Uses of Talent

After witnessing the traces left by the slaughter of the Plebeian Butchers gradually vanish, the Gladiators scattered throughout the cave to rest.

With his eyes closed, Qin Xa once again explored his psychic talent.

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

Previously, he had been unable to confirm this. First, neither the White Scars nor the Grey Knights had given him formal training or helped him deeply explore his own abilities. Second, every time he used psychic power, he felt as though something was "leaking away."

But after that journey into the Immaterium, Qin Xa could confidently explore his potential.

This included new psychic techniques, as well as a more "freeform" way of using psychic power.

Using separated rock walls to bury Caesar and carving Triumph Cord onto Angron with heat were both explorations and results of this "freeform" method of psychic power.

The ultimate purpose of this "freeform" use of psychic power was to achieve the literal meaning of "wishing makes it so" and "words becoming law."

Without following any particular method of wielding psychic power or spending a long time preparing, he could directly use its reality-warping properties to accomplish things that material means found difficult or even impossible.

Transcending the mundane and entering the sacred.

Mind over matter.

Matter influenced by the mind.

"I wasn't a believer in idealism before."

That sentence suddenly popped into Qin Xa's mind.

It interrupted his research into his own potential, forcing him to shift his attention to this new psychological dilemma.

Qin Xa felt that his Destiny was rather dramatic.

He had once been a technical researcher who changed his own Destiny—and the Destinies of many others—through technology and knowledge.

Now, he had become a user of idealistic power.

Should he completely abandon the path of studying material technology and knowledge, devoting himself to psychic power? Or should he use psychic power only as an aid, with technology remaining his focus?

Qin Xa sank into troubled contemplation.

In the end, he suddenly felt there was no need to think about this question at all.

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

"I'll take both."

Qin Xa thought.

He would use the advantages of psychic power to support his study and research of technology—technology in one hand, psychic power in the other.

Just like the Divine Lord of Latveria, Doctor Doom, who held magic in one hand and technology in the other.

A master of all trades.

Qin Xa no longer dwelled on it and turned his attention back to business.

He began trying to use psychic power to permeate the reality around him and observe the changes it caused.

Though he sat there in person, his eyes had already left his body, viewing the most minute changes psychic power brought to reality from a wholly new perspective unlike a material one.

Through those changes and further experiments, he explored other methods and effects of warping reality.

His previous ability to twist someone's head one hundred and eighty degrees had been developed through this kind of research.

The principle was to make a force appear from nowhere and apply it to the target, controlling it as he wished until the neck was twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, as though someone had physically bent it that way.

The same principle could be used for other things, such as taking objects from afar or pushing and pulling things at a distance.

But knowing the principle and coming up with an idea was not enough. He needed more experimentation and observation to verify whether the idea was feasible, then constant simulations in his mental world, before he could finally master a method of using psychic power.

During this continuous research, Qin Xa noticed that Angron was deep in thought and seemed sorrowful as well.

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

"Same as always." Angron looked at the ground and spoke in a low voice. "Ever since I started staying with so many people, I've constantly been able to feel emotions and sensations that aren't mine."

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

Angron raised his head, instantly interested. "How do I do that? Can you help me?"

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

Angron silently nodded, looking somewhat disappointed.

"But I can first teach you how to use your talent." Qin Xa rose and walked over to Angron, reaching out to tap the primarch's head. "You can sense other people's emotions. While that doesn't mean you can read minds, you can use that talent to create an extraordinarily accurate psychological profile of others."

Qin Xa turned and glanced at Kleist.

The female Gladiator was lying facedown on the ground, asleep.

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

"A bitch," Angron answered without thinking.

Seeing that Qin Xa's expression was off, Angron shrugged. "What? When she apologized to you after coming down from the Arena, that was what she called herself."

"..."

Qin Xa fell silent for several seconds, then sat beside Angron and looked at Kleist.

Drawing upon his limited knowledge of psychology and behavioral analysis, Qin Xa began analyzing Kleist.

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

"She is one of the few female Gladiators here. To avoid certain troubles, she needs to appear highly aggressive rather than letting others bully her."

"She likely grew up in the Arena. Her build and the scars on her body prove it. So, her aggression was not born solely from self-protection; it was also influenced by the people around her while she was growing up."

"But she isn't a hateful person. She can accept both victory and defeat, and she can openly concede and apologize. That forthrightness was probably learned from some senior Gladiator she considered important."

"Of course, that forthrightness could not have come entirely from learning. Her own personality must also be compatible with that openness and generosity."

"I noticed that she always paid attention to everyone else's condition during battle."

After analyzing her for a while, Qin Xa finally concluded, "In short, I think she's the classic type: aggressive on the outside, yet sensitive inside and deeply concerned about others."

After hearing this analysis, Angron did not know how to verify it.

"Just wait for proof." Qin Xa patted Angron on the shoulder and quietly reminded him.

At that moment, Kleist climbed off the ground, shot Qin Xa a glare over her shoulder, then looked at Angron. "People with learning sure know how to talk. But sorry, nobody can actually tell what my inner personality is like, so don't listen to him."

After saying that, Kleist turned and walked toward the wall opposite them, leaning against it and continuing to pretend to sleep.

Angron stared at Qin Xa in surprise.

When Kleist woke from her fake sleep and refuted him, Angron sensed many emotions from the female Gladiator: anger, surprise, confusion, concealment...

So Kleist was lying. Qin Xa had hit the mark—at least for the most part.

"See?" Qin Xa spread his hands. "Your talent allows you to notice more than I can. Everyone has emotions when they act, and by catching and analyzing those emotions, you can judge what lies in a person's heart. You can even do something I cannot: directly determine whether someone can be trusted."

Angron suddenly understood. "So that's how it is."

Qin Xa smiled and nodded. "Study your talent. Use your talent. You were born with the privilege of empathizing and connecting with others, gaining their trust and love. You also possess the ability to love others through empathy. Don't lose your talent, and don't let your talent control you in turn."

Some of what Qin Xa said was still beyond Angron's understanding. He needed education and time to grow, after all; he was probably only a few years old now.

After taking those words to heart, Angron suddenly asked, "But I can't sense your emotions. How do you avoid having emotions?"

"My emotions are abundant—stubborn, even. Someone once tried to turn me into a cold machine, but they all failed." Qin Xa stood up and vigorously ruffled Angron's head with both hands, messing up his thick curls. "If you can't sense my emotions, you must not be paying attention."

After watching Qin Xa return to his previous spot, sit cross-legged, and close his eyes, Angron smoothed down his rumpled hair.

He felt that Qin Xa was a person with rich emotions and, at times, even someone who liked playing pranks.

For instance, messing up his hair.

Yet Angron still found that he could not sense Qin Xa's emotions, no matter when he tried.