Passing through the gate meant they had successfully escaped Zone 108.
They all breathed a sigh of relief.
But that didn't mean the danger was over.
Besides the dangers that awaited them in the Misty Forest, they also had to evade their pursuers.
Beyond the gate lay the Misty Forest.
Dense vegetation grew throughout the forest, and towering trees rose like pillars supporting heaven and earth.
White fog filled the air, and with night upon them, they couldn't see the path ahead at all.
Fortunately, Mengmeng was leading the way, allowing them to make steady progress.
"We finally got out!" Xu Chao looked back at the city gate and laughed. "Nobles, thanks for being so afraid of dying!"
"Where's my sister?" Qin Xun asked from Dazhuang's back.
"Don't worry, your sister is fine," Dazhuang replied.
"Where's my sister?" Qin Xun asked again.
"She's fine. They're waiting for us somewhere safe now."
"Didn't you say they were waiting just outside the city?"
"Yeah, they're outside the city, but a long way from it. We couldn't have them waiting for us in the Misty Forest, could we? They might run into vicious monsters or be found by the enemy!"
"Are you lying to me or not?"
"If I'm lying to you, you can have my head!" Dazhuang's voice was firm.
After Dazhuang spoke, Xu Chao added, "We already told you, if we can't get you and your sister back safely, we won't have the face to go back and see Brother Shui."
Mengmeng, who was running ahead, suddenly made a sharp turn and ran in another direction.
Qin Xun glanced in the direction they had been heading.
In the darkness, he saw pairs of green eyes floating in the dark.
At the same time, the sound of chains scraping suddenly rang out in his mind!
He was utterly astonished!
Nothing like this had ever happened before.
He had only ever heard the scraping chains in his dreams. Nothing like this had ever happened in reality!
The scraping continued to echo through his mind.
No matter how hard he tried to calm his mind, the sound wouldn't stop!
Gradually, the scraping grew more intense, like countless saws trying to cut his skull open!
Qin Xun clutched his head in agony, his whole skull feeling as if it were about to explode!
The pain grew stronger and stronger. Even though he could endure a gunshot wound, he couldn't endure this!
At last, the pain made him black out on Dazhuang's back!
In his dream.
It was that scene again.
Nine chains, glowing red-hot from the flames, danced in the darkness like nine living fire dragons.
The next second, all nine chains turned toward him!
As though they had reached some kind of understanding, they lunged at him!
Whoosh!
When he opened his eyes again, it was pain that had woken him.
Qin Xun opened his eyes in a daze, glanced at Xu Chao's hand pinching his gunshot wound, then looked away, utterly done with life.
He didn't want to say anything anymore.
Day had broken.
More precisely, it was dawn!
The fog in the Misty Forest was gradually dispersing, and waves of bone-piercing cold swept over them.
They were in a clearing, surrounded by dense woods.
"You're finally awake. We thought something had happened to you." Xu Chao let go of Qin Xun's arm.
"Where are we?"
"Still in the Misty Forest. Dazhuang and I really couldn't run anymore, and even Mengmeng was done in, so we stopped to rest."
Not far away, Mengmeng was sprawled on the ground, completely exhausted, with weariness written all over Mengmeng's face. Even sticking out a tongue took effort.
"Let's rest for ten minutes. The pursuers probably won't catch up for now." Xu Chao took out one of Mengmeng's biscuits and handed it to Qin Xun.
"Where exactly are my sister and the others?"
"Zone 96." Xu Chao gnawed on a biscuit too. "We agreed beforehand to have them wait for us in Zone 96. Once we found you and got out, we'd go meet them there."
"You really didn't lie to me?"
"At this point, you can only choose to believe us, can't you?"
Qin Xun fell silent.
He wasn't in the mood to eat, but he had to replenish his strength, so he had to eat even without an appetite.
Fortunately, Mengmeng's food really was good. The biscuit tasted great.
