Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 661
"Your father deserves to be the expert of experts. His manipulation over the muscles on his face was incredible, and his micro-expressions were completely under his control. Even the shivering of his eyelash and the tiniest movement of his pupils were highly controllable for him.
"From his face, I would either read nothing or read a wrong answer or a misleading one that he released deliberately!"
Chapter 1000: Five Purposes! |
Jin Xinyue felt like she was trapped in her master's mind with no way of escape.
"However," Li Yao said, "although I couldn't read anything from your father's face, it doesn't mean that I could not read his mind!"
Jin Xinyue found it hard to believe. "Read the mind of a demon emperor who was dozens of kilometers away and on the other side of a light beam?"
For a moment, Jin Xinyue was of a mind to lunge forward and cling to her master's thigh, exclaiming and begging him to teach her such an incredible technique.
Li Yao grinned. "Do you still remember the beginning of our conversation?
"I said that I knew my advantages very clearly. What I've always been best at are simply fighting and refining. In the field of persuasion, your father would be hanging me up and whipping me mercilessly.
"On the other hand, in terms of the arts of refining and magical equipment, it would be your father who is hanged up and whipped, right?
"When I was back in the Flying Star Sector, I saw a piece of marvelous magical equipment named the Truth Cabinet, which was a military polygraph left by the Star Ocean Imperium.
"As a fan of magical equipment, naturally, there was no way that I would let go of such an ultimate treasure. After I became the best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau, I specially dedicated part of my time to the most profound research on the Truth Cabinet.
"Although it is impossible for me to produce such a piece of precise magical equipment, I can still copy a few rune arrays from it, duplicate a few functions, and make a counterfeit.
"Did you think that it was a simple 'point-to-point communicator for miners' that I'd inserted into the 'Star Spot Red Fire Oyster' and delivered to the commander-in-chief's residence?"
Jin Xinyue could not help but bulge her eyes and open her mouth.
Li Yao's eyes were narrowed into the shape of two fish hooks. "On the surface, it was just a 'point-to-point communicator for miners' that I threw together from the debris of a lot of magical equipment. In order to assemble the debris of different types, I added a lot of messy units to connect them.
"However, a few inconspicuous rune arrays hidden in the units endowed the magical equipment with a special function—to monitor the heartbeat and the flow of blood nearby and send the data back in the form of spiritual waves.
"Therefore, it is much more than a point-to-point communicator for miners; it is also a 'polygraph'!
"Everybody has a comfort zone.
"When your father was talking face to face through the light beam, he knew that I could see him clearly, and he also knew that experts of our levels were definitely adept at reading the micro-expressions. Therefore, he must've been managing his facial muscles precisely in case what was on his mind was exposed on his face.
"However, as you said just now, the remote communication at a distance of dozens of kilometers gave him an illusionary sense of safety. He couldn't have realized that I could sense his heartbeat and flow of blood on the other side of the light beam!
"From the very beginning, I pretended to be a hotblooded, bombastic dumbass. He was taking the initiative in our conversation all the time, and he lambasted me hard on my groundless theories.
"The more he lambasted, the more at ease he became. Eventually, he inevitably felt that 'Vulture Li Yao is just so-so'!
"On the other hand, at the last moment of our conversation, I threw out Eye of Blood Demon toward him, pretending that I had lost control over my emotions and burst into fury.
"You see, after hearing Eye of Blood Demon, your father did not change his facial expression at all. Even the enlargement and constriction of his pupils were still normal.
"However, his heart was beating 11% faster, and the speed of his blood flow was 7% higher!
"Although he adjusted his heartbeat and flow of blood in only 0.4 seconds and regained his cool, it was already enough for me!
"Think about it. If the Red Tide Plan is truly unrelated to the Eye of Blood Demon, when your father heard Eye of Blood Demon, he should've been confused or simply neglected the words outright, right?
"The acceleration of his heartbeat and flow of blood is only indicative of one thing—I found out his biggest secret!"
Jin Xinyue listened attentively and gave no rebuttal.
"You were quite right. Your father's face was like a frozen lake where there were no ripples whatsoever.
"However, no matter how frozen a lake appears to be, it is impossible for all the water in the bottom of lake to be frozen. There are always undercurrents flowing by.
"Therefore, I made thorough preparations and even snuck into Heavenly Path City at great risk in order to have a dialogue with your father not because I was trying to convince him but because I wanted to listen to his heartbeat. Nothing more."
Jin Xinyue was deep in thought, remaining silent.
After a long time, she was suddenly back to herself from the trance. The sharp brilliance in her eyes condensed again. "Master, I have two questions.
"Firstly, how could you be so sure that the hidden 'tell-tale rune arrays' would not be discovered?"
"Because they were refined by me," Li Yao replied. "Perhaps, if all the experts of refining in the Blood Demon Sector were gathered, and they spent a day and a night studying my work, it would've been possible for them to see the flaws in it. But since your father only had a few hours and he could not inform too many subordinates of the issue, there is no way that he could find it out."
