Double Pupil Eyes

"I never imagined it would take me eighteen years after transmigrating to this world to finally unlock my cheat..."

Fang Yi braced both hands against the sink.

The mirror reflected Fang Yi. A pair of pupils occupied his single left eye socket. The outer pupil, like a gemstone, encircled the inner, dark star-like pupil. The two were clearly distinct, and at that moment, faint streams of mysterious purple light shimmered from them.

They looked nothing like anything of this world.

Before his eyes, lines of golden text appeared in the mirror.

["Double Pupil Eyes" Growth Progress — 0.3%]

["?" Unlock Progress — 0%]

Fang Yi closed his eyes slightly. The two lines of golden text and their numbers vanished in an instant.

"In three days, it'll be July 1, the day I head to the dojo to take the Quasi-Warrior Assessment. This awakening couldn't have come at a better time."

Fang Yi washed his face and prepared to return to his room.

In his previous life, Fang Yi had died of overwork in front of his computer. He had then transmigrated into this world by being born here.

When he learned that this world was the setting of Swallowed Star,

Fang Yi had resolved to become a Martial Artist.

Even without a cheat back then, Fang Yi had never once considered backing down. Before transmigrating, he had often heard people say, "In Devouring World, you'd better not show up without a good cheat."

But now that he had actually transmigrated, how could he possibly pass up the chance to become a Martial Artist?

Besides, there was another advantage to Devouring World: even without a cheat, he could still find someone powerful to back him. If he hitched his wagon to Luo Feng, he'd have no trouble living the good life.

That was the best choice for transmigrators without cheats.

Fang Yi had only wanted to do his utmost to cultivate and see how far he could go on the Martial Artist path. He would never give up or leave himself with regrets. Now, with his awakening of the Double Pupil Eyes, his resolve not to settle for an ordinary life had only grown stronger.

"It feels like something else about my body has changed, too. I feel lighter than before, and it's easier to control. I seem to have a lot more strength as well..."

Fang Yi looked at the metal doorknob he had accidentally twisted out of shape.

He could clearly feel that awakening the Double Pupil Eyes had greatly improved his physical fitness!

"I'll go test myself at the dojo, then find someone to fix the doorknob while I'm at it."

After tidying up a little,

Fang Yi went into the living room. Before heading out, he glanced back at the small home where he had lived for years.

The place was small, just thirty-two square meters, with one bedroom and one living room.

But it was more than enough for one person. Fang Yi had grown up in an orphanage for as long as he could remember. The director had told him that someone had left him at the orphanage's entrance shortly after he was born. To this day, he still knew nothing about his parents.

Fang Yi, however, didn't mind.

Carrying memories from his previous life, he had been far more mature than his peers since childhood. That had made many people at the orphanage feel sorry for him. By the time he reached his teens, he had already begun trying to live independently.

"I won't be staying here much longer..."

As soon as he said that,

Fang Yi carefully shut the door and left.

He lived in Yangzhou City, and there was a Limit Dojo nearby. After half an hour on the subway, he arrived.

On the way,

he stopped by a familiar steamed bun shop and, as usual, bought four meat buns and a large cup of hot soy milk. He hurriedly finished breakfast, then walked for about ten minutes to the dojo entrance.

The dojo was enormous, much larger than an ordinary school. Quite a few dojo students were already coming and going.

Once inside,

Fang Yi immediately headed to a corner of the Martial Arts Hall.

A Punch Strength Tester stood before him, provided for the students to test themselves. Fixing his gaze on the target,

Fang Yi took up his stance.

Strength rose from the ground, turned through his waist, and flowed down his arm. After taking a deep breath, he unleashed everything he had and struck out with a punch—

"Bam!"

A rush of wind swept through the area.

There weren't many people around, and no one paid any attention to Fang Yi in the corner.

A punch-strength reading immediately appeared on the screen.

"3,382 kg!"

Seeing the figure, Fang Yi lowered his stance and slowly exhaled. A trace of shock flashed through his eyes.

"Just as I thought. It really did go up..."

Fang Yi had tested his punch strength a week earlier.

He had reached only 1,057 kg.

Now, it had jumped straight to 3,382 kg!

Based on his score from the previous week, he had basically passed the punch-strength test, so Fang Yi had focused on training his nerve response and speed afterward.

He hadn't tested himself for nearly a week, but he was sure he'd made some progress during that time.

By that calculation, awakening the Double Pupil Eyes had added nearly 2,300 kg to his strength.

"Could it be that the higher the unlock progress, the greater the boost?" Fang Yi rested one hand under his chin and studied the score, which had already reset, pondering the question.

His punch strength was now well above the passing mark.

July 1 was only three days away.

With these results, passing the Quasi-Warrior Assessment should be no problem...but it still wasn't enough.

"I need to show as much of my current strength as possible, earn the Limit Dojo's attention, and get to the War God Preparatory Camp as quickly as I can."

Back to the present,

Luo Feng and the others beside Fang Yi had already started talking about Psychic Masters.

Instructor Jiang Nian added, "All right, that's enough for today. You three can go home. Remember to get your certificates stamped and register your citizen IDs. You'll be notified in a few days... Fang Yi, you stay."

Jiang Nian turned to Fang Yi at the end, dismissing the other three and asking him to stay behind.

Then he led Fang Yi back up to the sixth floor.

There,

in the spacious training hall, the silver-haired man in a black robe and Chief Instructor Wu Tong stood side by side, seemingly waiting for something.

When Fang Yi arrived, Wu Tong and the silver-haired man greeted him with smiles.

"Quite the work ethic. The assessment is over, and you're still wearing your black blindfold," the silver-haired man said, sounding half amused and half approving.

"The path of martial arts is endless," Fang Yi replied simply.

The silver-haired man's eyes lit up. He nodded in approval, then looked toward Wu Tong, who asked, "You didn't use your full strength during this assessment. Although you've passed, we'd like to see your limits. And from what I've heard, your results are excellent. How are you still only an advanced student? You've been keeping a rather low profile."

"Did you stay under the radar before just so you could stand out in this assessment? If that was your plan, congratulations. You've got our attention."

Wu Tong spoke with seriousness and sincerity.

Jiang Hua, standing to one side, watched Fang Yi with intense curiosity.

Fang Yi could feel the three of them watching him expectantly.

At last, a smile appeared on his usually impassive face.

"Good. Becoming a Martial Artist is only my first step. My goal now is to enter the War God Preparatory Camp."

Fang Yi's steady, powerful words echoed through the hall.

The silver-haired man in the black robe looked as though he had expected this all along.

"Good. Then prove it to us!"

Fang Yi said no more. Instead, he turned and walked toward the Punch Strength Test Machine at the edge of the hall. Just as before, he covered his eyes and took up his stance.

With perfect form and the most efficient technique, he threw a lightning-fast punch—

"Bam!"

Fang Yi hadn't wasted any time during the three days since awakening the Double Pupil Eyes.

That punch unleashed his full strength...