And the biscuit seemed different from ordinary biscuits.
After eating it, he could clearly feel his strength recovering rapidly.
As they rested, Qin Xun looked at Mengmeng, who had led them away from danger several times.
He couldn't help growing curious about Mengmeng's special ability.
And about Psionic Power users!
He looked at Xu Chao. "I heard you can become a Psionic Power user after you turn eighteen?"
"Yes, but not just anyone can become one."
Xu Chao took out two green fruits from who knew where, handing one to Dazhuang and the other to Qin Xun.
"What kind of person can become a Psionic Power user?"
"A Qi Gate appears inside everyone's body. Some people have one at birth, while others only get one after they turn eighteen. As long as you successfully open your Qi Gate, you can absorb Spiritual Qi to cultivate!" Xu Chao held nothing back and told Qin Xun directly.
Qin Xun could understand the general idea. "Then where did your special abilities come from? Do you get them as soon as you open your Qi Gate?"
"We got them through Spirit!"
"Spirit?"
"Right. Psionic Power users cultivate using Spiritual Qi. Once Spiritual Qi is absorbed into the body, it can be converted into Spiritual Power!"
"Spiritual Power is a wondrous thing. By using it, we can strengthen our bodies, speed, and strength."
"And it can take countless forms and merge with anything in the world. Whatever you can imagine, Spirit can do!"
"What exactly do you mean?" Qin Xun understood the part about Qi Gates, but when it came to Spirit, he could only understand the first half.
"Simply put, Spiritual Power can become anything, and it can also merge with anything. The key is how people control it!" Xu Chao pointed at Dazhuang. "Take Dazhuang, for example. His Spirit can turn into rock, while mine can merge with Mengmeng and give Mengmeng special abilities!"
Dazhuang explained, "To put it even more simply, we can use Spirit to create lots of special abilities. These abilities are called Psionic Powers! What kind of Psionic Power a Psionic Power user can create depends entirely on their own ability! For example, as long as you want to, you might be able to create the ability to turn Spirit into water!"
"Is Psionic Power easy to create?"
Xu Chao shook his head. "It's not that easy. Creating Psionic Power is tied to many factors, even a person's mindset and personality! For example, if you really like fire and your fixation is strong enough, you can turn Spirit into fire. You can even give that fire some special property, like making it flow like water! I like dogs. I've liked them since I was little, and Mengmeng likes me a lot too, so the Psionic Power I created has to do with Mengmeng! If I tried to create another Psionic Power, I probably wouldn't get the same result!"
Qin Xun slowly turned to Dazhuang and asked, "Do you really like dirt?"
"Pfft!" Xu Chao sprayed out a mouthful of chewed fruit and nearly choked to death.
Xu Chao wiped his mouth and explained, "Creating Psionic Power isn't necessarily tied to your mindset and personality. It's just that if you create a Psionic Power suited to them, you'll have a better chance of success, and the Psionic Power you create will be more perfect! For example, if you really want a pair of wings, as long as your fixation is strong enough and you work hard enough, you might be able to turn Spirit into wings! Got it?"
"So, as long as a Psionic Power user wants to, they can create lots of Psionic Powers?"
Qin Xun had never been this curious about Psionic Power users.
He had wondered about them before, too.
But in his impression, Psionic Power users were a special group that ordinary people couldn't come into contact with.
"In theory, yes, but in practice, there's no need. For a Psionic Power user, it's enough to perfectly create one or two Psionic Powers and develop them to their utmost limits!" Xu Chao slowly looked toward Mengmeng. "I'm still developing the Psionic Power Mengmeng and I share. I want to see if, one day, I can make Mengmeng transform!"
"Woo, woo!" Mengmeng seemed to understand Xu Chao and raised a head to howl twice.
"If you howl again, I'll take it as you signaling the enemy!" Xu Chao pointed at Mengmeng.
"Woo, woo..." Mengmeng's ears drooped, and a head settled on the ground.