Three Kingdoms, Myth

Lu Su and the others looked at Chen Xi with strange expressions. If this really was Chen Xi's mental ability, then he would be incredibly valuable.

"It's quite possible..." Fa Zheng said with difficulty. If they thought about it, before Chen Xi took over Qingzhou, the area had been plagued by drought. Otherwise, the Yellow Turbans wouldn't have needed to leave Qingzhou to find food. But once Chen Xi defeated the Yellow Turbans and took over the territory, Qingzhou suddenly became blessed with favorable weather. And if they thought about other similar occurrences, it wasn't impossible that this was Chen Xi's ability—in fact, it seemed very likely!

"So, I'm also trying to confirm it. If this year turns out to be a bountiful year, then one of my mental abilities could be adjusting the weather in the regions governed by Lord Xuande. As for other possibilities, it's hard to say," Chen Xi said with a shrug.

Chen Xi had also been trying to figure out how his mental ability actually worked, and he concluded that it might be related to the regions under his control. By observing the way military formations gathered cloud energy, he speculated that everyone might also be unconsciously releasing mental energy. His mental ability might be harnessing this otherwise useless mental energy to alter the climate. Perhaps the energy released by just a few people wasn't enough, but with a large enough population, small changes could accumulate, leading to significant climate changes. This was the only explanation Chen Xi could think of for why the weather in Lord Xuande's territories was always better than the historical average.

"Zichuan, I have high hopes for you. From now on, you should stay in the safest place and avoid going to the frontlines!" Lu Su said solemnly, placing a hand on Chen Xi's shoulder. If this ability turned out to be real, Chen Xi could potentially save countless lives, so it would be best for him to stay far away from war.

Chen Xi tilted his head and glanced sideways at Lu Su. It was clear that Lu Su had taken him seriously. But then again, if his ability truly involved manipulating the unconscious mental energy of everyone within the ruler's domain to regulate the climate, it would indeed be a strategic-level ability. The longer it lasted, the more powerful it would become. After all, this was a world where people could unleash extraordinary power just by eating well!

But who knew for sure? Chen Xi hadn't confirmed if there were any negative side effects yet. What if it also amplified natural disasters? What if he was just imagining things? Who could say for certain?

Meanwhile, Guo Jia was lying half-asleep on a couch, holding a report from Jingzhou. In his groggy state, he muttered, "Haha, this Wang Wei is quite interesting. He's cautious, and his arrangement isn't bad."

After taking a few more gulps of wine, Guo Jia drowsily looked at the report. "Wen Pin won't die, but this Wang Wei... seems like his chances of survival are fifty-fifty. Oh well, as an enemy, you might as well die..."

As Guo Jia finished speaking, his mental energy surged, and he drifted off to sleep while hugging his wine jug. After all, he didn't need to maintain any pretense of formality, especially since no one was around.

At that very moment, Wang Wei, who was leading thirty thousand troops towards Jiangxia, had no idea that his fate had already been sealed in this battle. Guo Jia's unique mental ability allowed him to influence the outcome of events based on his judgments. Although this ability had many restrictions, once activated, it would tilt the scales in favor of Guo Jia's chosen outcome.

Even Guo Jia himself couldn't fully understand his ability—he merely had a vague sense of making declarations. As for the true nature of his mental ability, Guo Jia was unsure.

Of course, if Chen Xi were aware of how Guo Jia's judgments altered reality and the results that followed, he would likely figure out what Guo Jia's mental ability was. Historically, Guo Jia had once predicted that Sun Ce would die at the hands of an assassin, even though Sun Ce was in perfect health at the time. And yet, the formidable warrior known as the "Little Conqueror" of Jiangdong did indeed die at the hands of an assassin. How unlucky could one be?

Or perhaps, this wasn't just bad luck...

In Nanyang, at Wan City, Shi Zhi, looking pale and gaunt, stood on the city walls, gazing out at the vast army of Yuan Shu. The saying that an army of ten thousand seems boundless wasn't an exaggeration!

Ever since Yuan Shu learned that Cao Cao, instead of consolidating his control over Yuzhou, had come to seize most of Nanyang, he had been furious. Throughout his life, Yuan Shu had always been the one bullying others—when had he ever been on the receiving end?

Without a second thought, Yuan Shu led thirty thousand troops, along with over ten thousand soldiers from Lü Bu, intending to give Cao Cao a brutal beating to vent his frustration and drive him back to his homeland.

While Yuan Shu was enraged by Cao Cao's actions, he didn't intend to annihilate him completely. Yuan Shu was an odd figure—he held onto old sentiments. After all, he had grown up playing alongside Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, and although their relationships were strained, they were still some of the few people he had shared his childhood with.

