Volume Two: Shadows of the Past Chapter Fourteen: The Situation Is Out of Control!?

Chen Jing rose from the apparatus used to test psychic abilities, glancing at Sun Ruoqing, whose brow was furrowed in grave concern. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I haven’t trained or used my abilities these past two years; how could my ability level possibly increase?”

Sun Ruoqing looked at him without replying, knowing he was only trying to comfort her.

Before long, the results came out. Sun Ruoqing snatched the report and glanced at the outcome.

Chen Jing, Psychic Ability Level: 7, Cerebral Domain Activation: 47%.

Seeing the figure—47%—Sun Ruoqing felt her strength drain away and leaned weakly against the table.

Chen Jing walked over, took the result from her hand, glanced at it, and immediately tore it apart. With a casual air, he said, “Still level seven. I’m a long way from breaking through to level eight. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Sun Ruoqing gazed at Chen Jing, her face filled with sorrow. She shook her head, unwilling to speak. Why? He had clearly stopped cultivating, yet the growth refused to halt.

Chen Jing gently embraced her and sighed, soothing her, “It’s alright, it’s only 47%. There’s still 3% left. Besides, the doctor only said there’s a *chance* of collapse after breaking through to level eight, not that it’s inevitable. Give me some credit and don’t be so pessimistic.” He patted her back and added with a soft laugh, “Let’s not tell anyone, alright? Especially Yuanshan and... our teacher. Telling them won’t change anything, will it?”

Leaning against him, Sun Ruoqing bit her lip and nodded feebly.

After the two of them left, a figure appeared where they had been moments before. Draped in a flowing gown, with a graceful figure, it was unmistakably their teacher, Wang Nianjun.

Wang Nianjun waved her hand at the torn report; the shredded pieces reassembled themselves. She gazed at the final result, her eyes turning distant…

“Doctor, is there truly no way to repair Chen Jing’s cerebral domain?” Having learned of his condition, Wang Nianjun hurried to consult the foremost expert in the field of psychic cerebral research.

“It’s not that it can’t be repaired,” the expert replied, “but with our current medical capabilities, we’re unable to. You know as well as I do—overuse of psychic abilities leading to cerebral domain collapse is both the most common and most irreversible injury in this field. Perhaps you could try seeking out healers with restorative abilities to see if they can treat him, or at least slow the deterioration.”

Hearing this, Wang Nianjun hesitated, reluctant to ask, but finally gritted her teeth and said, “Given his situation, how much longer can he last?”

“At present, as long as he doesn’t use his abilities again, he can theoretically endure up to the peak of level seven. But if he breaks through to level eight, his cerebral domain won’t withstand the power and will collapse. At that point, only fate will decide.”

“Level eight? So 50% activation is truly the limit? I understand. Thank you for coming to see him, I thank you on his behalf.” Wang Nianjun took a deep breath and bowed gratefully.

“No, no, there’s no need. If anything, I’m ashamed I could do so little for this young hero. Such courtesy is more than I deserve.”

…

Memories stirred quietly within her heart as Wang Nianjun departed in silence.

Xiao Jingzi, what am I supposed to do…

The next day, Chen Jing arrived, looking perfectly at ease, bringing Molly and Zhang Jingzhi to review their results.

When the three arrived at the testing room, Sun Ruoqing was already there, and Xie Yuanshan happened to be present as well.

“Brother!” Seeing Chen Jing enter, Xie Yuanshan greeted him with a bright smile.

He smiled back at his sister, then looked to the report in Sun Ruoqing’s hand and asked, “How did it go?”

Without replying, Sun Ruoqing handed him a report, keeping another for herself.

Chen Jing glanced at the report—it was Zhang Jingzhi’s.

Zhang Jingzhi
Psychic Ability: Telepathy
Ability Level: 4
Cerebral Domain Activation: 20%
Ability Description: Perceives the feelings in a target’s heart...

He handed the report back to Zhang Jingzhi, who, after reading it, exclaimed, “Ah! So my psychic ability is telepathy? I thought I could only sense people’s emotions.”

This was the benefit of specialized ability testing—it allowed individuals to quickly understand the true nature of their powers, and if necessary, could even help them develop new applications.

Chen Jing wasn’t particularly curious about Zhang Jingzhi’s ability; his attention was already on the report in Sun Ruoqing’s hand—the one for Molly.

Seeing how intently Sun Ruoqing studied the paper, Chen Jing sensed something was off. He walked over to her and read from the report.

