We agreed to seek enlightenment together, but how did you end up seeking enlightenment for my mother

Ever since arriving in this world, Xu Zhou has always been curious about the attribute of "rationality".

What is the stability of an individual's mental world?

Or is it the depth of the contamination of consciousness?

Tonight, he finally glimpsed a corner of the answer—both are intertwined.

Rationality -80

As soon as Xu Zhou stepped outside, he took only three steps before his limbs seemed to be bound by invisible chains, and he froze on the spot.

He lifted his eyelids, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

It seemed as if countless moons hung in the sky, but upon closer inspection, they were clearly densely packed white eyes, all looking down upon the earth.

His sanity plummeted, causing no physical harm, but it left Xu Zhou's mind in a state of chaos, as if a thick fog had descended upon his spirit.

I can't see clearly, I can't hear clearly, I can't tell the difference.

Reason +100

Rationality -80

Gollum-

Deep in the sky, the pupils of those eyes slowly split open like wounds, flowing out a thick, dark red liquid.

These substances stretched downwards in mid-air, eventually condensing into inverted human figures five meters above the ground, with arms hanging down and heads facing downwards, like bait thrown down from the clouds by gods.

Reason +100

"Haha... I could just give it away if I got crushed by a high-ranking transcendent being, but since when do you dare to attack even an unclaimed relic so brazenly?"

Refine it for me!

[Currently refining the relic "Silent Death," energy conversion is ongoing, current reserves are low.]

Rationality -80

In an instant, heaven and earth were upside down.

Xu Zhou "saw" the wooden doors of the village opening one by one, and the villagers walking out expressionlessly, opening their arms as if to embrace each other.

The red, upside-down figures in mid-air descended on their own, permeating the villagers' bodies and eventually merging with them.

Then, the red shadow rose back into the sky, its enormous pupils suddenly widening, revealing sharp white teeth along the edges, and it swallowed it whole.

Faintly, one could hear the sound of chewing.

Reason +100

In the blink of an eye, the figure vanished without a trace, the village remained quiet and peaceful, and only a lonely crescent moon remained in the night sky.

In the endless cycle of reality and illusion, Xu Zhou's consciousness was repeatedly torn apart, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish the boundaries. He could only instinctively replenish his reason time and time again.

After an unknown amount of time, a strange thought quietly emerged from the depths of my mind—

"Once your sanity reaches zero, you will obtain a great treasure."

Rationality -80

Once the thought arose, it grew wildly like weeds, unstoppable.

"I will become stronger... I will be able to refine all divine artifacts... I will defeat all powerful enemies... I will fulfill any wish..."

"Simply...stop resisting."

Accept me, and I will give you my all.

Xu Zhou's lips twitched, then he suddenly smiled with relief.

"What year is this? Still running scams?"

Reason +100

[The reserves for "Rotten Wood Blossoms" are full, meeting the conditions for active activation. Please make your choice as soon as possible.]

Enhance your talent – ​​Clarity of Mind and Restoration of Clarity!

【Talent: Clarity of Mind and Rejuvenation★】

[Effect 1: When self-awareness is normal, one can actively restore rationality to its maximum level.]

[Effect 2: The stronger the willpower, the higher the resistance to mental pollution.]

[Obtain an inspiration; it will come in handy at the right time.]

[Currently refining the relic "Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon," energy conversion is ongoing, current reserves are low.]

The Refining Mantra Hair only offered one chance to choose, but for the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Seizing Demon before him, this amount of energy seemed to be just an appetizer.

Xu Zhou could clearly sense that the opponent's energy was almost a bottomless pit.

But he could not back down.

He desperately needs a real victory to bolster his fragile confidence and to prove the true limits of his talent.

This is his second all-in gamble in this world—all or nothing.

If you want to take it, you must first give it.

He understood this principle well.

Rationality -73

"Well!"

A sharp, stabbing pain suddenly shot through my brain, as if several steel needles were piercing my skull from different directions.

The opponent has clearly changed tactics, no longer focusing on mental pollution, but directly disrupting nerve senses and inducing physical pain.

The effect was immediate. Xu Zhou's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground. He held his head tightly and gritted his teeth to persevere. Cold sweat quickly soaked through his clothes.

The excruciating pain that tore at his consciousness almost caused him to collapse instantly, and the thought of giving up surged like a tidal wave.

Accept me, and I will give you my all.

[Inspiration: You sense that the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon is somewhat tense, as if it is on guard against something.]

The inspirational tone brought Xu Zhou back to a sliver of clarity.

nervous?

Do people get nervous about their belongings after their death?

A flash of clarity crossed Xu Zhou's mind. Although he couldn't understand it, he vaguely sensed the key information from this simple intelligence.

