The first step of Bewildering Eye was to establish eighty-one illusion-type spirit veins in the eyes. Each had their own unique shape and would criss-cross with the others. The order and speed of establishment was mightily important.
Li Tianming failed the moment he started on the first. Blood began leaking the moment beast ki poured into the eyeball, bringing unspeakable pain.
"Was this even made for humans?" Li Tianming couldn't help being suspicious. Bewildering Eye had over ten thousand words to its technique, but the first line alone had left him like this. He might as well just give up on the rest.
His right eye was in incredible pain and wouldn't be able to withstand a second try. If he forced it, only blindness would follow. Even with his decent toughness, he had nearly lost his right eye and his entire body was shivering in pain.
Li Tianming realised it wasn't him not being hard-working enough, but just a matter of lacking talent. Why did the spirit core's owner believe he could succeed his legacy and lure him here?
"And here I was, thinking I had picked up some super duper badass technique." Li Tianming was a little gloomy, but at that moment, he caught sight his bandaged left arm.
"How did I forget about that eye!" His original eyes might be talentless, but that eye on the black arm was miraculous! It could see clearly in the murky depths of the lake, which meant that that eye may have been the specific thing that was beckoned forth from within the unknown!
He immediately went ahead with attempting the method to run beast ki through his third eye. He had exercised his full caution, but the result left him questioning his worldview. "I guess hard work is a joke in the face of absolute talent after all."
This technique, which his original eyes had failed utterly at, had succeeded with absurd ease when it came to his third eye. He hadn't even familiarised himself with the latter portions, but the process went smoothly without a hitch. He had the feeling even if he closed his eyes while doing it, nothing would go wrong. And thus, the process finished.
Li Tianming looked at that eye and could clearly make out the spirit veins slowly forming. Just like a human body, the eye now had its personal cultivation system. Li Tianming's body had six beast veins opened, while this tiny eye had eighty-one spirit veins. Despite their little size, however, their strength and intricacy was nothing to sneeze at.
The eye had been completely transfigured, the effect like giving a strong man a sharp weapon. The analogy was apt, as Li Tianming's two original eyes were like babies. Giving it a supreme-grade beastial weapon wasn't going to accomplish much. The third eye however, was a strong man that had been bestowed a weapon and cultivation techniques. This combination would only get stronger and stronger.
Now that the spirit veins had been established, the next step was its cultivation. The properties of the Bewildering Eye would be adhered to it bit by bit. The power would be unleashed through eyesight as a medium to affect the enemy.
"This left arm really is outrageous." He had made some mistakes just now during the spirit vein establishment, which had hurt the eye, but he had felt it quickly recover from it, proof of its outstanding regenerative capabilities.
"It really does feel like I'm starting to collect quite a few enigmas. Primordial Chaos Beasts, the black arm and now this spirit core." He really did feel a strong desire to unravel them, and even had a premonition it was his life's calling.
...
The next five days were spent by him cultivating the Bewildering Eye and the little chick refining the manna. By then, he felt like he had the ability to confuse enemies just like an illusion-type beastmaster.
The left arm would be of great assistance to him in battle. The Bewildering Eye, powerful physical strength and defense... and more that he needed to unearth.
"Success!" A fireball in the hidden chamber let out an excited whoop. As it dispersed, a mighty aura pressed down.
Li Tianming was looking forward to it. Ying Huo's appearance now was too cute and dumb, lacking the slightly gravitas. It'll only be cool if it reverted to being an Aeternal Infernal Phoenix.
The fire was gone. And thus, Li Tianming's expectant gaze fell on a tender and yellow little chick...
"Damn!" Li Tianming was speechless as he looked at the practically unchanged little chick. "Are you sure you evolved? Why do you still look... you?"
"What kind of tone is that! Can you judge an evolution by its appearance?" The little chick snapped.
"Then? I was promised more badassery! More domineering! What the heck, it's still the same ole chicken!" Li Tianming snorted disdainfully.
"You're just narrow-minded and judging a book by its cover!"
Actually, Li Tianming had noticed its eyes seemed to have six stars now. To an outsider, they would think a six-star lifebound beast was already a premier expert's beast.
"Li Tianming, you just don't know my limits. Such lousy manna can only barely just loosen my bloodline shackles. We need far more manna for me to become a phoenix. Of course, even the current me isn't something a six-star lifebound beast can compare with," the little chick said arrogantly.
The six stars in its eye in fact weren't an indicator of its potential, but just a symbol of its bloodline shackles opening. Of course, its bloodline energy now was stronger than before. That was the purpose of manna. The Aeternal Infernal Phoenix didn't need it to evolve, but to recover.
"Come, come, let grandpappy show you how awesome my bloodline energy is now," Ying Huo said pretentiously.
The first time they had cultivated together, Li Tianming had been given an Aeternal Infernal Body. Any improvement in Ying Huo's bloodline would be reflected in him as well. It was an innate skill of lifebound beasts and beastmasters, where their beast ki was mutually shared during cultivation, allowing Ying Huo's new bloodline energy to transfer to him.
"Incredible!" Li Tianming could feel both his body's power and his talent skyrocketing. The majestic bloodline energy crashed down onto Li Tianming like a waterfall. He got stronger and stronger, approaching the power of a true Primordial Chaos Beast. Others could only dream of such transformations in their lifetime. The burning energy that continued to course through him even ignited the remaining medicinal dregs of the fire lingzhi mushroom the two had eaten.
They began to edge towards the seventh level Beast Vein.
Then the next day, man and chick hit the seventh level together! The magma-like Aeternal Infernal Beast Ki coursed through the thick dragon-like veins of the two, turning them into something like erupting volcanoes.
The effect was especially pronounced for Li Tianming. His Bewildering Eye turned even stranger as beast ki circulated through the spirit veins inside.
"With all the gains we made, the two of us are like whole new people compared to before we came in."
"Try out your Bewildering Eye!" Ying Huo challenged.
"On you?" Li Tianming chuckled. Truth be told, he did want a guinea pig.
"Try me, you nugget!" the little chick mocked.
Li Tianming removed his glove just enough to show the Bewildering Eye, but not enough to reveal the whole arm. Then he abruptly pointed it at the little chick.
Li Tianming operated it according to the technique, activating the eye. Ying Huo's eyes widened slightly as it froze up, staggering back as it looked foolishly at Li Tianming.
Success!
Li Tianming grinned. If this happened in battle, it would present many openings to exploit.
"My goodness, you do make quite the sexy hen!" Ying Huo rolled around on the ground, unable to contain his laughter.
"What?" Li Tianming was confused. When he used the Bewildering Eye, he turned into a sexy hen? How was that possible?
He was uncertain if he could use the eye on himself, so he pointed his left hand at himself and activated it. He felt his vision blur.
The next moment, he saw his left arm turn into an alluring beauty. She had features reminiscent of Jiang Feiling as well as a figure even better than Liu Qing. She played with her hair coquettishly, looking at him invitingly...
"AHHHH!" Li Tianming flinched in pure terror. What kind of godforsaken technique was this? It was all well and good to be an illusion technique, so why did it have to go be some seduction technique?!
"Ahahaha!"
How humiliating.
Still, if he used the hand when fighting against Liu Qianyang and transformed into a beauty, that would give him the chance to... hmm, win.
It was time to go back for his Flameyellow Order. His mother must have been anxious after he was gone for so long. "Li Yanfeng, Liu Qianyang, I'm coming back to Flamehaven!" It was time for the final battle!