Supreme Dual Pupils?
In his past life, Yang Cheng had heard of it—an ancient, mythical Dual Pupil, so powerful it could distort time and space and suppress eternity. It was said to belong only to the most supreme beings of the Primeval Era.
Its value and heaven-defying nature might even surpass that of the Ancestral Dragon Sword Body.
Perhaps only his own Primordial Devouring Sword Body could rival it.
The system's ultimate ten-star reward really was absurdly overpowered.
Thankfully, he hadn't picked the Ten Thousand Flowers Divine Eye earlier.
Though powerful in its own right, compared to the Supreme Dual Pupils, it paled in every way.
"Not claiming it for now," Yang Cheng said.
Just then, a commotion broke out outside the Divine Machinery Battalion.
The elders behind his twenty "Tiger Generals" had arrived—all major figures from the top aristocratic families.
Each of them grabbed their own brat and smacked them in public like they were stir-frying bamboo shoots with meat.
Clearly, they were all furious.
This place was the Divine Machinery Battalion—one of the most politically sensitive zones in Great Zhou. Getting involved here, even slightly, could lead to catastrophic trouble.
Earlier, the Tiger Generals had been full of spirit. Now, each one was bawling louder than the next.
Hu Po also appeared, and Yang Cheng was picked up and taken away.
A quarter of an hour later—
Splendid Radiance Hall.
The future Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven… had his butt spanked raw.
Yun Liyue had always spoiled Yang Cheng, but this time, even she was too angry to hold back.
"Marching on Northern Yan with cavalry? A sword pointed at Western Luo?"
"Once the war is won, raising a toast to the heavens, glory over the land?"
"Grand Marshal of All Under Heaven?"
"Tell me—who taught you these lines?"
She fumed.
Yang Cheng stared at her, dazed, as if no matter how much he looked, it wasn't enough.
Even angry, his mother was beautiful.
Thinking of the older, worn-down Yun Liyue from his past life, Yang Cheng silently vowed to protect her always—to keep her this beautiful forever.
"What are you looking at?" Yun Liyue asked.
"Mother, you're really beautiful," Yang Cheng said sincerely.
Yun Liyue couldn't help but smile, but quickly forced her face back into a scowl. "Don't try to sweet-talk your way out of this. You think a few compliments will fool your mother?"
"Do you even know what you did today?"
"The Divine Machinery Battalion is the center of political tension—a swamp filled with trouble. Everyone avoids it like the plague. But you? You went running straight into it, tail wagging."
"If you weren't the Crown Prince, you'd be in serious trouble by now."
"And even though nothing happened today, it was thanks to your father and the elders of your little companions cleaning up the mess."
Yang Cheng replied, "Mother, a real man knows when to act and when not to. I knew exactly what I was doing. But how can I retreat just because it's troublesome?"
"A real man? You're just a brat," Yun Liyue shot back.
"A man shouldn't be judged by his age," Yang Cheng said.
"Fine. Then tell me—why did you go to the Divine Machinery Battalion?" she asked.
"First, the Divine Machinery Battalion is Great Zhou's main force for researching powerful weapons. It must not be neglected."
"Second, even if issues arose, that doesn't erase their past merits. The court has overlooked them, and as the Crown Prince, I have the duty to make up for that."
"Third, the battalion is entangled in complicated interests. Father can't show his face without stirring things up. But I'm young. Even if the factions are unhappy, they can't seriously come at me. That makes me the most suitable person to go."
Yang Cheng spoke calmly and logically.
Yun Liyue was stunned.
She had assumed Yang Cheng was just being reckless, but now she realized he had considered everything thoroughly.
And when she thought about it, every point made perfect sense.
Then Yang Cheng sighed. "People say when the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. When problems arise, everyone looks for someone else to take the fall."
"But as the Crown Prince, I'm that tall one. Others can dodge trouble. I can't."
"My son has true resolve."
A deep voice came from outside. Emperor Qian Yuan walked in.
"You're still indulging him," Yun Liyue said, annoyed.
Emperor Qian Yuan chuckled, "I'm just speaking the truth. I'm not spoiling him."
"To be honest, I've also neglected the Divine Machinery Battalion too much. We may have truly disappointed many loyal and meritorious generals."
"Thankfully, my son is wise and filled the gaps where I failed."
"But the Divine Machinery Crossbow and Xiao Yurong's betrayal run deeper than we know," Yun Liyue said seriously. "You originally planned to investigate in secret. Now that Cheng'er acted so publicly, won't that alert our enemies?"
