Blinking, Ye Wen found that the scene before him shifted with every blink. The beautiful vision of a moment ago was gone, replaced in the span of a blink by a long sword emitting a faint azure glow.

Blink again, and Ye Wen saw a cyan lotus flower, petals spiraling down as it drifted.

"This..." Even the dullest mind would realize something had changed in his eyes, and what frustrated him was that this miraculous ability was utterly beyond the control of his will. The scene before him flickered without settling. Yet, in those brief moments, he realized he had gained a more thorough and detailed understanding of Ning Ruxue than ever before—down to the very number of pores on her skin.

"This is far more potent than any Fiery Golden Eyes..."

Ye Wen covered his eyes, only to discover that even with them shut, he knew the surrounding situation as clearly as if reading from his palm.

This sensation was different from probing the surroundings with divine sense; it felt akin to the legendary 'mind's eye.'

Carefully examining this new faculty, he realized his eyes contained an immense energy, a power far beyond what his current cultivation could command.

"Guess I have to play the blind man again? At this rate, should I get a string of prayer beads and a set of golden armor?"

He tentatively opened his eyes to survey the area, frustrated to find the scenery still shifting uncontrollably. Just as a flicker of annoyance surfaced, a spot his gaze fell upon suddenly erupted in Liuli Fire, burning so fiercely that a nearby stone he’d been watching instantly turned to ash.

"..."

Ye Wen closed his eyes once more. He understood that the change in his eyes was far more profound than he had initially guessed, and it was progressing in a beneficial direction. Such potent eyes were the object of countless people's deepest desires.

Furthermore, they were superior to any magic treasure and couldn't be stolen.

The only hitch was that Ye Wen couldn't control them! The situation was like a three-year-old suddenly acquiring a tank; whether he could drive it was secondary—if he managed to start it, the people closest to him would likely be the first casualties.

"Senior Brother..."

Ning Ruxue had rushed over because she noticed an anomaly in the weather—a sudden drop in temperature, specifically because the chilling wind was blowing directly from Ye Wen's location.

For months prior, Ye Wen’s vicinity had been characterized by surging flames; how could it suddenly turn cold? Although the intense heat had subsided in recent months, flames still perpetually encircled the area. This abrupt change made her uneasy, prompting her to check on him.

However, the moment Ye Wen opened his eyes, making direct contact with Ning Ruxue, she experienced a feeling of being entirely seen through (which, in truth, she was). And though it was instantaneous, Ning Ruxue was astonished to see her Senior Brother's pupils continuously shifting color, as if seven-colored light were swirling within them.

It was beautiful, and she felt an inexplicable sense of purity emanating from them—a feeling she never associated with her Senior Brother.

Moments later, when Ye Wen glanced toward another direction and that terrifying seven-colored flame erupted, Ning Ruxue flinched. She then noticed her Senior Brother hastily covering his eyes, bowing his head in deep thought.

Hearing his junior sister's soft call, Ye Wen waved his hand. "It's nothing. I unintentionally forged a pair of divine eyes. Unfortunately, with my current power, I can't control them yet!"

"What should we do?" Ning Ruxue, though reassured Ye Wen wasn't injured, couldn't help but worry.

Ye Wen seemed unconcerned. He patted Ning Ruxue's shoulder to calm her. "It’s fine! Although I can't command these divine eyes, they’ve brought considerable benefits overall. The crucial thing is that even with my eyes closed, I can 'see' everything around me! There's no inconvenience whatsoever!"

Ning Ruxue had expected Ye Wen to rely on divine sense to perceive his surroundings, as he had years ago, but his words indicated he could truly see, which differed greatly from her assumption.

"See?"

"Yes, see!"

Ye Wen remained still, yet the situation around him was entirely clear in his mind. He knew there were still traces of Liuli Fire nearby—these beautiful yet formidable flames had forced the original inhabitants of the area to relocate.

