Determining the Cause

Eight years ago, Ren Yisheng entered the seventh chapter of the Mental Strengthening Chapter, and his residence was destroyed.

Eight years later, Zhang Xuezhou followed almost exactly the same path as Ren Yisheng.

However, compared to the two, Zhang Xuezhou's destructive power was clearly stronger and greater.

This allows for a very intuitive comparison of the power difference between the two.

If Ren Yisheng hadn't been ahead of Zhang Xuezhou in terms of Mental Strengthening, Ren Yisheng would no longer be as good as Zhang Xuezhou at this point.

Ren Anran is right. Zhang Xuezhou lacks the ability to create his own works, but his speed in following others is unmatched.

If one's mindset is not right, it can make one feel like they've wasted their years, and may even lead to a breakdown of their spiritual resolve.

This situation isn't too hard to understand. If Changkong Luo had to work hard his whole life to reach the Seventh Sequence, while Changkong Shenguang, Changkong Weiguang, and others had already reached the Seventh Sequence in just ten years, and were even stronger than Changkong Luo, Ren Yisheng believed that Changkong Luo would find it hard to accept.

Having personally gone through this arduous journey, the feeling that others can pass by quickly undoubtedly undermines one's confidence.

Even Ren Yisheng felt a pang of regret, thinking that Zhang Xuezhou was pushing forward spiritual cultivation too quickly.

He and Ren Anran had only finalized the draft a few days ago, but on the very first day after Zhang Xuezhou regained consciousness, the other party had already completed the seventh chapter of the Mental Strengthening Chapter.

Of course, Ren Yisheng must admit that the process was a little bit thrilling.

This was no different from the perilous situation he had faced back then, and perhaps even more dangerous for Zhang Xuezhou.

He entered Chapter Seven of the Mental Strengthening Chapter by sheer luck, and Zhang Xuezhou was clearly also lucky; the chances of someone else doing the same are extremely low.

It is difficult for Ren Yisheng to pass on their experience to others, and Zhang Xuezhou could not possibly allow others to repeat this path of cultivation.

After many years of twists and turns, even with the emergence of a second person in Chapter Seven of the Mental Strengthening Chapter, it still hasn't been able to establish a popular and uplifting narrative.

Ren Yisheng felt that this path would block many people, not only those in the old mansion, but even Ren Anran might be among them.

Those who reach the top are ultimately a very small minority, making it difficult to ensure that everyone receives the benefits.

Ren Yisheng seemed to have some understanding from Zhang Xuezhou's repetition, and his previous obsession with finding a normal and accessible path to inherit the seventh chapter of the Mental Strengthening Chapter was gone.

"Committee Member Zuo, it's so great to see you! I feel like I've been having such bad luck lately. Could you perhaps..."

"No, it's all gone!"

Don't be stingy!

"I'm not stingy at all. Zuo Teng took five items to Qin Meng, and you ruined three of them. Add to that the few we used before, and I'm out of stock!"

"Really no stock left?"

"Really, no, otherwise I wouldn't be so unlucky as to end up in the hospital with you!"

Ren Yisheng was still able to stand and engage in some independent thinking, while the others could only lie there.

Those who need to feel pain should feel pain, and those who need to cry out should cry out.

Because Zuo Quan was at the research institute, Zhang Xuezhou and others did not demonstrate the Supreme Purity True Technique, which allowed for the rapid healing of injuries.

Even at this moment, Zhang Xuezhou was still enduring the pain and entangled with Zuo Quan.

Ren Yisheng didn't need to think to know that Zhang Xuezhou's behavior was to cover things up and try to lower Zuo Quan's guard as much as possible.

He understood this mentality all too well, and Ren Yisheng even wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with Zuo Quan.

But it's one thing for Ren Yisheng to know the situation, and quite another to need him to resolve the problem as harmoniously as Zhang Xuezhou.

It's as if the two are on par with the level of Mental Strengthening Chapter, and a dividing line is drawn here.

Ren Yisheng was a proponent of theory, while Zhang Xuezhou combined theory with practical ability, and his pseudo-psychology and personality were almost perfectly integrated, making it difficult for others to see through his facade.

