Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation Chapter 387 - 388

With exceptional agility and strength, Kyrian ascended the Great Volcano. His hands discovered natural holds within the dark rock – narrow ledges, fissures perfect for gripping, and uneven edges that provided temporary purchase. Every motion was precise and economical, a testament to his pre-calculated grip and foot placements. The intense heat no longer posed a threat. The searing air expelled from the crater's depths, which once burned his lungs and caused his skin to prickle, now felt like a mild warmth on his face. The bubbling magma below, a former mortal danger, had become inconsequential. His body had been transformed. The Heaven Bone was the cause of this change.After an indeterminate period, lost in the focused rhythm of his ascent, Kyrian finally propelled himself out of the volcano's caldera. His boots met the solid ground of the outer rim. The rock radiated heat, yet he scarcely registered it. Kyrian directed his gaze towards the sky above the crater. For the first time in many hours, the light of day became visible. The sun hung high, or what served as a sun under the perpetual gray clouds blanketing the Great Volcano. A soft, red hue suffused the horizon, casting everything in shades of orange and gray. The wind whispered through his hair.Kyrian stood motionless on the inner edge of the Great Volcano for a prolonged moment, absorbing the sensations. The wind. The heat. The surrounding Qi. His body felt vibrantly alive. His meridians thrummed with energy. His cores spun in perfect harmony. Never before had he experienced such a profound sense of completeness.Then, a shift occurred. In his peripheral vision, Kyrian detected something hurtling towards him at extreme velocity. His instincts shrieked a warning even before his eyes could fully register the incoming threat. A blur materialized to his right. Swift. Aggressive. It was a kick.Kyrian reacted with near-instantaneous speed. His arms crossed defensively over his abdomen at the very last conceivable moment. There was no time for any other action – no dodging, no counter-attack. Only pure defense.'BOOOOM!'The impact erupted with the force of thunder. A shockwave radiated outwards, kicking up plumes of ash and dust. The sound reverberated through the adjacent mountains, bouncing off the rocky walls like a furious beast. The ground beneath Kyrian fractured instantly. Deep cracks spread outwards from his position like a spider's web. His body was hurled backward as if launched from a catapult. He traveled dozens of meters.Rocks shattered as he careened across the volcanic landscape, first colliding with a rocky outcrop that split asunder, then skidding violently across the abrasive ground that tore at his robes. Following two more brutal impacts, his momentum finally began to wane. Only after sliding an additional several meters, gouging a deep trench in the earth, did Kyrian manage to halt his involuntary flight.A brief silence descended upon the scene. Kyrian remained on one knee. One hand rested on the ground, the other still held defensively across his chest. He then slowly lifted his head. A mild discomfort resonated in his forearms, a superficial ache, akin to the soreness after strenuous training. His muscles were taut, but nothing more. No bones were broken. No severe injuries were sustained. No internal damage was present. Absolutely nothing.Kyrian's orange eyes narrowed with intense focus. He immediately identified the assailant who had launched the surprise attack. It was an elder. His short gray hair was slicked back with oil. His face was a tapestry of scars, some ancient, others fresh. His sharp eyes, like honed blades, seemed capable of slicing through flesh itself. This was the foremost leader of the Red Smoke City forces. The same individual he had observed previously when the assembled groups gathered in the Intermediate Area. The same leader who had guided four powerful figures towards the Inner Area.Before Kyrian could utter a single word...Three additional presences materialized. 'Whoosh!' 'Whoosh!' 'Whoosh!' Three figures landed around him, their movements imbued with terrifying speed. They effectively sealed off every possible escape route. North. South. East. West. Four cultivators. Four leaders. Four experts of the Spiritual Awakening Realm. Kyrian recognized every one of them. They wore the same distinctive robes, carried identical weapons, and exuded the same imposing aura he had sensed from a distance during his climb.He instantly grasped the gravity of the situation. While scaling the volcano and descending the seemingly endless stairs, he had faintly perceived their distant battles – the clashing sounds, the concussive explosions, the roars of the guardian spirit beasts. They had attempted to breach the defenses leading to Ming Hai’s tomb. However, they had been repelled by the formidable creatures guarding the Inner Area. Now... the conflict had clearly concluded. And they were here. Observing him. Their hostility palpable."What is the meaning of this?" Kyrian inquired calmly, still kneeling. His gaze remained locked onto the elder, the very man who had attacked him without provocation, without warning, without granting him any opportunity to defend himself. The question was not merely about the assault. It pertained to their collective stance. The encirclement. The overt hostility.The elder offered no immediate response. He simply studied Kyrian, his gaze analytical.

