Steadying the Mind

Holy moly, I can see other people's memories!

Chen Cang, his face pale with pain, was stunned beyond belief.

Could this be my "cheat"?

Then what's the price?

How do I trigger it?

How do I use it?

Are there limits?

One question spawned countless more.

Only when his vision went black, just before he passed out, did Chen Cang finally learn the price.

When Chen Cang woke again, he was lying in bed. The spacious dormitory was deserted, and everywhere he looked were crude beds resembling earthen sleeping platforms.

Who had dragged him back was unimportant. The scrape marks on his back said it all.

Compared to such trivial matters, figuring out that ability was far more important.

After all, it was the capital he would rely on to secure his future.

As everyone knew, the Dou Qi Continent faced no world-ending calamities or the like. Even when Hun Tiandi unleashed his catastrophe upon the Central Plains in the future, the northwest would barely be affected.

Thus, as long as he quietly lay low in the Northwest Continent, he would most likely survive.

Then again, it would have been one thing if his memories had never awakened. Now that they had, he possessed foreknowledge, at least to some extent.

Under those circumstances, Chen Cang was unwilling to spend his entire life muddling along.

Setting aside his stray thoughts, Chen Cang carefully examined the memories he had seen from Yang Xiong.

They were like a documentary, straightforward as a whole, running from Yang Xiong's birth to his breakthrough to Dou Zhe at eighteen, then stopping abruptly.

Clearly, the problem lay not with Yang Xiong, but with himself.

After careful consideration, Chen Cang guessed that it was very likely connected to the spiritual power commonly spoken of in this world.

Spiritual power, mental power, soul power, soul perception-the names differed, but they all referred to the same thing.

Perhaps his spiritual power was not yet sufficient to sustain him through Yang Xiong's entire life, causing the memories to cut out midway.

That would also explain the splitting headache and the unconsciousness that followed.

Perfectly reasonable!

"Assuming my guess is right, it won't be hard to verify. I just need to try it on someone else. But how do I trigger it?"

Recalling his sole experience, intense concentration seemed to be the only possibility.

With a rough answer in hand, anticipation immediately stirred within him.

Without hesitation, Chen Cang got up, tidied himself briefly, then went to the designated room to find something to eat. Only after filling his stomach did he head to the manor's open grounds.

The scene was unchanged, with each child busy pursuing their own quest to grow stronger.

With slightly excited steps, Chen Cang came to a relatively uncrowded spot and sat down. Then he forced himself to clear his mind, focusing all his attention on a boy exercising his body ten paces away.

He simply stared straight at him...

One second, two seconds...

One minute...

"Chen Cang, you're all right now? You passed out yesterday, drenched in sweat, and gave us all a fright. I was the one who carried you back afterward."

A voice suddenly sounded beside his ear, startling Chen Cang out of his absorption.

Turning his head, he saw that a rather stocky, dark-skinned boy had sat down beside him. Beneath the blazing midday sun, his face seemed to shine with pride.

Chen Cang did not remember the boy's name, but that did nothing to dampen his delight.

"Haha, thank you! I can tell at a glance you're a good guy."

The boy had no idea why he was suddenly so happy. Perhaps he was remembering how he had actually dragged Chen Cang back yesterday, or perhaps the praise made him uncomfortable. Either way, he did not know how to respond.

Fortunately, Chen Cang did not keep staring at him. Wearing a smile he could not hide, he let his thoughts wander far afield.

Paying little attention to the boy keeping him company, Chen Cang was very "busy" inside his head.

It really works!

After that simple test, Chen Cang confirmed that as long as he concentrated on observing a target, he could see their experiences!

More importantly, he seemed able to stop at any moment, rather than being forced to continue until he passed out like yesterday.

Through the fragments he had seen in his mind, Chen Cang learned that his second target was named Ke Xian.

Unlike his first observation of Yang Xiong, examining Ke Xian's experiences had not placed even the slightest strain on Chen Cang.

That had something to do with his stopping early.

At the same time, Chen Cang realized that it was closely tied to the target's strength-or, more precisely, their soul power.

Yang Xiong was somewhat stronger and placed greater strain on him. He had reached his limit upon seeing Yang Xiong break through to Dou Zhe.

Ke Xian, meanwhile, was weak and caused no strain at all. Chen Cang even felt that, given enough time, he could easily watch the boy's entire past.

Reality proved just as he had predicted. Over the next three days, Chen Cang used the ability to peer into the memories of some twenty people in the manor, even watching the complete life experiences of several boys.

Repeated attempts gave Chen Cang a more precise understanding of the ability. He also learned that he could selectively skip certain memories and view only fragments from a particular period.

This discovery was crucial, greatly reducing the strain of each examination.

"What can I do with this ability...?"

Having gradually mastered his "cheat," Chen Cang began considering practical questions.

Draw on my targets' experience and take millions upon millions of people as my teachers?

That was feasible. After digesting Yang Xiong's memories, Chen Cang felt that his current cultivation had become much smoother, and his mindset had improved tremendously.

He had also seen the cultivation method Yang Xiong practiced, Golden Lion Gang, though it was of no use to him just yet.

But what about once I reach Dou Zhe, or even higher realms?

Chen Cang drew a deep breath. It seemed he would never again have to worry about cultivation methods and combat skills!

Without a doubt, this was the greatest benefit!

On the Dou Qi Continent, the importance of Dou Techniques and cultivation methods was beyond question. Without suitable ones, no matter how talented someone was, they were destined to struggle to reach their full potential.

"If I use it well, it'll be like having an inexhaustible treasure trove of information. Still, some Dou Techniques can't be used freely even after I learn them. I'll have to keep them as trump cards."

That applied to exclusive signature techniques, such as the Wind Lightning Pavilion's Three Thousand Lightning Illusory Body or the Gu Clan's Emperor Seal Art. Even if outsiders obtained their training methods through a chance encounter, discovery would bring endless trouble.

But compared to the rewards, that little risk was hardly worth mentioning.

When death was almost upon him, who would have the luxury of worrying about such things?

"There's another benefit. With this ability, no one close to my strength will ever be able to deceive or trick me again."

A human lie detector could be no better than this.

Chen Cang's face brimmed with anticipation, and with it came even greater motivation.

The Dou Qi stage was still far too low. Only after condensing a Dou Qi Vortex, breaking through to Dou Zhe, and officially leaving this manor would he be a bird free to soar through boundless skies!

Only then could he put this ability to its fullest use.

As for now, there was only one thing to do...

Settle his mind, still his spirit, and keep cultivating diligently!