Translator: CinderTL
The enhanced mental strength brought with it heightened senses, significantly boosting Feng Qi's learning efficiency.
He completed the second lecture on Cultivation Technique Research theory in about two-thirds of the time it usually took him.
Though he still needed to review the material repeatedly, the improvement was undeniable.
If learning a subject were a journey, he had now acquired a vehicle, allowing him to traverse the same distance to the destination more efficiently and shorten the overall travel time.
That's a good analogy, but you're still riding a bicycle. Photographic Memory is the real spaceship—it gets you to the finish line in a flash. Not only can you absorb all knowledge in a single pass, but you don't even need to memorize it carefully. A glance at the screen is like taking a screenshot; you can immediately flip to the next page.
Feng Qi: ...
Ignoring the Narrator's mental assault, he focused on his studies.
The joy of learning lies in the accumulation of knowledge, much like leveling up a character and acquiring better equipment in a game.
Mastering knowledge in an unfamiliar domain is akin to conquering a game dungeon.
That's why he always maintained a positive and optimistic attitude toward learning.
After watching two episodes of the "Fundamentals of Cultivation Technique Research" course, Feng Qi began searching the database for information related to biological sciences.
He had already decided on his next timeline: infiltrating the Scarlet Research Institute.
Knowledge of biological sciences would be crucial for securing promotions and salary increases, allowing him to penetrate the Scarlet Core Domain.
During his search, he stumbled upon an intriguing piece of technical documentation in the field of biological sciences.
The document primarily detailed a method for treating hair loss.
Modern hair transplant techniques, while effective, don't truly cure baldness. Even successful transplants only offer temporary solutions.
This technology, however, promised to fundamentally resolve the problem of hair loss.
It was a challenge that remained unsolved in the Reality Line. As children, we were taught that knowledge changes destiny... but more often, it changes hairstyles.
When the once-thick, black hair of youth recedes like a tide, leaving only an ever-retreating hairline... the myth of "going bald makes you stronger" is just that—a myth. In reality, balding invariably makes you uglier.
This can erode confidence and even jeopardize one's chances of finding a mate and reproducing.
Feng Qi was particularly interested in this technology because it wasn't overly complex and could serve as one of his research achievements after infiltrating the Scarlet Research Institute.
From a certain perspective, it could be considered a benefit to society.
When memorizing the information, he encountered the same problem as before:
Many technical terms were incomprehensible, disrupting the flow of reading and hindering his memorization efficiency.
Memorizing material he didn't understand required rote memorization, leaving no room for shortcuts.
Fortunately, with his enhanced mental strength, rote memorization had become somewhat easier than before.
Time flew by as he studied. After finishing the relevant materials, he selected another topic in biological sciences and began learning.
During this visit to the Dream Realm, he hadn't obtained any crucial intelligence, so he focused on studying to prepare for the next timeline.
While studying, he suddenly remembered something. He closed the document and typed "Destiny Association" into the search bar.
Immediately, a flood of headlines appeared on the screen:
A 15-Year-Old Cancer: How Three Bratty Kids Became the Biggest Obstacle to Human Progress
Decoding the Destiny Association's History: The Cognitive Errors Born from Ignorance
Perhaps even the three bratty kids couldn't have imagined the immense impact their accidental creation, the Destiny Association, would have in the future. By the time they regretted it, it would be too late.
Seeing these headlines, Feng Qi knew his previous attempt to dissuade them had failed.
The three mischievous kids had secretly established the Destiny Association after all.
The fluttering moth's gaping maw is poised to unleash a new historical storm, preparing to pinpoint its target.
Feng Qi: ...
The Narrator's words perfectly aligned with his next course of action. He immediately began searching the database for the location where the three kids had formed the Destiny Association.
After entering the keywords into the search bar, the relevant information appeared on the screen.
This time, the trio had changed their venue, opting for a teahouse in the suburbs of Star City, with the meeting scheduled for just over ten days later.
Having pinpointed the coordinates, Feng Qi hardened his resolve.
He vowed that his next intervention would deliver an even harsher lesson to the three troublemakers.
If they still refused to repent, he would continue until they finally learned their lesson.
After closing the relevant data pages, he dedicated the remaining time to his studies.
After completing a learning session, he would take a brief break to review historical records for about ten minutes, allowing himself to relax.
Maintaining a constantly tense state of study would hinder his learning efficiency, causing the knowledge to become tangled and interfere with each other in his mind.
Reviewing history didn't require rote memorization, yet it allowed him to absorb historical information while enjoying a moment of relaxation.
In history, those who have passed are like books.
Some become historical classics, others forbidden texts, some collections of jokes, while others serve as beacons illuminating the paths of those who follow.
Such is history: each era's people read the past, yet also await their own future readers.
But the vast majority of the unremarkable are ultimately swallowed by the tides of history, like dust-covered, unbound books buried deep in library stacks, forgotten and unread.
When Feng Qi needed to research historical data, his first thought went to the chuunibyou girl, Xiaoxin.
