This entry is suspicious.

"...That's how it is."

Zhou Ran explained the whole story to Wei Si over the phone.

After a few seconds, Wei Si spoke on the other end of the phone: "How come Shao Yichen's experience is so similar to yours?"

They all survived bizarre events, then suddenly gained enlightenment and underwent a complete transformation; and they were all high school students!

It's not just similar, it's exactly the same.

Zhou Ran said helplessly, "It is quite a coincidence, but since ancient times, there have been many prodigies among high school students, so it's not surprising that they have similar experiences."

Wei Si did not deny his self-aggrandizing words. Objectively speaking, such a possibility does exist, and in reality... there are indeed many similar cases.

For example, in Youzhou, a high school was involved in a strange incident. In the end, only seven people survived. After walking on the edge of life and death, all seven students were transformed. Three of them became experts in the supernatural, and the other four also made achievements in different fields.

High school students have highly malleable consciousness; in extreme situations where they are on the verge of life and death, they either completely collapse or bounce back from rock bottom.

People who survive bizarre events often undergo a complete transformation, becoming mentally far more advanced than their peers.

Such a person will no longer be content to remain in the mundane world; naturally, they will rise to higher positions and be noticed.

Zhou Ran and Shao Yichen have similar experiences, which is a bit surprising but not anything to be astonished about.

"You said he might be a demonic cultivator..." Wei Si pondered, "Hmm, that's a possibility, but we need to observe him for a while before we can be sure."

Zhou Ran was stunned. He believed him just like that? He thought Wei Si would ask for more details. After all, he didn't have any solid evidence. Such an unsubstantiated statement would not stand up to scrutiny under normal circumstances.

What he didn't know was that Wei Si had already imagined all sorts of possibilities in his mind based on the details of the incident.

Based on a certain important factor, the possibility that Shao Yichen is a member of the demonic path... is not low.

That factor is Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo is a good thing," Wei Si remarked, seemingly to himself. "It allows mortals to experience the feeling of flying and cultivators to hone their killing techniques in virtual battlefields. But if it falls into the hands of those with ulterior motives, it can become a weapon for illegal and criminal activities. Technology itself is neither good nor evil; it's like a knife—it can cut vegetables, or it can hurt people."

Mewtwo...

Zhou Ran's mind raced. Why did Wei Si suddenly mention Mewtwo? Could it be that this is why he suspects Shao Yichen is a demon?

Why?

"I don't understand," he asked when he didn't understand.

Let me tell you about a case.

Wei Si slowly said, "That was a case I received not long after I joined the response department. The wife of a newlywed couple stabbed her husband in the heart while he was asleep one night."

The case was initially taken over by the police, but the interrogation quickly stalled because the murderer had absolutely no motive. She was gentle and considerate, loved her husband dearly, and had never had any disagreements with him. After the incident, she even proactively called the police and an ambulance, and fainted after learning of her husband's death.

Based on this information, do you think she committed intentional homicide?

When asked the question, Zhou Ran pondered for a few seconds: "Judging from the information on the surface, it doesn't seem like it, but if you think about it carefully, there are many possibilities, such as her acting or suffering from a mental illness."

"The police thought so too, so they put her on a lie detector test and did a mental health check, but everything was normal. There was no sign of lying, no mental illness, and no alcohol or drug residue was detected. It was as if she had suddenly been possessed by a ghost."

"Since the emergency response department has taken over this case, it must be a bizarre incident, right?"

That's what I thought at first.

Wei Si said, "Under the influence of a strange force, it is reasonable for a wife to kill her beloved husband in a daze, but after a long investigation, we have not found the existence of the strange force."

"Just when the case reached a deadlock, my mentor discovered a clue."

"The murderer was a movie enthusiast, but she didn't like watching movies online; instead, she would buy DVDs and watch them on a DVD player."

"By playing the DVDs she had watched, we finally found the problem in an action movie."

"The disc was tampered with. A lot of bloody and violent scenes were inserted into the movie, with knives stabbing into chests, blood gushing out, faces contorted... Each frame only lasts for tens of milliseconds, which is imperceptible to the naked eye during normal playback, but it is still captured by the visual system and eventually absorbed by the consciousness, turning into a kind of psychological suggestion."

"In other words, when the killer watched this movie, a thought was unconsciously implanted in his subconscious—to pick up a knife and stab."

Zhou Ran asked in astonishment, "So she was hypnotized and brainwashed?"

"That's right. It's a very subtle form of brainwashing. It doesn't require any supernatural powers to directly imprint the order to kill into a person's subconscious, making it completely undetectable. Afterwards, they won't even understand why they did it."

"And this only uses visuals."

Wei Si said in a serious tone, "If ordinary movies can achieve this, then what about Mewtwo?"

"The immersive and realistic experience that Mewtwo brings is unparalleled by movies. With all your senses engaged—sight, hearing, touch, smell—it's incredibly easy to give someone a psychological suggestion in Mewtwo. This is why the federal government strictly controls the Mewtwo market and cracks down on illegal studios and illegal Mewtwos. Because if this gets out of control, it will become a serious social threat."

