Chapter 30: Fatal Temptation

"..." Lin Xiao thought.

Damn it! Was this coincidence really that deliberate and forced?

However, telekinesis was truly tempting to him. In his view, telekinesis would always be one of the most practical and versatile top-tier abilities. There was no need for seals or incantations; with a mere thought, one could manipulate objects from a distance. In battle, it could manifest as an invisible shield; during an assassination, it could guide flying needles to claim a life; it could even lift oneself to achieve flight.

Better yet, telekinesis could perfectly complement other abilities or patch up one's weaknesses. For an ability user like Lin Xiao, who possessed absolutely no combat capability, telekinesis was truly essential. It could be said that telekinesis was the hallmark ability of a protagonist.

At this moment, Lin Xiao couldn't concern himself with whether he could afford it or not—he just wanted to take a look! Even if he couldn't pay the source energy required for replication, he would look at it anyway, leaving behind a "memory archive."

Thus, Lin Xiao said, "I am actually quite interested. Take me to see it."

Su Wan nodded and trotted over to the goddess-priestess. "Auntie Li, could you let my friend see that telekinesis crystal?"

"Your boyfriend has deep pockets, then. If he wants to buy that, even the internal price wouldn't be less than 6 billion."

Hearing this price, Lin Xiao was stunned. It was a full five times the 1 billion benchmark price for a Tier 4 ability! Who on earth could afford such a high price? Even a wealthy second-generation heir like Xu Tao would have to request family funding to acquire telekinesis, and his family's assets would shrink significantly after the purchase.

Lin Xiao finally understood why the Heavenly Dao Temple could control the issuance of currency and keep its value stable year after year. Yet, he faintly sensed that there was more to it than that. After all, assets could be continuously increased through investment, but the demand from the wealthy for ability crystals had its limits.

Su Wan, standing to the side, didn't notice Lin Xiao's contemplation. She replied with a flushed face, "Auntie Li, he really isn't my boyfriend! How could we afford a telekinesis crystal? We just want to see such a peerless treasure, is that okay?"

"I would certainly say no to anyone else, but since you're the one asking, Little Wan, I'll definitely satisfy your request. Follow me!"

Auntie Li smiled and turned around, the keychain hanging from her waist jingling. She pulled out a palm-sized key covered in intricate runes. When the key was inserted into the heavy Xuanyin wood lock, the runes lit up one by one with a ghostly blue glow.

"Click—"

Accompanied by the dull sound of mechanical gears engaging, the half-meter-thick security door slowly opened. A wave of chilly air hit them, and Lin Xiao couldn't help but shiver.

"Stay close." Auntie Li stopped smiling and took a bronze antique lamp from the wall. The wick ignited without fire, emitting an eerie, pale green light. "The inner vault has many hidden security measures; don't take a wrong step!"

As she walked forward, every step she took on the floor triggered faint, shimmering golden patterns. Lin Xiao and Su Wan followed closely behind, carefully stepping in her footprints. The three of them walked on, passing through four equally heavy gates, until the temperature dropped so low that their breath turned to frost.

Finally, they entered a secret room and stopped in front of a crystal-clear white jade pedestal, upon which a deep blue crystal no larger than a fist was suspended.

"Is this..." Lin Xiao asked.

"That's right, this is the telekinesis crystal you wanted to see," Auntie Li said with a nod.

The fist-sized deep blue crystal hovered and rotated slowly, its surface shimmering with a liquid-metal-like halo. Every time it turned, it tore tiny wrinkles into the surrounding space, as if even the light was being twisted and swallowed by it.

Lin Xiao's pupils contracted sharply. When he stared at the crystal for more than three seconds, thousands of silver threads suddenly burst from within the deep blue crystal, intertwining like living things until they formed an exquisitely precise neural network. Every nerve ending radiated visible ripples—the manifestation of pure, materialized psychic power.

Boom!

Scenes suddenly exploded in Lin Xiao's mind: He saw himself overturning an entire heavily armed army with a mere flick of his hand; he saw himself holding up an absolute domain in the middle of a storm with just his will; he even saw countless enemies twisted into pretzels by invisible hands of telekinesis before they could even get close...

Lin Xiao's temples throbbed, and every cell in his body screamed the same thought: "Get it! Get it at any cost!"

But the next moment, Lin Xiao slammed his eyes shut, his nails digging deep into his palms. The sharp pain cleared his chaotic thoughts. He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the desire that threatened to burst through his chest.

