Chapter 86: Read the Heart


    Meng Zhang certainly didn''t believe that Mind Reading was unsolvable. There were many secret techniques in the world that could conceal one''s inner thoughts and prevent them from being read by Divine Abilities capable of reading minds.


    He was just taken aback that even the cultivators from the Li family possessed such methods. After all, these kinds of secret techniques were not something easily essible to everyone in the Cultivation World.


    Meng Zhang couldn''t help but stop in his tracks, activating his Deception Breaking Eye to carefully observe Li Shengqi.


    "I see," after a moment, Meng Zhang discovered the reason behind it.


    There were faint hints of purplish-blue on Li Shengqi''s face, barely noticeable unless one had sharp eyes. Above his head, a purplish-blue aura was faintly visible and spreading downwards.


    "He''s really asking for trouble," Meng Zhang shook his head.


    Li Shengqi hadn''t mastered any secret technique; he had unknowingly taken a Heart-Locking Pill. After consuming this pill, all of his thoughts were deeply hidden. Unless he voluntarily revealed them, not only would mind-reading spells be ineffective against him, but even a cultivator at the Foundation Building stage wouldn''t be able to forcibly extract his secrets.


    Of course, the Heart-Locking Pill''s extraordinary effectiveness came with significant side effects. The cultivator who took it would suffer severe damage to their vitality, hindering future progress in their Cultivation Base. If they allowed the pill''s effects to spread unchecked within their body, they might even be an imbecile.


    From Meng Zhang''s observations, Li Shengqi had taken the Heart-Locking Pill some time ago. Now, even if he wanted to expel its effects, it was already toote.


    "What kind of secret does Li Shengqi want to protect that led him to take the Heart-Locking Pill?" Meng Zhang was deeply curious.


    Since he couldn''t obtain the desired results from Li Shengqi, Meng Zhang turned his attention to reading Zhao Dong''s thoughts. Like Meng Zhang, Zhao Dong had a Cultivation Base at the seventh level of Refining Qi. However, Meng Zhang couldn''t ess his deeply buried thoughts and could only read some surface-level ideas.


    Zhao Dong had surrounded Li Shengqi and was threatening him, but it was all just an act. Their original goal was not to make Li Shengqi yield, nor was it about taking over Li Family''s shops and wealth in Singing Sand City.


    Reading up to this point, Meng Zhang couldn''t glean more information. He nced at the Zhao Family disciples that Zhao Dong had brought along; they were all at the middle stage of Refining Qi. After employing Mind Reading, Meng Zhang sessfully obtained some of their thoughts. However, as these disciples were of lower status, they didn''t have ess to the family''s high-level secrets, so the information was limited.


    Nevertheless, it wasn''t entirely fruitless; he managed to learn about some internal struggles and personnel rtions within the Zhao Family. It deepened Meng Zhang''s understanding of the Zhao Family, and there might be some useful aspects he could exploit.


    After continuously reading the thoughts of so many people, Meng Zhang felt exhausted, mainly on a mental level. Delving into their minds and extracting their thoughts was akin to jumping into a cesspool naked. He had to be cautious not to be contaminated by the filth while searching for useful things in the mess.


    Spending an extended period inside someone else''s mind would undoubtedly contaminate his own consciousness and even cloud his Dao heart. Mind Reading, as a divine ability, seemed useful, but it couldn''t be used recklessly. There was a delicate bnce in how to use it, and Meng Zhang needed to master that.


    Probably because they were attracting too much attention, Zhao Dong and his group looked around and decided to let Li Shengqi go. This was the territory of Forest Mountain School, and all guests were invited to attend the Foundation Building Dharma Meeting. Zhao Family''s people didn''t dare to cause trouble here, as it could provoke the Foundation Building cultivators of the school.


    After breaking free from Zhao Family''s grasp, Li Shengqi hurriedly fled the scene, as if he were escaping for his life, leaving the garden behind without any furthermotion. As the crowd lost interest in the situation, their attention shifted elsewhere.


    In the following days, Meng Zhang and Li Xuan stayed at the Forest Mountain School''s premises for two more days. During this time, new guests arrived one after another.


    Being one of the major forces affiliated with Twin Sess Valley, Forest Mountain School''s strength and influence had risen significantly with the appearance of a second Foundation Building stage cultivator in the sect.


    Many subordinate forces under Twin Sess Valley came to attend the event, giving Forest Mountain School ample face.


    During those two days, Meng Zhang spent most of his time meditating indoors. asionally, he went outside for a walk, and the friendly disciples of Forest Mountain School warmly guided him around Linshan, allowing him to enjoy the scenery.


    Li Xuan took this opportunity to socialize and gather information.


    On the third day, it was the official day for the Foundation Building Dharma Meeting.


    Early in the morning, the guests from various sects and families, who had already prepared for this event, were led by Forest Mountain School''s disciples to the venue for the dharma meeting.


    The location was a t piece ofnd with a spacious square at its center, where a high tform was erected. This was where the higher-ranked cultivators of Forest Mountain School held the dharma meeting to impart teachings to the sect''s disciples.


    The surrounding area was filled with many cushions, with each section assigned to different forces.


    As there were only Meng Zhang and Li Xuan from Taiyi Sect, their assigned area was notrge. Quite coincidentally, it was not far from where Zhao Family cultivators were seated.


    Looking at the Zhao Family cultivators taking their seats, a middle-aged man who stood out caught Li Xuan''s attention. He whispered to Meng Zhang, introducing him.


    "The man leading them is Zhao Jiudou, the current head of the Zhao Family. I heard he''s just in his forties and already has a Refining Qipletion Cultivation Base. If he hadn''t failed to acquire a Foundation Building Pill, he might have already reached the Foundation Building stage."


    Meng Zhang had some knowledge about their neighbor, the Zhao Family.


    Zhao Jiudou was known as a genius cultivator from the Zhao Family since he was young. In his thirties, he had already reached the Refining Qite stage, entering the high-level ranks of the Zhao Family.


    He was the youngest elder of the Zhao Family and also the most powerful cultivator among them.


    Back when Zhao Yanbei, the former head of the Zhao Family, was still around, he had been wary of Zhao Jiudou and had intentionally suppressed him.


    Over two years ago, Twin Sess Valley med Zhao Family for the death of Foundation Building stage elder Xiao Shenqiang and sent Zhao Yanbei and other participating cultivators, including Zhao Jiudou, to Singing Sand Mountain to perform hardbor.


    In Zhao Yanbei''s absence, Zhao Jiudou rose to prominence. He quickly seized power within the Zhao Family and became the chief elder, responsible for managing all the family affairs.


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