Some time later.
After working through a series of lessons.
Ling Wuyuan successfully figured out almost all the basics of manipulating psionic energy.
The only problem was that he had no psionic energy.
Yes.
After spending some time learning from scratch.
Although he had successfully mastered all sorts of techniques that would take an ordinary person years, or even decades, to learn, he did not possess any of that energy in the first place.
It certainly sounded as though all his efforts had been for nothing.
However.
In Ling Wuyuan's eyes, the whole endeavor still had its own value.
Although those techniques were based entirely on the properties of psionic energy and could only achieve their greatest effects when used with it, they could often provide Ling Wuyuan with inspiration through their parallels with other things.
Moreover.
Ling Wuyuan's true essence inherently possessed imitative properties.
In the past, for instance, he had imitated true qi and true essence of various attributes more than once.
He could imitate true qi and true essence of practically any attribute.
Of course.
The prerequisite was that he had to personally experience true qi and true essence of the relevant attribute first.
As for psionic energy...
After observing it for some time and consulting the relevant records, Ling Wuyuan could likewise copy the shape of the gourd before him, reproducing a fair approximation of it.
But a fair approximation was all it was.
Because the psionic energy he had observed was itself merely a counterfeit simulated by the [Intelligent Mind Core].
Expecting him to recreate the genuine article with perfect accuracy just by observing a counterfeit was asking rather a lot.
Especially when psionic energy and true essence were so vastly different.
Presumably.
Under normal circumstances.
Unless Ling Wuyuan could personally experience genuine psionic energy.