Zhou Sichen tilted his head slightly and opened his mouth.
Under the control of the Fragrant Silk Beauty Immortal Herb, the herbal plant drifted slowly toward him. Tilting gently, the dew-like droplets resting on its leaves poured into his mouth.
A sweet, cooling sensation flowed down his throat, and in the next instant, a refreshing fragrance surged through every corner of his body, washing over him like a pure spring breeze.
The Longing Dewdrop—having released its essence—began to wither rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it crumbled into fine dust, leaving behind only a few tiny seed-like grains.
A flash of violet light followed, as the Fragrant Silk Beauty shot those seeds off into the distance.
Zhou Sichen didn't need to ask—this was clearly her way of replanting the Longing Dewdrop, ensuring it would grow again in the future.
Judging by the practiced motion, this certainly wasn't her first time doing this.
The Icefire Yin Yang Well had so many immortal herbs, but only a few possessed sentience. Could it be that they consumed each other, grew stronger, and then replanted their companions?
An endless cycle of death and rebirth, a sustainable ecosystem of immortals?
It wasn't an impossible theory...
Zhou Sichen pulled back his gaze and sat down cross-legged to refine the medicinal essence.
The fluid's fragrance resembled that of the Fragrant Silk Beauty—it was incredibly easy to absorb. As soon as it entered his body, it fused seamlessly with him.
Rather than any discomfort, he felt waves of refreshing coolness spreading through his body.
Before long, that cooling sensation began to condense, circulating with his soul power as it slowly flowed up from his limbs and meridians, heading toward his head.
Zhou Sichen focused entirely on this current of cold. It bypassed his heart without impact and continued to rise.
Soon, the cool sensation reached his brain—and erupted.
His mind felt utterly clear and open. It was as though a veil had been lifted from his consciousness, leaving behind a sense of radiant clarity.
Then, as if guided by instinct, all of the cooling energy converged toward his eyes.
Since Zhou Sichen's eyes were part of his Innate Martial Soul, the Longing Dewdrop seemed to have found its natural channel of integration.
The cool sensation turned into warmth, like having his eyes bathed in comforting spring water. His soul power, spiritual power, and even his soul itself seemed to aid the fusion process.
The flow of energy continuously nourished his eyes, each wave enhancing them further—and with each cycle, his spiritual power grew stronger.
He didn't know how much time passed, but eventually the comforting warmth faded, leaving behind an unmistakable transformation:
His spiritual power had advanced—not just in quantity, but in quality.
Inside his spiritual sea, Tianmeng and Elder Yi were bathed in golden radiance, basking in the elevated environment created by Zhou Sichen's breakthrough.
Tianmeng even let out a satisfied purring sound, clearly overwhelmed by how comfortable it was.
He had expected Zhou Sichen to endure some sort of torment, but instead—it felt this good?
And that spiritual growth was insane. Just one herb had caused such a dramatic leap—what if he ate more?
Tianmeng's little golden eyes spun with excitement. If it were up to him, he'd feed Zhou Sichen every last herb in the valley.
Meanwhile, Zhou Sichen's spiritual sea began to change in a very specific way.
Because the effects of the Longing Dewdrop had mostly focused on his eyes, his martial soul began to shift subtly.
In the depths of his spiritual sea, a second pair of eyes began to take shape, as if slowly opening.
Tianmeng immediately became alert, staring hard at the space above.
Even Elder Yi turned his gaze slightly and murmured,
"Oh? This is…"
Time passed.
When Zhou Sichen finally absorbed the last trace of medicinal energy, he opened his eyes slowly.
What he saw... was different from before.
The entire world seemed richer in color. The myriad elements of existence now appeared filled with subtle, extraordinary details.
Even without consciously focusing his spiritual power, Zhou Sichen could perceive traces of mystery and change in every corner of his surroundings.
Looking up at the sky, he no longer saw just multicolored poison clouds—but countless tiny particles drifting through the air.
Even at such a distance, he could discern their individual colors and nature.
He turned toward the Fragrant Silk Beauty—and saw, flowing within her body, a massive surge of life energy.
It shimmered in a gentle pink hue, circulating between her petals, stamen, and stem.
He could even vaguely perceive the fluctuations of energy rippling through the Icefire Yin Yang Well behind her.
As his spiritual power focused through his eyes, a faint spiritual gleam flashed across his pupils—and suddenly, everything around him became clearer, sharper, and slower.
He looked once again at the Fragrant Silk Beauty before him—and saw beyond her physical body, perceiving the true essence of her soul.
To Zhou Sichen's eyes, she appeared as a charming girl in an ornate pink gown, her large, watery pink eyes blinking shyly at him.
Under Zhou Sichen's soul-piercing gaze, the Fragrant Silk Beauty became flustered and bashful, hiding her face behind her hands.
Her physical body mimicked her embarrassment—two large leaves curled up to hide her glowing blossom as she swayed awkwardly.
[Soul Eyes] — This was Zhou Sichen's reward after ingesting the Longing Dewdrop.
His eyes had always been part of his martial soul. First came Tianmeng's million-year soul ring and massive spiritual boost; now, with the Longing Dewdrop's refinement, his eyes had awakened a special ability.
This wasn't a second awakening of his martial soul—his Innate Martial Soul was already too strong for that. What had awakened was specifically his eyes.
The full extent of the Soul Eyes' power remained unclear for now, but just the ability to see a person's soul was enough to prove their uniqueness and strength.
Zhou Sichen's spiritual power had also leaped to a new realm—a special level of mastery.
Tianmeng's voice rang out excitedly within his spiritual sea:
"Sichen, you've just entered the realm of Formless but Perceivable spiritual power!"
"You're only at the entry level, but this threshold is something that 99% of spirit users—human or soul beast—can never cross!"
"I thought even with your talent, it would take ten years to reach this point. But that herb... it let you jump straight through it!"
"Now that your spiritual power has transformed, all your spirit-based soul skills will undergo another qualitative evolution."
"Also, my spiritual essence within your soul sea—you're now strong enough to absorb more of it. Once we return, I'll help you fully stabilize this new realm."
"And once you master this level, you can begin breaking into the next realm—Form and Substance. Once you reach that…"
"Then, on the spiritual battlefield, very few in this world will be able to rival you."
Hearing Tianmeng's words, Zhou Sichen couldn't help but smile.
****
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