Mind Cultivator

It might not work at a crucial moment. That wasn't good. Li Banfeng thought back to his fight with Huang Guangshi. When the iron ruler had pierced his cheek, Huang Guangshi had originally intended to flee, but he hadn't succeeded. At that moment, he had probably wanted to use Traceless Half-Step, but panicked in the life-and-death crisis. This technique really tested one's state of mind! Use the mind to drive the feet. *I'll steal a step.* Li Banfeng took a stride forward. It didn't work. *I'll steal another step.* Still didn't work. Watching Li Banfeng hobble forward jerkily, Ma the Fifth frowned. "Brother Li, aren't you getting ahead of yourself? You've only entered the pathway a few months ago, and you're already striving for the second tier?" "Just preparing in advance so I won't be lost once I advance later on. Brother Ma, do you know the third-tier technique for journey cultivators?" "No idea. The techniques of the various pathways aren't usually recorded in books, especially those above the third tier. There are few cultivators at that level, and they don't easily reveal their techniques, so hardly anyone knows them. If there really were books recording such techniques, they would be priceless treasures—I doubt even the Ma family's archives have any." As they talked, the two arrived at the marshland and quickly located the clump of bonding mud. This clump of bonding mud was truly hard to distinguish, looking almost no different from the silt everywhere across the marsh. Knowing its characteristics, Ma the Fifth lowered his voice and said to Li Banfeng, "Bonding mud has a black ruffled hem. Where there's water, you can see that black hem moving." Li Banfeng looked closely. Around the edge of the black bonding mud, something was indeed quivering. Overall, this clump of bonding mud looked somewhat like a rotting jellyfish. "Brother Li, your movements must be very light. Bonding mud is an anomalous entity and possesses spirituality. If there's too much disturbance, it will flee. Hold the jar for now; I'll grab the mud." Putting on his gloves, Ma the Fifth took two steps into the marsh, inadvertently stepped into a mud hole, and one foot began to sink. In his haste to pull it out, his other foot sank into the silt as well. *Wait, this marsh has changed! It's different from when he came before.* Ma the Fifth didn't dare keep struggling. He looked back at Li Banfeng with an embarrassed expression. Holding the iron jar, Li Banfeng stood quietly on the bank, watching Ma the Fifth grow shorter and shorter in the marsh. ... After fishing Ma the Fifth out of the mire, Li Banfeng put on the gloves and walked toward the clump of bonding mud. Journey cultivators had a natural advantage when entering marshes. With every step, Li Banfeng sensed the fortune or misfortune of the next, drastically reducing the risk of sinking into the silt. About five steps away from the bonding mud, a splash of water sounded—this step had made a bit too much noise. Sensing something, the bonding mud began rapidly quivering along its hem. Ma the Fifth frowned. It was going to escape. He didn't dare urge Li Banfeng on, afraid Li Banfeng might step in the wrong place in his haste. Li Banfeng quickly took a step. The bonding mud's body suddenly rolled, about to retract beneath the silt. He had underestimated its speed. Li Banfeng took another step. The bonding mud's body had already entered the silt. Li Banfeng bent down, lunged with a grab into the muddy water, scooped out the entire clump of bonding mud, and swung it back into the iron jar. "Almost came for nothing," Li Banfeng said with a smile. Ma the Fifth was stunned. "Brother Li, you just stole a step." "Stole a step? What do you mean?" Li Banfeng looked bewildered. Ma the Fifth didn't know how to explain it. When the bonding mud sank into the water, Li Banfeng had still been three paces away. Three paces was over two meters. Unless Li Banfeng threw himself flat into the water, there was no way he could have reached that clump of bonding mud. Yet in the instant he bent down, he had stolen a step—a big step. The distance had closed to a pace and a half, just barely allowing him to reach the bonding mud. Once Li Banfeng walked out of the marsh, Ma the Fifth couldn't help asking, "Brother Li, what tier is your cultivation?" Li Banfeng replayed the motions of grabbing the bonding mud and also realized there was something bizarre