"No problem."
Fang Yi answered plainly.
There was no attempt to hide anything, nor any sign of panic.
The silver-haired man in a black robe felt most of his doubts fade at Fang Yi's words and actions. Then Fang Yi untied the knot behind the black band.
The next moment,
his eyes, no longer wrapped in black, slowly opened.
His two eyes were like brown gemstones, their gaze calm. At first glance, there seemed to be nothing strange or exceptional about them.
They looked no different from an ordinary person's.
"Though the path of cultivation is endless, it's still risky to keep your eyes wrapped when they're perfectly fine. Just be careful. That's all for today."
With that, the silver-haired man in the black robe left with Wu Tong to attend to other matters.
Jiang Hua saw Fang Yi out of the Martial Arts Hall.
Inside the apartment.
"Click."
"The door's fixed. But young man, you said you're moving soon, so why bother fixing it?"
The repairman, dressed in blue and holding his tools, had just replaced the doorknob. He asked the question with a puzzled look.
He knew Fang Yi had become a Quasi-Martial Artist.
The repairman had been sent by Jiang Hua specifically to help out here. On the way home, the two had gotten to talking. When Jiang Hua learned that Fang Yi's door was broken, he'd immediately contacted a professional repair service for him.
Fang Yi, who had wrapped the black band around his eyes again, heard the repairman's question and gently touched the wall. "I've lived here for several years, after all. Besides, if I don't fix it, the landlord will withhold my deposit."
The repairman was taken aback.
Fang Yi was already a Quasi-Martial Artist. Once the landlord found out, he'd be falling over himself to please him. Why would he withhold the deposit? And even if Fang Yi did lose it, it would be a drop in the bucket compared with what he had now.
That sort of expense meant nothing to a Quasi-Martial Artist.
But the repairman didn't say any of that. After finishing the repairs, he smiled and said, "You're quite particular. When are you moving into Bright Moon Residential District? I can send someone over to help you then."
"Tomorrow."
The next day.
At exactly seven in the morning,
with the staff's help, all the furniture in Fang Yi's old home had been packed up.
Then, escorted by a squad of soldiers, he entered the residential district.
At noon,
Fang Yi was still wearing the black satin band.
Even so, he could clearly see the layout of the entire villa and its surroundings.
The wisps of mist in his left pupil let him see everything around him.
"Though I won't be living here for long, I'll be staying here for a while. I should get the place cleaned up and organized."
At his words,
the several cleaning staff nearby got to work.
Fang Yi walked over to the enormous floor-to-ceiling window. He was looking at the scenery outside, but also at the Interface that had appeared before him.
["Double Pupil Eyes" Growth Progress──0.7%] [Strength──4208kg] [Speed──65m/s] [Neural Response──Intermediate Warrior (Super)] ["?" Unlock Progress──0%]
A day had passed.
The growth progress of Fang Yi's Double Pupil Eyes had increased by another 0.1%.
The Interface had also begun displaying detailed figures for his strength, speed, and neural response.
During the Quasi-Warrior Assessment, Fang Yi had noticed that his Double Pupil Eyes changed noticeably when he kept his eyes closed.
It seemed they awakened more readily under those conditions.
That was why he had started wrapping his eyes with the black band.
As far as the results went, it had indeed helped.
"My growth progress went up by 0.1%, and my punch strength increased by 200 kilograms. That's not a small improvement," Fang Yi thought.
Then,
he remembered the silver-haired man who had wanted to look at his left eye the day before.
"Looks like that guy noticed something. After all, wrapping my eyes with black cloth as an excuse for training isn't very convincing. But it's not a big problem."
Fang Yi's left eye had not revealed its Double Pupil Eyes the day before.
That was because when he entered the Sea of Consciousness Space and saw the Dark Gold Cube, he discovered that his spiritual power could combine with his Double Pupil Eyes to produce a new effect.
That effect was "Illusion Technique."
By using his spiritual power together with the power of his Double Pupil Eyes, he could conceal and alter his left eye until it looked the same as his right. Even a Psychic Master wouldn't notice anything amiss.
After all, the power of his Double Pupil Eyes was involved; it wasn't merely spiritual power.
"Still, when I actively use my Double Pupil Eyes, my left eye reverts to its real appearance. I'll have to be careful from now on. I don't want to attract a bunch of trouble."
Late at night,
Fang Yi sat on the bed.
He crossed his legs and began cultivating his Genetic Origin Energy with the Five Hearts Toward Heaven Cultivation Method.
Soon, his breathing steadied, and he entered a tranquil state.
The first step in cultivating Genetic Origin Energy was to sense it. But this wasn't easy. Some people needed a year or even longer just to vaguely sense the Cosmic Energy in the world around them.
However,
not long after entering the state, Fang Yi clearly sensed the energy around him.
At the same time,
wisps of blue-violet light seemed to seep from his tightly shut left eye.
The blue-violet light drew in the Cosmic Energy of the world around him.
The energy around him split into two streams. One flowed in through his palms, the soles of his feet, and his Baihui Acupoint. The other was drawn directly into his Double Pupil Eyes by the blue-violet light.
The energy he absorbed began as a tiny trickle, then gradually swelled into a mighty river!
Fang Yi could feel the energy surging through him, along with the changes in his body.
"Is this what it feels like to evolve?"
"It feels pretty good."
As the thought crossed his mind,
Fang Yi's entire body began to change. His Life Level was constantly being affected and transformed.
His Double Pupil Eyes, too, were being nourished by this world.
They slowly awakened.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
August 1st.
All the Quasi-Martial Artists from the Limit Dojo preparing to take the assessment gathered outside the dojo.
Under the guidance of the staff, they boarded a train bound for the Combat Assessment site.
"Future warriors, all of you..." Videos from the various factions recruiting new warriors played on the screens above the train.
Fang Yi was still wearing the black satin band.
This left Luo Feng, Yang Wu, and the others beside him rather curious.
By now, they were all more or less members of the Limit Dojo, and no longer strangers to one another. So they asked him about it.
"Brother Fang Yi, it's the Combat Assessment today. Are you really going to take it with that black cloth over your eyes?" Yang Wu asked.
"That's a good idea," Fang Yi replied.
Luo Feng and the others heard his unexpected answer.
They all wore the same look, as if to ask, "Are you serious?"
During the Combat Assessment, no one would be looking out for your safety or guaranteeing your life. You had to rely on yourself or on a team you'd put together.
Blindfolding yourself during the assessment was incredibly dangerous.
Inside the train,
one recruitment speech after another echoed through the carriage.
Some were from the HR Alliance, others from the government military, and still others from famous organizations like the Thunder Dojo...
Before long,
the train reached its destination.
A powerful voice rang out among the crowd, welcoming the arriving Quasi-Martial Artists and warning them of what lay ahead.
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