Qi Ze remembered a conversation he once had with his father.
His father asked, "In the cultivation world, what kind of person is the most remarkable?"
Qi Ze answered, "Those who ascend to the heavens."
His father shook his head and laughed, "Wrong. It's the pioneers. In ancient times, there were no inherited cultivation techniques. It was the pioneers who had to grope their way forward, and thus the 3,000 sects of the Qianyuan Continent gradually emerged, as did countless ascenders. What is the path to enlightenment? That's the true path to enlightenment, and we can at best only be considered as following in the footsteps of our predecessors. We don't really achieve anything substantial."
Years had passed, but Qi Ze still remembered that conversation, striving to forge his own path. However, in the Black Eye Galaxy, someone had gotten ahead of him. He didn't feel threatened, but rather a subtle excitement. He wondered how far Mu Ran could go, a sentiment akin to the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent.
But Yan Junyu clearly didn't think in the same way. With a grave expression, he asked, "What's a spiritual consciousness? Is it this metal wire that caused issues with my mech?"
"I'll first see what this spiritual consciousness does, and I'll explain later." Qi Ze channeled his own spiritual consciousness into the metal wire, indeed encountering an attack. In their clash, Mu Ran's consciousness retreated first, slowly dissipating. Half a second later, the metal wire had become a regular material, devoid of the previous vitality.
A spiritual consciousness could replace the function of spirit speech, while spirit speech remained spirit speech, unaltered in nature. Spirit speech wouldn't resist or dissipate when invaded by spiritual consciousness. However, spiritual consciousness had exclusivity. Not only did it autonomously attack, it would also actively decompose when at a disadvantage to avoid being traced back to the original body.
Qi Ze could now affirm that this spiritual consciousness was the same energy as what he knew of spiritual consciousness. It wasn't a fluke that Mu Ran had stumbled upon. Fortunately, Qi Ze had a habit of setting up defensive formations around his crafting area. Otherwise, with this spiritual consciousness's perception, Mu Ran could have spied on his every move and word.
Qi Ze could only ever spy on others, never expecting that after spending all day hunting birds, he'd nearly been pecked in the eye. Pinching the metal wire, he chuckled softly, "Impressive! They say Mu Ran is a genius that comes around once a century. I believe it now!"
Yan Junyu grasped the other end of the metal wire, examining it from every angle without discovering anything unusual. He couldn't help but ask, "What exactly did you find?"
Qi Ze collected his thoughts and slowly said, "Let me put it this way. Your mental power can help you enter virtual networks or control mechs. It's an intangible thing, but spiritual consciousness can be both intangible and corporeal, it's an upgraded version of mental power. For example, if I want a screw, but it's too far away and I'm feeling lazy, my spiritual consciousness can transform into a hand to fetch it for me."
He opened his palm, catching a screw that flew from somewhere, a sight that left Yan Junyu speechless.
"Of course, spiritual consciousness isn't limited to just that. It's a part of the soul. Since it's so fine, the original body isn't harmed when it leaves the body, but it possesses the soul's perception. In other words, it can observe the words and deeds of whoever it's attached to. If it's attached to an inanimate object, it can replace the object itself, becoming the dominant force. We often refer to this as spirit attachment."
The phrase "endowing lifeless objects with spirit" stems from the application of spiritual consciousness. The earliest weapon crafters nurtured their weapons with the power of their souls. Later, they discovered that sending out too much spiritual consciousness could jeopardize the body, so they gradually created spirit speech and formations to replace its function.
"Spiritual consciousness is a level of attainment. Without a profound understanding, you absolutely can't utilize it freely." With a sigh, Qi Ze said, "That's why I said Mu Ran is a genius, a real genius."
However, Yan Junyu felt no admiration, only a chill creeping up his spine. With a grave voice, he said, "In other words, Mu Ran can take over my mech at will with this spiritual consciousness? This T3, to put it nicely, is custom-made for me, but in reality, it's just one of his puppets?"
"It's more like a half-finished puppet." Qi Ze picked up a piece of paper, thinking aloud, "If I can find a few more spiritual consciousnesses and gather more characters, I should be able to interpret his intentions. The operation of spiritual consciousness is like a computer program, with a certain form. There are types of spiritual consciousness for spying, types for control, and types for attacking. They are all different. Without a reference point, I can't be sure what Mu Ran wants to do to you. In fact, spiritual consciousness also has a protective function, my father used to..."
Qi Ze suddenly realized something and hurriedly stopped talking.
Yan Junyu looked at him intently. "You can also use spiritual consciousness freely, right?"
Qi Ze hurriedly denied it. "Don't lump me together with Mu Ran. Unless my life is threatened, I would never inject my own spiritual consciousness into a spirit weapon I'm making for others, especially not for those who pay me specifically to craft it. That's the most basic professional integrity."
