Creating a New Divine Ability

(Some people say the female lead is toxic.

Let me explain: you can think of it as the married couple putting on an act and finding ways to have fun.)

Just moments ago, Lu Mingyuan had suddenly asked, "Did you come here to spy on me?"

At that, Jing Zhi froze for a moment, and her heart gave a little jolt. But her expression didn't change at all. She still looked as innocent as before, and even glared at Lu Mingyuan with a touch of indignation.

"Mingyuan, how could you think that of me?

"I've devoted myself to looking after you these past few days, taking care of your every need, and this is how you repay me? You actually suspect me and smear my name! I'm heartbroken! I'm so upset!"

As she spoke, Jing Zhi burst into tears. At the same time, she rubbed her slightly reddened eyes with both hands, as though she were truly terribly aggrieved.

Of course, if she hadn't kept pausing every so often to sneak a glance at Lu Mingyuan out of the corner of her eye, she might have seemed a little heartbroken.

Across from her, Lu Mingyuan watched her performance, riddled with flaws, and found it rather amusing. So, were your eyes red because you cried, or because you rubbed them?

Then he waved his hand. "Hey, Jing Zhi, you can drop the act. It's just the two of us here, so stop trying to fool me with your half-baked acting skills."

"Half-baked? My acting is clearly..."

Realizing she'd let something slip, Jing Zhi hurriedly covered her mouth. Then she glared fiercely at Lu Mingyuan. You tricked me into saying that again.

Seeing she couldn't fool him anymore, Jing Zhi realized she had no choice but to come clean. But even coming clean had its methods.

"You keep saying you're not hiding anything from me, but then how come I can never fool you?

"Besides, I learned all this from you, so don't you dare accuse me unfairly.

"You're the one who said it: when you lie, you must never admit it, even if they beat you to death. And you have to use the most sincere tone, as if you're telling the truth. I did exactly what you told me."

This little minx hadn't even finished explaining her lie, and already she was turning the tables on him. Truly, a famous teacher produced an outstanding pupil.

Lu Mingyuan was speechless. "Did I?

"I don't think so. I've always told the truth. I've never lied; I just happen to leave out a tiny bit of information sometimes.

"At times like that, even if someone used an appraisal-type divine ability to examine me, they still wouldn't be able to tell..."

As he spoke, Lu Mingyuan suddenly felt that something was off. Why am I bragging again? Sigh, it's all this girl's fault. She always makes me let my guard down.

"Wait, that's not right. You never learn anything good. Why study this sort of trash?

"Can't you be like me and become a refined gentleman, loved by all and adored by flowers?

"Do you know what people call me? Everyone calls me 'Young Master,' and says I'm kind, friendly, and full of compassion.

"If you don't believe me, go ask around the streets and see if there's anyone who doesn't praise me."

Beside him, Jing Zhi listened to her fiancé's self-congratulation with a barely restrained laugh. He was as shameless as ever. Didn't she know exactly what he was like?

And besides, what was the point of listing only his good qualities and not his flaws?

If she could learn that trick someday, she'd truly have graduated from his tutelage.

"Quit bragging already, before someone sees you. Your image will be ruined."

Who knew that Lu Mingyuan would remain completely unfazed? He merely pursed his lips. "How is that bragging? Everything I said is true. Believe it or not, my character is rock-solid."

Jing Zhi rolled her eyes. She was practically immune to it by now. Anyone who heard him often enough would probably feel the same way.

At that moment, Lu Mingyuan looked up at the sky. The golden crow was already sinking in the west and the jade rabbit rising in the east. They would probably be heading to his future mother-in-law's house for dinner soon, so they had to hurry.

"Ah Zhi, tell me already. Did you come here to spy on me or not? You weren't like this before, were you? And don't even think about lying."

Jing Zhi knew she wouldn't be able to get out of it. She pouted her rosy lips and cautiously glanced at her fiancé before speaking softly. "I'm not spying on you. I just want to keep an eye on you."

"Keep an eye on me? What's there to keep an eye on? I'm not going anywhere."

What was that supposed to mean? Where had this "keeping an eye on him" come from? A million questions sprang into Lu Mingyuan's mind.

Fortunately, there was no saying in this world, "Little friend, do you have a lot of question marks?"

Otherwise, it would have perfectly described how he felt right then.

In response to Lu Mingyuan's questions, Jing Zhi immediately said, "Why wouldn't you go anywhere? And this is your fault, too."

"My fault?"

