Chapter 706: Limits and Aspirations

Professor Bai’s words silenced the entire auditorium in an instant.

Even the two most distracted gazes in the hall—the Gecko fixated on Linda and the Doll whose full attention was on Lu Xin—lifted their eyes in mild surprise toward Professor Bai.

Needless to say, everyone else was similarly attentive.

Everyone knew that when Professor Bai gathered the crowd, it was because he had something important to share.

But none expected that as soon as he spoke, his words would be so staggering.

“Today, I am going to discuss three matters with you,” he declared.

And Professor Bai, seemingly unsurprised by their reactions, quietly scanned the crowd and continued:

“The first matter is the limits of Ability Users.”

“Or, you might say, the limits of mere mortals.”

“……”

He paused briefly, his gaze drifting over the Drunkard, Red Serpent, Watchdog, and others below, before finally settling on the Doll, who sat dumbfounded beside Lu Xin with wide eyes fixed on the podium. He said, “We all know that Abilities are the manifestation of thirteen distinct forms of Mental Power acting upon the seven inherent aspects of human nature, which results in certain anomalous traits.”

“Because these anomalies allow them to do things that ordinary people cannot, they are called Abilities…”

“Do not mistake this for a blessing.”

“Just like how a simple twig cannot kill unless it is sharpened to pierce flesh.”

“Thus, a twig endowed with the power to kill is no more formidable than an ordinary one; in fact, it lacks much of what makes the common twig effective.”

“……”

Professor Bai paused here, scanning the auditorium before saying, “But given the predicament facing the human world today, we not only must develop Abilities, we must also enhance them to combat the pervasive Mental Pollution under the shadow of the Red Moon.”

“Nowadays, Abilities are seen as weapons—or rather, as indispensable tools.”

“For every organization—from the Northern Alliance and the Technology Church in the South to the Chaos Zone in the central region—the biggest challenge now is enhancing these Abilities. A genius researcher from the Alliance proposed the Seven Steps Theory, revealing the highest tier of Mental Power and sparking ambitions and desires to steadily elevate one’s own Abilities.”

“Make no mistake, these Seven Steps are real.”

“Whether in the Abyss, the Forbidden Zone, or other void spaces, the correspondence between layers is unmistakable.”

“Moreover, with the constant unveiling of the first, second, and third steps, the emergence of powerful Ability Users who approach or even reach the fourth stage has given many the illusion that by following a step-by-step process, one can gradually master ever-greater power.”

“There is even the possibility of grasping that forbidden fruit atop the Pyramid.”

“……”

Unlike before, Professor Bai’s tone grew somber as he detailed these points.

This caused everyone in the hall to instinctively sit up straighter, hanging on every word.

Some even began taking notes.

When he reached the most critical point, he purposely slowed his pace so everyone could follow clearly.

“But in reality, this is nothing more than a delusion.”

“As mere mortals, it is impossible for us to truly reach the pinnacle of these Seven Steps, for every individual has limits.”

“……”

A murmur of unrest had begun to stir in the auditorium; all the Ability Users present looked slightly dazed.

Meanwhile, the researchers wore expressions that hinted at a desire to question yet an unwillingness to interrupt his words.

Ignoring the researchers, Professor Bai continued, “This ultimate limit can aptly be called the Mortal Limit.”

“It’s actually quite straightforward to understand.”

“The source of an Ability User’s power is fundamentally the same as the ultimate that resides at the peak of the mental world.”

“However, the thirteen forms of the ultimate Mental Entity acting upon the seven aspects of human nature spawn seven distinct Abilities.”

“So, being born with an Ability means one starts with just one of these seven. Even if they can continuously enhance themselves, how does one achieve the initial leap to have a single Ability influence the other seven aspects of power?”

“In simple terms, an Ability User possesses only one-seventh of the potential.”

“Ability Users are innately incomplete; compared to the ultimate, they are fundamentally different.”

“……”

“Crackle…”

The auditorium instantly erupted into a clamor.

Countless researchers, having grasped his words, suddenly looked as though a realization dawned on them—only to be quickly overtaken by tension.

Indeed, this was a question long theorized by many.

But because research on Abilities by various factions has all been conducted under the aegis of the Mental Overlord, such issues had not been widely discussed. Only a few particularly perceptive researchers had sensed this problem, but due to the scarcity of cases and materials, they were forced to rely on pure conjecture.

Professor Bai was the first to openly propose this distinction.

If theoretically there should be ninety-one types of Abilities, then why have only thirteen ultimates been discovered and reasoned out?