After searching the database for Xiaoxin's records, a smile spread across his face.
In this Future Line, he hadn't betrayed humanity, and Xiaoxin's growth had undergone a complete transformation.
During the period when his future self continued to shine, Xiaoxin had also flourished, developing a cultivation technique with a four-star rating and six three-star techniques, causing quite a stir.
However, when he formed the Dawn Domain Combat Team and his Cultivation Technique Research efforts faltered, Xiaoxin's brilliance gradually dimmed. She produced no further outstanding research results, and her growth stagnated.
Feng Qi found this utterly exasperating.
A genius like Xiaoxin, who needed immense pressure to thrive, was exceedingly rare throughout history.
She was like a treasured sword, long sheathed and gathering dust, requiring a powerful whetstone to sharpen her edge and hone her brilliance.
But without that whetstone, she would quickly dull, like a sword rusting in its scabbard, never to be drawn again.
And the whetstone Xiaoxin had chosen was him.
That chuunibyou girl is terrifying. If she could access the future database, copy vast amounts of knowledge, and use it to swagger her way to over a hundred years old, imagine how far she'd grow! She might even develop a deity-tier cultivation technique that shakes the heavens and earth!
"Maybe she really could."
Too bad you're a short-lived bastard. Your longest recorded lifespan is only 34 years. Every time you break that record, I want to bang the drums and celebrate like crazy! It's like "longevity" brushes past you, then pulls out a dagger and stabs you right in your vital point.
Feng Qi: ...
"Next time for sure. Goal: 100 years."
Pfft!
After reviewing Xiaoxin's records, Feng Qi gained a deeper understanding of her situation, confirming his earlier suspicions.
She was a unique talent who grew stronger under pressure.
Therefore, it was best to continuously provide her with the desire to chase after something, allowing her to grow.
In the following hours, he continued to pore over learning materials, particularly research findings in the field of biological sciences.
As he studied, he felt like a fisherman casting his net into the vast ocean of knowledge within the database, each successful catch bringing him a sense of satisfaction.
What if you catch a great white shark? There might even be megalodons in that sea, the kind that could swallow you whole in one bite. Your analogy doesn't quite fit.
"Shut up already," Feng Qi muttered, ignoring the Narrator's interruption. He continued to delve into the knowledge, gradually entering a state of immersive learning.
Lost in his studies, he became oblivious to the world around him, his mind focused solely on the sacred texts before him.
Time flew by unnoticed as he immersed himself in learning.
When the Narrator's voice echoed in his mind, Feng Qi knew his journey through the Dream Realm was nearing its end.
Time to clock out, boss! See ya later!
Hearing the Narrator's farewell, Feng Qi immediately retorted, "Then let's meet in the real world. When we do, I hope you'll finally admit you exist in reality."
Confession brings leniency, daily work keeps you busy. Resistance brings severity, holidays and New Year's Eve!
"So you're admitting you exist in reality now?" Feng Qi asked, astonished.
"Admit what bullshit? Everything requires evidence, you magic-tainted idiot! Just hurry up and die at little black's hands so I can clock out!"
Feng Qi: ...
He turned to see little black drifting down from the metal passageway into the underground plaza.
Realizing he was about to be taken by little black, Feng Qi, already accustomed to this, smiled and asked:
"Since we're parting soon, what song will you play for me this time?"
"So much fuss over nothing! Just go already! Why do you need a song? Let me think... (After a moment of contemplation, the background music began) Across a thousand years of sorrow, you wait for me at the end... The most beautiful emotion is worth a lifetime of devotion."
"How fitting!"
Feng Qi grinned, his gaze shifting.
Even in death, he would never surrender meekly. He'd struggle to the very end.
As little black drew closer, Feng Qi focused his mind. An invisible force surged from his body, lashing out at little black.
But the psychokinesis only slightly slowed little black's advance, offering no real resistance.
What astonished him even more was that the psychokinesis he was using to contact little black was rapidly dissolving, as if being devoured by the black mist shrouding its body.
Though psychokinesis was invisible, Feng Qi perceived it as real as his own limbs, an extension of his physical being.
The sensation of his psychokinesis being consumed was therefore acutely vivid.
In mere moments, little black had devoured all of his telekinesis.
Feng Qi immediately adopted the starting stance of the Fierce Tiger Fist, preparing to unleash a final "Black Tiger Steals the Heart" strike before his demise.
Whether it would work or not, he refused to lose in momentum.
Staring at little black, now mere inches away, he suddenly recalled a question he had once pondered.
"Narrator, what kind of talent ability do you think I'd gain if I killed little black?"
Another one of these delusional questions. Why don't you ask what kind of talent ability you'd get if you killed me?
After a two-second silence, Feng Qi asked, "Then what talent ability would I get if I killed you?"
You'd gain the "Unfilial Son" talent title, and the ability to summon a blue knight's sword. Satisfied?
Feng Qi: ...
(End of the Chapter)