"The car is here. Let's get Committee Member Zuo on board first. In case of any serious injuries that are difficult to heal, I will take Gao Tingsheng to the Jishi Medical Center," Ren Yisheng said.

"I don't want to see Gao Tingsheng. I don't need him with my injuries. Leave Gao Tingsheng with someone else!"

Zuo Quan muttered something, then pointed to the half-cut wires still remaining on his body, as well as several areas with bandages used for emergency treatment to stop the bleeding from his cuts, indicating that he didn't need Gao Tingsheng's help for his superficial injuries.

But Zuo Quan couldn't help feeling a sense of unease.

When he experienced the accident, he felt as if he had been instantly struck by an indescribable, terrifying force.

If it weren't for his decent strength and the fact that he was protected by luck, Zuo Quan felt he would probably have already given up, and the Zuo Quan who was possessed would have become an idiot as well.

Even if he survives, the aftereffects are not just the visible physical injuries, but also internal traumas that require repair to fully recover.

"It's absolutely terrible!"

Only after Ren Yisheng agreed did Zuo Quan mutter a word to himself.

Zhang Xuezhou was then pushed into the ambulance after Zuo Quan.

"Committee Member Zhang, how could this perfectly good place suddenly explode? You really didn't put explosives in the room?" Zuo Quan asked.

"Who would put explosives in their room while sleeping?" Zhang Xuezhou quipped. "Do you think I'm that kind of person who wants to die?"

"How did this room suddenly explode?!"

"There were no explosives in the room," Zhang Xuezhou confirmed several times before adding, "But your mention of explosives reminds me of something!"

"What's up?"

"A very strange thing happened at our research institute a month ago," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Oh?"

"All fourteen monitoring devices installed in our institute were damaged on the same day, and all of them had malfunctions in their optical components. This incident is very likely related to the explosion in our rest room," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Right?"

"This needs to be thoroughly investigated. We need to find out if it was caused by someone. Maybe someone tampered with our surveillance system or planted explosives in my room."

"That's unlikely, isn't it?" Zuo Quan said. "The area around North Rehe is very orderly, and you don't have any enemies. It's impossible for someone to use explosives to blow you up!"

"If no one tries to blow me up with explosives, it's probably because our research institute is too old and there might be some issues with the circuit layout or other aspects," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"I think there might be some deficiencies in the wiring at your research institute. Perhaps the explosion was caused by overloading the X432 instrument!"

Zuo Quan asked several questions in succession. When Zhang Xuezhou suggested investigating the events of a month ago, Zuo Quan felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that the explosion might have some connection to their past.

He damaged many of the surveillance cameras at the B13 Research Institute, and Zhang Xuezhou and others subsequently replaced them with new ones.

The difference in power between the old and new monitors had little impact, but Zhang Xuezhou installed an X432 medical instrument in the lounge, and this high-powered instrument may have caused some problems.

After Zhang Xuezhou brought up old grievances, Zuo Quan felt that the inexplicable explosion had a plausible explanation. He also tried his best to clear himself of suspicion, lest some inconspicuous device secretly film their movements at the time.

"Could it be that I created too many lucky charms, causing a backlash and triggering a series of misfortunes?"

Judging others by their own standards is not the same as judging oneself. Zuo Quan couldn't even assess his own situation, while his colleagues had already been turned into specimens, making it difficult to offer any reference.

He replied to Zhang Xuezhou, but in his heart he couldn't help but wonder if his recent misfortunes with Zuo Luo were related to this.

"But I clearly struggled to reach the fourth-star level, which is why I crafted the excess materials into artifacts. Could it be... could it be that the recent construction at the Eastern Mountain Imperial Mausoleum has caused this trouble?"

After examining the reasons for Zhang Xuezhou and others, Zuo Quan then looked for the reasons within himself.

After completing the investigation, Zuo Quan finally concluded that the renovation of the Dongshan Imperial Mausoleum had caused some unpredictable changes.

He didn't benefit, Zuo Luo didn't benefit either, and Zhang Xuezhou, as the instigator, was almost killed because of it.

Things seemed to make sense now, but turning things back was a difficult task.

This matter was beyond Zuo Quan's control, and even Zhang Xuezhou, the director of the Dongshan Imperial Mausoleum Management Office, could not reverse it.