What the hell! Lin Mo thought, jolting up immediately. He paused, touching his body, the pain he was feeling moments ago was gone. He raised his arm slowly, closing and opening his hands. He staggered back in shock, almost hitting the ground. What the hell was happening? His previously broken bones seemed to have been miraculously repaired. He looked down at his hands, still shocked by the fact that he could see. Turning on his feet, he looked around the cave, even with his now weird sight, he couldn't make out the entrance of the cave.
When he finally got the entrance and tried to leave, his body was hurled backward as though struck by an invisible hammer, crashing hard against the cave floor. Air rushed from his lungs, his vision of shimmering threads scattering wildly from the impact.
For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
"What… was that…?"
He forced himself up again, teeth clenched, confusion rising into panic.
He tried again.
This time, more cautiously.
One step.
Two—
The same force struck.
Stronger.
His body lifted off the ground before being thrown back once more, pain blooming across his back as he hit the stone.
He pushed himself up again, more slowly this time, his hands trembling "Why can't I leave?"
"You are not permitted to exit the current environment." The voice said.
Lin Mo's body went rigid. "…Who are you?"
No response.
"…What do you want from me?"
A faint glow formed before him then the voice said again "The Heaven Devouring Eyes System has successfully bound to host: Lin Mo."
System. Bound. What was happening?
"What did you do to me?"
"The system allows host to see Qi flow, whether in living things or no living things"
Lin Mo looked around him "so, this thing flying about is Qi?"
No response.
"Then I can see now? I'm no longer blind?"
"The system doesn't have the power to cure permanent disabilities"
Lin Mo sighed, "Then what use is this to me? I can't cultivate so what use do I have for seeing Qi?"
"Host can cultivate"
Lin Mo's face brightened, "You're saying I can cultivate?"
"Yes. Host's cultivation roots are only tangled up and not absent. It will take a lot of work but is definitely possible"
Lin Mo beamed, "I can do anything. As long as I can cultivate and stop being trash"
Lin Mo quickly sat down with his leg crossed. The way he had seen many of his fellow disciples sit when cultivating. "I'm ready. Let's start "
"That will not be possible"
Lin Mo frowned "But you just said I can cultivate"
System: "Your probability of cultivating without untangling your roots is zero"
Lin Mo was fed up now "Then why did you say I can cultivate?"
System: "The Heaven Devouring Eyes System gives host the ability to see Qi, absorb and refine it. With your eyes, untangling your roots is possible. Only after untangling a root can you cultivate it"
Lin Mo was happy, but he knew, nothing came without a price. "And you'll just do this for me for free?"
System: "The host only has to follow the rules of the system"
"What rules?"
A series of lines appeared before him
[System Rules]
Rule 1: Follow system cultivation methods.
Rule 2: Missions are compulsory and necessary for system's upgrade.
Rule 3: Rejecting a mission may result in temporary loss of sight.
Lin Mo thought about it for a while, it wasn't that bad. Compared to dying as a blind trash, this was heaven. "Ok" he replied, "and what will happen if I break the rules?"
The glow flickered slightly.
Breaking any of the rules may result in:
– Qi deviation
– Meridian damage
– Loss of cultivation progress
– Total blindness.
Lin Mo paused, thinking. The consequences for breaking the rules was bad, but all he had to was follow the rules. What's the worse that could happen? He was trapped in this place either way.
Lin Mo let out a quiet breath. "…Fine. I'll do it"
This was the only path Lin Mo had now, and he would walk it.
"Sit" the system said
Lin Mo sat, crossing his leg and closed his eyes
"Open your eyes" the system instructed
Lin Mo looked at the flowing energy around him in confusion, "but other disciples close their eyes when they cultivate"
System: "that takes too long, and you can't even sense Qi how will you draw it in? Open your eyes so you can see it and guide it into your body"
Lin Mo nodded, "ok" then he focused. The threads were everywhere.
"Draw them in," the system instructed.
He tried. It was awkward at first, it was as if he was trying to control them with his mind and they were disobeying. Then slowly, the threads drifted towards him, brushing against his skin before sinking in. The moment they entered, Lin Mo's body jerked in pain. He gritted his teeth. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"…Again." the system said
More threads. More Qi. This time, he guided them—forcing them along his tangled meridians. They resisted, clashed against the blockages. They refused to move.
"Move…" he whispered, his voice strained. "Just… move…"
The Qi surged. Then it bounced back, it was as if it struck a knot. The backlash hit instantly, Lin Mo choked, his body trembling violently as pain tore through his meridians. It was as if something was ripping him apart from the inside.
"What am I doing wrong?" He asked, breath low and heavy. He was biting back the pain.
System: "you're trying to force it in all at once. Pick just one root and focus on it"
He locked his onto the tangled mass within him and watched as the threads of Qi slowly entered his meridians. It hurt and his body throbbed in all the wrong places. Then finally, one knot loosened. Just slightly. Then it gave way, the Qi surged forward. It rushed into him through the newly opened path.
Lin Mo's body went still. His breath caught. Then the pain hit him, his body collapsed on the ice cold floor with a thud and then everything went black.