Opening the Eyes

The next day, at dawn.

Just as the sky began to lighten, Zhou Sheng opened his eyes. Seeing that his Master was still asleep, he tiptoed out of the temple and found a secluded spot in the mountain forest to start his vocal exercises.

Winter training in the coldest days, summer training in the hottest.

His solid foundation was built on day after day of arduous practice; it had become a habit etched into his very bones.

If he didn't practice his vocalizations for a single day, he felt an unbearable tightness, as if a phlegm were stuck in his throat.

After his vocal exercises, he faced the rising sun and performed two rounds of the Lan Caihe Guiding Technique until his muscles and bones felt stretched, his Blood Essence was flowing, and his entire body was warm. Only then did he conclude his practice with satisfaction.

He picked some wild fruits to take back for his Master and was pleasantly surprised to find that after a night's rest, his Master could walk without a limp.

"Counting it up, today should be the seventh day."

Yu Zhensheng counted on his fingers and asked, "Have you felt any abnormality in your eyes recently?"

Zhou Sheng nodded and said, "Every day at midnight and noon, my eyes become unusually sore and itchy, and they swell slightly. If I look in the mirror, I can see many bloodshot veins."

"Master, is it because singing Mount Dingjun puts too much strain on my eyes?"

Yu Zhensheng chuckled and shook his head, "Of course not. On the contrary, this means your Eye technique has become more advanced, and you are on the verge of opening your Aperture of the Eye."

Opening the Aperture of the Eye...

Zhou Sheng's heart stirred. His Master had once said that the Aperture of the Eye was the first of the Six Gates. Once this gate was passed, it was equivalent to opening the dharma eye, allowing one to see yin and yang, perceive changes, and even clearly see the trajectory of lightning strikes.

Most importantly, to sing Guan Gong plays, one had to open the Aperture of the Eye first.

"Today, you can take the medicine to open your Aperture, but before that, your Master needs to explain it to you in more detail."

Once he entered 'teaching mode,' Yu Zhensheng's expression became extremely serious. He stood perfectly straight, his gaze sharp.

"The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—these are the Six Gates. Buddhism calls them the Six Roots, as in 'If the Six Roots are not pure, one can hardly attain enlightenment.' The Daoist school calls them the Six Thieves, stating, 'If you wish to hear the Great Dao, you must first eliminate the Six Thieves'..."

"All cultivation in the world leads to the same destination, and we who sing Ghost Opera are no exception. We must also pass through these Six Gates."

"The eyes perceive joy, the ears perceive anger, the nose perceives love, the tongue perceives thought, the mind perceives desire, and the body perceives sorrow. Each thief subdued grants divine abilities and greatly enhances the power of our Ghost Opera performances."

"Take the first gate, the Aperture of the Eye, for example. Once opened, it greatly enhances your Eye technique, allowing your gaze to be divine and your eyes to flash like lightning when you perform. You can even awe Malevolent Spirits with your eyes alone, making your portrayals more lifelike and vivid."

Seeing the anticipation and excitement in his disciple's eyes, Yu Zhensheng's tone shifted, and he let out a cold laugh.

"But since it's about passing a gate, you must defeat generals. If you lack the spirit of Second Lord Guan passing through the Five Passes and slaying the Six Generals, you will not only fail to open your dharma eye but may very well become blind!"

Hearing this, Zhou Sheng's heart grew stern.

"'To steal from heaven, first gouge out the light of the Aperture of the Eye; melt candle wax and blood to seal the blind window.'"

Yu Zhensheng first recited a line of poetry and then sighed, "Those fortune tellers who are blind and have some skill in traveling the Jianghu mostly fail at this stage."

He paused, looked at his disciple, and said solemnly, "No one can help you with this stage. You can only rely on yourself. Your Master can only give you four words."

"What four words?"

"'Immovable as a Mountain.'"

Zhou Sheng silently memorized the four words. Then, without any hesitation, he took out the Mica Powder he had prepared earlier and swallowed it with dew.

A cultivator must be brave and diligent, forging ahead!

If he had faced the possibility of becoming blind after breaking through this stage before his rampage in Qinggu County, Zhou Sheng might have hesitated and felt uneasy.

However, after the tempering of those three Ghost Operas, the heroism of Huang Zhong, the ferocity of Zhong Kui, and the bloodlust of Wu Song had all had a subtle influence on him.

