Although this wasn't her first time inside the Dimensional Sanctuary, Fan Yumei couldn't help but be shocked.
The integration of the All-Seeking Eyes had transformed the space in ways she hadn't anticipated.
Just a few hours ago—before entering the secret realm—the sanctuary hadn't looked like this.
Dense qi now flowed in vibrant streams of every imaginable color.
Each section carried its own rainbow-like energy, forming unique domains, while some areas had mixed qi types or radiated unfamiliar energies she couldn't identify.
The scale and vibrancy of the changes made her pulse quicken, a mixture of awe and disbelief curling through her chest.
And then the mental guidance came.
The sanctuary itself reached out through their bond, sending her a full visual tour.
Fan Yumei's mind filled with images of every corner:
• The towering temple at the center, its golden spires humming with energy.
• The massive building where the old clinic once stood, now officially named "Healing Hands: Clinic, Emergency, Grooming, and Surgeries", radiating warmth and order.
• Six new structures surrounding it, each pulsing with magical energy, clearly designed for training, research, and living quarters.
The training grounds had expanded dramatically—enormous open areas with varied terrains, obstacle courses, and energy nodes glowing in coordinated patterns.
Living quarters appeared scattered across the sanctuary—small clusters of buildings, cozy and efficient, each with energy flowing in and around them, as if the sanctuary itself provided comfort and sustenance.
Even though she knew the rules—one or two hours outside translating to six or three days inside, and only two entries per day—she couldn't help but marvel at the transformed landscape before her.
This was the same sanctuary, yet completely unlike the one she had trained in only hours earlier.
Her body felt different too.
Her mental power, strength, and the space itself had mutated. Her core was purified to 94%. Her meridians and bones had been flushed of most impurities.
Even her spine had transformed—no longer bone, but made from the same mysterious material as Grimme—making her physique far tougher and more endurable.
[Soul Gift — Inner Profile]
• Bearer: Fan Yumei (present since awakening)
• Nature: Soul-fragment inheritance / Dao resonance imprint
• Core Function: Lets her perceive, translate, and resonate with external soul patterns, bypassing normal qi limits.
Primary Effects:
• Soul Echo — temporarily copies an opponent's soul rhythm for countermeasure creation
• Memory Weave — binds fragments of will or memory into protective/empathic constructs
• Spirit Tether — stabilizes unstable soul links between beast and master
• Soul Call — projects her intent across distance, reaching Mystic or allies instantly
Risks/Weaknesses:
• Mental strain under prolonged use (risk of backlash or dissonance)
• Can destabilize nearby soul structures if overextended
• Incomplete form—part of a sealed inheritance
[/Added]
Grimme sensed her overwhelm through their bond, radiating waves of understanding like a cool breeze that helped steady her racing thoughts.
"Master should really wear eye covers and use your eyes less. Master should use her senses," he said, his words flat but heavy with worry that twisted in her stomach like a swallowed soda.
Old Thief murmured lazily from her bracelet.
"Hmph, girl, see you're still breathing, right?"
She scoffed.
"And you only know how to play dead when people press you with an issue."
"Blind, dead—it's all the same when you're being stupid," Old Thief shot back sharply.
Fan Yumei rolled her eyes.
He was right, but she wouldn't admit it. Still, there was comfort in the sarcasm.
["Cover your eyes."]
The programmed side who is merged with her spine SF-Grimme chimed in calmly. Its voice measured, intense—urging her to pause and reflect.
She decided to nickname this side SF-Grimme, or SF, to avoid confusion when both sides answered her at once.
She frowned.
Cover them?
Isn't that going to make me completely reliant on my other senses?
The idea of being sightless, even partially, twisted her gut.
Her acursed eyes had drained her mental power too quickly even with its wild breakthrough, and now she had to learn to rely on her other senses to "see."
["If you cannot walk with sight, walk without it until your soul catches up."]
It then cut off its connection, ending the conversation. Rudely too, if she may add.
sigh
Fan Yumei drew a bandage from her pack and wrapped it around her eyes.
Darkness came as a strange relief.
She had a fleeting, ridiculous thought: what if she finds a love interest later on… and he's so ugly he could trigger a global emergency for eye safety?
Eyes like confused marbles having an existential crisis.
Hair that lost a lifelong war with a hedge trimmer.
A smile so terrifying it could clear Times Square faster than a fire alarm.
But Fan Yumei? She doesn't care.
Blind, yes—but still classy.
She wants someone who would make strangers swoon from afar…
Not this guy, who makes strangers panic from too close.
Everyone else is crying inside:
"How is she dating that?!"
Meanwhile, Yumei? Elegantly sipping tea.
"Yeah… he's… fine. Cute, even."
And the poor guy? Bless him.
He has no idea he's a walking aesthetic disaster.
Every blink, every lopsided grin = small-scale apocalypse.
Chaos and envy everywhere, simultaneously.
He's a cautionary tale, a beauty nightmare in human form.
And Fan Yumei? Smug as ever, letting the world implode in jealousy while she enjoys the show.
Grimme's voice echoed softly in her mind.
"You see too much and think sight is everything. The eyes are often fooled. Your other senses don't lie. For now, learn to listen."
Her body ached, her mind spun—but there was no going back.
Hand brushing the walls, heartbeat syncing with the pulse of this transformed inner world, Fan Yumei stepped deeper into the sanctuary.
The air rippled before them, reality bending like heat waves over stone.
From that distortion, an outline formed: a door.
It shimmered with an inner glow, threads of shifting light weaving across its frame. The surface pulsed faintly, alive with energy, as if the sanctuary itself held its breath.
Fan Yumei froze.
She hadn't seen it open, hadn't heard a sound—but then the door creaked ajar on its own, humming with a low resonance that stirred her bones.
Maxius stepped forward without hesitation, tilting his head toward the living area of the sanctuary.
His wings shifted slightly, enough to guide her forward.
"Come, master, follow me," he said simply.
His voice carried certainty, no urgency.
Fan Yumei's thoughts tangled with trust and uncertain for the future, but her feet moved before she could can think farther
Crossing the glowing threshold, the atmosphere shifted—the air thick, warm, charged, as though the sanctuary itself had a heartbeat.
Maxius remained close, guiding her through the unseen weight pressing down, while Grimme followed silently behind.
The moment his figure passed, the door closed on its own. Not loud, not harsh—but final. The outer world was sealed away.
Inside, the expanse stretched infinite yet intimate.
Fan Yumei's All-Seeking Eyes buzzed, drinking in every detail of the transformed sanctuary:
• Vibrant qi streams
• The temple
• Healing Hands hospital
• Six new buildings
• Training grounds
• Living areas
Even though she had always carried the Soul Gift, the sanctuary itself now felt like it was tuning her awareness to it—sharpening, amplifying, making every pulse and current of qi resonate more clearly with what she had always known.
The space itself had given her a complete mental tour, allowing her to see, feel, and understand the changes without lingering too long or exhausting herself.
She could only enter twice a day, each visit limited to the one or two hours of reality that translated to six or three days inside—but for now, she had the sanctuary, its guidance, and the transformed body and senses that could finally keep pace with it.
Fan Yumei's pulse raced.
Even though she had trained here before, even though she knew the scale of change, the mental tour, and the integration of the All-Seeking Eyes—it was overwhelming, exhilarating, and terrifying all at once.
Was she able to handle such a thing?