A Mind Beyond Comprehension
Zhang Hao looked at the incoming attack and instantly dodged.
However, it didn't stop there—a continuous barrage of sword attacks followed him. He kept moving from one place to another like a breeze.
Ji Changchen was surprised by his smooth movement. He murmured inwardly, 'System, show his status!'
The system was now already able to hide its existence, and thus, Ji Changchen believed there was no longer any threat of others seeing his status.
Name: Li Gang
Age: 77 years
Identity: Supreme's beloved, Wanderer
Physique: None
Cultivation: Rank 6 early stage
Soul Cultivation: Rank 6 early stage
Talent: A Grade
Spiritual Imprint: None
Battle Strength: Quasi Rank 7 (Quasi Emperor?)
Cultivation Technique: Rank 9 Celestial Serenity Technique, Rank 9 Arcane Soul Fusion Method
Ji Changchen mumbled, "How impressive! Supreme's beloved, huh? I didn't expect these two to be related to an existence like Supreme. I wonder how strong they actually are!"
Suddenly, he glanced at the battle strength and was surprised.
He asked inwardly, "System, what do you mean by 'Quasi Emperor'?"
Ding! It involves Heavenly Dao fragments. Thus, the system does not dare to pry into it. It is of the same level as the source of the system.
Ji Changchen glanced at Li Gang deeply and thought inwardly, 'To think he possesses something on par with the system itself!'
Ding! Additional Information: The Heavenly Dao fragment he possesses is in an unstable form. It can only be used as a last resort. It is a double-edged sword.
Ji Changchen thought of something and said inwardly, "System, add Weapon Realms to the status."
Name: Li Gang
Age: 77 years
Identity: Wanderer, Supreme's beloved
Physique: None
Cultivation: Rank 6 early stage
Soul Cultivation: Rank 6 early stage
Weapon Realm: Bow Myriad, Sword Myriad
Talent: A Grade
Spiritual Imprint: None
Battle Strength: Quasi Rank 7 (Quasi Emperor?)
Cultivation Technique: Rank 9 Celestial Serenity Technique, Rank 9 Arcane Soul Fusion Method
He was genuinely impressed by the progress. 'A decade ago, he was only at the Manifestation Realm, and now he has mastered both weapons to the Myriad Realm. How impressive! Unfortunately, his cultivation is still only at Rank 6 early stage. He is far beneath me now!'
He knew about Li Gang's Weapon Realm through the Genius List circulated nearly a decade ago.
Suddenly, Ji Changchen grasped a key point. He asked inwardly, 'Didn't you say you don't dare to pry into it? Then how did you find the additional information?'
Ding! Li Gang once used this Heavenly Dao fragment to cause a massacre in the Southern Continent. The system has every historical event stored within it, and by using them as references, it was able to find additional information.
Ji Changchen murmured, 'As expected! He has used it during that massacre.'
He focused on the battle again and commanded inwardly, 'System, use the mind-reading ability on Li Gang!'
The moment Ji Changchen activated mind reading, he was astonished. Even Gu Xing, standing nearby, noticed his abnormality. However, as a Rank 7 Warrior, he quickly regained his composure.
What did Ji Changchen discover?
Active State of Mind.
At every moment, Li Gang's thoughts surged like a vast, ever-flowing river, splitting into countless streams.
One part of his mind was entirely dedicated to battle—analyzing Wang Xiaoyan's movements, predicting her attacks, and countering in real time. But that was only a fraction of his mental activity.
Half of his attention was circulating the Celestial Serenity Technique, refining his inner energy even as he fought. His cultivation never stopped, as if battle itself was merely another condition to temper his progress.
Another part of his mind stretched beyond the immediate fight. He wasn't just thinking about how to defeat Wang Xiaoyan—he was calculating hidden dangers, analyzing the battlefield's shifting dynamics.
"Ji Changchen is watching me. What does he see? How did he suspect it was me who massacred Ye Fan's family?"
"How should I use Gu Xing?"
"Ye Fan and Wang Xiaoyan... They are merely testing me!"
"Meng Xian… Who is he? Is he just an observer, or a hidden threat? The way he twisted the opinions of Gu Xing, Ye Fan, and Wang Xiaoyan—he is against Ji Changchen. Can he be utilized?"
Each of these thoughts didn't stand alone—they branched out into layered calculations. Every possibility led to another, every scenario was weighed for risks and benefits. Ji Changchen realized that even in the middle of combat, Li Gang's mind stretched far beyond this moment.
"This guy…" Ji Changchen muttered under his breath. "Even while fighting, he's training. Even while training, he's planning. Even while planning, he's scheming. His mind is terrifying."
A cold sweat formed on Ji Changchen's back. Li Gang wasn't just fighting a battle—he was weaving a future.
But what sent a chill down Ji Changchen's spine was this—none of the possibilities Li Gang considered were unrealistic.
Most people, when thinking of possibilities, generate wild, impractical scenarios—ideas that fall apart when truly analyzed. But Li Gang?
Almost every single one of his thoughts was feasible.
He didn't need to discard meaningless options. He wasn't sifting through foolish ideas. He only had to choose which of his well-thought-out possibilities was the best.
This was beyond intelligence. Beyond instinct.