"I've seen enough. Let's go." His voice was slightly hoarse, but carried an unquestionable resolve. Lin Xiao turned around, refusing to look at the crystal again.

Su Wan, however, was still gazing blankly at the crystal, her eyes reflecting the swirling silver light, as if her soul had been captured. It wasn't until Lin Xiao gently tugged on her sleeve that Su Wan shivered, as if waking from a dream.

"Ah? We... we're leaving already?" Su Wan's voice was airy, clearly not yet fully recovered from the shock.

In contrast to Su Wan's reaction, Auntie Li, the old priestess who had guarded the Spirit Treasure Pavilion for years, stared at Lin Xiao with wide, astonished eyes, full of disbelief. Although this telekinesis crystal had only arrived last night, at least ten people had observed it up close. There had been wealthy family heads who could make East Sea City tremble with a stomp of their feet, and young genius ability users who had already reached Tier 4.

But without exception, everyone who saw this crystal for the first time was deeply obsessed with it, unwilling to leave for a long time. Auntie Li understood this feeling perfectly; this telekinesis crystal represented infinite power. If one could possess such a treasure when opening their second ability, their personal strength would see a leap in growth. Even she, a vault administrator accustomed to treasures, had been captivated for over ten minutes the first time she saw it.

Su Wan's reaction was normal, yet this handsome young man in front of her had actually managed to suppress the desire in his heart?

"Little Wan, this friend of yours... he is quite extraordinary!" Auntie Li remarked.

"Huh?" Su Wan blinked blankly, clearly still not fully awake.

"You flatter me, Priestess Li. I just understand one truth: if something doesn't belong to you, there's no benefit in looking at it too much," Lin Xiao replied.

Auntie Li gave him a deep look but said nothing more.

"We should head back," Lin Xiao said.

"Alright, the way back is different from the way we came. Follow closely." Auntie Li turned and led the way out. After the three returned to the main hall of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, Lin Xiao and Su Wan thanked Auntie Li and took their leave.

After stepping out of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, Lin Xiao stopped in the lobby.

Su Wan asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Wait for me for a moment." Having said that, Lin Xiao closed his eyes. His consciousness entered the memory of the moments before.

In his memory, Lin Xiao flipped through the catalog of ability crystals and tried touching the ones in the display cases. As his fingertips brushed against them, information flowed through his mind like water:

[Tier 1 Ability Crystal - Extraordinary Physique: Replication requires 20 points of source energy]
[Tier 1 Ability Crystal - Extraordinary Strength: Replication requires 45 points of source energy]
[Tier 2 Ability Crystal - Fire Control: Replication requires 135 points of source energy]
[Tier 2 Ability Crystal - Extraordinary Wisdom: Replication requires 177 points of source energy]
[Tier 3 Ability Crystal - Dream Control: Replication requires 546 points of source energy]
...

Lin Xiao had touched almost all of these ability crystals and reached a conclusion: replicating a Tier 1 crystal cost roughly 20 to 50 source energy, while Tier 2 jumped to 100 to 200, and Tier 3 reached 300 to 700. These numbers shocked him. He knew that replicating a top-tier luxury meal from his past life only cost 1 point of source energy, and bringing over an entire local area network and security system had only cost 5. Now, replicating ability crystals started at dozens of points, with rarer ones costing hundreds.

However, if one of these crystals was truly suitable for him, Lin Xiao wouldn't hesitate to spend the source energy. But... there really wasn't one that satisfied him. Yang Shubai had warned him that the second ability was only second in importance to the Pain Ritual, and he must adhere to the principle of "better to have nothing than to settle for less." Once he chose wrong, the consequences would be irreversible.

Thus, in his memory, Lin Xiao turned his target to the "telekinesis crystal." As his finger touched the surface of the deep blue crystal, a message immediately generated in his mind:

[Tier 4 Ability Crystal - Telekinesis: Replication requires 1800 points of source energy]

The next moment, Lin Xiao withdrew from his memory, his eyes opening with a trace of disappointment.

Su Wan, standing by, saw this. She asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Didn't you find a satisfactory ability crystal today?"

"It seems there really wasn't one that was particularly suitable. But that's not the fault of the Heavenly Dao Temple; the collection is already very rich. I'm just too picky," Lin Xiao replied.

"How about that telekinesis crystal?" Su Wan asked suddenly. "Do you want it? As long as you want it, you can have it!"