"So, it's all about the money?" Yan Junyu countered.
"Right, those who pay are the customers." Qi Ze nodded seriously.
The gloom in Yan Junyu's heart dissipated significantly, and he couldn't help but smile. He never would have thought that Mu Ran had been plotting against him for so long. If Qi Ze hadn't found the problem, had he been under Mu Ran's observation and control the entire time?
"I think I understand. This spiritual consciousness is like a surveillance camera, able to monitor my every move at any time. So when I'm in danger, its owner would know, right?" He had to ask in more detail.
"Yes, they would know."
Yan Junyu was silent for a long time, his face devoid of expression, but a cold light shone in his eyes. In a life-or-death situation, his mech suddenly malfunctioned. What did that mean? Was it possible that in that instant, Mu Ran's spiritual consciousness had taken control of the mech, intentionally exposing him to danger?
It was all speculation without any basis, even the term "spiritual consciousness" was just Qi Ze's one-sided statement, but he didn't doubt its truth. His intuition told him: Qi Ze was more trustworthy than Mu Ran.
"Is that spiritual consciousness still there?" He was preparing to use this opportunity to probe Mu Ran.
Qi Ze shook his head regretfully. "It's not."
"In that case, forget it." Yan Junyu, seemingly recalling something, said gravely, "Through this spiritual consciousness, Mu Ran should have learned everything that just happened. To cover up his secrets, he might try to kill you. Stay in your dorm for these few days. I'll send someone to guard you 24/7. I need to go home and discuss this with my grandfather. If Mu Ran had mastered this technology long ago, this T3 wouldn't be a singular case. Those who have received mechs crafted by his hand are people with real power. Through them, how much confidential information could Mu Ran have obtained? Taking it a step further, if he has malicious intentions, he could indirectly kill them through the mechs, causing chaos in the empire."
The matter was too significant, and Yan Junyu couldn't stay a moment longer. He ruffled the youngster's hair and instructed him to stay safe, then prepared to leave.
Qi Ze touched his nose tip and said honestly, "Actually, I set up a barrier around my workshop. A barrier is like an energy membrane, it can block outside attacks and also isolate everything inside from the outside world. In other words, Mu Ran doesn't know we discovered his secret. A spiritual consciousness can dissipate under external forces, like explosions or fire. You can stage an accident to destroy these parts. He might not completely dispel his suspicions, but he won't rush to take countermeasures. You have the advantage of being in the dark, and there's enough time to prepare."
Hearing this, Yan Junyu visibly relaxed a lot. After a moment of thought, he said, "Okay, I'll handle this. But for the time being, you'd better stay by my side, just in case."
"Okay." Qi Ze hesitated.
Yan Junyu added with a smile, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone else about your abilities before you completely trust me. I also believe you won't harm me. If you're not reassured, you can leave a trace of spiritual consciousness on me."
"No need." Qi Ze hurriedly shook his head. Even someone as strong as Yan Junyu had a certain intuition. Even if his memory was sealed, he would naturally have a favorable impression of his savior. This was a natural instinct of paying off karma or avoiding it, a sign of touching the path of heaven. So Qi Ze trusted Yan Junyu, he just had some reservations about his family.
"Really no need?" Yan Junyu felt a little disappointed inside, emphasizing, "Actually, I don't mind being surveilled by you at all."
"Really no need." Qi Ze, while tidying up the tools, asked, "How do you plan to handle the aftermath? By blowing up the workshop?"
"You'll find out tomorrow. Go back to sleep." Yan Junyu ruffled the youngster's head.
The next day, Qi Ze understood the way Yan Junyu handled the situation. He publicly announced that his mental power and abilities had both broken through to 4S. Upon hearing the news, the world was stunned. Old Man Yan immediately called him back, saying they needed to convene a family meeting. Mu Ran also hurried over to inquire about the news.
He seemed to have already sensed the destruction of his spiritual consciousness. Although his smile was as gentle as ever, his gaze was somewhat scattered.
"How did you suddenly break through to 4S? You never mentioned it!" a special person who had come to congratulate him asked.
"In fact, there had always been signs, but I only broke through the bottleneck recently. You all know about the sudden malfunction of my T3. Last night, I tried to open the operating system, but my mental power burned out the circuitry the moment it entered. That's how I figured it out." Yan Junyu took these people to the top floor, showing them a pile of circuits burnt to a crisp.
Li Ziqian said with a smile, "It takes 2S-level mental power to activate the T3, and 3S can also handle it, but to burn the control panel to this extent, it's probably only possible with 4S mental power."
