Chapter 11: Eye of the Soul

The dark energy dispersed, and a black altar abruptly appeared on this pale land.

It was only five meters in radius and two meters high, the second structure in this colorless Dream Realm to possess strong colors.

Rod stared at it, dumbfounded.

The surface of the black altar had no decorative patterns and its style was very simple.

But at the center of the altar, there was a huge, open palm, and within the palm, there was a huge eye made of black blood.

It was identical to the one on the back of his hand before.

When Rod looked at his hand again, it was smooth as new, without any trace.

Did this mean that the eye pattern was meant to summon this altar in the Dream Realm?

Rod had a foreboding feeling in his heart.

He climbed the altar and carefully examined the palm.

It seemed to be made of some sort of stone material, not living flesh.

This relieved him, and he cautiously reached out and lightly touched the palm.

Suddenly, a line of information surged into his mind.

[Eye of the Soul]

Unveil illusion, penetrate mist, illuminate souls, see the essence, observe the uniqueness of all spirits, and understand the flow of the Source.

Focus your attention between your eyes, summon Spiritual Energy, softly tap the brow, and the [Eye of the Soul] will be activated.

Beware not to directly observe beings with a huge difference in spiritual energy levels.

——

The information was conveyed in common language, accompanied by a voice tone that was his own.

This successfully circumvented Rod's area of low ability.

The content was rich, encompassing not just the Eye of the Soul; all relevant information was contained within it.

Rod was captivated by the read; he had never found reading instructions this exhilarating before.

"Why isn't the Obelisk like this?"

Rod was quite dissatisfied. If it weren't for all those cryptic characters, he would not have had such trouble.

After careful study, Rod discovered that the activation method for the [Eye of the Soul] was very simple. The only issue was how to summon Spiritual Energy.

Spiritual Energy is the power of the soul and the source for using all characteristics.

Training, enhancing, and using Spiritual Energy are among the most important subjects for Fire Holders.

Rod had not yet learned about this, but the information included it.

Following the method from the information, after several hours of attempts, Rod successfully summoned Spiritual Energy.

It was a wispy mist emitting a faint glow, flickering around his fingertips, forming a mysterious connection with his spirit.

"Truly magical."

Rod managed the flow of Spiritual Energy at his fingertips, feeling this marvelous power.

It was like a ghost, able to appear anywhere within his body at will.

But if it left his body, the connection with his spirit would break and it would quickly disperse.

After becoming somewhat familiar with using Spiritual Energy, Rod focused his attention between his eyes, controlling the Spiritual Energy to flicker at his brow.

Seconds later, his eyes heated up, and the [Eye of the Soul] was activated.

His vision became exceptionally clear, but the scenery around him didn't change significantly.

The Spiritual Energy in his brow was rapidly depleted, forcing Rod to continue replenishing it, but the continuous use of Spiritual Energy fatigued his spirit.

With the slightest distraction, the [Eye of the Soul] closed on its own.

"Still not quite proficient."

Rod thought, but felt it didn't seem particularly useful either.

He did not try again, instead, he fell into contemplation.

The appearance of the altar had given him an ability and a message.

This proved that he was the master of this Dream Realm, and all changes in the Dream Realm were connected to him.

If the existence of the eye was indeed for summoning the altar, the suspicion that he was the ultimate beneficiary was overwhelming.

No, not right.

Rod rejected this hypothesis.

Although all evidence pointed toward him, he still believed he was a good person.

Whether others believed it or not, he believed in himself.

"I will definitely clear my name."

"Maybe there's a clue in the text of the Obelisk. As soon as I wake up, I'll go to the library to figure it out."

But how does one wake from a dream realm?

Rod recalled his last experience, where it felt like something had grabbed him, a strong sensation of falling, and then he had awakened from the dream realm.

He tried to simulate this feeling in his imagination, but it wasn't successful.

He also tried falling over or lying on the ground, again without success.

After much thought, Rod thought of the lightning-shaped symbol. Whether before or after crossing over, its shadow was present.

Maybe it was worth a try.

Rod overlapped his thumbs, extended his left index finger upward, his right index finger downward, curled his other three fingers, and rotated them one hundred eighty degrees, forming a crossed lightning symbol.

