Psionic Power

Biodata

Power Progression

The documented early development of Qin Xun illustrates the distinction between opening a Qi Gate, learning to control Spirit, and developing a special ability.

Cultivation Mechanics

Qi Gates

• Appearance: Everyone develops a Qi Gate. Some have one at birth; others develop one only after turning eighteen 17.
• Opening: Possessing a Qi Gate does not guarantee that it can be opened. Some open spontaneously, as Qin Xun’s does 18 24.
• Location: Chen Qiao describes the initial Qi Gate as a vortex-like point in the lower abdomen 25.
• Functions: The Qi Gate stores unused Spirit, assists its control, and absorbs external Spiritual Qi for conversion into Spiritual Power 25.
• Death Gates: A Death Gate generally prevents someone from becoming a Psionic Power user. Xu Chao speculates that an ability capable of opening one might exist, but provides no confirmed example 18.

Realms and Advancement

• Psionic Power users are ranked across ten realms 21.
• Accumulating sufficient Spiritual Power causes another Qi Gate to appear, marking entry into the next realm 25.
• Users within the same realm can possess substantially different reserves. Chen Qiao and Xu Chao are both third-realm users, but Chen Qiao has considerably more Spirit 25.
• Realm alone does not determine combat performance. Dazhuang is more combat-capable than Xu Chao despite both being in the third realm 21.

Cultivation Practice

• Beginners are advised to cultivate seated in a quiet place and maintain full concentration 34.
• Experienced users can cultivate while exercising for better results, though movement makes distraction more likely 34.
• Xu Chao recommends twenty-minute cultivation sessions separated by ten-minute rests for beginners 34.

Creating Psionic Powers

Spirit Manipulation

• Spiritual Power can strengthen the body directly, take different forms, or merge with other things. The special abilities produced through its manipulation are called Psionic Powers 17.
• Opening a Qi Gate does not automatically grant a personalized ability. Chen Qiao advises Qin Xun to master Spirit control before attempting to create one, suggesting a year or two of practice 25.
• Another practitioner can assist with development: Chen Qiao’s master taught her Spirit control and helped her create her Psionic Power 26.

Personal Affinity and Specialization

• Ability creation depends on the user’s control, effort, fixation, and other personal factors 17.
• Personality and interests are not absolute requirements, but a compatible ability has a greater chance of success and can be more fully developed 17.
• Xu Chao gives hypothetical examples of Spirit becoming water, fire that flows like water, or wings. These illustrate possibilities rather than abilities he demonstrates 17.
• Although multiple powers are theoretically possible, Xu Chao recommends perfecting one or two rather than creating many 17.
• Existing powers can continue developing. Xu Chao hopes to advance his bond with Mengmeng until the dog can transform; this remains an ambition rather than a demonstrated result 17.

Abilities & Applications

Physical Enhancement

Spirit reinforces physique, speed, strength, and defense without requiring a separate personalized power 17 25.

• Xu Chao and Dazhuang run with barely audible footsteps despite moving at Qin Xun’s pace 6.
• The noble youth’s attacks become several times faster and stronger when he activates Spirit 27.
• Technical skill, experience, and a favorable ability matchup can overcome an opponent’s advantage in Spirit reserves 25 28.

Documented Special Powers

Qin Xun’s Chains

• Nine flaming chains emerge through a fiery ring, drag Ghost Wolves into a dark space, and petrify them. Qin Xun subsequently learns to direct the chains mentally 19 20.
• He can resize the ring and secretly practices controlling three chains 25.
• The chains can obtain Spiritual Power from monsters, as confirmed with a Snake Frog 39.
• Their classification remains uncertain to Qin Xun: he questions whether they count as his Psionic Power because he did not consciously create them 25.

Costs and Risks

• Spirit is not ordinarily consumed: Once incorporated into the body, it becomes part of the user. Using it instead places a physical burden on the operating Qi Gate 25.
• Prolonged use causes exhaustion: As fatigue increases, drawing on Spirit becomes harder and less of it remains accessible 25.
• Overuse can ruin a Qi Gate: Without its regulating function, Spirit can rampage through the body 25.
• Cultivation also costs stamina: It is less demanding than directly using Spirit, but still exhausts beginners 34.
• Distraction can be fatal: Losing concentration during cultivation can cause injury or uncontrolled Spiritual Power, with Xu Chao warning of a high likelihood of death in severe cases 34.
• Specialization matters: Xu Chao’s reconnaissance-focused power does not make him equivalent to a dedicated combat user in a direct fight 19 25.

Role in the World

• Military strength: Zone 108’s strongest Guard Team tier consists entirely of Psionic Power users. Even its weakest member can match a well-equipped squad from either ordinary tier 14.
• Private security: Psionic Power users serve as caravan security captains and noble bodyguards 21 27.
• Bounty hunting: Xu Chao states that almost all bounty hunters operating outside the zones are Psionic Power users 31.
• Resistance and repression: Users fight both for the anti-Demon resistance and for the Dark Pavilion, which takes orders directly from the Demon Clan 19 34 35.
• Personal protection: Becoming a user is widely desired in the Fallen Zone because it improves a person’s ability to protect themselves and their family 18.

History

The Holy Sword

Sixty years before the current events, the world’s nations jointly forged the Holy Sword. A special Psionic Power enabled eighteen ninth-realm users to sacrifice their bodies to it. A tenth-realm user from Great Xia then wielded the sword against the twelve Demon Kings, killing tens of thousands of enemies and gravely wounding eleven kings, but failing to defeat the Demon Clan 35.

Before dying, the wielder shattered the sword to prevent its capture and used all his Spirit to scatter its ten fragments across Great Xia. The fragments retain the Spirit of the eighteen ninth-realm users, making even a partially reforged sword potentially powerful. Both the resistance and the Demon Clan seek them 35.