His gaze swept over Kyrian from head to toe, noting the tattered clothes, the lack of grievous wounds, and the way he stood tall despite the forceful impact.

He finally broke the silence.

"Boy."

The voice was chilling, laced with calculation.

"You had best not deceive us."

The spiritual pressure surrounding him began to escalate, not as an abrupt surge, but a slow, steady increase, akin to a confined space filling with water.

"Tell us."

"What brings you here?"

"How did you reach this point?"

"How did you manage to survive?"

With one hand discreetly placed behind his back, attempting an air of nonchalance, his eyes remained fixed on Kyrian.

"Based on your response..."

"I may permit you to depart this world alive."

Kyrian offered no words, maintaining his silence.

Internally, however, his mind was a whirlwind of rapid thought.

'They wouldn't believe in mere chance anyway,' Kyrian mused.

His thoughts were devoid of any youthful idealism.

He grasped the situation with absolute clarity.

Their desire wasn't for answers; it was for treasure, for the inheritance.

They sought any advantage he might have gained within the confines of the Great Volcano.

'My survival here is already cause for suspicion,' Kyrian continued his internal assessment.

'My cultivation has surged by three stages in mere hours. My physical fortitude is demonstrably abnormal.'

'To them, I must be undeniable proof that the inheritance truly exists.'

'And that I have acquired it. Especially after emerging from the volcano completely unscathed.'

His continued silence served only to solidify their suspicions.

One of the other leaders emitted a coarse, humorless chuckle.

"Is there even anything left to question?"

His voice, filled with unwavering conviction, reverberated across the mountain.

"It is self-evident."

He pointed a clenched fist directly at Kyrian.

"This wretch came for Ming Hai's tomb."

"While we were occupied battling those beasts, while we risked our lives in the Inner Area, he slipped in undetected."

"And subsequently pilfered the inheritance."

Another leader immediately concurred, his eyes narrowing.

"Now it all aligns perfectly."

His gaze darkened with suspicion.

"When we discovered this boy near the remains of the Five-Horned Lava Lizard, I already found it highly peculiar."

"A cultivator at the first stage of Core Formation, alone in that dangerous territory?"

"Surviving a beast that even formidable elders fear?"

"It stretched credulity far too thin."

He scrutinized Kyrian's arms where the torn robe revealed the skin beneath. There were no marks, no burns, no contusions.

"Moreover..."

"He endured a direct assault from a Spiritual Awakening expert."

"Without deploying any active defenses."

"Without activating any Qi barriers."

"And yet, he remains virtually unscathed."

The eyes of the other three leaders grew perceptibly colder.

They too had observed this phenomenon.

The physical resilience Kyrian displayed was utterly astonishing.

It far surpassed any normal capacity.

It exceeded what a cultivator at the fourth stage of Core Formation should possess by a significant margin.

Then, the final leader interjected.

"You are all overlooking the most crucial detail."

All eyes turned towards him.

The man offered a slow smile, one that failed to reach his eyes.

He then pointed a finger directly at Kyrian.

"His cultivation."

Immediately, their expressions shifted.

"When we first encountered him in the Intermediate Area, near the cave's entrance, the boy was merely at the first stage of Core Formation."

A profound silence descended.

The sound of the wind filled the void between their words.

"But observe him now."

"He stands at the fourth stage."

"Three complete breakthroughs."

"Achieved in a mere handful of hours."

He deliberately withdrew a double-bladed axe from his spatial ring. The weapon was imposing, each blade extending to the size of a forearm, the handle wrapped in beast hide, and intricate runes etched into the gleaming metal.

The axe caught the sunlight, reflecting a dangerously sharp glint.

"Considering the fact that he emerged from the Great Volcano..."

"Given the astonishing surge in his cultivation..."

"And coupled with his equally remarkable physical resilience..."

His voice dropped to a low tone, heavy with barely suppressed avarice.

"I believe we are all in complete agreement as to precisely what has transpired."