In that hasty sweep he'd made earlier, he'd imprinted everything in his surroundings. Now, events from his cultivation sessions were replaying in his mind, complete with scenes of people hastily fleeing and moving away, all presented like a movie before his mind's eye.

"The Seven-Colored Liuli Fire is a divine fire of Buddhism, said to be connected to the divine power of the 'Heavenly Eye,' which can see past and future! My eyes, tempered by the Liuli Fire, may not be a true Buddhist power, but they share some marvelous similarity. Everything I just witnessed was likely something that occurred here previously!" Thinking this, Ye Wen felt compelled to utilize this new divine ability more, but when he focused his attention on his junior sister, he could only observe what she had done in the last month or two, not anything further back—and even those were just fragmented snippets. He couldn't fathom why.

However, recalling the events in the surrounding environment was perfectly clear, detailed down to the minutest point. Still, Ye Wen noticed it seemed he could only see events subsequent to their group's arrival; older history only showed a nondescript scene.

"It seems my power is still insufficient!"

Discovering the marvel of these eyes made Ye Wen inwardly delighted! Besides the ability to see the past, the power to instantly incinerate whomever he glared at was a formidable weapon. He currently aimed to establish prestige for the Shu Mountain Sect before numerous cultivators while also ensuring the Nine Provinces Tripod didn't fall into the wrong hands. Having an extra killing move would certainly increase his safety margin.

Putting other things aside, if he encountered that 'Ancestor Bixue' again this time, even if he possessed the Thousand Mile Instantaneous Formless Escape, he probably couldn't evade a single glare from Ye Wen—provided that a glare could successfully summon the Liuli Fire.

Overjoyed, he completely forgot that his Huntian Baojian had already mastered its first five layers. He took his junior sister and walked slowly through the now somewhat desolate environment before asking, "Why did you happen to be here, Junior Sister?"

"Because the temperature suddenly turned cold, and I noticed the cold wind was blowing from your direction, so I came specifically to check," Ning Ruxue inquired, then added curiously, "Senior Brother, could it be that you have mastered the fourth layer, Azure Snow Ice?"

Since discovering that many of Ye Wen's techniques were "plagiarized" from novels and comics, Ning Ruxue and Huayi had spent considerable time reading through them all. They had naturally seen The Legend of Tianzi, and thus had a general understanding of what the Huntian Baojian cultivation entailed.

Fortunately, the two women weren't particularly interested in this technique, so they hadn't requested to learn it. Otherwise, Ye Wen would have struggled to explain that this art required Heavenly Crystals to cultivate.

However, upon learning the origin of his skills, both Ning Ruxue and Huayi began contemplating how to make their own techniques more potent.

Simply put, they were trying to convert the novel versions of the techniques into the comic book versions. Currently, Huayi’s interest in the Heavenly Demon Secret had waned due to her cultivation of the Five-Colored Divine Light, but Ning Ruxue was pondering the comic version of the Innate Formless Sword Qi and had begun trying to modify her own art.

In fact, the Thousand Phases of Residual Calamity was an incidental byproduct of her sword qi evolving toward the comic version. Now, being in the Penglai Immortal Realm, with its abundant elemental yuanqi at her disposal, Ning Ruxue's sword qi had advanced again, its power significantly boosted.

The fragmented scenes Ye Wen witnessed through his "Sight of the Past" were largely of Ning Ruxue cultivating, often including her radiant smile upon success.

As he was reliving these images, he heard Ning Ruxue ask, and he nodded in response. "Yes, Azure Snow Ice is mastered, and coupled with the Purple Star River, which I unintentionally cultivated to perfection earlier, I have mastered the first five layers of the Huntian Baojian. Next, I must begin the final five layers." Ning Ruxue sounded worried. "Senior Brother once said the first five and the last five layers of the Huntian Baojian are opposing forces, with completely contrary attributes. Will starting the latter five layers cause an internal clash of energies?"

