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Chapter 64: The Mayor’s Reaction
Tang San continued, "I gathered my courage and went out to help him. Seeing that I was human, he told me he wouldn't make it and handed me a book. He instructed me to join the Redemption Society in the future and to destroy the book after memorizing it."
"A book?" the mayor asked, surprised. "What book?"
Tang San explained, "The book was called Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. It contained a cultivation method and a number of auxiliary arts. At that time, I hadn't yet awakened the Demonic God Transformation. Later, I did as he said. I memorized the book's contents, and then I burned it. Fearing I would forget, I recited it daily and gradually learned some unique abilities called the Mysterious Heaven Technique. At first, I didn't know what it was for. Until one time, I accidentally touched a Wind Wolf and felt that the Mysterious Heaven Technique’s power was absorbing something from it. From that moment, I gained the Wind Blade ability."
Listening to this, the mayor couldn't help but grip the armrests of his chair tightly. However, he did not interrupt Tang San.
Tang San kept a close eye on his interlocutor’s facial expression; in the mayor's eyes, he did not see greed but rather nervousness and contemplation.
"I continued to cultivate, and my Mysterious Heaven Technique improved. It seems to have nine levels, and each corresponds to an order of the demon clans. By touching and absorbing some abilities of the Wind Wolves, I learned to control the Wind Blade. But I can’t actually perform the true Wind Wolf Transformation. I passed the initial test for becoming a Wind Wolf clan vassal and I became Teacher Wang’s student, and I’ve been learning under his guidance until now. But in reality, I don’t really have a Wind Wolf Transformation at all; the fact that I can use the Wind Blade is only due to the Mysterious Heaven Technique."
"And what method do you use to control the wind blades? Did you also learn that from the book?" the mayor asked.
Tang San nodded, "Yes."
"Do you remember the name of the person who gave you the book?" the mayor inquired.
"He seemed to be called Zhu Jiaxin," Tang San replied.
"Zhu Jiaxin?" Hearing this name, the mayor's eyes noticeably flickered—he clearly recognized the name.
"Did Zhu Jiaxin tell you where the book came from when he gave it to you?"
Tang San shook his head. Of course, there was no way to verify his claim, since Zhu Jiaxin was dead.
"Then later, you absorbed the abilities of other demon clan species during the Collision Contest?" the mayor asked.
Tang San nodded. He was not surprised. It made sense that the other party had investigated his past experiences thoroughly, and his use of Leopard Flash, Ironhide Shield, and Discerning Eye just now corresponded with the abilities of the demons he encountered in the Collision Contest.
The mayor took a deep breath. "Your abilities are extraordinary!"
Tang San probed, "I can tell you the method of cultivation. Would you like to learn it?"
"No!" the mayor instantly blurted out. The fire element in the surrounding air became denser again, but it wasn't directed at Tang San this time. Instead, it completely sealed off the room.
The mayor stood up, his brows tightly furrowed. Tang San could feel that his interlocutor was in a state of really high tension.
He paced back and forth in the room, his uneven steps revealing his anxiety.
After a long while, he returned to face Tang San, his expression somewhat pained.
"The abilities you learned from that book are exceptional. But they might not necessarily be a good thing for the Redemption Society, at least not now. The Mysterious Heaven Technique has only nine levels, right?"
Tang San nodded. Of course, he wouldn't mention that he could continue cultivating this technique up to the level of God King. The original Mysterious Heaven Method indeed only had nine levels, but during his past life, he had improved it based on his own experiences.
Now that his unique abilities had been discovered, he chose to tell a half-truth, half-false version. After all, in the eyes of the mayor, he was still a child and he was bound to be underestimated. The mayor wouldn’t expect a cornered child to lie to his face so easily.
The mayor looked at him with a complex gaze. "Tang San, remember my words. From now on, don't tell anyone what you've just told me. Apart from me, no one else in the Redemption Society must know. I won't report this to the organization either."
Tang San was momentarily stunned, not expecting such a reaction from the mayor. He had thought that the mayor's first request would be for the Mysterious Heaven Technique, and he actually wasn't opposed to this idea. If more people could become stronger by cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Technique and humanity as a whole would be empowered, it would naturally be good.
The Mysterious Heaven Technique had become rather widespread in his previous world thanks to him. It was just a primary cultivation method, and it was by far not enough in and of itself to determine the strength of an individual.
"Mayor, I am willing to write down the Mysterious Heaven Technique and offer it to the organization. It would be of great help to the Redemption Society," Tang San said.
The mayor looked at him with a somewhat surprised expression, but then shook his head without hesitation, saying, "No, you shouldn't. Later, you can explain the method of cultivating the Mysterious Heaven Technique to me. I would like to reference it. But apart from me, you must not tell anyone about this."
Tang San was confused. "Why not?"
The mayor replied with a bitter smile, "I can tell you're much more mature than other children your age. I don't want you to reveal the existence of the Mysterious Heaven Technique due to several issues. First, its limit is only nine levels, and as far as I know, no one besides you has ever cultivated it. We don't know how powerful it can make you. It's likely comparable to the ninth order of the demon and nymph clans, but if it’s only that strong...then it can't make humans all that much stronger. The strength of true great demons and celestial nymphs is beyond your imagination.
"Secondly, although the Mysterious Heaven Technique can't be cultivated to higher levels, its special ability to learn various powers from the demon and nymph clans is just too frightening. It allows humans to acquire abilities through cultivation without needing bloodline inheritance for Demonic God Transformation. This would completely overturn the entire learning system of humans and make it easier for us to acquire abilities."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Tang San asked, puzzled.
The mayor's face grew even more bitter. "A good thing? It's a terrible thing that could bring disaster to humanity. The demon and nymph clans are well aware that our intelligence is much greater than theirs. Think about it for a second: what would they do if they found out that we could learn all their abilities through absorption? They might resort to exterminating us to eliminate possible threats. Do you think that's a good thing?"
The mayor’s explanation brought a lot of clarity to Tang San. After all, he wasn't entirely familiar with this world yet, and the mayor's concerns certainly made sense. If the demon and nymph clans discovered that humans could absorb and learn their abilities through the Mysterious Heaven Technique, their reaction could be, in fact, catastrophic. And Tang San hadn’t even mentioned yet that the Mysterious Heaven Technique could allow the user to absorb the bloodline power of demons and nymphs and drain them to death.
The mayor took a deep breath and continued, "Therefore, apart from you and me, no one else can know of the existence of the Mysterious Heaven Technique. We will protect you, and you should continue your cultivation. However, you must not reveal this ability again, unless it’s the only thing that can save you from death. Otherwise, it will surely bring disaster to humanity. Do you understand? The struggle for the survival of humans in front of the demon and nymph clans is already too difficult. We’ve started to see a glimmer of hope, and your Mysterious Heaven Technique could also be considered one of those things that we put our hope in, but for now, it must not be discovered."
Of course, Tang San had no intention of holding back if the situation actually required all his power, but he nodded in agreement.