Chapter 74: Brother, the Fourth Journey

Zhou Yan faced the gazes of others with calm composure and quickly walked out of the first-floor entrance of the Hall of Fiery Departure. Immediately, he spotted the charming young girl standing obediently by the door.

Luo Ke, though already a seventeen-year-old prospective university student, was petite and lively in her demeanor, appearing no older than a middle school girl in her third year.

"Zhou Yan~ Come over here!" She had been watching for him, and as soon as she saw him, she waved enthusiastically.

"Xiao Ke, where's your sister?" Zhou Yan approached her.

"She went to a meeting," Luo Ke replied with a shrug, then tugged at Zhou Yan's arm. "Come on, let's go check out the official Divine Apparatus Pavilion in the city center."

"The Divine Apparatus Pavilion?" Zhou Yan was a bit curious.

"It's the Divine Apparatus Mall established by the Palace of Yinglong in major cities across the country. They have all sorts of divine creations, and the best part—" Luo Ke grinned mischievously, "the prices are really fair."

"So why are we going there?" Zhou Yan, though interested, asked anyway.

"Hehe, I've had my eye on something for a long time, and it's only sold here. Just come with me," Luo Ke said with a bright smile, pulling Zhou Yan away from the Hall of Fiery Departure.

They hailed a cab and soon arrived at the Divine Apparatus Pavilion, also located in the heart of Wing City.

Getting out of the car with Luo Ke, Zhou Yan looked up and saw that the so-called "Divine Apparatus Pavilion" was not some small shop, nor was it a typical shopping mall. Instead, it was a high-rise office building, dozens of stories tall. The glass façade bore a massive Yinglong emblem, and beneath it, in bold, flowing script, were the words "Divine Apparatus Pavilion."

"This place has thirty-three floors. The civil-grade apparatus are sold on the first five floors, and only those are open to us," Luo Ke explained as she led Zhou Yan through the doors.

"Besides, our needs are civilian anyway. The professional and military grades upstairs are insanely expensive, and without clearance, you can't pass any checks, so you can't take them anywhere."

She motioned for Zhou Yan to take out his ID as she did. After passing inspection by the security staff, they were allowed through.

Watching the lively Luo Ke bounce ahead of him, Zhou Yan smiled and asked, "So, Xiao Ke, what are you planning to buy here?"

"Alright, enough questions! We're here!" Luo Ke pulled him along at a brisk pace until they reached a lobby.

Zhou Yan looked up at the sign above.

—Divine Apparatus Eye—

Those four simple words immediately revealed Luo Ke's intentions.

"Hehe, let's go in! What are you waiting for?" Luo Ke said, grinning with pride. She darted behind Zhou Yan and gently pushed him into the store, chattering all the while, "Just so you know, I've spent all my savings. You have to pay for the eye yourself—I'm just here for the free modification toolbox that comes with it!"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Zhou Yan replied with a helpless smile, indulging Luo Ke's stubbornness as he looked around at the store's displays.

It was like something out of a science fiction film—a series of illuminated tables lined with various "eyeballs," each with a tablet beneath that showed real-time footage from that model of artificial eye.

Only today did Zhou Yan realize that most artificial eyes were not as he had imagined—perfectly round like natural eyes—but were instead wedge-shaped, almost triangular.

Luo Ke nudged him forward. "No need to look at these, they're not much use. All artificial eyes are custom-made, there are no finished products. We just need to go find a modeler inside."

*

A little over three hours later.

Wearing the delicate eye patch given by the store, Zhou Yan emerged from the installation room. The first thing he saw was Luo Ke, waiting anxiously outside, craning her neck and fidgeting.

"Zhou Yan, you took forever! I was dying out here!" she exclaimed, rushing forward and reaching for his new eye patch. "Let me see what this thing looks like, considering it cost nearly twenty thousand!"

Without waiting, she plucked the patch from his face.

At once, the girl's eyes went blank with shock.

With the patch removed, Zhou Yan's right eye was revealed. Where once there had been an empty socket, there was now an eye indistinguishable from his healthy left one.

With this prosthetic in place, even when his eyes were closed, the drooping eyelid that had marred his features was now perfectly restored, returning to him the handsome visage he once had.

"Brother..." Luo Ke blurted unconsciously.

Zhou Yan looked down at her in confusion—unlike the decorative prosthetics found on Earth, this Divine Apparatus Eye had mysterious circuitry embedded within. Though it couldn't restore his sight by connecting to his optic nerve, it could sense muscle movement and synchronize perfectly with his left eye.

Whether rotating or focusing, it could mimic natural movement flawlessly.

In other words, whether at rest or in motion, this artificial eye was virtually undetectable to all but the keenest observer.

Realizing she had slipped up with her address, Luo Ke quickly shook her head, her eyes shining as she gazed at Zhou Yan's face. "Zhou Yan, you look amazing!"

"You only just realized?" Zhou Yan teased her.

"Hehe," Luo Ke replied, bubbling with joy.

"Let's head back, Zhou Yan!"

"What scheme are you plotting now? You only call me 'brother' when you've gotten something out of it."

"Hehe, don't worry about it. You just look really handsome today—so I'll call you that for free."

That night, when Luo Xuan returned from her meeting and saw Zhou Yan with his perfectly restored eyes, she too stared at him in stunned silence for a long time.

***

After Zhou Yan received his artificial eye, time passed quickly—two days slipped by in a flash.

The tournament progressed smoothly from the round of thirty-two to the quarterfinals.

Whether by chance or design, Zhou Yan's opponents in the last two matches, though increasingly skilled and even resorting to secret sword techniques, still had average physical abilities. Zhou Yan defeated both with overwhelming strength and speed.

He advanced smoothly into the final eight.

As for the other quarterfinalists, as he had expected, they were the true standouts among the students.

One, Li Guanqi, seemed to take particular pleasure in mimicking Zhou Yan's winning moves in every round since their first encounter.

Zhou Yan didn't mind this at all—if anything, it made him eager to face Li Guanqi. Unfortunately, since they were in separate brackets, their only chance to meet would be in the semifinals or finals.

Outside the tournament, Zhou Yan's daily routine was simple. Each day, he competed in his match, then trained in swordsmanship at the practice grounds arranged by the Hall of Fiery Departure. Occasionally, he would join the ever-restless Luo Ke for a stroll through the bustling streets of Wing City.

Luo Xuan, busy with her own affairs, could only speak with Zhou Yan and her sister for a few moments after dinner each night. During the day, she watched the matches with the other students before heading off to meetings convened by the head of the Hall.

Notably, after the first day of competition, Luo Xuan found Zhou Yan and told him she had secured the head's approval for him to begin practicing the breathing techniques. Seeing his exceptional performance in the matches, she was finally convinced that he possessed the necessary physical foundation.

That very night, she taught him the remaining two secret sword techniques—Raven's Fury and Phoenix Rebirth.

With his innate talent fueled by his burning spirit, Zhou Yan quickly grasped the basics of these powerful killing techniques, eager to put them to the test in actual combat.

And so, on a night when all was ready, Zhou Yan finished his nightly routine, sat quietly on his bed, and waited.

Before him was a countdown timer on the verge of reaching zero.

[Next Descent into the Calamity World: 0 days 0 hours 0 minutes 7 seconds]

At last, it was here—the long-awaited fourth descent.