What had originally been merely "Indifference," a way to conceal his presence and make others look right past him, now revealed even more possibilities in this Virtual World.
Namely, interference with consciousness.
In this state, the presence of anyone imbued with "Indifference" was completely concealed, and their consciousness was locked deep inside, leaving them with almost no awareness of the outside world.
They could see the scenes before their eyes and hear the sounds around them, but their brains wouldn't process any of it. It was as though their souls had been sealed away, leaving behind only their bodies.
This effect could probably be called... "a barrier to perception"?
Jiang Ci'an let his thoughts wander.
Before long, under the influence of "Indifference," Tang San's eyes turned vacant and lifeless. He stood there, motionless, utterly unconscious.
Jiang Ci'an's expression remained calm. He picked up paper and a brush from the table nearby and held them out to Tang San.
"Write down the entire Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record."
Tang San took the paper and brush, mechanically walked over to the table, sat down, and began to write.
His movements were smooth and natural, yet there was an indescribable stiffness to them, like a puppet pulled along by strings.
Jiang Ci'an hadn't completely sealed Tang San's consciousness. He had left some of it intact, allowing Tang San to retain the most basic ability to receive commands from the outside world.
In this state, Tang San would ignore anything illogical in a command, as well as any questions it raised. He would simply carry it out, mechanically and without thought.
Like the most loyal puppet.
The only slight drawback was that the target's reactions became somewhat sluggish in this state, and complex commands were difficult to understand. He could only follow relatively simple ones.
Jiang Ci'an watched Tang San writing furiously, lost in thought.
This effect was nowhere near as direct and efficient as abilities like "hypnosis" or "common sense alteration."
Hypnosis could implant commands directly, while common sense alteration could twist someone's perception outright.
By comparison, "Indifference" interfered with consciousness rather crudely. It was more like forcibly shutting it down while retaining only some useful information.
Still, "Indifference" suited his current situation better, and its functionality had expanded greatly in the Virtual World. It was well worth developing.
It was worth noting that after absorbing his first Soul Ring, he had gained a much deeper understanding of his Martial Soul.
He could more or less sense what Soul Skills he might obtain in the future. If he wanted to, he could indeed acquire a Soul Skill similar to common sense alteration with his second Soul Ring.
It was just that, compared with some other, far more overpowered Soul Skills, common sense alteration wasn't all that urgent anymore.
As Jiang Ci'an pondered, Tang San finished writing.
Jiang Ci'an took the stack of papers covered in tiny, fly-like characters and lowered his eyes to scan them.
The Mysterious Heaven Skill's general principles, its circulation paths, its precautions, as well as the Hundred Explanations of Hidden Weapons, the Purple Demon Eye, the Mysterious Jade Hand, the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track...
It was all in Jiang Ci'an's hands.
He casually imbued Yu Xiaogang, who was nearby, with a generous dose of "Indifference," then had him join Tang San in standing to the side, drooling and babbling, so he wouldn't wander around the room and disturb him.
Jiang Ci'an pulled out a chair and sat down, beginning to study the notes carefully.
Since some of the material only needed to be memorized, not understood, it didn't take Jiang Ci'an long to commit it all to memory.
After running through the Mysterious Heaven Skill's teachings once in his mind, Jiang Ci'an sat down on the spot and began trying to cultivate.
In this Virtual World, his body was exactly the same as his real one.
And dying here wouldn't affect reality at all. He was practically the perfect experimental subject, so he might as well put himself to the test.
Soul Power began to circulate through his meridians along the Mysterious Heaven Skill's prescribed path.
At first, it felt a little awkward, like a river trying to carve out a new channel.
But as Jiang Ci'an guided it again and again, that awkwardness gradually faded, and his Soul Power began flowing smoothly through his meridians.
His Soul Power had probably seemed unremarkable because of his Martial Soul.
But now, as it followed the Mysterious Heaven Skill's path, it gradually changed under the tempering of his meridians, becoming gentler and purer, like spring water strained through a filter.
Soul Power coursed through his body, bringing a faint warmth. His limbs and bones relaxed a little with it.
A short while later, Jiang Ci'an opened his eyes. He sensed the Soul Power circulating naturally through his body along the Mysterious Heaven Skill's path, and the corner of his mouth curled slightly upward.
He had successfully mastered the basics of the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
With that, the first step of his plan was complete.
Next came the second step.
Light shifted in Jiang Ci'an's pupils as he looked inward, observing how the Mysterious Heaven Skill circulated through his body.
As an internal cultivation method, the Mysterious Heaven Skill did strengthen the body to some extent, but it still fell short of his expectations.
What he wanted to do was build an external cultivation method on top of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, one that could enhance his physical strength, and have the two methods complement each other.
From the inside out, internal and external as one: use the Mysterious Heaven Skill's internal cultivation to drive the external method, then use the external method to nourish the internal one. Soul Power would strengthen the body, and a stronger body would in turn strengthen Soul Power, forming a complete, virtuous cycle.
In an ideal scenario, he could then step on his own feet, as it were, and raise his cultivation even faster!
Of course, achieving that in one go was impossible.
With his current comprehension and knowledge, he certainly couldn't create a cultivation method from scratch.
Creating a method required more than just time. It also took a deep understanding of the human body, sufficient study of cultivation methods, and a chance encounter with that rare flash of inspiration.
He couldn't acquire all of that in a short time.
But...
That didn't change the fact that his cost of trial and error was practically zero!
Ordinary cultivators either needed generation after generation to make mistakes, build experience, and eventually produce a finished method, or they needed an exceptionally gifted genius who could reach enlightenment and get it right in one go.
But in this Virtual World, Jiang Ci'an could try anything. Even if he trained himself to death, it wouldn't affect reality at all.
On top of that, "Perspective" let him observe the changes in his body in greater detail than anyone else. It would also make it easier for him to spot errors and fill in the gaps.
As for the pain caused by mistakes during cultivation, he could use "Indifference" to mask his sensations.
Together, the three let him experiment to his heart's content.
He could also use Tang San as a control subject.
Even if he resorted to exhaustive trial and error, testing things bit by bit, he was sure to discover plenty of useful things—even if he couldn't get everything right at once or create some world-shaking technique.
At the thought, Jiang Ci'an's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
But soon, he remembered something else. He raised his eyes, and his gaze easily passed through layer upon layer of walls and corridors, settling on Room Seven in the dormitory building in the distance.
There, a girl with scorpion braids was in her room. Under his "Perspective," her body's structure appeared slightly different from everyone else's.
Xiao Wu.
Jiang Ci'an watched her, thoughtful.
Though he couldn't take Xiao Wu's Soul Rings and Soul Bones out of the Virtual World, that didn't mean they were useless. Xiao Wu herself was worth developing.
Jiang Ci'an worked out the timing. In reality, they were probably nearing Shrek City, and there was still a little time. He could test his theory first.
With that thought, Jiang Ci'an stood up.
But after only a few steps toward the door, he remembered something else and turned to look at Tang San, whose eyes were vacant.
"You're coming too."
The command fell. Tang San remained dazed, but instinctively stepped forward and followed Jiang Ci'an.
He was ready to watch Jiang Ci'an develop Xiao Wu.
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