Sitting on the couch, Feng Qi patiently waited for Monk to reveal his secrets.
Monk looked at him, asking, "Qi-ge, since you already know I'm from the Golden Immortal Temple, do you also know where our subordinate Prajna Domain Combat Squad operates?"
Feng Qi naturally knew the answer. He had thoroughly researched the background of all ten of his students and the forces behind them. Nodding, he replied, "Of course. It's centered in the supply zone outside Old Day City, extending outward to attack nearby domain fields. That area is also a hub for many domain combat squads."
"Correct," Monk affirmed. "Our domain combat squad is the strongest in that supply zone. We often lead joint operations with other squads. To date, we've cleared 103 domain fields."
"We've interacted with countless domain forces, and as a result, we've long known that domain entities are infiltrating human society. In fact, we even have several domain transcenders imprisoned in our secret base, from whom we've extracted a lot of classified information."
"This, of course, includes the fact that domain forces are lurking within human society."
"As for why we haven't made this information public… as you said earlier, Qi-ge, people need hope. The truth would only bring despair, leading to two possible outcomes."
"First, human civilization, unwilling to accept its situation, declares total war against domain forces, accelerating its destruction."
"Second, humanity chooses to eke out an existence, living with bitterness and hopelessness about the future."
"Neither of these outcomes is what we want to see. We believe that only by giving people hope can the possibility of miracles arise."
Feng Qi nodded in agreement after hearing this. The Prajna Domain Combat Squad's philosophy was strikingly similar to that of the Crimson Research Institute. Both knew the truth but chose not to reveal it to the world, opting instead to work in the shadows, searching for a path forward for human civilization.
"Then why did you come to Star City Academy? What are you planning?" Feng Qi probed further.
After a brief moment of thought, Monk continued, "Sixteen years ago, our Prajna Second Combat Squad was exploring a domain field in the eastern region of Old Day City. During the mission, they encountered a shadow-like domain creature. A fierce battle ensued."
Hearing the term "shadow-like domain creature," Feng Qi's mind immediately turned to the Shadow Forces that supported the Institute of Technological Research. However, he didn't interrupt, allowing Monk to continue.
"In that battle, only two rookies from our Second Combat Squad survived. The squad leader and all other members were killed. The survivors returned with a peculiar crystal."
"Our analysts initially believed the crystal to be an undiscovered type of spiritual material. However, subsequent research revealed a significant secret."
"This crystal was actually a specialized tool for information transmission, containing crucial data. After months of decryption, we extracted the information and uncovered details about the Shadow Forces backing this domain entity."
At this point, a shadow passed over Monk's face.
"Qi-ge, how do you think humanity's growth potential compares to that of domain creatures?"
After a moment of contemplation, Feng Qi replied, "We can't match the growth potential of the strongest domain entities, but we surpass many weaker domain species. However, in terms of creativity, humanity is second to none among domain forces. This creativity is why we've been able to catch up. What we lack is time to develop."
Hearing this, Monk shook his head. "We used to think that too. But the data we uncovered introduced us to a domain species whose potential far exceeds humanity's. We call them the Psionic Race."
Taking a deep breath, Monk elaborated, "What makes this race terrifying is their capacity for unlimited knowledge accumulation. Their bodies are nearly entirely composed of psionic material, and each member's consciousness is connected to a central entity they call the Sacred Spirit, which grants them unparalleled creativity."
"What is the Sacred Spirit?" Feng Qi asked immediately.
"It's their collective consciousness, akin to a massive information storage database in human terms, but far more advanced. For example, when a Psionic Race infant is born, their consciousness connects to the Sacred Spirit, granting them access to ancestral memories and knowledge. From the moment they are born, every Psionic Race warrior is a top-tier genius."
"This process repeats with each generation, accumulating more knowledge and experience. Their creativity is unimaginable. Even more terrifyingly, any member of their race can instantly acquire knowledge by extracting it from the Sacred Spirit, akin to downloading data from the internet—only far more efficient."
"For instance, say I don't know how to drive a car. If I were a member of the Psionic Race, I could search the Sacred Spirit's information bank for the relevant data, download it, and instantly gain the skills of a seasoned driver."
Hearing this, Feng Qi couldn't help but gasp.
If what Monk said was true, then the potential of the Psionic Race was beyond comprehension.
An enemy like that was overwhelmingly despair-inducing.
"The communication crystal we captured is one such tool used by the Psionic Race for their internal transmissions. From it, we uncovered a critical piece of information: the Psionic Race is searching for something hidden within human society," Monk explained.
"What are they looking for?" Feng Qi asked eagerly.
