As the night at Falling Snow Pass was swallowed by wind and snow, the candlelight in the side hall of the Vice Commander’s residence burned brightly. Liang Si sat staring blankly at the cold leftovers on the table and the newly finalized official documents regarding the disposal of the Wanjin Pavilion.
Although the Wanjin Pavilion had been removed, the intelligence network in the Northern Territory had fallen into an embarrassing state that needed to be filled. For the upcoming beast tide, this was no different from cutting off one's own arm; while it was a necessary surgery to scrape the poison from the bone, the ensuing period of pain was truly a headache.
Just as his head was throbbing, Gu Chengming's visit interrupted his thoughts. The purpose of the other party's visit also caught him quite by surprise.
"Vice Commander Liang."
Gu Chengming's voice rang out at the perfect moment: "The Wanjin Pavilion has fallen, but someone must fill the intelligence vacancy. Instead of letting those rogue cultivators be gathered by other ill-intentioned forces during this gap, it would be better for us to set the rules for them."
Liang Si's heart stirred. He shifted his gaze from the documents to Gu Chengming's face and asked in confusion, "The rogue cultivators of the Northern Territory are as numerous as the fish in a river, and most are defiant and untamable. Even Qian Tong from before only managed to barely maintain them through tied interests. How do you plan to set the rules?"
Seeing that the other party was interested, Gu Chengming quickly brought out the All Wonders Same Source Method and explained the profound nature of this art in simple terms.
Liang Si was initially somewhat skeptical.
After all, as a vice commander from the Mohist Sect, he had seen countless strange mechanisms and transmission arrays. But if there truly were a method in this world that could allow thousands of people to communicate through their souls while ignoring physical barriers, wouldn't that be a hundred times more ingenious than the Mohist Sect's 'Heavenly Mechanical Bird'?
However, when he skeptically circulated the art and entered the Myriad Wonders Gathering...
"Clang!"
Liang Si stood up abruptly, his movement so large that it even knocked over the armchair behind him.
【The All Wonders Same Source Method is secretly shouting 'How satisfying!'】
【It felt the shock of this fourth realm great cultivator; this is the treatment it deserves as a mastermind behind the scenes】
【It had been suppressed for so long in the capital, and now it can finally show its full potential in this vast world!】
After a long while, Liang Si finally withdrew from the profundity of the method and asked pointedly, "You want official backing?"
"Rogue cultivators are suspicious. Without the tacit consent of the Daqian, this thing won't spread,"
Gu Chengming smiled. "Moreover, this will also make it easier for Vice Commander Liang to monitor the movements of the Northern Territory in the future."
The two looked at each other, both seeing the mutual understanding in the other's eyes.
"Good," Liang Si settled the matter. "Starting today, the Northern Mansion will spread word that this is a newly developed Lingxi Array from the Mohist Sect. To fight the beast tide, a portion of rogue cultivators will be specially permitted to connect to it."
...
That night, the wind and snow grew more intense.
News of "a single thought of consonance reaches ten thousand miles" began to circulate through official channels.
Eighty miles away from Falling Snow Pass, there was a natural windbreak called the Wind-Severing Pass. Unlike the glamorous sect disciples, every cultivator here was a desperate soul making a living under the claws and teeth of demon beasts. Old Yan was crouching in a wind-sheltered crevice, clutching a piece of dried meat as hard as a stone, chewing it with great effort.
He was a typical Northern Territory rogue cultivator with low cultivation, having only just touched the threshold of the second realm. However, he was tough and knew very well how to seek luck and avoid disaster.
"Pah, what bad luck."
Old Yan spat out a piece of unchewable meat sinew and cursed under his breath.
News of the Wanjin Pavilion's collapse had been spreading like wildfire these past few days, and even his original fixed channels for selling stolen goods had been cut off. If he didn't sell those snow wolf skins he had saved up soon, he was afraid they would rot in his hands.
"Old Yan, still worrying about those few skins?"
A skinny man approached, wrapped in a tattered sheepskin coat. He mysteriously handed over a crude wooden token engraved with several seemingly chaotic spirit patterns.
