Special abilities.

After making a circuit around the pill chamber without finding anything noteworthy, Luo Yu moved outside. As soon as he glanced down the corridor, he was startled, his composure shattered once more. He hurried over, running his hands along the wall that had surprised him, its appearance and texture indistinguishable from the surrounding stone. Yet Luo Yu knew: this was an illusion! He had seen clearly, in his altered state, that there was a cavity here—a hollow space!

He steadied himself, re-entered his trance, and tried to pass through. Instead, he was jolted back as if he had collided with a solid wall—what was going on? Reaching out, he felt an invisible barrier. Now Luo Yu was truly perplexed. Exiting his trance, he reasoned: if an earthquake could disrupt this formation, then so could he. Taking up his hoe, he began to dig at the "wall." After a while, a heap of earth lay at his feet—surely the formation must be slightly damaged now?

But when he entered his trance again, there was no sign of earth on the ground. Touching the place he had dug, he found the barrier just as intact as before, without so much as a scratch.

He cursed inwardly—another puzzle. Clearly, there must be a core to the formation, a "heart" he had to destroy. Returning to his trance, he gazed intently within, focusing his will. The sensation was as if his "vision" extended outward, much like in a dream when one wishes to see something far away and it suddenly appears before one's eyes—though far more demanding than in a dream. Slowly, his "vision" moved forward until he "saw" a small jade shard, shimmering with prismatic light, suspended in midair, radiating faint spiritual energy.

Luo Yu was elated—he was unlocking supernatural abilities! Gleefully, he drew his "vision" closer, but was suddenly struck by a tremor of the mind, as if his consciousness was about to scatter. The sensation was even more intense than when he had retrieved the previous jade piece, and Luo Yu quickly withdrew, uncertain and uneasy. In dreams, when the mind grows hazy, one falls asleep—but what happens when the mind scatters while awake? Could he lose his sanity? The thought made him shudder—this thing had offensive properties! No wonder he had entered the trance so suddenly when he picked up the jade—it was the jade's doing! If it attacked him, could he retaliate? Mental powers in "X-Men" were formidable—now that he was a mutant, shouldn't he be able to attack as well?

After some hesitation, Luo Yu decided to experiment first. He turned toward the cave entrance, looking out at the lush green forest. He thought: why not try it on water? Water is sensitive; if there’s any reaction, it should be visible. He climbed down the muddy slope and sat by a patch of water as clear as a mirror, focusing his mind and then "hurling" his consciousness at the water’s surface—no effect. He tried again—still nothing.

He spent half an hour at it, but the water remained as still as a well. Luo Yu wondered: perhaps he needed to bring his consciousness closer? So he extended his awareness outward. This time, it was easy—unlike in the cave, where resistance was strong. Perhaps the formation held other secrets. His consciousness passed through the surface to the bottom, then through the sand and stones—wait! He could pass through things? No wonder he couldn’t affect the water… Huh? If he could pass through things, then he could spy on people—see someone entering a password, taking a bath…

He caught himself—wrong direction again. If this was mental power, it must be psychic attack. Why not try it on a living creature? Looking up, he noticed a bird perched overhead. Calmly, he extended his consciousness upward—he could even elevate his senses this high? The feeling of his senses misaligned was truly bizarre… Closer… closer… The bird hadn’t noticed his presence at all—he struck!

Luo Yu slammed his consciousness into the bird’s head, and it silently tumbled from the tree, splashing into the water below. Luo Yu was ecstatic—this was surreal! Killing without a trace! He dashed to the stream and picked up the bird. It was not dead, merely dazed, fluttering weakly in his hands and bumping into rocks like a drunk. Seeing its distress, Luo Yu felt a pang of guilt—it had posed him no threat, yet he had harmed it. He gently placed it in a crevice to rest. The bird, likely both frightened and dizzy, burrowed deeper. Not wanting to scare it further, Luo Yu backed away.

He truly had supernatural abilities now, Luo Yu thought. He didn’t believe he was dreaming; he was far too familiar with dreams to mistake them for reality. Sitting on a stone, he closed his eyes and reminded himself: stay calm, don’t let excitement cloud your judgment, don’t entertain illegal thoughts—the fate of Light Yagami serves as warning. Everything that happened today originated from this cave. If he could gain powers, so could others—perhaps that rich second-generation… Maybe he had already used a mild psychic attack against Luo Yu? There's always someone stronger; the owner of this cave was certainly more powerful than he. The bird that sticks its head out gets shot, the tree that stands alone gets blown down… He must keep a low profile.

Once his excitement had subsided and he confirmed his offensive capability, Luo Yu resolved to challenge the jade shard.

Returning to the cave, he stood before the wall, took a deep breath, relaxed, and extended his consciousness within. When he reached the vicinity of the jade, he hesitated, refraining from the direct approach he’d used on the bird. Instead, he unleashed a "long-range attack" as he had with the water. The jade immediately reacted, its light swirling, and Luo Yu felt his mind quake and a sharp pain in his head, his vision darkening.

He clung to the wall for a while before recovering. What happened? He’d kept his distance, yet the reaction was so intense—thank goodness he wasn’t rendered an imbecile. At first, the jade’s effect on him had been mere warning, but now, after being attacked, it retaliated. Or was it that the force he exerted was reflected back upon him? Could this thing be sentient?

He took out the jade shard he already possessed—since they were of the same kind, they shouldn’t differ much, right? The one in his hand wasn’t nearly as clever. Or perhaps—it had its own program? Like coding, with preset triggers that activate specific actions when certain conditions are met?

The more Luo Yu pondered, the more plausible it seemed. A formation couldn’t possess consciousness. The initial effect wasn’t a "warning," but a default action when not under attack; this time, being attacked, it triggered a "retaliation protocol."

After resting, his head clear, Luo Yu decided to test whether it was truly retaliating or merely reflecting attacks. He extended his consciousness again, keeping the same distance and launching a smaller attack. Still, he suffered the same response. It was definitely the jade attacking him. Luo Yu couldn’t help but scorn the cave’s owner: What kind of programming is this? Isn’t it draining too much energy? Shouldn’t it be set to automatically reflect attacks? At the very least, there should be a conditional statement so that the retaliatory force doesn't greatly exceed the incoming attack—much more energy-efficient!

Thus, Luo Yu devised a shameless strategy: he kept sending tiny attacks, withdrawing before the jade could retaliate, gradually depleting its spiritual energy. By mid-afternoon, the jade’s glow had noticeably faded, and Luo Yu knew his method was working. Yet the day was waning. Considering that even if he opened the cave, he had no flashlight, and unless he intended to sleep there overnight it was better not to open it yet—who knew if someone else might come and see him?

So Luo Yu spared the poor jade shard, and began his journey back. As he exited the cave, he sent his consciousness ahead. He believed that, whatever this skill was, it would only improve with practice. Though he had to rest periodically, Luo Yu was never one to shy from inconvenience.

First, he checked the crevice where he’d left the bird—it was gone. Then he extended his awareness through the stones in the stream, sensing movement below. Lifting a stone, he found a small crab. Along the way, Luo Yu probed the insects in the grass, the birds in the trees; his courage grew, and he thought that even if a wild dog appeared, it wouldn’t be so frightening—if one dared approach, he’d simply hit it with a psychic shockwave.

Thus ends Chapter Seven of "Cultivating Immortal Friendships"—the supernatural abilities have been updated!