Chapter 10: The Eye of True Sight, Sharing Their Hearts
As spiritual energy surged into his eyes, the scene before Franklin shifted in an instant. Countless white frames floated above every object in sight, each labeled with its name:
[Bed][Bedsheet][Peke][Window][Air][Lala Satalin Deviluke]
The bizarre sight made Franklin's eyes widen in surprise. He hadn't expected the Eye of True Sight's detection ability to work this way. But after a brief moment of composure, disappointment crept in — simply knowing the names was useless.
What he wanted was detailed information about Lala. And as soon as he thought that, the frame labeled [Lala Satalin Deviluke] lit up, and a long string of data instantly appeared before him:
Name: Lala Satalin Deviluke
Gender: Female
Birthday: July 7
Blood Type: B
Height: 165 cm
Weight: 50.5 kg
BWH: B89-W57-H87
Specialties: Invention, Combat
...
He quickly skimmed through the basic details.
Age: 19 / 586
Race: Origin Species (Deviluke Royal Line)
Bloodline: Origin Bloodline (Deviluke Royal Bloodline)
[Origin Species: A race that no longer exists. They possessed supreme charm and the ability to manipulate human hearts.]
[Deviluke Royal Line: Possesses a unique tail that can absorb ambient spiritual energy to strengthen the body and rapidly enhance physical and spiritual cultivation, with no bottlenecks in advancement.]
Body Cultivation: First Origin Stage (Peak)
Spiritual Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Stage (Peak)
Mental Cultivation: Mind State (With sufficient conviction, all things are possible. One's will can enhance combat strength by 5%–20%, depending on the firmness of belief.)
Techniques: None
Skills: Full-Power Strike (Sacrifice all or part of one's cultivation to fire a beam from the tail several levels stronger than one's own power.)
Innate Talent: Not yet awakened
Overall Combat Power: 423–5000
[Combat power is for reference only. The listed range is a numerical estimate — real strength fluctuates depending on skill, talent, techniques, and abilities. Talent awakeners must judge the true extent themselves.]
After reading the data, Franklin's legs nearly gave out. With power like this, Lala could crush him without effort. Her strength was on a completely different level.
From what he remembered, Lala wasn't even good at fighting — and yet her power was this overwhelming. How terrifying, then, must the rest of the galaxy's races be?
The joy he'd felt from just breaking into Foundation Establishment and reaching the peak of the First Origin Stage in physical strength vanished. Urgency once again pressed heavily upon him.
He had only 160 supreme spirit stones left, and his dimensional space was currently unusable. His only option was to strengthen his unstable spiritual cultivation.
But his power had grown too quickly — his mind and strength weren't yet in harmony. If he rushed to advance now, his foundation would surely become unstable.
Just then, Lala — who had been sleeping deeply — seemed to sense something. Her brows furrowed slightly as she slowly woke up.
"Lin, what's wrong?"
Her lazy, drowsy voice snapped Franklin back to reality. Meeting Lala's concerned gaze, he felt his whole body relax. He let out a long breath and shook his head with a faint smile.
"I'm fine. I was just worrying about the outcome of the bet. Lala, I want to know — among the younger generation in the galaxy, where does your strength rank?"
"The bet? My strength? Why ask something like that… Huh? Lin, you feel a bit different."
Her eyes lit up as if she'd noticed something. "I think your life level has risen a lot. I knew it — Lin, you're the best. You're really improving so quickly through your own efforts. Hmph, I told you my father was wrong."
Then, as if she'd realized something, she added, "Lin, what you're really asking is whether, with your current strength, you can defeat the younger generation they're sending, isn't it?"
With his face buried in her chest, Franklin tried to speak but couldn't — though the soft, cushiony feeling was admittedly nice.
He mumbled incoherently and lightly patted her back, prompting Lala to release him. But when she saw his flushed face, she looked confused.
"Lin, what's wrong? Why's your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"
Her innocent expression as she leaned in closer left Franklin helpless. He truly couldn't tell if Lala's childlike personality was an act or genuine.
He casually pulled the bedsheet over her shoulders, then wrapped an arm around her waist. With one hand, he lifted her chin, his gaze filled with heat and teasing dominance.
"Why so red? Of course, it's because you're too tempting. Every little thing you do is seductive. Honestly, you're so soft… and I wouldn't mind more of this. I really like it."
Meeting his fiery gaze, Lala — for the first time — blushed and shyly tried to shrink back. But Franklin's strong arm held her in place.
"Sorry, Lin… I'll be more careful."
Seeing her cheeks flushed and alluring, Franklin had to fight the urge to kiss her.
"No need to hold back. I actually like this way of being together. I'll be counting on you from now on, Lala."
Her blush deepened, and Franklin wisely stopped teasing. As soon as he released her, Lala quickly grabbed Peke and transformed. It was as if only when she wore that familiar white bodysuit could she calm down again.
"I understand, Lin. I will."
She agreed? Franklin felt like he might have gone too far. Just as he was about to explain, Lala continued, "With your current physique, you're stronger than about 90% of the average beings in the universe.
"But they won't fight you fairly. They have top-tier technology. Father has banned the use of planet-destroying weapons and forbidden large-scale casualties among Earth's humans, but they can still develop extremely dangerous single-target weapons — which you don't have.
"So this was never going to be a fair fight. In every way, your resources can't compare to those of the great interstellar powers. That's a huge disadvantage for you."
His earlier excitement vanished in an instant. Franklin's brow furrowed deeply, his mindset wavering. After a brief pause, he exhaled and met Lala's eyes with a serious look.
"Even so, I still want to fight. I love you, and I have responsibilities I must bear. All I need you to tell me is the exact level of strength they can reach."