"Go away, don't bother me," Old Yan waved him off impatiently. "I don't have money to buy those fake talismans of yours."
"Hey, you don't recognize the goods! This is a new thing coming out of Falling Snow Pass called a Lingxi Token."
The skinny man wasn't annoyed; instead, he lowered his voice. "I heard it was created by that new 'Falling Snow Pass Murder Demon,' Lord Gu. As long as you circulate your art according to this token and move your divine sense, you'll know where there are demon beasts and where materials are being bought. It's divine!"
"Lord Gu?"
Old Yan's heart jumped.
A person's name is like the shadow of a tree; nowadays, the title 'Falling Snow Pass Murder Demon' was something that could stop a child from crying in the Northern Territory's rogue cultivator circles. He suspiciously took the wooden token. It felt slightly cool in his hand, with no special spiritual energy fluctuations.
"Is it really that divine?"
Old Yan muttered, but in his heart, he believed it a bit. After all, it was the work of that ruthless man; he likely wouldn't deign to cheat poor ghosts like them. He followed the method taught by the skinny man, carefully probing a strand of divine sense into it, and then circulated the method.
"Buzz—"
There was no backlash or attack as he had imagined. He only felt his vision blur slightly. When his consciousness refocused, Old Yan was so shocked he nearly dropped the dried meat in his hand.
In a gray, misty space, countless flickering light screens were suspended. Clear lines of text flowed upon them, resembling the notice boards in the great cities of the secular world, yet a thousand or ten thousand times more complex.
【Wanted: One second realm snow ape gall, offering three hundred spirit stones. Meet at the Falling Snow Pass east gate for the transaction. — Signature: Iron Hand】
【Intelligence: Small ice wolf pack spotted thirty miles north of Wind-Severing Pass. Possible second realm alpha. Fellow daoists passing through, be cautious!】
【Sale: Three bottles of surplus Qi Returning Pills, urgently trading for healing medicine. Private message if interested! — Signature: Live On】
Old Yan watched all this dumbfounded. After a long while, he regained his senses and tentatively used his divine sense to sketch a line of words on the light screen:
【Sale: Five complete snow wolf skins, excellent condition. Only trading for spirit stones, fair price.】
The moment the message was sent, Old Yan's heart rose to his throat.
Do people actually see this thing? It won't just vanish into thin air, right?
However, less than three breaths later...
That strand of divine sense suddenly twitched, and a strange message appeared directly in his sea of consciousness.
"Five skins? If the condition is truly as you say, I'll take them for six hundred spirit stones. Meet at the ten-mile slope outside the north gate of Falling Snow Pass in half an hour."
Old Yan snapped his eyes open.
"Six hundred spirit stones?"
He suddenly gripped the wooden token tightly.
Usually, those treacherous merchants would suppress the price so much that selling these five skins for four hundred would be considered a blessing. Now, he could actually sell them for two hundred more?
"Old Yan? How is it?" the skinny man next to him asked nervously, seeing his reaction.
Old Yan ignored him. Instead, he nimbly rolled up his pack on the ground and slung it behind his back. "How is it? It's a damn good thing!"
"That damned Falling Snow Pass Murder Demon, Lord Gu, is truly our savior."
While cursing, he braved the wind and snow to rush out of the rock crevice, his steps light enough that he didn't seem like an old rogue cultivator over a hundred years old.
...
Similar scenes were playing out in every corner inside and outside of Falling Snow Pass.
At first, there was suspicion, testing, and caution. But when the first person traded for life-saving pills through this Myriad Wonders Gathering, and when the first small team avoided a beast tide ambush because they saw the warning above—when the information that was usually blocked began to flow freely among rogue cultivators like running water—the seeds of the Myriad Wonders Gathering took root and sprouted in the frozen soil of the Northern Territory.
In the side hall of the Northern Mansion.
Gu Chengming stood by the window, watching the heavy snow outside.
