Qin Mu closed his eyes, and after a while, Lina the Spirit Fox and Crystal Blaze’s vision slowly returned.
"Inside the Sunwell, I saw Lady Azure’s divine eye."
Qin Mu dared not open his eyes. "Then a lot of things appeared in my eyes, as if her gaze branded something into them."
Crystal Blaze asked nervously, "Can you still see anything now?"
"Yes."
After Qin Mu’s treatment, Crystal Blaze’s eyes had mostly recovered; she could see again, though her body was still weak.
She immediately swam over to Qin Mu, pressed her hands on his shoulders, and whispered, "Our Sun-Herder Clan also has an eye cultivation art called Pleiades Sun-Ring Sight. Wait for me to activate it, then open your eyes—I’ll help you take a look."
Qin Mu waited a moment. Crystal Blaze said, "Okay."
Qin Mu opened his eyes, and divine light burst out, flooding the surroundings in brilliant white. He saw the frail girl lean close, studying his pupils with utmost care. Her eyes were ringed by spinning star-rings, resisting the power of his god-eye.
Crystal Blaze examined him with great care, leaning in to distinguish each rune and texture in his eyes.
Qin Mu didn’t dare breathe, afraid his breath would blow onto her face.
"It’s a kind of rune imprint, forming a formation array."
Crystal Blaze exhaled gently, examining while pondering aloud, "The outer patterns resemble our clan’s Pleiades Sun-Ring Sight, but there are more inside. Two layers, three layers, four layers..."
She carefully studied Qin Mu’s pupils, seeing layer upon layer of inner space—these rune imprints formed a strange formation structure, like solar rings stretching endlessly backward. She couldn’t tell how many layers there were.
"At the very center of all those Pleiades Sun-Rings in your pupils, it looks like there’s a sun—or maybe it’s just made of star-rings..."
After finishing her inspection, she said, "I’ll teach you the Pleiades Sun-Ring Sight pupil art. Try to see if you can control the imprint in your eyes."
Qin Mu nodded with difficulty.
Only then did Crystal Blaze realize how close her face was to his—almost touching. Qin Mu didn’t dare nod, for fear of bumping into her. Their gazes met, star-rings flickering in both sets of eyes.
Just then, Lina’s voice called out, "Young master, are you two done yet? Why is it so quiet?"
Qin Mu hurriedly replied, "Not yet!"
Crystal Blaze giggled, her breath brushing his face.
Hearing the laughter, Lina grew suspicious. She immediately paddled over, splashing water everywhere, her tail raised above the surface.
Qin Mu’s gaze was so bright that Lina couldn’t see where they were, but she followed their voices, surfaced between them, shook her several tails, and splashed water all over the boy and girl.
Qin Mu and Crystal Blaze quickly separated, suppressing their awkward feelings. Qin Mu shut his eyes. Lina sat between them, keeping them apart.
Crystal Blaze quickly said, "I’ll teach you the Pleiades Sun-Ring Sight. Listen carefully." With that, she began instructing Qin Mu.
Qin Mu asked questions whenever he didn’t understand, and soon mastered the Pleiades Sun-Ring Sight. When he activated it, the star-rings in his pupils successively dimmed, but some imprints still lingered.
Qin Mu opened his eyes; the blinding radiance was gone, though a faint glimmer still flashed deep in his pupils from time to time.
The Pleiades Sun-Ring Sight couldn’t seal the sun-mark at the very core of his pupils.
Crystal Blaze swam over to observe his pupils, thinking aloud: "The Pleiades Sun-Ring Sight must be just one part of this god-eye art—not the whole thing. That’s why it can’t fully seal the Solar Core Sigil..."
Lina squeezed in on Qin Mu’s right, imitating Crystal Blaze as she examined his eye. "Young master, you’ve got stars in your eyes!" she exclaimed.
Qin Mu couldn’t help but laugh. "Those are just the Pleiades Sun-Rings. Crystal-sister and I are studying them—don’t make trouble. Crystal-sister, the imprint Lady Azure’s divine eye left in my eyes should be her god-eye mark. Maybe I can master her technique from these imprints. Her god-eye was the number one divine eye of the Pioneer Era. If I can grasp it, it’ll be incredible!"
Crystal Blaze pondered, "Just mastering the First Divine Eye from imprints alone is impossible. I’ve learned Pleiades Sun-Ring Sight, but you can’t deduce the full First Divine Eye technique from just the star-rings. It’s far too difficult..."
"There’s one person who can do it!"
Qin Mu’s eyes lit up with confidence. "My Grandpa Blind can definitely recreate Lady Azure’s technique from these imprints!"
"Grandpa Blind?"
Crystal Blaze asked curiously, "He can’t see, right?"
Qin Mu was full of confidence: "He may be blind, but his eye arts are unmatched—he’s the greatest master of divine eyes I’ve ever seen!"
Crystal Blaze grew even more confused. "But if he’s blind, how can his eye arts be so good?"
"My Grandpa Blind’s eye arts are unmatched; Mute Grandpa doesn’t talk much but is fierce, Lame Grandpa runs the fastest, One-Armed Grandpa Mark is the best at boxing, Half-bodied Grandpa Butcher is the fiercest in a fight, and Deaf Grandpa can’t hear but is the most understanding."
Qin Mu grinned. "There’s also the beautiful Granny Sue, the adorable Grandpa Apothecary—best in the world at both poison and medicine. But the most amazing is our armless, legless Village Chief—his swordsmanship is unrivaled!"
Crystal Blaze was dazed, then grew excited. "I really want to go out and see the world!"
"Once you’re well, I’ll take you out!"
Qin Mu said, "The New Year’s coming soon. This year, I’ll probably celebrate at Granny Sue’s. Want to come with me?"
"Sure!"
Crystal Blaze was thrilled, then her excitement faded. She shook her head. "I have to stay with the clan. Someone needs to look after the Solar Ship. If a demon attacks..."
Qin Mu smiled. "Don’t worry. I just fished up a new sun and killed the Reborn Demon God. There won’t be any invaders for a while. After the New Year, I’ll bring you back."
Crystal Blaze was both happy and anxious. "I’ve never gone out on my own before—never left my clan."
"With me here, you can relax!"
...