Mental Talent

After dealing with Jia Liebi, the black-robed man turned to the leaders of the other two factions.

"What about you two? Surely you haven't been doing anything behind my back?"

"This humble woman has been on the Xiao Clan's side from the very beginning. I hope Senior will see that."

Ya Fei spoke in a pitiful, pleading tone.

"The Aoba Clan has no reason to do something that would harm its own interests."

Aoba Pa, the Aoba Clan's leader, was perfectly candid.

They were making a fortune alongside the Xiao Clan right now. They'd have to be out of their minds to do something like that.

"You're both more honest than he was."

The black-robed man casually tossed out two jade bottles.

"Qi Gathering Powder. Consider it a thank-you gift."

"Thank you, Senior."

Ya Fei and Aoba Pa accepted the pills, both visibly excited.

The former was excited because Qi Gathering Powder was a fourth-grade pill. It would be a major boost to the auction house's business and greatly improve her prospects for future promotion.

The latter was simply excited about the powder's ability to help him advance to Dou Zhe.

Once he had finished, the black-robed man vanished on the spot, giving the others no chance to react.

Ya Fei and Aoba Pa had no choice but to turn their attention to Xiao Zhan, hoping to learn something about the powerful man from him.

Xiao Zhan easily parried their probing questions.

The main reason was that he had only learned today that his two boys had a Senior Brother protecting them.

He simply had no information to leak.

After finally seeing the two of them off, Xiao Zhan had to deal with the Jia Lie Clan's affairs.

At present, the Xiao Clan had only borrowed someone else's power. It didn't truly have the strength to crush the Jia Lie Clan. How to take over its assets without trouble was a major challenge facing the Xiao Clan.

While Xiao Zhan was busy with these trivial matters, the black-robed man had already returned to the room.

"How did it go?"

Xiao Yan, who had been waiting in the room the whole time, asked.

When the strange phenomenon appeared in the sky earlier, he had hurried over.

Xiao Yan had planned to have Yao Lao borrow his body to fight if things outside went badly, ensuring Qi Fei's cultivation wouldn't be disrupted too much.

But Xiao Yan hadn't expected the people outside to make a move only after Qi Fei finished cultivating.

Wouldn't that make it a one-sided slaughter?

"One move was all it took."

Qi Fei took off his black robe.

"I thought that if they dared to attack, all of them together could at least withstand three moves from you."

They hadn't even lasted one move. Xiao Yan couldn't understand where they'd found the courage.

"How could that be? Do you think my Dou Emperor cultivation is for show?"

Qi Fei rolled his eyes.

He was weak only when his cultivation and techniques were at the same level as his opponents'. It wasn't as if he genuinely couldn't fight.

"Fair enough."

Xiao Yan agreed, then asked, "So what exactly did you do just now? How did it cause such a spectacle outside?"

"Didn't Teacher tell you?"

Qi Fei couldn't help glancing at Yao Lao, who was floating nearby.

"He said he was worried it would affect my state of mind."

Xiao Yan looked at Yao Lao too.

"Don't look at me. I really was thinking of what was best for you," Yao Lao explained helplessly.

At Qi Fei's age, creating a Heaven Tier Cultivation Method from scratch was something even the descendants of Dou Di bloodlines wouldn't dare dream of.

It would be bad if it shook Xiao Yan's confidence.

"Don't worry, Master. I believe Little Yan won't lose confidence over something this trivial."

Qi Fei said confidently.

Come on, a protagonist wasn't going to be discouraged by something this small.

Of course, Qi Fei hadn't said that entirely because he believed in the protagonist.

After going to all the trouble of creating a cultivation method, not showing it off to his good friend made him feel as if he were wearing fine clothes on a night walk.

Xiao Yan looked at Qi Fei gratefully, then turned to reproach Yao Lao.

"I knew Little Fei would be willing to let me know. Teacher, can't you have a little more faith in me, like Little Fei does?"

"Very well."

Since even Qi Fei, who knew him better, had said so, Yao Lao no longer saw any reason to stop him.

"So, Little Fei, what exactly did you do just now?"

Xiao Yan asked excitedly.

"Nothing much. I just created a Heaven Tier Cultivation Method."

Qi Fei said it with the same casual expression he might have used to say he'd eaten two bowls of rice at lunch.

"A Heaven Tier Cultivation Method? The one even Teacher couldn't get his hands on?"

Xiao Yan looked at Qi Fei, then turned to Yao Lao in a daze.

Before, he could casually ask Yao Lao to give him a couple of Heaven Tier Cultivation Methods because they seemed so far out of reach.

It was like an ordinary person thinking about a billion or ten billion. The numbers didn't feel real at all.

But after seeing Yao Lao casually pull out a whole pile of Earth Tier Cultivation Methods, yet not a single Heaven Tier one, Xiao Yan had gained a much clearer understanding of what a Heaven Tier Cultivation Method meant.