【All Wonders Same Source Method is currently in a state of cheering】
【Myriad Wonders Gathering connected members: Three hundred and twenty-seven... Four hundred and fifty... Eight hundred】
【This feeling of controlling everything has put it in a very good mood. It has even begun to actively screen valuable intelligence, marking them with 'Urgent' or 'Pinned' tags and thoughtfully pushing them into Gu Chengming's sea of consciousness】
【It couldn't help but say: Gu Chengming, it feels like we are truly going to become the underground emperors of the Northern Territory!】
"It's far too early for that," Gu Chengming felt amused in his heart.
...
The spread of the Myriad Wonders Gathering had begun to take shape, and he finally had the time to convert his previous gains into immediate combat power. Inside the merit storehouse of Falling Snow Pass, the furnace fire was burning brightly.
The quartermaster responsible for the exchange was a one-eyed veteran. He used his remaining eye to check the numbers in Gu Chengming's command token, and a look of astonishment couldn't help but appear on his weather-beaten face. Killing demon beasts with fists, destroying the Wanjin Pavilion, and trapping the fourth realm Qian Tong—this series of achievements added up to a number sufficient for an ordinary captain to work ten years for.
"You want to exchange it all?" the veteran looked up to confirm.
"Exchange it,"
Gu Chengming's tone was calm as he pointed at the short sword hanging in the deepest part of the storehouse, locked by three layers of restrictions. It was a third-tier low-grade Dharma Sword in the storehouse—Quexie. This sword was not made by a famous master but was a relic of a sword cultivator who had died in battle at Falling Snow Pass. The blade was forged from North Sea cold iron mixed with a trace of lightning-struck wood. Although it lacked spiritual intelligence, its material was tough and it possessed a natural righteous aura that repelled evil. As the merit was deducted, the restrictions dissipated.
Gu Chengming reached out and gripped it; Quexie turned into a streak of light and entered his hand.
Inside his sea of consciousness, a sudden hum arose.
The five Dharma Swords originally floating there—Tinglan, Zhanjiao, and three other second-tier Dharma Swords—instantly formed an array of their own as Quexie joined them. The six long swords were linked head to tail, not in a simple arrangement, but in a way that faintly aligned with the six directions of heaven and earth—up, down, east, south, west, and north. As the sword qi flowed, it was no longer just sharp; it gave rise to a rounded sense of endless, cyclic regeneration.
【Bond/Dharma Sword (6/6) Activated】
【Bond Effect Upgrade: Six-Harmony Sword Array】
【Effect: When the sword array is deployed, it creates its own small world. Inside the array, sword qi flows endlessly, exerting all-around suppression on the enemy】
Gu Chengming felt the feedback of this new power and felt settled in his heart. He sheathed the sword and walked out of the merit storehouse.
The biting cold wind hitting his face didn't make him feel the slightest chill. On the contrary, it made the surging sword intent within him even more refined. The snow under his feet made a light 'crunching' sound. With every step he took, the aura on Gu Chengming's body became more harmonious. Returning to his residence, he sat cross-legged on the couch without consciously guiding his energy. From the Second Realm, Fifth Level to the sixth level, the bottleneck that should have existed had long since become non-existent under the days of killing and enlightenment.
"Break."
He whispered a single word in his mind.
The surrounding spiritual energy poured into his body like a whale inhaling water. The true essence within his meridians expanded once again, and its circulation speed was more than thirty percent faster than before. The Second Realm, Sixth Level was achieved naturally.
Gu Chengming slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air. His aura was deeper and more restrained than before.
【Hundred Bones Resonating is the first to cheer: Emperor Gu breaking through realms is as simple as drinking water!】
【Hundred Bones Resonating favorability +5】
Gu Chengming thought to himself, 'Old Hundred, why are you just making up excuses to increase favorability again?'
【The Qingxin Art, meanwhile, is holding its face, its purple eyes full of admiration】
【For some reason, as long as it can watch you grow stronger, it feels incredibly at peace】
【Perhaps the peace doesn't come from you becoming stronger, but from knowing that the dangers you will encounter in the future have been reduced by a few points?】
【In short, it is happy for you from the bottom of its heart】
As these words fell, a rustling sound came from a corner nearby.
