Immortal Pupils

Outside a dilapidated shrine, a handsome figure in a dark robe stood there in a daze. His wide-open eyes were webbed with bloodshot veins, with tiny drops of blood seeping out.

Yu Zhensheng appeared calm, but his brows were tightly furrowed as he slowly raised a hand.

If he woke his disciple before he failed to open the Aperture of the Eye, there was actually a good chance of preventing him from becoming blind. But if he did so, it would deal a tremendous blow to his disciple's resolve to seek the Dao.

Yet if he was even a moment too late, his disciple's eyes would be beyond saving...

Even with all his experience, Yu Zhensheng could not quite grasp the proper measure at this moment.

Fortunately, his disciple did not disappoint him.

Sunlight poured down over that youthful face, tracing its firm features. Those hollow eyes were gradually growing bright.

A faint golden radiance could even be seen rising in the depths of his pupils.

His pupils were as crystalline and translucent as crystal, slightly swelling as their outlines slowly shifted from round to somewhat square. The change was not obvious, but a careful look revealed the difference.

Seeing this, Yu Zhensheng finally let out a long breath and showed a faint smile.

Square pupils were naturally the Immortal Countenance; Nine Revolutions Spiritual Light nourished the Jade Field.

After opening the eyes, as one's Dao cultivation continuously improved, the pupils would gradually change from round to square, taking on the appearance of an immortal.

The Baopuzi stated, "The pupils of immortals are all square," while the Laozi Zhongjing stated that cultivators who had cultivated the Dao for five hundred years could reveal square pupils and "see through all eight directions."

Tao Hongjing, the famed Daoist of the Southern Dynasty, had an eye that would occasionally turn square in his later years, nearly bearing the air of an immortal.

Now, his disciple had finally entered the hall and reached the inner chamber. He could be called one who had attained the Dao.

"You little brat, I suppose you do have some skill. You didn't make your master—"

Yu Zhensheng had secretly intended to praise him, but then saw his disciple's pupils move, as though he were about to come back to his senses.

"Hmph, it took you so long to break through. So-so, barely passable."

He hurriedly changed his tune, waved his sleeve, and sighed. "You are the dumbest disciple this master has ever taught."

Cold sweat nearly broke out across his back.

That was close. He had almost been overheard!

Zhou Sheng merely smiled, unconcerned. He did not tell his master that he had actually heard it, instead asking curiously, "Master, does that mean I have senior brothers?"

All these years, his master had never mentioned any other senior brothers.

"You have a senior sister. When we go to Xunyang this time, you will see her."

After saying that simply, Yu Zhensheng waved a hand. "You have just broken through, so familiarize yourself with it first. Then we'll continue on our journey."

"Yes, Master!"

Only then did Zhou Sheng carefully sense the changes in his body. Naturally, the first thing was his eyes. The moment he opened them, the entire world seemed brand new.

It was like someone with severe nearsightedness suddenly putting on a pair of perfectly fitted glasses.

He could even see the veins of a blade of grass in the distance and the fluttering wings of a mosquito. The feeling was somewhat like the state he entered when singing Mount Dingjun.

The only difference was that there was no consumption at all now. It had practically become instinct.

Beyond that, the Magic Power in his Dantian had surged dramatically. The medicinal effect of the Mica Formula, combined with the natural growth after opening the Aperture of the Eye, had sent his Dao cultivation soaring. His Magic Power pooled in his Dantian like a small lake.

From his original six years of Dao cultivation, he now had around fifteen years' worth, an increase of nearly a decade in cultivation!

He felt his body grow lighter, while the vital energy within him flowed on and on of its own accord, warming his limbs and bones.

It was as though he had undergone a complete transformation, shedding his mortal frame and exchanging his bones.

At this point, the Immortal's Cloud Mica Pill gifted by City God Lu Bingyuan had fully taken effect. Even if Zhou Sheng continued taking medicine according to the formula, he would gain no further improvement.

