Chapter Fifty-Four: Supernatural Powers and Spiritual Force

Chapter Fifty-Four

By dinnertime, when Qu Wenjuan stepped out of the car, her expression had more or less returned to normal. Seeing that she had overcome her inner turmoil, the others relaxed and resumed their own tasks. Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan were deep in discussion about their next steps—how to gather more information about the interior of the farm and what dangers might still be lurking within. Lin Shaojie, unfamiliar with such strategic matters and always content just to follow orders, instinctively took up the responsibility of standing guard and scanning the area for potential threats.

Meanwhile, An Ziyou tended the fire and cooking utensils, preparing dinner for everyone. Qu Wenjuan, after a glance around, quietly stepped over to help him. “What are you making? Let me give you a hand,” she offered.

“No need, it’s almost done. Is she still asleep?” An Ziyou shook his head, politely declining her help.

“She’s still sleeping. When I left, she showed no signs of waking up, but her complexion looked a bit better than this afternoon. Should I wake her for dinner?” Qu Wenjuan quickly replied, knowing whom he meant.

“Let her rest. I’ll keep her meal warm so she can eat when she wakes.” With that, An Ziyou called the others over to eat.

Dinner was a steaming pot of noodle soup, the broth made from a duck they’d caught at the farm earlier that day. Considering that someone might not feel up to eating meat, An Ziyou had simmered the duck until it nearly dissolved into the broth, setting aside the bones and remaining meat in a separate pot. It looked like a simple clear noodle soup, but the flavor was rich and satisfying.

“Did you save some for Mei’er?” Mo Chen asked as he ate.

“I made her fish soup—it’s warming in the clay pot. She can have it whenever she wakes,” An Ziyou nodded gently.

Seeing that everything was arranged, Mo Chen had nothing more to add and instead brought up, “We discussed it earlier—tonight, Jingxuan and I will take the first watch. You and Lin Shaojie will cover the second half of the night. Tomorrow, the two of us will check out the farm again, and you’ll stay here on guard.”

“Alright.” Knowing his own abilities were limited, An Ziyou had no objections to their plan.

But Qu Wenjuan, realizing she had no role in their arrangement, couldn’t help but ask, “And what about me? What should I do?”

Mo Chen glanced at her before answering, “You don’t have anything to do tonight. Just rest.”

Grateful for their consideration, Qu Wenjuan looked at them with appreciation and said no more. Although their attitude toward her wasn’t as close as with Mei, they did treat her as a teammate and didn’t look down on her for her lack of strength.

Thinking back to the earlier confrontation with the zombie, she realized that although her mind had gone blank at the time, she remembered everything that happened. Mo Chen’s blocking attack, the protective barriers cast by An Ziyou and Ye Jingxuan—all of it was clear in her mind. When her legs had gone weak from fear at the sight of the dead, none of them had abandoned her.

Having learned to be content, Qu Wenjuan was truly grateful and once again silently resolved to work harder, hoping not to drag everyone down.

The night passed uneventfully.

It was nearly noon the next day before Mei finally woke. She stared in confusion at the bed slats above her for a few seconds before recalling where she was. Sitting up and looking around, she saw she was alone in the compartment. As she got up to change, she realized her clothes had already been swapped out. She had no idea who had changed her—since there were no suitable clothes for her, someone had put her in a cotton T-shirt. Being a men’s shirt, it nearly reached her knees, looking almost like a dress.

It was her first time wearing something like this, and Mei found it amusing. She took a dressing mirror from her spatial ring and inspected herself—a figure with messy hair in a man’s T-shirt, looking like a child playing dress-up, the oversized clothes accentuating her slender frame.

When An Ziyou entered the compartment, he saw her standing barefoot on the floor gazing into the mirror instead of lying in bed, and he frowned.

“Why aren’t you wearing shoes? Aren’t you cold?” he chided gently, scooping her back onto the bed. Then, more concerned, he asked, “How are you feeling? Any discomfort?”

“I’m fine. I was just exhausted yesterday. Once I rest, I’ll be okay.” Mei shook her head. Her magic hadn’t fully recovered and her head still felt heavy, but it was nothing serious, so she didn’t mention it.

“Hungry? Do you want something to eat?” Seeing she looked well, An Ziyou relaxed.

“Yes!” At the mention of food, Mei’s eyes lit up and she nodded eagerly. Food might not restore her lost energy, but she loved savoring delicious flavors.

“Hurry and get changed. I’ll go serve you something.” An Ziyou patted her head affectionately and left to give her space to get dressed and freshen up.

