“Are you saying, ” questioned Jiaoben with Katoh startled; _”that the disappearance of the mysterious power that allowed our entry stripped what blocked other unwanted threats? Danger will fallout with the other?

Dressed with weight, Zangzi spoke: “Alternatively yes; it brings the biggest focus unto us right now; if its influence has absconded onto whatever other and new means {_it operates gone } – I suspect sure as storms our loads of ‘future different ‘everything alternatives possible will crash unrestricted upon usage trails, no? _”

Yang Zicang looked to Katon with heavy importance.

“Before your departure, the target behind the exchange of prisoners at the Special Affairs Bureau might have only been Ebiser and his daughter, but within just a few short days, they’ve already prepared ‘Bloodline Corruption’ and ‘Barrier Force Fields,’ along with those incessant rains. This is a clear signal that they’re determined to have us. “

Qiao Bing grappled his elbow against his arm while rubbing his stubbled chin, then after a moment’s thought, he said:

“Since that investment which let us obtain ‘Ancient Gold’-level intelligence has now lost its effectiveness, you’ve sensed that danger might surface quickly… Hmm, no matter how you cut it, that’s a pretty bizarre deduction. “

This sent a chill down Bohololi’s spine:

“That’s very possible, and right now, I’m starting to feel a strange kind of unease that I can’t quite put into words. “

Qiao Bing nodded gravely, “You’re right. Put it that way, sleeping for over a day is still way too long for us. “

In fact, Qiao Bing was secretly overjoyed; if that were the case, these secret techniques on his body probably wouldn’t be stripped away from him, right?

Bohololi turned to look at the three people around him.

“Since we all think we should call it off here, then it’s settled. Big brother, can you memorize its contents after going through it two or three times? Staying a few more days shouldn’t be a problem, right? “

“I’ll help you memorize it too! ” Qiao Bing said, speaking with an eager earnestness.

……

This man, as if blessed by the Fortune Goddess, rubbed his hands together, his mind brimming with a confidence that was almost second nature.

Now that he already had one piece of ‘Ancient Gold,’ with the one recorded in this book, he only had three more left to complete the collection.

Yang Zicang frowned slightly, then relaxed, as if he had made a decision in his heart.

“I’m sorry, but you should know that this is information left behind by one of my enemies. If I rashly give it to you, my friend, I’m afraid it might harm you. “

“Ah? What? No, no, it’s fine, I don’t mind! “

“But I do. ” Yang Zicang flashed a professional smile, like an employee standing behind a counter.

“How about this—let me take this book back and have my brother check it. Once it’s confirmed there’s no danger, I’ll find another chance to get it for you to see. What do you think? “

“Ah… “

Just as Qiao Bing felt his luck had finally run out, Yang Zicang pulled Boboli aside to a quiet spot.

“This time, I might not be able to let you get too many completed proxy covenant books. “

“It’s okay—don’t forget where I am. I’ll always have a better chance than ordinary people of stumbling into a place like this again, just you wait. But… you, Big Brother. It’s a shame we don’t have a pen; otherwise, you could copy a portion down and take it back. “

“No need to worry about me. Just watch my performance. “

Yang Zicang’s expression softened as he lifted the book. Although the cultivation of the secret skill had already been stripped away, the marks left by all the hardships he’d endured had not diminished in the slightest because of it—if anything, his willpower and mental strength had grown even stronger than before.

This was the wonder of the Holy Psychokinesis Field.

The novel lay open in Yang Zicang’s hands. The magic runes slowly etched themselves into his mind’s eye. The moment his gaze, like a camera, captured the open title page of the novel, his brain’s “Level 1 Memory Magic Rune ” abruptly lit up, emitting a faint, cutting gleam.

｛My “Memory Specialty Magic Rune ” has recorded the “Saint-level Life Story. “｝

The magic rune uncontrollably twisted within my mind.

｛Memory Specialty has been upgraded.｝

｛Memory Specialty unlocks a slot…｝

｛Memory Specialty begins resonating with the main slot.｝

Pop!With a soft crack, the memory rune in my mind transformed into delicate, intricate lines faintly radiating golden light.

｛Level 1 Memory Magic Rune has been installed in the first personality slot: theDigit Slot(Ge Wei).｝

｛The first personality slot is activated: “Memory Focus. “｝

｛Can currently maintain focus for 10 seconds.｝

Yang Zicang immediately felt his thoughts expand naturally; one glance at the surroundings sufficed to memorize everything down to the last detail.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

A crisp, ethereal sound of shattering echoed within his heart, as if something was breaking in rapid succession.

At the model on his chest, a parallel spatial scene appeared—a string of five sections, arranged like small doors side by side, collapsing one after another and revealing five empty frames.

In the first frame, a pale gold phantom of the magic rune had already materialized.

“Buddy, what’s going on? ” To Qiao Bing and the others, the chest model seemed to tremor with a strange vibration.

With his eyes still shut, Yang Zicang experienced a sudden epiphany: the remaining four empty squares were likely the spots requiring the remaining four portions of “Ancient Gold ” to fill.