His accumulation was sufficient, he had the spiritual medicine to assist him, and his Master was there to protect him. If he still hesitated now, what kind of Dao was he cultivating? He might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes.

Even if he truly became blind, he wanted to see the scenery ahead before he lost his sight!

A few breaths later, the medicinal effects began to take hold.

His Dantian felt like a blazing furnace, and a warm current surged through his limbs, nourishing his Blood Essence and strengthening his muscles and bones.

Following his experience from last time, he calmly assumed the stance for the Guiding Technique.

Humbly embracing the primordial chaos, as if lifting a basket, Pushing aside clouds and gathering rosy hues, fingers twirling. Left foot firmly planted, right foot drawing from a spring, Rocking the sea and opening the Du-Ren channels. ...

His movements were extremely slow, as if pushing a thousand-pound millstone, yet he didn't appear strained or clumsy. Instead, his movements were exceptionally light and fluid.

He performed the Guiding Technique six times before he could transform the scorching medicinal power into strands of pure Magic Power. It felt like a sweet rain descending into his Dantian, and he could even hear the faint dripping sound, like that of a thousand-year-old stalactite.

As his Dao cultivation advanced further, he suddenly felt an uncontrollable surge of heat rush towards his eyes. His vision instantly burned, and he was plunged into darkness.

Recalling his Master's words, "Immovable as a Mountain," he calmed his mind, remaining undisturbed.

Soon, the surrounding darkness gradually receded, and he saw light again.

However, before he could feel joy, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he couldn't calm down.

He saw mountains of gold, dazzling and brilliant. He also saw peerless beauties, some dancing barefoot, others kneeling to offer tea.

Their voices were gentle and captivating.

He also saw countless people prostrating themselves at his feet, bowing in submission, and shouting "Long live!"

The vast mountains and rivers are all lands of one family, and the hundreds of millions of common people are all subjects of one surname.

Money, beauties, power...

All the beautiful things in the mortal world seemed to be laid out before him, for him to squander and enjoy at will.

Seeing brings joy.

Zhou Sheng's will was firm and unyielding; he was not moved by these external things.

Then, he saw spiritual elixirs, magic treasures, and profound techniques, all delivered before his eyes. It seemed that as long as he reached out to take them, his magic power would immediately increase greatly, and he would become an immortal.

He knew, of course, that these were all fake, illusions. But as long as his eyes were open, he could not avoid being influenced.

A voice seemed to whisper in his ear, bewitching his mind, blurring his memories of reality, and magnifying the things before his eyes.

He felt a sense of dread. If this continued, could he truly avoid getting lost?

At this moment, he seemed to begin to doubt himself.

Why not... just close his eyes... perhaps then he could avoid being bewitched.

A voice seemed to echo in his heart.

Zhou Sheng thought it made sense, so he prepared to close his eyes. As his eyelids slowly lowered, the light gradually faded, and darkness descended once more...

Wrong!!!

Zhou Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, which were about to close completely. His eyes ached, and warm blood trickled from the corners of his eyes.

His heart pounded violently, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

This illusion wasn't trying to tempt my heart; it was trying to make me close my eyes!

If he had truly closed his eyes just now, he would have, as his Master had said, lost his sight forever and become completely blind!

He forced his eyes open, his bloodshot pupils bulging, veins spreading like a spiderweb.

Just then, he seemed to hear an exasperated voice in his ear.

"Don't close your eyes, or I'll ruin your vision!"

The next moment, the money, beauties, magic treasures, and spiritual elixirs all vanished. Before his eyes, only two nine-inch silver needles remained, fiercely stabbing towards his eyes.

The cold sensation of the sharp needle tips touching his pupils had no trace of illusion whatsoever.

Zhou Sheng instinctively wanted to close his eyes, but he forced himself to endure it with sheer willpower.

Even if he were blinded, he would never close his eyes!

If he couldn't pass this trial, he would rather die!

The next moment, the needle tips plunged fiercely into his eyes. Yet, there was no pain. On the contrary, a cool sensation was continuously drawn into his eyes like a siphon, causing his pupils to undergo some wondrous transformation.

At the same time, the voice sounded in his ear again.

"Take good care of these eyes of mine, they will show you..."

"The real world."