Now he was being told that his good friend had created one himself.

How was that even possible?

"Otherwise, what kind of cultivation method do you think could cause a scene like that?"

Yao Lao asked, now watching for the fun of it.

"It's only a Quasi-Heaven Tier cultivation method. I'll need to spend some time in seclusion organizing it before I can stabilize it at Heaven Rank Low Grade."

Qi Fei spoke as if he were dissatisfied with how weak his cultivation method was.

Xiao Yan turned around and examined Qi Fei from head to toe.

"Little Fei, be honest. You're actually some old monster reincarnated to cultivate again, aren't you? Don't worry, I can accept it."

He patted Qi Fei on the shoulder as he spoke.

"If I were an old monster reincarnated to cultivate again, would I only be a Dou Emperor now?"

To Qi Fei, a Dou Emperor seemed as worthless as a stray dog on the roadside.

Xiao Yan, who wasn't even a Dou Zhe, felt as if he'd taken a hit to the heart.

"See? I told you I was keeping it from you for your own good. You should listen to your elders."

Yao Lao floated over to Xiao Yan.

"..."

Xiao Yan silently stared at Yao Lao.

Yao Lao stared back at him.

Neither of them blinked, as if they were competing to see who would give in first.

In the end, Xiao Yan lost, still constrained by his physical limits.

But in the time he'd spent competing with Yao Lao, he'd managed to steady his state of mind.

"So, um, Brother Fei..."

Xiao Yan rubbed his hands together like a fly.

"Just say what you want."

Qi Fei stepped back, putting a little distance between himself and this fellow whose words and actions were so fly-like.

"I wanted to ask if I can cultivate with your technique."

Xiao Yan knew he was being shameless, but it was a Heaven Tier Cultivation Method.

If he missed this chance, he might never get his hands on one in his entire life.

"You can, as long as you can withstand Teacher's Heavenly Flame."

Qi Fei nodded.

"My technique is based on the Red Lotus Body Tempering Art. Under normal circumstances, it can only be divided into two high-grade Earth Tier Cultivation Methods: the Fire Lotus Chapter and the Ice Lotus Chapter. Only by undergoing the tempering of Bone Spirit Cold Flame can the two be combined."

Only with the help of Bone Spirit Cold Flame could the two cultivation methods, which represented different laws, be fused.

For now, Qi Fei had no way to change that.

"Um, is there any other way?"

Xiao Yan asked awkwardly.

This method required a Dou Emperor. He was still far too far from that realm.

"If someone has exceptional talent and possesses both ice and fire attributes, perhaps they could combine the two techniques on their own."

Qi Fei said after considering it.

If he had nothing to do in the future, he might try playing around with this idea.

One sect could pass down the Fire Lotus Chapter, while another passed down the Ice Lotus Chapter.

Then they could leave behind some highly misleading message about how combining the two would grant the power of Myriad Manifestations.

Heh heh heh—

"Isn't that even harder?"

Xiao Yan couldn't help complaining.

Was combining cultivation methods something just anyone could do?

And on top of that, he'd have to cultivate both ice and fire Dou Qi. Wouldn't the conflicting energies make him explode?

"You asked for a method. You didn't ask me to make it easier."

Qi Fei spread his hands.

"Then is there a method that's easier?"

Xiao Yan asked hopefully.

"There really isn't."

Qi Fei replied helplessly.

If Coiling Dragon Qi Fei could directly cultivate the fusion of laws from different elements, perhaps he could come up with a solution before long.

But that ability was the exclusive privilege of Soul Mutators in the Coiling Dragon World.

Coiling Dragon Qi Fei naturally couldn't do it.

But now that he thought about it, their situation didn't count as Soul Mutation. Could it be that Soul Mutation could only occur in the Coiling Dragon Universe?

Qi Fei couldn't help pondering the question.

"Don't always reach for the stars. Become a Dou Zhe first, then talk about cultivation methods."

Yao Lao slapped Xiao Yan on the back.

"Understood, Teacher."

Xiao Yan answered at once.

He had a point. Why was a weakling who wasn't even a Dou Zhe thinking about cultivation methods?

Xiao Yan took little time to get his state of mind back in order.

Yao Lao silently praised Xiao Yan's ability to adjust, then turned to Qi Fei.

"Little Fei, will you need my help with your next period of seclusion?"

"I'll still need your help with my future cultivation, but this time I'll mainly be organizing the cultivation method, so there's no need to trouble yourself."

Qi Fei wanted to continue comprehending the laws, so he naturally wouldn't give up Bone Spirit Cold Flame as an accelerator.

In fact, he planned to collect the Heavenly Flames and rare treasures that had appeared in the original story whenever he had time.

He wanted to collect the Heavenly Flames to see how the law fragments in each one differed and whether they could help them comprehend the laws.