"Time is on my side! The advantage is on my side!"

We can't give up yet!

Reason +100

When a clear goal is anchored in one's heart, the originally extremely agonizing pain seems to become less unbearable.

Once a belief is rebuilt in despair, destroying it again requires paying several times the price.

That's exactly what the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon did.

Deep in the dense forest outside the village, countless pale faces silently emerged, none other than the essence of the relics that Xu Zhou had absorbed the previous night.

The human body formed from black mist has no fixed form. Sometimes it merges with nearby ghosts and becomes a strange aggregate with three heads and six arms. Sometimes it splits on its own and becomes a bizarre creature with only half a face.

"Trying to overwhelm me with sheer numbers?"

Xu Zhou instantly understood.

Back then at the Zoroastrian altar, it was because I witnessed several high-ranking beings at the same time that my rationality was instantly wiped out.

The Thousand-Eyed Soul-Seizing Demon before him, in terms of its methods of mental corruption alone, is perhaps on par with, or even more sophisticated than, those beings, which is why it was able to reduce his sanity by eighty points in one fell swoop.

However, this is still not enough.

Xu Zhou's ability to withstand pressure and his level of self-awareness in a state of low rationality far exceed that of ordinary humans.

"What? It seems you were quite surprised that you couldn't take me down in one move?"

"So now you're enraged and ready to start a righteous mob brawl?"

Xu Zhou showed no sign of backing down. Even though his mental state was nearing its limit, he still had to put on an invincible act.

In order not to disturb Wu Lulu inside the house, he endured the continuous pain caused by his loss of reason and half-crawled and half-rolled his way to a more open road, thus expanding the depth of the battlefield.

The next second, countless ghosts roared up and instantly swallowed him up.

His vision was completely filled with a deathly white, and distorted, ghostly faces were almost pressed against his pupils, while a piercing scream seemed to echo in his ears.

理智-5-7-2-11-8-9……

Reason +100

理智-4-5-18-7-2-4……

Reason +100

[Currently absorbing the essence of the relic, "Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon Eye," energy conversion is ongoing, current reserves are full.]

[The reserves for "Rotten Wood Blossoms" are full, meeting the conditions for active activation. Please make your choice as soon as possible.]

Xu Zhou originally wanted to continue strengthening his Clear Mind and Bright Vision, but suddenly he had a flash of inspiration and realized that the energy for this upgrade was insufficient unless he consumed an additional True Source of Life.

Therefore, he decisively chose to condense a second natal essence.

A mysterious energy surged, and a brand new point of light suddenly appeared in the sea of ​​consciousness.

[Absorbing the essence of the relic, "Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon Eye," energy...]

[Absorbing the essence of the relics...]

[In progress...]

[The reserves for "Rotten Wood Blossoms" are full, meeting the conditions for active activation. Please make your choice as soon as possible.]

Enhance your talent – ​​Clarity of Mind and Restoration of Clarity★!

The vital essence, which had only just begun to flourish, was immediately pulled away to fill the energy gap.

[Talent: Clarity of Mind and Rejuvenation ★★]

[Effect 1: When self-awareness is normal, one can actively restore rationality to its maximum level.]

[Effect 2: The stronger the willpower, the higher the resistance to mental pollution.]

[Effect 3: The lower the sanity level, the higher the resistance to mental pollution.]

[Obtain an inspiration; it will come in handy at the right time.]

"Haha...hahaha!"

Xu Zhou laughed loudly, even though his brain was throbbing with pain and his eyes were bloodshot, he still couldn't help but laugh wildly.

At that moment, he finally realized a truth.

"Turns out it wasn't that I was too bad, it was just that I hadn't chosen the right opponent! Hahahaha!!"

If you want to live comfortably, you must find your comfort zone!

理智-6-3-70-1-1-1-1……

Reason +100

Although my combat ability is completely exhausted, my mental resistance is off the charts!

The power of turning decayed wood into something beautiful, which could transform the rotten into the miraculous, finally planted a seed called "confidence" in Xu Zhou's heart at this moment.

From now on, unless someone can completely wipe out his sanity in one blow, he will never again be overwhelmed and killed by a horde of monsters.

"My mind will be forever clear and free from confusion."

The greatest contributor to all of this is none other than the Thousand-Eyed Soul-Stealing Demon who came to challenge us tonight.

If it had adjusted its attack order, Xu Zhou would probably have already gone mad by now.

But fate is so mysterious and unpredictable.

Accept me, and I will give you freedom.

The seductive voice rang out again, but this time the stakes had changed.

[Inspiration: You realize this is the truth, and you begin to consider what price you would pay if you chose to accept it.]