The answer that was barely an answer rendered Jin Xinyue speechless. She extended another finger and asked, "Secondly, right now, it's great that you have guessed everything right, but what if your speculation was wrong?
"If my father gave no response at all after you said Eye of Blood Demon and there was absolutely no change in his micro-expression, heartbeat, or flow of blood, what would you do?
"You wouldn't have given up, would you?"
Li Yao shook his head and said solemnly, "I certainly would not have given up easily.
"Do you remember the crystal bombs we installed at the 'transfer station'?"
Jin Xinyue nodded. "I do. They were detonated to fake our death."
Li Yao's eyes turned into fish hooks again. "Faking our death was only one of their purposes.
"The crystal bombs had another usage that was much more important.
"When I crafted the batch of crystal bombs, I added a special ingredient to them, which was the powder I produced based on Dragon Wet Grass, Ice Silkworm Dew, and more than thirty other materials according to an ancient prescription.
"The powder is highly sticky. It will not be washed away easily when it is stuck to the surface of an object.
"Although it is invisible and odorless and will not emit any waves under normal circumstances, one will be able to notice it at a fairly long distance as long as one is wearing special glasses. Therefore, it is safe to say that the powder is designed for tracing.
"Similar powder is often utilized in the vaults of the banks in the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector. If you spray the powder on the precious Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and marrow crystals, you won't worry about any robber growing interested in them."
Jin Xinyue frowned and said, "There is such powder in the Blood Demon Sector, too. Also, it is much more advanced here than in the Heaven's Origin Sector. We know very clearly the formulas of such powder in the Heaven's Origin Sector and the corresponding examination methods."
Li Yao smiled. "Of course, the powder I produced was not the powder you can buy on the streets of the Heaven's Origin Sector. It was based on an ancient prescription that has been lost for a long time. Also, three materials that do not exist in the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector were added to the powder, which made it much more inconspicuous than normal powder. It is unlikely to have been discovered.
"This was my plan from the beginning.
"With our identities and our sabotages over the past month, we were essentially the most wanted criminals of the Blood Demon Sector. If you father intended to capture us, he certainly would have sent the best experts. Possibly, several demon emperors, the elite troops, and a few devilish warships would surround us!
"Those demon emperors, elite troops, and devilish warships would certainly be joining the ultimate war according to the Red Tide Plan, if my guess was correct.
"After all, once the Red Tide Plan was activated, it would be make or break for the Blood Demon Sector. There was no need to reserve strength. One more warrior means a higher likelihood of demolishing the capital city of the Star Glory Federation.
"Then, those demon emperors, elite troops, and devilish warships were bound to go to the final rendezvous point together with your father.
"As long as they were contaminated by the tracing powder, we would be able to find where the real elite troops of the coalition army of demons gathered by tracking them!"
Jin Xinyue thought hard for a moment. "However, how were you so certain that those demon emperors would not wash off the powder during their shower?"
"My crystal bombs were specifically designed to spread the powder as far away as possible when they exploded," Li Yao explained. "All the demons, their weapons, and their devilish warships were contaminated!
"Let's say that all the demon emperors have mysophobia and take three showers every day, to the point that they are essentially shedding their skin every few hours. It is not like that they will wash their weapons multiple times a day, right?
"Alright. Suppose that they have sanitized both themselves and their weapons both inside and outside, or they have returned their weapons to their Cosmos Rings and will not use them again, are the devilish warships that are contaminated by the powder going to be cleaned so easily?
"There are only several days to go before the Red Tide Plan is to be activated. In such a short amount of time, only regular maintenance can be performed on the devilish warships. It there any reason for them to clean the shells of the devilish warships completely?
"Therefore, as long as we were not too unlucky, there would be at least one demon emperor, one weapon, or one devilish warship that was contaminated by the tracing powder, right?
"Let me conclude what we now know.
"After sneaking into Heavenly Path City, we have confirmed the activation date of the Red Tide Plan, pried into the distribution of the armies of Heavenly Path City, confirmed that the Red Tide Plan is related to the Eye of Blood Demon through your father's heartbeat, sprayed tracing powder upon many demon emperors and heavy devilish warships, and faked the scene of our death, misleading all the demon emperors into thinking that we killed ourselves in the explosion!
"Although the persuasion failed, we have achieved the five aims of my plan. Is there any problem when I said that we have come home with loads of trophies?"
Mysophobia is an irrational fear of dirt or contamination.
Chapter 1001: The Third Skill! |
After hearing Li Yao's speech, Jin Xinyue felt as if she had observed a life-and-death battle between two top experts from a close distance and that the sharp swords and sabers brushed past her skin narrowly.
She could even feel that her master's and her father's blades of thought were rubbing her brain, causing both excruciating pain and ecstasy as if somebody had poured a bucket of icy water over her head.
The thrilled feeling made her sweat and barely able to stand.
Sorting through the whole thing, she felt that her father was more magnificent and mysterious than ever in her heart.
Jin Xinyue smiled bitterly and said, "It seems that I've always underestimated my father.
