True Sight Eye

"If, after one year, you have not advanced to Qi Refining, then you are not worth the Sect's cultivation. And those without cultivation value are unworthy of becoming disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect's Yin-Underworld Grotto. They are only fit to become consumables."

Zhu Yu felt as though his head were splitting apart, as if an iron rod had been driven into his skull and viciously stirred. Vast amounts of unfamiliar, fragmented memories continuously pieced themselves together, like a silent slideshow flashing scene after scene before his eyes.

A pristine white tower, seemingly built from marble and occupying an unknown expanse, pierced straight into the clouds.

Outside the tower, several thousand youths—some raggedly dressed, others splendidly attired—stood in several long columns, entering the tower one after another, some excited and some bewildered.

A frail, timid-looking boy raised his hand and pressed it against a gleaming white jade wall over three meters wide, beneath the cold gaze of a woman in black robes.

The jade wall rippled like water.

A leafless locust tree, as withered and thin as the boy himself, slowly manifested. It grew to over three feet before abruptly stopping. Then grayish-white color spread beneath the tree, extending nearly two feet before ceasing to expand.

The woman in black recorded the result and said indifferently, "Zhu Yu. Soul aptitude, third grade. Spirit roots compatible with earth and wood. Assigned to the Yin-Underworld Grotto."

The boy was then brought before a Gloomy Old Man.

After the woman in black finished testing everyone's aptitudes,

the Gloomy Old Man led the boy and several dozen other youths to a deep, shadowy Earth Cavern engraved with the words "Yinming."

After assigning them rooms,

the Gloomy Old Man delivered the words above, left behind a copy of the "Basic Visualization Diagram," a copy of "Records of the Heavenly Dao Sect," a copy of the "Code of Discipline," and a copy of "Treasures of the World," then turned and departed.

Day after day, the boy meditated.

Whenever he was about to complete a visualization, however, he always fell short at the final step.

Later, he accidentally learned that this condition was an innate defect in his soul. With only one month remaining before the one-year deadline, he feared he would be reduced to consumables and died of terror.

"Whew..."

After digesting the memories, Zhu Yu let out a soft breath, an inexplicable excitement surging from the depths of his heart.

In his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary person on Blue Star. He had loved the legendary tales of immortals, gods, ghosts, and monsters. Now that he had transmigrated into a world with cultivators, how could he not be excited?

Zhu Yu forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart, reached out, and picked up the "Basic Visualization Diagram" on the table.

"Basic Visualization Diagram."

It was a simple design: a perfect circle enclosing one vertical and one horizontal oval, resembling a cross-shaped pupil.

According to the records in the booklet,

the Three-Ring Pattern possessed the effect of gathering the soul. When one first outlined the pattern within their consciousness, it could gather the soul power that had dispersed throughout the body since birth and open a place within the unknown depths of the mind where the soul could be nurtured—the Divine Sea.

Once the Divine Sea was opened,

each complete meditation on the Three-Ring Pattern could gather naturally dispersed soul power and condense a Soul Particle that lay between illusion and reality.

When enough Soul Particles had accumulated, they could then merge into a soul thread.

Using that soul thread to manifest and solidify the Three-Ring Pattern within the Divine Sea would allow one to attempt to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, open the Mysterious Pass of the Human Body Heaven and Earth, and successfully enter Qi Refining.

"Visualization... Empty the mind and imagine the shape of the pattern..."

Zhu Yu closed his eyes and focused. Perhaps because he had fused with the previous owner's soul, after only a few breaths, the blurry outline of the Three-Ring Pattern appeared within the dim world of his consciousness.

Following the key points described in the "Basic Visualization Diagram,"

Zhu Yu did not attempt to visualize it in one stroke. Instead, he used his consciousness as a brush and carefully traced it from a single point.

The Three-Ring Pattern seemed to contain some inexplicable power. As he drew the outer ring, he could clearly feel a resistance. The slightest distraction would cause the lines he had just drawn to twist and dissipate, forcing him to begin again.