about the distance. "That's why I said one has to prepare in advance," Li Banfeng explained calmly. "You never know which moment you might break through." Ma the Fifth didn't ask further. He had never asked much about Li Banfeng's affairs. Including why Li Banfeng could kill first-tier or even second-tier opponents; why he could dispose of corpses without leaving a trace; why he had suddenly rushed off to Lüshui City to buy a gramophone and then discarded it after buying it; why he could escape Madam Bagworm Moth; and why he hadn't paid after eating noodles... Ma the Fifth never asked about any of these things. He knew he shouldn't. But this current matter was hard to hold back. They had visited the peddler on the same day and entered their pathways on the same day. He himself had only just passed the first gate, yet Li Banfeng was already at the second tier? That was impossible. Even consuming snake-spot pills daily wouldn't accomplish that. Forget snake-spot pills—even one Xuanzhi Pill a day couldn't achieve it! Just what was the reason? Could it be because he had been bathed in Heavenly Light? Surviving exposure to Heavenly Light—could this be what was meant by someone of extraordinary innate talent? "Brother Li, what method did you use to cultivate? Could you give me some guidance?" Ma the Fifth asked with sincere humility. Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and replied, "Cultivation mainly depends on one's state of mind. When your state of mind gets there, your cultivation will follow." State of mind? Ma the Fifth was unfamiliar with that exact word. It probably meant something similar to mental disposition or spiritual realm, right? *Could it be that I haven't been devout enough in my cultivation?* *When Li Banfeng came from Yaowanggou to Lüshuiwan, perhaps it wasn't merely to hide from the Lu family—he was cultivating!* *Crossing the border must have involved countless perils. A journey cultivator can amass more time amid perilous situations; he definitely did that for his cultivation.* *His mental devotion is far greater than mine.* *I seem obsessed with Joy Cultivation, but can I truly be as committed as he is?* *I can't afford to slack off anymore.* ... The two walked back to Lanyang Village. Not long after entering the village entrance, the head housekeeper of the Song family, Tang Tianjin, appeared before them. Behind him followed three men. Ma the Fifth recognized them—they were thugs of the Song family. What was this about? Looking for trouble? "Fifth Young Master, went hunting in the newland again? Did you catch anything good?" Tang Tianjin stroked his beard and smiled at Ma the Fifth. Ma the Fifth pointed to the foul-smelling fish strapped to his shoulder. "Went peach-angling. Luck was bad; no peach tree came." Tang Tianjin smiled. "You put out too few fish, so of course the peach trees wouldn't want to come." Ma the Fifth offered a bitter smile. "There are only two of us. Even if we wanted to bring more stinking fish, we couldn't carry them." Tang Tianjin nodded. "Must be tough on you, Fifth Young Master. Seeing you work so hard, our master feels uneasy too. How about this—tomorrow we send a few more hands to help you out?" "No need. How could I have such good fortune? I just want to gather a few peaches to earn a bite to eat. How could I dare disturb Master Song?" "How can you call it a disturbance? It's business, something to discuss and negotiate. Please trouble yourselves to come with me, gentlemen. Our master is waiting for you both at the big storehouse." Knowing things looked bad, Ma the Fifth glanced at Li Banfeng first to signal him to prepare to run, then turned back to Tang Tianjin with a smile. "Housekeeper Tang, please convey a word to Master Song on our behalf. We brothers just want to earn a couple of coins to feed ourselves. If we've caused any offense, we'll come to the manor another day to apologize." "Don't want to go?" Tang Tianjin's face darkened. "Today, you go whether you want to or not!" Hearing this, Ma the Fifth turned to leave. Yet though his torso turned, his legs refused to obey. *Go with him, go with him!* A thought churned over and over in his mind. This thought gradually took control of Ma the Fifth's mind. Step by step, Ma the Fifth walked toward Tang Tianjin. *Damn it, he's a Mind Cultivator!* *He's controlling me with mind power.