"Alerting them may not be a bad thing," Emperor Qian Yuan replied. "It's been three years, and we've found nothing. That means those people are hiding deep."
"If we can shake the grass and scare the snakes into moving, maybe we'll finally catch a tail."
He turned to Yang Cheng. "But Cheng'er, you were wrong about one thing. When trouble comes, you can run."
"Because your father is the tall one standing in front of you. When the sky falls, I'll hold it up."
In that moment, Emperor Qian Yuan looked truly admirable in Yang Cheng's eyes.
But Yang Cheng would never fully trust him.
Emperor Qian Yuan was a good emperor with a sense of responsibility, yes—but in the end, Yang Cheng was just one of his many sons.
By contrast, Yun Liyue had only one son—him.
If he ever had to choose between Yun Liyue and Emperor Qian Yuan, Yang Cheng would always choose Yun Liyue.
Late that night.
Yang Cheng felt an unusual nervousness. A mix of anticipation and unease churned inside him.
"Supreme Dual Pupils, fuse!"
Buzz!
In an instant, Yang Cheng's pupils began to mutate.
Boom boom boom…
His crib shook violently. A terrifying shockwave surged outward.
At the critical moment, his system interface surfaced.
Though it bore no text, it released wave after wave of rippling pulses.
These pulses suppressed the blast within Yang Cheng's body, concealing it from others.
Even so, the skies over the Wasteland Realm warped.
Dark clouds rolled across the land, thunder roared without end.
Countless powerhouses were shaken, all turning their eyes to the sky in confusion and fear.
They could sense an overwhelming pressure, but no one could find its source.
In the Great Zhou Imperial Palace, Emperor Qian Yuan and Yun Liyue both sensed it too.
"What is that?" Yun Liyue asked.
"I don't know," Qian Yuan said grimly. "But I can faintly feel… the very threads of fate are twisting."
They had no idea the source was right in front of them—the baby in the crib just a few rooms away.
The celestial phenomenon continued until the middle of the night.
Throughout the Wasteland Realm, countless mighty cultivators trembled in fear till dawn.
After midnight, the celestial anomaly faded. Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had ever happened.
At the same time.
Yang Cheng, under the moonlight, looked at his reflection in the mirror.
His pupils had changed—there were now two pairs of black irises.
This was the Supreme Dual Pupils.
The power of the Supreme Dual Pupils was completely insane.
Right now, Yang Cheng had just obtained it and unlocked only the first stage of its abilities.
The first stage granted extreme perception.
It allowed Yang Cheng to pierce through illusions and directly detect his opponent's weak points. He could catch the smallest movements and flaws, gaining the upper hand in battle.
Next came the second stage—deconstructing the enemy's techniques down to their primal runes. This also worked for treasure-hunting or scanning ancient ruins. Even high-speed attacks would appear slowed under the dual pupils, giving him enough time to respond.
The third stage ability was the Divine Light of Destruction, able to shoot a light beam containing both yin and yang from his eyes.
The fourth stage was the Supreme Divine Armor—he could shape divine armor through eye power to shield himself.
The fifth stage, Return to Chaos, let him release a pressure that shook the opponent's soul, and even plunge the world into a chaotic state.
The sixth stage, Opening the Heavens, allowed him to directly create a small world, trapping enemies within and slowly refining them over time.
Besides all that, the wielder of the Supreme Dual Pupils possessed unmatched talent in learning and analyzing martial techniques. He could master and wield all kinds of martial powers at terrifying speed.
The Supreme Dual Pupils alone could rival the top-level Supreme Bones. With it, Yang Cheng didn't even need external support to reach invincibility.
"Great Zhou may be powerful in the Eastern Wastes, but in the scope of the myriad worlds, it's still insignificant," Yang Cheng thought. "Father can protect the Divine Dragon Sword Body, maybe even the Ancestral Dragon Sword Body... but there's no way he could protect the Dual Pupils."
So, just like his Primordial Devouring Sword Body, the Dual Pupils couldn't be exposed—at least not until he found a stronger backer.
With a thought, the Dual Pupils faded from his eyes, making them appear normal again.
That too was part of their power—the ability to self-conceal.
Three days later.
Cheng Junyi and Tang Xingyu returned.
Beside them was a ten-year-old girl holding a zither.