When the guy across from her still didn't understand, Jing Zhi continued, "Of course it is. Aren't you about to soar to the heavens? I have to keep an eye on you, or I might miss out on a good husband."

Lu Mingyuan didn't deny that he might soar to the heavens, but what did she mean by "miss out on a good husband"?

Jing Zhi continued, "Aren't there always stories in ancient times about local scholars passing the imperial exams and becoming top-ranked scholars, only to immediately abandon their wives and marry a prime minister's daughter, then live happily ever after? Do you think I don't know about that?

"And it's not just in ancient times. It happens now, too. You know She Yongsi from Ping'an City, right? He made some money in business, then abandoned his wife who'd stood by him through hard times and married into the Zhu family, one of the local great families. That's how his business really took off, isn't it?"

"Uh..."

Lu Mingyuan was at a loss for words. It seemed her concern wasn't entirely unreasonable.

In fact, he knew all about what had happened with She Yongsi in Ping'an City. He wouldn't comment on the man's character, but it was true that a lot of people envied him.

Jing Zhi had probably heard such talk often at the restaurant, which was why she was worried that Lu Mingyuan might abandon his wife once he made it big. That was why she'd come to keep an eye on him.

Lu Mingyuan really had nothing to say to that.

If he were in her shoes, he might have made the same choice.

"But Ah Zhi, aren't you making a mountain out of a molehill? I'm only creating a divine ability. Why are you acting like I've already passed the imperial exams? I'm not that capable."

"Mingyuan, I have faith in you, just as you have faith in yourself. I won't be wrong about you."

By the stone table, Jing Zhi gazed intently at Lu Mingyuan, as though he were capable of anything.

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Mingyuan sighed inwardly. How could I not have faith in myself? If you had hundreds of billions of Qi Luck Points at your disposal, you wouldn't worry about the future either.

Though reality keeps me from creating a divine ability that's too far ahead of its time, I can still make enough to get by and support a little family.

Of course, he couldn't tell Jing Zhi any of that.

Perhaps the girl didn't have faith in him so much as she loved him too deeply and was afraid of losing him. Lu Mingyuan suddenly understood.

"By the way, Ah Zhi, if you have some faith in me, why can't you trust my character?

"Would I, Lu Mingyuan, be the kind of man who abandons his wife?

"Have you even asked around about my reputation? Do you think people call me 'the faithful young gentleman' for nothing?"

"'The faithful young gentleman'? Where did that title come from? And why is it different from all your other ones?"

Jing Zhi smiled knowingly. This man came up with a new title every day. Wasn't he embarrassed?

"Ah, what can I do? I'm so outstanding that the titles just come to me."

Lu Mingyuan shook his head helplessly, as if he, too, was a little annoyed by his sudden good reputation.

"Forget it. I'm not going to argue with you about this. As for your character..."

Jing Zhi smiled faintly, but couldn't help feeling a little sad. She remembered what her mother had told her a few days earlier: What man didn't fool around?

No matter how much faith she had in her Mingyuan, she couldn't be sure he'd be able to resist temptation and stay by her side for the rest of their lives. "It's because I trust you that I don't want to give you the chance to make a mistake."

Hearing this, and seeing the affection in Jing Zhi's eyes, Lu Mingyuan rose and walked over to her. He pulled her into his arms, feeling their hearts draw close.

"Don't worry. We'll build a good life together. I won't let you down.

"You know what I'm like. As long as I don't allow it, no one can enter my heart.

"If anyone dares to pester me or refuse to leave me alone, then they'll all..."

Lu Mingyuan didn't finish the sentence. At the end, he looked up at the distant crimson clouds, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

In his heart, he filled in the words, one at a time.

Kill. Without. Mercy.

He, Lu Mingyuan, wasn't someone people could push around. Anyone who dared set their sights on him would meet a terrible end—so terrible that not even their bones would remain.

After a long while, Lu Mingyuan suddenly reached out and pinched Jing Zhi's small, perky nose. He murmured a warning, "You're not allowed to lie to me again. We can just be honest with each other. If there's another time, watch out for your little butt."

In his arms, Jing Zhi's face turned red as she murmured, "Mm."

"Got it."

The night passed peacefully.

Early the next morning, after sharing a lovingly prepared breakfast with Jing Zhi, Lu Mingyuan began working on constructing his divine ability.

Inside the Soul Space.

Lu Mingyuan had moved the large pile of illusory tables, chairs, paper, brushes, ploughs, and the like to the edges, so they wouldn't get in the way.