Lala fell silent. After a long pause, she finally said, "Lin, I can feel how determined you are to win. But technological weapons aren't something that can be overcome by simply raising your life level. So… let me help you."
Her words were another cold splash of water. The crushing superiority of technology — something Franklin had ignored or perhaps deliberately forgotten.
No matter how many overpowered abilities he possessed, he couldn't surpass generations of technological progress overnight.
Should he accept Lala's help? The moment the thought arose, he realized his mindset had shifted dramatically — as if choosing the wrong option would completely alter his fate.
Standing before two paths — facing the technological gap head-on, or relying on Lala's aid — his heart grew even more conflicted.
[Ding: Special Quest Triggered]
[Mission: Special Auxiliary Growth Quest — I Have a Sword (1/16)]
[Quest Difficulty: D-]
[I Have a Sword (1/16): Begin your journey on the Sword Dao and successfully step into the Sword Qi Realm. Quest Reward: Upgrade to Guardian Sword's rank. Quest Failure: You will lose all possibility of ever touching the Sword Dao in this lifetime.]
[Time Limit: 72 hours]
The sudden quest notification stunned Franklin, sweeping away the two choices from his mind. The thought of failure — of losing the chance to walk the Sword Dao forever — was unacceptable. And with only seventy-two hours, a shadow loomed over his heart once again.
But the appearance of this quest reminded him of the purpose behind the quest log. Suddenly, the dilemma no longer mattered.
If his strength didn't improve within seventy-two hours, he was doomed regardless. But if he succeeded, those two options would become irrelevant — the problem would solve itself. Franklin stopped hesitating.
"No, Lala. If I ask for your help from the start, even if I win, your father will never acknowledge it. I want to rely on myself for now.
"Of course, if things go beyond my ability to handle, I won't face it alone. I'll definitely come to you for help. Even if your father refuses to acknowledge it then, I won't let them defeat me."
Lala's cheeks flushed slightly as she hugged Franklin tightly. Feeling a strange emotion stir within her, she no longer hid her true thoughts.
"I respect your choice, Lin. But whether or not I help — that's for me to decide. After all, this engagement involves two people. Those people are coming to break us apart, and I have a say in this too."
Her answer took Franklin by surprise. He realized he'd been biased by the "Lala" he knew from the original story, and his assumptions about her character had been wrong.
Drawn to her bold, heartfelt words, a genuine smile spread across his face. He no longer loved Lala just for her looks or because of the anime — he loved her for who she truly was.
"I'm really happy you feel that way. It's getting late — I need to head to school. You should get dressed and come downstairs for breakfast too. Mikado's cooking is great, I think you'll like it."
Franklin left the room, leaving Lala alone. She lightly patted her cheeks, almost unable to believe the words she'd just spoken — yet somehow, they felt right.
After washing up, the five of them sat around the table. The food, which had cooled, was reheated by Mikado and now steamed invitingly.
"So why are you here?"
Faced with Franklin's question, Zastin — dressed in armor and seated at the table — smiled cheerfully.
"Can't be helped, really. His Majesty ordered me to ensure Lady Lala's safety. If anything were to happen to her, I'd bear the blame. So…"
Franklin could only sigh helplessly at that explanation. Breakfast ended quickly. Mikado, as the school's doctor, left early, while Franklin and Mikado headed to school under Lala and Zastin's watchful send-off.
Ever since breakfast, Franklin had been pondering what exactly the Sword Qi Realm of the Sword Dao was.
If he stripped away all the fluff — what was the Sword Qi Realm? His understanding of sword qi was limited to the depictions in cultivation novels.
But in reality, what did it mean? Was being able to release sword qi enough to be considered in the Sword Qi Realm?
He tried to use science — combining spiritual energy with physical strength to swing his blade fast enough to compress air and produce sword qi — but the attempt failed.
At school, sitting by the window in the second-to-last row, Franklin fiddled with his pen in thought. As a child, having memories from a past life, he'd immersed himself in cultivation and fantasy stories.
He'd even trained with various weapons — swords, spears, sabers, halberds — trying them all.
He understood the sword, but not deeply. Now, being asked to break into the Sword Qi Realm was truly difficult.
The bell rang, but Franklin remained lost in thought.
"Sorry for the sudden announcement, but we have a new transfer student joining us today."
The classroom fell silent, snapping Franklin back to his senses.
"All right, you can come in now."
"Okay."
At the teacher's words, everyone turned to the doorway. The familiar voice — and the pink-haired figure who stepped inside — were exactly who Franklin expected.
Their eyes met. Lala's radiant smile blossomed instantly. Franklin had expected her to say something outrageous and disruptive — but reality smacked him in the face.
"Hello everyone, my name is Lala Satalin Deviluke. Please just call me Lala. I hope we'll get along well."
With her signature smile, a perfect ninety-degree bow, a gentle demeanor, and that flawless figure and face — she captured the entire class's attention in an instant.
"That smile… that face… and that figure — isn't that cheating?"
"She's gorgeous!"
"That smile is so healing…"
"Her hair color and that long name — what country is she from?"
"She's adorable. So beautiful. I'm already completely gone."
The boys instantly turned into simpering fools, and even many of the girls were captivated. Franklin felt a chill crawl up his back, as if an even greater conspiracy had begun to unfold around him.
"Teacher, if possible, I'd like to sit next to Franklin. I'm staying at his house for now, and after classes, he can help me learn about the school facilities."
The moment she said that, countless gazes stabbed into Franklin — curious, jealous, furious. He could only smile wryly.
Becoming the enemy of all the boys didn't bother him. What he really wanted to know was — why was Lala so quiet and composed? The difference from her usual personality was far too drastic!
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