C42 Opening the Heavenly Eye

The book spoke of the divine sense and the opening of the Heavenly Eye with great mystery. Once someone's Heavenly Eye is opened, they gain an indescribable intuition that enables them to detect objects imbued with spiritual energy in their vicinity.

In essence, once he achieved this, he would be able to identify the treasures around him, and this was just the beginning of his abilities.

The descriptions in the book were nothing short of miraculous, far exceeding Ni Huibo's imagination. It was an incredibly potent ability.

Ni Huibo's knowledge of the Immortal Path was limited, but he was acutely aware that mastering this cultivation method would make finding rare treasures a breeze in the future. In certain situations, it could prove to be incredibly beneficial.

A look of longing flashed in his eyes.

Advancing on the soul cultivation journey was crucial, and resources were of the utmost importance. To the still frail Ni Huibo, this cultivation method seemed like a key to unlocking greater strength.

With this thought, he became restless and scanned his surroundings.

The tunnel was a natural formation, somewhat refined, but still retaining several narrow offshoots shrouded in darkness, their destinations unknown.

Ni Huibo, clutching the book, quickly chose a path and ventured in without prior investigation.

He was eager to practice the cultivation method right away, yet he was wary of interruptions. Four others were still perusing cultivation methods and could emerge at any moment.

Disturbances during cultivation were perilously dangerous; a moment's inattention could lead to mental derangement. Such practices were typically reserved for the safety of one's room, but having read the initial chapters, Ni Huibo felt an urge he didn't want to ignore.

The passageway was so tight that he had to move sideways to fit through. Luckily, it wasn't long before he found himself emerging from the narrow confines.

He quickly retrieved a fire striker from his pocket, struck it twice, and a faint flame sprang to life. It was weak but sufficient to illuminate his surroundings.

He had reached a dead end. The path had widened slightly here, but only enough to accommodate two people standing shoulder to shoulder.

Ni Huibo casually surveyed his surroundings without much concern and promptly sat down cross-legged, eager to maintain the sensation stirring in his heart.

He set aside the fire piston, its faint glow casting a dim, flickering light across the modest space.

"I must calm my spirit and gather my vitality so that the spiritual energy within me converges at my brow," he reminded himself, recalling the cultivation method described in the tattered book. Taking a deep breath, he allowed his consciousness to sink into tranquility. His mind became a void, and even his heartbeat seemed to slow.

Having prepared himself, he began to circulate the spiritual energy within, directing it toward his head.

A sudden buzz echoed in his mind, as though struck by an immense hammer, draining the color from his face and causing his body to involuntarily stagger.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as Ni Huibo's eyes snapped open, his brow furrowed in concern.

At the late period of the second level, his mastery over spiritual energy was tenuous, and the mind, being the body's most vulnerable part, had sustained considerable damage from the energy's impact.

"The book made no mention of this," he thought, "Perhaps I've yet to discover the correct technique. I should attempt it a few more times."

With a silent resolve, he once again set the spiritual energy in motion.

A louder boom resonated within his skull, more intense than before. His head grew heavy, and he realized that had he exerted any more force, he might have lost consciousness.

Despite the pain, Ni Huibo gritted his teeth, refusing to retreat. He partitioned the spiritual energy into smaller streams, carefully guiding them toward his head.

The sensation was more bearable this time, though his mind still reeled from the punishing vibrations. The process was slow, the spiritual energy divided, and he braced himself for the repeated agony. Soon, his forehead was beaded with cold sweat.

After enduring the struggle, the spiritual energy within him finally coalesced at the center of his eyebrows, as the book had instructed, forming a luminescent orb of Qi.

Completing the step left Ni Huibo gasping for breath, the effort evident. Sweat had thoroughly drenched his back.

After taking a brief respite, Ni Huibo dared not slacken his focus and once again concentrated his mind. He meticulously directed the spiritual energy to flow through his brain along a mysterious path.

A barrier faintly emerged within his mind.

"Is this an obstacle?"

He whispered to himself, then immediately directed the spiritual energy to assault the barrier.

The barrier stood like a formidable mountain. Despite marshaling all his spiritual energy, he found it nearly impossible to make it budge.

Undeterred, he continued to hammer away at the barrier with his spiritual energy, like relentless waves crashing against a shore, determined to shatter the obstruction before him.

Yet, the barrier, seemingly ethereal, proved to be unimaginably sturdy and remained steadfast.

Time trickled by.

Ni Huibo mechanically repeated the process, his normally unyielding resolve beginning to waver in the face of such monotony.

The spiritual energy he expended was replenished unceasingly from within him. The Lifedrinker Orb inside him now acted like an insatiable black hole, voraciously converting the ambient spiritual energy into his own, thus sustaining the colossal drain.

His complexion grew sickly pale, sweat beaded on his forehead, and a faint white glow intermittently flickered between his eyebrows.

"No, I can't continue like this; I'll never break through that barrier."

After yet another failed charge, Ni Huibo felt a surge of frustration. He had followed the guidance of the texts to the letter, but now he was stuck at the final and most crucial hurdle. The elusive barrier was like an insurmountable chasm, staunchly resisting his spiritual energy.

Just then, a peculiar sensation unexpectedly arose within him.

As his mind and spiritual energy dwindled, a dormant power within him seemed to awaken, sending a wave of warmth spreading instantly through the meridians of his body.

"Damn it! Why now of all times..."

Ni Huibo's eyes snapped open, his teeth gritted as he struggled to contain the upheaval within.

That strange power surged again, igniting a fiery look in his eyes and filling his weary frame with newfound strength.

As this energy pervaded his entire being, it rushed toward his head, causing the concentrated spiritual energy to scatter.

"This is a disaster!"

Ni Huibo's heart skipped a beat. He had invested considerable effort to focus the spiritual energy at his brow. If this mysterious force were to disperse it, all his previous hard work would be utterly wasted.

He quickly steadied his mind, a glint of resolve shining in his eyes as he attempted to reconvene the spiritual energy.

Yet, the power coursing through him was as unruly as a rampaging flood or a wild beast. Each time he managed to collect the spiritual energy, it would swiftly dissipate. After several futile attempts, he had no choice but to abandon this approach.