"It's funny that I used to think that my father knew nothing when I killed my stepmother without alarming anyone and raised subordinates who were loyal to me in the Gold Crow Kingdom. I thought of the man as just so-so.
"As it turns out, he was crystal clear about everything, and he was indulging me on purpose!
"It's a pity that the Red Tide Plan, which my father spent decades perfecting, has overlooked two fatal factors, one being Elder Nether Spring's Spore Stratagem and the other being you. Eventually, somebody else is going to pick the fruit, and he is destined to fail!
"Master, there is something that has been bothering me. If my father is really as terrifying as you described, why was he fooled by Elder Nether Spring?"
Li Yao sighed and pointed at his head. "It's all about the distribution of your computational ability.
"Nobody is omnipotent. However spectacular the computational ability of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator or a demon emperor is, the activity of their braincells has its own limits, too.
"What an insane and extraordinary cause it is to concoct the Red Tide Plan on his own, hoping to conquer the Heaven's Origin Sector in one war! Your father must've dedicated his entire computational ability to the plan. Did he really have the time to bother about anything else?
"Perhaps, he thought that other demon emperors were idiots who were likely to expose the real Red Tide Plan. Therefore, he had to keep his distance from them and act alone.
"But it never occurred to him that the mouths of his idiotic teammates were full of fangs. Not only were they hamstringing him, they were even trying to bite him hard!
"I am most familiar with such a state of mind. Tell me the truth. Do you feel that I act weird occasionally? It's almost like I'm a genius one moment and a retard the next. Sometimes I am talking rationally and sometimes I am just talking nonsense, right?"
"Well, I dare not think that. Master is a man of great wisdom and integrity, and you are born with an innocent mind. You occasionally behave like a child because you were getting to the truth of Dao!"
Li Yao smiled. "Forget the truth of Dao. The real reason is simple. That's because, most of the time, I allocate 95% of my computational ability to the contemplation of tactics, schemes, and studies of magical equipment and ancient classics. The computational ability that is dedicated to communication only takes up 5% of the whole, at best. It's only natural that I look inert and weird.
"For example, although I am talking to you with a tiny proportion of my computational ability right now, I have dedicated most of my computational ability to thinking how to destroy the Eye of Blood Demon. It's a simple example of multitasking.
"Also, sometimes, like a few days ago, in order to sort through the reasons and ramifications of the Red Tide Plan, I even burnt my life and soul and activated my brain cell activity to above 1,500%. After the crazy calculations, my braincells needed to take a long time of rest. During such a period, my wisdom would be no different from that of an ordinary person. It is very likely that I would ignore the simplest traps and schemes.
"Your father must've been similar to me, or even more serious, because it was 'destruction' on my mind but 'construction' on his mind. Destruction is always easier than construction.
"In order to build the Eye of Blood Demon and carry out the Red Tide Plan, he must've devoted 110% of his computational ability to the endeavor. His brain was overloading every day all the time. Did he really have the redundant computational ability to care whether or not other demon emperors had evil plans?
"Maybe, that was how he gradually lost control of the subordinates around him, who were compromised by Elder Nether Spring one by one. Eventually, even the Red Tide Plan became a stepping stone for the Spore Stratagem!"
Although they were on opposing sides, Li Yao still thought very highly of Jin Tuyi.
Jin Tuyi's destined failure was perhaps because he chose an invincible enemy and an impossible mission in the beginning and met all kinds of unexpected factors at the last moment.
In short, it was not his fault!
"By the way…" Li Yao sighed and said, "I didn't tell you everything before we went to Heavenly Path City not because I did not trust you.
"It is true that I recruited you as my disciple because it concerned my interests. For example, you are Jin Tuyi's daughter, so I can talk to him more quickly through you. Also, because of the Divine Blood of Chaos, you have turned into a human being from a demon, which is a great example for the integration of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector in the future.
"However, now that I have recruited you as my disciple, I will not keep anything from you or manipulate you like a chess piece.
"I didn't tell your earlier for a simple reason. It is because your acting skills are still a bit naïve and far from immaculate. In such an important dialogue between such two influential participants such as your father and me, you would've given us away very easily. Do you understand?"
Jin Xinyue was dazed. "My acting skills… are too bad?"
"Correct."
Li Yao walked to the entrance of the cave with his hands in his back. Looking at the three lackluster bloody moons in the sky, he casually said, "You have certainly honed your acting skills in the Pantheon of Demons, too. I can tell that you've received professional training in acting, and it is not a problem for you to fool normal experts.
"However, in the eyes of the top experts such as your father and me, many of your movements and expressions are still too unnatural and exaggerated."
Jin Xinyue frowned and could not help but rub her cheeks. "Are—are they?"
"Yes."
Li Yao turned around and looked at his disciple solemnly. "Let's take your reaction when I was analyzing the entire Red Tide Plan for example.
"In fact, with your intelligence, you must've realized that our trip to Heavenly Path City was not just for the purpose of convincing your father, and you should've guessed a lot of things while you listened to my introduction, right?
