Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation

Chapter 646: Last days on the Caravan (7)

Kyrian breathed mentally, feeling the energy flow through his meridians like an underground river. Then he focused his attention on the lightning Qi, on the electricity that coursed through his body like an invisible current.

He could feel his affinity much more deeply than before. Normally, his senses were occupied perceiving the outside world, but now everything had disappeared. There were no sounds, no smells, and no sensations. Only his mind and his energy remained.

It was like diving into a completely silent ocean, where every current, every movement, and every nuance of energy became visible.

Kyrian sent a small amount of Qi toward the blindfold, a thread of electricity that extended toward the seal. Nothing happened; the energy was absorbed without any visible effect. He tried again, adjusting the intensity, speed, and direction. This time, a subtle change occurred.

‘Hmm?’ A small crack had appeared in the seal, a momentary opening that closed almost instantly. It was extremely small, almost imperceptible, but Kyrian felt it.

‘So that’s it.’ He began to think about the objective of the test. If it were merely a matter of purity, he would have broken the seal immediately. His Qi was extremely pure, refined by his eyes and his training.

Therefore, purity was not the answer. It did not seem to be quantity either. Even an enormous amount of Qi would probably not be able to destroy that structure, which seemed designed to absorb and disperse direct attacks.

The problem lay in comprehension. But what exactly needed to be understood?

Kyrian continued experimenting, sending his Qi against the seal in different ways. Faster, slower, concentrated, dispersed, pulsating, continuous. None of these attempts produced significant results, each approach encountering the same resistance.

Then Kyrian thought about his path, about the lightning that was the essence of his affinity. He began gathering not only Qi but also his intent, his understanding of what lightning meant, and the essence of its nature. A small amount of lightning intent emerged within his body, a spark of comprehension that merged with the Qi.

The moment it came into contact with the seal, a change occurred.

‘Buzz!’ The blindfold vibrated, and Kyrian felt a much greater change.

Then…

“AH!” A distant scream reached his ears, muffled but unmistakable. Kyrian remained motionless, surprised.

He could hear. For a few seconds, sounds began to return, screams from the stands, hurried footsteps, panting breaths, and the sound of someone speaking. Then everything disappeared again, the silence returning like a tide.

The seal had closed.

Kyrian became thoughtful, his mind processing what had happened.

‘I understand.’

Intent was a form of comprehension, not merely a manifestation of strength. It was the understanding of a path, the understanding of Qi, and the connection between energy and will. Lightning intent represented precisely that, the understanding of its nature, its essence, and its identity. That was why the seal had reacted.

But it was still not enough.

‘Then I need to understand more deeply.’

Kyrian did not try to use his fire eyes nor switch to his ice eyes. If he used an affinity in which he had already deeply comprehended the aura, he would probably be able to find a solution much more quickly.

But he did not want to do that. The test had presented a challenge, and Kyrian wanted to face it for real. He wanted to comprehend his own path of lightning, not simply find an easy answer.

Then his mind sank even deeper, exploring the depths of his own essence.

…

On the other side of the arena, the forty-five participants were going through completely different experiences, each facing the seal in their own way.

A man remained seated with his back straight, his body completely motionless, his breathing so controlled that it could barely be noticed. He could not feel anything at all, but his mind remained extraordinarily calm, an oasis of tranquility amid the chaos.

‘Qi.’ He began with the most basic principle, returning to the foundations of cultivation. Qi was the primordial energy of the world, the force that permeated all things, used to strengthen the body, fuel techniques, sustain treasures, and carry out transformations. But that was only superficial knowledge, words that any beginner could repeat.

He began observing his own Qi, the way it circulated through his meridians, how it responded to his will, how it divided and recombined, and how it returned to the center.

Its nature changed when it came into contact with different parts of the body, adapting to the needs of each region. For nearly half an hour, there was no result, only the patient observation of a flow that seemed unchanging.

Then, a small alteration occurred. A part of the seal weakened, a crack opening without him completely understanding why. The man did not know exactly what he had done, but he continued, following the thread of his discovery.

A little farther away, a young man in gray robes faced an entirely different problem. He had quickly discovered that his Qi possessed an extremely particular characteristic: it was gentle, flexible, almost liquid, like water adapting to the shape of its container.

When he tried to attack the seal directly, the energy simply spread out, absorbed by the structure like sand absorbing water. When he tried to concentrate it, it resisted, refusing to become compact.

The young man remained motionless for a long time, his mind working. Then he had an idea. Instead of destroying the seal, he would try to understand it, learn its language, its structure, and its essence. He began mentally following the movement of his own Qi, one cycle, then another and another.

The more he observed, the more he noticed small differences in its circulation. His Qi did not move in the same way throughout every region of his body. There were places where it accelerated, where the energy flowed more quickly. Others where it slowed down, as if encountering resistance. Somewhere it seemed to accumulate, creating small reservoirs of energy.

It was almost like a current, a river with its own currents and whirlpools. The young man immersed himself completely in this perception, forgetting the competition, the other participants, and the reward. At that moment, there was only him and his Qi.