For this reason, Yuan Shu simply wanted to defeat Cao Cao and send him running. Of course, if Cao Cao were willing to acknowledge Yuan Shu as his superior, that would be even better. After all, why had Cao Cao and Xu You both chosen to follow Yuan Shao instead of him?

This was, in fact, the real reason Yuan Shu resented Yuan Shao so much. All their childhood friends had chosen to align themselves with Yuan Shao, leaving Yuan Shu feeling betrayed.

As for internal family conflicts, rivalries between legitimate and illegitimate sons, and the like—they were all just surface-level issues. Family conflicts were never openly displayed in public, and as for the legitimate and illegitimate sons, well, when did illegitimate sons ever have the right to compete with the legitimate heirs? Everything in the Yuan family was meant for Yuan Shu to inherit, and that was the harsh reality.

This was also why Yuan Shao had chosen not to return to Yuzhou and instead ventured to Jizhou to carve out his own territory. Even if he had returned, he wouldn't have gained anything. The legitimate heir of the Yuan family was Yuan Shu, and that was that.

As for whether he might lose to Cao Cao, Yuan Shu hadn't even considered the possibility. Having just severely beaten Liu Biao in Jingzhou, Yuan Shu was riding high. As far as he was concerned, the troubles in Yuzhou were no longer an issue after Liu Bei's withdrawal. With elite troops, ample supplies, and powerful generals, Yuan Shu felt invincible.

"Military Advisor Shi, are you feeling alright?" Xiahou Yuan asked with concern as he looked at Shi Zhi's pale face.

"You don't need to worry, Miao Cai," Shi Zhi replied without turning his head. He continued scanning Yuan Shu's forces, and after a while, he turned back with a bitter smile. "I overestimated Yuan Shu's forces. There isn't a single person among them with a mental ability. I wanted to borrow an ability to play with, but it's just not possible. What a pity."

"No mental abilities?" Xiahou Yuan was momentarily stunned, then he broke into a wide grin. This meant that the enemy had no terrifying strategists on their side!

"Indeed, they don't have any capable advisors," Shi Zhi said, unsure of how to feel about this. "Never mind, I'll use my usual abilities. I was hoping to use a similar ability to mess with them, but it seems there's no opportunity for that..."

"I'll just use Wenruo's mental ability. It's incredibly useful. Ah, what a pity about Chen Changwen's ability—it doesn't have any special features," Shi Zhi muttered as his mental energy surged. His demeanor gradually began to resemble that of Xun Yu.

"Wenruo's mental ability is truly invaluable. It clarifies the big picture, optimizes resource allocation, and can push a team to perform beyond their limits when needed. It really is the perfect ability for a central command strategist!" Shi Zhi marveled at Xun Yu's ability every time he used it, though he couldn't help but complain about his own mental ability.

In truth, Shi Zhi's mental ability was far from lacking. It was actually quite exceptional. However, due to its unique nature, he was always left wanting more.

Shi Zhi's mental ability allowed him to copy and use others' mental abilities. He could store three different abilities, but he could only use one at a time, and switching between them required a ten-day cooldown.

Because his three allies all had excellent abilities, Shi Zhi often felt frustrated. If he used Xun Yu's ability, Xun You's would be sidelined, and if he switched to Xun You's, Cheng Yu's would be left out. No matter which one he chose, Shi Zhi was never completely satisfied.

Whether it was Xun Yu's strategic foresight, Xun You's deception, or Cheng Yu's resilience, all of them were top-tier abilities. Of course, these abilities didn't originally have names—Shi Zhi had come up with them out of boredom.

Xun You's ability was particularly interesting. Once activated, it made the enemy perceive Xun You's forces as weak and harmless, giving the impression that they could be easily defeated. Naturally, underestimating Xun You often led to disastrous consequences for the enemy!

For this reason, Shi Zhi avoided working too closely with Xun You. Although Xun You appeared dull and unassuming, Shi Zhi knew he was a classic "wolf in sheep's clothing," full of cunning.

Cheng Yu's mental ability, on the other hand, was somewhat similar to that of a warrior. But unlike warrior abilities, Cheng Yu's was passive. As long as he served as the strategist for an army, his ability would enhance the entire force, making them more resilient. This meant that Cheng Yu's troops were tougher and could maintain higher combat effectiveness in adverse conditions—whether facing a flood, fire, or other disasters, his troops would have a better chance of surviving.

As a result, Shi Zhi always wished he could use all three abilities at once. Unfortunately, he could only use one at a time, and switching between them required a ten-day cooldown. When Chen Qun had joined their ranks, Shi Zhi had immediately copied his ability as well.

However, after testing it, Shi Zhi decided to erase Xun Yu's ability to make room for Chen Qun's. But after using it once, he had gone back to Xun Yu and copied his ability again. The reason was simple—Chen Qun's ability was too similar to Xun Yu's. While it was just as effective for maintaining stability, it lacked Xun Yu's explosive power.