Using "seeing" to describe it isn't entirely accurate.
The Eye of Fate brought with it a brand-new sense beyond the traditional five senses.
It was akin to how snakes sense heat or how bats use echolocation. Human beings without corresponding organs can only draw the world they imagine they feel and then see it with their eyes, but they can never feel their world
In the world seen through the Eye of Destiny, there were mists and threads of varying solidity.
Wang Rui instinctively understood that the different mists belonged to the luck or fortunes of various individuals, while the threads represented their fates. Solid threads signified actualized causes and effects, whereas the faint ones indicated potential futures.
These threads intertwined with the mists, outlining objects and barely forming shapes he could comprehend.
The threads and mists varied in color, making the world he observed through the Eye of Destiny vibrant.
No. Wang Rui shook his head. The Eye of Destiny was not a true eye and couldn't perceive light, so it lacked color perception in the conventional sense.
His retina hadn't detected any light, and his optic nerve hadn't received any signals. Instead, his brain, through a form of synesthesia, assigned different colors to distinguish between the various ethereal energies he perceived.
This phenomenon, often referred to as "synesthetic effect," involves the brain linking different senses together.
Just as people instinctively associate red with warmth and blue with cold, or how tasting strawberry-flavored cough syrup evokes the image of its pink color, what Wang Rui saw wasn't genuine color but rather a sensory association.
Cautiously, Wang Rui observed his surroundings through the Eye of Fate. He still sensed a foreboding feeling of imminent danger but couldn't pinpoint its source.
The surrounding mists and threads outlined the shapes of trees and small animals. Since the Eye of Fate didn't perceive material reality, obstacles didn't block his vision.
He could directly see the enormous soul beasts standing guard nearby. Their luck was dense and powerful, but they were allies, not the source of the threat.
Looking down... Wang Rui felt his paws pressing into the moist forest floor but couldn't see the ground.
Through the Eye of Destiny, it seemed as if he were floating in midair. Beneath him, he saw the roots of plants and the creatures living underground. Further below was a radiant river of light flowing endlessly into the distance, its tributaries branching off in countless directions.
Deeper still, he perceived a massive presence. When Wang Rui tried to examine it more closely, a sharp pain shot through his Eye of Destiny.
He quickly averted his gaze, instinctively understanding that whatever that thing was, it was beyond the reach of his current power. If not for the Eye of Destiny opening the moment he was born, he wouldn't have been able to see it at all.
A hazy glow emanated from the earth's core, obscuring the radiant river and the colossal form below it.
Turning his gaze upward, Wang Rui looked toward the sky.
Compared to the underground, the sky above, beyond the threads outlining treetops and birds, was relatively clear.
Yet, there was something peculiar—a long, ominous crack running through the center of the sky.
What was that? Wang Rui stared intently at the fissure in the sky.
He tried to recall the memories transmitted by Miss Jin Ni.
The world that Miss Jin Ni saw through her Eye of Fate differed from what Wang Rui perceived.
Perhaps this was due to their different origins or their unique understandings of the power of fate. Or perhaps it was because Wang Rui retained his consciousness from a previous life, unlike the purely newborn soul of Miss Jin Ni. It might also be related to his firsthand observation of how heaven and earth had molded the Emperor Auspicious Beast...
In any case, Wang Rui saw a more complex world than Miss Jin Ni had, and he perceived things she hadn't—like that crack in the sky.
Anomalies signify the unknown, and the unknown is often linked to danger.
Wang Rui fixated on the fissure as though it were the most terrifying enemy he had ever faced.
What lay beyond that crack? How would the danger descend? Was there any way to hide from it?
The sense of impending crisis grew stronger, and Wang Rui's young heart began to pound wildly in his chest. Just as his entire body tensed to its limit—
The crack in the sky slowly opened.
It revealed a colossal, terrifying eye spanning the entire sky. Its iris shimmered with black, white, and red hues, and within its pupil, blurry and shifting symbols flickered—a pure white heart, a pitch-black scale, and a crimson greatsword.
A beam of light shot from the eye's pupil, slowly sweeping across the land.
No! I must not be seen by that eye! Absolutely not!!
What could he do? Dig a hole? Wang Rui's body was taut with tension as his mind raced. No, there wasn't enough time, and a mere hole likely wouldn't help anyway.
What could block that gaze?
Block it... Block it!
The eggshell! Wasn't the eggshell meant to shield against danger?
Even though he had already hatched, the eggshell still counted as part of an infant soul beast. All egg-born soul beasts instinctively knew how to make the best use of it.
Following his instincts, Wang Rui lifted his head and let out a high-pitched cry.
The iridescent eggshell fragments floated into the air and then exploded into fine golden powder, which drifted down and formed a shimmering membrane over his small body.
He crouched low to the ground, tense, and waited nervously for the beam of light to pass over him.
The eggshell, created by heaven and earth to protect the embryonic Auspicious Beast from leaking its aura, possessed formidable shielding and protective abilities.
To an outsider, it might have looked simple, but it proved effective.
The beam of light passed over Wang Rui twice without detecting anything.
Eventually, the enormous eye in the sky closed, and the sense of danger finally faded. Wang Rui exhaled deeply, his Eye of Fate shutting wearily.
Even though the Imperial Auspicious Beast was born with the ability to perceive fate, keeping the Eye of Fate open for such a long time was exhausting for a newly hatched cub.
He tried to stand, but his four legs felt like noodles, devoid of any strength.
The sticky fluid from his egg hadn't been properly cleaned, and now that it had dried, it clung to his fur in clumps, making him incredibly uncomfortable.
I really want a bath... Wang Rui thought groggily. Wait, I'm a lion now... Should I lick my fur like a cat?... Nah, too tired for that...
With the Eye of Fate closed, all Wang Rui could see was a blurry haze, so he didn't notice the massive beasts that had gathered around him, staring intently at the tiny cub.
Half-asleep, Wang Rui felt something lift him gently by the scruff of his neck...
Oh well, doesn't matter. Di Tian wouldn't let anything happen to the star of the Great Forest anyway.
With that thought, the little cub's head lolled to the side, and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
(End of chapter)