"Now think about it, what would happen if demonic cultivators controlled the market for the Super Dream Studio?"

Of course, it's about... giving all the guests a psychological suggestion!

Zhou Ran felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about that scene. You have to know that Mewtwo has a very wide audience, from white-collar elites to students and children. If all the guests were brainwashed and hypnotized to kill or cause destruction, then half of the city would fall instantly.

Among them are quite a few cultivators!

Is this... the "Qinghe Strategy"?

Zhou Ran felt a chill run down his spine.

On the other end of the phone, Wei Si paused for a moment and said, "I will relay the situation to my acquaintances in the counter-terrorism department and ask them to pay attention to Wang Che's recent movements. If he really starts to absorb other Super Dream Studios and uses this to carry out covert brainwashing, then Shao Yichen will be in big trouble."

"It's a pity you and Shao Yichen don't go to the same school, so you can't have much contact..."

Brother Wei, that's a Foundation Establishment expert, please let me go... Zhou Ran's lips twitched.

Just then, the call suddenly fell silent. Wei Si seemed to have muted his microphone. After more than ten seconds, his voice came through again: "Alright, let's leave it at that for now. I have something to take care of... If we can confirm that Shao Yichen is a member of the demonic path, it will be a great achievement and will be very beneficial to your future."

"As a model student and a model youth, this is my duty," Zhou Ran said righteously.

Beep beep... The call ended.

Zhou Ran put down his phone and breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected the report to go so smoothly. Wei Si was clearly a seasoned expert.

The counter-terrorism department should take action next. If all goes well, they might be able to follow the clues and expose all the demonic elements hiding in Qinghe City.

However, the period leading up to that is a dangerous one, with storm brewing.

Zhou Ran felt a sense of urgency and an urgent desire to improve his strength so that he would be able to protect himself if the demonic path really collapsed.

"My cultivation level won't improve anytime soon, and it'll probably take another half a month for my eighth acupoint to open... Should I just buy a few cultivation manuals?"

For those in the Enlightenment Realm, the only cultivation methods they can practice besides martial arts and body-refining techniques are mental cultivation methods. However, the benefits of practicing these are not great in the Enlightenment Realm. Ordinary techniques cannot compare to the "Basic Enlightenment Method," and powerful techniques are generally unaffordable for most people. Therefore, most people will not waste their energy on these, but instead focus on the "Basic Enlightenment Method" to quickly achieve enlightenment and reach the Qi Refining stage, at which point the possibilities will be endless.

Zhou Ran had originally planned to reach the Qi Refining stage quickly before practicing paid cultivation techniques, but now it seems that time is of the essence and he must start collecting gold coins.

The martial arts techniques for the Enlightenment Realm are unnecessary for him; he can use the expert-level "Hundred Explanations of Strength" all the way to the Golden Core Realm.

You could buy a copy of the physical training method and the mental cultivation method to lay a foundation for the future.

The techniques are divided into two main categories: those that can be upgraded for a fee and those that cannot be upgraded for a fee.

The so-called paid upgrade technique refers to the seller breaking down an advanced technique into independent modules such as the Enlightenment Chapter, Qi Refining Chapter, and Foundation Building Chapter, and selling them at different prices.

Such a cultivation method can be used until the Golden Core stage or even the Dao Embryo stage, without needing to be frequently replaced.

Unupgradeable cultivation techniques can usually only be used at one level. For example, a body-refining technique designed specifically for the Qi Refining stage will become completely useless once the cultivator breaks through to the Qi Refining stage.

In the long run, an upgradeable cultivation method is undoubtedly the best choice.

Distinguished members of aristocratic families like Ming Shu and Zhang Tianming, who are genuine Celestial Dragons, cultivate this kind of technique. Their paths were planned by experts as early as the Enlightenment stage, allowing them to directly cultivate the one most suitable for them, without having to repeatedly try and fail at different schools, thus avoiding wasting precious energy.

Zhou Ran browsed shopping websites for a long time. The various cultivation techniques were dazzling and tempting, but the prices of powerful techniques were sky-high, with a string of zeros that made people afraid to look directly at them.

Finally, he gritted his teeth. "Isn't all this money earned just to spend? What else is there to say? Go for the top-of-the-line model!"

First and foremost, it is an expert-level mental cultivation method.

The "Qingyan Kongming Heart Sutra: Opening the Aperture" is priced at 2.7 million.

This mental cultivation technique can burn away all turbid desires with pure flames. It can be used to suppress the side effects of the "Wealth-Attracting Hand". If you encounter similar side effects in the future, you can suppress them as well.

Next up is an expert-level body-refining technique.

"The Nine Refinements of True Form: The Opening Chapter" is priced at 3.2 million.

This is a body-refining exercise that strengthens muscles, bones, skin, and flesh, emphasizing overall balanced improvement. Judging from the feedback in the comments section, the effects are remarkable, making it one of the top body-refining exercises.

With a simple tap of a finger, half of my savings evaporated.

Zhou Ran had never spent so much money before, and could only hope that the two cultivation manuals were worth the price.

Soon, the seller sent the training manual through the platform.

After observing for a while, his eyes lit up, and he immediately began to cultivate.