A strong sensation of falling suddenly appeared, his mind experienced a moment of trance.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the dormitory.

The pale yellow ceiling was before his eyes, and a warm orange glow flowed through the air, as if there was a burning fire in the room.

He was lying on the bed, still pinching the symbol with both hands.

A loud thumping sound echoed in his ears.

A female voice shouted.

"Open up, open up! It's the first day of class, are you going to be late?"

For a moment, Rod felt a strange sense of trance, as if he were back in his student days, being hurried by the earnest, memorable, yet annoying class monitor.

But he quickly dispelled this illusion, his resilient spirit returned to his soul.

"Coming."

Rod replied, jumped out of bed, opened the loudly banging door, and was surprised to find a large group of people standing outside.

They were all wearing light blue school robes, holding several thick books.

The one hammering on the door was the blonde girl, Kashan.

She was also in a school robe, her blonde hair tied back, with two locks gently swinging by her cheeks, making her look bright and charming yet with a hint of noble elegance.

But at this moment, she seemed very angry, her pale blue eyes wide open, her eyebrows raised almost vertically.

"Rod! You have the guts to sleep but not the guts to open the door for me? I nearly broke the door!"

Rod scratched the back of his head, "Why is it you?"

"Why shouldn't it be me?" Kashan retorted with a tone akin to a class monitor.

Wayne peeked from behind her, his expression slightly gloomy, "She's our team leader, we're all from the three-institute-ten-system-ten-group section, you were sleeping so deeply yesterday during grouping, I didn't wake you, just went ahead."

Kashan sternly said, "Today's main class is very important, it's Professor Karaman's 'Extraordinary Soul', we are starting to study Spiritual Energy, it's absolutely not permissible to be late, do you want to cost us points?"

A petite girl from behind softly said, "Team leader, let's set off soon, it's getting late..."

Kashan glared at Rod, "Get 'Extraordinary Soul' and 'Basic Combat Theory' and let's go immediately!"

"These two! Are you illiterate? Can't you recognize the words?"

Rod didn't argue with her, quickly picked up the two books she pointed out, and joined the group.

The team quickly moved out under Kashan's lead.

She continued to lecture as they walked.

"You know, as bearers of the Starfire series, we should naturally work harder, Rod, your first Fire Spark wasn't good, you need to double your efforts, aim to ignite another Fire Spark by the end of the semester, only then you might have a chance to join the Knight Order after graduation."

Her attitude was somewhat aggressive, different from yesterday.

But Rod didn't mind, he kept thinking about the incident in the library.

It was Wayne who murmured, "Isn't the Knight Order your dream? Rod has lost his memory..."

"Shut up!" Kashan scolded, "Has losing memory stripped him of having dreams? Your first Fire Spark isn't good either, the Guardian Crystal has a very limited use, if you don't ignite the second Fire Spark! You won't do well in combat class!"

Wayne's whole face turned red, "I don't need a high score, passing is good enough."

Kashan coldly said, "That kind of thinking is a cancer of mankind..."

Wayne vehemently retorted, "What do you mean cancer? I know my limits, acting within them is the greatest contribution!"

Along the way, the two argued relentlessly, the other more than twenty people all followed silently behind them.

They exited the dormitory building, crossed the tree-lined path, and suddenly the view opened up.

Countless students in light blue robes hurried along the cobblestone path, the faraway lake reflected a shimmering light under the sprawling luminosity, and the academic area, composed of numerous watchtowers, high towers, and castles, was situated in the very center of the campus.

The windows glinted under the bright light, even the oppressive Black Fog above seemed less frightening.

Kashan and Wayne both stopped arguing, immersed in this vibrant scene.

Just then, a colossal voice resonated above the academy.

"Good morning, students of Jinworth, today is the 26th, current time is two quarters past Morning, I am the broadcaster, Kazan."

"I'm delighted to share good news with you, the Observatory just informed me, the fourth Fire Day of February and the first Moon Day have both arrived! Fellow students, seize this great time, hurry to your classes, diligently study, and burn your youth for the Royal City's Holy Fire!"

"Class will begin in fifteen minutes, please don't be late."

As the broadcast tower's voice announced, they also merged into the crowd, becoming one of the multitude of Fire Holder students, charging towards their respective futures.