The Eye of Life

Dai Huabin said nothing.

The Eye of Life, the Spiritual Sea, immortality and indestructibility—its significance had already been made clear in the original story.

"Senior..."

"No need to thank me."

Electrolux cut him off, his voice already weary.

"The power I can use is nearly spent. I'll need to sleep for a while and restore my divine sense."

"How long?"

"There's no telling." Electrolux paused. "That Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife has already merged with the third eye opened in your brow. You'll feel the changes in your body from now on."

"I'll remember."

Electrolux gave a quiet "Mm," and his voice grew fainter and more distant.

"When I wake again, we'll talk it all through."

The silvery-white halo began to contract and slowly dim. Then it flew into the newly opened Eye of Life, where it gradually absorbed life force to restore that fragment of divine sense.

Everything around him fell silent.

Only the slow flow of energy through his Spiritual Sea and Dai Huabin's own breathing remained.

Dai Huabin opened his eyes.

Dawn was just breaking.

The dormitory was quiet. Zhu Lu was still in the chair beside him, sleeping with her head against the backrest. Her breathing was steady, and her black hair fell across half her face.

Dai Huabin propped himself up and sat. A dull ache came from the bandages on his chest.

He lowered his head and glanced at them. They had been replaced with clean ones, neatly tied.

Zhu Lu had changed them.

He stood and walked to the window, raising a hand to touch his brow.

His skin was smooth. There was nothing unusual about it; it felt no different from before.

But something in his Spiritual Sea had changed.

It was hard to describe—a sense of stability, as if someone had driven another layer deep beneath an already solid foundation.

He tried circulating his spiritual power. Its recovery was more than twice as fast as it had been when he passed out last night.

Dai Huabin stood by the window and lowered his hand.

His Spiritual Sea was far more stable than it had been last night.

His Soul Power was recovering at about three times its usual speed. The bandages on his chest still throbbed with a faint, dull ache, but most of that hollowed-out feeling left by his severe injuries had vanished.

He raised his right arm, clenched his fist, then opened it.

His strength felt clear, and his movements were fluid.

He knew exactly what had happened to his body overnight.

The Eye of Life had been opened, and life force had fundamentally rewritten his constitution. This wasn't the kind of improvement accumulated through cultivation. It was a comprehensive strengthening, from his meridians to his bones. He could even feel the blood flowing beneath his skin far more clearly than before.

He stood before the mirror for two seconds.

His long golden hair fell over his shoulders. His face was still the same, but some of the youthful innocence had faded. The sharpness in his deep blue eyes had grown keener, as if some invisible force had refined his whole being.

After thinking it over, Dai Huabin arrived at a very objective conclusion:

He really was a little more handsome.

He had read about Life Gold's side effects in the original story; he just hadn't expected them to be so obvious.

He turned around.

Zhu Lu was still leaning against the back of the chair, black hair half covering her face, her breathing even.

She had looked after him for who knew how long last night. Faint dark circles showed beneath her eyes, and a strip of cloth was wrapped around her left thumb. She must have scraped it while changing his bandages.

He walked over, shook out the thin blanket on the table, and gently draped it over her.

Zhu Lu stirred and opened her eyes.

She sat there dazed for two seconds. When she saw Dai Huabin standing in front of her, her reaction came a beat late.

"You..." Zhu Lu sat up straight and glanced uncertainly at the sky. "What time is it?"

"Almost seven."

Zhu Lu snapped fully awake and jumped up, reaching for his forehead. "Has your fever gone down?"

"I'm fine." Dai Huabin stopped her hand. "I recovered faster than I expected."

Zhu Lu's hand remained suspended in midair. She stared at him for several seconds, her brows slowly drawing together—not with worry, but in close scrutiny.

"You've recovered way too fast."

"I just slept."

"I changed your bandages once last night. You still had bruising on your chest then."

Zhu Lu's tone turned doubtful. "Now you're standing here full of energy. Should I be happy, or should I think something's wrong?"

"Just be happy."

Zhu Lu watched him a little longer, then suddenly fell silent.

Dai Huabin noticed that her gaze had shifted slightly. She wasn't looking at his injuries. She was looking at his face.

"What is it?"

Zhu Lu lowered her head and fiddled with her sleeve, speaking in a deliberately casual tone. "Nothing... I just think you seem..."

She paused.

"A little more handsome?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhu Lu herself reacted. The tips of her ears grew redder, and she quickly changed the subject.

"It might be the lighting."

Dai Huabin chuckled.

"Maybe beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Zhu Lu looked up. Her expression went blank for an instant, then she quickly turned her face away and gave a soft snort.

"Since when did you get so thick-skinned?"

Zhu Lu turned her back to him and began gathering up the things she had left lying around last night. Her hands moved a little faster than usual; she was clearly uncomfortable.

Dai Huabin stopped teasing her. He took out the clean clothes and set them by her hand. Once they had both gotten ready, they left the dormitory and headed downstairs.

Today was the day students would be assigned to classes after the Freshman Assessment. The announcement would be posted in the square at nine sharp.

There were already plenty of people in the hallway, talking quietly in small groups. The atmosphere was a little tenser than usual.

Dai Huabin looked around as they reached the ground-floor hall.

Wang Dong'er leaned against the doorframe with her arms folded, saying nothing. Cui Yajie stood beside her, drinking water. Xiao Xiao was crouched on the steps, chin propped on her knees as she stared into space.

All three saw Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu coming downstairs at the same time.

Xiao Xiao was the first to jump up. "Class monitor! You're okay?"

"I'm fine."

"When we saw Zhu Lu carrying you while you were unconscious yesterday, we were terrified."

Xiao Xiao rushed over and looked up at him.

"You look even better than before. That's just..."

She trailed off, her eyes widening more and more.

Wang Dong'er was staring at him too. After watching him for three or four seconds, she nudged Cui Yajie's arm and leaned in to whisper:

"Does anything look different about him today?"

Cui Yajie looked Dai Huabin up and down, holding her cup, then slowly nodded.

"Mm."

"Could it be..."

"His bearing has changed." Cui Yajie lowered her cup, her tone certain. "Not the kind of change you get from recovering from an injury. It's coming from the inside out."

Wang Dong'er stared at Dai Huabin in silence for two seconds, then turned to Zhu Lu. "What did you feed him last night?"

"Nothing."

"Then why does he look..." Wang Dong'er couldn't find the words at first. In the end, she managed two: "Weird."

Dai Huabin said, "Thanks."

"That wasn't a compliment!" Wang Dong'er immediately retorted.

Xiao Xiao had already circled him once, muttering:

"Class monitor, you really feel different from yesterday. I just can't put my finger on what it is... Nothing looks different, but somehow something does."

"Maybe I slept well last night," Dai Huabin said.

"Say that in plain language."

"When you sleep well, you feel good, and that naturally improves your bearing."

Cui Yajie's mouth twitched. She couldn't be bothered to call him out and headed for the exit first.

"Enough nonsense. Let's go eat, or we'll be late for the class assignments."