And how many crown the Pyramid at its summit?

What principles and formulas govern the gradation process?

“……”

“……”

“You can consider this as the greatest issue we are currently facing,” he explained.

Amid the ongoing clamor, once Professor Bai spoke, all the disturbance was immediately quelled:

“The descent of the ultimate is a top-down process, while the elevation of an Ability User is bottom-up.”

“Attempting to forge a stronger Ability User to confront the ultimate is inherently flawed.”

“In a way, it is a truly despairing problem.”

“The emergence and breakthrough of the first four steps gave many hope, suggesting that there might be a way to counter the ultimate Pollution.”

“But the subsequent three steps tell a different story—there is no hope.”

“What you consider hope is nothing more than a joke.”

“……”

“……”

“Crackle…”

With his final summary, the auditorium plunged into complete chaos.

Everyone exchanged fearful, incredulous, and even agitated glances.

“I have a question…”

Amidst the sudden uproar, someone couldn’t help but raise a hand and speak in a deep voice.

As the clamor subsided, all eyes turned to see Professor Chen Liqing, Qinggang’s second most prominent researcher after Professor Bai, maintaining his composure as he looked directly at Professor Bai and said, “By that logic, have we already reached the pinnacle of our efforts here in Qinggang?”

“Yes!”

Professor Bai nodded. “Only in the expansion at the level of the Mental Overlord is it possible, but it can never be broken.”

“Impossible.”

Professor Chen Liqing gritted his teeth and said, “There must be a way.”

“If a problem appears utterly hopeless, it only means we haven’t yet found the correct method…”

“……”

Professor Bai silently regarded him for a while, then, a slight smile appeared on his face.

“That’s a good remark,” he said.

He laughed and continued, “It may boost morale, but it does nothing to solve the problem.”

“Just like that Girl,” he added.

Turning his gaze toward the Doll, he immediately drew everyone’s attention to her, seated beside Lu Xin, and said, “She belongs to the Princess-type under the Dominator faction. You have already brought her to the level of the Mental Overlord, but no matter how many plans you devise, has any advantageous possibility ever emerged that would allow her to ascend to the Fifth Step of the Pyramid?”

“……”

Everyone in the auditorium was momentarily stunned, rendered speechless.

“Because you simply do not know how to solve the problem,” he murmured.

Professor Bai continued in a low voice, “Her power is, by nature, that of the Dominator group. No matter how many methods you try, you cannot have her wield abilities beyond the Princess-type—such as those from the Puppet-type, Dancer-type, or Clown-type. Relying solely on deepening her Princess-type power, she may influence the seven aspects of a person, but she will never be complete.”

“So theoretically speaking, she could become the strongest Mental Overlord, yet she would never be able to construct a Mental Palace.”

“……”

When these words were spoken, everyone in the hall felt as though their minds had been turned to mush.

There was a shock from having their deepest fears echoed aloud, mixed with the overwhelming force of these revelations that left them unable to calmly reflect or discuss the issues.

“Then…”

At that moment, a small Fat Man sitting below suddenly raised his hand.

It was Dr. Mo, widely recognized as the most gifted young researcher on the Qinggang side.

Gathering his courage, he cautiously said, “So according to your idea, if we reverse the process, does that mean…”

“If I can enable the Doll to possess these varied Abilities, she would gain the possibility to ascend to the Fifth Step?”

“……”

Several people in the hall suddenly seemed to understand, then looked on nervously.

Professor Bai on the podium showed a somewhat pleased smile, nodded, and said, “That brings me to the second matter I wish to discuss.”

“How to break through the Mortal Limit.”

“Before we even consider this problem, we must acknowledge one thing: there is no method in which we can push an Ability User to the very top of the Pyramid—not even among all our reasonable approaches that don’t violate our basic constraints.”

“But if we broaden our thinking, there are still several methods we can try.”

“……”

“……”

After a brief pause, he continued, “The first method is the binding of Abilities.”

“Each ultimate form of Mental Power can produce seven distinct Abilities. Conversely, if you fuse and bind the seven different Abilities within the same category, theoretically, you have the possibility of reaching the ultimate level. In other words, if the seven Abilities of the same category work in unison, their combined effect far surpasses the cooperation of Abilities of other quantities and tiers…”

“Of course, this would still not be enough to challenge the ultimate.”

“Because we all know that true understanding and synergy between individuals is something that can never be achieved.”

“Unless…”

At this point, he paused briefly and in a low tone said, “they cannibalize each other.”