【The Huiyuan Sword Manual has actually produced a small booklet and a pen from somewhere】
【It maintains a serious face, but its ears are pricked up high. While stealing glances at the Qingxin Art, it is writing rapidly, recording something in the booklet】
【'As long as I can watch you grow stronger, I feel at peace...'】
【'Ah, no, it's: knowing that the dangers you will encounter in the future have been reduced by a few points, only then do I feel at peace'】
【'Mhm, I'll record this sentence; it will definitely come in handy in the future!'】
【After writing, the Huiyuan Sword Manual seemed to notice your gaze. Its small face turned bright red, like a cat caught doing something bad, and it hurriedly hid the booklet behind its back】
Gu Chengming couldn't help but smile.
...
As his cultivation stabilized, Gu Chengming was in no hurry to end his seclusion. During this time, with Vice Commander Liang's backing and promotion, the Myriad Wonders Gathering had completely spread among the rogue cultivator groups in the Northern Territory. From the initial few hundred people, it now covered nearly three thousand cultivators inside and outside of Falling Snow Pass.
【The All Wonders Same Source Method is watching those streams of information gathering like creeks: traces of demon beasts, origins of spiritual herbs, bounties on the black market, and even unfair distribution of loot within a small team—all of this is under its control】
【This feeling of being the mastermind behind the scenes has caused its favorability to soar all the way】
【Current favorability: 80/Like】
Gu Chengming was very satisfied with this. Having dealt with these trivial matters, Gu Chengming took out a pile of miscellaneous items from his storage pouch. These were Qian Tong's relics. As the master of the Wanjin Pavilion, this old man's wealth was indeed substantial; the spirit stones and pills alone were a fortune. But what Gu Chengming was most interested in were the arts he practiced. After all, someone who could make a business so large and maintain a relationship with a crooked path like the Longevity Sect without sinking must have some special skills in hand. Several jade slips were laid out one by one.
Gu Chengming's divine sense swept over them, and his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. "Blood Fiend Corpse Refining Method," "Yin-Yang Supplementation Art," "Five Ghosts Wealth Moving Secret Technique"...
"They are all just unrefined, heterodox paths."
Gu Chengming shook his head and casually tossed these jade slips aside. Although these arts were considered rare at this level, most required the flesh and blood of living people or the consumption of karmic virtue as a price. Though powerful, they had even more hidden dangers and were simply trash to him. He packed up all these wicked arts, planning to take them to the secret vault of the Night Guard Division tomorrow to exchange for merit.
Just as he was about to stop, an unremarkable gray jade slip hidden in a corner caught his attention. This jade slip had no trace of evil aura; instead, it carried a faint scent of the mortal world's mundane life. Gu Chengming reached out to take it and probed it with his divine sense. A moment later, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Heart Induction Thought Exchange Technique.
This was not an offensive technique, nor could it even be considered defensive; rather, it was an extremely obscure auxiliary-type spell. According to the general principles in the opening chapter, after mastering this technique, it had no substantial lethality. Its only function was to 'induce.' By using one's own emotions as bait, one could stir, amplify, and even guide the emotions of others. If practiced to a high level, one could even infinitely amplify a certain thought in the target's subconscious through a few simple words without them noticing, thereby inducing them to speak the truth or make decisions that aligned with the practitioner's expectations.
"No wonder..."
Gu Chengming thought. The reason why the Wanjin Pavilion could stand firm in the Northern Territory and even make so many rogue cultivators feel compelled to go there despite knowing they were being cheated was probably due to this Heart Induction Thought Exchange Technique. It could accurately capture every customer's greed, fear, and urgency, and then utilize these emotions to maximize profit.
"This thing..."
Gu Chengming rubbed the jade slip. This method was somewhat similar to his Red Dust Technique; both had the effect of perceiving emotions. But the Red Dust Technique was passive, like a mirror reflecting the joys and sorrows of those around him, while this Heart Induction Thought Exchange Technique was active, like an invisible hand plucking the strings named 'emotions.' If the Red Dust Technique was for 'seeing,' then this Heart Induction Thought Exchange Technique was for 'controlling.'