This question had haunted him for a long time. He couldn't fathom why these powerful domain forces, capable of obliterating human civilization, chose instead to infiltrate it and play such a long game. What were they after?
"From the crystal's data, we learned that the Psionic Race suffered a betrayal. A rogue group of their own kind fled, taking with them a precious relic. The Psionic Race has been dispatching agents to hunt down these defectors and retrieve the stolen relic. This group of defectors is very likely hiding within human society," Monk continued.
Feng Qi immediately followed up, "Do you know what this relic is?"
Monk shook his head. "We only know that the Psionic Race calls it the 'Miracle.'"
"'Miracle'?" Feng Qi repeated.
"Yes. To better understand what this 'Miracle' is, we interrogated the domain transcenders imprisoned in the Prajna Base. From them, we learned another crucial piece of information," Monk said.
"'Miracle' is a general term used by various domain forces to describe divine relics—objects capable of altering the fate of a race and bestowing god-like power upon them."
"Go into more detail," Feng Qi urged.
"For example, the Psionic Race's Sacred Spirit, their collective consciousness that links the memories of all their members, is one such Miracle," Monk explained. "From the testimony of the domain transcenders, the Psionic Race was not always as formidable as they are now. Their rise began after they stumbled upon a Miracle—the Sacred Spirit. This allowed their race to grow exponentially, with each generation surpassing the last. It only took them a few centuries to reach their current level of power."
"We suspect the relic the Psionic Race is so desperate to recover might be another Miracle. This Miracle was likely intercepted by the defectors before it could be delivered to their main forces," Monk said, his tone grim.
Hearing this, Feng Qi felt a flood of questions rise in his mind.
From Monk's account, he gleaned a significant amount of information. It seemed that domain forces were all competing to obtain Miracles, these extraordinary divine relics that could reshape the destiny of their species.
But the question remained: Why were these forces operating within human society? Could it be that the Miracle they were searching for was hidden among humans?
This thought prompted Feng Qi to ask, "Do you think the Miracle is hidden within human society?"
Monk shook his head. "This has been one of our biggest questions. What exactly is the Miracle? And why would they infiltrate human society to search for it?"
At that moment, Feng Qi's mind turned to Mu Yan.
When he had read fragments of Mu Yan's memories, she had also muttered about searching for a "Miracle." But in her context, the Miracle seemed to be a person.
In contrast, the domain forces clearly referred to a tangible object.
Connecting the Shadow Forces, Psionic Race, and the idea of Miracles, a sudden epiphany struck Feng Qi.
Could it be possible that the Psionic Race defectors were actually the Shadow Forces behind the Institute of Technological Research?
If the Shadow Forces were indeed Psionic defectors, their unparalleled creativity could explain the rapid advancements made by the Institute, leading to groundbreaking developments like psionic technology.
As for the relic stolen by the defectors, Feng Qi suspected it might be none other than Little Black.
The Narrator had speculated before that the materials used to create Little Black were unlike anything found in the real world, likely originating from some sort of supermaterial.
This theory brought a cohesive thread to his thoughts.
What if the Shadow Forces had obtained the Miracle (the supermaterial) and used it to defect from their own race, hiding within the Institute of Technological Research to avoid detection? Over time, they infiltrated the Institute, turning it into their base of operations. The Miracle was then used to create Little Black, a superweapon unlike anything seen before.
From the timeline, this theory held water.
Monk mentioned the Psionic Race's betrayal occurred sixteen years ago. Feng Qi remembered seeing a memory fragment of Le Ping'an's parents joining the Shadow Forces roughly around the same time. At that point, Le Ping'an had been a child, and Feng Qi could deduce the timeline from his age.
It was during this period that the Shadow Forces likely took control of the Institute of Technological Research. Their influence accelerated the Institute's technological progress, allowing it to surpass the Future Research Institute and become Future City's leading institution.
This led Feng Qi to strongly suspect that the domain force behind the Institute of Technological Research was indeed the Psionic Race defectors.
If this theory was correct, then the material used to create Little Black was the Miracle the Psionic Race was desperately searching for.
This would also explain why Little Black was so powerful.
After all, if it was forged from the same divine material that allowed the Psionic Race to revolutionize their civilization through the Sacred Spirit, then Little Black's extraordinary capabilities made perfect sense.
"But these clues still leave many unanswered questions," Feng Qi said, furrowing his brow. "Why are the domain forces infiltrating human civilization to search for this Miracle? Even if Little Black was created using the Miracle, why would they target me so relentlessly?"
"Monk, did you ever interrogate the captured domain transcenders to find out why they are searching for the Miracle within human civilization?"
