Back at the hotel, everything was as usual.

No one noticed the fight at the back door.

Everyone here is a martial artist, but the experiences of martial artists are all on Trent Marsh.

They wouldn’t pay attention to internal conflicts.

Moreover, in the world of martial artists, fights are common occurrences.

Nothing to make a fuss about.

"Why?"

The Nine Provinces True Monarch returned to the room, crossed his legs on the sofa, holding a wine glass, leisurely asking, "Why not extract the answer and kill directly?"

He was surprised, the other party was already willing to answer questions.

Yet, the blind swordsman in front of him killed with a single stroke.

Did he already know the answer beforehand, or did he not need to know the answer?

What was the point of the previous questioning?

"Why are there so many ’whys’ in life? You’re not a ’ten thousand whys.’ I’ll say it straight, because I already knew." Julius Reed chuckled lightly, "If I say I have the Mind Reading Technique, do you believe me?"

"What a load of bull! In the post-martial arts era, all you martial artists, one after another, are all useless. I know mind reading technique existed, indeed there was such an expert in my era. But he died, and it was a miserable death!"

The Nine Provinces True Monarch shook his wine glass, leisurely saying, "Do you know why he died?"

"I’m all ears," Julius Reed was waiting for Trent Marsh, and with Nelson’s issue now resolved, he could finally chat a bit with the Nine Provinces True Monarch, understanding a bit about that era. It was quite nice.

"The person, to be honest, was very powerful, able to read minds, even I didn’t dare to get too close to him. But people with such personalities are bound to be lonely."

The Nine Provinces True Monarch took a sip of wine, placed the glass on the table, and spoke fluently, "His status was above mine. But there was nothing to be done, even the King of the Nine Provinces was wary of this point. The King of the Nine Provinces didn’t have the ability to stop that guy from seeing through his own heart, so he naturally didn’t dare to make great use of him."

"Later, that guy was found dead."

"Died at home, chest cut open with a knife, heart gouged out, minced into meat paste. Scary, isn’t it? That’s the fate of mind reading technique."

"Everyone feared him, so he naturally became a public enemy."

The Nine Provinces True Monarch sighed, feeling regretful, "It seems everyone was willing to see such a situation, so no one bothered to investigate. Later, I heard that the guy’s housekeeper was arrested as a criminal."

"Isn’t that nonsense? But everyone accepted it, and later, no one brought it up anymore."

The Nine Provinces True Monarch naturally didn’t believe that in the post-martial arts era, anyone could possess such a power.

"I want to ask, does mind reading technique have any aftereffects? Like memory loss?" Julius Reed asked tentatively.

"Oh? You know about that?"

The Nine Provinces True Monarch suddenly asked seriously, "You wouldn’t really have the mind reading technique, would you?"

But before Julius Reed could respond, he burst into laughter, "Just joking, but you’re quite right. Mind reading technique does indeed have aftereffects."

"Back in the day, martial arts of the Nine Provinces were so prosperous, yet no one ever had such powerful techniques, which we later called Mind Studies."

"That guy and I had crossed paths a few times, spoke simply."

"He said what the human heart thinks, it’s confidential. Peering into confidential information comes with a cost. The cost is brief memory loss."

"This memory loss isn’t about amnesia, but because of mind reading, at a certain moment, you may become someone else! This is the cost, quite terrifying."

The Nine Provinces True Monarch spoke as if telling a story, but there was some regret in his words.

"So frightening?" Julius Reed’s heart skipped a beat, but this is after all the Nine Provinces True Monarch’s account, and whether that expert’s mind reading technique was the same as his own still needed consideration.

"You think many things require a price. Do you think I can catch the Nine Provinces’ lost souls without paying a price?"

The Nine Provinces True Monarch shook his head.

"There’s still a price?" Julius Reed was somewhat surprised, it was the first time he’d heard the Nine Provinces True Monarch bring up this point.

A telekinesis user, what price could there be?

"The price is too great." The Nine Provinces True Monarch stood up, helplessly said, "The loneliness of the strong! I am the most formidable amongst the Nine Provinces’ telekinesis users, I must endure the envious gaze of others, and also..."

Bang!

Julius Reed kicked out, causing him to stagger.

"Why did you hit someone?" Usually, the Nine Provinces True Monarch would directly capture his soul.

But now, being tormented by Julius Reed left him with no temper.

It seemed slowly becoming accustomed.

No choice, lacking skill, can only endure.

This is the rule of the martial arts world.

"Let me ask you something." Julius Reed picked up his wine glass, also filled it with wine, and asked, "Do you happen to have two rivers? Some kind of mystical water?"

"Never heard of it."

The Nine Provinces True Monarch displeasedly sat back on the sofa, said to Julius Reed, "Give me some face, privately kick if you must, but outside, you have to be a bit more discreet. Who am I, the Nine Provinces True Monarch? What kind of status do I have?"

"Fine, later if there are people I’ll give you some face. But you have to really think about it, don’t you have these two rivers? Drink from one, and you’re immune to all poisons? Drink from the other, and it alleviates side effects? Finally, one’s blood turns into water."

Julius Reed speculated that the earliest time the Dragon family drank the water might have been during the Nine Provinces True Monarch’s era.

In that era, martial artists were considered gods.

Including the previous temple believed by Silvio Reed, in reality, was merely the Nine Provinces True Monarch’s residence.

The Dragon family ancestors were ordinary people, so survived in that apocalyptic-like era.

"Think carefully," he suggested.

Once the Dragon family’s water source is found, everything will be easy to discuss.

"Let me think, you said there are two rivers..."

Suddenly, the Nine Provinces True Monarch slapped his thigh and said, "I remember now, isn’t that the spring water in my residence?"

"Two distinct streams?" Julius Reed asked again.

So coincidental?

"Two streams, encircling my residence. Eventually, outside my residence, they converge into one. I understand what you said, there’s no immunity to all poisons, it’s simply the water discharged when I refined elixirs."

"Back then, there really were servants of mine who drank it, and were tormented to death by me. Remember, in our era, the gap between martial artists and non-martial artists was extremely vast!"

"Martial artists like me were the top kings. And those non-martial artists, aside from a small portion serving me, the majority lived like savages."

"Only the calamity narrowed the gap among humans to the extreme. Otherwise, how could it be like now, with martial artists everywhere, and all trash martial artists? I want to vomit just looking at them!"

"If I could now regain my peak, then the whole world would be under my feet... except for you," the Nine Provinces True Monarch immediately added.

"The gap..." Julius Reed squinted his eyes, seemingly thinking of something.