Her concern was understandable. Consider the Profound Ice Leaving Fire Art, which no one could master because its energies were diametrically opposed, eventually leading to the creation of a demonic art reliant on neutralizing toxins. Ye Wen's Huntian Baojian also exploited opposing energies to enhance its power; it was possible a similar issue could arise.

If Ye Wen didn't understand the Huntian Baojian, or if he genuinely believed he had devised the technique himself, he might share that worry.

But this was bestowed by the ring. As far as he could tell so far, anything produced by the ring was guaranteed quality, so he felt no concern whatsoever.

"It shouldn't. Although the first and last five layers of the Huntian Baojian are opposite, they aren't cultivated sequentially in opposition. The first layer opposes the sixth, separated by four layers of energy—perhaps this acts as a buffer?"

Ye Wen had intended to fabricate a reason to soothe his junior sister, but as he spoke, he realized this explanation might actually hold truth.

The thought made him curious: "If someone cultivated White Cloud Smoke and immediately followed it with Dark Chaos, what would happen? Explode and die?"

A jolt went through him at the thought. He realized this possibility wasn't remote. His decision to adhere strictly to the sequence during his cultivation was indeed correct. Even though he obtained the Purple Star River first, he didn't blindly push it to completion expecting higher techniques; instead, he circled back to practice the initial layers, solidifying his foundation before proceeding.

"I had planned that since the Dark Chaos energy favors defense, to display exceptional skills, I would need to at least master Indigo Sea. Unexpectedly, I gained these marvelous dual pupils, adding a great weapon out of nowhere! This way, I can observe the situation and venture out appropriately!" He had initially intended to keep everyone confined within the Penglai Immortal Realm until time dictated otherwise.

But now, cultivation speed far exceeded his predictions. Perhaps it was time to cautiously see how things had changed outside?

Before he could bask in this thought, Ning Ruxue said, "Senior Brother, you sat in meditation for a full year. Will your future cultivation sessions also take this long?"

Ye Wen froze, then suddenly realized that he had just used his "Sight of the Past" ability to review the events of the past year. If the scenes from this past year included his group, it meant they had been here for a year already!

He also understood that the final, tranquil scene he witnessed wasn't because the imagery was unchanging; rather, it was because the moment he observed reached exactly one year, not because the scenes represented long stretches of time, as he had previously assumed.

"A whole year passed just like that? Damn, this is terrifying! Sitting down means that much time gone. I wonder how long that old Daoist Zhang Sanfeng can meditate for?"

Seeing Ye Wen's surprise, Ning Ruxue assumed her Senior Brother hadn't realized how long he’d been seated. She explained, "During this year, Huayi has almost finished cultivating the Geng Metal Divine Light, and her flying methods are far more proficient than before. Lately, she seems to be deducing the Yi Wood Divine Light you once spoke of, wanting to see if she can bring it forth!"

"..."

Ye Wen was speechless for a moment. Why were the two women around him increasingly ambitious? It was understandable they tried to deduce the Heavenly Demon Secret and the Innate Formless Sword Qi, as they were related lineages sharing fundamental similarities.

But the Yi Wood Divine Light and the Geng Metal Divine Light were vastly different; they couldn't be derived merely through deduction. If she didn't grasp the right methods, she might end up cultivating some bizarre anomaly, ultimately sabotaging her goal of achieving the Five-Colored Divine Light.

However, this wasn't something he should directly tell Huayi. He decided to let her try herself; if she failed, she would naturally come to him.

To his surprise, the moment Ye Wen and Ning Ruxue arrived at the new living quarters, a small village built by the lake, Huayi and Zhou Lei were cheerfully tossing small balls of lightning at each other, which exploded with a crisp sound and a rather pretty light effect when they collided—it seemed they were treating it like setting off firecrackers!

"What is this?"

He reached out and caught one of the lightning bolts, trapping it in his palm with his internal energy, scrutinizing it closely.

