Eye of Life, "Spirit Aperture" Between the Brows

Watching Wang Dong'er decisively refuse to spar with her, Xiao Xiao narrowed her eyes slightly and gave a gentle smile.

"Scared?"

"Not at all!" Wang Dong'er retorted.

"Mm-hmm, sure, not at all," Xiao Xiao said with a smile.

"You..."

Listening to that patronizing tone, Wang Dong'er puffed out her cheeks, looking like an angry white goose.

Beside her, Xiao Xiao hummed softly, the corners of her mouth curling upward.

She had never really felt much animosity toward Wang Dong'er; she was just habitually protective of what she considered hers.

Coupled with the time they had spent together, the two of them had been bickering back and forth for a month now, and their relationship had gradually grown closer, taking on the slight air of frenemies or best friends.

Seeing Wang Dong'er pouting in silent frustration, Xiao Xiao was just about to apologize when she heard Wang Dong'er ask out of the blue:

"By the way, where is Jiang Ci'an? Ever since I saw him that day, he hasn't been around at all."

The topic shifted too quickly, but Xiao Xiao's expression turned a bit more serious. "Ci'an is in closed-door cultivation. It's very important; he can't be disturbed."

"Oh?"

Dong'er blinked, her eyes flickering slightly as she rolled the two syllables around on her tongue.

"Ci—an?"

Her voice was slightly emphasized, her tone teasing.

Xiao Xiao frowned slightly and shot Wang Dong'er an annoyed look.

Wang Dong'er's lips curled up, feeling as though she had scored a point. Just as she was about to say something more, a voice suddenly rang out beside them.

"What are you two chatting about?"

The voice was gentle, carrying a hint of warmth, falling unhurriedly between them.

Dong'er paused slightly and instinctively turned around, only to see the young man standing behind them before she even realized it.

He was dressed in simple gray casual clothes, yet they accentuated his tall, slender frame, giving off an air of gentle refinement.

His face, which was handsome to an excessive degree, now held a faint smile as he looked at them.

Dong'er's gaze lingered for a moment, and she felt her heart skip a beat, momentarily dazed.

It wasn't until Xiao Xiao said "Ci'an" beside her that she snapped back to reality.

She immediately looked away, inexplicably feeling guilty as she stared down at her own toes, then snuck a peek back up at that face, her eyes filled with confusion.

Wait, it's only been a month, right? Why does it feel like...

This guy looks even better than before?

Wang Dong'er was full of doubt.

Beside her, Xiao Xiao didn't notice Dong'er's small movements.

Her attention was entirely on Jiang Ci'an. Her eyes reflected his face as she looked him up and down, clearly noticing the changes in him.

She blinked, her eyes filled with silent inquiry.

Jiang Ci'an understood and smiled slightly, answering, "The cultivation went very smoothly. The results are excellent."

Xiao Xiao let out a sigh of relief and was just about to say something when Jiang Ci'an gave a light cough and added:

"So, I'll probably... have to go back into closed-door cultivation for another three months or so."

Xiao Xiao: ???

After explaining the situation thoroughly to Xiao Xiao and finally getting her to reluctantly accept that he had to leave for another three months while she sat at the dining table with a pitiful look on her face, Jiang Ci'an returned to his room with a hint of apology.

His childhood sweetheart had been practically inseparable from him since they were two years old; even when they were apart, it was never for more than three or four days.

This was the first time she hadn't seen him for a whole month, and Xiao Xiao had already been in a bad mood.

If it weren't for Wang Dong'er's company and Xiao Xiao's focus on improving her cultivation, her mood would have been even worse.

Xiao Xiao was a bit too dependent on him.

But he had no choice.

Over the next three months, he had to go out, and it wouldn't be convenient to bring Xiao Xiao along.

Because, He needed to obtain his second soul ring.

Yes, that's right—he was already at level twenty.

It had been only nine months since he awakened his martial soul, yet his cultivation had already reached level twenty.

The reason for all of this lay entirely in the "Eye of Life" that had just been opened at the center of his brow.

Or, perhaps one could call it... a "Spirit Aperture."

As everyone knew, a "Spirit Aperture" was something that knights in the Throne of Seal world could condense only after reaching the sixth rank.

Once condensed, one's spiritual power, physique, mental strength, and even the perception and control of energy would be significantly enhanced, providing an all-encompassing boost.

However, because the worlds were different, humans on the Douluo Plane did not possess the nine innate Spirit Aperture slots that humans in the Throne of Seal world did; there was a fundamental difference at the root level.

Consequently, the knight system could not be directly utilized on the Douluo Continent.

Nevertheless, during the process of fusing the Gold of Life and opening the Eye of Life, Elder Yi had a flash of inspiration while Jiang Ci'an was circulating his "Body Tempering Method," leading him to slightly modify the structure of the Eye of Life.

Theoretically, this Eye of Life of his was now equivalent to a "Spirit Aperture" at the center of his brow.

It possessed numerous functions, such as accelerating the recovery of Soul Power, absorbing and converting foreign energy into life force, bolstering mental strength, strengthening energy perception, and, to a certain extent, autonomously absorbing the free energy between heaven and earth.

Furthermore, due to the incredibly dense life force of the Gold of Life itself, this "Spirit Aperture" was nourishing his body at every moment, automatically driving the "Body Tempering Method."

He no longer had much need for ordinary heavenly treasures or supplements.

He could even find a place to go into seclusion without eating or drinking, relying solely on the vast life force contained within the Eye of Life to continuously drive the "Body Tempering Method" until it reached its current limit.

This was the fundamental reason why his cultivation had surged from level seventeen to level twenty over the past month.

Without a doubt, this was an all-around transformation that had elevated his already formidable aptitude and cultivation speed to yet another level!

The only pity was that the success of this transformation was not currently replicable.

Of course, that matter was not important for the time being.

What mattered most now was his second soul ring.

Jiang Ci'an did not waste any time; with a thought, the gray door before him silently swung open, and he stepped inside.

The Undead Demi-plane was as desolate as ever, with gray-black earth stretching out beneath his feet and a black sun emitting a cold, eerie light.

As soon as he stepped into the demi-plane, the Eye of Life at Jiang Ci'an's brow revealed itself, and the figure of Electrolux emerged from it, his illusory form slightly more solid than it had been a month ago.

Now that the Eye of Life at his brow possessed the characteristics of a "Spirit Aperture," Electrolux residing within it was somewhat similar to a sentient Spirit Stove.

The nourishing effect was even better than that of a normal Eye of Life, which had significantly improved the state of Electrolux's remnant soul, allowing him to take action to a certain degree.

This further bolstered Jiang Ci'an's confidence.

"I'm ready, Elder Yi. Let's set off."

Electrolux nodded slightly without a word. With a thought, he began to calibrate the spatial coordinates according to the map Jiang Ci'an had provided.

Using the Undead Demi-plane as a transit station for long-distance spatial travel was indeed a useful method, but it required the corresponding spatial coordinates as a prerequisite.

The previous time he returned to the pharmacy from outside Shrek City, it had taken some time to complete the positioning because the coordinates had not been calibrated in advance.

However, the first calibration was the only troublesome part; once the coordinates were set, he could simply open a door directly, which was very convenient.

Time passed slowly, and before long, Electrolux suddenly stopped his movements, raised his hand, and waved it, causing a gray door to appear once again before Jiang Ci'an.

"Let's go."

Electrolux spoke, his figure merging back into Jiang Ci'an's brow and falling into silence.

Jiang Ci'an took a deep breath and stepped through the door.