Eager for food, Mei quickly pulled out a set of loungewear from her spatial ring, changed, brushed her hair into a ponytail, and washed up. She finished so quickly that by the time An Ziyou returned, she was already out the door.

“Mei, you’re up! Are you feeling better?” Qu Wenjuan asked with concern when she saw Mei get out of the car.

“Much better, Wenjuan. Why is it just you and Ziyou? Where are the others?” Not seeing the rest of the group, Mei wondered aloud.

“Mo Chen and Ye Jingxuan went to scout the farm. Lin Shaojie is patrolling nearby—he should be back soon,” An Ziyou replied as he handed her a bowl of creamy fish soup.

Just then, Lin Shaojie returned.

“Mei, you’re up?” he called out, spotting her sitting outside the car.

“Yes. Everything quiet nearby?” Mei asked between small sips of fish soup.

“All clear. Nothing unusual around here,” Lin Shaojie promised, shaking his head. Seeing she looked well, he recalled yesterday’s events and couldn’t help but ask, “Mei, what level is your Light ability now?”

“What level?” Mei was taken aback, tilted her head, and after a moment’s thought, replied uncertainly, “About level six, I think.”

“Level six? How did you level up so fast?” Lin Shaojie was shocked. He’d thought she was at most level five, but to find she was three levels higher than him! His face was full of envy as he recovered from his surprise.

“Was it fast?” Mei didn’t think so.

She had once been at the rank of Grand Magus, and as long as her body’s fusion advanced, her level would rise quickly without any bottlenecks. It had taken her nearly four months just to reach the level of an eighth-rank mage, roughly equivalent to a level six ability-user in this world. She only felt it was slow, not fast at all.

“Not fast? I’m still stuck at level three, trying to reach level four but always feeling like something’s missing. You’re already at level six and still not satisfied?” Lin Shaojie couldn’t help but exclaim at her apparent lack of satisfaction.

“My situation is different from yours; there’s no comparing us,” Mei replied, shaking her head.

A level three ability-user was already above average at the Changyang base. Most ability-users were still at levels one or two, largely because so few knew how to properly cultivate their abilities.

Lacking systematic training and with most techniques being crude, these were common issues among ability-users at present. Those who managed to advance were either highly gifted, like Ye Jingxuan, or simply lucky. Very few had someone guiding them as Lin Shaojie did.

No sooner had Lin Shaojie voiced his difficulties than Mei offered a solution.

“If your ability is almost at the threshold, try enhancing your mental strength. Your ability level determines your power, but your mental strength controls how well you wield it. It’s not just psychic ability-users who need to train their minds—improving your mental strength benefits everyone, regardless of their ability type.”

“I see!” Lin Shaojie was struck by sudden understanding. He’d never realized that, as a wind ability-user, he too needed to train his mental strength. Only now did he see how crucial it was.

“I’m not certain whether there’s an absolute link between ability level and mental strength,” Mei added, thinking over the differences between magic and abilities, “but I can tell you for sure, both Ye and Chen have high mental strength—nearly as strong as Ziyou’s.”

With such examples before him, Lin Shaojie became convinced that his failure to advance was due to insufficient mental strength and resolved to focus all his energy on improving it for the foreseeable future.

An Ziyou and Qu Wenjuan also listened closely, reflecting on their own situations and gaining new insight. Qu Wenjuan recalled how, when they first met, Ye Jingxuan had spent hours every day honing his control over his abilities. She admired him all the more—no wonder he was the chosen protagonist; his talent and intuition far surpassed that of ordinary people like herself.

Since he’d quickly reached level four with this method, it was clearly effective—perhaps she could try it as well?

For An Ziyou, reflecting on yesterday’s battle, he realized that when his mind was sharply focused, his words took effect more easily and their duration shortened. The length of time his abilities lasted on others depended greatly on their own mental strength. The higher their mental strength, the shorter the duration of his negative effects on opponents; conversely, the blessings would last longer. Every time he cast a blessing, Mei was always the last to lose its effects. But perhaps because his level was so much lower than hers, the effects on her were not as pronounced as on others.

Take yesterday, for instance—if his ability level had been higher, she wouldn’t have struggled so hard to maintain the shield.

With this in mind, An Ziyou decided that his top priority should be to increase his ability level so he could be of greater help to the group.

Yesterday’s teamwork had proved his value, giving him more confidence in his abilities and a clearer sense of direction.

Even if he was only a support, he would become the strongest support of all!