This ball of lightning was cast by Huayi. Compared to the lightning Zhou Lei conjured using her innate ability, Huayi's lightning seemed to belong to the category of Daoist spellcasting...

"Yi Wood Minor Lightning?"

Sensing the truth, Ye Wen’s expression cycled rapidly. Just moments ago, he doubted Huayi could deduce the Yi Wood Divine Light, yet now, in a blink, she had conjured the Yi Wood Minor Lightning! He knew for a fact that no cultivator in the Penglai Immortal Realm knew this spell; Huayi must have developed the Yi Wood Minor Lightning while deducing the Yi Wood Divine Light.

Huayi saw Ye Wen return and approached him, pointing at the lightning in his palm. "I’ve been studying the Yi Wood Divine Light these past few days, but I just couldn't grasp the method. I only managed to create this thing!"

Ye Wen remained silent, muttering internally, "This is already incredible, isn't it? Can you two stop being so ferocious? This makes me look incompetent!" Huayi seemed to sense his thoughts and whispered softly near his ear, "Master has always been the most powerful."

This instantly restored Ye Wen's spirits. However, the lightning in his hand made him realize something: the ring, which could now only be summoned once every half year, was becoming much more troublesome to use. If he couldn't allocate his summons reasonably, it would actually waste time!

Because of this realization, in the days that followed, Ye Wen closely monitored everyone's cultivation progress to decide which techniques he should summon.

Firstly, the Seven-Colored Battle Qi practiced by the numerous students had already formed its own system and required no intervention from him.

Regarding moves, he first designated the Hadouken and Shoryuken as the foundation. As for close-quarters combat skills? Did that need worrying about? Everyone present knew several fighting styles; the students could simply learn based on their own interests and preferences.

As for Guan Shuying and Guan Luyan, they were still diligently practicing the Complete Heart Sutra. Ye Wen had even re-cleansed Guan Luyan’s meridians; while it wouldn't allow the old man to immediately undergo a complete transformation, it would at least enable him to practice these internal arts like a normal person, preventing him from being left far behind by his daughter before even starting.

However, despite having abundant elemental yuanqi and Ye Wen's help, neither of them could expect significant results in a short time. For this very reason, Zhao Qing ultimately chose the Seven-Colored Battle Qi instead of practicing ordinary internal arts like his master.

Currently, Zhao Qing was at the peak level of White Battle Qi, matching Guan Jie as the strongest among the students. Coupled with his existing proficiency in many external martial arts, he was responsible for teaching basic combat techniques and acting as a sparring partner.

Zhang Ling, like her new colleagues, began practicing Absolute Domain. After a year, their respective talents and aptitudes had gradually created a gap in their power levels.

Wang Bing, possessing the strongest anomalous power, utilized his formidable Ice Ability to complete the initial stages of cultivation rapidly, even pushing his Absolute Domain to its peak, becoming the strongest among this cohort.

Yet, in an actual fight, he could never defeat Li Yan. Li Yan's Absolute Domain was only at the 'Academy' level, but his application of power was significantly superior to Wang Bing’s. Since the difference in strength wasn't huge, Li Yan remained the top expert among them.

What surprised Ye Wen most was that Zhang Ling, who disliked making a fuss, possessed the third-highest level of Absolute Domain among them—her innate domain strength surpassed that of Zheng Ying, who had started practicing earlier, much to Zheng Ying's annoyance.

To compensate for Zhang Ling’s lack of any anomalous ability, Ye Wen gifted her the Japanese sword he obtained in Europe when she began training—that knock-off Senbonzakura capable of turning into countless cherry blossoms.

No one objected; given Zhang Ling's situation, receiving a good protective item was normal. No one knew what Ye Wen was thinking at the time: "Black straight long hair, a katana—if she had a sailor uniform too, it would be perfect."

It wasn't until a few days later that Ye Wen had a sudden realization: "Oh dear? At this rate, won't the Shu Mountain Sect turn into a cosplay troupe?"

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