The surprises weren’t over yet. Originally, that spiritual energy in Ryan Bennett’s eyes always lay dormant, only circling his eye sockets when he used it. But now, after merging with the aura from the book, the spiritual energy began spinning rapidly. Strands of energy continuously surged into Ryan Bennett’s eyeballs. There was no pain, only an indescribable tingling itch. Ryan Bennett fought the urge to rub his eyes and tightly shut them.

If someone could see Ryan Bennett’s eyes at this moment, they would notice a faint orange-yellow glow flickering back and forth over his tightly closed eyelids. But after just a few seconds, it shrank back into Ryan Bennett’s eyes and disappeared.

The spiritual energy in his eyes kept spinning rapidly, constantly merging into Ryan Bennett’s eyeballs. Gradually, Ryan Bennett found that he could clearly see his own pupils and the faint yellow spiritual energy within. All those wisps of energy poured into one of his pupils, and the originally greenish pupil slowly turned pale yellow as the energy flooded in. Then, a powerful suction force erupted, instantly drawing all the spiritual energy in Ryan Bennett’s eyes into it.

The pupil that had absorbed all the energy suddenly burst forth with a dazzling yellow light, filling Ryan Bennett’s vision with twinkling yellow stars. He didn’t know how long it lasted, but when the light faded, Ryan Bennett found that his pupils had merged back into one, and all the strange phenomena in his eyes had vanished.

The tingling itch in his eyes was gone, replaced by an indescribable pleasure—like taking a hot shower after rolling in the mud all day, washing away all the grime, or like a traveler in the desert who, after three days without water, suddenly finds an oasis and drinks to his heart’s content. The cool sensation in his eyes made Ryan Bennett feel light and airy, as if he were no longer of this world.

“Hey, young man, are you alright? How about my book? Young man, say something! That’s odd, why are you closing your eyes while reading?”

A clear, distant-sounding voice rang in Ryan Bennett’s ears, instantly pulling him back down to earth from the clouds. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes, only to be startled by a wrinkled face right in front of him. He thought, if he didn’t open his eyes now, that old lady’s hand might have touched his face.

“Uh… Ma’am, what did you just say?”

Although Ryan Bennett had heard a voice by his ear just now, he hadn’t caught what was said.

“Blockhead, that old lady asked if her book is a treasure. What happened to you just now? You held that tattered book in front of your face for ages and didn’t respond when we called you. What, is your head injury still not healed? Do you need to go to the hospital for a checkup…” Charles Miller stopped playing his game, pulled up a chair, and sat in front of Ryan Bennett, asking with a worried look.

“It’s nothing, I just had a headache for a moment. Maybe I’m not fully recovered yet. I’m fine now, no need to go to the hospital…”

Ryan Bennett didn’t know how to explain it to his friend. What had happened to him was too fantastical—if word got out, he’d probably be taken straight to the Academy of Sciences for dissection. He could only use a headache as an excuse.

“Young man, are you alright? No wonder you were staring blankly at the book for so long—turns out you’re not right in the head!” the old lady muttered sympathetically, nearly making Ryan Bennett choke. What kind of thing was that to say!

“Yeah, that’s right, ma’am, this guy’s been a bit off since he was a kid. You’d better keep your distance! When he has an episode, he bites—last time he almost bit my shop’s dog.”

Charles Miller laughed heartily from the side, fanning the flames. It was a rare chance to see Ryan Bennett embarrassed.

“Well… then I won’t sell my book. Young man, give it back to me!”

The old lady, easily swayed, actually believed Charles Miller’s words. She took a few steps back, but her eyes stayed fixed on the book in Ryan Bennett’s hands, afraid he’d have an episode and tear it up.

Ryan Bennett looked at the book in his hands, half amused and half exasperated. He certainly didn’t think it was just a tattered book anymore—it was practically a priceless treasure! He wanted to examine it further, but with both Charles Miller and the old lady watching him, and not knowing what might happen if he used his spiritual energy again after the strange changes in his eyes, he didn’t dare to try. Still, he was extremely reluctant to give the book back.

“Ma’am, you’re selling this book, right? How much do you want for it? Name your price—if it’s reasonable, I’ll buy it.”

After thinking it over, since he wanted to keep the book, he might as well buy it himself. The spiritual energy in his eyes had been replenished, which was already a huge gain. And subconsciously, Ryan Bennett felt this book was something special—definitely worth more than the couplets at home. The reason was simple: the spiritual energy contained in this book far exceeded that of the couplets.

“Blockhead, come outside, I need to talk to you. Come on…”

Charles Miller, who had been watching the show from the side, changed his expression when he heard Ryan Bennett’s words. Before Ryan Bennett could respond, he dragged him outside the shop.

“What are you doing! Shh… it’s freezing! If you have something to say, let’s talk inside…”

As soon as he stepped out the door, the cold wind whipped down his neck, making Ryan Bennett shiver several times. He turned to go back inside.

“Listen to me before you go back in.”