Chen Molly
Psychic Ability: Perception and Restoration (Preliminary Assessment)
Ability Level: 3
Cerebral Domain Activation: 18%
Ability Description: Possesses powerful sensory abilities and can repair certain injuries. Specific capabilities pending further tests.

At the sight of the word “restoration,” Chen Jing’s eyes narrowed slightly.

If one were to ask which psychic ability was the mightiest in this world, perhaps no one could provide a definitive answer. But if you asked which was the most coveted and popular, it would undoubtedly be restorative abilities.

Healing powers were the most widely applicable—anything from minor injuries to stopping bleeding, to regenerating lost limbs; any restorative power was highly sought after in the psychic community. After all, who wouldn’t want a healer by their side?

But that wasn’t the only point catching Chen Jing’s attention, or perhaps not even the main one.

He glanced at Sun Ruoqing, who met his eyes—they both understood what the other was thinking.

“Let me see what Molly’s ability is.” At that moment, Xie Yuanshan bustled over, interrupting their silent exchange.

Chen Jing and Sun Ruoqing quickly composed themselves.

“Wow, Molly actually has a restorative ability! That’s an amazing power,” Xie Yuanshan exclaimed loudly after reading the report.

“Uh... Is there something special about restorative abilities?” Zhang Jingzhi asked, puzzled.

“Not really, it’s just that healers are the darlings of the psychic world. Hee hee.” With that, Xie Yuanshan scooped Molly up and rubbed her cheek against Molly’s, grinning. “Yay! Molly’s our precious little darling. Sweet little Molly!”

Molly, a bit annoyed, tried to push Xie Yuanshan’s face away, but she was too small to make a difference.

“Is that so? Are restorative abilities really that useful?”

Chen Jing smiled and replied, “The most common thing in our world is getting hurt, so there’s always a shortage of healers. But with a restorative psychic, it’s different—they can heal injuries in no time. What do you think?”

“Oh,” Zhang Jingzhi nodded. “So that’s how it is.”

Chen Jing ruffled Molly’s violet hair and said, “Now I understand why the people from Pandora are so desperate to reclaim Molly.”

At the mention of Pandora, Molly instinctively shrank her neck.

All this while, Sun Ruoqing had been silent. Now, she finally made up her mind. She looked at Chen Jing and said, “Since her ability is restorative, I think we should run more tests to see if Molly’s power can help your injury.”

“Hm?” The group turned to stare at Chen Jing in confusion.

Chen Jing sighed inwardly; he knew Ruoqing would suggest this.

“Brother, did you get injured before?” Zhang Jingzhi asked in bewilderment.

Over the past few days, she’d learned that Chen Jing had retired from the Imperial Dragon Squad after being wounded on a mission and could no longer use his abilities—but she never knew what kind of injury had caused it.

“My brother...” Xie Yuanshan hesitated, then explained, “He pushed his powers beyond their limits on a mission to save everyone, overloading his cerebral domain to the brink of collapse. Now it can’t contain psychic energy, so he’s unable to use his abilities ever again.”

“Oh!” Zhang Jingzhi clapped a hand over her mouth. She didn’t fully understand what cerebral domain collapse meant, but any injury involving the brain was certainly no small matter.

Chen Jing shook his head and tried to laugh it off, “It’s not as bad as you think. See? I eat, drink, sleep, sing, and dance just fine. If anything was wrong, would I be so lively?”

Though he acted unaffected and tried to lighten the mood, no one in the room could muster a smile.

Sun Ruoqing quietly approached Molly, knelt down, and stroked her hair. “Molly, let’s test together to see if your power can help your father, alright? It’s very important to him. You want to help him too, don’t you?”

Molly looked at Sun Ruoqing and then turned to Chen Jing. Seeing his helpless expression, she nodded slowly, “Mm, I want to save... Daddy too.” Her voice was soft but resolute.

Seeing that they wanted to run further tests, Chen Jing didn’t intend to stop them. He was curious to know more about Molly’s abilities anyway. Something about her always struck him as odd, as if there was a missing piece.

As for whether her power could actually help him, Chen Jing had little hope.

He’d searched the world for the past two years, seeking out every psychic with healing abilities, but none could mend his injury—not even those at the highest level. If such experts were powerless, it was even less likely that a level three psychic could help.

Yet fate is ever unpredictable, and Chen Jing had overlooked the uncertainty inherent in psychic abilities. Some gifts are, by their very nature, anomalies—miracles beyond anyone’s imagination, including his own.