"A bit interesting."
Gu Chengming did not discard it like he did the other wicked arts; instead, he kept it. After all, this was a spell, and the entry requirements were very low. Just as he was about to study it carefully, a strange ripple suddenly came from his sea of consciousness.
The All Wonders Same Source Method, which had been immersed in processing intelligence, suddenly paused after sensing the content of this jade slip.
【It stared at the core principles of the Heart Induction Thought Exchange Technique as if it had seen the key to a new world】
【The All Wonders Same Source Method has a flash of inspiration!】
【It had been troubled by the fact that the Myriad Wonders Gathering could currently only serve as a hub for information; although it could control intelligence, it could not truly control the people who posted it】
【This technique just happened to give it a new idea!】
【The All Wonders Same Source Method has entered a state of comprehension】
"?"
I see that your comprehension is not at all inferior to Emperor Bai's.
...
The winter in Falling Snow Pass was always exceptionally long. The daylight was as short as a sigh, quickly swallowed by the howling wind and snow. However, for the rogue cultivators of Falling Snow Pass today, this long winter night was no longer just a torment of wasting days around the fire; instead, it had become the busiest time. With the spread of the Myriad Wonders Gathering, that invisible great net had already shrouded the entire pass.
Inside the side hall of the Northern Mansion, the floor heating was burning brightly, driving away the bone-piercing cold. Gu Chengming sat in the main seat, flipping through transmission jade slips; those were the summaries of core intelligence fed back by the All Wonders Same Source Method. Below him, Nuo Tao, the 'talented disciple' of the Myriad Thief Sect, was currently slumped over the desk without any image, holding a pen and looking at the mountain of account books and intelligence categories before her with a desire to cry.
"Gu, little brother."
Nuo Tao finally couldn't take it anymore. She raised her small, pitiable face toward Gu Chengming: "Isn't this a bit too much? Can't we hire some people? I came here to undergo a tribulation, not to be an accountant!"
"Undergoing a tribulation to temper the mind and exhausting the body is also a part of cultivation."
Gu Chengming seriously bluffed her. "Besides, every piece of intelligence here could be related to the movements of the Longevity Sect. Except for you, a talented disciple of the Myriad Thief Sect who is sensitive to the aura of karma, I wouldn't feel at ease giving this to anyone else."
Nuo Tao thought to herself, 'This is exploitation! Blatant exploitation!' But Gu Chengming's line of "besides you, no one else will do" made her too embarrassed to say it out loud.
However, this scene fell into the eyes of Yu Wenqiu, who was holding a teacup nearby, seemingly dazed but actually pricking up her ears. The atmosphere changed completely for her. Yu Wenqiu wore a dark green casual robe today, with a thick white fox fur coat over it. She was nestled on the soft couch, and the novel in her hand, which she hadn't turned a page of for a long while, was now being squeezed a bit out of shape. From her perspective, Nuo Tao was almost leaning against Gu Chengming.
That bright look in her eyes, that lowered voice, and those heads huddled together—no matter how she looked at it, there was a sense of ambiguous unclearness. What made Yu Wenqiu feel most stifled was that Little Gu actually smiled.
"Stupid Little Gu..."
Yu Wenqiu cursed him in her heart for being a disappointment. In her view, although Gu Chengming had extraordinary talent and acted decisively, he was, after all, young and lacked experience. Not a single woman from the Myriad Thief Sect was a pushover; they were ancestors of making a living through cheating and deceiving! This girl was clearly retreating to advance, using those ambiguous pieces of intelligence to hook him. Who knew what wicked schemes she was brewing in her heart, wanting to play Little Gu like a toy in her palm to wait for a chance to escape or plot something bad. Yet Little Gu didn't notice at all.
Returning to her own small courtyard, Yu Wenqiu looked at the swing covered in snow and no longer felt like sitting on it to sway as she used to. She pushed open the door, threw herself into the reclining chair with thick cushions, casually grabbed a pillow to hug, and rested her chin on it, staring blankly at the flying snow outside the window.