Mu Ran squatted down to inspect the circuits. Just as he picked up a metal wire, he felt a surge of powerful mental power coming towards him. Startled, he hurriedly threw the metal wire away, his doubts diminishing significantly. If not for the appearance of another mental power mutant in the capital, he wouldn't have to go to great lengths to remove this metal wire, because its uniqueness ensured that his secret wouldn't be discovered.
In truth, he found it hard to maintain a peaceful mindset now. The fear of being suppressed far outweighed the blow of his family's destruction. He had always thought of himself as unique, a pioneer of the era, but reality told him that someone had been far ahead of him.
This massive psychological gap threw him into a panic, nearly causing him to make a foolish move that would expose himself.
Yan Junyu appeared to chat with his friends, but he was actually secretly observing Mu Ran's every move. Seeing him pick up a metal wire and seemingly throw it away unintentionally, he confirmed his previous suspicions. This T3 was indeed Mu Ran's puppet, so what was his connection to Yan Junyu's misfortune?
He didn't sleep all night, memories of growing up with Mu Ran swirling in his mind. They had once been so sincere, close, and trusting, but now, everything was destroyed. He had felt ashamed of his grandfather's act of kicking the ladder away after crossing, but now, it seemed like a joke.
Yan Junyu had received this T3 three years ago, which meant that even back then, Mu Ran had prepared to control, or even eliminate him. But why? Did he pose a threat to Mu Ran? If he died, what benefits would Mu Ran gain? Yan Junyu puzzled over it, tossing and turning all night.
After entertaining the guests and being invited to the palace by the royal family for a public test, confirming that the news wasn't false, Yan Junyu finally found time to go home.
"How did you suddenly break through to 4S?" Old Man Yan rubbed his bald head, laughing so much his eyes couldn't be seen.
"After being found after my disappearance, I felt a sign of advancement. I replaced sleep with meditation every night, naturally breaking through the bottleneck." Yan Junyu concealed some of the truth. The meditation he spoke of wasn't just closing his eyes and emptying his thoughts, but a more effective and peculiar cultivation method, especially evident in the growth of mental power.
Every night, he would sit cross-legged, hands hovering in the air, drawing elemental energy into his body, the movements so proficient they seemed instinctive. He speculated that during the two months of lost memory, he had been cultivating in this way, otherwise, he wouldn't have turned it into an instinct.
"This is truly turning misfortune into blessing!" Old Man Yan said, slapping the table, "I originally planned to send you to the frontline for a few years before entrusting the army to you. Looking at it now, I can retire early. Even without top military merit, with your 4S strength, you can still stand firm in the military."
Yan Junyu thought of Li Ziqian's dozens of military merit badges hanging on his chest and Qi Ze's admiring gaze. He immediately refused, "Grandfather, you should still let me train for a few years and accumulate some military merit."
"Good, my grandson is indeed capable." Old Man Yan was even happier.
Yan Junyu chose his words carefully and continued, "Grandfather, when I broke through last night, I happened to have my hand on the T3's control panel, sensing a trace of someone else's mental power inside. What's the situation here? If someone's mental power is powerful enough, can they attach it to the mech's control system and take over the mech through it? Could that be why the T3 suddenly stopped functioning?"
Old Man Yan immediately caught on. "You're saying someone used their mental power to hack into your mech, trying to assassinate you? Who? Mu Ran?"
"Is there a possibility?" Yan Junyu tried to lead him.
"No possibility. The main control program and mental power are completely different things, they have nothing to do with each other! A person with powerful mental power can influence the emotions of people around them, even invade someone else's brain, but they cannot invade a machine. Machines are lifeless, you understand that, right?"
"Can't the lifeless be attached with mental power?" Yan Junyu persisted.
"No. You're a 4S special person, which means your mental power has also reached 4S. Attach it to something and show me." Old Man Yan threw the screwdriver in his shirt pocket over, gesturing for his nephew to demonstrate.
Yan Junyu caught the screwdriver, his expression turning extremely grim. He gradually realized that without exposing Qi Ze, he had no way to convince his family. Endowing lifeless objects with spirit was akin to a fairy tale to them.
"Telling the clan members not to touch the mechs personally crafted by Mu Ran," was all he could advise.
"Do you think the mechs personally crafted by Mu Ran are cheap? In the entire empire, only you and the Fifth Prince have one each. Forget it, don't bother with that. Mu Ran is now like a rootless reed, unable to withstand any storm. If not to save his life, he wouldn't dare to reveal his mental power level because he knows how wary the royal family and the Senate are of the Mu family. If he behaves, it's fine, but once he shows any resentment, the royal family would rather destroy him than let him escape the empire alive."
"Anyway, you should all be on high alert. Second Uncle, your research institute should not let Mu Ran in." Yan Junyu spoke solemnly.
