noticed before. It was as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes—what once was blurry now revealed the world's true colors.
He gazed greedily at the colors all around him, so moved by this never-before-seen beauty that he nearly wept.
He walked to the other stone statues in the village, and once again his heart was shaken. Each of the three statues, like the dragon-headed elder, erupted with divine light, radiating extraordinary sacred aura and an air of holiness!
But now, he could regard them with calm. These statues could no longer sway his heart.
With just the first heaven of the Ninefold Heaven Eye Art, Quinn was already ecstatic. What heights would his vision reach, what wonders would he witness, when he mastered the later heavens?
Quinn took out his bronze mirror and peered into it. He saw that his eyes looked different than usual; deep within his pupils, a faint circular ring appeared, laced with strange patterns like intertwining lightning.
The ring gradually dimmed and slowly faded away.