Chapter 284: Eye of Secrets
Xu Zhi pulled up the electronic calendar and checked it. There was still no fogfall warning for the Lower District.
She let out a sigh. “Do I really have to go to the Lost Lands first?”
It wasn’t impossible. After entering the Lost Lands, the students would likely be required to act together. There might even be an instructor leading the team. When the time came, she could secretly create a spirit body and let it roam freely on its own.
Speaking of spirit bodies—after advancing to the Longevity stage, and with the additional extraordinary energy reserves granted by the [Moth] circuit, she was now capable of constructing a core strong enough to sustain a spirit body for long periods, one that even possessed a completely different extraordinary attribute from her main body.
However, [Moth] was still too weak. Even if she split off a spirit body, it probably wouldn’t have much combat capability.
During these two days of break, she could remain in her room and absorb more [Moth]-attribute extraordinary energy. At her current absorption speed, two days should be enough to raise [Moth] to at least Level Two—Proficient.
Before nightfall, Qi Yanxin returned home. When she saw Xu Zhi, she paused slightly and asked with confusion, “Why do I feel like something about you is different?”
Xu Zhi thought for a moment. Perhaps her appearance had changed—maybe she had become just a tiny bit prettier?
Or perhaps the addition of the [Moth] circuit had subtly altered her temperament?
But explaining something like that to Qi Yanxin would be troublesome. Xu Zhi casually came up with an excuse. “Maybe after coming to the Upper District, I’ve been eating better. Better nutrition probably caused some changes?”
Qi Yanxin nodded seriously. “That makes sense. I’ve felt some changes recently too.”
Xu Zhi looked her over—and it was true.
Qi Yanxin had previously seemed somewhat malnourished. Though her features were gentle, she had been overly thin. Her face had carried the faint exhaustion that people from the Lower District could never quite conceal. Her hair had been dry and yellowish. Now, after about a month in the Upper District, she seemed much better nourished. Both her appearance and spirit were developing in a positive direction.
At a glance, she wasn’t a great beauty, but she could now be described as gentle and delicate.
“That’s great. You’ve gotten prettier,” Xu Zhi said with an approving nod.
Qi Yanxin blushed slightly. “That’s not what I meant. I meant that my body feels like it’s getting healthier.”
Well, of course.
She was eating nutritious meals every day. The extraordinary energy concentration in the Inner Academy’s air was far higher than outside. On top of that, Qi Yanxin’s classes included physical conditioning courses for ordinary people. How could she not improve?
Although that was what Xu Zhi thought, she only said, “That’s a good thing. If you notice any other changes later, tell me.”
“Have you made any friends in class recently?”
Despite being the “younger sister,” she spoke as though she were asking a child about school.
In Xu Zhi’s view, since Qi Yanxin was living with her, she had to keep an eye on things. She didn’t want her getting involved with strange people.
The woman, much older than her in years, shook her head. “I… can’t really connect with them. And I’m struggling with the coursework. I don’t have time to make friends.”
“Besides, I don’t need those friends.”
The unspoken meaning was clear: her world only needed Xu Zhi.
Xu Zhi nodded. “That’s fine. You don’t have to make friends if you don’t want to. As long as you’re happy. But if anyone bullies you, remember to tell me.”
“They all know my younger sister is a genius from the Special Recruitment Class. No one would bully me.”
That was true. In the Upper District, people were extremely skilled at judging whom to curry favor with and whom to avoid. Those without brains or awareness rarely survived long—let alone within the Inner Academy.
Xu Zhi nodded lightly and looked at her. “Anyway, I brought you up here so you could live better. Do you understand?”
This was her way of repaying kindness.
She couldn’t help Qi Yanxin become an extraordinary, nor grant her powerful abilities. She didn’t even have the time. The only thing she could do was let her live a somewhat better life as an ordinary person.
“This is already enough. I’m very happy now.”
Is it really enough…?
Xu Zhi felt a trace of doubt, but seeing that Qi Yanxin’s expression did not seem false, she did not press further.
For the next two days, Xu Zhi remained almost entirely at home, absorbing [Moth]-attribute extraordinary energy. She also swallowed the remaining few [Moth] attribute cores.
Although her daily absorption speed was fast, the [Moth] circuit core was still too weak. It simply couldn’t take in much, leaving her progress stuck in an awkward middle ground.
Fortunately, thanks to her powerful “talent,” before the break ended, she successfully raised [Moth] to Level Three—Proficient.
It was also at the moment [Moth] advanced that Xu Zhi clearly felt her eyes slowly improving.
It seemed that the hidden danger buried within them was gradually being eliminated as the newly “reawakened” [Eye of Secret] resurfaced alongside the rising level of [Moth].
“So it really was because I looked at something I shouldn’t have…”
She had temporarily over-leveled and used [Eye of Secret] without restraint, seeing far too many “secrets” she had no right to see at that time. The accumulated backlash had prevented her eyes from fully healing.
Now that [Moth] had returned and [Eye of Secret] had reawakened with the increase in level, the backlash hidden within her eyes was being dredged up. Its powerful self-healing ability was gradually erasing the scars left behind.
This had been the “first” extraordinary ability she ever came into contact with—and the one she handled most skillfully. Though it was still not a primary offensive ability, having it made many things far more convenient.
For example, the gun and bullets she was designing—ones that combined the attributes of [Lamp] and [Moth].
Without [Eye of Secret], she would have needed extensive experimentation to determine how to make the two types of energy stably coexist within a bullet, and ensure they would explode upon impact.
Now, she only needed to activate [Eye of Secret] to deconstruct and reconstruct. While crafting, it could assist her in avoiding errors and failures. As long as she understood the manufacturing process and principles, she could guarantee success on the first attempt.
As for the basic manufacturing process and principles of bullets, she had already studied those books back in the Federation. What she needed to research now was how these bullets differed from ordinary ones. The school library had an online version, and Xu Zhi quickly gathered the materials she needed and began researching her hybrid ammunition.
Yes—her naming ability extended only as far as calling this special ammunition [Hybrid Bullets]. A hybrid of [Lamp] and [Moth]. Truly genius naming.
Thanks to the assistance of [Eye of Secret], Xu Zhi successfully crafted her first bullet head with remarkable smoothness.
Unfortunately, her [Moth] was only at Level Three—Proficient—and [Flying Moth] had not yet awakened. Therefore, the amount of [Lamp] mixed in had to be controlled to a similar level as [Moth] to best trigger attribute conflict.
“I still need to level up!”
After finishing the bullet, Xu Zhi suddenly received a private message on her wristband.
She opened it and discovered that the “resources” she needed had delivered themselves to her door.
[The Lost Lands selection will begin in two days. Student Xu Zhi has obtained qualification to participate. Please prepare accordingly and report to Building A-05 in two days to take part in the selection.]