"My research institute is divided into inner and outer layers. The outer layer contains only harmless decorations, while the inner layer has access only for me." Yan Zhongkui said with a laugh, "Do I need a reminder from you? You've already brought him into your own team, and I heard you even let him touch your mech?"
Old Man Yan immediately backed him up, "Junyu, for this point, your grandfather has to criticize you. Childhood friendships are one thing, but when you grow up, who doesn't have a bit of self-interest? You also know that your grandfather I..." He coughed and said evasively, "took a little from the Mu family, Mu Ran doesn't know how much he hates me. You shouldn't get too close to him to avoid being targeted. Look, you threw a mech worth tens of millions to Qi Ze to dismantle for fun, and I didn't say anything."
"You're saying it now?" Wasn't Yan Junyu aware of his grandfather's nature?
Old Man Yan naturally picked up, "Dismantling for fun is okay, but replace it with a cheaper mech. Look, these are the mechs our military has discarded. You can send a few back for him to dismantle another day, and don't waste any more money." As he spoke, he sent a list to his grandson.
Yan Junyu was a little helpless but still accepted the list, clarifying, "Keeping Mu Ran under watch is better than letting him wander alone. At least I can always keep track of his movements. Grandfather, Second Uncle, I know when to be soft-hearted and when to handle things professionally. You don't have to worry. In short, never underestimate Mu Ran."
"Okay, okay, we understand. Go on, the family banquet is about to start, you should make an appearance downstairs." Old Man Yan stood up, laughing with great spirit. Although he had an incompetent son, his grandson was more capable than anyone else. This time, he really earned some face!
At the same time, Li Ziqian was handing an Interspatial Button to Qi Ze. "These are the energy stones and demon seeds, Master, please check them. If they're not up to standard, I'll have someone find more."
Meng Kui stood at the door, preventing anyone from eavesdropping. He was completely unaware that the bedroom was already surrounded by a defensive formation.
"You really found the R-type minerals?" Qi Ze raised his eyebrows and asked, "How did you get past security?"
"I didn't actually go through security, the pirates delivered it. Wrapped inside and out with ten layers of super alloy, it can ensure that the radiation won't penetrate for thirty days." Li Ziqian looked at the date and smiled, "There are still twenty-one days left."
Qi Ze took out the large super alloy safe, his tone filled with dissatisfaction. "Really stupid. I've told you repeatedly, black crystals can completely isolate radiation contamination. Why didn't you ask me to customize a black crystal box? I originally planned to give you an 80% discount."
Li Ziqian, "...". The Master really didn't miss any opportunity to make money. This time, he learned his lesson, and next time, he would definitely improve.
"I didn't think of that layer. I haven't been out in a long time, my brain has rusted. Master, since this box is so useful, how about you make a few more for me. Maybe I'll need them in the future. The reason I used such a complicated method to bring in the R-type minerals was just to show Master the strength of our Li family. Whatever you want, no matter how rare, we Li family can get it for you."
This flattery was neither too light nor too heavy, just right. Qi Ze was instantly satisfied, the corners of his mouth curling up a bit, showing a smile.
Li Ziqian hurriedly held his forehead to suppress his laughter. He had always thought the Master was an old monster in a young body, but now, he seemed to be a genuine young sprout.
"Okay then, I'll find time to make a few black crystal boxes for you, still at an 80% discount. I won't take advantage of you either. If you can bring me something that catches my eye, I'll help you craft a spirit weapon as an extra. You can specify your requirements." Qi Ze put the safe away and took out an energy stone to examine.
Li Ziqian openly laughed this time. The Master's temper wasn't as peculiar as he thought, fair transactions and equal exchanges were far better than the high-minded mech manufacturers outside the door.
"Are these energy stones up to standard?" He asked.
"Actually, energy stones of any grade can be used, it's just that the lowest grade is the most cost-effective, saving money." Qi Ze said honestly, "The separated black crystals will be for your use, and the white crystals will be for my own use. If I wanted to earn a little more for myself, I would naturally have you buy only the highest-grade ones, causing your expenses to be incredibly high, not less than this number."
He flipped his hands back and forth a few times, continuing, "So, our Supreme Divine Creation Sect has always been honest with both the young and the elderly, we won't take advantage of our customers at all. Doing business with us, you can rest assured."
"I'm certainly at ease." Li Ziqian nodded repeatedly. He could see that the Master was a person who placed great importance on integrity, especially caring about the reputation of the online store.
"So, don't forget to give me a five-star review when the job is done." Qi Ze was completely unaware that he was once again amusing his guest. He was concentrating on separating the energy stones, once he had enough, he used the fusion power to knead them into an arm, trying to attach it to the guest's shoulder.