Fortunately, he could still use the Luo Book to deduce and divine the true prescription, continuing to increase his Dao cultivation!

Taking pills felt good for a moment; taking pills forever felt good forever.

However, just as Zhou Sheng was preparing to use the Luo Book for divination, his master's voice suddenly rang out.

"Gather your spirit in your eyes and take a careful look at this bowl of water."

Yu Zhensheng poured a bowl of water and handed it to him, speaking as though his words carried deeper meaning.

Zhou Sheng took a deep breath and sent the Magic Power from his Dantian flowing into his eyes. Previously, whenever he did this, his eyes would become swollen and sore, as though mortal pupils could not bear too much Magic Power.

But now, not only did he feel no burden whatsoever, he even found it cool and comfortable.

The next moment, his vision strengthened once more. That ordinary bowl of water gradually enlarged before his eyes, like a calm expanse of sea.

Within those waves, he vaguely saw tiny bugs, densely packed and wriggling about.

Only after he had expended a great deal of Magic Power did he suddenly come back to himself, thoughtful.

"When the Buddha viewed a bowl of water, he saw eighty-four thousand bugs."

Yu Zhensheng said with great interest, "After opening your eyes, circulating Magic Power allows you to see the minute and perceive the hidden, to see things ordinary people struggle to see. Like the bugs in this bowl of water, for instance. Only..."

"You do not seem surprised by this."

Yu Zhensheng still remembered the shock he had felt when he first saw those bugs after opening his eyes. Water, food, even the air—all were filled with such bugs.

It had frightened him so badly that he went three days without eating or drinking.

Zhou Sheng shook his head with a smile, then drained the bowl of water in one gulp without the slightest qualm.

He had long seen such things beneath a microscope in his previous life, so naturally he had no psychological barrier. Instead, it made him even more curious about cultivation.

The macrocosm of the universe, the microcosmic world.

No wonder that voice in the illusion had said these eyes could let him see the real world.

But who exactly was that voice?

At that thought, he asked directly.

Yu Zhensheng explained, "That voice was the Eye Thief, one of the Six Thieves. It is also known as Joy of Seeing, one of the 'deities' dwelling within your mortal body."

"Deities?"

"The Huangtingjing says that the human body possesses Three Palaces, Six Mansions, and 120 Joints, containing a total of Thirty-six Thousand Deities. Joy of Seeing is one of them. Once you subdue it, your eyes gain divine abilities."

Zhou Sheng nodded, a look of excitement appearing on his face.

Of the six gates—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—he had passed the first. Next came Ear Hearing Anger. What sort of divine ability would he gain if he passed that gate as well?

"Though you have achieved a little success now, you must still guard against pride and impatience. Do not forget Daoist Xie, whom you shot dead. He had also opened the Aperture of the Eye, yet he still died at your hands during a magical battle."

After a pause, Yu Zhensheng shared a lesson from his own experience.

"Dao cultivation is certainly important, but when fighting magic with one's life on the line, life and death are decided in a single thought. If you do not fight, how can you know who will win or lose?"

Back in the Hundred Schools of the Underworld, that Gathering of Heroes, his Dao cultivation had not been the highest—but he had been the best fighter.

Therefore, he did not want his disciple to rely too heavily on Dao cultivation. He wanted him to devote more energy to his actual skills.

"I will remember Master's teachings!"

Zhou Sheng agreed wholeheartedly with this notion. Dao cultivation was Dao cultivation, and methods were methods. Unless the gap in Dao cultivation was enormous, victory or defeat still depended on one's methods.

"Enough. Let's get on the road at once. We should be able to reach Xunyang City before nightfall."

When Yu Zhensheng mentioned Xunyang City, his gaze deepened, and there was something profoundly suggestive in his voice.

"Master, aside from my senior sister being there, is there anything else special about Xunyang City?"

Zhou Sheng could not help asking curiously.

Yu Zhensheng merely smiled mysteriously and said nothing.

For some reason, Zhou Sheng felt that his master's smile was rather chilling.