The Use of Talent

After witnessing the traces of the Plebeian Butchers' slaughter gradually vanish, the gladiators dispersed through the cave to rest.

Qin Xa closed his eyes, once again exploring his psychic talent.

He was now certain that the stability of his psychic talent was one hundred percent—absolute, not relative.

Before, he couldn't confirm this, first because neither the White Scars nor the Grey Knights had formally trained him or guided him in deep self-exploration, and second because every time he used his psychic powers, he felt a sense of "drainage."

But after that journey into the Immaterium, Qin Xa felt free to probe his potential.

This included new psychic techniques and a "casualization" of how he used his powers.

Burying Caesar by splitting the rock walls, carving the Triumph Cord into Angron with heat—these were all explorations and results of that "casualized" approach.

The ultimate goal of this "casualization" was to achieve the literal meaning of "whatever the heart desires, whatever the word commands."

No need to follow a specific psychic method, no need for lengthy preparation—just directly use psychic power to warp reality and accomplish what material means could barely or never achieve.

Transcendence.

Mind over matter.

Matter influenced by the mind.

"I wasn't always an idealist."

That thought popped into Qin Xa's head.

It made him stop his exploration of his potential, forcing him to shift his attention to pondering this new psychological puzzle.

Qin Xa felt his fate was quite dramatic.

Once a technology researcher who changed his own destiny and that of many others through science and knowledge.

Now a user of idealistic power.

Should he completely abandon the path of learning material technology and devote himself entirely to the psychic realm, or use psychic power only as a supplement, with technology as the main focus?

Qin Xa fell into troubled thought.

Eventually, he suddenly felt there was no need to think about it at all.

In this universe, material technology existed and was necessary in the physical realm, while idealistic psychic power existed and was useful in the Immaterium. Why did he have to choose between the two?

"I want both."

Qin Xa thought.

Use the advantages of psychic power to feed back into the study and research of technology—one hand on tech, one hand on psychic power.

Just like the God-Emperor of Latveria, Doctor Doom, with one hand on magic and the other on science.

A polymath.

Qin Xa stopped agonizing and turned his attention back to the task at hand.

He began trying to use his psychic power to permeate the reality around him, observing the changes it caused.

Though his body sat here, his eyes had left his physical form, viewing the most microscopic changes psychic power brought to reality from a perspective entirely different from the material one.

Through these changes and further attempts, he explored other ways to warp reality and their effects.

The ability he'd previously developed to twist someone's head one hundred and eighty degrees came from this kind of study.

The principle was to conjure a force out of nowhere, apply it to the target, and control it at will, achieving the effect of twisting the neck one hundred and eighty degrees, as if someone had physically wrenched it.

This principle could also be used for other things, like telekinesis—pushing or pulling objects from a distance without touching them.

But knowing the principle and having an idea wasn't enough. It required more attempts and observations to verify the idea's feasibility, then constant simulation in the mental world, until finally mastering a psychic technique.

In the midst of this relentless study, Qin Xa noticed that Angron was brooding, seemingly lost in sorrow.

Qin Xa happened to want a break, so he stopped his research, opened his eyes, and asked about Angron's state: "What's wrong?"

"Same as always." Angron stared at the ground, his voice low. "Ever since I've been around so many people, I keep feeling emotions and sensations that aren't mine."

"You need to learn to tame your talent," Qin Xa said.

Angron looked up, suddenly interested: "How do I do that? Can you help me?"

"I can, but not yet." Qin Xa nodded, then shook his head. "Because your talent belongs to you, and we've only known each other for a few days. I need to study your talent more before I can find a way to help you."

Angron nodded silently, looking a bit dejected.

"But I can teach you how to use your talent first." Qin Xa stood up, walked over to Angron, and reached out to tap the Primarch's head. "You can sense others' emotions. That doesn't mean you can read minds, but with this talent, you can create incredibly accurate psychological profiles of people."

Qin Xa turned and glanced at Kleist.

The female gladiator was lying on the ground, asleep.

"What kind of person do you think Kleist is?" Qin Xa asked.

"A bitch," Angron answered instinctively.

Noticing Qin Xa's expression, Angron shrugged: "What? When she came down from the arena and apologized to you, she said it herself."

"..." Qin Xa was silent for a few seconds, then sat down beside Angron, looking at Kleist.

He used his shallow knowledge of psychology and behavioral analysis to assess her.

"She's a very aggressive person, but that aggression is clearly tied to her environment."

"She's one of the few female gladiators here. To avoid certain troubles, she needs to come across as aggressive rather than someone who can be pushed around."

"She probably grew up in the arena. Her build and the scars on her body prove that. So her aggression isn't just for self-protection—it's also shaped by the people in her upbringing."

"But she's not a bad person. She can take a loss and admit defeat gracefully, apologizing openly. That kind of frankness likely came from some senior gladiator she respected."

"Of course, that frankness isn't entirely learned. Her own personality must align with it as well."

"I've noticed that during fights, she always keeps an eye on the others."

Qin Xa finished his analysis and made a final conclusion: "In short, I think she's the classic type—aggressive on the outside, but sensitive and caring on the inside."

After hearing this analysis, Angron had no idea how to verify it.

"Wait and see." Qin Xa patted Angron on the shoulder and whispered.

Just then, Kleist picked herself up off the ground, shot Qin Xa a glare, then looked at Angron and said, "A man with some learning sure knows how to talk. But sorry, no one can really tell what my inner character is like, so don't listen to him."

With that, Kleist turned and walked to the wall directly opposite, leaning against it to pretend to sleep.

Angron stared at Qin Xa in surprise.

When Kleist woke from her feigned sleep and refuted him, Angron sensed a mix of emotions from the female gladiator: anger, surprise, bewilderment, concealment...

So Kleist was lying. She'd been hit on the mark, at least for the most part.

"See?" Qin Xa spread his hands. "Your talent lets you perceive more than I can. Everyone has emotions when they act. By catching and analyzing those emotions, you can judge a person's heart. You can even do what I can't—directly determine whether someone is trustworthy or not."

Angron suddenly understood. "I see."

Qin Xa smiled and nodded. "Study your talent. Use it. You were born with the privilege of empathizing, connecting, earning trust and love. You also have the ability to love others born from that empathy. Don't lose your talent, and don't let it control you instead."

Some of these words were beyond Angron's grasp for now. He still needed education and growth—after all, he was probably only a few years old.

After committing these words to heart, Angron suddenly asked, "But I can't sense your emotions. How do you manage to produce none?"

"My emotions are rich, even stubborn. Someone once tried to turn me into a cold machine, but they failed." Qin Xa stood up and vigorously rubbed Angron's head, messing up his thick curls. "If you can't sense my emotions, it must be because you're not paying enough attention."

Watching Qin Xa return to his spot, sit cross-legged, and close his eyes, Angron smoothed down his tousled hair.

He felt that Qin Xa was a man of rich emotions, sometimes even prone to mischief.

Like messing up his hair.

But Angron still found himself unable to sense Qin Xa's emotions, no matter when.