As for the rare treasures of heaven and earth, Qi Fei had considered that the Dou Po World had things like the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.

Could it be that this world also had special water, wind, earth, and other elements that contained law fragments?

Perhaps these things had never been properly developed because they were useless for alchemy and there had been no one like Tou She Ancient God who grew stronger by devouring Heavenly Flames.

If such things really existed, cultivating the Laws of Elements would be much easier for them.

"Very well. I'll keep an eye on this kid while you're away."

Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yan as he spoke.

Teaching this kid was probably not going to be as easy as teaching Qi Fei.

Afterward, Yao Lao left with Xiao Yan to teach him how to cultivate.

But not long after Xiao Yan stepped outside, his father blocked his way, and the two of them had a long, thorough conversation.

Xiao Yan's brain was nearly smoking by the time he finished making up the story.

He'd barely gotten away before Xiao Xun'er caught him. His seven aunts, eight aunts, and a whole crowd of cousins were gathered around her in what seemed like a joint meeting.

Only then did Xiao Yan understand why Qi Fei had announced in advance that he'd be going into seclusion.

Of course, Qi Fei knew nothing about this, since he was already in seclusion (laugh).

Meanwhile, in the God Three World.

After studying the laws twice, Qi Fei's spiritual power had improved once again.

At last, he felt the power he'd been anticipating for so long.

"Just as I expected, Mental Talent really is connected to Shared Space."

In the courtyard, Qi Fei carefully observed the chickens Uncle Qi had just brought over.

These chickens had originally been ordinary poultry, but with the support of his Mental Talent, they were now refining Heaven and Earth Essence on their own and transforming their bodies.

This was the ability of Internal Qi Separation.

Moreover, they seemed to be cultivating a little faster than normal practitioners of Internal Qi Separation.

Even without the power Qi Fei had shared with them, these chickens now had Internal Qi roughly at the level of Internal Qi Condensation.

Hmm, interesting.

"Wait, something doesn't seem right."

When Qi Fei withdrew his power, he discovered that he seemed able to draw upon the Internal Qi inside the chickens.

He casually beckoned to the chicken nearest him.

In the next moment, Qi Fei pulled a clump of Internal Qi out of the chicken, which immediately collapsed to the ground, on the verge of death.

Qi Fei pressed some of the Internal Qi back into it, saving its life.

Then he carefully studied the clump of Internal Qi he had taken from the chicken.

The clump carried the auras of both Qi Fei and the chicken, and Qi Fei's aura was even stronger.

That was why he could control it so easily.

"Could it be because the chicken's Essence, Qi, and Spirit aren't strong enough, so they were overwhelmed by the power I shared with it?"

Qi Fei turned the Internal Qi over in his hand as he speculated.

The power he shared included his Essence, Qi, and Spirit. In a sense, he was controlling the chicken as it refined Heaven and Earth Essence.

"Still, this little bit of Internal Qi isn't much use to me..."

Looking at the Internal Qi in his hand, Qi Fei came up with a daring idea.

A flame of Internal Qi, catalyzed by laws, sprang to life in his hand, scorching the Internal Qi he held.

Before long, the Internal Qi he had taken from the chicken became incredibly pure. It even merged into Qi Fei's body without him needing to absorb it.

"Hmm... This efficiency is a little low."

Qi Fei looked at the Internal Qi within him, which had barely changed.

After all that effort, he had gained less Internal Qi than he could generate with a single breath.

What a letdown.

"Forget it. I'll keep studying my Mental Talent."

Qi Fei put aside his ambition to become a supervillain and focused on studying his Mental Talent.

Before long, Qi Fei discovered that he could share more than just Internal Qi.

Mental strength, martial arts, aptitude, consciousness, knowledge... Even cultivation realms fell within the scope of his Sharing.

Aside from knowledge, the level of everything else decreased as the number of recipients increased.

It was like splitting an apple among several people.

Qi Fei could grant one chicken the Boundary Breaker realm, but with three chickens, they could only reach the level of Internal Qi Separation.

At the same time, sharing concrete powers such as Internal Qi and mental strength would affect the recipients to some extent.

Simply put, Qi Fei's Essence, Qi, and Spirit contaminated the recipients to a certain degree.

The more power he shared, and the longer he shared it, the stronger the contamination became.

But simply sharing things like aptitude, cultivation realm, or martial arts did not have similar effects.

"Could this contamination be related to the recipients' Essence, Qi, and Spirit?"

Qi Fei looked at the flock of chickens lined up in formation at his command.

The God Three World also had the practice of passing on cultivation, and those who received it could still cultivate normally afterward.

The Divine Power of a God Boundary Breaker was probably too strong, while ordinary poultry had such weak Essence, Qi, and Spirit that this had caused the problem.

He'd find a death-row prisoner or someone like that to test it on later.