Mental Domain

Sis System answered Ming Jiu's questions one by one.

[The simplest way to understand it is that the Mental Domain is a person's spiritual world. Of course, it isn't psychological in nature, but an energy field that objectively exists within the human body.]

[Generally speaking, the broader the Mental Domain, the stronger one's mental power. In the world where the system was born, research into Mental Domains has already become highly developed, and systematic training methods and equipment have been established.]

[Incidentally, even in the system's world, not everyone possesses a Mental Domain and successfully activates it. The proportion of advanced lifeforms capable of activating their Mental Domains is one of the criteria used to determine a world's level.]

Ming Jiu clutched her head.

[Wait, wait.]

Let her process this for a moment.

What did it mean, one of the criteria for determining a world's level?

As if it had guessed what she wanted to say, the system bluntly pointed it out.

[That's right, Host. This is a Super Evolution.]

Fine. Ming Jiu accepted that answer.

"Evolution" was a rather grand topic. Since the system had told her about it, it probably would not hide anything from her. She should think about it later, when her brain was actually online.

The system continued.

[Host has merely discovered the existence of the Mental Domain ahead of time and has not truly activated it. Host is not yet an ability user and cannot use abilities.]

Ming Jiu asked, "But I can use mental power?"

[Yes. Host can now perform the most basic range sensing. This is also the starting skill of psychic ability users.]

[However, I advise Host not to casually use mental energy outside of this system and the unknown space. Host's body has not been strengthened, and excessively strong energy fluctuations will damage Host's bodily functions.]

Damage...

Ming Jiu turned those two words over in her mind.

Yeah, she definitely would not be stubborn about this.

[I understand.]

As long as she could use the system and the space, that was enough.

[Has Host sensed the unknown space?]

[I felt a little of it. Can't you scan it directly?]

[Once Host can perceive it proficiently, Host may grant me scanning authorization. I can only work after obtaining authorization.]

Ming Jiu took a deep breath. Just as she was about to keep trying, she heard a knock at the door.

Xiao Rong was awake.

Ming Jiu got up and washed her face in front of the mirror. Her chin was covered in blood that had seeped from her cracked lips.

Though she had already tidied herself up, Ming Rong's eyes still widened when she opened the door. The sight of her sister, alive but looking half-dead, gave her a fright.

She hurried forward, reaching for Ming Jiu's forehead, then pointed at her own face and asked in sign language.

Ming Jiu held her shoulders, signaling for her to calm down.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired."

Ming Rong signed: You need to sleep.

After signing for a while, Ming Rong took out her phone again, opened the notes app, and rapidly typed away.

[Sis, you need to rest. You barely slept on the plane yesterday!]

[Sleep! Right now!]

Ming Jiu actually wanted to shower first, but seeing Ming Rong carefully lift the covers, arrange the pillow according to her usual sleeping habits, then sit by the bed and anxiously pat the mattress with loud slaps, Ming Jiu decided she should lie down first.

At worst, she could have the hotel housekeeping change the bedding after she woke up.

Once Ming Jiu was settled in bed, Ming Rong held her phone up before her again.

[Sis, sleep easy. I'll watch over you.]

Ming Jiu nodded and closed her aching eyes.

Xiao Rong tucked the blanket around her, thoughtfully drew the curtains, then opened one of the disposable steam eye masks provided by the hotel and placed it over her eyes.

Ming Jiu had originally planned to keep trying to activate the space, but less than half a minute after lying down, boundless drowsiness overwhelmed her. After scheduling a wake-up call with the system, Ming Jiu fell asleep.

She had woken at nine yesterday morning, and it was now around one in the afternoon. For a full twenty-six hours, she had been under immense mental strain. She truly could not hold on any longer.

At five in the afternoon, Ming Jiu was woken on time by the system.

The curtains were tightly drawn, leaving the room dim. Ming Jiu turned over and saw Ming Rong lying on the other side of the bed, watching sign language lessons on a tablet.

The moment she saw her sister awake, she immediately offered a huge, sweet smile.

"Are you hungry? I'll change, then take you out for something delicious. After that, we'll go to the mall and buy some clothes."

Ming Rong silently cheered with both hands raised, then hopped off the bed and ran into the bedroom next door.

Ming Jiu climbed up and quickly freshened herself up. After sleeping, she felt much better. She planned to continue trying when they returned that evening.

The sisters had hot pot. Although the injury on Ming Jiu's mouth meant she could only eat from the clear broth, she still found it incredibly delicious.

The issue with the space had been resolved. At last, she could taste food again.

After dinner, they went shopping. On the way back, they dropped off their new clothes at the laundry. Once she returned to the hotel, Ming Jiu continued working hard.

At midnight, on the thirteenth day of the disaster countdown, Ming Jiu finally grasped that mysterious, indescribable feeling. The space appeared before her in its entirety, clear and complete.

A vast stretch of level grassland lay before her. At its far end rose a hillside, while a clear river divided the grassland in two.

Grassland!

This place could definitely be used for farming!

Ming Jiu suppressed her excitement and gave it a try. She could not enter, so she turned her gaze to the hotel pillow. The next second, the pillow vanished, and one appeared on the tender green grass within the space.

Ming Jiu hurriedly granted the system authorization.

[Quick, Sis System, scan it!]

[Scanning--]

While the system scanned, Ming Jiu did not sit idle. She got out of bed and drew a cup of hot water from the dispenser. The dispenser had an ice-making function, so she filled another cup with ice cubes and stored both cups in the space at the same time.

Quilt, bed, chair, sofa... She tested every movable object within reach.

The good news was that storing objects in the space did not consume much mental power. At least, after Ming Jiu had moved every furnishing in the room in and out, she did not feel anything.

Excellent. This was the foundation for emptying out Zuo Junhao's stockpile of supplies half a year in advance. Perfect!

The bad news was that the hot water placed on the grass cooled down, and the ice cubes showed obvious signs of melting. Her space did not have the system inventory's time-stop function.

The system came online again.

[Scan complete.]

[Tell me the basics?]

[The space covers 20,000 square kilometers. At present, Host can only use one percent of it.]

Ming Jiu did the math. Twenty thousand square kilometers—she remembered that B City covered 16,400 square kilometers. The space was larger than an entire B City.

Even one percent came to 200 square kilometers. Even if she could not unlock the rest, the area she currently had was enough.

[Sis System, did you find out where this space came from?]

[Preliminary conclusion: the space originated from an advanced cultivation civilization. The reason for its appearance is unknown.]

A cultivation civilization?

Ming Jiu's gaze shifted to the river—so could that be the legendary spiritual spring?

Cultivation civilizations really existed?! Did she still need to keep stubbornly pursuing supernatural abilities?

The system promptly poured cold water over her.

[There are no records of any civilization's inheritance within this space. Furthermore, the so-called "cultivation" civilization is merely a comparable description based on the culture of Host's world. It is not the true "cultivation" that Host imagines.]

Ming Jiu calmed down.

Fine. The situation was already better than she had expected.

[Test the water source in the space, Sis System?]

As she spoke, Ming Jiu picked up the cup of ice and walked into the bathroom. The ice cubes clattered into the sink. She tried to draw on the water from the river in the space, and in the blink of an eye, the empty cup in her hand was filled with clear water.

[Testing complete. This water source meets the highest drinking-water standards of Host's world and may be consumed directly.]

Ming Jiu's eyes lit up. Damn, she'd struck it rich!