At the center of the Soul Space, the milky-white cloud of Talent Qi had grown to about one cun and six fen.

"Looks like my efforts this past month weren't wasted. It's grown by a tenth of a cun. If it keeps growing at this rate, I'll advance to two-star rank in four months, at the beginning of August."

"Mm, that's not bad."

Lu Mingyuan nodded as if he knew what he was talking about.

Unlike the first time he'd entered, the pale-yellow orb at the center, which represented Earth Luck, had disappeared.

Last time, Lu Mingyuan had used up all of his Earth Luck.

The other orb, which was crimson and represented Human Luck, was also only about half its original size.

Originally, Lu Mingyuan had possessed 2,021 Human Luck. He'd spent a full thousand creating the Chicken-Rabbit Cage Divine Ability last time, then gained a little more bit by bit over the past month. Now he had just over 1,060.

"It's grown by about one-twentieth. That's a decent rate, too."

The original black stone, which had been dull and lifeless—the Divine Ability Stone—had disappeared as well.

In this world, a single Divine Ability Stone could be used to create only one divine ability.

Once a divine ability had fully taken shape, the Divine Ability Stone was completely consumed.

Without a Divine Ability Stone, it was impossible to construct a divine ability. Or rather, Lu Mingyuan didn't have the ability to construct one using nothing but his own knowledge, so he needed the stone's help.

"I'd better buy another one."

After connecting to the Heavenly Dao Virtual Network, Lu Mingyuan spent a full ten million Luck Points in the "Treasures" section to buy a new Divine Ability Stone.

The next moment, a dull black stone appeared once more inside Lu Mingyuan's Soul Space.

Staring at the Divine Ability Stone that had suddenly appeared, Lu Mingyuan fell silent.

Just moments ago, something like this had appeared inside his Soul Space, yet he hadn't sensed the slightest disturbance.

Wasn't that a little too terrifying?

It wasn't that Lu Mingyuan was paranoid about security. Anyone with even a little awareness of security ought to have the same thought.

If they could send a Divine Ability Stone into someone's Soul Space, there was nothing stopping them from sending in a bomb—or even directly controlling the person's soul.

The more he thought about it, the more a chill crept up Lu Mingyuan's back.

But there was nothing he could do about it. For now, he could only let things be. Still, the incident had left its mark on his mind.

"I'd better construct the divine ability first. I'll deal with these things later."

With that, Lu Mingyuan extended his consciousness into the Divine Ability Stone and began constructing a new divine ability.

Just then, an idea suddenly occurred to him.

"Huh? Wait. Since I'm creating a divine ability from the Agricultural School for plowing fields, why not bring over the tractor from my previous life? It's much more convenient than a hand plough."

"I'll try it first. The Divine Ability Stone won't be used up until the divine ability is fully formed anyway."

Then Lu Mingyuan pictured the tractor he'd seen in his previous life.

A moment later, a red tractor appeared out of nowhere inside the Divine Ability Stone, exactly as he remembered it.

The big front end, the ploughshare, and that signature exhaust pipe—it looked as if it had been carved from the same mold.

It was just a question of whether the tractor would actually work.

"It won't without diesel, right? I wonder if it can run on Spiritual Qi."

Curious, Lu Mingyuan circled the tractor several times, admiring it. Seeing something so familiar made him feel a little nostalgic.

The next moment, he checked how many Qi Luck Points it would take to fully form the tractor divine ability.

"Holy crap, how many digits is that?"

When he received the information, Lu Mingyuan was completely dumbstruck by the number in his mind. Was it seventeen digits, or eighteen?

He didn't want to count. He probably wouldn't be able to get that much in his entire life anyway.

"Sigh, I thought my tens of billions could make a big difference, but it turns out money doesn't go very far."

"Right, I should try something supernatural instead. Let's see if I can make one of those 'Soil-Loosening Arts,' 'Soil-Loosening Incantations,' or 'Earth-Cracking Arts' from cultivation stories."

A moment later, Lu Mingyuan looked at the number, even longer than the last one, and fell silent.

"You're not leaving people any way to live."

"Wait, it's probably because they're all pure fantasies. I'll try again."

"Mm, I'll use a certain vibration principle to shatter clods of earth and loosen the soil..."

This time, Lu Mingyuan checked how many Qi Luck Points it would take to form the divine ability. "Mm, the number's one digit shorter."

"That much less?

"If I set the vibration frequency, the vibration power, and all the rest, would the Qi Luck Points needed drop to a level I could afford?"

