Chương 16: Telekinesis, the New Army

Meanwhile, during the month his body was being reshaped by the essence of the sun, the moonlight never failed him.

Every night, the bright moonlight would spill out like mercury, seeping silently through the window and into his brow.

If the essence of the sun is the raging fire that forges his body, then the radiance of the moon is the cool, icy ice that tempers his spirit.

After nearly two months of continuous nourishment, his spiritual world has undergone a tremendous transformation.

Deep within his consciousness, in that originally empty "sea of consciousness," the spiritual thoughts that were originally formless and intangible, drifting like smoke, have now condensed into a drop of liquid!

It floated there quietly, its entire body a deep silver color, its surface as smooth as a mirror.

Although it is only the size of a soybean, it exudes a sense of calm and weight.

Cang Lian felt as if a second self was truly being conceived within her mind—a "me" composed entirely of spirit.

This idea is no longer a vague "thought", but rather it seems to have a "physical form"!

A thought suddenly occurred to him, and a bold attempt arose spontaneously.

He focused his mind, and the drop of silver liquid trembled slightly. An invisible force instantly extended from his sea of consciousness, silently wrapping around a mahogany chair in the corner of the room.

This force is invisible to the naked eye, and there is not even the slightest fluctuation in the air.

But Cang Lian himself could feel this power very clearly, like his spiritual tentacles, an extension of his will, as if an invisible version of himself had stepped out of his body and precisely grasped the chair.

The chair is very heavy; an ordinary person would need both hands to move it with difficulty.

But Canglian had a sudden thought.

"rise!"

There was no sound, no wind.

To his astonishment, the heavy mahogany chair defied gravity and floated steadily and smoothly into the air!

It was about half a foot off the ground, completely still, as if it were being steadily supported by an invisible giant hand.

Then, under his control, the chair began to slowly move to the left, then to the right, then up, down... The whole process was incredibly smooth, just as if he were moving a delicate toy with his hands.

"Telekinesis... I can actually do that?"

Cang Lian herself found it hard to believe, and her heart started pounding uncontrollably.

This is no longer the way of martial arts, but the realm of "techniques"!

An overwhelming sense of excitement instantly overwhelmed him.

"Old Huang once said that, according to rumors in the martial arts world, the most skilled sorcerers can use their powerful mental energy to stop a flying bullet... I wonder if I can do that with my current mental strength? If I have the chance, I might give it a try!"

"Furthermore, since I can manipulate objects remotely, does that make me... a sorcerer?"

His thoughts began to wander freely.

"Flying needles kill without a trace, flying swords slice down fighter jets in the sky... These scenes, which originally only existed in vernacular novels, seem... seem not so far out of reach after all!"

Cang Lian suppressed his excitement and began to carefully sense this new power.

He slowly extended his spiritual power, like an invisible giant net, enveloping the entire room and then the entire building.

He was surprised to find that the range of his mental power had increased dramatically from twenty meters to a full one hundred and twenty meters!

It's increased by a full 100 meters!

This is incredible!

He sat quietly in the room with his eyes closed, but wherever his spiritual power passed, everything seemed as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

He could "see" Gu Guolong meditating in the room at the end of the corridor, his breathing steady and his heartbeat strong.

He could "see" a gecko lying motionless in a crack in the wall.

He could "see" the maids cleaning in the hall.

One hundred and twenty meters—that's undoubtedly a huge advantage!

This means that within this area, he is an omniscient and omnipotent "god"!

Any conspiracy or trickery will be exposed in front of him!

After carefully sensing it, Cang Lian slowly withdrew her spiritual power.

Just then, a few curses whispered into his ears.

"You know, the young master is strange. All he does is sunbathe all day, like a useless person," a maid's voice whispered.

"That's right! This good-for-nothing was pretending to learn martial arts from a coachman the other day, and he even wanted to ask the First Madam for secret medicine and martial arts techniques. He should take a piss and look at himself in the mirror. Does he really think he's someone important? If you ask me, ah, he's just a good-for-nothing. Although he was born into the Cang family, he was born with a worthless fate!" Another voice was sharp and sarcastic.

Cang Lian recognized it as the voice of the maid, Lai Xiang.

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, instantly turning his face cold!

Cang Lian slowly opened her eyes, a flash of cold light passing through them.

He took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his murderous intent, straightened his clothes slightly, and walked out expressionlessly.

"Young Master!" The maid, Lai Xiang, was speaking quietly with another maid when she saw him come out and immediately bowed her head and called out.

The other maid, who was still chuckling, saw him and her smile froze instantly. She quickly lowered her head as well.

Cang Lian walked up to them expressionlessly, without saying a word, only letting out a cold snort.

"Slap! Slap!"

Two crisp, loud slaps landed on the faces of the two maids without warning.

The two were knocked off balance, and clear five-finger marks instantly appeared on their faces.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with incomprehension and anger.

They had no idea why they had suddenly attracted this undeserved disaster.

Cang Lian didn't even glance at them again, as if she had just casually swatted two flies, and walked towards the stairs in a great mood.

He went downstairs and saw Old Huang, greeting him casually, "Good morning, Old Huang!"

When Old Master Huang saw him, his expression turned somewhat grave. He immediately stepped forward and said, "Young Master, things haven't been peaceful in Shenghai lately. Unless it's something urgent, you'd better not go out!"

"Oh? What's wrong?" Cang Lian asked.

"The new army and the Lan warlords have started fighting, and it's been going on for almost ten days. The Lan warlords are suffering defeat after defeat and are on the verge of collapse. There's chaos outside!" Old Huang said in a low voice.

"Oh? Why didn't I hear any gunfire?" Cang Lian asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Because this is a concession, under foreign control, no matter how much the warlords fight amongst themselves, they don't dare to act recklessly. But outside the concession, it's hell on earth."

Old Huang sighed, "The new army is advancing like a whirlwind, subduing several warlords and showing signs of consolidating control over the entire country. The powerful families in Shenghai are all contributing money and supplies to support the new army. Everyone's playing it safe, all for the sake of 'meritorious service,' hoping to solidify their own position even after the new army enters the city!"

"Is the new army very strong?" Cang Lian asked.

"Powerful!" Old Huang's eyes held a hint of awe.

"So powerful that even the foreigners in the concessions are wary, fearing that the new army might retake the concessions in one fell swoop and cut off their source of income. I heard that the foreigners' warships have already sailed into Shengjiang!"

"How does the Cang family compare to the new army?" Cang Lian asked curiously.

Old Master Huang was silent for a moment, then said in an unprecedentedly serious tone, "Young Master, to be honest, no matter how powerful a family is, they are nothing but ants in the face of a true state apparatus. Tens of thousands of guns and countless cannons—even the legendary martial arts masters who are 'indestructible' will die once they are exhausted! Individual bravery is insignificant in the face of absolute national power."

"Is that so?" Cang Lian nodded. It seemed that this new army was indeed no ordinary warlord.