Mental Manifestation

That was a cat with terrifying strength. How could Li Xianling possibly feel at ease? Although he trusted his successor—and Zhang Tao was indeed the one he had groomed to take over—he still decided to ask the two Old Ancestors. After all, he couldn't let Zhang Tao do whatever he pleased with this matter.

Zhang Tao had no objections. What he didn't know was that Li Zhen had reported the matter to Zhenxing City long ago and contacted his own Old Ancestor, the Heaven Suppressing King.

What surprised Li Zhen was that the Old Ancestor didn't care at all. Instead, he gave Li Zhen a scolding, leaving him utterly bewildered. What was going on? The cat was following Zhang Tao, not him, so why was he getting yelled at? What was the deal with this cat?

After getting scolded, Li Zhen gloomily returned to the Military Department, deciding that what he couldn't see couldn't bother him.

The Heaven Suppressing King had also sent a message to Chen Guyang and Shen Haotian, telling them to leave the cat alone.

So when Li Xianling went to report to the two Guardians, they both said it was fine. Li Xianling blinked and came back. It was actually fine?

"Well, since both Guardians say it's fine, let's leave it at that. Oh, and take some of this fish back with you!" Li Xianling said.

Zhang Tao shook his head. "This stuff isn't much use to me now. I've achieved Essence Blood Unity. I just need to wait for my mental power to manifest!"

Li Xianling thought for a moment. "I still have half a Heavenly Gold Lotus. Take it. That way, you can reach Rank 7 sooner. You're a Grandmaster in your twenties—don't let Li Zhen beat you to it."

Zhang Tao hadn't really wanted it. His mental power was already growing quickly, and he didn't need these things. But Li Xianling was so insistent that he could only accept it.

After leaving the Culture Building, Zhang Tao went home to practice controlling his strength.

At home, Grey Cat was watching TV. The moment it saw Zhang Tao return, it sensed the Heavenly Gold Lotus on him and curled its lip. "You're carrying around that kind of flower?"

Zhang Tao immediately understood what Grey Cat meant. He took out half a Heavenly Gold Lotus and asked, "Brother Cat, do you know where I can find more of these?"

Grey Cat nodded. "They're everywhere in the Forbidden Sea. They're not much use!"

Zhang Tao rolled his eyes. Of course he knew they were in the Forbidden Sea. His eyes shifted as an idea struck him. "By the way, Brother Cat, do you have one of those Mental Power Avatars? Give me one, and the demons in the Forbidden Sea won't dare attack me!"

Grey Cat tilted its head at Zhang Tao. "They already don't dare attack you!"

Zhang Tao was taken aback. He had no idea what Grey Cat meant, so he asked, "How come?"

"Don't you know? You have a very strong aura of humanity about you. It's, um, a lot like that old Human Emperor. Most Rank 9 demonic beasts won't go anywhere near you."

Zhang Tao raised an eyebrow. Could it be because of the Kongtong Seal inside him? That was the only explanation he could think of.

"Heh, Brother Cat, give me a Mental Power Avatar, will you? It'd make me feel a little safer, wouldn't it?" Zhang Tao immediately started massaging Grey Cat. Calling it a massage was generous; he was really just petting the cat.

Grey Cat didn't mind. It was just being played with; it wasn't as if that had never happened before. As long as there was something in it for Grey Cat, that was fine.

Besides, Zhang Tao had brought it to Water Blue Star, which had its perks. At the very least, the food here was irresistible.

"All right, here you go!" Grey Cat wasn't stingy. Its mental power was at 200,000 hertz, so splitting off a Mental Power Avatar would barely affect it.

A little cat darted into Zhang Tao's body. But in an instant, a wave of pressure surged from him, and the little cat was pinned beneath the Kongtong Seal.

Grey Cat's fur puffed up. It sprang to its feet, staring at Zhang Tao in disbelief.

Zhang Tao blinked too, cursing inwardly. The Mental Power Avatar he had just talked Grey Cat into giving him had been suppressed just like that?

"You..." Grey Cat didn't know what to say. Its mental power had just been split off, and now it was suppressed? This guy was hiding a huge secret.

"Well, Brother Cat, do you know what this is? It's a phone. Whenever you want something to eat, just sweep your mental power over it to find the restaurant's number. Call them, and they'll deliver right to your door!" Zhang Tao quickly tried to change the subject, pointing at the landline beside them.

Sure enough, Grey Cat's attention shifted. Food was involved, and Grey Cat took food seriously.

Back in his room, Zhang Tao let out a breath. That seal of his was a little overbearing. What a waste. He'd gone to all that trouble to coax the Mental Power Avatar out of Grey Cat, only for it to be suppressed just like that.

Taking out the Heavenly Gold Lotus, Zhang Tao hesitated. Should he eat it and reach Rank 7 now, or wait until he had his strength under control?

"Forget it. Since the Chief Overseer gave this to me, I'll reach Rank 7 first. At least then, with my mental power released, I won't have to worry about other people's mental power." Zhang Tao made up his mind. He could take his time consolidating his cultivation afterward.

Zhang Tao plucked a petal from the Heavenly Gold Lotus and was about to put it in his mouth when the Kongtong Seal suddenly trembled. A stream of mental power appeared inside him out of nowhere, then merged into his own. Zhang Tao's mental power began to surge.

If Zhang Tao could have seen inside the Kongtong Seal, he would have found a half-dead cat in there, just like Grey Cat. But this cat had its tongue hanging out and looked completely drained. Its body had even turned noticeably more insubstantial.

It was Grey Cat's Mental Power Avatar. Not only had it been suppressed, but some of its mental power had also been drawn out and returned to Zhang Tao.

As his mental power surged, Zhang Tao's hand froze in midair. He forgot all about eating the Heavenly Gold Lotus and immediately began cultivating.

Before long, Zhang Tao's mental power had passed 1,000 hertz. It was enough to manifest.

"Am I breaking through? This fast?" Zhang Tao was stunned. He'd just been thinking about eating the Heavenly Gold Lotus to break through, but he hadn't even taken a bite and he was already breaking through?

Soon, a great seal gradually took shape above Zhang Tao's courtyard. The commotion naturally caught Li Xianling and the others' attention. After all, Zhang Tao lived right beside the Culture Building.

The Grandmasters of Kyoto also flew out one after another, gathering in the air above Zhang Tao's home. They stared in astonishment. They all knew Zhang Tao, Kyoto's pride and humanity's prodigy. He had reached Rank 6 at just twenty years old. And not only that—inside the Forbidden City Catacombs, he had sealed three gates in a single day and even helped Li Zhen seal a gate.

To them, it was utterly impossible. Yet Zhang Tao had done it.

And now, just a few days later, his mental power had manifested. Damn, he was about to become a Grandmaster! A Grandmaster at twenty—who could even imagine that?

Li Zhen's cultivation speed had already left them amazed. But Zhang Tao was even more monstrous, leaving them unable to help sighing: The waves behind drive on those before, and the ones in front die on the shore.