"Mm, that should work. It seems the more detailed the information, the fewer Qi Luck Points it requires.

"But once I've made it, how do I explain where it came from when I sell it? Tell people I made it by throwing Qi Luck Points at it?"

Lu Mingyuan shook his head and dismissed the idea. That'd be like giving myself away. "I'll look into it another time."

"Mm, next I'll try one of the powerful ones. Let's start with the Great Divine Ability of the Creator of Heaven, the Heavenly Capital Divine Thunder."

"Fine, a number with hundreds of digits. That does live up to your illustrious name."

"Dharma Heaven Dharma Earth."

"Now that's only forty or fifty digits. You're way too pathetic. You're a renowned divine ability of the Taoist School, so shouldn't you have at least a hundred digits to your name?"

"But the Taoist School actually figured out how to make this divine ability, and it only costs ten thousand points.

"From that perspective, they really are pretty impressive."

"I wonder how much valuable knowledge they've kept secret within their ranks. The Heavenly Dao Virtual Network hasn't revealed even a hint of it."

"They've kept their secrets well."

"But as they say, 'There are no divine abilities you can't think of, only divine abilities you can't realize.' This place has everything. The only difference might be a few measly Qi Luck Points."

"Mm, it really is just a few measly points."

"With enough Qi Luck Points, anything is possible. Then, even if you wanted the great divine abilities of 'Creation from Nothing,' 'Reversing Yin and Yang,' and 'Shifting the Stars and Changing the Constellations,' you could get them with a single thought."

"Too bad I'm still poor."

Lu Mingyuan shook his head. When would he be able to perform those legendary feats?

Create a world, mold humans from clay...

"Sigh, I'd better stop daydreaming and get down to business."

At that point, Lu Mingyuan officially began creating a plough.

First, a hand-pulled plough.

Hmm, around sixteen digits.

That wasn't much, either.

Next, Lu Mingyuan submitted his own design, constructing everything according to the plans.

At that point, the Qi Luck Points required plummeted, dropping to just nine digits.

In fact, Lu Mingyuan already had enough Qi Luck Points to brute-force the divine ability into existence.

But that wasn't all.

Next, Lu Mingyuan began using the relevant information and data recorded in Summoning and Matter to set specific rules and further reduce the Qi Luck Points required.

The plow's precise position relative to the cultivator, its formation sequence, the time it took to form...

The materials needed for each part of the plow...

The structure, hardness, density, toughness, and other properties of those materials.

The plow's straight shaft.

By the end, the Qi Luck Points required for the divine ability had fallen below ten thousand, more or less meeting Lu Mingyuan's requirements.

But he still needed to refine and even expand it further, aiming to reduce the required Qi Luck Points even more while adding extra functions.

Otherwise, it would be nothing more than a hand-pulled plow, and hardly anyone would spend their precious Qi Luck Points to buy one.

He had to make people feel they were getting their money's worth.

Still, seeing the Qi Luck Points needed to form the divine ability fall exponentially, Lu Mingyuan finally understood just how valuable the knowledge in the academy was.

Take the data on the few materials the academy made freely available. Any one of them would take a lifetime to study.

Granted, those free resources covered only a limited range of materials, equivalent to common steel, bronze, wood, and the like, but they were enough.

Lu Mingyuan wasn't trying to make weapons, after all, so he didn't need materials of especially high quality.

If he wanted something comparable to specialty steel, he'd have to go to the Mohist School—or spend the time researching it himself.

Thinking of that, Lu Mingyuan felt rather fortunate that he'd chosen an illusion-type divine ability as his first.

Illusions didn't require any materials. He just had to set the rules of the illusion clearly, then follow the construction methods for illusion-type divine abilities compiled by the Confucian School, step by step.

Simple and convenient.

And cheap.

Truly accessible to everyone.

Thinking of that, Lu Mingyuan couldn't help sighing. "No wonder the first divine ability to appear was the Confucian School's [Encouraging Learning].

"Back then, no one had any experience. Only a simple illusion-type divine ability like that could be brute-forced into existence with a mountain of Qi Luck Points. The others probably wouldn't have stood a chance."

In fact, the original [Quanxue Divine Ability] of the Confucian School contained only a single text: the Analects. At the time, even newly awakened one-star cultivators could use it freely.

But as time passed, more and more information was added, and the Spiritual Qi required rose sharply. By now, only four-star master-level cultivators could use the [Quanxue Divine Ability] with ease.

Ah, how times had changed.