Chapter 29: Telekinesis?

Su Huaijin’s question made Lin Xiao’s hair stand on end.

Why would a big shot like Su Huaijin pay attention to a nobody like him? And why was she so insistent on knowing his purpose for coming to the Temple of Heavenly Dao today?

Lin Xiao did not dare to lie. He could only bite the bullet and answer, "Yes. May I ask how Priest Su found out, and why you would care about this?"

Seeing Lin Xiao’s slight nervousness, Su Huaijin smiled and said, "I apologize, I cannot answer that question right now. I know this is our first meeting and there isn't enough trust between us, but I hope you can believe that I have no malice toward you."

Lin Xiao nodded. Although Su Huaijin hadn't answered his question, he believed what she said. After all, with her status and position, ending his life would be no harder than crushing an ant.

"I am only here today to deliver a message to you," Su Huaijin continued.

"Who is the message from?" Lin Xiao asked in confusion.

"It is not yet the time; you will know in the future." Su Huaijin still did not answer, instead adding, "Remember this: follow your heart and move toward the golden goal in your memories."

Lin Xiao’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing these words. The golden goal in his memories? Was she referring to the golden amber engraved with the Chinese characters from his past life? How could she possibly know about that? It seemed the secret hidden within that golden amber was far greater than he had anticipated.

Lin Xiao was full of questions, but he hesitated to ask, as it touched upon his deepest secrets.

However, Su Huaijin had already preempted him: "For certain reasons, it is not appropriate for me to be in contact with you right now." She pointed to the blushing young girl behind her and said, "This is my niece, Su Wan. Of course, outsiders do not know our relationship. If you ever need help from the Temple of Heavenly Dao, you can contact me through her."

Lin Xiao: "???"

What was happening? Was Su Huaijin really assigning her secret niece to be his liaison? And if she was just a liaison, why was her face red the entire time?

Before Lin Xiao could respond, Su Huaijin prepared to take her leave: "The temple is crowded and full of eyes. I must go. I will have Su Wan take you to the Spirit Pavilion to look around in a moment."

"I can go by mys—"

Lin Xiao was cut off before he could finish: "If you choose by yourself, many precious ability crystals are not made available to the public."

This remark immediately silenced any thought of refusal. If he wanted to replicate a satisfactory ability crystal from his memory, he had to at least come into contact with one in reality. He truly couldn't decline Su Huaijin’s suggestion.

By now, Su Huaijin had waved goodbye and departed, leaving Lin Xiao and Su Wan standing in the room, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

"My... ability permit?" Lin Xiao asked. He hadn't forgotten that he had been brought into this small room to collect his Esper permit. He hadn't expected all of this to happen instead.

Hearing this, Su Wan immediately produced a permit with a dark red cover: "Your ability permit is here. My aunt handed it to me just now."

Lin Xiao took it and opened the document. On the title page, written in large characters against a white background, were two lines:

"Everything has a price!"
"Being 'above others' is not innate, and being 'below others' is not destined!"

Looking at these two sentences, Lin Xiao knew they weren't just empty platitudes. Being placed on the title page of every Esper permit meant they were the decree of the "deities." In truth, these two lines were the "meta-rules" of this world.

Everyone who sought extraordinary power paid a painful price. At the same time, everyone was granted a fair opportunity. In this world, becoming someone "above others" could genuinely be achieved by "enduring suffering." Thus, it was not innate or destined. Yet, behind this fairness lay the agony borne by every individual.

Lin Xiao didn't know how to evaluate this world. With complex emotions, he turned to the second page.

This was a standard information page, no different from the documents of his past life, consisting of a personal photo and basic information. The details had been filled out by the original owner of this body, and Lin Xiao scanned them quickly:

[Name: Lin Xiao]
[Date of Birth: 3rd Era, March 5, 2007]
[Place of Birth: Primordial Sanctuary]
[Ability: Memory Manipulation]
[Ability Level: Level 1]
[Marital Status: Single]
[Family Members: None (Parents deceased)]

Lin Xiao was already aware of his age and family status from his citizenship card. He had previously mused that having both parents dead was indeed the standard configuration for a transmigrator. The ability and level information were new additions compared to the citizenship card, but there was nothing noteworthy there either.

What truly surprised Lin Xiao was the place of birth. On his citizenship card, his birthplace was listed as Donghai City. But in this ability permit, it had changed to the Primordial Sanctuary, the headquarters of the Temple of Heavenly Dao.

Clearly, the original owner had lied when applying for his citizenship card and had not filled in his true place of birth. When applying for the ability permit, however, due to the restrictions of the "Oath of Pain," he had been forced to fill it out truthfully.

What was the original owner hiding? Or, to put it another way, why did he not want others to know that he was born in the Primordial Sanctuary, the very center of the world?

These questions left Lin Xiao bewildered. He felt a vague, instinctive sense that this matter was very important to him.

Just then, Su Huaijin’s words echoed in his ears again: "Follow your heart and move toward the golden goal in your memories." It seemed his entire existence was subtly being drawn toward that piece of golden amber.

