The silken thread within his brow was gone, replaced by a radiant, ochre-gold coin. Round on the outside and square within, it possessed a translucent quality, identical in size and shape to the coin a street vendor had pressed into Wang Guan’s pocket back on Lotus Society North Road in the Porcelain Capital. The only difference was that this coin now embedded in his brow bore no characters on its face and no cloud patterns on its reverse. “So, this coin only fully forms once enough energy has been absorbed,” Wang Guan realized with a sudden glimmer of understanding. He abruptly pulled out a mirror and scrutinized his reflection closely.

The image in the glass showed little change; his eyes still held a degree of muddiness and dull yellow. Just then, with a mere thought, two streams of pale yellow energy flowed from his brow, enveloping his eyes. To Wang Guan’s perception, his eyes should have turned golden yellow, yet there was no such unusual manifestation in the mirror. At most, the murky, dull yellow of his eyeballs slowly cleared, and his pupils became intensely black and pure, like those of a child. This meant the abnormality in his eyes was undetectable to others. Wang Guan felt a measure of relief but remained cautious, continuing to concentrate, allowing the yellow energy from his brow to pour ceaselessly into his eyes.

It was then that Wang Guan was horrified to realize the mirror in his hand seemed to be melting, vanishing completely. His gaze fell directly to the floorboards beneath his feet. “What’s happening…” Startled, Wang Guan blinked rapidly, then looked sharply again. The mirror was clearly still in his hand; pressing the surface left an indentation, smooth and hard. “It doesn't seem to be an illusion.”

Wang Guan snapped back to his senses and immediately focused his attention, concentrating the energy flow into his eyes. At this moment, Wang Guan distinctly felt that the image forming in his eyes had returned to a three-dimensional state. When his sight landed on the mirror, his gaze didn't pierce through it, but rather permeated a thin surface layer before gliding around its contours. After a while, Wang Guan discovered that the layers of vital energy in his eyes were completely enveloping the mirror. The entire object seemed placed under a microscope, allowing Wang Guan to observe every part of the mirror in minute detail from multiple angles. Even while facing the front of the mirror, he could perceive the texture on its reverse side. This sensation was so marvelous that it caused Wang Guan to lose focus, making him think the mirror had disappeared.

Furthermore, after a brief period, Wang Guan was astonished to find that the duration he could sustain the use of this ability seemed to have extended by several tens of seconds. Nearly a minute later, he felt a wave of fatigue and slowly retracted the special power. Closing his eyes to rest, Wang Guan waited until his energy recovered. Then, he resumed his experiments. This time, however, he did not look at the mirror but focused his attention intently on the wooden bed plank. An invisible aura rushed out, and similar to the mirror experience, it was blocked after only penetrating a shallow millimeter.

However, the energy could circumvent obstacles, passing through the weave of the bedding to reach the space beneath the bed, where he saw a faint white glint of precious light. Wang Guan bent down and retrieved the object emitting the light—it was the Kui Xing Shadow Stone Inkstone. The vital energy within the inkstone had been entirely absorbed by him; only a residual layer of precious light now shimmered within the stone.

Wang Guan picked up the inkstone, and the energy from his eyes rushed over it again, completely enveloping the object. Within the fluctuating light, he admired the naturally formed textures and details etched onto the inkstone. Only when fatigue washed over him did Wang Guan close his eyes.

By this time, he had compiled some general rules. When concentrating, the energy in his eyes behaved like liquid mercury, able to penetrate everywhere, capable of rendering an object three-dimensional. It allowed him to observe from various angles, reflecting every minute detail of the object back to his sight.

Additionally, the energy projection from his eyes had a range limit. It had previously been half a meter, but now it extended past two meters. Outside this range, the images his eyes perceived no longer held that three-dimensional form. Wang Guan understood that this enhancement was likely due to absorbing the energies from the inkstone and the ancient ink today, leading to an upgrade in his ability. This peculiar, upgraded ability was far more useful than a high-powered microscope.

After all, when dealing with objects like bottles, jars, or urns, a high-powered microscope could only analyze the surface; the interior remained a mystery. But the energy in Wang Guan’s eyes was meticulous, capable of maneuvering inside. The sensation was akin to analyzing a three-dimensional engineering diagram, dissecting and offering a cross-section view piece by piece.

Speaking of penetration, Wang Guan seemed to sense that capability as well. With dense materials like glass mirrors or wooden bed planks, the energy in his eyes appeared unable to pass through. However, fibrous materials like cloth, which possess significant gaps, could be fully seen through with focused concentration. Noticing this possibility, Wang Guan’s mind raced with a torrent of inappropriate thoughts for a moment.

After a long while, Wang Guan regained his clarity and touched his brow, understanding that all these miraculous abilities stemmed from the semi-transparent gold coin within. Wang Guan vaguely sensed that the coin held many more wonderful uses waiting for him to discover. Filled with anticipation, Wang Guan lay flat on the bed, slowly drifting into slumber.

The night passed quietly. The next day, Wang Guan remained at home, spending time with his parents. Then, the following morning, he shouldered his bag and set off again for the city by bus. The bus spat out a long plume of smoke from its tailpipe, and the shadows of the trees outside the window constantly rushed backward.

Sitting by the window, Wang Guan felt no particular sadness. Perhaps it was habit, or perhaps modern communication technology was so advanced that he could contact his family anytime he missed them. In any case, Wang Guan’s generation did not hold as profound an attachment to their ancestral home; they merely retained a thread of familial concern in their hearts. The bus journey was smooth, and he arrived safely in the downtown area. After getting off, Wang Guan collected the shipping receipt and retrieved the crate of ancient ink he had consigned, then bought a train ticket to the Porcelain Capital.

This was a direct route, requiring no transfers, so three hours later, Wang Guan arrived safely at the Porcelain Capital station. Before disembarking, he called his mother to report his safe arrival. Then, shouldering his luggage and struggling to carry the heavy box, Wang Guan slowly navigated the exiting crowds.

“Beep-beep…” Having left the station and reached the roadside, just as Wang Guan was about to wait for a public bus, a luxuriously crafted vehicle of metallic sheen sped up and screeched to a halt in front of him. Before Wang Guan could express surprise, the car window lowered, revealing the smiling face of Yu Feibai.

“Uncle De told me you acquired something good on your trip home, and I thought I’d come see the excitement,” Yu Feibai said with a gentle smile. “Get in. Uncle De is waiting for us at the Jigu Zhai antique shop.” “Thank you.”

Wang Guan was not overly modest. He set the box down at the rear of the car, then briskly opened the door and settled inside. “Looks like you had quite the haul,” Yu Feibai chuckled, stepping on the accelerator and speeding away. Compared to the county town, the Porcelain Capital was bustling with activity. Tall buildings lined both sides of the road, and a cacophony of sounds surged from all directions. The sensory overload momentarily stunned Wang Guan, causing him to lose focus and forget to respond to Yu Feibai. ................ Second update, still requesting recommendation votes, please give ample support.