"Should I give him a few pointers?"
Yu Wenqiu was extremely conflicted in her heart. If she said directly, "That woman is not a good person, stay away from her," would it make her look too narrow-minded, interfering in a junior's private affairs? After all, Gu Chengming was now an official of the Night Guard Division who could handle things on his own. If she managed him too much, would he find her annoying? But if she didn't say anything, watching that demoness hang around Little Gu all day gave her a feeling of having someone else get ahead of her while she did nothing.
"Sigh..."
Yu Wenqiu let out a long sigh in her heart, her fingertips unconsciously picking at the silk patterns on the soft couch. This kind of awkwardness—wanting to speak but unable to, wanting to be close but unable to find an excuse—was truly a first in her life.
Just as she was so conflicted that she was about to pick a hole in the silk, a footstep stopped by her side. Immediately afterward, a faint scent of ink mixed with a familiar, steady aura drifted over along with a voice.
"Elder, the tea is cold."
—How did Little Gu get here?
Yu Wenqiu's body stiffened slightly, and she muttered, "If it's cold, then it's cold. It's just right for cooling down my internal fire."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. This tone sounded like she had suffered a grievance, but in the end, wasn't it just her own internal awkwardness? Why let this emotion show in front of Little Gu. Gu Chengming only chuckled and placed a freshly changed cup of hot tea gently on the small table by her hand.
Then, he took out a thick stack of storybooks carefully tied with red string from his sleeve and pushed them gently in front of Yu Wenqiu.
"Although it's not good for cooling fire, I do have something to relieve boredom."
Yu Wenqiu's gaze instinctively fell on that stack of books. The covers were brand new and had no titles, but the familiar binding style and the faint scent of ink made her heart skip a beat. She looked up, her gaze meeting Gu Chengming's smiling eyes.
"This is...?"
"Didn't I promise the Elder back in the courtyard in the capital?"
Gu Chengming sat down on the chair nearby. "I rested for a few days and brainstormed for a few days. Although the journey north was bumpy, fortunately, there was nothing to do at night, so I wrote it out bit by bit."
"Although things have been busy these days, I managed to polish out the opening volume."
"Even though I couldn't fulfill my promise to the Elder to write it within three days, the efficiency is still pretty good, right?"
Yu Wenqiu stared blankly at the books and then at Gu Chengming. The stifling feeling, conflict, and that indescribable touch of sourness in her heart vanished in an instant. Little Gu didn't forget after all...
These days, watching him busy himself with everything, although Yu Wenqiu clamored about wanting to see the new book, she had already prepared herself for this matter to be delayed for a year or a half. After all, official business was important. But she didn't expect that he not only remembered but also truly wrote it out during such busy intervals. Little Yu felt subtle and moved in her heart, feeling like her conflict these past few days made her look like a fool. Yu Wenqiu sniffled and grabbed the books into her arms, trying to regain a bit of her elder's dignity, but the slightly upturned corners of her mouth completely gave away her good mood:
"At least you have a conscience. This elder thought you had forgotten it to the far reaches of the heavens long ago."
"How would I dare forget?"
Gu Chengming smiled and shook his head. "The Elder's instructions are always kept in my heart."
If someone else said this, it might seem frivolous, but his tone was open and his expression sincere, making it heartwarming to hear. Yu Wenqiu's cheeks turned slightly red, and she unnaturally looked away, her fingers gently stroking the covers of the books. Although the awkwardness in her heart had mostly dissipated, she had to find an outlet for that bit of 'resentment' from before.
So, as she opened the book, she complained with an air of nonchalance that was actually pointed:
"I just see you busy every day, especially having to distract yourself to deal with that little thief."
At the mention of Nuo Tao, Yu Wenqiu's tone became noticeably heavier. "That girl looks shifty; anyone can see she's not a pushover. Don't look at how she seems honest and obedient now; it's all an act! People from the Myriad Thief Sect have more schemes in their hearts than a lotus root has holes."
