Eye Aperture Talent
Once the second acupoint of the First-Grade, the 'Eye Aperture,' is opened, the cultivator will have a certain chance to gain a talent ability.
Those with good luck might acquire a divine skill like 'Heavenly Eye Insight'; those with less luck might still have various abilities such as 'Extreme Long-Distance Vision', 'Insight Eye', and 'Microscopic Magnification Vision'; but if one's luck is truly terrible, they might gain nothing at all.
However, even if you gain nothing, don't be discouraged. The five acupoints of the First-Grade are the Heart Aperture, Eye Aperture, Nose Aperture, Ear Aperture acupoint, and Mouth Aperture. Except for the Heart Aperture, each of the remaining four acupoints has a chance to awaken a talent ability when opened.
By now, almost every cultivator has unlocked at least one acupoint's talent, and those with good luck can even obtain two different talent abilities.
However, two is already the limit; I have never heard of anyone having more than three talent abilities.
Song Shuhang wasn't too bad off; after activating his Eye Aperture, he gained a special talent.
Curious, he immediately used this Eye Aperture Talent.
It's not the legendary "Heavenly Eye Insight," nor is it the familiar concepts of distance, microscopy, or insight...
The moment he unleashed his talent, the whole world seemed to be paused, then switched to slow motion.
The gently swaying curtains, the crumbs on the ground stirred by the wind, and the summer insects flitting outside the window—all of this was presented to Song Shuhang in slow motion.
The entire event lasted only about a second, but Song Shuhang felt as if it had lasted more than ten seconds.
Then, he suddenly felt his mental energy drain away, and his head throbbed slightly. He had been forcibly kicked out of this slow-motion mode...
This kind of Eye Aperture Talent should be considered 'Expert's Vision' or even 'Superhuman Vision'.
--In the eyes of a master, the enemy's movements seem to be still.
It works well and might even turn the tide of battle in crucial moments. However, it consumes a lot of mental and Blood Qi Value.
In the early stages, using this talent once depletes your mental energy; later, when you're already a master, you'll use it even less often. Overall, it becomes somewhat of a waste.
It's neither too good nor too bad.
Awakening one's talent is considered very lucky; more than half of cultivators fail to awaken their talent when they Eye Aperture.
"Did you awaken your talent when Eye Aperture?" Venerable White asked.
"Yes, it's an innate ability, but it consumes a lot of mental energy," Song Shuhang replied with a wry smile.
Venerable White laughed and said, "It's a good thing as long as it's opened. The first acupoint has unlocked your talent, and there's still a chance to activate another talent ability in the remaining three acupoints. If your mental strength is insufficient, then find a way to improve it!"
"However, let's stop here for today! You should rest well and not cultivate anymore," Venerable White added.
Song Shuhang was currently experiencing a significant mental drain; if he were to continue cultivating, it would only leave hidden injuries on his body.
"Okay, senior," Song Shuhang replied.
In fact, even if he wanted to cultivate, he lacked the strength. He had exhausted his mental energy when he activated 'Expert's Vision' just now, and now he felt a wave of drowsiness washing over him. All he wanted to do was find a bed, lie down, and fall asleep.
"Then, senior, I'm going to rest!" Song Shuhang.
He walked wearily to his room, so exhausted that he hadn't even noticed the Ancient Copper Ring on his finger.
After Song Shuhang left, Venerable White went forward and closed the room window.
Then, he flicked his finger lightly at the blue short sword. As if it had a spirit, the short sword automatically floated up and followed behind Venerable White.
"The rogue Li Tiansu," Venerable White said softly. Since he had asked his name, he had chosen to accept a Cause and Effect from him. If one day he encountered Li Tiansu's descendants or relatives in need of help, Venerable White might lend a hand out of consideration for their current predicament.
Next, after arriving downstairs, Venerable White inscribed several runes near the building to repair the shattered array of the 'Medicine Master'.
"Done." Venerable White stretched, then thought to himself, "What should I do next?"
Soon, his gaze fell on the air conditioner on the second floor.
Well, I finally managed to persuade Fellow Shuhang to go to sleep. Now I can take this opportunity to disassemble the air conditioner and examine it!
So, Venerable White happily went to dismantle the air conditioner...
************
On the other side.
The Sunflower Cultivator is currently staying at a hotel near the Jiangnan University Town.
From daytime until now, past 1 a. m., he has finally recovered from the trauma of the Flat-Ground Fall Crater Incident.
During this time, fearing that Song Shuhang might suddenly come looking for revenge with his senior, he changed his appearance several times along the way. He also took several baths to remove his own scent and sprayed himself with a scent-removing solution, going through all this trouble until now.
"So far, that 'Book Mountain Pressure' guy hasn't come looking for me. Maybe he really just sees me as an ordinary passerby?" the Sunflower Cultivator thought to himself.
He first meditated to calm his mind completely, recalling the events of the day.
