Chapter 72

“Go”

Zhao Jun let out a low command, and the wooden stick shot forward with a hiss, stopping dead at Wang Yu’s throat.

It was still the same stick, but its tip had been ground to an razor-sharp point, now a deadly weapon.

“When using telekinesis against an enemy, it’s not true that the larger or heavier the object, the more powerful the effect. Slightly modifying a small object often yields a more effective one-hit kill.”

“The same applies to defense. Though I could generate a small mental shield using my ability, it’s far more reliable to wear a bulletproof vest.”

After saying this, Zhao Jun clapped his hands in front of him, and the air before him blurred and wavered, faintly revealing something transparent.

“This is interesting—if you can make a mental shield, there must be something like a mental shockwave too,” Wang Yu said, his spirits lifting as he seemed to realize something.

“You mean a mental shockwave? All psychics can do that, but unless the target is unprepared, it rarely has much effect. Still, if you want to learn it, I can teach you too,” Zhao Jun replied after a moment’s thought.

“Thank you, Brother Zhao,” Wang Yu said, his heart swelling with joy.

After returning to Blue Star, without a powerful body, without artifacts or spells, he naturally felt far less secure.

Now, if he could further develop his Gold-Pointing ability, it would be a good choice.

At that moment, Zhao Jun slapped his palm against the mental shield before him.

The transparent shield shattered instantly, but the surrounding air rippled with invisible waves, as if something new had appeared.

“I’ve set up a mental ring that blocks sound transmission—now, our conversation won’t be overheard. Ding, I want to ask you: last night, when your game pod arrived, you played Star River, right? Did you pass the tutorial? Did you achieve ‘Excellent’ and enter the hidden training scenario?” Zhao Jun lowered his voice, his face filled with mystery.

Then he gestured with one hand, and the wooden cone began circling Wang Yu’s body, appearing from afar as if demonstrating how to use the ability.

“Brother Zhao, how do you know that? Did you…?” Wang Yu exclaimed in surprise.

“You passed the test too—you were specially recruited by the Blue Star Alliance and received the Star Mind Force cultivation method,” Zhao Jun said with a strange expression, then held out one wrist, gripping it with his other hand.

Moments later, a semi-transparent wristwatch hologram appeared on his wrist, displaying the same countdown numbers.

Wang Yu’s pupils contracted slightly; he pointed at Zhao Jun’s wrist and asked urgently, “How did you do that?”

“It’s simple—I converted my mental force into Star Mind Force, and the device reappeared.”

“It’s not a real object—it’s a condensation of Star Mind Force. Only those inside the Star River game can see it; ordinary people can’t.”

“Mental force and Star Mind Force aren’t the same thing?” Wang Yu asked.

“Of course not. Though I’ve only cultivated Star Mind Force for half a month, I’ve already discovered that all original mental force can be fully converted into Star Mind Force—but Star Mind Force cannot be fully converted back into mental force.”

“They’re more like a basket and a warehouse: you can take things out of the basket to use, and when you’re done, refill it from the warehouse—but you can’t put everything in the warehouse into the basket.”

“Based on my judgment and that of several friends, Star Mind Force seems like an ultra-compressed form of spiritual energy, though it also contains other unknown elements,” Zhao Jun said, half-reasoning, half-speculating.

“Friends? Brother Zhao, do you know other mech pilots recruited by the game?” Wang Yu nodded thoughtfully, then asked with visible emotion.

“Of course. Though psychics in China are few, they’re mostly concentrated in a few bases.”

“You’ve probably noticed—we psychics are almost all natural mech pilots. Once our ability reaches Class D, we’re all recruited into the game’s hidden scenarios and taught Star Mind Force.”

“The Star River game clearly isn’t a real game. My friends and I have several plausible theories about the Blue Star Alliance, mech pilots, Star Mind Force, and even the conscription ten years from now. If you want to know, next time we meet, I’ll bring you along.”

“Fine. As long as I don’t leave the base, I’ll join the next gathering,” Wang Yu replied decisively.

“Hah! Good! I knew a man who survived returning from another world couldn’t be ordinary—you understand the value of sticking together. Now, let me teach you the most practical techniques for using your abilities.”

Zhao Jun, delighted, clapped his hands again, and the invisible phenomena in the air vanished amid another ripple.

“Brother Zhao, do you know how to contact the AI Taiyuan? I want to look something up,” Wang Yu asked at this moment.

“Taiyuan? He’s the base’s treasure—but you can reach him through a specific webpage on the base network. However, Taiyuan has top-tier access permissions; without authorization, even if you log in, he won’t respond.”

“Could you tell me that webpage address?” Wang Yu asked, delighted.

Zhao Jun nodded and gave him the URL.

In the afternoon.

In another room filled with sand and silt.

A group of twenty-something young men, broad-shouldered and muscular, imitated the projected virtual figures before them, all crouching low to the ground in identical strange postures.

The First Form of the Wolf Rush.

These men, selected as elite by the base, despite flushed faces and drenched in sweat, still performed the movements with near-perfect accuracy.

Wang Yu walked past them one by one, making subtle adjustments to their motions to ensure full compliance with the standard.

An hour later.

In another, larger room filled with flowers and grass.

Groups of boys and girls, around ten years old, sat in two rows of ten each.

One row stared wide-eyed at strange symbols on the boards before them, scratching their heads and fidgeting, utterly baffled.

The other row sat silently with eyes closed, meditating.

Wang Yu walked beside this group of children, repeating the words Qingfeng had spoken that day.

“...Inspiration is the spirit’s sense of touch; spirit is the source of inspiration. Together, they form Shen Shi. Inspiration is Shen Shi, and Shen Shi is an active consciousness—it can be activated and consumed. Cultivators, by using Shen Shi to touch the surrounding void, can sense the presence of heavenly and earthly Qi. The method: don’t think of anything else—just imagine yourself in a void space, and carefully sense whether anything exists around you... No sensation? If one try fails, keep trying...”