Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation

Chapter 651: Last days on the Caravan (12)

The silence that took over the arena after Kyrian’s blindfold exploded lasted only a few seconds, a moment suspended in time in which thousands of people seemed to have forgotten how to breathe. Then, another explosion of energy appeared at one end, breaking the spell.

‘Buzz!’ A blindfold began emitting an intense red light, pulsing like a desperate heart.

The young man in gray robes, who had managed to partially recover his hearing, gritted his teeth and concentrated all his comprehension on the Qi circulating within his body.

He had watched Kyrian break the seal, had seen how his lightning intent fused with his Qi and how that force had caused such an intense reaction in the blindfold that it seemed impossible to resist. That had given him one final inspiration.

‘I can do it too.’ He gathered all the comprehension he had acquired during those three hours and sent his Qi toward the seal, his intent flowing together with the energy.

‘Crack!’ A crack appeared, thin as a strand of hair. Then another. The young man took a deep breath, although he still couldn’t completely feel his body.

‘More.’ His intent was released together with his Qi, and the blindfold trembled violently.

‘Crack! Crack!’ Then, finally, a part of it broke. The silver energy disappeared, and suddenly, sound returned completely.

The young man opened his eyes, breathing heavily.

“I did it…” His voice was low, but there was immense joy hidden within it, a victory earned through sweat and determination.

In the stands, some people noticed what had happened, voices rising in surprise.

“Another one!”

“Someone managed to break it!”

“Who was it?”

“The young man in gray robes!”

The crowd’s attention turned toward him, but before the applause could even begin, another participant succeeded as well.

‘BOOM!’ The blindfold of a black-haired woman shattered, and she immediately fell to her knees, breathing with difficulty as her eyes filled with relief.

A few seconds later, a third explosion occurred; another man had finally managed to break the seal.

Three people. In addition to Kyrian. Four competitors had managed to complete the test, and this happened only a few minutes before the end of the four hours.

The entire arena was in an uproar, voices overlapping in excitement.

“Four people!”

“So they really did it!”

“It was almost at the end!”

“If Kyrian hadn’t broken it first, who knows who would have won?”

“But he broke it first! By a huge margin!”

The last three winners remained panting, their expressions clearly showing how much that test had demanded from them. None of them had managed to reach the same level of comprehension as Kyrian, but all of them had advanced, and for some, that difference in comprehension could represent months or even years of cultivation.

The young man in gray robes looked at Kyrian, his face covered in sweat, a trace of admiration in his eyes. He felt no resentment; on the contrary. That young man had shown everyone a possibility they had never even imagined existed, the possibility of using one’s own comprehension to directly challenge a structure created by cultivators far more powerful than themselves.

“He’s truly terrifying…” The young man murmured, his voice low.

Kyrian merely remained standing, the small bolts of lightning that still circulated around his body had almost completely disappeared. His expression remained calm; for him, the test was already over.

The final minutes continued to pass, and no other blindfold broke. Some competitors still desperately tried to achieve the same result, but the remaining time was insufficient.

Then the elder in charge of the test raised one of his hands, his voice echoing throughout the arena.

“Time is up.”

Those three words caused the entire arena to fall silent. The remaining participants immediately stopped, some lowering their heads, others closing their eyes, clearly frustrated.

There were people who had spent three hours and fifty minutes trying to comprehend their own paths and, even so, had failed to break the seal. For them, the defeat was painful.

But it did not mean that those four hours had been wasted. Many had discovered things about their own Qi that they had never noticed before. Some had partially recovered their senses. Others had managed to make their blindfolds crack.

And some had simply gained a better understanding of the essence of their paths. Even without winning the competition, these people could leave there much stronger than when they had entered.

“Release the seals.” The elder gave an order.

At the same instant, all the blindfolds that remained intact began to glow.

‘Buzz!’ One after another, they detached themselves from the participants’ faces, flying through the air and returning toward the stage.

‘Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!’ The dozens of silver objects crossed the arena and carefully landed before the elders.

Those who had failed finally regained their senses completely. Some immediately massaged their arms and legs, while others touched their own faces, as if they needed to confirm that they were still truly in the world.

A man let out a long breath.

“Finally…”

A woman beside him laughed bitterly.

“Four hours without being able to move a finger. I never thought a comprehension test could be so torturous.”

“But did you comprehend anything?”

The woman fell silent for a few seconds. Then she smiled.

“Yes. More than I expected.”

She looked at her own hands.

“Then it wasn’t a loss.”

The man nodded, and those who had understood this began talking among themselves. The frustration was still present, but there was something else as well, satisfaction. They had been forced to look within themselves, and that was something few people had the opportunity to do under such perfect conditions.

On the stage, the elders exchanged a few glances, and the chief elder finally stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over the forty-five participants.

“This test was the final stage of the comprehension competition.” His voice spread throughout the arena.

“For four hours, you were placed before a barrier that could not be overcome through brute force. Only those capable of deeply comprehending their own Qi and their own path could free themselves.”

He paused.

“Some succeeded. Others did not. But all of you gained something.” The elder’s expression softened slightly.

“An understanding that belongs only to you.”

The crowd began to applaud, and the elder then raised his hand.

“I officially declare the comprehension competition of the Celestial Descent Festival concluded.”

Even louder applause erupted, and then he continued.

“Of the forty-five finalists, only four managed to completely break the seal.”

The crowd immediately fell silent again.

“In fourth place…” The elder announced the name of the man who had broken the seal last. Then he announced third place. Then second.

Finally, his eyes fell upon Kyrian.