Dan Lei: I still have a fourth path? (Seeking recommendations, seeking follow-up reads)

Dan Lei let Jing Yuan go first, and Jing Yuan didn't stand on ceremony, striding directly into the inquiry room.

After the two were seated, Jing Yuan didn't waste any time and got straight to the point.

"Although we know each other, this is our first time meeting in this capacity. I'll introduce myself: I am the current General of the Luofu, Jing Yuan.

Dan Lei, regarding the issue of whether you can retrieve memories on the Luofu after becoming a Pathstrider of Memory, I'd like to hear your thoughts first."

Dan Lei knew that Jing Yuan had definitely discussed his situation with the Ten Lords and likely had several solutions already prepared. Now, it was up to Dan Lei's performance to decide which plan would be implemented.

Since they were at a stage akin to haggling, Dan Lei didn't hold back and started with the most advantageous proposal for himself.

"General, as for my thoughts, naturally, a simple registration would suffice.

I have no intention of probing the Luofu's secrets. Furthermore, retrieving memories from the Sea of Memories requires deep immersion, and what one finds is entirely up to luck, with a very high degree of randomness.

The chance of uncovering the Luofu's secrets is likely lower than winning the jackpot in the IPC's Cosmic Grand Lottery.

Therefore, Memory Holders prefer to retrieve memories directly from specific individuals rather than aimlessly searching the Sea of Memories.

Moreover, the Luofu is not Penacony, and entering the Sea of Memories is actually quite troublesome. I simply cannot retrieve memories frequently."

Dan Lei was telling the truth here. He genuinely had no interest in probing the Luofu's secrets because he already knew many of them.

As for the Cosmic Grand Lottery, it's just that the Luofu isn't truly isolated. Such a major scandal involving the IPC had long since spread through various channels.

After all, the spokesperson for that lottery ticket, Bolest Melly, died mysteriously. While the grand prize was supposedly redeemed, only the IPC truly knew if anyone actually received it.

The Luofu's official stance was to encourage public vigilance against the IPC to prevent infiltration, so this scandal was made known to everyone. This led to all lottery events on the Luofu now requiring the grand prize to be publicly awarded.

Finally, Dan Lei's memory retrieval frequency was zero. Saying he couldn't retrieve memories frequently was the absolute truth.

This kind of statement, lacking crucial information but entirely truthful, left no room for Jing Yuan, no matter how meticulous his mind, to find a flaw. Thus, he could only emphasize the most critical issue.

"Dan Lei, I naturally believe you have no intention of probing the Luofu's secrets. After all, someone who wants to steal secrets wouldn't go to a random spot to dig aimlessly, hoping to uncover secrets by digging up an ancient tomb.

But the problem remains: as you yourself said, the chance of you digging up Luofu secrets is very small, but not zero.

Furthermore, your talent for retrieving memories might be far greater than you imagine. The Ten Lords' Commission questioned those Memory Holders imprisoned in the Imprisonment Court. What level is it for a Memory Holder, who was merely glanced at by the Lord of Brightness, to retrieve a memory containing a cultivation method and a Light Cone within two years?"

Jing Yuan paused deliberately here, wanting to see Dan Lei's reaction.

Unfortunately for him, Dan Lei had lived through three lives with his memories intact. With focused control, he could still maintain a poker face.

Regarding the issue of Light Cones, all Memory Holders remained tight-lipped. After all, the Xianzhou Alliance couldn't extract memories from them.

Therefore, Dan Lei wasn't afraid of any problems arising from the Light Cone aspect; Jing Yuan definitely couldn't trick him.

As for retrieving memories, Memory Bubbles were even sold as commodities in Penacony. Retrieving complete memories couldn't possibly be an isolated case.

Thus, Dan Lei's current demeanor, as if saying, "Go on, I'm eager to hear your evaluation," forced Jing Yuan to continue.

"They all called it sheer luck, finding a memory with a cultivation method in just two years. Even a beginner's buff isn't this generous."

Hearing Jing Yuan say this, Dan Lei immediately put on a "Heh, I'm awesome" expression to hide the immense relief he felt.

It must be said that Dan Lei wasn't a cunning merchant who could lie without batting an eye. He was still too naive to hide it from Jing Yuan. Jing Yuan observed the momentary dilation of his pupils and the relaxation of his body.

However, Jing Yuan didn't point it out. Instead, he inwardly judged, "This kid is cunning and can act. He's quite capable." Then he continued, "Therefore, with your strong abilities, whether it's luck or not, retrieving memories on the Luofu must be monitored and restricted. I hope you understand."

Seeing Jing Yuan say this, Dan Lei knew the crucial moment had arrived. He asked, "Monitored and restricted? How specifically?"

Jing Yuan answered this question directly.

"Hanya, the Judge, recommended you to become an [Wen] Intern Judge. The Ten Lords' Commission has methods for reading memories. Moreover, after becoming a Judge, even if you retrieve secrets, the vast majority of them would be ones you already have permission to know, thus posing no risk."

Upon hearing this, Dan Lei immediately refused.

"No, I don't want to be a Judge. I explicitly refuse!"

Jing Yuan wasn't surprised by Dan Lei's answer. A Sustainer under two hundred years old, if given a choice, would hardly want to spend their entire life in the Imprisonment Court.

So, Jing Yuan nodded and said, "Yes, I also feel this is inappropriate. Someone who possesses four Paths at such a young age shouldn't have their youth wasted in a place like the Imprisonment Court."

Hearing this, Dan Lei was stunned. He wondered where the four Paths came from. In the order he acquired them, there were Abundance, Memory, and The Hunt, only three.

The next second, Dan Lei wished he could slap his own thigh. The fourth Path must be Equilibrium. He had only glimpsed the other Paths, but he had seen the true form (or a clone?) of Equilibrium. But why did he have no feeling about it at all?

Jing Yuan hadn't expected that a casual remark from him would have such an effect. Dan Lei's reaction upon hearing about the four Paths clearly went through a process of shock—doubt—understanding—calmness.

Clearly, Dan Lei had encountered a special situation among the four Paths: he had gone through a process that would inevitably grant him a certain Path, but afterward, he hadn't noticed that he had been bestowed with it.

This was very interesting. If a person couldn't sense their own Path, it meant they had no conscious awareness of walking that Path; it was entirely imposed by a Stellar God.

Normally, only the Aeon of Joy, [Aha], would do such a thing. However, the fourth Path Jing Yuan sensed on Dan Lei was [Equilibrium].

Jing Yuan had initially assumed that the [Equilibrium] Path on Dan Lei was something he had embarked upon himself to balance the chaotic energies within his body.

Yes, as a General of The Hunt, Jing Yuan could sense that Dan Lei's body was a complete mess: unaligned Imaginary Energy, aligned Imaginary Energy, and a type of life energy with unclear characteristics, all running together. It gave the impression of wild, overgrown weeds, but ones that had grown large and robust.

However, the reality was that Dan Lei didn't even know when he had embarked on the Path of Equilibrium.

For the Aeon of Equilibrium, [Xa], to actively bestow the Power of Equilibrium upon an ordinary person without their knowledge, Jing Yuan stated he had never heard of such a thing in all his years.

After all, the number of people who had stepped onto the Path of Equilibrium in the universe was not large, and [Xa] rarely glanced at mortals. It understood that the universe's balance would not be swayed by worldly dramas.

If this Dan Lei could gain [Xa]'s active attention, it would prove that, in [Xa]'s eyes, he at least had the potential to directly influence the balance of the universe in the future.