"Yun'er, did your Deer Call Zither from Jade Zither Pavilion really sense the Child of Destiny in the Wasteland Realm?" Cheng Junyi asked.
"Of course." The ten-year-old, Lu Yun, smiled. "The Deer Call Zither's spirit is the ancient Lu Shu beast. It can sense fate. Its judgment can't be wrong."
"And when the zither sounded its omen, it rang six times. According to my master's calculations, the Child of Destiny must be the sixth prince of Great Zhou—Yang Xiu."
"Could it be wrong?" Cheng Junyi asked. "Yang Xiu is excellent, but compared to Crown Prince Yang Cheng, he's clearly inferior."
"Absolutely not." Lu Yun replied, "Aunt Cheng, you think Yang Cheng is better only because you haven't truly seen how remarkable Yang Xiu is."
"Aunt Cheng, can you help me invite the sixth prince here?"
Cheng Junyi sighed. "Alright."
Though she didn't like Yang Xiu, she wasn't about to ruin his fortune because of personal bias.
She had left for a few days to visit Spiritual Waves Island in the Supreme Subtlety Sea of the Wasteland Realm.
Tang Xingyu's Tai Sui Divine Body had reached a certain stage and needed special medicinal herbs—some of which grew on that island.
And the Jade Zither Pavilion was the dominant power there.
The Pavilion Lord was her good friend.
But even she hadn't expected them to declare that the Child of Destiny had appeared—possibly Yang Xiu, the sixth prince of Great Zhou.
Since she was already returning to Great Zhou, she brought Lu Yun back with her.
Lu Yun smiled and comforted her, "Aunt Cheng, for someone in the Wasteland Realm to trigger the Deer Call Zither, it means he must also be exceptionally gifted in the path of music."
"Once Yang Xiu arrives, I'll be able to tell with just one test."
Cheng Junyi nodded.
Though Lu Yun was young, her talent on Music Island was unmatched. She would know if Yang Xiu truly had that gift.
Soon, Consort Zhuang arrived with Yang Xiu.
Upon learning Lu Yun's identity, she became extremely enthusiastic.
"Sixth prince, I'll play a song. I want you to carefully feel the intent behind the music, and then try to play it yourself," Lu Yun said.
To ask a one-and-a-half-year-old to replicate a zither piece seemed absurd to Cheng Junyi.
But Yang Xiu confidently replied, "Please, sister."
Lin Xinglan wasn't just powerful in martial arts. Her mastery extended across many domains—especially music.
Though she never openly acknowledged Yang Xiu, she'd been raising him like a true successor.
Because of this, Yang Xiu had trained hard in music as well.
Lin Xinglan used her spiritual power to create illusions so Yang Xiu could practice the zither inside them.
Though in the real world he had less than six months of experience, in those illusions, he'd practiced for decades.
Soon, Lu Yun finished her song and stood up. "Sixth prince, your turn."
Yang Xiu calmly took her place.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, he played back her piece perfectly.
Not just others—even Cheng Junyi was wide-eyed in amazement.
"Aunt Cheng, do you still think Jade Zither Pavilion's judgment was wrong?" Lu Yun asked with a smile.
While they were speaking, the sound of a carriage arrived from outside.
Cheng Junyi perked up. "That must be my disciple."
This was normally when the crown prince came for cultivation.
She'd been away for several days. Now that she was back, the crown prince had still arrived right on schedule.
Even if Yang Xiu truly was some kind of Child of Destiny, just based on the prince's heart for the Dao, Cheng Junyi would still choose the prince over Yang Xiu.
The moment Yang Cheng stepped into Autumn Water Courtyard, he paused.
That was… Lu Yun?
At the same time, his system panel lit up with subtitles.
[Host has encountered Lu Yun again in Fengtian City, bringing back many memories.]
[Five hundred years ago, when host first met Lu Yun, she favored Yang Xiu and saw host as worthless.]
[In the following five hundred years, Lu Yun was regarded as a celestial beauty by countless people. Her admiration of Yang Xiu only increased Yang Xiu's fame.]
[Lu Yun values the path of music above all else. Host, please shock her through your music skills and reclaim your lost dignity.]
[Note: Lu Yun has become a god in the way of music. Host, despite your past study, your current skill is only on par with an average expert. Shocking Lu Yun will be extremely difficult. Please spend ten years refining your musical cultivation before attempting this mission.]
[Mission Reward: Myriad-Wonder Musical Heart.]