"We did," Monk replied, shaking his head. "Several of them died under interrogation, but none of them gave a concrete answer. According to them, they are weak tribes who infiltrated human civilization merely to serve the stronger domain forces. In return, they hoped to gain derivative Miracle items, such as Miracle Stones or Miracle Liquids."
Hearing the term "Miracle Stone," Feng Qi immediately thought of the two blood-red Miracle Stones the assassin had given him.
Based on Monk's intel, it became clear that the weak domain tribes were merely workers under the command of the more powerful forces. Their service, aimed at obtaining Miracle-derived items, explained certain betrayals in past timelines.
After all, these weak tribes served stronger forces. Selling him out for their benefit was unsurprising.
"What exactly are these derivative Miracle items?" Feng Qi asked.
"They are special substances shed from Miracles, with similarly miraculous effects. For instance, the Prajna Combat Squad once obtained some Miracle Liquid. After drinking it, injuries healed rapidly, and it even boosted cultivation efficiency."
"No wonder every domain force is so obsessed with Miracles," Feng Qi mused, nodding. "These things are indeed extraordinary."
"By the way," he continued, "you still haven't explained why you came to Star City Academy."
"We want to find the Miracle as well," Monk admitted. "If the Miracle could elevate the Psionic Race from an ordinary force to a dominant power, then finding it might give humanity the same leap in strength."
"Do you believe the Miracle is in Star City Academy?" Feng Qi asked, surprised.
"No, we don't even know what the Miracle is, let alone where it's hidden," Monk said, shaking his head. "However, during routine physical exams, a freshman's results flagged an unusual energy signature in their body."
"Initially, this wasn't given much importance," he continued. "But at the time, the Prajna Combat Squad was investigating similar anomalies. After analyzing the data, we suppressed the findings and sent me to investigate personally."
"What kind of energy signature was it?"
At this, Monk took out his phone, entered a password, and pulled up an image, which he turned to Feng Qi.
The screen displayed a complex black mark, reminiscent of a formation diagram.
Feng Qi immediately recognized its origin—it was the Death Mark associated with the Shadow Forces behind the Institute of Technological Research.
It dawned on him who Monk's target must be:
"Your target is Le Ping'an?"
"That's right. The Psionic Race's activities are concentrated around Old Day City. However, the same type of mark appeared here in Star City, leading us to suspect the Psionic defectors are hiding nearby."
"We can't possibly fight the Psionic Race head-on to take the Miracle from them. So, our plan is simple: find the defectors and seize the Miracle from them instead."
Monk's explanation confirmed many of Feng Qi's theories. The Shadow Forces behind the Institute of Technological Research were indeed the Psionic defectors.
"Since Le Ping'an is dead, why haven't you left Star City yet?" Feng Qi asked.
Monk sighed deeply. "Le Ping'an's sudden death caught me completely off guard. It also made me suspicious. At first, I thought the Psionic Race had found the defectors and were preparing to act against them. Naturally, I had to lie low."
"Even if it wasn't the Psionic Race, Le Ping'an's death likely alarmed the defectors themselves. Their attention would naturally focus on Star City Academy in the aftermath."
"If I left now, wouldn't that alert them? My plan was to stay for another six months to a year, then find an excuse to withdraw quietly."
"So to avoid attracting attention, you've been deliberately laying low and maintaining a facade of nonchalance?"
"Qi-ge, I wouldn't call it a facade. This is just who I am," Monk said with a grin.
Feng Qi: …
Monk's explanation clarified many of Feng Qi's doubts. Yet, new questions arose in their place.
What exactly was the Miracle?
Why were domain forces infiltrating human civilization to search for it?
Could the Miracle Mu Yan spoke of have some connection to the Miracle sought by the domain forces?
And why was Little Black, created from Miracle materials, so fixated on him?
At this thought, a chilling suspicion crept into his mind.
Could the Narrator itself be a Miracle?
Based on Monk's description, a Miracle could take various forms.
For instance, the Psionic Race's Sacred Spirit—a shared consciousness and information repository—was one type of Miracle.
The materials used to create Little Black were undoubtedly a form of Miracle, given their indestructible and reality-shifting properties.
In this context, the intangible and seemingly omnipresent Narrator could very well be classified as a Miracle.
Alternatively, could his own ability to traverse timelines be the result of a Miracle's power?
The answer to this question remained elusive. He had asked the Narrator before, but it seemed as clueless about its nature as he was.
Ultimately, all these questions pointed to a larger, overarching issue:
What was the looming threat that had driven the domain forces into such a frenzy to strengthen themselves?
With every piece of intel he uncovered, new mysteries emerged. He could only hope that this timeline wouldn't end prematurely, giving him the chance to meet Mu Yan and uncover more of the truth.