It's certain that the one with "great pressure from the mountain of books" is indeed an ordinary novice cultivator. If it were just him alone, capturing him and getting the "Blood God Diamond" from him wouldn't be a problem.
However, we don't know the identity of that terrifying senior cultivator beside him, or what their relationship is with 'Under the Pressure of the Mountain of Books'. Will this senior stay by 'Under the Pressure of the Mountain of Books''s side indefinitely, or will he leave in a few days?
Rubbing his temples, he had already instructed the intelligence members of the 'Limitless Demon Sect' to investigate the latest information on 'Great Pressure from the Mountain of Books', to see if they could find any clues.
Just then, his phone rang.
"Hello, is this Sunflower Cultivator? The recent intelligence you requested regarding 'The Pressure of the Mountain of Books' has been compiled. Please come to the Bameite Hotel so we can hand over the intelligence materials to you." A cold male voice sounded from the other end of the phone.
"Received." The Sunflower Cultivator stood up, went out, and hailed a taxi.
"Hey buddy, where are you going?" The taxi driver was a man with a stubble-covered face and eyes that seemed to hold a deep sense of vicissitude.
"The Batemei Hotel," the Sunflower Cultivator said calmly.
"This distance is a bit far," the taxi driver said.
"It's alright, you won't be shortchanged," the Sunflower Cultivator said calmly.
"Alright, buckle up!" The taxi driver laughed heartily, stepped on the gas, and the taxi sped off like a shot.
In the passenger seat, the Sunflower Cultivator frowned, deep in thought about the immense pressure of studying, appearing somewhat gloomy.
The taxi driver assumed he was in a bad mood, so he asked, "Hey buddy, feeling down? Want to listen to some music to relax?"
The Sunflower Cultivator thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, let's play some music to relax."
He was definitely too tense; listening to some soft music would help him relax.
Soon... the Sunflower Cultivator deeply regretted his foolish decision.
Damn it, this haggard-looking taxi driver didn't turn on the music in the car—he actually started singing merrily at the top of his lungs.
Let him sing. With his stubble-covered face, he might be quite good at singing some soft and melancholic songs.
But the driver was singing a light and gentle love song in female style; I remember it was a song sung by a female celebrity a long time ago.
"Ah~ I love it, just leaning against your chest like this~"
"Phew~ I love waking up to find you beside me~"
"Ah~ I love it, your hand on my shoulder~"
Can you imagine a burly, bearded man singing a love song in a soft, tender voice? The image would be absolutely beautiful.
But he himself has no self-awareness whatsoever, and even thinks he sang very well.
As the driver sang, he even got into the groove, singing one love song after another, but without exception, they were all the kind of tender, gentle love songs sung by a woman.
You really can't blame the taxi driver, because that's the kind of music he usually listens to—after all, he's a grown man, so he probably listens to soft girls singing love songs. After listening to them for a long time, he only knows a few songs by heart.
The Sunflower Cultivator leaned back in the passenger seat, feeling an increased sense of pressure.
"Stop singing," he said in a deep voice. "I want some peace and quiet!"
The taxi driver clicked his tongue, looking regretful.
At that moment, above the Sunflower Cultivator's taxi, a small Pekingese was leisurely following him.
The Pekingese had a DSLR camera hanging around its neck, which recorded the scene of the Sunflower Cultivator making a phone call earlier. Doudou looked at the video recording on the DSLR and felt that her skills were really good.
As a powerful Great Demon Hound, DouDou possessed a hundred ways to stay behind the Sunflower Cultivator without being detected. Scouting out the opponent was a piece of cake for Doudou.
Let's see what information this 'Sunflower Cultivator' can obtain about Song Shuhang, and what decisions he will make.
After filming, Doudou prepared to go home.
Soon, the taxi driver stopped the car at the 'Batemei Hotel'.
After paying the fare, the Sunflower Cultivator practically fled from the car.
Then, he went to an internet cafe next to the Batemei Hotel and met with the intelligence members of the 'Limitless Demon Sect'.
Because Su Clan’s Seven has been causing trouble for the Limitless Demon Sect these past few days, the Demon Sect's intelligence disciples have been extra cautious, fearing that A-Qi might use this information to trace the entire branch and wipe it out.
The Sunflower Cultivator casually found a computer, turned it on, and sat down.
Then he took out a pack of cigarettes and went online.
About half an hour later, a man next to him suddenly muttered to himself, "This is all the intelligence on that guy from the Book Mountain who's under a lot of pressure. Be careful lately, don't let the Heavenly River Su Clan find out. Su Clan’s Seven has gone completely mad; many of the Demon Sect's intelligence agents have been captured by the Heavenly River Su Clan."
As they spoke, the man flicked his finger, secretly sending a USB drive to the Sunflower Cultivator.
The Sunflower Cultivator quietly put away the USB drive, and after another half hour, he got up and left the internet cafe. He didn't glance at the man next to him even once.
"If it weren't for the interference of the Heavenly River Su Clan, this kind of intelligence could have been sent directly via the internet," the Sunflower Cultivator sighed inwardly...