She looked up at Gu Chengming and advised earnestly, "You, you're just too young, too easy to believe in people. That intelligence she gives you might have some pit buried in it. You have to be more careful, or else you might be sold and still be counting money for them."
"I'm telling you, this kind of woman is best at sweet talk, using the sympathy of righteous disciples like you and..."
Gu Chengming listened quietly to her chatter without interrupting. In Yu Wenqiu's eyes, he was probably being played by a bad woman, but in reality, his relationship with Nuo Tao was the complete opposite. However, Gu Chengming didn't intend to explain these things to Yu Wenqiu. "The Elder's lecture is correct."
Seeing his attitude was so upright, the last bit of irritation in Yu Wenqiu's heart was completely smoothed out. The side hall became quiet again. Only this time, that tense, awkward atmosphere was gone. A faint scent of tea and ink flowed in the air, along with the occasional rustle of turning pages. Yu Wenqiu nestled on the couch, her mind not on the novel at all. Even though the novel was well-written, she still peeked up from time to time to look at the back of the person who was focused on handling official business, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up again.
—Stupid Little Gu.
Thinking of this, Yu Wenqiu turned a page with a peaceful mind. And Gu Chengming, after handling a piece of intelligence in his hand, instinctively looked up. Seeing her reading intently with her brow relaxed and no trace of her previous gloom, Gu Chengming smiled faintly and lowered his head again. The long night in the Northern Territory was long indeed, but the people and things in this room could always make one feel a bit of the peace of quiet years.
...
In the side hall.
"Achoo!"
Nuo Tao sneezed heavily, rubbed her cold-reddened nose, and looked out the window in a daze. "Why do I suddenly feel a chill on my back... is someone cursing me?" She looked at the account books in front of her that seemed as if they would never be finished, and a sense of tragedy overcame her as she sobbed, "I really don't want to do this anymore, I want to go home—"
Unfortunately, this sob was swallowed by the wind and snow.
...
The wind and snow in the Northern Territory still hadn't stopped, falling in flurries onto the pitch-black walls of Falling Snow Pass. Ever since obtaining the Heart Induction Thought Exchange Technique that day, the All Wonders Same Source Method had completely entered an offline state. It had been in comprehension for three whole days. During these three days, Gu Chengming wasn't idle either; besides his daily cultivation and polishing the sword array, he watched the increasingly large Myriad Wonders Gathering take root in the Northern Territory. With official backing, the concerns of those rogue cultivators had mostly dissipated. The flow of information was like rivers merging into the sea, allowing him to have full knowledge of everything within a hundred miles of the pass without even stepping out of his house.
It wasn't until late on the third night.
Gu Chengming was sitting cross-legged on the couch, fiddling with that warm jade slip in his hand, when a faint buzz suddenly came from the depths of his sea of consciousness.
【The All Wonders Same Source Method let out a long sigh of relief】
【It looked at Gu Chengming and didn't rush to claim credit as before. Instead, it slowly displayed the results of its deduction, but its small, unconscious movements exposed its internal excitement】
【It believes that mere intelligence gathering is only a low-level feat; a true mastermind should be able to listen to the hearts of all things and hear the thunder in silence】
With its slightly theatrical movements, lines of brand-new small characters appeared before Gu Chengming's eyes.
【Deduction Complete】
【CG State Updated】
Gu Chengming's heart stirred, and he looked intently. He saw that on the light screen, the description of the All Wonders Same Source Method hadn't changed much, but in the special term column at the very bottom, a very conspicuous new CG had appeared.
【All Wonders Same Source Method CG / Mind is Myriad Things: Where the heart points, all things resonate】
【Every midnight, you can randomly intercept one important inner thought of a living creature within range, ignoring distance, restrictions, and cultivation gaps】
【Note: This inner thought is the target's most authentic thought in their subconscious; it cannot be faked or blocked】
【Current Unlock Progress: 5%】
Gu Chengming looked at this line of text, and his expectant expression gradually turned into confusion.
"?"
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