He tried again and again.

Just as Zhu Yu's consciousness began to feel exhausted, the pattern of three nested rings finally formed in his mind, blooming with a faint glow like fireflies.

"Hm?"

At that moment, Zhu Yu's consciousness suddenly sensed a trace of refreshing coolness. "Coolness? How could intangible consciousness have sensations...?"

At the center of his consciousness,

the Three-Ring Pattern was like a candle replenished with oil, its faint glow swelling at a visible speed.

Zhu Yu immediately felt his thoughts become exceptionally active. Blurry childhood memories and the previous owner's scattered recollections emerged clearly, one by one.

"So this is the effect of gathering soul power..."

As his thoughts flickered, the faint glow became like a great sun, illuminating his consciousness.

Until a certain moment.

Boom...

Zhu Yu felt the world turn into a field of white radiance, and his consciousness sank into hazy chaos.

He did not know how much time passed.

Zhu Yu slowly woke, only to sense a space about an inch wide appearing within his mind.

This was the Divine Sea, a place that nurtured the soul and carried spiritual power.

Just then,

a phantom information panel slowly unfolded before his eyes.

[Zhu Yu]

[Age: 16/76]

[Spirit Roots: Wood and Earth "Third Grade"]

[Attributes: Body 0.6, Soul 2.8]

[Technique: "Basic Visualization Diagram" beginner "1/10"]

[Life-Bound: Underworld Yin-Nurturing Locust Tree]

"This is... a golden finger!"

Zhu Yu was overjoyed. He knew it—since he had already transmigrated, how could he possibly lack a golden finger?

As he stared at the phantom panel, a sudden understanding arose within him.

"True Sight Eye" possessed the ability to detect, collect, and record information, then derive and analyze results from it.

It was the passive ability of a certain character in a farming-oriented little game.

"What is this...?"

After digesting the information, Zhu Yu scanned the entries one by one. His gaze fell on the "Life-Bound" section. He was puzzled for a moment, then his eyes shifted to "Basic Visualization Diagram" beginner. After thinking for a moment, he silently said,

"Build a model. Analyze the 'Basic Visualization Diagram.'"

As his thoughts moved, the panel twisted and changed.

["Basic Visualization Diagram," Analysis Progress "∞"]

"Hm?"

Seeing the endlessly deferred analysis progress, Zhu Yu froze for a moment, then slapped his forehead hard.

A technique like the "Basic Visualization Diagram," which did not discriminate based on aptitude, appeared common and unremarkable, but was actually the most stable foundational inheritance of a power.

And the True Sight Eye recorded information before analyzing it; it did not create something from nothing.

Without vast amounts of information and data to support it, relying on his tiny amount of knowledge about cultivation to analyze the "Basic Visualization Diagram" was simply a fool's dream.

With that thought flashing through his mind, Zhu Yu pondered briefly and silently said, "Build a model. Analyze the 'Basic Visualization Diagram,' from beginner to Mastery."

As the thought fell,

the panel changed again.

["Basic Visualization Diagram" beginner → Mastery, Analysis Progress "1%," Estimated Analysis Time: half an hour.]

"This is the proper way to use the True Sight Eye."

Zhu Yu nodded in satisfaction. While waiting, he looked around the room.

The room was not large, less than thirty square meters. A stone emitting a soft glow was embedded in the ceiling. Under its illumination, the walls, ceiling, and floor reflected a deep black sheen.

The furnishings were equally simple.

Aside from a bed, there was only a table and a chair.

After looking around a few times, Zhu Yu withdrew his gaze and picked up the "Code of Discipline" to flip through it.

The booklet recorded the Heavenly Dao Sect's rules and regulations. There were many clauses and restrictions, but in summary, they amounted to a single sentence.

Mutual slaughter was forbidden. Once discovered, regardless of the reason, the offender would be stripped of their disciple status and reduced to consumables.

"The Heavenly Dao Sect does not seem particularly righteous..."