Lin Xiao sighed, hoping he would soon possess the ability to replicate it. He closed the permit and carefully tucked it into his inner pocket.

Seeing this, Su Wan spoke softly: "Mr. Lin, shall we go? I will take you to select a suitable ability crystal."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao shed his lingering confusion and felt a surge of anticipation. He had been worried about not being able to find a satisfactory second ability, knowing that precious powers wouldn't be offered unconditionally. Now, with Su Wan’s guidance, even if he couldn't afford them, he could at least see them, right? And as long as he could see a suitable ability crystal in reality, that was enough.

Lin Xiao smiled and nodded: "Alright! Thank you for the trouble, Miss Su."

"The Spirit Pavilion is in the East Side Hall. Please, follow me."

The two walked one after the other, passing through the corridors to return to the main hall, and headed toward the Spirit Pavilion on the east side. Under Su Wan's guidance, they bypassed the crowded areas and entered through a side door.

Seeing Su Wan bring Lin Xiao through the side entrance, a goddess priestess in her forties with a "plump" figure smiled and said: "Xiao Wan, what brings you to the Spirit Pavilion today?"

"Auntie Li, I'm bringing a friend to pick out an ability crystal."

"A friend? Such a handsome young man—a boyfriend, perhaps?"

"No, no, no! Really not a boyfriend! Just a very good friend!"

"I understand! I understand! We’re all family here. Pick whichever crystal you want! Once you’ve chosen, I’ll give you the internal price!"

Realizing she couldn't explain it, Su Wan, knowing that the more she said, the more she might reveal, led Lin Xiao to the counter.

Inside the custom-made transparent display cases, hundreds of ability crystals were neatly arranged on black ironwood trays. Each crystal was about the size of an adult’s palm, but their shapes were varied and strange: some were sharp-edged as if they were frozen flames, while others were as smooth and translucent as solidified water droplets.

"Just seeing this makes the trip worthwhile!" Lin Xiao felt a surge of emotion. On the way here, he had learned that ordinary citizens usually selected their crystals from catalogs. Only after payment would the priestess bring out the actual item. Without Su Wan’s help, he would never have had the chance to see such a vast array of crystals.

"Which ability is the most popular among the public?" Lin Xiao asked. Though he wouldn't choose something common, knowing the public preference was a good reference.

"The most popular is 'Superhuman Strength,' and the one with the highest sales volume is 'Superhuman Physique.' They are both Tier 1 abilities," Su Wan replied.

Lin Xiao: "..."

The answer was reasonably, if somewhat bitterly, clear. He already knew from Yang Shubai that abilities were divided into five tiers, with base prices of 100,000, 1 million, 50 million, 1 billion, and "priceless," respectively. It was clear that the masses could only afford Tier 1 abilities. "Superhuman Strength" and "Superhuman Physique" sounded like the cheap and practical options—one turned you into a powerhouse, the other made you tough as nails. In Lin Xiao's view, these weren't "powerful" abilities, but they were useful the moment they were learned.

Seeing Lin Xiao deep in thought, Su Wan added, "Superhuman Physique has the highest sales because it’s the cheapest—at 90,000, it’s actually 10,000 lower than the base price. Superhuman Strength is a bit scarcer, and being the most practical of the Tier 1 abilities, its price is often driven up to around 300,000."

Lin Xiao nodded and picked up a product manual from the counter to flip through it. His eyes quickly scanned the Tier 1 abilities; they were almost exclusively focused on physical reinforcement. It was clear that a "brute-force" approach wasn't highly valued in this world.

Next, he scanned the Tier 2 abilities and saw his own "Memory Manipulation," but he moved past it quickly. He knew it was meaningless; after he reached Level 2, he was certain his ability was definitely not just "Memory Manipulation."

He was curious: what tier would Yang Shubai’s "Dreamy" ability fall into?

As he flipped through the manual, he finally found "Dream Control" under the Tier 3 category. Although the listed price was a staggering 500 million—far exceeding the 50 million base price—what was more disappointing was the note beside it: "Out of Stock."

It seemed this was an extremely rare ability; even with the money, it was difficult to acquire. Lin Xiao understood—if his own ability was merely "Memory Manipulation," it simply couldn't compare to "Dream Control."

Lin Xiao’s curiosity deepened. If a Tier 3 ability was already this powerful, what kind of heaven-defying capabilities did Tier 4 and Tier 5 possess?

When he continued to flip to the back, he realized this was the final page.

"What's going on? Why is there no catalog for Tier 4 and Tier 5 abilities?" Lin Xiao asked.

"Because those two tiers are extremely scarce and remain out of stock year-round," Su Wan replied.

Lin Xiao nodded in understanding. Such rare items belonged only to the elite and would never be sold publicly. Even if they were, ordinary citizens couldn't afford them anyway.

Just as Lin Xiao was about to settle on a target from the first three tiers, Su Wan suddenly spoke: "The temple received a new Tier 4 ability last night. Would you like to see it?"

"What ability is it?"

"Psychokinesis!"