As this thought surfaced, the piece of orally passed-down legendary-level secret obtained from the leather shoemaker “over thirty years ago ” was naturally recollected under this framework.

—— “We die, time and again… wisdom, too, fades, time and again… our bodies twist and deform, time and again… “

With the memory of the straw sandal maker’s words surfacing, the vision of the land blanketed in countless skulls materialized in his mind.

Abruptly, this memory spun out of control, racing forward to unveil a vast expanse of skeletal earth far wider than before.

Humanoid creatures, brimming with emotion and desire, yet deprived of the tactile sensation to fulfill them—each minute crawled into another hour… ten thousand years, twenty thousand years…

They stood frozen in a barren world, devoid of water and life. East and West—indistinguishable. Nothing but gravel, rock, metal debris, and the occasional lightning bolt cleaving from the heavens…

Come summer, dust storms would sweep in without a single drop of rain, reaping lives from the countless skeletons, their bodies acting as natural lightning rods.

｛I have organized the esoteric knowledge of the ‘Ancient Gold’ level.｝

Buzz~

Amidst the spiritual tremors, a golden radiance burst forth from the narrative of the second piece of secret lore, raging within the “Ten｛-slot｝ ” grid, emanating a dazzling, shimmering light.

Yang Zicang composed himself. Two pieces, then.

A murmuring voice of praise rose from the Distributor-inner heart. Yang Zicang’s emotions steadied just a fraction. Even this one incursion alone had yielded a substantial harvest.

Although it was an indirect consequence of that bastard Hong Haocheng’s desperate gambit to pass on intelligence to himself.

“Hong Haocheng… you never would have imagined that the information you left behind would cause the Holy Psychokinesis Field’s world to continue evolving, even taking advantage of my past ‘wish’ to give birth to a scene resembling the real old world, thereby obtaining precious intelligence about that world! “

A sense of satisfaction arose in his heart. Hong Haocheng dared to use Moli’s death to pass on information, but in the end, he had gotten his comeuppance… He and Boboli had, in some mysterious way, received Moli’s help, invisibly pushing them one step forward on their journey to the fifth “edge. “

Continuing to turn the pages, Yang Zicang’s gaze locked onto the text ahead.

｛Personality First Position Unlocked: Memory.｝

｛Current duration of sustained focus: 7 seconds.｝

He flipped through the pages rapidly, reaching past the twentieth in the blink of an eye. As the focus in the “Memory ” grid dissipated, Yang Zicang felt as if his cerebral energy had been suddenly drained, a wave of fatigue from prolonged study enveloping his entire body.

“I need to rest for a bit. “

Qiao Bing turned his head. “Hey? Why did you close the book? Not reading anymore? “

“I’ve already read over twenty pages. ” Yang Zicang said, rubbing his eyes.

“You’re lying! ” Qiao Bing exclaimed. “You’ve already finished over twenty pages? And you can remember it all? “

“Do you think I would joke about Ancient Gold-grade intelligence? “

After a little over a day, Yang Zicang figured out the recovery efficiency after each activation of the first “Memory ” slot. Roughly, he would stop when about five seconds were left, recover for about thirty minutes, and then he could resume his Magic Pattern memorization.

However, if he pushed himself all at once to the point of mental exhaustion, it took nearly half a day to fully recover.

In just one day, Yang Zicang had read through to the very end of the book.

Although he had already flipped through the last page when he first got the book, now, as he followed the sequential memory of holding it all the way to the final page, an indescribable feeling welled up in his heart.

This small fragment of Lin Feng’s life had, by and large, taken a rough shape in his mind.

……

Unlike himself, when Lin Feng awakened in this world, he had no companions to talk to, no models to study, and no life he could trade or barter with.

He was nothing but the lowest-ranking skeleton.

Worse still, because a little boy had summoned him—undoubtedly a shame to his family—the boy’s clan’s elder youth, who had accompanied him to the sacred bloodline altar for the summoning, even called forth his own high-level bone guard, intending to slay it on the spot in front of all the summoners.

And so, all of Lin Feng’s stories began from that attempted kill and which turned into a counter-kill.

“Huff…“

Yang Zicang stared at the last page of the novel. Seated atop the sandy dune with Boboli, who had just finished a round of shadowboxing, by his side.

The other two were down on the sand floor below, playing a military chess-like game.

“Lin Feng managed to buy a lunar-world treasure that could transform him into a human appearance. I bet those shadow distributors from our world must be wearing something like that.“

“Mm-hmm,” said Boboli, resting his elbow on his knee and propping up his chin. “Apparently, real world disguises come in several different forms too.“

Yang Zicang turned his head and looked at him with a smile.

“How are you treating Jaomei? You haven’t been bullying her, have you? “

“Hehe, I wouldn’t dare! ” Boboli grinned sheepishly.

“Actually, we haven’t been together for long—only after the candles were blown out at her birthday party did we… did we get together. “

He could almost picture the scene. Yang Zicang shook his head with a smile and continued.

