Chapter Four: The Divine Eye Ascends

“Haha! Luo Tian, so you’re here? What a coincidence!” Shen Lingbo slammed two large buckets of water onto the ground, his face brimming with satisfaction. “It seems even the heavens want you to lose all dignity before the newcomers today!”

Shen Lingbo, who had just arrived, was broad-shouldered and burly—nothing like a typical fourteen-year-old boy. His face was square, with thick brows and large, spirited eyes. Yet, for reasons unknown, this air of ruggedness was undercut by a certain shadow in his gaze, lending him an aura of menace.

“Shen Lingbo, enough!” came a loud shout. “If you dare cause trouble for Senior Brother Luo today, believe me, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!”

At these words, Shen Lingbo was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing. “Teach me a lesson? Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Brother Li, I respect you both, but that doesn’t mean I fear you! The laws of the Divine Sun Sect are clear—outer disciples must not act against menial disciples without cause. Do you…”

“Do you intend to brazenly break sect rules?” Shen Lingbo’s smile turned cold, his tone dripping with malice.

This left the speaker dumbstruck, his face flushing with embarrassment. The scoundrel!

“And you, an outer disciple, calling Luo Tian—a menial—‘senior brother’; aren’t you ashamed?” Shen Lingbo, thoroughly pleased, spoke with biting sarcasm. “Even bootlicking should have its limits, don’t you think?”

“You!” Li Min could no longer contain his anger; Shen Lingbo’s insults were hardly aimed at just one person. Over the past two years, except for a handful of unsavory menials, who among them had not benefited from Senior Brother Luo’s guidance, advancing to the Qi Condensation Realm and becoming outer disciples? Out of gratitude and because Senior Brother Luo liked the title, everyone continued to call him ‘senior brother’ even after their advancement, their respect genuine.

Yet, the rules of the sect dictated that menials must address outer disciples as ‘senior brother’. Though the higher-ups of the sect rarely bothered with these trivialities among the lower ranks, strictly speaking, Shen Lingbo wasn’t wrong—it was indeed a case of not following rules to the letter.

While Li Min and the others grew red-faced and indignant, Luo Tian himself remained silent, his eyes flickering with shifting light, far from calm.

Those newcomers who had attentively followed Luo Tian’s guidance and made rapid progress were now on their feet, each wearing a look of confusion. Having just opened a hidden meridian, their strength had surged, bringing an indescribable sense of exhilaration. Yet, the strange odor lingering around them was nearly unbearable.

Seeing others head toward the rear of the menial quarters, these late-blooming youths quickly followed suit, unwilling to linger in such a place. Even a few seasoned menials left as well.

A dispute had broken out between two outer disciples and a particularly brash menial, all because of Senior Brother Luo. As to who was right or wrong, the newcomers had no idea, nor did they care to find out; best to wash up first and talk later.

Meanwhile, as these newcomers broke through, dozens of golden points of light seemed to merge into a shimmering curtain, surging toward Luo Tian’s forehead.

Luo Tian could not help but feel a surge of excitement.

“So what if you’ve been a menial for two years? Does that make you special, thinking you can keep others from working for me? My talent is unmatched—even without you, it took me only three months to reach the ninth level of Body Tempering! Soon, I’ll be an outer disciple in the Qi Condensation Realm—a status you could only dream of!” Shen Lingbo, ever since being brusquely rejected by Luo Tian, had kept a low profile for months. But now, standing at the ninth level of Body Tempering, with strength equal to Luo Tian’s, his confidence had soared.

After all, the Shen family wielded considerable influence within the Divine Sun Sect. If not for the rules requiring all to start as menials, how could the young master of the Shen family ever be forced to do such menial labor? Among the menials, those who knew of the Shen family were always respectful. Luo Tian, however, had never shown the slightest respect—in fact, he had even withheld the guidance he freely gave to others, an unforgivable slight!

Clearly, the young master was being taken for granted. If he didn’t teach Luo Tian a lesson, others might think the Shen family was easy to bully.

Within Luo Tian’s mind, the golden eye’s phantom form underwent a striking transformation as the golden points of light merged into it. The hazy, indistinct quality receded like tidewater, replaced by a radiance as real and brilliant as sunlight through dust.

The golden eye, as if a veil had been lifted, now revealed its true form—no longer shrouded or hidden, but on full display before Luo Tian. Though its eyelid remained closed, the clarity alone was enough to astonish him.

For now, the world before Luo Tian had changed dramatically. Within every person, he saw the faintest wisps of white vapor, and around their bodies, the mist was denser still.

Could this be the so-called spiritual energy of heaven and earth?

A thought arose in Luo Tian’s heart. He lifted his gaze, scanning the sky. Here in the menial quarters, the spiritual energy was sparse, but in three distant locations, it was far more concentrated.

One direction he recognized immediately—Mount Ziyang, where the outer disciples congregated. It was a vast mountain, home to countless outer disciples who lived and trained there.

As for the other two places, Luo Tian could not guess their exact locations. Still, he suspected one was where the inner disciples resided, while the most intense concentration—where the energy nearly condensed into liquid—must belong to the sect master, elders, and other exalted figures.

How incredible! If this ‘eye’ could be further refined, would it not rival the gaze of the gods themselves?

He might as well call it the Divine Eye!

Lost in the excitement of his Divine Eye’s awakening, Luo Tian paid little attention to the commotion outside. Shen Lingbo’s bluster didn’t concern him in the least.

Shen Lingbo, full of self-satisfaction, felt as though he were the protagonist of some legendary tale, finally rising after years of suppression. He was bursting with pride and exhilaration.

Surely, they must all be cowed by my imposing presence!

He turned slightly, eager to see how Luo Tian would react to his righteous bravado, only to discover something odd—Luo Tian stood there, dazed, gazing around at the sky.

What on earth was he looking at?

Shen Lingbo craned his neck to look up as well: blue sky, white clouds—nothing more.

Is this fellow mocking me?

Nothing could be more blatant!

“Luo Tian, you’ve gone too far! I challenge you to a duel!” Shen Lingbo, seething with anger, howled and barked like a furious dog.