Chapter 59: An Unexpected Turn

Chapter 59: An Unexpected Turn

Chen Shouyi felt his mind go blank. By the time he regained his senses, his consciousness had been flung dozens of meters away. Shocked, he realized this was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon—his consciousness completely unable to take root.

"I refuse to believe this!"

Gritting his teeth against the oppressive aura, he plunged back in. The result was the same as before, only this time, he was thrown even farther.

After being ejected twice in succession, his mind grew foggy, his thoughts sluggish, as if an overwhelming flood of information clogged his brain, swelling it to the point of bursting. Yet, upon closer inspection, there was nothing to be found.

Realizing his mental energy was nearly depleted, Chen Shouyi immediately backed down. He withdrew from the Gray Mist Space.

When he opened his eyes, a splitting headache assaulted him, his skull throbbing as if on the verge of exploding. It took a long while before his spirit gradually recovered.

"Tch—" Clutching his still-aching head, Chen Shouyi stood up. After taking a few steps, he paused, a faint look of surprise crossing his face.

For some reason, he sensed something unusual.

"An illusion?"

Assuming his mind hadn’t fully recovered, he rubbed his face, trying to shake off the lingering haze. But when he opened his eyes again, the sensation remained.

Strangely, he felt an odd familiarity with the invisible, intangible air around him.

It was almost as if...

...he could control it.

Then, the bizarre phenomena displayed by the colossal tree flashed through his mind.

"No way..."

A wild thought sprouted in his heart. Tentatively, he stretched out his hand and lightly clenched his fist. He could feel the air separating into several streams, slipping smoothly through his fingers. Instinctively, his mind traced the trajectories of these air currents and predicted their next movements.

With a mere thought, a miracle occurred.

One of the air currents, about to escape, suddenly changed direction, curving around his finger in a loop.

He really seemed to be able to control it!

Feeling the airflow circling repeatedly between his fingers, Chen Shouyi’s eyes widened. Alongside excitement and exhilaration, disbelief also surged within him.

Was this... a supernatural ability?

But how was this possible?

He had merely allowed his consciousness to briefly enter that mysterious colossal tree within the Memory Space—and had been ejected almost instantly, his mind left in chaos. There had been no memory or enlightenment to speak of; he doubted he had even lasted half a second.

Besides, were supernatural abilities so easily acquired?

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t immersed his consciousness in Shell Woman within the Memory Space before. In fact, he had long coveted her innate ability.

After all, it was flight.

As a child, if he dreamed of suddenly gaining the ability to fly, he would have woken up laughing. For land-bound creatures, it was a timeless fantasy.

Yet, he had gained nothing from it.

Flight was Shell Woman’s innate ability, and innate abilities couldn’t be learned through bodily memory like Swordsmanship.

......

Chen Shouyi suspected this must be due to absorbing that seed-like mysterious substance. Thinking back carefully now, it was likely the seed of that colossal tree.

That would explain it!

He speculated in his heart that after absorbing this seed-like substance, aside from transforming his body once, it had also granted him an ability similar to that of the colossal tree.

Perhaps due to the small quantity, his ability remained latent and couldn’t be activated immediately. But this time, when his consciousness briefly resided within it—though his mind went blank—his subconscious must have absorbed many insights from the other’s bodily memories.

This was like a trigger, a catalyst, and his ability was smoothly awakened.

Chen Shouyi was overjoyed and immediately opened his Attribute Panel.

Sure enough, behind the Talent Ability Column, aside from Natural Healing, there was now another entry:

Atmospheric Control (Weak)

As for the word "Weak," he barely glanced at it before dismissing it.

After all, this was a Supernatural Ability! Having one at all was already a blessing—what more could he ask for?

Though this wasn’t his first Supernatural Ability (Natural Healing was also one, and far more powerful than Atmospheric Control), to Chen Shouyi, such a passive and low-key ability paled in comparison to one that was active and visibly manifest.

If he couldn’t show off and could only secretly revel in it, what difference did it make whether he had it or not?

……

Excited by this new discovery, he eagerly began experimenting.

Wind was elusive and unpredictable, its trajectory easily altered by the slightest disturbance.

But with the Atmospheric Control ability, Chen Shouyi seemed to possess an inexplicable intuition, an instinct. He could clearly sense the flow of air currents and anticipate their changes. After just a short while of practice, he could already manipulate the wind to a basic degree.

Half an hour later, he could form a small, wobbly, twisting vortex in his palm, about half a foot tall and constantly spinning.

……

This…

Wasn’t very useful!

After testing it out, Chen Shouyi realized his ability was extremely weak.

He could only control the air within a one-meter radius—the same distance as his Perception. The strongest effect he could produce was a faint breeze, barely enough to ruffle his body hair.

At best, it might make his hair flutter more dramatically while walking, giving him a slightly more dashing appearance.

Of course, back on Earth, even that much might be impossible.

Just then, Shell Woman shouted loudly:

"Giant, come here! So big, so big—I can’t move it!"

Chen Shouyi’s focus wavered, and the vortex in his palm instantly collapsed. Unfazed, he immediately turned to look.

Shell Woman seemed to be straining to lift something heavy, her back bent, her steps unsteady, her face flushed red.

What had she found?

Curious, he hurried over.

When he got closer, he saw that Shell Woman had discovered an oval-shaped natural gold nugget, slightly larger than a pigeon’s egg. Its purity was high—even with dirt still clinging to it, the bright golden sheen was unmistakable.

Chen Shouyi quickly picked it up for her and weighed it in his hand. It was nearly half a pound—or at least, that was its weight here. In terms of mass, it was around a hundred grams. He glanced at Shell Woman, whose face was still flushed.

What incredible strength!

This piece of gold was almost as big as her tiny body, yet she had managed to drag it.

"Gem! Gem! Gem!" Seeing Chen Shouyi preoccupied with examining the gold and not handing out the reward, Shell Woman couldn't hold back any longer. She flew right up to him and shouted loudly.

Originally, based on the weight, she should have been given a small gem. But this time, upon seeing the natural gold nugget, Chen Shouyi couldn't help but feel delighted by the unexpected find. Generously, he pulled out a large glass bead and stuffed it directly into her arms.

Clutching it tightly out of instinct, Shell Woman's eyes widened as an overwhelming surge of joy struck her heart, leaving her mind dizzy and her body swaying unsteadily in the air. Chen Shouyi even worried she might fall straight out of the sky.

When it came to large glass beads, Chen Shouyi had always been strict with their distribution, rarely letting them out. Since buying a box of them, he had only given Shell Woman one before—this was just the second time.

...

Shell Woman had her own simple way of judging the value of gems. First, she looked at how beautiful they were. The more beautiful, the more precious, without a doubt. Compared to the monotonous colors of small gems, large ones were far more stunning, filled with vibrant hues as if a multicolored flower had been frozen inside—utterly magical. Second, she considered size. One large gem was easily worth ten small ones. No question about it. One could only imagine her excitement right now.

Without another thought for Chen Shouyi, she tightly hugged the large glass bead and wobbled drunkenly through the air toward the grass. Suddenly, she plummeted straight down. Before Chen Shouyi could even gasp, she struggled back into the air, her head occasionally sneaking glances in his direction. He immediately understood. Quickly averting his gaze, he noticed after a few seconds that Shell Woman had already vanished into the grass. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself—Shell Woman was clearly off to stash her treasure again.