Ji Changchen's mind nearly staggered—not because he was overwhelmed by the sheer number of thoughts, but because even with his Rank 7 peak cultivation, he could never do this.
His entire soul was occupied just processing Li Gang's thoughts. It was like trying to hold an ocean in his hands. His own thoughts—the ability to strategize, to react, to take advantage of what he saw—had frozen.
For the first time, Ji Changchen understood.
This wasn't just intelligence.
This was a level of thinking beyond human capacity.
In fact, Li Gang had not reached this terrifying level of thinking in just one or two days.
It was the result of seventy-seven years of relentless effort.
For seventy-seven continuous years, his mind had never truly rested. He had forced himself to keep his thoughts active—always thinking, always analyzing, always improving.
At the beginning, he could only think of two or three possibilities. Even that had been exhausting. His mind would overheat, and the strain would leave him mentally drained. Any normal person would have given up.
But Li Gang was not normal.
He persisted.
Day after day, year after year, he sharpened his mind like a blade, demanding more from himself, refusing to let his thoughts stagnate.
As time passed, his mind adapted.
Two possibilities became five.
Five became ten.
Ten became fifty.
Fifty became an uncountable storm of possibilities—each precise, each feasible, each ready to be executed at a moment's notice.
Now, he stood at the peak of his own discipline. His mind had become a force of its own, a battlefield where no thought was a waste.
Yet, this was not the end!
As his Soul Cultivation improved, he would keep growing.
This was just the beginning!
Ji Changchen, a Rank 7 peak warrior, an existence far above Li Gang in sheer cultivation, could not even comprehend reaching this level.
However, he was a decisive warrior. At that moment, he made a decision no one would have expected.
Even Li Gang hadn't anticipated it—because he was unaware that Ji Changchen could read his thoughts!
Ji Changchen silently backed off. His hand, behind his back, clenched his sword.
Gu Xing noticed Ji Changchen's abnormality but didn't care, as she never considered the possibility of what he was about to do next.
Ji Changchen's sword flashed with a few sparks of lightning as he murmured inwardly:
"Heavenly Lightning Slash—First Slash! Lightning Blade!"
He chose the first slash because it was the fastest to invoke among all nine slashes.
With full acceleration, he waited for Li Gang's focus to be on Wang Xiaoyan—then, in an instant, he appeared behind him and thrust his sword toward Li Gang's heart!
At that moment, every warrior was shocked at Ji Changchen's ruthless blow!
The moment Ji Changchen processed Li Gang's thoughts, he made a decision.
"Eliminate the hidden danger before it grows!"
Li Gang looked down at the sword that had pierced through him and mumbled, "Why? There is no reason for you to attack me so recklessly! What instigated you?"
Ji Changchen said coldly, "You are just like a cockroach—no matter how I try, I can't kill you!"
He instantly retracted his sword, glanced at Li Gang, and said, "What a pity! I lost my chance!"
Why did Ji Changchen think so?
The moment Ji Changchen attacked, Li Gang had keenly noticed it. However, he was too late to avoid the sneak attack completely. He barely managed to shift his body, causing the sword to miss his heart by a few millimeters!
Gu Xing was also shocked at the sudden turn of events. She glanced at Ji Changchen and asked coldly, "Ji Changchen, what do you mean by this?"
Ji Changchen smiled. "I know I made a mistake. I can compensate you."
Gu Xing responded coldly, "No need."
She was well aware that she couldn't defeat him. So, she glanced at Meng Xian and said lightly, "If you help us drive away Ji Changchen, I will share 15% of the spot with you."
Meng Xian smiled. "It is our duty to help the Saintess of the Ethereal Sect."
Gu Xing was surprised that he knew her, but she didn't care.
Ji Changchen narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Gu Xing and realized that he truly couldn't do anything about it. Yet, he didn't regret his decision.
He said lightly, "We will leave on our own."
By now, he had already realized that he couldn't hold on to the 20% spot he was given anymore. The Ethereal Sect members alone were enough to hold them down. Now, with the aid of Meng Xian, Ye Fan, Li Gang, and Wang Xiaoyan, he had no confidence in keeping those spots.
He smirked. "Interesting… Some people fight to bury their past, while others… fight to bury the truth."
With that said, he gave them one last glance.
"You know… the most dangerous person isn't the one you suspect… it's the one you've already ruled out."
Then, he turned and started leaving.
These words were enough to awaken Ye Fan and Wang Xiaoyan. It was a reminder. At the same time, it planted the seed of internal discord between Zhang Hao, Ye Fan, Wang Xiaoyan, Gu Xing and Meng Xian.
Meng Xian also frowned. With just two statements, Ji Changchen had subtly targeted both Meng Xian and Zhang Hao. The first statement was against Meng Xian, while the second one was for Zhang Hao. Meng Xian tried to bury the truth of the massacre of Ye Fan's family, thus the first statement effectively targeted him. Meanwhile, Gu Xing ruled out the possibility of Zhang Hao being Li Gang. Though Wang Xiaoyan and Ye Fan still considered this possibility, it was minuscule. With Ji Changchen's help, that lingering doubt had begun to take root. What was once a possibility was now a growing suspicion.
It had no immediate effect, but in the long run, it could cause estrangement.
Meng Xian cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do.