“Did Liang Xi listen to my message and go to meet Xiao Li? “

“Hahaha, that fool… Well, Luo Bin invited Mr. Yang the Shed-Keeper to the big client gathering. Xiao Li went along too, studying Cultural Studies with Teacher Chen. She’s learning way faster than Liang Xi, anyway. “

“Now those two are always arguing over studies—I guess Liang Xi doesn’t have much of a chance with her. Anyway, don’t worry. With a girl as strong as her who can teleport instantaneously, even without your warning, we won’t let any bad guys lure her away. “

“Mm… these things really can’t be forced. ” Yang Zicang lowered his head to look at the plot that came to an abrupt end in the book.

Boboli’s gaze also fell on the unfolded last page of the book resting on the big brother’s knees.

“Such powerful magic patterns. Even now, I haven’t managed to memorize half of one. But you, big brother, finished memorizing them all in a single day. “

Yang Zicang smiled. “When you can remember them all, your mental power should break through to around the second stage of the third ring. I estimate I’m already around the sixth or seventh stage of mental power—that’s why I’m so fast. “

He couldn’t help looking forward to, when his mental power reached the fourth or even fifth ring, just how much content he could memorize and at what speed.

“—Lin Feng stood before the imperial palace, within which lay the maddened emperor…“

“What?” Boboli looked up.

Yang Zicang snapped back to reality, “Oh, nothing. I just read the last sentence out loud.“

He lowered his gaze to the ellipsis at the end of this page. Under the bright moonlight, those tiny dots seemed to stretch out in a hazy blur.

Ready to close the book, Yang Zicang rubbed his eyes.

When he looked again, the blank space below had already gained some fragmented text marks, like mottled, withered branches.

—…These trees grow in the wilderness, guarding the people who seek them. Yet they cannot approach the roots.

—For they themselves know they are sinners.

Under the faint radiance of the moonlight, in the blank area at the very end of the novel beneath these two lines, more scattered words slowly emerged.

—Holding the remains of her loved ones, driven into the wilderness, Meiling Ya found this cyan tree. By then, several houses had already gathered nearby.

— “Can I bury my family’s bones here?“

— “What kind of person was she? What did she do in life? We can’t guarantee what kind of seed she will bear.“

—But the people living under the tree still took her remains and carried them toward the trunk.

“This… is?” Yang Zicang’s fingers traced the slowly shifting characters on the paper.

—Unable to approach the great tree, Mei Linya knelt on the ground, glaring fixedly as these people placed their loved ones’ remains at the roots of the tree. They took a few steps back and looked up at the tree in prayer. This wouldn’t take long. Someone brought him porridge with shredded greens. After drinking it, Mei Linya’s weariness eased a little. He waited—who knows how long—until finally, among the treetop branches and leaves, there emerged a crystal seed that flickered faintly in and out of sight, emitting a pale yellow, ethereal glow.

—Mei Linya finally found a few trustworthy enough companions in the wasteland. At least they were all the same kind—people crazed with the desire to return to the community. That was enough…

—After all, they were but sinners. How could they dare to hope their companions were all pure and noble?

—Disheveled and ragged, the eight cut open their own fingers, dripping their blood onto this precious, pale-yellow sacred seed and burying it in the soil. They wept aloud. From this day on, they would once again have a home…

The text above faded away.

Yang Zicang and Boboli gazed at the words that next began to emerge.

—Casually sitting cross-legged beside Lin Feng, Mei Linya. Together with Lin Feng, who had imparted his bloodline blessing to the Tree of Life, they looked up at a fruit growing from the tree, within which a holy spirit—as if a curled-up infant—faintly existed.

— “She’s still quite fragile after just being resurrected, ” said Lin Feng.

He smiled and swept his gaze across the golden Tree of Life, around which various houses, tall and low, had already risen. Humanity had conquered this small patch of barren land.

“How wonderful, ” he thought. “This is the type of ‘Star-Containing’ phenomenon that carries the ‘Great Power of Resurrection,’ only found on the continent of the Third Epoch… “

Yang Zicang’s eye twitched violently several times.

“Hong Haocheng… He really is! ” He gripped the book tightly, his hands clenched in anger, as if intending to tear the novel apart, before Boboli firmly pressed them down.

“Don’t, ” Boboli said, staring steadily at him.

Yang Zicang turned his head, his face fierce.

“This… is the trap… he left behind. “

Yet, as he spoke those words, a panicked thought crossed Yang Zicang’s heart: what if this were true?

But if he believed it to be true, wouldn’t he be falling into the trap?

Yet—but still!

This… this is another method of resurrection! A method… perhaps slightly better than turning into a skeleton…

A method left behind by that bastard, Hong Haocheng.

In that instant, a chilling aura, emanating from that boy’s depths, seeped into Yang Zicang’s heart. The anger that had driven him to rush forward and cleave him apart now enshrouded itself in a dark, abyssal forest.

……

He couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer.

A sense of resistance urged him to leave without delay, rejecting the possibility of more, intentional or otherwise, legacies left by Hong Haocheng.

“I’ll give you the Radiance. ” Yang Zicang shoved the nearly torn book into Boboli’s arms and staggered to his feet.