* Ma the Fifth still resisted in his subconscious, but it was futile. Because his dominant thought had been seized. Everyone had numerous thoughts in their mind, but one was always dominant. That thought determined a person's actions. A Mind Cultivator could seize the dominant thought in a person's mind and thereby control their behavior. Tang Tianjin smiled at Ma the Fifth, then turned his gaze toward Li Banfeng. He didn't know who this person was. He knew Ma the Fifth had an assistant by his side, but because Li Banfeng was a Dwelling Cultivator, Tang Tianjin had always overlooked him. Strange. Ma the Fifth had already walked over, so why was this one standing motionless on the spot? Could his cultivation be high enough to break through Tang Tianjin's mind power? If he had that kind of cultivation, why would he be enduring such hardship alongside Ma the Fifth? What was he doing over there? Did he seem to be talking? Li Banfeng was indeed speaking, but Tang Tianjin couldn't make out what he was saying. Not being able to hear didn't matter—Li Banfeng wasn't talking to him anyway. "They told you to go over, why aren't you going over?" "Why should I go over? I don't even know him." "But I think we should go over." "If you want to go over, go yourself." "How am I supposed to go over if you're standing here without moving?" "How long are you two going to keep arguing? We're in the middle of a fight, can't you tell?" Tang Tianjin was dumbfounded. He couldn't comprehend Li Banfeng's condition. Like any normal person, Li Banfeng had numerous thoughts. Yet Tang Tianjin couldn't find a dominant one. Tang Tianjin had never encountered such a situation, but he had confidence in his own technique. He was a second-tier Mind Cultivator. He didn't believe he couldn't handle a mere youngster. He amplified the power of his technique, only to suddenly feel a splitting headache. In Li Banfeng's mind, countless thoughts each clung obstinately to their own opinions and broke into a noisy quarrel. The clamor of their argument seeped through the mind power straight into Tang Tianjin's brain. This person truly was different. He had no dominant thought. The thoughts in Li Banfeng's mind made no distinction between primary and secondary; each was entirely equal. Just as Tang Tianjin was about to withdraw his technique, Li Banfeng suddenly appeared right before him. *Half-step?* *A second-tier journey cultivator...* Before Tang Tianjin could react, Li Banfeng slit his throat with a sickle. The three thugs charged together. The Tang dao cleared its sheath; one strike per man, two were hacked to the ground in rapid succession. The remaining one bolted. Ma the Fifth suddenly looked up and swept a glance over him. Having passed the first gate, Ma the Fifth had learned the technique of bewilderment. The thug shuddered, lost his footing, and stumbled. Li Banfeng raised his sickle and hooked it into the man's skull. "Brother Ma, check around to see if there's an ambush." Ma the Fifth understood. Knowing Li Banfeng disliked having anyone watch while collecting corpses, he hurried off into the distance to scout. Li Banfeng sent the four corpses into the Portable Abode. The wife yawned and sang out, "Husband has worked hard. This lowly slave will prepare the ingredients right away. These few must be handled quickly; I see they're about to give out." Li Banfeng said, "Should I get them some medicinal herbs?" "No need to go through such trouble. This lowly slave will simply eat faster." Li Banfeng exited the Portable Abode, found Ma the Fifth, and prepared to head back to the wooden cabin. Ma the Fifth said to Li Banfeng, "Brother Li, let's hurry back and pack our things. We can't stay in Lanyang Village anymore. The Song family won't let this go. We need to find another place." "Is there anywhere else to go?" "Plenty of places. The Lu family is in chaos right now and isn't paying attention to you. We can find a quieter town near Lüshui City to settle down for now. It's just that those places don't border the newland, so we'll have to find another line of work." Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Such a good line of work—I'm really reluctant to give it up. We should at least do one more deal. That old fellow mentioned the Song family storehouse earlier. What kind of place is that?" Ma the Fifth's eyes widened. "Brother Li, what are you planning to do?" Li Banfeng looked perfectly calm. "I'm just asking. Does their storehouse have anything good in it?"