Hypnosis? No, brainwashing!

"As long as there are people living in this world, there will never be true peace," Xia Mu replied softly.

"Alright then..." Shiina lowered her head, looking a bit disappointed. "Everyone says that; it seems peace really is difficult to achieve."

After saying this, she forced herself to perk up, waving at Xia Mu with a smile. "Bye-bye, see you tomorrow."

Watching Shiina's figure gradually disappear into the elevator, a smile hung on the corner of Xia Mu's mouth.

What a sentimental girl.

Perhaps in the world she imagined, everyone really was equal and the world was at peace.

Unlocking the door, changing his shoes, and tossing his coat onto the rack in the entryway, Xia Mu collapsed onto his bed.

Then, he opened the system to check his information.

Host: Xia Mu
Skills: Wing Chun-Demonic (Grandmaster), Mandarin (Perfect), English (Perfect)...
Skill Points: 80

Very simple information, clear at a glance.

Eighty evolution points were equivalent to eighty years, enough to last him for a while.

But he still needed to squeeze as much as possible out of Kikyo Kushida in his spare time.

After all, the only way to obtain skill points currently was by completing her tasks.

"I feel like I can add a new ability."

Xia Mu stroked his chin, deep in thought.

And in this school that put human nature and intelligence to the ultimate test, the most useful skill...

Was Hypnosis.

That way, he wouldn't have to worry about not being able to get the answers he wanted, and it was magic damage to boot.

Wing Chun was enough for physical damage; he estimated that no one could withstand a punch from his thirty years of cultivation.

He decided to act immediately; if the skill points were too expensive, he simply wouldn't buy it.

Thinking this, he turned on his computer and searched for videos on hypnosis to start watching.

In the first video, someone held a pocket watch, swinging it repeatedly in front of a person lying in a comfortable position on a sofa chair.

The entire process lasted half an hour.

As he watched, Li Mu fell asleep as well.

It was just too boring.

He didn't know how much time had passed before Xia Mu slowly woke up.

"Ha~"

He let out a yawn, tears forming in the corners of his eyes; it was certainly hypnotic enough.

[Hypnosis skill available for learning]

"Learn."

Xia Mu issued the command in his mind.

[Consumed 1 skill point, Hypnosis skill at Beginner level]

A wave of warm memories flowed into Xia Mu's mind.

He now possessed the most basic hypnosis techniques, such as the lecture hypnosis method and the airplane hypnosis method.

But these could only be performed when the other party was relaxed.

And it had to be done with their consent, otherwise, it would be useless.

"Continue, upgrade to Perfect."

It didn't seem to cost many skill points, so Xia Mu decided to max it out.

[Spent 5 skill points, Hypnosis skill at Perfect level]

Following this, Xia Mu learned many hypnosis techniques, as if he had spent six years studying them on his own.

For example, wearing clothes with spiral patterns, combined with a pocket watch and the rhythmic ticking sound.

Regardless of whether the other party resisted, as long as they stared for a long time, he could guide them into their subconscious level, thereby asking for the things he wanted.

"But..."

"It's still not enough."

Xia Mu wanted to see what the Hypnosis skill would become if he continued to add points.

"Continue adding points."

[Consumed 10 skill points.]

[Obtained, Brainwashing.]

[Brainwashing: You can alter the subconscious of your target through prolonged, continuous psychological suggestion. Once activated, your voice becomes like a devil's whisper.]

The description was brief, yet the ability had been significantly enhanced.

Xia Mu closed his eyes to quietly digest the information, and when he opened them again, his pupils radiated a faint glow.

His Hypnosis...

Oh no, Brainwashing; it truly lived up to the name of a modified skill.

As long as he wanted to, he could now grab any girl in the school and put her under hypnosis.

For instance, he could make her believe she was his dog, the kind that would bark and obey his every command.

However, the duration of this hypnosis wasn't very long, and it required constant, uninterrupted reinforcement.

That was its only drawback, though for practical applications, it was more than sufficient.

Whether for interrogation or as a bit of playful fun between couples, it was more than enough.

Beyond that, he could also use it during combat to make the opponent feel dazed, causing them to lose focus momentarily.

Furthermore, the methods of hypnosis had become much easier to execute.

However, just by sensing the ability within himself, Xia Mu didn't yet know exactly how potent it was.

Talk is cheap; he needed to put it into practice.

"I really want to find someone to test this on."

Xia Mu felt an itch to try it out, but he still needed to buy some equipment.

Yet, when he recalled the specific ways to use that equipment during combat, Xia Mu felt a bit strange.

Forget it, he didn't need to go all out with Brainwashing in his current fights.

He would start by buying some basic items, like a pocket watch or patterns with black and white spiral designs.

"Ahem..."

Xia Mu cleared his throat. "You are a dog, you are a dog."

His voice had become deep and enchanting, like waves of lingering demonic sounds, subtly influencing the target of his hypnosis.

Which, in this case, was Xia Mu himself.

Listening to his own voice, images from a low-angle perspective began to appear in his mind.

It was as if he really were a dog, panting heavily with his tongue lolling out.

"Snap!"

The next instant, a flash of white light exploded in the vision, and Xia Mu snapped back to reality.

"Good grief..."

"I can even hypnotize myself?"

Having deeply experienced the power of the hypnosis, Xia Mu found his forehead already covered in sweat.

If he were to hypnotize himself during certain activities to believe he could go seven times a night, an hour each time, wouldn't that be...

The thought alone was terrifying.

However, he could withdraw from the hypnotic state at any time; his beyond-max-level hypnotic ability meant his resistance to hypnosis had reached another dimension.

"Alright, order placed!"

He bought the necessary items using a shopping app and then lay down on his bed.

"Tomorrow, I'll start by using Kikyo Kushida as my test subject."

Xia Mu made up his mind, undressed, gave himself a suggestion to wake up feeling fully energized, and drifted into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he stood atop a high throne, his pupils transformed into bottomless spiral patterns, wearing a trench coat, a pocket watch in his left hand, his right hand raised, looking just like a magician.

Early the next morning, Xia Mu opened his eyes on time and woke up from his bed.

"This state is truly magical, isn't it?"

He looked down at his palms; it seemed the upper limit of Brainwashing wasn't so simple.

After applying the sleep buff to himself yesterday, although his body was asleep, his consciousness had actually remained on guard.

How should he put it? There was a hazy sensation, as if time were a distorted, blurry line moving forward at high speed.

"Yosh, time to go pick up the things I ordered yesterday and go test them out on Kikyo Kushida!"

Xia Mu was so excited that he started mixing Japanese with his Chinese.

He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and went for his usual run.

He ran into Suzune again.

She glanced at Xia Mu and slowed down to wait for him.

Once they were running side by side, she suddenly blurted out, "A race, how about it?"

Based on her observations, Xia Mu hadn't missed a single day of running, which meant he wasn't just doing it on a whim or because he saw her running.

This had piqued her competitive spirit.

After all, she had been exercising since elementary school.

It was also from that time on that her brother had started drifting further and further away from her.